TYPOLOGY
OF THE FEAST OF
ATONEMENT
We continue here with the SIXTH aspect of Redemption
typology as conveyed by the feast day of Atonement, given to us
by Robert Thompson in his book called "The Feasts of the Lord."
I will give you various passages in his book from pages 86 to 98.
All emphasis is mine unless otherwise stated.
QUOTE:
" It was on the sixth day that man was made in the image of
God; and, therefore, we might expect that the sixth aspect of
redemption would be extremely significant. And it is! For it is
on this day that the crowing work of God is performed.......The
sixth aspect is a time of war, of the presence of Christ the
King, and of the formation of the sons of God in the image of
Christ (Rom.8:29).
Joshua. Moses can only take us through FIVE aspects of
redemption; Joshua must take us past this point. Moses REPRESENTS
the Lord Jesus Christ as the GOOD SHEPHERD, leading His flock
through the dangers of the wilderness. Joshua REPRESENTS the Lord
Jesus Christ as the Lord of hosts. As we have known the good
Shepherd, the Christ of the Twenty-third Psalm, so also will we
know the Lord strong and mighty in battle, the Christ of the
Twenty-fourth Psalm.
We find in the Twenty-fourth Psalm that the earth belongs to
the Lord, and that if we are to ascend into the hill of the Lord
(Zion), and stand in His holy place, then we must have clean
hands. Joshua represents our ascent into holiness, and the
resulting conquest of the earth. The King of glory is about to
enter the everlasting doors of our hearts, so let us lift them up
in preparation for His conquest of us, and THROUGH us His
CONQUEST of the WHOLE EARTH.
The veil. Between the FIFTH and SIXTH aspects of
redemption, that is, between the ALTAR OF INCENSE and the ARK OF
THE COVENANT, hung the HOLY VEIL which separated the holy place
from the holy of holies. The COUNTERPART of the veil is the
JORDAN RIVER, which separated the WILDERNESS from the LAND OF
PROMISE. Before we can pass from the fifth aspect of redemption
to the sixth aspect, we must GO PAST THE VEIL; we must CROSS OVER
Jordan. Both the veil and the Jordan symbolize our
DEATH.......RESURRECTION always must be preceded by
death!.......But there is a resurrection which comes after this
death.......
The GATE of the courtyard symbolizes death to the natural
man, as our carnal nature is brought by faith down to the death
of the cross of Christ. This death is explained in the sixth
chapter of Romans.......In water baptism we demonstrate that by
faith we enter into a sharing of the death of Christ and into a
sharing in His resurrection from among the dead.......
The death represented by the gate is our crossing of the Red
Sea........The death of the gate results in the resurrection of
our spirit. It is an instant death, accomplished through our
faith, and results in the resurrection of our spirit. Egypt is
forever left behind us, being separated from us by the 'Red Sea,'
so to speak. The light of Christ in us has been eternally divided
from the darkness of the world.
The death of the gate is typified by the altar of burnt
offering, and by the laver - accepting of the blood of the Lamb
of God, and water baptism.......
The SECOND HANGING was the DOOR of the Tabernacle. This is
the death of the sins we commit as Christians......
The THIRD HANGING was the VEIL which concealed the holy of
holies. This is NOT death unto sins past or present, but RATHER
the death of that which is lawful but not expedient. The veil
represents our becoming the servant of the Lord.......
Going THROUGH THE VEIL is the deepest death of all. Its
purpose is to make us the SERVANT of the Lord, one of Christ's
warriors.......
The death of the veil is death to serving God in our OWN
wisdom and power.......Second Corinthians 4 relates how Paul
continually was being pressed out of measure and struck down, as
he attempted to serve Christ, having the sentence of death
in himself that he should not trust in himself but in God, who
raises up the dead.......It is a crucifixion of the will - the
DEEPEST DEATH OF ALL.......
One of the end results of the death of the veil is the
REDEMPTION and GLORIFICATION of our mortal body - the clothing
upon with the house which is from heaven (see 2 Cor.5).......
This death was portrayed in the OT by the crossing of
Jordan, just prior to the beginning of the destruction of the
Canaanites.
The death of the veil.......is FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER
AND WITH HIS SON, Jesus Christ. It is a walk in VICTORY as a
king, and as the Lord's SERVANT in intercession and ministry as a
priest. The END is participation in the REST of God.......
The person who is willing to go this final route cannot be
hurt of any death.......This is the final death, and beyond this
is a resurrection in God Himself which is so glorious,
so holy, so wonderful, so eternal, so incorruptible, that the
believer will be able to stand in His presence forever, to SEE
HIS FACE, and to SERVE Him.......Paul says, ' I am crucified with
Christ; nevertheless I live. Yet it is not I who am living, but
Christ who is living in me ' (Gal.2:20).......
In order for us to enter into that which is beyond the veil,
that is, into the fullness of service as a king and priest of
Christ during the millennium, we are going to have to meet the
qualifications for the OVERCOMER (Rev.12). We OVERCOME through
the means of the BLOOD (the gate of the courtyard); through the
means of the WORD of our TESTIMONY - which has to do with the
manifestation of the Holy Spirit through us (the door of the
Tabernacle - we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of
Christ, that is, into the holy place); and by LOVING NOT
OURSELVES UNTO DEATH (the veil leading into the holy of
holies).......
THE WORK OF THE SIXTH DAY INCLUDES THE MAKING OF US INTO THE
EXPRESS IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST.......
THE CROSSING OVER JORDAN UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOSHUA
SPEAKS OF OUR DEATH.......
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT REPRESENTS JESUS CHRIST AS THE LORD,
STRONG AND MIGHTY IN BATTLE.......
THE ALTAR OF INCENSE stood directly in line with the ARK OF
THE COVENANT. This alignment portrays the fact that when the
PRAYERS and PRAISES of the Lord's people reach sufficient
strength and intensity, during the days of trouble which are
ahead, the Lord WILL RETURN, BRINGING REDEMPTION TO US. Then He
will SHINE as the sun in the GLORY of the Father, and the
RIGHTEOUS will SHINE with Him. One of the clearest symbolic
portrayals of this moment of revelation occurred on the
mount of transfiguration. There stood the mighty Christ,
transfigured in glory, having with Him two of His mighty men from
the OLD covenant, and three of His most faithful disciples from
the NEW covenant. This was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ
coming in His kingdom.......
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT has to do with SIN, its remission, and
its REMOVAL from the camp.......Through the means of WAR, Christ
is going to REDEEM THE EARTH from sin. The GUILT of sin was
FORGIVEN upon Calvary, the Lord Jesus Christ now OWNS THE EARTH
and all of earth's peoples, as symbolized by His possession of
the keys of hell and death. The AUTHORITY is His. BUT Satan, even
though he has no more claim upon the earth or anyone in it, still
is HOLDING ON. The MORTGAGE has been COMPLETELY PAID, but the
mortgage HOLDER will not let go. So the earth and its
people will be TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM BY FORCE. THIS IS THE
KINGDOM-WIDE FULFILMENT OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.......
' When you see these things come to pass,' Jesus said, '
lift up your heads because your redemption draws near ' (see Luke
21:28). We can tell from this saying that redemption is yet ahead
of us, meaning that the fullness of the DAY of ATONEMENT is
YET to come.......
But in a very real sense, the Day of Atonement is operating
among us RIGHT NOW. Every time an unsaved person receives
Christ, the blood avails for him, atonement has been made for his
sins.
Also, very importantly, as we Christians go through our
daily lives we must learn to confess our sins (1 John
1:9).......' If we (Christians) confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.' In this manner the DAY OF ATONEMENT IS AT WORK
CONTINUALLY in the Christian life. It is through the means of His
BLOOD that we are able to keep on washing ourselves from the sins
that we commit. We keep on getting forgiveness and cleansing;
and, as we draw nigh to God, the Lord helps us to resist the
enemy and quit our sinning. Through means of the authority of the
blood, and the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit of God, we are
able to get the VICTORY over sinful practices. THIS IS THE
INDIVIDUAL FULFILMENT OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.
We see therefore that the Day of Atonement has a great
kingdom-wide fulfilment at the COMING of our Lord Jesus Christ;
AND ALSO that there is a current, individual fulfilment as we get
saved, and as we confess our sins when the Holy Spirit points
them out to us.......
This is the SIXTH ASPECT of the plan of redemption. "
END OF QUOTE.
Many have written on the overall typology of the Feast of
Atonement. I will not here go into the details, but some words
are fitting.
This is the one feast of God where no food or drink is to be
consumed by the worshippers. It is a day of "affliction" in that
particular physical side of the feast. Why?
Well, in part it is to remind us that the peoples (the camp) of
the world will face great trial and hardships, with very real
physical pain of mind and body, to be redeemed back to the
Eternal God. The wages of sin does bring hardship and
sufferings. Satan and his ways and being released from them
through redemption, can be painful. Certainly for the whole
camp of people to have their sins forgiven, to be brought to
humility, repentance, and redemption, as the world must be, if it
is to go forward to enjoy the "rest" of God in the promised land
of the Kingdom of God on earth, physical and mental affliction,
will be needed.
So it is shown to us in the many prophecies of the Bible. A
time of sore trouble and anguish (affliction as never before) is
to come on this earth just before Christ Jesus returns to bind up
Satan and deception, and make this whole worldwide camp of people
AT ONE with God, ready to march on into the Kingdom of God (the
promised land). It is a very SOBER time indeed, yet it is a day
and feast of SPIRITUAL TEACHING and REJOICING. A day when TRUTH
will triumph, when RIGHTEOUSNESS will prevail, when DECEPTION
will finally be chained up and bound for a full and literal one
thousand years.
The Father had it all planned out BEFORE the very foundation
of the earth. The Lamb of God had been chosen already, to have
its blood shed, to have that blood carried into the throne room
of the Almighty and there to be accepted for the sins of all the
people of the camp (all and everyone who has ever lived as
physical flesh and blood). The goat to represent Satan the
original sinner and perpetual instigator of all sins from
all people (Satan and his demons always there ready to help human
nature sin), has been chosen. Upon his head all sins that he and
his co-workers have help bring to fruition will be placed. He
will be not only judged but sentence, and sent out to a desert
place where he can influence not one single human soul for a
thousand years.
Then, the peoples of the earth can be free to find deep and
lasting repentance, humility, redemption, and to start on the
road to being fully AT ONE with the heavenly Father.
Yes, in a sense the Day of Atonement can be applied to the
on going life of the individual Christian NOW today, in personal
repentance and constant redeeming through the blood of the true
Lamb of God, but the feast day the fulfils that PERSONAL aspect
of redemption is the PASSOVER and the Days of Unleavened Bread.
The feast day of Atonement is for the WHOLE CAMP, the whole
people of the WORLD, and how the whole camp will be brought to
humble repentance (through fasting afflictions of much sorrow)
and redemption to the Eternal God, by means of forgiveness
through the blood of the true lamb of God, and the sinful nature
of Satan placed on his head (shown to him in very real terms) as
he is placed in the wilderness of the bottomless pit for one
thousand years, where he cannot lead astray and deceive
anyone(Rev.20).
In the next study we shall see the SEVENTH ASPECT of
redemption as portrayed in the wonderful feast of TABERNACLES.
...................................
Written in October 1998
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