Greetings Friends and Brethren,
Every year I (Bro. JS Lowther) get a few inquiries concerning Day of the Atonements, the inquiries usually start before what ever date the Talmudic calendar states Yom Kippur takes place, and they last until about now…
So I thought I’d preempt the last minute emails and such and cut it off here and now.
I do endorse and believe in a right use of the God ordained and Lawful holiday of The Day of Atonement, properly called ‘Day of the Atonements’ in lit. Hebrew. We believe that such a practice of culture is beneficial for the Christian life of Grace, but is also educating and instructive for the Cultural Israelite family:
2 Timothy 3:15-17 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Lev 16, 23, and the book of Hebrews are no exception to this rule as stated by Paul.
So Yes we believe that Families should observe the Day in which the Atonements (plural, as there are many) took place in the heavens and on the earth at the Tabernacle, this Day is kept from evening to evening in Sabbath Rest with no work but rather a devotion towards Soul affliction, Fasting, Lamentation and Prayer for sin, transgression and iniquity of the individual, family, tribe, nation.
A Convocation is called for in Leviticus 23:27, and therefor this day should in its course have a time for connection with others in vocal worship, and thus the LORD requires the day to be as a Sabbath day.
Our practice
We are encouraged and commanded to do “all things decently and in order” in Church Worship.
So here is our simple practice.
Start the day in Proclamation at evening of the day by a trumpet, reading and prayer:
And for the waking hours: Gather and read every hour on the hour of the time marked on our clock since we began the fast.
So: If evening stars appear at 6:45 PM, we gather again at 7:45 and then again 8:45, and then again 9:45
sleep
and then recommence 6:45AM, 7:45, 8:45, 9:45, and so on until evening when fast is broken.
Every hour we read a portion of Scripture and confess our sins to He who is faithful and just to forgive us our trespasses and sing a songs to the LORD; and at the following evening to have a break-fast meal together after we see the stars appear and announce it with a blowing of the trumpet and sing a song of thanksgiving hereafter.
Such practices of fasting, while not governed by Scripture in calculation of time, have always been normal among Christians of a Puritanical and more Reformed persuasion, British and American history bears its own testimony.
Fasting for Sin has never been considered, nor could it be an ‘atonement for sin’, not even in Tabernacle times, nay never was it in any form a replacement for God’s Grace by the ‘Lamb slain before the foundations of the world’- The Word Jesus Christ the only Heavenly and Earthly Atonement.
Sadly this shift away from biblical practices of Fasting and Thanksgiving days are because of poor theology bred by a hinderance of meritorious works of penance taught by Roman Popish church, and then further festered by the impiety of dispensationalistic thought that teaches that ‘There was an Old Testament time when men saved and atoned them selves by the law‘ and did so by such practices as days and fastings- this concept and notion is false on both grounds according to Scripture and is therefore reject as foolishness and a clear error from Divine Law on both accounts, by one answer: “by the works of the Law can no man be justified before God”.
Men may Worship by the Good Works of the Law and know that it is “by Grace we are Saved through Faith”, knowing it has always been thus in every age, that “the Just shall live by Faith”.
For never in all the worlds ages have men had the merit to save them selves by any work of righteousness, no mater how good it has been, it has always been spotted by sin in need of the greater Atonement by only ONE, even Christ who offers such through His promise of Grace, accomplished through His Blood where by His Elect have Atonement and forgiveness of Sin, and here is where our focus of Faith is on the Day of the Atonements.
This Earthly Atonement having been made by His real Blood shed upon the Cross has brought to pass the time of the Covenant which we confess was promised by an Ever true and Faithful Covenant keeping GOD in the offering of His own Son, and that very Word offering His own self become flesh for His Covenant people’s sin.
The Heavenly Covenant being effectual by pure Grace through His Faithfulness unto us is the praise of His Glory that we partake of, it is all that we can commend on such a Day of the Atonements.
Let us only seek a true and Pure Spiritual Word, whereby if we have tasted that the LORD is Gracious in these covenants we may truly take part in the pleasure of His Holiness an Love even in our soul’s affliction, experiencing in such a small way the anticipation of the coming Atonement from Heaven and now the coming redemption of our body.
Romans 8:22-23 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Below are a few articles and messages I’d encourage those new to Keeping the Day of the Atonements to consider in the order in which they are offered, as the first ‘Why we keep the Day of the Atonements’ is more of the theology and faith of the day, while the second is an article on the practice of the day.
I hope this time and material is a blessing to the Israel of God, as my total goal is to simply offer from the Holy Scriptures of Inspiration the lawful Worship which YHWH GOD has chosen for Himself to be worshiped by of His servants and sacrifices.
Sincerely,
JS Lowther.
Pt. 14 By Understanding The Day of The Atonements (By Christ’s Priesthood)
To Fast or Not to Fast? That is the Question…On the Day of Atonement
