Jesus and the Day of Atonement

February 3rd, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 9:1, 6-7 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary… 6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, 7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

The “regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary” (v. 1) were written in the Mosaic Law, or Torah (Gr. Pentateuch)—the first five books of the Old Testament. Although the Hebrews author said in v. 5, “Of these things we cannot now speak in detail” since his audience was quite familiar with the temple, it is helpful to modern readers who are not familiar with the tabernacle/temple in Israel to have some commentary on this structure and its contents.

The “earthly sanctuary” was the tabernacle, a portable tent from 1445 BC to 950 BC when Solomon replaced it with the temple. The dimensions for the portable tabernacle were precise: 45 x 15 x 15. Within the tabernacle, there were two rooms: the Holy Place (30 feet long) and the Holy of Holies (15 feet long). Inside the Holy Place were the seven pronged candlestick for light (or Menorah), the table of showbread, and the bread for the table that was replaced weekly. Inside the Holy of Holies which was separated from the Holy Place by a veil, was the ark of the covenant—a three-foot-by-two-foot box containing the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s budded rod, and a jar of manna. Covering the ark was a lid called the mercy seat. Above it were two golden angels (cherubim) whose wings met and whose eyes looked down upon the mercy seat. There was also to be a courtyard included with the tabernacle where there was the altar of burnt offerings and a laver for the priest’s cleansing. The courtyard’s dimensions were 150 x 75.

Verses 6-7 speak in reference to the instructions given to Israel in Leviticus 16 concerning Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. Here’s a summary of how that annual day unfolded. In the seventh month, the high priest, arrayed in his high priestly robes, would sacrifice a bull on the altar of burst offerings in the courtyard of the tabernacle. Then he would take off his high priestly garments and put on linen undergarments covered by a tunic and sash. Next, he would sacrifice another bull as a sin offering for himself and his family, for he too was a sinner. He would then select two goats by lot, tying a red scarlet cord around one as the sacrificial goat. The other goat would function as the scapegoat and would be sent out into the wilderness with Israel’s sins. The two goats represent forgiveness of sins and forgotten sins—sin and guilt.

Next, the high priest would enter the Holy Place having taken coals from the altar of burnt offering along with two handfuls of incense to place upon the altar of incense. The result was a cloud that filled the room. From there, the priest would return to the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard, and he would carry the blood that had drained from the bull back into the Holy Place. This time, however, he would go through the veil into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. Departing from the Holy of Holies and back into the courtyard, he would sacrifice the sacrificial goat, taking its blood back into the Holy of Holies where he would again sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. Upon completion, he would return to the courtyard, lay his hand on the living goat while verbally casting the sins of Israel upon it, and then send it into the wilderness—Israel’s scapegoat. Now if the priest had not died during this prolonged process, it meant that his actions were acceptable to God and that Israel’s unintentional, unconfessed sins were forgiven for the year. If the process was done properly, Israel knew that God was pleased.

Food For Thought
Jon Courson writes, “Don’t you see what happened concerning [Jesus], our High Priest? The whole world was watching—without even knowing for what they were watching. And our Great High Priest, wrapped in white linen, emerged from the Holy of Holies on Easter Sunday… Certainly, for when the disciples peeked in that morning, they saw a bench sprinkled with blood—His blood where His body had lain. And we are told by the Gospel writer that on either end of the bench sat an angel. Thus the picture of a blood-sprinkled mercy seat was complete. When Jesus emerged from the tomb on the third day, it was a declaration of forgiveness—not just for a year, but for eternity.”