The Jewish people still celebrate the sacred feasts, or sabbaths, that Moses prescribed. God himself gave Moses directions on how and when the Israelites were to worship him. The Day of Atonement is the most holy day in the Jewish calendar. On this one day of the year, the high priest would enter the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle to make an offering of blood. This ritual would result in God forgiving the people of sins committed during the year.
The Tabernacle was a tent and its enclosure that the Israelis constructed to the exact specifications given to Moses. The Lord dictated the dimensions, the materials to be used, and how each area of this worship center was to be used. Historians say that the Tabernacle was finished within one year of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, while the people were wandering in the desert.
Later, the Jewish people built a great Temple with the same functional design as the original Tabernacle. Inside was an inner room called the Holy of Holies. This room was restricted for the presence of God. Only one day a year could anyone enter this area. The high priest would prepare himself and go in, carrying the blood of a sacrificed animal. This blood was required to cleanse the people of their sins.
Of course, this sacrifice is symbolic. The scriptures reveal that the life is in the blood, and that the wages of sin are death. Blood must be shed to reconcile a holy God with his sinful people. The Jewish people would prepare for this, the most holy day in their calendar, with fasting, prayer, and repentance.
The Jews could no longer offer sacrifices after the Temple was destroyed. However, they have continued to spend a week of the seventh month of their calendar in repentance and prayer for God's forgiveness. They still regard this as the most significant time of the year, terminating in a special day when they can be forgiven and restored to fellowship with God.
Christians have their own rituals, based on the Jewish traditions but changed by Jesus' death and resurrection. Good Friday reminds them of the death of Jesus, who was the perfect sacrifice to pay for all sin. Easter celebrates his triumphal resurrection that signifies eternal life for all who believe. Instead of a week of preparation to receive God's forgiveness, Christians have the period of Lent. This forty-day time of self-denial and reflection on man's sinful condition leads up to the day of Jesus's death. Then Easter is a time of feasting and rejoicing.
Orthodox Jews await the rebuilding of the Temple, so animal sacrifices can resume. Christians believe that Jesus was a perfect and sufficient sacrifice for all time, and therefore no further ritual deaths are required. Those who confess their sin, believe that Jesus paid the price for them, and accept the forgiveness and lordship of God receive eternal life. In Christian theology, any day that a believer does this becomes an atoning one.
Although this special day is mainly a Jewish tradition, there is great significance in it for Christians, too. Knowing that man could not redeem himself, and that God so loved them that he not only allowed but required his son to die for mankind, leads to a deep regret for wickedness and a desire to live a holy life as much as possible.
The Tabernacle was a tent and its enclosure that the Israelis constructed to the exact specifications given to Moses. The Lord dictated the dimensions, the materials to be used, and how each area of this worship center was to be used. Historians say that the Tabernacle was finished within one year of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, while the people were wandering in the desert.
Later, the Jewish people built a great Temple with the same functional design as the original Tabernacle. Inside was an inner room called the Holy of Holies. This room was restricted for the presence of God. Only one day a year could anyone enter this area. The high priest would prepare himself and go in, carrying the blood of a sacrificed animal. This blood was required to cleanse the people of their sins.
Of course, this sacrifice is symbolic. The scriptures reveal that the life is in the blood, and that the wages of sin are death. Blood must be shed to reconcile a holy God with his sinful people. The Jewish people would prepare for this, the most holy day in their calendar, with fasting, prayer, and repentance.
The Jews could no longer offer sacrifices after the Temple was destroyed. However, they have continued to spend a week of the seventh month of their calendar in repentance and prayer for God's forgiveness. They still regard this as the most significant time of the year, terminating in a special day when they can be forgiven and restored to fellowship with God.
Christians have their own rituals, based on the Jewish traditions but changed by Jesus' death and resurrection. Good Friday reminds them of the death of Jesus, who was the perfect sacrifice to pay for all sin. Easter celebrates his triumphal resurrection that signifies eternal life for all who believe. Instead of a week of preparation to receive God's forgiveness, Christians have the period of Lent. This forty-day time of self-denial and reflection on man's sinful condition leads up to the day of Jesus's death. Then Easter is a time of feasting and rejoicing.
Orthodox Jews await the rebuilding of the Temple, so animal sacrifices can resume. Christians believe that Jesus was a perfect and sufficient sacrifice for all time, and therefore no further ritual deaths are required. Those who confess their sin, believe that Jesus paid the price for them, and accept the forgiveness and lordship of God receive eternal life. In Christian theology, any day that a believer does this becomes an atoning one.
Although this special day is mainly a Jewish tradition, there is great significance in it for Christians, too. Knowing that man could not redeem himself, and that God so loved them that he not only allowed but required his son to die for mankind, leads to a deep regret for wickedness and a desire to live a holy life as much as possible.
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