At the onset of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, the nation of Israel starts the 10 Days of Awe, up until the day of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Jewish tradition says that these 10 days are for the nation of Israel to repent and turn their hearts back to God, in order for their names to be written down in the Book of Life.
Leviticus 23:26-28 “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD.”
Yom Kippur is the day when the nation’s fate is sealed. In Old Testament times, the high priest would offer a sacrifice for his own sins, and then he would also offer a blood sacrifice for the nation of Israel, for the atonement of their sins. The High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year! The New Testament tells us that we have a greater High Priest in Yeshua, who by His own sacrifice and by the shedding of His blood reconciled us to God and redeemed us once and for all!
Hebrews 9:6-7 “These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
Hebrews 9:11-12 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Tomorrow the nation of Israel will commemorate Yom Kippur with prayer and fasting, and all businesses, schools and roads closing down in reverence of Yom Kippur. There aren’t any traffic on the roads and no public transportation whatsoever. There will be no TV or radio broadcasts, and no entertainment at all.
This change in the nation’s atmosphere allows for a time of introspection and reflection. The nation of Israel spends the entire day at their synagogues in prayer and fasting, in hope of redemption. As the whole nation stands before God in hope of their redemption, we who believe in Yeshua can celebrate our eternal redemption that He won for us through the sacrifice of His blood, now and forever!
Revelations 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelations 3:5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
We believe that our salvation and redemption has already been achieved by our High Priest, Yeshua (Jesus), and that our names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life! It is God’s deep desire for the nation of Israel to come to know their Messiah, Yeshua, and to be saved by receiving his atoning sacrifice for their sins, having their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Romans 10:1 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them (nation of Israel) is that they may be saved.”
On a personal note, I will be spending Yom Kippur in Jerusalem, attending the All Nations Convocation of Tom Hess with about 2000 people from more than 65 nations, praying together and interceding for Israel and the nations. I will be preaching today and on Yom Kippur. As a member of the Board of Elders, I will also be in meetings with other key leaders from all over the world. This is always a wonderful and blessed time spent with precious brothers and sisters from all over the world, in praise and adoration of the God of Israel!
Please stand with me in prayer for the following:
1) Please pray for the salvation of the nation of Israel, that they will experience a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and that Yeshua will be revealed to them as their Messiah who offers them eternal salvation and redemption, and that they’ll see that only through Yeshua can their names truly be inscribed in the Book of Life.
2) Please pray for the peace and safety of Israel. The security situation in Jerusalem and along the border with Gaza has been tense, and there has been an escalation in Muslim radical activities as rockets were fired upon Ashkelon and surrounding regions, and violence have been stirred up in Jerusalem. This is the usual provocations that happen before and during the time of Yom Kippur. Please pray for God’s hand of protection over the nation during this time and that peace will reign.
3) Please pray for me as I preach today and tomorrow on Yom Kippur at the All Nations Convocation with Tom Hess in Jerusalem, and that God will guide my every word and that I will clearly hear his Voice and instructions as I preach the Word.
Beit Hallel is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Ashdod, led by pastor Israel Pochtar, serving holocaust survivors and the poor and needy locally and throughout the nation of Israel, while building up the body of Messiah in the promised land of Israel.