The Day of Atonement depicts the accomplishment of spiritual cleansing leading to salvation for those coming out of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord, beginning with the remnant of Israel. Atonement is the most solemn of the seven festivals, where Christians fast and afflict their souls to show that only when man sees himself in proper comparison to God will he have the right attitude to submit to Him. On the Day of Atonement, we fast to implore God to bring to pass the greatest blessing of all upon ourselves and the world: unity, oneness, with Him. The early church observed this holy day, as evidenced by Acts 27:9. The Aaronic high priest performed a ritual on the Day of Atonement that depicts all the steps that must be accomplished before mankind can truly be at one with God. A high priest must be pure and sinless to mediate between God and man. The high priest must enter God's presence with blood to open the way between God and man. The sins of men must be covered by the offering of an innocent victim, and human sin must not only be covered but also removed. After returning from heaven to fulfill the Day of Atonement, Christ will call the survivors of Israel and Judah back to their ancestral land, and they will return with a humble attitude, ready to listen to His teaching. He will offer them redemption and forgive their sins, beginning the salvation of all Israel.

The Day of Atonement addresses the legal, spiritual, and practical moral aspects of restoring God's government while ensuring that rebellion will not recur among beings of free moral agency. It cohesively encapsulates these themes, presenting an overarching view of reconciliation. Atonement healing the separation caused by sin, which builds barriers and drives people apart. A major reason for observing the Day of Atonement, including the associated fasting, is to confront self-centeredness and foster humility. Fasting is not merely about discipline or impressing God, but about recognizing one's dependence on Him. It serves to remind us of our mortal nature and our need for spiritual sustenance that only God can provide. By denying bodily desires, fasting underscores the importance of submitting to God's will over personal drives, reflecting on the first sin involving food and the rejection of God's spiritual nourishment through disbelief.

The Day of Atonement holds a profound significance in the journey toward reconciliation and restoration. It addresses the legal, moral, and practical aspects of restoring God's government while ensuring that rebellion will not recur among beings of free moral agency. Unlike Passover, which focuses on personal reconciliation of the individual to God and the beginning of unity with man through Christ, Atonement is universal in nature, aiming to reconcile the entire world to God, uniting all of mankind with Him and each other through Christ. Atonement provides solutions to problems not fully resolved by Passover. While Passover reveals satan defeated yet still free to sow confusion, division, and rebellion, Atonement portrays satan defeated and punished by banishment, no longer able to influence or disrupt. This day underscores the ongoing process of reconciliation, which is not merely a legal act but involves the practical aspects of life, striving toward becoming the righteousness of God. Fasting, as associated with the Day of Atonement, serves as a tool and object lesson to draw us closer to God's mind, heart, and character. It is an exercise in humility, teaching us to submit to God as Christ did, even unto death. Fasting illustrates our spiritual dependence on God, mirroring physical weakness when food is withheld, and emphasizes the necessity of humility to prevent separation from Him. The Day of Atonement teaches that initial reconciliation with God is only the beginning. God intends to reconcile the whole world to Himself through Christ, His agent. The next step involves reconciliation with our brothers, exercising faith in God amidst life's trials to ensure that rebellion and separation do not occur again. The keys to reconciliation, respite, peace, and the restoration of relationships are embodied in this day, requiring Christ's death to satisfy legal demands, God's revelation of Himself and our sins to prompt repentance, and our humble submission in obedience to His way.

The Day of Atonement is a significant observance where God's instruction for its observance is found in Leviticus 23:27-32. The day is associated with self-affliction, which is designed to promote humility. This self-affliction is often accompanied by fasting, though fasting is not directly commanded in scripture for this day. The Day of Atonement is the most solemn day of the year and foreshadows our reconciliation with God. It involves a time of fasting in conjunction with searching out our sins and repenting of them, aiming to foster unity with God and fellow man. On this day, normal daily responsibilities should be minimized to allow time for studying God's Word and meditating on one's life, focusing on our dependence on God's providence.

The Day of Atonement stands out as the most unusual holy day of the year, marked by distinctive practices that carry profound spiritual significance. Fasting, or afflicting our souls, is a central aspect of this day, teaching us how dependent we are on God, who supplies everything we need for life every moment. This realization extends to our spiritual life, showing us how much He provides throughout our conversion, from revealing Himself to granting eternal life, inspiring humility, awe, and gratitude. A striking feature of the Day of Atonement is the ritual involving two goats. One goat, chosen for the Lord, is sacrificed, its blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies by the high priest, who enters this sacred space only on this day. The other goat, the azazel goat, remains alive, bearing the sins of the people on its head before being led into the wilderness and abandoned. This ritual embodies the core meaning of the day: the need and means of atonement for sin, opening the possibility of unity with God. The Day of Atonement is also extraordinarily solemn, rivaled only by Passover, as both days focus on the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ necessary to cover sin and atone for humanity's wickedness. Observing this day should evoke feelings of humility, grief, need, and powerlessness, yet also a joy and gratitude for the effective means of atonement provided through His Son, Jesus Christ, who endured suffering and death to clear our sins and grant access to the Father. Another peculiarity of this day is the emphatic instruction against work. God forbids any kind of work, stressing this command repeatedly and using a unique term to underscore the prohibition. He calls the Day of Atonement a sabbath of solemn rest, a superlative expression indicating it as the greatest Sabbath of the year, where no work is to be done at all. This complete rest reflects the truth that we cannot atone for ourselves; only God's efforts through the sacrifice of Christ and His grace achieve forgiveness and reconciliation. The peculiarities of the Day of Atonement are intentional, designed to capture our attention and encourage us to delve deeply into their meanings, ensuring we receive the full benefit of God's instruction.

Reflecting on the significance of God's annual Holy Days, we reflect on the metaphor of The Talent Game (a board game cyclically progressing thorough squares, requiring players to recall teachings of these annual holy days) to identify five key points. 1.) Deuteronomy and the Seven-Year Cycle: Deuteronomy 31:9-13 commands the reading of the Law every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles to instill fear of God and obedience. 2.) Land Sabbath and Year of Release: Leviticus 25 commands the land Sabbath, in which the land rests every seventh year, as well as the Jubilee Year every 50th year, inextricably intertwined with the Day of Atonement, promoting ecological rest, debt forgiveness and social equity, reflecting Almighty God's care for creation and justice. 3.) Historical events, including economic crises and agricultural problems during Shemitah years, underscore the dangers of ignoring these annual Sabbaths. 4.) Day of Atonement and the Two Goats: The atonement and the two goats emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the sole sin-bearer, not Satan, as traditionally applied to the Azazel goat. Atonement signifies complete forgiveness and removal of sin, distinguishing it from the Passover's peace offering. 5.) Third Tithe Year: Deuteronomy 26:12 connects the third tithe to the sabbatical cycle, supporting the needy (Levites, strangers, widows, orphans), culminating on the Day of Atonement. God uses these cycles to reinforce understanding and worship, encouraging His people to respond with humility and action, as exemplified by Josiah's reforms, which aligned believers with God's will and spiritual growth through obedience and reverence.