Now let’s tie some of these loose ends together and see some of their fulfillment in the New Testament. Where did Jesus officially meet Satan? In the wilderness. The wilderness of Judea. And that’s where the kid goat, or Azazel, was taken. Now let’s read it. Matthew 4:4. And it shows how tempting that Satan is in dealing even with Christ. And then we will see that when it was all done, Satan left Him for a season, see. Overcoming and defeating Satan here, and at the crucifixion, when Christ died on the cross, did not remove Satan. He is still here, see.

Let’s pick it up here, Matthew 4:1, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered” (Matt. 4:1-2). Now, none of us have fasted forty days and forty nights, have we? But you see, this is also carrying forward what Moses did when he was forty days and forty nights with God on the mountain. This time it is God in the flesh, Christ, Who is going to meet Satan the devil, who is the god of this world, and this is the battle as to who is God.

“And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” And of course Christ had the power to do that, didn’t He? But this also shows several important things. Number 1, though He had the power, if He would have done it then He would have obeyed Satan the devil and then He would have disobeyed God and sinned against God. Now then, Christ’s answer is this, since He was God manifest in the flesh. He gave the very reason and purpose of how man should live. Verse 4, “But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (vs. 3-4). And that’s quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3, and also is repeated again in Luke 4:4.

“Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city,…” Right where the temple is, showing that Satan is interested in being there at the temple, isn’t he? Yes, indeed. “…And setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,…” Now, when you remember that from the floor of the Kiddron Valley up to the top of the wall was 450 feet, now that’s way high up there. “…And [the devil] saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.” Well, if you go back and read that, you will see that it’s not exactly quoted the same, back there in Psalm 91. “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (vs. 5-7).

“Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;…” And as it says in Luke 4, “…in a moment of time.” “…And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.” See, because it was delivered to him. That’s why he’s the god of this world. And Satan wanted Christ to worship him. And if He did, Christ would have sinned. But Christ didn’t. Now then, the devil leaves Him and the angels came and ministered to Him, see. Jesus said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” And He said to him, “…Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (vs. 8-10). Now, Satan will never worship God. Never, ever worship God. So here, Satan had this defeat in Matthew 4. He also had the defeat at the cross when He overcame them.

Now let’s come here to Revelation 20, and let’s see something very important. And we will see the fulfillment of Leviticus 16 in removing Satan the devil. Now, we have the Day of Trumpets when Christ and all the saints come back to the earth. Then we have the Day of Atonement, which has to happen before the beginning of the millennium, which then is pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles. So right after Christ comes on the earth, Revelation 19, then Revelation 20:1, here we have a fulfillment of Leviticus 16.

Now, Revelation 20:1, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven,…” Now this was likened to the “fit man” back in Leviticus 16. “…Having the key of the [abyss] bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,…” Now Satan must be removed in order for there to be a society built upon righteousness. Now we’re going to see something else again here in just a minute. And you’ll have to come to the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day to get the full meaning of it, but we’ll just get a little hint of it here. “…And cast him into the [abyss] bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Rev. 20:1-3).

Now what happens when he’s loosed a little season? Verse 7, as soon as Satan comes back, who is the author of sin, he reintroduces sin, doesn’t he? Yes, he does. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea” (vs. 7-8). So immediately Satan causes a rebellion and uprising against God. So the whole purpose and meaning of the Day of Atonement is that Satan must be removed, and he must have all his sins put upon him because he’s the author of sin and there can never really be any complete atonement for sin unless the author of sin has been removed.

Now we’re going to read some very interesting things concerning what happened after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and the witness that He gave. Let’s go back to Luke 22, and let’s read about the blood of the New Covenant on the Passover night. Now remember in Exodus 12 the blood was put on the two side posts and the upper lintel of the door, and the firstborn were spared. Now then, at Passover, then Jesus says right here in verse 19, “And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament [or, new covenant] in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20). Now it’s also for the remission of sins. No question about it.

Let’s come back here to Mark 14 and let’s see that. And let’s pick it up in verse 23. “And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And He said unto them, This is My blood of the new [covenant] testament, which is shed for [you] many” (Mark 14:23-24). Now then, just like the Passover atones for the sins of those in the New Covenant, the sacrifice of Christ is applied to us for the forgiveness of sin. The Passover. But it is only for the church, and as we saw on Pentecost, we are the church of the firstborn. Now, was there a blessing to all of ancient Israel because God spared the firstborn in the land of Egypt? Yes. Is there a blessing to the whole world because there is the church of God, wherever it may be in it’s many congregations and fellowships, is there a blessing to the world because God is sparing the firstborn of His church? Yes, there is.

Now then let’s come here to 1 John 2, and let’s see that. And let’s see that Christ right now is a propitiation for our sins, who are of the church of the firstborn, but the sacrifice of Christ has got to be applied to the whole world. And the Day of Atonement tells us this, it answers the question: when does God begin applying it to the whole world? And that is on the Day of Atonement when Satan is removed.

Now let’s read here in 1 John 2:1. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins:…” Now notice the next sentence here. “…And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). So it is going to be applied to the whole world beginning with the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement when Christ returns. And then it’s going to be fulfilled again in the Great White Throne Judgment, as pictured by the Last Great Day. So you see, that’s when it’s going to be done.

Now let’s come back, and let’s read some interesting historical things that took place concerning the temple and the Day of Atonement. Now we know that the ministry of Christ and the beginning of the church was a tremendous witness to the Jews and the priesthood, the scribes, the Sadducees. And remember when you go through the book of Acts, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, how that the apostles were hauled before the Sanhedrin, and that they continually gave witness. Then we have in Acts 7, the martyrdom of Stephen. And he said, “You uncircumcised in heart, you always do resist the Holy Spirit.” Now then, God gave them the whole… that generation from 30 AD unto 70 AD, forty years, that generation, He gave them signs every Day of Atonement. And He gave them signs continually in the temple. Now let’s read of these things.

“The Babylonian Talmud,…” Now I’m reading from Restoring The Original Bible, by Earnest Martin. And he died this past spring. And continuing now, he says, “…lists the first sign as being that in which the lot for the Lord [that is, for the Day of Atonement] did not come up in the right hand. What was meant by this? The holy scriptures speak about this ceremony, Leviticus 16:5-34. On the Day of Atonement [he says] two identical goats were taken in,…”, and so forth, “…before the Lord. One source says the lots were in the form of a white and black stone. The white stone for the Lord. The black stone for the scapegoat. The priest would put his right hand into the receptacle containing the two stones without looking down. Select the stone with his right hand, and place it over the right goat. The Babylonian Talmud says that in the previous 200 years, the stone would sometimes be white and sometimes black, as most people would have expected.” That is, a random selection each year would bring up the black stone as often as the white stone. “But beginning in 30 AD, the very year in which Jesus prophesied the coming destruction of the temple, and the very year of His death and resurrection, the right hand of the high priest selected the black stone every time for forty straight years. The odds of the black stone coming up forty times in a row are almost astronomical in scope, and according to Paschel’s table of binomial coefficient, a table of odds, first devised by the French scientist, Paschel, the numerical chances of this happening under normal circumstances would be one chance in 1,099,511,000,627,776.”

Now then, since the Jews always look to a sign… Remember, Jesus said, “An evil generation seeks after a sign…”, and God gave them the sign of that selection of the black stone being picked first by the right hand of the priest, forty years in a row. “But the Jewish records show this rare phenomena occurred with regular consistency for forty years. The apostles would have been well aware of this occurrence, and with each passing year with the same consistency of the black stone coming up in the high priests hand, they would have been amazed with this phenomena. Some Jewish authorities at the time, and certainly later, were also impressed. That still does not conclude the matter.”

“Both Talmuds also report another sign from eyewitness accounts that boggles the imagination. Beginning in 30 AD, the very year of Jesus’ crucifixion, the western light of the menorah, which is the Hebrew name of the seven branch lampstand in the holy place, went out for a period of forty years. The menorah was positioned with it’s seven lamps facing north. The western lamp was that which was next to the holy place.” Now continuing, “This western lamp was to be kept lit at all times. For that reason the priests kept extra reservoirs of olive oil and other implements in ready supply to make sure that the western lamp, under all circumstances would stay lit. But what happened in the forty years from the very year Jesus Christ said the physical temple would be destroyed. And in the very year that Christ became a new resurrected temple for the Jewish people, and for all the world. Every night for forty years the western lamp went out. And this was in spite of the priests each evening preparing in a special way the western lamp so that it would remain constantly burning all night.” So then again, using the chances for that, you have all the astronomical things that take place. So that is something.

Now then, that really was quite a witness to the Jews. And what was it telling them? What was the message that God was sending to them? Those who operated in the temple, the high priest, the Levites, this was the message to them. Let’s come to the book of Hebrews, because you see the book of Hebrews was also written… Let’s come to Hebrews 7:20. The book of Hebrews was also written to prepare the people for the time when there would not be the physical temple. So they had the warnings, didn’t they? Forty years, the selection of the priests right hand was black every Day of Atonement. Forty years, the western lamp always went out every night, in spite of what they were doing to keep it lit. And what was the message of God? Not only that the destruction of the temple was coming, but that the priesthood had been replaced. And that by continuing to follow these rituals, as we will see, which could never take away sin, and rejecting Jesus Christ, they were selecting Satan the devil.

Now let’s read how powerful and important that this is concerning Christ and the New Covenant. Hebrews 7:20, “And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath;…” That is, Aaron was appointed. There was no oath made. It was by birth. It was birthright. “…But [with] this [high priest] with an oath by Him that said unto Him, the Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much [more] was Jesus made a surety of a better [covenant] testament” (Heb. 7:20-22). They wanted to stick with just the physical things that they had and reject Christ, when He is a better covenant, and a better assurety, a better sacrifice, you see.

Now Paul explains here, verse 23. “And they truly were many priests, because they were not [allowed] suffered to continue by reason of death: but this [one] man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (vs. 23-25). What a tremendous thing. And all during those forty years the Jews steadfastly rejected those signs from God. They steadfastly rejected the preachings of the apostles. And they steadfastly set out to persecute and destroy the church. And God pulled a miraculous change of hand on them when He converted Saul, who was their leading persecutor and slayer of Christians. Imagine that. It would be like having Heinrick Himmler converted out of Hitler’s regime in the second world war. Unheard of, see. An unchangeable priesthood. Able to save.

Now verse 26, “For such an high priest became us, Who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for His own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself.” Now that’s tremendous. “For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, Who is consecrated for evermore” (vs. 26-28).

Now let’s continue right on in chapter 8, and verse 1 because he’s telling us the profound things of the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum [or, the summary]: we have such an high priest, Who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity [or, obligatory] that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who [that is, these priests] serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. But now hath He [that is Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Heb. 8:1-6). Actually it means, superior. To be spiritual is superior to being physical, wouldn’t you say? And that’s what the Greek word means there, you see. So this is the high priesthood we have now.

And here is the covenant that God would make. Now let’s pick it up here in verse 10. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord;…” Now He started with Judah and Israel, and then to the Gentiles. He is yet to make another covenant with Israel when they come back out of captivity, after they have gone through the great tribulation. So this will apply to them twice. Now it applies to us once because we have been called. And we being the firstborn, have the sacrifice of Christ applied to us now. They will not have the sacrifice applied to them until the Day of Atonement is fulfilled when Christ returns to this earth. So there is a difference between the Passover and the Day of Atonement.

So here’s the covenant that He desired to make. “…This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord:…” And boy, don’t we have that today, with all the various false doctrines to go with it. My, my. “…For all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (vs. 10-12). Then He says to the Jews, “The old, with the temple, is ready to vanish away” (vs. 13) paraphrased. And it did. Now you understand, why even if the Jews do build the temple, it will not result in any lasting righteousness, and why it must be destroyed again.

Now, let’s come to Hebrews 10, and here was the whole lesson that God was teaching them with those signs. And He did it for forty years. Now you couple that with all the preaching of the apostles, and the writings of the apostles, and the conversions of thousands and thousands of Jews, what a witness that that last generation of Jews had before the destruction of the temple. And the whole lesson was this: Hebrews 10:1, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” No, because Satan hasn’t been removed, and they didn’t have the Spirit of God. “For then would they not have ceased to be offered?” Well, of course. “…Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.” And he’s talking specifically now about the Day of Atonement sacrifices. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Heb. 10:1-4). Then he explains, that’s why Christ said, “Offering and sacrifice you didn’t desire, but a body you prepared for me:…” (vs. 5-6) paraphrased. And that was the body of Christ, which was the body of His sacrifice, which was the perfect sacrifice for all sins to cover the church under the Passover for the New Covenant, and to cover the world under the Day of Atonement when Christ returns. All of those things apply through His sacrifice.

Now let’s see that down in here verse 12. “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool” (vs. 12-13). And that won’t happen until the complete fulfillment of the Last Great Day. So you see, this is why the holy days of God are so important in showing us how God is unfolding His plan, and how He does it step by step.

Now verse 15, “Whereof the Holy [Spirit] Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that He had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin” (vs. 15-18). And instead of having a high priest come into the holy of holies once a year, we have the privilege through Christ, through the veil, through His flesh, in a new and living way, to come before the very throne of God every single day. And that’s why this Day of Atonement is so very important for us. To remind us that we are flesh. To remind us that we have the privilege, and blessing, and opportunity to come before God every single day, not just on the Day of Atonement. But on this day we especially understand and realize that it is a day where we are going to be at-one with God the Father and Jesus Christ when the prayer of John 17 is fulfilled.

Let’s go to John 17 and let’s read that, because this is the meaning of the Day of Atonement for us. And yes, it is tied in with the sacrifice of Christ, and it does tie in with being at-one with God. Now let’s come here to John 17, and let’s pick it up here when He was praying, verse 6. “I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me; and they have kept Thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are of Thee. For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:6-8).

Now here’s something very important. He says, “I pray for them:…” He says, “…I pray not for the world,…” See, because the world will not have the sacrifice of Christ available to them until the Day of Atonement be fulfilled when Christ returns. He says, “I pray not for the world,…” See this also have…, understanding the truth of the Day of Atonement also gives us the understanding that God is not trying to save the world today. And if He were, He would certainly be doing a very poor job of it. But you see, this is still Satan’s world. Satan has not been removed, and the world still cannot tell between the true God and the false God. And we cannot tell between the true God and the false god unless God calls us and opens our minds, and gives us understanding, and grants us His Holy Spirit. That’s why He doesn’t pray for the world. “…But for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine” (vs. 9). So this prayer is for you, for me. Not just for them back then, as we will see. Christ intercedes every day for us when we come before Him to pray, when we bring before Him our spiritual sacrifices of praise, and service, and love, and prayer for the brethren, and all of those things.

Now verse 10, “And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them. And now…”, Jesus said, “…I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are.” That they may be at-one with Us. At-one-ment. The meaning of the Day of Atonement. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (vs. 10-14). And so brethren, the Day of Atonement separates us from the world. The Holy Spirit of God separates us from the world. The word and truth of God separates us from the world. The Passover, the Sabbath, all the holy days of God separate us from the world. We are not of the world.

Now then we still have one little problem. [chuckle] Jesus said, “I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world,…” And too many times the way the world is, we wished that that could be. But that’s not going to happen. “…But…”, Jesus said, “…that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one]” (vs. 15). Not only are we to be delivered out of temptation, but to be delivered from the evil one. And if we are keeping the Day of Atonement, which shows the resistance against the evil one, which shows the removal of the evil one, we will be protected from the evil one by having faith, and belief in Jesus Christ, and the blood of His sacrifice, and that He’s our High Priest continuously reigning and ruling from heaven above to be there as a propitiation for our sins.

Then He again says, verse 16, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth:…” And this Day of Atonement is a day of sanctification because through the truth of keeping it by fasting and drawing close to God, we are sanctified by the word of God. “…Thy word is truth” (vs. 16-17).

Now verse 18, “As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;…” And that’s us brethren. And this prayer is being fulfilled today, right in front of our very eyes. That we are sanctified through the truth, by the word of God, through Jesus Christ, Who is our High Priest. And that’s a tremendous thing. Now notice the whole goal. And here is the final fulfillment of the Day of Atonement when we get into the first part of the rest of eternity. “…That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them;…” (vs. 18-22). And you have part of the glory of God because you have the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit does give you that glory, which comes from God, though a little bit. And understanding the word of God is a glorious thing indeed. And that’s part of the glory, you see. But then we understand this is only the earnest, the down payment, and when the fullness of time comes at the resurrection, then we shall truly be at-one with God. Not only spiritually, but also bodily. We’ll have a spirit body, a spirit mind, spirit clothes, and live forever, and be at-one with Jesus Christ and God the Father. And that’s what this Day of Atonement means for us.

Notice verse 23, “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one;…” So again this shows the process. That’s why brethren, it is worth everything that we go through. All the trials, all the difficulties, all the suffering that we endure because it’s just but for a light moment, as the apostle Paul said. For the glory of eternal life to be at-one with God the Father, and Jesus Christ. “…And that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.” And so brethren, that’s the meaning of the Day of Atonement. To be at-one with God, and the complete removal of Satan and sin.