The day of Atonement was in the fall of the year. It started at sunset on one day and ended the next sunset. It often came in September or October as our calendar calls this time of the year. The Jewish calander was diferent than ours.

Several different animals were killed on this day with different meanings for each one. Some were a symbol of the leaders who had sinned. Each person was to make sure his own sins were forgiven and the appropriate animal was killed. The death of animals was sad. It is hard to understand why an animal had to die for the sins of people. But Jesus died for our sins when He had not done anything wrong. It was a big lesson He was trying to teach the people. He does not ask us to kill animals any more. He already died for us as the LAMB.

The main service began when two baby goats were brought to the door of the Sanctuary. Lots were cast which would represent two individuals. One was Jesus, the other was Azazel or Satan. (Leviticus 16: 5-10)

How did they cast lots? I have never seen this done. There are several discriptions in the dictionaries. To cast lots means to toss little rocks. This was often done by shaking them in a jar. The gold rock for the Lord was marked and the one for Satan was marked. The rocks were drawn out of the jar. The goat on which the rock marked "Lord’s" was to be the Lord’s goat. This one was killed as a sin offering for the people. The other one was to be kept alive and used as the scape goat (Lev. 16: 8-10)

 The High Priest killed the baby goat that was picked to represent the Lord. Then he took its blood into the Most Holy Place.

As he went past the altar of incense, he put some extra incense on it. So a cloud of sweet perfume of prayers would go with him as he went before God in the Most Holy Room. He took hot coals from the altar and incense. Putting these in his censer, he ws ready to go into the Most Holy room. (Lev. 16:12)

The censor was a gold container which held incense. Holy fire was used to burn the incense. The incense smelled sweet. It could be smelled even two miles away from God’s tent.

Your prayers are like sweet smelling incense. God enjoys it when you talk to Him.

On this special day of atonement, extra incense was put in the censer. There were many prayers being prayed by the people as the High Priest, alone in God’s tent went into the Most Holy Room. The cloud of smoke from the incense was very thick. It covered the ark. (Lev. 16)

 Incense Mixture Sweet incense that burned was a mixture of four spices in equal amounts. The first three were gum resins. Resin is the juice from a tree. The fourth spice came from a shell. The spices were called stacta, galbanum, frankincense, and onycha.

In the Most Holy room the blood of the baby goat was sprinkled on the mercy seat of the ark seven times. The people and the other priests were outside of the Sanctuary. They were all lpraying and asking forgiveness for all that had been done wrong. Only the forgiven sins were covered by the Lord’s goat’s blood. Everyone in the camp needed to have their sins forgiven in order to be covered by this goats blood.

 Jesus is doing this job right now in heaven. He is not using the blood of goats. He uses His own blood. He is not really spreading His blood around in Heaven. This is a symbol of what He did on the cross to take care of the sins of His people. Those who did not ask for forgiveness from Him, did not get His help. They had to pay for their own sins. On that day of Atonement, if anyone had sins not confessed, they died. The penalty for sin is death. Jesus paid the price for us so we would not have to die. Jesus is our High Priest. He is working on the record books in heaven to see who is asking for forgiveness. He knows we are all sinners. He knows that some sinners want His help. Those who want to do it their own way, will have to pay the price of death.