A look at Leviticus 16-18 "Coming before a Holy GOD!"

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

PARASHA “Achrei Mot” (after the death) LEV 16:1-18:30;


This Parashah speaks of the solemn Moed (appointed day) of Yom Kippur. The “Day of Redemption” is also known as the “Day of Coverings” (Yom HaKipurim). It was the only day of the year when the High Priest could enter into the “Most Holy Place” (Kadosh HaKadoshim) the “Holy of Holies”. This is where the “Aron HaKodesh” (Ark of the Covenant) was kept and where the “Shekinah” (Glory of YHVH) hovered over the “Kaporet” (the covering of the Ark of the Covenant, looking down upon the Mercy Seat. This Parasha starts with;

“Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the Ark, lest he die.”

Was this perhaps the reason why Nadab and Abihu died? Because they went into the Holy of Holies with their own fire? That is another thought. The high priest had to put on a special tunic, all white, of fine linen. Thus, today it is customary during Yom Kippur to wear all white, symbolic of how YHVH views us through Yeshua our Messiah, but ONLY through Yeshua, can we be viewed as “Holy unto the LORD”

Inside the "Holy of Holies," the high priest came as a repentant sinner before a Holy and Righteous God, thus the color white symbolizes repentance and coming with a pure heart. When he left the Holy of Holies, he took off the white garments and put on his garments of royal colors, (blue, purple, scarlet, gold,) and approached the people representing Adonai who is KING of all.

The High Priest had to sacrifice a bull and a ram for the sin and burnt offering. The bull could signify the “strength” of G-d, representing Aaron and his family. and the ram, which reminds us of the ram sacrificed instead of Isaac on “Mt. Moriah”. The ram symbolizes YESHUA who took our place on the cross of “Mt. Calvary”

Two goats were also present; one served as a “scapegoat” and the other the “sacrificial goat”. We see Yeshua symbolized in both goats. One was sacrificed as a sin offering, symbolizing Yeshua as our “sacrifice of sin” because we are sinners. The other goat carried away our sins (symbolically) and was sent off into the desert, (Azazel) as “Yeshua took our sins away from us”, and as far as the East is from the West, so our sins will be separated from us.

Aaron then took a censor of hot coals from the brazen altar, and he took incense and put the incense on the hot coals, then, with the smoking incense, he went into the Holy of Holies and put blood on the Mercy Seat. We see our Messiah Yeshua in all of this. To have fellowship with our creator, we need to start at the cross, where our sins were judged. This is the brazen altar. The incense symbolizes our prayers that go up before our Heavenly Father, through our prayers, we have fellowship with HIM.

The blood that is sprinkled on the mercy seat symbolizes the blood of Messiah, which was shed for all of our sins. Under the mercy seat are the commandments that were given on Sinai. Our rebellion broke these, and the blood of Messiah “covers” the sins of us all, BUT, more than that, they have been REMOVED, once and forever.

Chapter 17 speaks on the “HaDam Kodesh” The sanctity of blood. Since blood symbolizes life, then, YHVH has prohibited the drinking of blood. One of the reasons that carnivorous animals are not kosher to eat is because they eat flesh, and flesh contains blood. “You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood” 17:14

Chapter 18 deals with sexual sins, there is no need to go over them since they are self-explanatory, much is common sense, yet in today’s societies, there is a perverse sexual expression, and philosophy of “if it feels good, do it” this is a lie straight from the pit of hell, straight from HaSatan! Sex should be expressed in the bond of matrimony and in this sense, it is entirely holy and sacred, because there is a commitment between the husband and wife, which (should) last a lifetime. And this is where the enemy attacks, Satan hates families, that’s a fact.

We see today, as in ancient pagan practices, men trying to become women, and women trying to become men, men with men, and women with women. Today it is called "alternate lifestyles" God calls it "abominations." Today with perverted medical advances, men can change their sex to become women and women and do that same, "externally' yet their DNA never changes. Despite their exterior looks, they will ALWAYS be what God intended them to be at birth.

We need to realize that now there is no barrier between our fellowship with Adonai and a time when we cannot come before Him. We can come anytime, day and night, 24-7, and confess our sins before a forgiving Heavenly Father. We are not bound by goats and only a "once a year" ritual. When Messiah was crucified and stated; "It is Finished" He was saying the payment for sin was paid in full, and the curtain in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies was rent in two, down the middle. This was proof that the payment was made, justification made, redemption completed, and unlimited access now and for all people.

Is there a time that is "too late?" Yes, a second after you die, so don't die lost, don't die in your sins because the price has been paid in full.

Have a blessed week.