1)    Introduction

A)    Holydays are described in two aspects: ceremonial OBSERVANCES and EVENTS portraying God’s Plan of Salvation. This message is about the meaning and purpose for the Day of Coverings ceremony (not the events).

2)    The Five Sacrifices

A)    The Day of Coverings Ceremony must be understood in context of the Sin Offering, which is one of five basic sacrifices. The first three are not offerings for sin.

B)    Burnt Offering (Lev. 1; 6:8-13; 7:8)

a)    PURPOSE: A freewill (voluntary) offering that produces a “sweet aroma unto the LORD.” It is not an offering for sin and there is no mention of sin. This is why the word atonement in Leviticus 1:4 means being pleasing to God, not reconciliation. The sacrifice is one male bull, male sheep or goat, dove, or pigeon.

C)   Grain Offering (Lev. 2; 6:14-18; 7:9-10)

a)    PURPOSE: A freewill (voluntary) offering that produces a “sweet aroma to the LORD” and “is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.” It is not an offering for sin and there is no mention of sin. There is no sacrificial animal so this is an offering not a sacrifice.

D)   Peace Offering (Lev. 3; 7:11-21, 28-34; 19:5-8)

a)    PURPOSE: A freewill (voluntary) offering that produces a “sweet aroma unto the LORD.” It is not an offering for sin and there is no mention of sin. The sacrifice is one male or female cow, sheep, or goat.

E)    Sin Offering (Lev. 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30)

a)    PURPOSE: Required for sins of ignorance or unintentional sins (Lev. 4:2, 13, 22, 27) against GOD. The blood of the sacrifice COVERED (H3722 = kaphar) the sin and God FORGAVE the sinner (Lev. 4:20, 26, 31, 35):

1)    LEVITICUS 4:20 “… The priest shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] [the sin with the blood of the sacrifice] and it [the sin] shall be forgiven [by God].”

b)    CEREMONY

1)    The sacrificial animal is one young male Bull for the Priest or Congregation, one male Kid of the goats for a Ruler, and one female Kid of the goats for a Commoner (Lev. 4:3, 14).

2)    Sinner lays an open hand on the head of the animal to transfer sin to it (Lev. 4:4, 15, 24, 29). No mention of confessing the sin.

3)    Sinner kills the animal between the Tabernacle of Meeting and the Altar of Burnt Offerings (Lev. 4:4, 14-15, 24, 29, 33).

4)    For a Priest or the Congregation:

A)    Priest sprinkles some of the blood seven times before the Veil of the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle of Meeting (Lev. 4:6, 17).

B)    Priest puts some of the blood on the horns of the Altar of Incense inside the Tabernacle of Meeting (Lev. 4:7, 18).

C)   Priest pours remaining blood at the base of the Altar of Burnt Offerings (Lev. 4:7, 18).

D)   Priest burns the animal fat on the Altar of Burnt Offerings for a sin offering (Lev. 4:8-10, 19).

E)    Priest burns the rest of the animal outside the camp (Lev. 4:11-12, 21).

a)    No sacrificial animal whose blood is sprinkled before the Veil of the Holy of Holies shall be eaten—it must be burned (Lev. 6:30).

5)    For a Ruler or Commoner:

A)    (Blood is not sprinkled before the Veil of the Holy of Holies.)

B)    (Blood is not put on the horns of the Altar of Incense.)

C)   Priest puts some of the blood on the horns and pours remaining blood at the base of the Altar of Burnt Offerings (Lev. 4:25, 30, 34).

D)   Priest burns the animal fat on the Altar of Burnt Offerings for a sin offering (Lev. 4:26, 31, 35).

E)    Any male priest may eat the animal inside the Court of the Tabernacle of Meeting (Lev. 6:26-29).

6)    God forgives the sin (Lev. 4:20, 26, 31, 35).

c)     IMPORTANT: The blood of the sacrifice for a Priest or Congregation is put on two fixtures INSIDE the Tabernacle of Meeting: 1) the Veil of the Holy of Holies and, 2) the horns of the Altar of Incense. It is also put on the base of the Altar of Burnt Offerings outside the Tabernacle of Meeting. The blood of the sacrifice for a Ruler or Commoner is only put on the base of the Altar of Burnt Offerings outside the Tabernacle of Meeting but it is never brought INSIDE the Tabernacle of Meeting.

F)    Trespass Offering (Lev. 5:14-6:7; 7:1-7)

a)    PURPOSE: Required offering for trespasses—sins of ignorance or unintentional sins (Lev. 5:2,-4, 15, 18)—against other PEOPLE. The blood of the Burnt Offering portion of the sacrifice covered (H3722 = kaphar) the sin and God forgave the sinner (Lev. 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7). The offering for sin consists of one female Kid of the goats or a Lamb, two Doves, two young Pigeons, or 1/10 ephah of fine Flour. If restitution is required, it consists of restoring the original value of the loss plus 20%.

b)    IMPORTANT: The exact process depends upon the specific trespass but they are similar to the Sin Offering. The blood of the sacrifice of the Trespass Offering is never brought into the Tabernacle of Meeting.

3)    Day of Coverings Offerings

A)    Definitions: The Hebrew word kippur (H3725) is a plural noun that means coverings (always plural) and kaphar (H3722) is a verb meaning to cover.

a)    Atonement means reconciliation to God through forgiveness of sin, which is not even inferred in kippur or kaphar. Paul denies any atonement occurred on that day when he said the blood of bulls and goats does not take away sins (Heb. 10:4) and that people are reconciled through the death of God’s Son Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:20; Heb. 2:17).

b)    Yom Kippur is the Day of COVERINGS, not the Day of Atonement.

B)   Leviticus 16

a)    LEVITICUS 16:1-2 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the LORD, and died; 2 and the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

1)    The ceremony begins with a reminder of the sins of rebellion of the two sons of Aaron who offered profane fire before God (Lev. 10:1-2):

b)    LEVITICUS 16:3-6 “Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. 4 “He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on. 5 “And he [Aaron] shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. 6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] himself and his house.

c)     LEVITICUS 16:7-10 “He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8 “Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 “And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. 10 “But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to [cover] [H3722 = kaphar], and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.

d)    LEVITICUS 16:11 “And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] himself and his house [the priests], and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself.

e)    LEVITICUS 16:12-13 “Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar [of incense] before the LORD, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. 13 “And he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.

f)      LEVITICUS 16:14 “He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

g)    LEVITICUS 16:15-16 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. 16 “So he shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

h)    LEVITICUS 16:17 “There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] himself, his household, and all the assembly [congregation] of Israel.

i)       LEVITICUS 16:18-19 “And he shall go out [of the Holy of Holies] to the altar [of Incense] that is before the LORD, and [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar [of of Incense] all around. 19 “Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate [H2891 = taher = cleanse] it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

1)    EXODUS 30:1, 10 “You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. … 10 “And Aaron shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of [coverings] [H3725 = kipppur]; once a year he shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

j)      LEVITICUS 16:20-22 “And when he has made an end of [covering] [H3722 = kaphar] the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 22 “The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

k)     LEVITICUS 16:23-28 “Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. 24 “And he shall wash his body with water in a holy place, put on his garments, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] himself and the people. 25 “The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar [of Burnt Offerings]. 26 “And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 “The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal. 28 “Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

1)    EXODUS 29:36 “And you shall offer a bull every day as a sin offering for [coverings] [H3725 = kipppur]. You shall cleanse the altar when you [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it.

l)       LEVITICUS 16:30-33 “For on that day the priest shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 “It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. 32 “And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar], and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; 33 “then he shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] the tabernacle of meeting and the altar [of Burnt Offerings], and he shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] the priests and all the people of the assembly.

m)  Here is the PURPOSE for the Day of Coverings Offerings:

1)    LEVITICUS 16:34 “This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

C)   Cleansing Ceremony Outline

a)    The High Priest took one young male Bull as “sin offering” to COVER (kaphar) his sins and all the priests and one male Ram for a Burnt Offering (Lev. 16:3, 6).

1)    This differs from the Sin Offering for a Priest, which required one young male bull that was both the sin and the burnt offering.

b)    The High Priest takes from the Children of Israel two male Kids of the goats for a sin offering and one male Ram for a Burnt Offering (Lev. 16:5).

c)     The High Priest casts lots for the Two Goats (Lev. 16:8).

d)    The First Goat is “for the LORD” that is the “goat of the sin offering” to COVER (kaphar) the sins of the Children of Israel (Lev. 16:9, 15-16).

1)    NOTE: The phrase “for the LORD” does not mean the First Goat represents God or Christ. Rather, the goat is set aside to God in order to “[cover] the Holy Place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness” (Lev. 16:16).

e)    The Second Goat is “for azazel” (Lev. 16:8) or “to be azazel” (Lev. 16:10).

1)    NOTE: The meaning of azazel was lost over time. Brown-Driver-Briggs says its “meaning [is] dubious.” It is most commonly translated scapegoat, a word invented by Tyndale by combining escape with goat. But even in the early years English readers never regarded scapegoat to mean an escaping goat; instead, they understood it in the context of the Second Goat bearing the sins of the Children of Israel. This is why scapegoat has never meant escaping goat—it has always been a metaphor for someone who bears the sin or guilt of another. In Scripture, the word azazel is the object of a preposition; i.e., “for the azazel” or “to be the azazel”. Azazel describes the PURPOSE of the Second Goat—it is not a title—which is to bear all the sins of the Children of Israel so a better translation is the “Goat for bearing sins.”

f)      The High Priest kills the Bull (Lev. 16:11) to COVER (kaphar) the sins for himself and all the priests.

g)    The High Priest takes coals from the Altar of Incense and burns the incense inside the Veil of the Holy of Holies to conceal the Mercy Seat in a cloud (Lev. 16:12-13).

1)    The Golden Altar of Sweet Incense was located inside the Tabernacle of Meeting in front of the Veil that hides the Holy of Holies—Exod. 40:5; Lev. 4:7.

h)    The High Priest goes into the Holy of Holies and sprinkles blood from the Bull seven times on the east side and front of the Mercy Seat (Lev. 16:14).

i)       The High Priest kills the First Goat that is the “goat of the sin offering” to COVER the sins of the Children of Israel (Lev. 16:15).

1)    IMPORTANT: No one lays hands upon, or confesses sins over, the Bull or the First Goat so sin was not transferred to either animal. The blood of the Bull and the First Goat are sinless (clean), which is why it can cover and cleanse the Mercy Seat. The blood of the Sin Offerings and Trespass Offerings was unclean so it was never brought into the Holy of Holies or put on the Mercy Seat.

j)      The High Priest goes into the Holy of Holies and sprinkles blood from the First Goat seven times on the east side and front of the Mercy Seat (Lev. 16:15).

k)     The High Priest puts some blood from both the Bull and the First Goat on the Horns of the Altar of Incense and then sprinkles blood on the altar seven times (Lev. 16:18-19).

1)    The Sin Offering put blood on the Veil before the Mercy Seat and the Altar of Incense. The blood of the First Goat is likewise applied to the Mercy Seat and Altar of Incense to COVER the unclean blood of the Sin Offerings.

l)       The High Priest lays both hands on the head of the Second Goat and confesses over it “all the iniquities” of the Children of Israel (Lev. 16:21).

m)  The High Priest sends the Second Goat into the wilderness by a fit man (Lev. 16:21-22).

n)    The High Priest burns the fat of the Bull and First Goat on the Altar of Burnt Offerings (Lev. 16:25).

1)    The Altar of Burnt Offerings was located in the courtyard outside the Tabernacle of Meeting in front of the entrance door—Exod. 40:6.

o)    The High Priest burns the rest of the Bull and First Goat outside the camp to complete the Burnt Offering sacrifice for sin (Lev. 16:27).

4)    Day of Coverings Offerings Not for Forgiveness

A)    The Sin Offerings and Trespass Offerings were the only sacrifices for FORGIVENESS of sins.

B)    The Day of Coverings Offerings do not forgive sins.

C)   Forgiveness on the Day of Coverings is never mentioned anywhere in the Bible.

D)   The blood of the Bull and First Goat was put upon the Mercy Seat and Altar of Incense inside the Tabernacle of Meeting; inanimate objects that do not need to be forgiven.

E)    Sin was never transferred to the Bull and First Goat so their blood was sinless (clean).

F)    Sin was transferred to the Second Goat but its blood was never shed. Forgiveness is only possible by shedding the blood of the one who bears the sin:

a)    HEBREWS 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified [cleansed] with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission [removal].

G)   SUMMARY: The Day of Coverings Offerings covered, cleansed, and removed the uncleanness of the blood of the Sin Offerings:

a)    The blood of the Bull and First Goat covered and cleansed the sins of the Children of Israel that were upon the Mercy Seat and Altar of Incense inside the Tabernacle of Meeting—the Dwelling Place of God.

b)    The sins of the Children of Israel are put upon the Second Goat and it bore the sins of the Children of Israel into the wilderness—away from the Dwelling Place of God.

H)   IMPORTANT: Blood without sin CLEANSES sin whereas blood with sin COVERS sin.

5)    Sins of Ignorance—Not Sins of Rebellion

A)    The Sin Offerings, Trespass Offerings, and the Day of Coverings Offerings were for sins of ignorance only:

a)    Sin Offering (also Lev. 4:13, 22, 27): LEVITICUS 4:2 … ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD …

b)    Trespass Offering (also Lev. 5:2,-4, 15, 18): LEVITICUS 5:2-4 … “is unaware of it”

c)     Day of Coverings Offerings: HEBREWS 9:7 But into the second part [Holy of Holies] the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;

B)    The Day of Coverings covered, cleansed, and removed sins from the Children of Israel and the Dwelling Place of God—it was not forgiveness of sins:

a)    LEVITICUS 16:30 “For on that day [of Coverings] the priest shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

b)    EXODUS 30:10 “And Aaron shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] its [Altar of Incense] horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of [coverings] [H3725 = kippur]; once a year he shall [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

C)   There is no sacrifice for sins of rebellion under either the Old or New Covenants:

a)    OLD COVENANT: HEBREWS 10:28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

b)    NEW COVENANT: HEBREWS 10:26-27 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

6)    DAY OF COVERINGS OFFERINGS Summary

A)    NOT FORGIVENESS OF SIN: Neither of the Two Goats were a sacrifice for forgiveness of sin because neither ever bore sin AND shed their blood. The Bull and First Goat were sacrificed without sin and the Second Goat was allowed to live with sin. Jesus bore sin when He was sacrificed but now lives without sin—the complete opposite of the Bull and Two Goats.

B)    FORGIVENESS ONLY THROUGH SIN & TRESPASS OFFERINGS: Forgiveness of sins of ignorance was only through the Sin and Trespass Offerings. Sin was transferred to the animal that was sacrificed and their shed blood covered and cleansed the sin and the sinner was then forgiven. Forgiveness of sin requires shedding the blood of the one bearing the sin, which was the animal because sin was transferred to it.

C)   SIN OFFERINGS MADE THE TABERNACLE UNCLEAN: The Sin Offerings for a Priest or the Congregation transferred sin to the animal before they were sacrificed. Their blood with the sin was brought inside the Tabernacle of Meeting and put on the Veil of the Holy of Holies and the horns of the Altar of Incense and then outside on the base of the Altar of Burnt Offerings—making the Dwelling Place of God unclean. The Sin Offerings for a Priest or the Congregation made the inside of the Tabernacle of Meeting—the Dwelling Place of God—unclean. The clean blood of the Bull and First Goat on the Day of Coverings covered and cleansed the Mercy Seat and the Altar of Incense inside the Tabernacle of Meeting.

a)    NOTE: The blood with sin of the Sin Offerings for a Ruler or Commoner and the Trespass Offerings was never brought into the Tabernacle of Meeting.

D)   PURPOSE: The Day of Coverings Offerings ceremony covered and cleansed sin from the Dwelling Place of God. It is called the Day of Coverings because it covered, cleansed, and removed sin; it is not atonement (reconciliation through forgiveness).

7)    Bull Required for the Priest

A)    The Day of Coverings Offerings required the blood of two different animals to cover and cleanse sin. A Bull was sacrificed for the High Priest and all the priests and the First Goat was sacrificed for the Children of Israel. Why was a separate offering for sin (the Bull) required for the High Priest?

B)    REASON #1: The sacrifice of the Bull on the Day of Coverings covered and cleansed the inside of the Tabernacle of Meeting from the Sin Offerings performed for sins of the High Priest. He had to be clean from sins so that God would allow him to perform the duties with the Two Goats that covered, cleansed, and removed sins from the Children of Israel and the Tabernacle of Meeting:

a)    HEBREWS 5:1-3 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.

C)   REASON #2: The kind of animal sacrificed reflects the price that must be paid for sin. For example, the Sin Offering for a Priest is a bull and a goat for a Commoner. A bull has a much higher value than a goat so a priest pays a higher price for sin. That is why the High Priest supplied the Bull and the Children of Israel supplied the Two Goats.

8)    Blood & BODY of Animals SUBSTITUTED FOR THE BLOOD & BODY OF CHRIST

A)    COPY & SHADOW OF HEAVENLY THINGS: The Sin Offerings, Trespass Offerings, and the Day of Coverings Offerings were “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things”:

a)    HEBREWS 10:1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.

b)    HEBREWS 8:3-5 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts [offerings] and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One [Jesus Christ] also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts [offerings] according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

B)    VARIETY OF ANIMALS USED FOR SACRIFICES: Many different animals were used for the sacrifices. For the Sin Offerings, a bull was sacrificed for the Priest or Congregation, male kid of the goats was sacrificed for a Ruler, and a female kid of the goats was sacrificed for a Commoner. In the Day of Coverings, a bull was sacrificed for the Priest and a goat was sacrificed for the Children of Israel.

a)    The animals sacrificed for the Passover, the Sin Offerings, Trespass Offerings, and the Day of Coverings Offerings consisted of:

1)    PASSOVER: A young male lamb or kid of the goats (Exod. 12:5).

2)    SIN OFFERING: A young male bull, a male kid of the goats, or a female kid of the goats.

3)    TRESPASS OFFERING: A female kid of the goats, a female lamb, two doves, or two young pigeons. While a lamb is allowed, it must be a FEMALE, not a male.

4)    DAY OF COVERINGS: A young male bull and two male kids of the goats.

b)    The common factor among all the animals was their blood. With such a variety of animals it makes more sense and is more meaningful to think of their blood as a substitute for the blood of Jesus Christ rather than representing Him. The same is true of the wine and unleavened bread. They do not represent Jesus Christ but are substitutes for His blood and body, respectively.

C)   BLOOD OF THE BULL & GOAT SUBSTITUTED FOR THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST: The Bull and First Goat covered, cleansed, and removed sins from the Mercy Seat and Altar of Incense inside the Tabernacle of Meeting—the Dwelling Place of God. Their blood substituted for the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ now covers and cleanses the “heavenly things,” replacing the blood of the Bull and First Goat that covered and cleansed the earthly things:

a)    HEBREWS 9:11-14, 22-26 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies [cleanses] for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? … 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified [cleansed] with blood [that is free of sin], and without shedding of blood there is no remission [removal of sin]. 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified [cleansed] with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another– 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

D)   BODY OF THE SECOND GOAT SUBSTITUTED FOR THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST: The body of the Second Goat bore the sins of the Children of Israel and carried them away from the Tabernacle of Meeting—the Dwelling Place of God. It substituted for the body of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ bore in His body all our iniquities to the grave and away from the Dwelling Place of God, replacing the body of the Second Goat that bore the sins of the children of Israel into the wilderness:

a)    ISAIAH 53:5-6, 8-9, 12 But He [Jesus Christ] was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities [H5771 = `avon = depravity]; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity [H5771 = `avon = depravity] of us all. … 8 He [Jesus Christ] was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked– but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. … 12 …  He [Jesus Christ] poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many [to the grave], and made intercession for the transgressors.

b)    PSALM 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He [the LORD] removed our transgressions from us.

E)    SUMMARY: Altogether, the Bull and Two Goats of the Day of Coverings Offerings covered, cleansed, and removed sin from the Children of Israel and the Tabernacle of Meeting—the Dwelling Place of God—so that the Children of Israel could be near to God. These animals were replaced by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ replaced the blood of the Bull and First Goat. The body of Jesus Christ replaced the body of the Second Goat. The offerings of Jesus Christ covered, cleansed, and removed sin from the heavenly throne of God so that people can come into the presence of God:

a)    EPHESIANS 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near [to God on His Mercy Seat in heaven] by the blood of Christ.

1)    The Mercy Seat is God’s throne:

A)    HEBREWS 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

9)    Comments Regarding Jesus Christ & Satan

A)   God gave Jesus Christ the title and role of Passover Lamb

a)    God never referred to Jesus Christ as a goat anywhere in the Bible:

A)    1 CORINTHIANS 5:7 … For indeed Christ, our Passover [Lamb], was sacrificed for us.

B)    JOHN 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

C)   1 PETER 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

b)    Jesus Christ is not the Passover goat. If God the Father never refers to Jesus as a goat, it seems inappropriate to refer to Him as one.

B)   Satan is Not Involved in the Day of Coverings

a)    The Second Goat does not represent Satan because the sins of the world are never transferred to him. The sins of the world were put upon Jesus Christ:

1)    1 PETER 2:24 who Himself [Jesus Christ] bore our sins in His own body …

b)    Satan is called a serpent, the devil, a dragon, beelzebub, tempter, wicked one, accuser, ruler of this world, god of this age, prince of the power of the air, deceiver, and father of lies. He is never called a goat.

1)     Rev. 12:9; Rev. 12:9; 20:2; Rev. 20:2; Matt. 12:24; 1 Thess. 3:5; Matt. 13:19; Rev. 12:10; John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2; John 8:44.

c)     In the Bible, a goat always represents sinful people as in the Parable of the Sheep & Goats (Matt. 25) and Greece/Alexander the Great (Dan. 8).

10) Burnt Offerings

A)    BURNT OFFERING REQUIRED FOR ALL SINS: The Burnt Offering was the sacrifice for sin in all the Sin Offerings, Trespass Offerings, and the Day of Coverings Offerings. In general, Burnt Offerings required transferring sin to the animal, shedding its blood, burning the animal fat on the Altar of Burnt Offerings, and burning the rest of the animal outside the camp. A Burnt Offering was the specific sacrifice used for sins.

B)    JESUS CHRIST’S SACRIFICE WAS A BURNT OFFERING: Sins were forgiven through the Burnt Offering sacrifice of the Sin Offerings and Trespass Offerings and sins were purged from the Dwelling Place of God through the Burnt Offering sacrifice on the Day of Coverings. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ replaced all the Burnt Offerings of the Sin Offerings, Trespass Offerings, and the Day of Coverings.

a)    HEBREWS 10:5-10 Therefore, when He [Jesus Christ] came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You [God the Father] did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me [Jesus Christ]. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I [Jesus Christ] have come– in the volume of the book it is written of Me– to do Your will, O God.’ “ 8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I [Jesus Christ] have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first [Burnt Offering sacrices with animals] that He may establish the second [Burnt Offering sacrifice with Jesus Christ]. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

b)    ISAIAH 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD [God the Father] to bruise Him [Jesus Christ]; He has put Him to grief. When You [God the Father] make His [Jesus Christ’s] soul an [Burnt] offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My [just] [H6662 = tsaddiyq] Servant shall justify [H6663 = tsadaq] many, for He [Jesus Christ] shall bear their iniquities.

c)     HEBREWS 9:28 so Christ was offered [as a Burnt Offering] once to bear the sins of many. …

d)    As the Burnt Offering for sins, Jesus Christ had to die outside the camp:

1)    HEBREWS 13:11-12 For the bodies of those animals [used in Burnt Offerings for sin], whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify [cleanse] the people with His own blood [instead of the blood of animals], suffered outside the gate.

11) Afflict Your Souls

A)    The Children of Israel were required to afflict their souls on the Day of Coverings:

a)    LEVITICUS 16:29, 31 “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. … 31 “It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.

B)    Those who refuse are cutoff from God:

a)    LEVITICUS 23:27-32 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of [Coverings] [H3725 = kippur (always plural)]. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 “And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of [Coverings] [H3725 = kippur (always plural)], to [cover] [H3722 = kaphar] for you before the LORD your God. “For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 “And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 “You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 “It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”

C)   People afflicted their souls (for most, this is fasting) to be humble and contrite (remorseful for sin):

a)    2 CHRONICLES 7:14 “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

b)    PSALM 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; and my prayer would return to my own heart.

c)     PSALMS 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me [a humble state], O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight– that You may be [justified] [H6663 = tsadaq] when You speak, and blameless when You judge.

d)    PSALM 138:6 Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly [humble]; but the proud He knows from afar.

e)    ISAIAH 57:15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

D)   The Day of Coverings Offerings only applied to those who afflict their souls and were humble and contrite (remorseful for sins) before God.

12) WAVESHEAF OFFERING

A)    Mary was not allowed to touch Jesus Christ (John 20:17) before He ascended on the Day of the Wavesheaf Offering because He and His blood would become unclean. Jesus was perfectly sinless because He was freed (clean) from sin when He died:

a)    2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the [justice] [G1343 = dikaiosune] of God in Him.

b)    ROMANS 6:7 For he [anyone, including Jesus Christ] who has died [with sin] has been freed from sin.

B)    Wavesheaf Offering Events

a)    Jesus Christ was accepted by God as the Passover Lamb sacrifice for sins:

1)    ISAIAH 53:11 He [God the Father] shall see the labor of His [Jesus Christ’s] soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My [just] [H6662 = tsaddiyq] Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.

b)    God also accepted the sinless blood of Jesus Christ brought with Him:

1)    HEBREWS 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His [Jesus Christ’s] own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

A)    This confirms that Jesus Christ brought His blood into heaven to cover the Mercy Seat. Only His blood continually covers and cleanses the throne of God from sins that people bring before God for forgiveness. The Temple veil was torn in half to indicate that the blood of Jesus Christ was accepted for the covering and cleansing of the Mercy Seat so that sinners can come before God in the heavenly Holy of Holies and repent. Every sinner who repents brings with their sin with them into heaven and that is why the Mercy Seat must be covered and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

2)    Unlike the Day of Coverings where sins were covered, cleansed, and removed from the earthly things once a year, the blood of Jesus Christ covers, cleanses, and removes sin from the heavenly things continually and forever. Instead of an annual cleansing of sins by the blood of animals, the blood of Jesus Christ was shed once for all and forever:

A)    HEBREWS 10:1, 3, 10 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. … 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. … 10 By that will we have been sanctified [cleansed] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all [added].

c)    God appointed Jesus Christ as High Priest:

1)    [NET2.1+] HEBREWS 5:9-10 And by being perfected in this way, He [Jesus Christ] became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 and He was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

2)    When God appointed Jesus Chrst as High Priest, He also became Mediator, Intercessor, Advocate, and Redeemer of all who come to God:

A)    MEDIATOR: HEBREWS 8:6 But now He [Jesus Christ] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

B)    INTERCESSOR: HEBREWS 7:24-25 But He [Jesus Christ] , because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

C)   ADVOCATE: 1 JOHN 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the [just] [G1342 = dikaios].

D)   REDEEMER: REVELATION 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You [Jesus Christ] are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

13) Day of Coverings End-Time FUlfillment

A)    The Day of Coverings is when the High Priest covered, cleansed, and removed sins from the children of Israel and the Dwelling Place of God. After the Day of Trumpets but before the Festival of Tabernacles is when Jesus rescues the captives[1] of the world, portrayed by the Day of Coverings. They will be afflicted—fasting, weeping, and mourning—when He brings them to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Dwelling Place of God, where He will cover, cleanse, and remove the sins (not forgive) of the rescued captives and enter into a Covenant of Peace with them.This is portrayed by the Day of Coverings:

a)    PSALM 147:2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.

b)    JOEL 2:12 “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

c)     JEREMIAH 3:17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.

d)    EZEKIEL 37:26 “Moreover I [the LORD] will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

14) Conclusion

A)   The Passover is a memorial of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that covers, cleanses, and removes sins with His blood and body.

B)   The Wavesheaf Offering is a memorial of God receiving and accepting Jesus Christ as the Passover Lamb, accepting His blood that purges sins from the heavenly Dwelling Place of God, and appointing Him the eternal High Priest!

C)   The Day of Coverings is a memorial of Jesus Christ whose blood cleanses (not forgives) the children of Israel and the Dwelling Place of God of sin as well as a future event when He rescues the captives at the beginning of the Millennium!

15) May God’s grace and peace be upon you!