[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World whiteboard.]

The Meaning of Atonement for Christians

The Day of Atonement was arguably the most unique holy day observed by Ancient Israel and was accompanied by an unusual ceremony.

It was unique because it was the only day of the year God commanded them to fast, and it was also the only day of the year someone could enter the Holy of Holies inside the temple.

The unusual ceremony involved the selection of two goats by the casting of lots. That’s an Old Testament method used by the priests to determine God’s will on a matter.

One of the goats was slain while the other was led away and released in a “desolate land.”

Now, the spiritual and prophetic meaning of these physical acts were only revealed through the New Testament writings, so Ancient Israel didn’t fully understand the meaning of the rituals.

So in this video, we’ll use the New Testament to explain the meaning of the Day of Atonement and its ceremonies.

Atonement in the Old Testament

But first we need to review a few important details from the Old Testament.

The first is found in Leviticus 23:27, where God commanded the day to be kept.

Atonement Is a Day for Fasting

The tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls [or fast]…. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings (Leviticus 23:27-31).

So God commanded the people to fast in their observance of this day (Psalm 35:13; Isaiah 58:3).

And this day would have significance even after the New Covenant was introduced.

So we see it was to be kept every year.

Atonement Begins the Year of Jubilee

However, every 50 years it ushered in something very special, which brings us to the second Old Testament detail with significant New Testament meaning.

And that is the year of Jubilee—an economic, agricultural, and societal reset that God designed for Ancient Israel to ensure a level of equality, restoration, and renewal.

Here it is in Leviticus 25.

Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you (Leviticus 25:9-10).

The Two Goats of Atonement

And the third important detail involves the unique ceremony involving two goats that took place every year on that day, foreshadowing something much greater.

The full ceremony is described in the 16th chapter of Leviticus. We encourage you to read the whole chapter, but for this video, we’ll focus on the goats.

The high priest was to “take two goats and present them before the LORD.” Then Aaron, the high priest at that time, was to “cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD” and the other for what the New King James Version calls the “scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:7-8).

We’ll talk about this “scapegoat” in a just a bit, but let’s continue with the passage.

And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness….

Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil… and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins….

And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 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. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness….

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….

It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever (Leviticus 16:9-31).

Now there’s a lot in here.

But this ritual, designed by God, was unlike any other in the Old Testament.

New Testament Reveals Spiritual Significance

So now that we’ve examined the key Old Testament passages regarding the Day of Atonement, let’s unpack the spiritual and prophetic meaning from the clarity provided by the New Testament writings.

We’ll start with the goats.

The first goat on whom “the LORD’s lot fell” that was to be sacrificed as an atonement for the sins of the people with its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Most Holy Place. We might ask ourselves: “What sacrifice was the atonement for our sins, and whose blood was shed for us?”

But we don’t have to guess.

Hebrews 9, 10 Explain the First Goat’s Role

What this goat pictured is explained in the book of Hebrews where several verses in Hebrews 9 and 10 are in the context of the very ceremony performed on the Day of Atonement.

We read in chapter 9 verses 11–12:

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]. 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 (Hebrews 9:11-12).

In reality:

It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).

And “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many,” (Hebrews 9:28) after He “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

So the first goat, which was sacrificed as a sin offering on the Day of Atonement, foreshadowed none other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Second Goat (Azazel) Represents Satan

The second goat on the other hand, translated as the “scapegoat” in the New King James Version, represents something very different.

The Hebrew word Azazel, in Leviticus 16 is incorrectly translated “scapegoat.” Azazel is actually a proper noun, or name. This is also evident from the context.

The Hebrew text of verse 8 sets out both goats in parallel language, as is more correctly translated in the English Standard Version, among others: “one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel” (Leviticus 16:8).

The implication is that if one goat is “for the LORD,” the second goat clearly is not but is for another—for Azazel.

So, the goat labeled, “for the LORD,” was sacrificed as a sin offering. Its blood made atonement—that is, it reconciled the people through the removal of guilt.

Verses 15–16 say:

Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil… and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins (Leviticus 16:15-16).

On the other hand, the Azazel goat was not a sin offering and had to have atonement placed upon it.

Verse 10 says:

But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it (Leviticus 16:10).

So, the Azazel goat was not part of the process that made atonement for the people. Rather, it was covered with the sins of the people and sent away alive. Through the high priest’s confession of the sins of the people upon the Azazel goat, it was to bear the burden of and to remove the sins of the nation into the wilderness.

And while Jesus Christ willingly gave up His life to be our Passover sacrifice, the Hebrew suggests that the Azazel goat was driven or forced into the wilderness.

It might also be noted that the “suitable man” (Leviticus 16:21) taking the goat into “an uninhabited land” (Leviticus 16:22) was not the high priest.

So, if the first goat pointed to Jesus Christ, who or what does the mysterious Azazel goat picture?

It pictures none other than Satan the Devil.

Atonement Points to Satan Being Bound (Revelation 20)

Satan has played a major role in mankind’s sin from the very beginning (Genesis 3:1–5). Revelation 12:9 says he “deceives the whole world.”

It’s on Satan’s head that much of the responsibility for sin rests.

And as the instigator of sin and deceiver of all humanity, he is to carry his responsibility for that sin, confessed over his head, from the presence of God.

Atonement Is a Key Step in God’s Plan

The Day of Atonement is placed in time sequence directly in between the Feast of Trumpets—picturing the Day of the LORD and the return of Jesus Christ—and the Feast of Tabernacles, picturing the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

This is not a coincidence, but is divinely designed.

Shortly after Jesus returns and immediately before the kingdom is established, the Azazel goat and its being led away from the people to an uninhabited land on the Day of Atonement, pictured one absolutely critical part of prophecy that still must be fulfilled—and that is the banishment of Satan the Devil. This is described in Revelation 20:1–3.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.

So with Jesus’ sacrifice atoning for the sins of mankind, AND with Satan the Devil removed from mankind for a thousand years, humanity can finally become at one with God.

Fasting: Resist Satan and Reconcile with God

The word Atonement literally means “at-one-ment,” as it’s the reconciliation of God and mankind as a result of what this day pictures.

And interestingly, the fast that takes place on this day serves to humble us before the Creator of the universe and align with His will. It is a spiritual tool that helps us resist Satan, remove distraction, and draw close to God.

James says:

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded…. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:7-10).

After Satan Is Bound, Restoration Begins

Finally, just as the Day of Atonement was the day the Jubilee year was proclaimed—the time of restoration and renewal—it points to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. This time is called the “restoration of all things” in Acts 3:21.

With Jesus Christ as King of kings, and His Saints ruling under Him (Revelation 20:4), with Satan the Devil banished for 1,000 years, and mankind finally able to be at one with God, the earth will be filled with peace, joy, and every good thing that’s now missing.

As with all of the holy days, the Day of Atonement is not just for the Jews. In Leviticus 23:2, God calls them “the feasts of the LORD… these are My feasts.”

And He commanded us to keep His Feasts (Leviticus 23:31).

These biblical holy days reveal the incredible plan of God and help us understand the sequence of key events in that plan.

Yes, ancient Israel was commanded to keep them, but the New Testament Church also observed them (Acts 27:9), and His Church continues to keep them.

If you found this video helpful, watch this next video describing an overview of all the holy days.

Thanks for watching!

Click here for a calendar of all of God’s Holy Days.