On the Day of Atonement, we are to afflict our souls by fasting. We do no work, signifying that we did absolutely no work to attain our salvation.

The first goat is a blood sacrifice to cleanse the altar. The second goat—the 'azazel' or 'complete removal'—is led away and freed (not bound by a chain).

Both we and God will get more out of our holy day offerings (Deuteronomy 16:16-17), especially spiritually, when we plan our giving.

Some say the scapegoat (azazel) prefigures the Devil, others say it has been fulfilled by Jesus. Tradition teaches one thing; Scripture reveals another.

As Christ sacrificed for us, we are called to sacrifice for others. Love is an action, a behavior, rather than an emotion, described in I Corinthians 13.

In Israel, sins were symbolically placed on the altar throughout the year. On Yom Kippur, one goat's blood cleansed the altar; the second took away the sins.

The peace (or thank) offering was the most commonly given in ancient Israel. It pictures God, the priest, and the offerer in satisfying fellowship.

Atonement represents a new beginning when people of the world would be reconciled to God and freed from their bondage, reflecting the year of Jubilee.

The sin offering was for sin in general deals with our evil nature, while the trespass offering deals with the fruits of that nature.

The Day of Atonement is not about Satan, but about the complete cleansing from sins through Christ. The Passover is not a sin offering, but a peace offering.

Pentecost forces us to stand out from the crowd, separated as firstfruits for sanctification and holiness. God has called us to be different.

Jesus' perfect offering of Himself for us fulfilled the sin offering of Leviticus 4. Our acceptance of His offering for atonement puts us under obligation.

God does not want basic compliance, but growth in godliness. Jesus encourages the Pharisees to emulate the generosity of God rather than stinginess.

God gives conditions for acceptable sacrifices and offerings, differentiating the holy and authentic from the defiled, unclean and strange.

For decades, the church of God has struggled with counting Pentecost, especially in years when Passover falls on a Sabbath. Does Joshua 5 hold the key or not?