Yom Kippur — The Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur, from the Hebrew word “kapper”—meaning “to cover over”—falls on the tenth day of the Jewish month of Tishri and brings to an end the Ten Days of Awe which begins with the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Ha-Shanah) on the first day of Tishri. Depending on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur occurs annually either in mid to late September or early October, and is the second of the three festivals—Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles—observed within a twenty-one day period in the fall of each year.
Timing and Place in the Fall Festivals
Yom Kippur falls on the tenth day of Tishri and concludes the Ten Days of Awe that begin with Rosh Ha-Shanah. It stands between the trumpet warnings and the rejoicing of Tabernacles—placing it as the decisive “hinge day” inside the fall festival sequence.
Leviticus 23 — The Day Commanded
Leviticus 23:27–32 commands that the tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement: a sacred assembly, self-denial, an offering made by fire, and a complete cessation from work. The passage warns that anyone who does not deny himself “must be cut off,” and anyone who does any work is destroyed from among the people.
The day is framed as a Sabbath of rest and affliction of soul—serious enough to carry “cut off” language for the unrepentant.
The High Priest, the Ark, and the Covering of Sin
Although forbidden but once a year, on the Day of Atonement the High Priest would cautiously part the holy curtain between the Holy Place and Most Holy Place. There he would enter the sanctuary to see the Ark of the Covenant where the Shekinah Glory of Almighty was understood to dwell over the Ark between the cherubim. He would take the blood of sacrifice and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat of the Ark thereby covering the sins of the penitent that had collected throughout the year.
All those with unrepentant attitudes would be cut off from among the people of Israel. In reality, it symbolized the Day when judgment (probation) would end—when individuals would either be saved or lost.
Hebrews 9 — Shadow and Messiah’s Work
Paul wrote that behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant containing the stone tablets of the Covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the place of atonement. When everything had been arranged like this, priests entered regularly into the outer room, but only the High Priest entered the inner room, and only once a year— never without blood—offered for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance (Hebrews 9:3–7).
The Day of Atonement ceremony portrayed Christ’s entrance into the Most Holy Place with His own blood “having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12), and in this same framework it foretells end-of-age fulfillment in Messiah’s salvation of the saints and the Day of His judgment and “cutting off” of the rebellious nations.
Atonement is not merely sentimental mercy—it carries courtroom weight: salvation confirmed, rebellion removed.
The Holiest and Most Solemn Day
Yom Kippur is the holiest and most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. The day is spent in prayer and fasting, and in seeking God’s mercy. Many follow restrictions of bathing, anointing the body with oil, wearing leather shoes and sexual relations—each considered pleasurable.
A Day of Announcement
Yom Kippur is also understood to be a day of announcement. God’s special name was reserved for use only on the Day of Atonement. On this Day “Yahweh” was pronounced by the High Priest before the assembled masses in the Temple courtyards.
The Book of Life and the “Closing of the Gates”
It is understood that on this most solemn Day the whole world is suspended in judgment—who shall live and who shall die. Michael Strassfeld notes that the concluding service of Yom Kippur takes its name and imagery from the symbol of the closing of the gates of Heaven (and originally may have referred to the closing of the Temple gates). This imagery of time running out recurs throughout the service.
The liturgy is changed from zakhreinu le-hayyim (“remember us”) to hotmeinu le-hayyim (“seal us”) in the Book of Life (The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary, p. 117). The annual Day of Atonement is the rehearsal for the Day of the LORD.
The movement from “remember” to “seal” is the spiritual tone of Yom Kippur: mercy sought, verdict approaching, destiny fixed.
The Final Declaration Before Messiah’s Return
Yom Kippur is presented here as the Day when the following words are declared by Messiah, just before His return:
“The time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
— Revelation 22:10–12
See The Kingdom Calendar Pt. 18 for the Yom Kippur connection to the end-times.