The Day Of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, September 21, 2026 (Donate)
For most Christians, the Day of Atonement comes and
goes each year and they may not even realize it. Yet in the Old Testament, this
was one of the most solemn and significant days on Israel's calendar.
Today, it is largely known by its Hebrew name Yom Kippur.
The Day of Atonement, nevertheless, yields a powerful foreshadowing-image
of sin, judgment, sacrifice, forgiveness, and ultimately the atoning work of
Jesus Christ.
What Is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur literally means "Day of Atonement"
in Hebrew. You might recognize the Hebrew word Yom which means day; and recall
it’s hotly debated regarding the days
of creation and the age
of the earth. God instituted this holiday for civil Israel under the Mosaic
Covenant and so it is mentioned in the books of Moses. Its instructions are
particularly described in Leviticus 16 and Leviticus 23:26-32.
The Day of Atonement occurred on the 10th day
of the 7th month. It was a solemn and serious occasion
rather than a festive or lively celebration. The Israelites were to humble
themselves before God and refrain from their normal work similar to a Sabbath
rest. Leviticus 23:27 says:
“Also 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, and offer an offering made
by fire to the LORD. (Leviticus 23:27, NKJV)
The Hebrew word translated "atonement" means a covering
or making reconciliation. Sin separates us from God since the days of Adam (Genesis 3). So from a holy God’s viewpoint, atonement is a must. Of course,
God initially sacrificed animals in Genesis 3:21, and this model set the stage
for all future sacrifices where a life was demanded for man’s sin. And rightly
so, the punishment for man’s sin was death (Genesis 2:17), the solution must involve
death.
Why Was This Holiday Significant Biblically?
The Day of Atonement was unique because this was the one
day when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, to
make atonement for Israel. He first offered sacrifice for himself and his
household because the high priest was himself also a sinner (Leviticus 16:6).
Two goats were then presented. One was killed as a sin
offering, and its blood was taken into the Most Holy Place. The other goat,
commonly called the "scapegoat," was presented alive (yes, this is where we get out modern term scapegoat). The high priest
laid his hands upon its head and confessed over it the sins of Israel. The goat
was then taken away into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:20-22).
Image requested by Bodie Hodge*
Together, these sacrifices show atonement and can
readily be seen in Christ. Sin brings death and requires the shedding of blood,
while the removal of the scapegoat pictured the carrying away of sin.
Yet these sacrifices could never permanently remove sin because
animals aren’t infinite—they can’t satisfy God’s infinite wrath upon our sin. It
was a temporary covering allowing for temporary reconciliation. This is why
they annual sacrifices had to be repeated each year. God explains in the book
of Hebrews:
But in those sacrifices there is
a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of
bulls and goats could take away sins. (Hebrews 10:3-4, NKJV)
These sacrifices pointed to something greater—the day
Abraham looked forward to see (John 8:56).
How Did Ussher Use Yom Kippur As An Anchor For Creation?
Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) is famous for his
biblical chronology. In it, he calculated Creation at 4004 BC. Contrary to a
common caricature, Ussher didn’t simply add up a few genealogies and announce a
date. His chronology was an enormous historical project involving his life’s
work and never made it to his final edit! Even so, Scripture, ancient history,
kingdoms, rulers, calendars, astronomical information, and other chronological
evidence where meticulously consulted—you can get your own copy here.
Ussher placed the beginning of Creation in the autumn of
4004 BC and associated the season with the Jewish/Babylonian calendar. His
chronology famously placed the first day of Creation on Sunday, October 23,
4004 BC, on the Julian calendar. (If you translate this to our current Gregorian
calendar which doesn’t drift like the Julian calendar, it would be
September 21—commonly the first day of Fall).
Yom Kippur played an important chronological “anchor”
role in Ussher's calculations. You see, the Day of Atonement was
selected by God and it represents the day sacrifice began, and Ussher
associated this with Fall in Genesis 3 with the first sacrifice.
Was God hinting that this was the day of the original Fall?
It’s possible and this is what Ussher therefore used as the date of the Fall,
which is the 10th day of the 1st month on the Jewish calendar
(by a particular reckoning). So he simply counted back 10 days on the Julian calendar
that he was using.
The significance isn’t that the Bible explicitly says,
"Creation or more specifically the Fall occurred on Yom Kippur." It
doesn’t.
Rather, Ussher used biblical chronological information
together with calendrical calculations to arrive at his proposed date. So the
date must be taken tentatively of course. And we, as Christians, should
distinguish between what Scripture explicitly reveals and Ussher's scholarly
reconstruction.
How Should Christians View Old Testament Feasts And Festivals?
Christians can learn much from the six Old Testament feasts,
sacrifices, priesthood, tabernacle, and festivals. The New Testament describes
many Old Testament ceremonies as “types” and “shadows” pointing forward to
Christ. Paul writes concerning food, drink, festivals, new moons, and
sabbaths:
So let no one judge you in food or
in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow
of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, NKJV)
A shadow is real, but it points to something greater. The
importance of the shadow is overshadowed by He who made the shadow in the first
place! We need to be careful of looking so intently at the shadow that we miss
the maker of the shadow and who He is.
The Old Testament sacrifices pointed toward the ultimate
sacrifice—the ultimate Passover lamb—Jesus Christ. It is He who casts the shadow.
The priesthood pointed toward the ultimate High Priest who is Jesus Christ as
discussed extensively in the book of Hebrew (e.g., Hebrews 7:26). The blood of
animals pointed toward the eternal and infinitely powerful blood of Christ.
This is why Christians no longer need to offer yearly
sacrifices. Christ’s infinite and eternal power allowed His sacrifice to be
once for all.
This is particularly clear with the Day of Atonement.
Hebrews 9 compares the work of Israel's high priest with the superior
work of Jesus Christ. The earthly high priest entered the Most Holy Place
repeatedly with animal blood. Christ entered heavenly temple with His own blood
form His own sacrifice. The Bible says that Christ entered the Most Holy Place:
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, NKJV).
Christians, therefore, don’t need another Day of
Atonement sacrifice. We celebrate it daily and can eternally rest in Christ’s
final sacrifice! Jesus Christ fulfilled what those sacrifices pictured and looked
forward to.
Conclusion
Yom Kippur should remind Christians of the seriousness
of sin and the holiness
of God. The blood, priesthood, sacrifices, and scapegoat give us “a taste”
that sin can’t simply be ignored.
Yet the Day of Atonement was also a type and a shadow
pointing forward. He is the perfect High Priest and the perfect sacrifice.
Unlike the repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament, Christ offered Himself
once for sin.
The Day of Atonement is a cool and remarkable picture
of the unity of Scripture from Genesis to Christ and our looking forward to
Heaven. What God revealed through types and shadows in the Old Testament finds
its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The shadow pointed to the shadow-maker. The
substance, or shadow-maker is Christ.
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia. Mr.
Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in
these fields.
*Image by generative program as requested by Bodie Hodge
