We have a HEAVENLY High Priest!

The Atonements of Cleansing were finished! The Sanctuary was CLEANSED!

Yet because this cleansing, symbolic in nature of the final cleansing in the heavenly sanctuary, was only temporary, sin remained.

Dan 8:14  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

A prophecy.

A prophecy for a date 2300 years into the future.

A prophecy that would come to pass long after the earthly sanctuary services were finished. A by finished I mean no longer in effect. When our Savior died upon the cross this happened…

Mat_27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent

The veil of the temple-  the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place ripped in two from the top to the bottom.  Any sacrifice offered after that most perfect of sacrifices that ALL those sacrifices had pointed to, would be senseless.  Our Savior came and opened the Way to the final Atonement-  the final At One Ment with God the Father, with Him, God the Son, all through the Holy Spirit.  We will NOT be at one with God completely not until the final sanctuary cleansing is completed by our Savior, our HIGH PRIEST in the HEAVENLY sanctuary.

Read the following verses- the rituals continued, they had to continue because sin continued.  One day that will no longer be the case, sin will be no more.

Lev 16:23  And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
Lev 16:24  And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
Lev 16:25  And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.

The Atonements made that ONE DAY, and still it all began over and over again.

We HAVE a heavenly HIGH PRIEST.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Please, Heavenly High PRIEST, SAVIOR GOD, we come boldly unto the throne of YOUR GRACE, please give us MERCY, give us GRACE, help us, we NEED YOU SO DESPERATELY!

Please.

Please.

Sin Laden Scapegoat

With the most solemn of atonements made in the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, the High Priest in his simple linen garments devoutly and as reverently as possible slowly made his way from the temple and over to the altar of burnt offerings.  There he took both the blood of the bullock and the blood of the goat placing that cooled and congealing  blood upon each horn on the altar of burnt offerings, making an atonement for it as he had the Most Holy Place and the Holy Place. Then he took more blood of the bull and goat and sprinkled it with his finger seven times, cleansing it, making it holy removing all the uncleanness placed there over the entire year by the children of Israel, God's chosen.

Was the High Priest's work over now?  The entire temple was cleansed, was atoned for, made at one with God once more with all the uncleanness removed from the altar where the record of sin was noted and forgiveness sought.

No, his work was not over yet. There remained a living goat, the one whose lot it was to be called the Scapegoat.

With the altar of burnt offerings atoned and cleansed, the High Priest moved to the scapegoat.

With both hands he lay them upon the head of the living goat and then he confess over that living goat ALL the iniquities, all the transgression, all the sins of the children of Israel. Placing all those evils upon that goat.

The confession was heartfelt, the confession was sincere, the confession was laden with the guilt all the people deserved and all that guilt was put on the innocent animal, the goat whose lot it was to be the scapegoat.

Pulling his hands back off the head of the bleating animal the High Priest signaled to the chosen man, who quickly stepped forward. Taking the goat the man was to lead it away into the wilderness, far away from all the people.  The goat held all the iniquities of the children of Israel upon it and it was to go out and never return.

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Lev 16:18  And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Lev 16:19  And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Lev 16:20  And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat
Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

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Do we comprehend the significance of what is transpiring? We who go through every day without any sort of tangible sacrificing and atoning, do we realize the weight of our sins?  Our Savior did NOT do away with our need to recognize our guilt and seek forgiveness. Daily we are to pick up our cross.

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

When we take up the cross daily we are called to realize ALL that means! We are to feel the weight of the cross, the reality of the cross.

Our Savior DIED upon the cross we are to take up.  Our Savior DIED because of OUR SINS.  Our sins were PLACED upon HIM! Our sins are STILL placed upon HIM. HE DIED FOR OUR SINS!

The Heavenly Sanctuary is to be cleansed. The Heavenly Sanctuary IS in the process of being cleansed right now. All the sins that have ever been forgiven will be cleansed from existence! They will be placed upon the head of Satan himself!  He will bear all the iniquity of those who have been forgiven!  And he will be destroyed!

We must comprehend this, it must be a reality to us.

Our SAVIOR is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary and when He is finished He will return for us!  We must, like those on the day of Atonement, understand that we can do nothing, that Christ does it all for us! We must understand our place, that we have no righteousness, all we have is our faith, our belief in our SAVIOR to SAVE US!

Please, LORD, save us!

In Your love, LORD, in YOU in ALL THINGS!

Teach us, keep us, help us, us who deserve NOTHING!

Blood Sacrifice

The Day of Atonement….

The protective smoke was now in its place and the High Priest took a deep breath, he knew if he'd failed to do as commanded he would now be dead.  Letting the breath out slowly he moved to take up the blood filled basin, still warm from the recent sacrifice of the bull. The life of that animal was in his hands, taken from the creature, sacrificed.  Why? Why was it necessary for a blood sacrifice to be made?

The High Priest knew full well why. When man chose to disobey God they separated themselves from Him. When man chose to sin they chose death over life. God could have blotted them out of existence, instead He required life for a life. However, the symbolic act of taking an animal's life wasn't enough to redeem men permanently.  A greater sacrifice would be needed. And the High Priest knew that every animal sacrifice made for man's sin was but a temporary fix to a very serious sin problem. Yes, a blood sacrifice was needed, a life for a life. Our life is forfeited every time was sin, because the penalty for sin is death.  And for those who think it horrendous to take the life of innocent animals, how much more awful was the fact God would sacrifice His decreed son, innocent of any sin?

With the basin of bullock's blood in his hands, the High Priest moved closer to the incense cloud covered mercy seat.  Dipping his finger into the thick, cooling blood he pulled it back and felt the droplets spilling back into the bowl, but before all the blood could slide from his finger he waved it at the mercy seat towards the east. Realizing as the blood splattered onto the seat where the Most High met with them, the High Priest comprehended this blood he was sprinkling there was to make an atonement for himself and his house, the house of the priesthood. The act of purifying, of cleansing was under way. The sin that was his and his house was being forgiven entirely.  Seven more times his finger went into the bloody basin, and seven more times he sprinkled the blood before the mercy seat, an offering of sacrifice. Blood for blood. Life for life. A penalty paid by one undeserved of death for those who deserved death.  A separation repaired, an at one ment made.  He was now able to continue the sacred service, he was forgiven.

With that part of the ritual complete, the High Priest left the Most Holy Place. And returned outside, passing through the Holy Place, and out into the place of the altar where he'd left the two goats chosen earlier.

Having cast lots upon the goats, one to be named the LORD'S the other the scapegoat, it was time for the LORD'S goat to be sacrificed for sin.

Once more the animal was taken and bound accordingly and laid upon the altar. With the greatest of solemnity the High Priest once more raised the slaughtering weapon. The sharp blade swiftly pushed through the hide of the goat's neck separating the flesh, exposing the blood filled veins and  arteries that kept the life blood flowing. Severing those all too vulnerable connections, blood quickly spilled once more into a clean basin, coating it instantly red.

With the life blood of the goat in hand, the High Priest moved once more towards the Sanctuary. Entering the Holy Place, he didn't linger. As before he walked to the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place and very reverently parted that curtain. This time as he began the ceremony the blood was warmer upon his finger, he hadn't had to wait for the smoky incense to cover the mercy seat this time, it was still filled with the sweet fragrance, now mingled with the coppery odor of blood. Sprinkling the blood of the goat, the blood shed for the people this time, all the people of the congregation, the people of God, he did exactly as he done with the bull's blood.  Another life taken, another life for a life. Another innocent killed in another's place. Once upon the Mercy Seat and seven times more before the most holy of places blood was sprinkled.

An atonement was made for the people, their sins forgiven just as his and his house had their sins forgiven such a short time before.

The Most Holy Place cleansed.
The Holy Place cleansed.   No man other than the High Priest alone inside the Holy Place as this atonement was made. The Sanctuary was being cleansed, sins, all sins forgiven. The separating barrier that sin wrought was being done away with, the way to God completed.

And the High priest moved slowly through this sacred ritual, this atonement of atonements for Himself, all His house, and all the congregation.

Still, it the rituals were not over and the people remained caught up in their soul affliction, knowing they needed the atoning, knowing there was no other way for them to remain God's chosen people, God's forgiven people.

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Lev 16:14  And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

Lev 16:8  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Lev 16:15  Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Lev 16:16  And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Lev 16:17  And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

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How dare we imagine that the heavenly Sanctuary after which the earthly was created served no real applicable purpose other than to be home to Father and Son.

For sin to be permanently ended a permanent solution, a permanent application, a heavenly atonement for all sin everywhere had to be made.  The Lamb Slain stands in the heavenly temple, as well as sits, He MOVES in the temple to complete the work.

It wasn't for nothing the prophecy was given-  'Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.'  A prophecy for a time when no earthly sanctuary existed.   A prophecy, a foretelling of time coming to an end, a work completed, sin gone from all that accept the atoning blood, the sacrificial blood of our Savior spilled for them, an innocent life given for them.  God's Son taking our place upon the cross,  dying upon the cross meant for us who deserve the cross.

All praise, all glory, all honor to our SAVIOR! All thanksgiving, all in all for HIM!  All our love, our lives for HIM, yielded to HIM who alone believes us worthy.

In HIS LOVE!

A Sacrifice and Incense

The High Priest, before entering the Holy place had to choose animals and set aside them aside for the sacrifices to come. The sacrifice for his own sin and the sin of those of his house required a bullock. Such a grand, powerful beast once chosen was led to the place of slaughter.  Along with that bullock the High Priest had to also choose two goats but these goats weren't for his sins or the sins of those in the priesthood, but rather the people of the congregation. But that wasn't all. Next the High Priest had to pick out two rams, and these rams would both ultimately become burnt offerings, one for the congregation the other for the High Priest and his house once again.

With all the animal readied, the High Priest had to take the slaughtering weapon in his hands. Then without laying his hands upon the bull as one did for sin sacrifices any other time, he simply raised the sharp knife and while the people all around continued their soul affliction, he brought the blade down upon the pulsing throat of the bull and swiftly ended its life. The blood, hot and pungent spilled thickly and rapidly into the basin. The life before him was over, the blood given, the sacrifice of the bull had been made. The bull no longer snorted hotly, no longer tried to buck its head free of its restraining grasp, its limb no longer trembled under the binding ropes that held it in place, but he lay limp, lifeless forever more.

With the blood of sacrifice collecting in the bowl, the High Priest had another task to complete before He could take that blood and apply it as needed.  Leaving the blood there he moved into the Holy Place, alone.

Over to the altar of incense he went and very reverently filled a censer with burning coals of incense. The incense was such he prepared every day, every morning, only this morning the sweet incense, beaten small, filled a censor in his hand. At last the High Priest moved slowly towards the thick vail that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place.  He didn't have far to go, the vail being directly behind the altar of incense, yet every step he took was taken ever so slowly.  To go where he was about to go was something done only once every year.  He was going within the vail and within the vail was the mercy seat, the very place God would meet with Him.

As the smoke from the incense moved all around him, the High Priest could barely see in front of Him. He didn't need to see though, in fact, he knew the cloud of incense would protect Him from certain death.

Laying the incense upon the fire before the LORD, the cloud of smoke thickened intensely and surrounded the mercy seat which rested above the Ark of the Covenant, above the Testimony of God written in stone and placed within that ark.  The protective smoke was now in its place and the High Priest took a deep breath, he knew if he'd failed to do as commanded he would now be dead.  Letting the breath out slowly he moved from the Most Holy place, leaving the fire to burn, the protecting incense to smoke. He had so much more to accomplish. With silent prayers before God, He left to retrieve the blood of the bull so recently slaughtered, a sacrifice had been given and now an atonement needed to be made.

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Lev 16:5  And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6  And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

Lev 16:11  And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself

Lev 16:12  And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13  And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

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Are you understanding?

The Day of Atonement, this most holy of days was underway, the ceremonies, the rituals begun.

Our Heavenly High Priest has been CLEANSING the Heavenly Sanctuary in preparation of the complete and utter end of all sin that will never exist again in all the world, and surely not in heaven where it began.

Eze 28:13  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Eze 28:14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Eze 28:16  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

The final cleansing, so far on going for one hundred and seventy years this year, will soon, very soon be completed the last act of the cleansing before the scapegoat is to be led out into the wilderness.

The people.. those of the ministry,  the congregation, the individuals… will all have either been cleansed or they will be cut off from God's people.

None need be lost, none need to be cut off except they choose to be.

Please, LORD, we afflict our souls before You! Please, SAVIOR, we give our lives into Your hands, we would be Yours all by YOUR SACRIFICE, YOUR LOVE, YOUR CLEANSING! YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! YOUR GRACE! YOUR MERCY! YOU! Save us as ONLY YOU CAN!

Yield

Lev 16:29  And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall AFFLICT YOUR SOULS, and DO NO WORK AT ALL, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev 16:30  For on that day SHALL THE PRIEST MAKE AN ATONEMENT FOR YOU, to CLEANSE YOU, that ye may be CLEAN FROM ALL YOUR SINS BEFORE THE LORD.
Lev 16:31  It shall be a SABBATH OF REST unto you, and ye shall AFFLICT YOUR SOULS, by a statute for ever.

Lev 16:33  And he shall make an ATONEMENT for the HOLY SANCTUARY, and he shall make an ATONEMENT FOR THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION, and FOR THE ALTAR, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

Dan 8:14  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the SANCTUARY BE CLEANSED.

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The heavenly sanctuary as per the example given to us on earth would need to go through the same ritual atonement as the sanctuary on the earthly day of atonement.

After 2300 years the heavenly sanctuary shall be cleansed.

What does this mean to us, really mean to us? As God works above, as our Savior cleanses the Sanctuary we are to--

Afflict our souls.
Do no work at all.
All while the our Heavenly High Priest makes an atonement for us.

Two things we hate to do-

Afflict our own souls & and let others save us, leaving all our ego behind.

Recognizing our helplessness to save ourselves this is something that is so easy for us to ignore. We strive and strive and strive hoping all our striving will save us. NONE of our striving will save us, only CHRIST can save us!

We must afflict our souls.

We must recognize completely how utterly impossible it is for us to ever be perfect.

Christ is everything, our ALL in ALL.
Christ alone can save.

We can only by HIS grace, yield to Him.

All in HIS LOVE!

Love

1Co 13:1  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1Co 13:2  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1Co 13:4  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 

The High Priest and the People of God on the Day of Atonement

The following is something we've studied recently, but we MUST study it again.

I want to try something a little different here for a moment so please bear with me--

We are talking about the Services on the Day of Atonement.

Washed clean, the holy linen garments were place reverently upon the High Priest. As the fine linen touch his flesh the reality of the task he was to perform hit home and he closed his eyes. This was the most solemn of days, a day he knew all of Israel had anticipated.

The arrival of the Day of Atonement came with every single person afflicting their souls. Such deep soul affliction had them pondering every sin they'd committed throughout the entire year. Every time they'd taken a sacrifice to the temple and laid their hands upon it to transfer the record of their sin to that animal so the animal could die, it's blood spilled, its life forfeit, was recalled. How could they not remember such events. The bleating of the lamb who would soon bleat no more, the cooing of a dove that would never utter another sound. You didn't forget the coppery smell wafting up as the fresh blood was let from the sacrificial animal as it's struggling ceased, its heart beat its last beat. Your sin caused that life to be taken, your sin that you couldn't help but commit, the sin of the weakness of being made of flesh, stopped the life of another. Soul affliction was necessary, recognizing the guilt, the part you played in the whole of this ordeal. The helplessness we possess to rid ourselves of sin, the necessity of having to have another die for us, another cleanse us, all so we could be at one with our God again, so that sin would not separate us forever from Him.  These were the thoughts of the entire people and as the chosen people of God were lost deep in their soul affliction, their fasting, their complete halt of every single work of their own, the High Priest began the work of prescribed rituals.

This was the only day of the entire year the High Priest and the High Priest alone was allowed to pull back the veil and enter the Most Holy of Places.  As he moved towards the veil his heart beat wildly, his thoughts totally upon His God.  This veil separated one apartment of the sanctuary from another. This veil kept most holy the place beyond the veil, the place where the mercy seat was placed, where God Himself would meet with we man.

Exo 25:16  And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
Exo 25:17  And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
Exo 25:18  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19  And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exo 25:21  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Exo 25:22  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.


---1989 Special 3 -- Light From the Throne -- Part 3 (WWN)

In beginning the study of the services of the Day of Atonement, we need first to outline in detail what was done under the shadowy services of the type.

The instruction found in Leviticus 16 followed closely after the death of Aaron's two sons who "offered strange- fire before the Lord." "(Lev. 10:1; 16:1)

Even Aaron, the High Priest, was not to come "at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark." (16:2)

(You will observe that in the KJV the word, "place," is in italics, being supplied. In the Hebrew, the word is kodesh, the same word as used in Psalm 77:13 - "Thy way, 0 God, is in the sanctuary (kodesh). The LXX uses the Greek word, to hagion, the same as is used in Hebrews 9:1, and translated "sanctuary." However, in Leviticus 16, it is clearly defined as to its application the second apartment or most holy place of the sanctuary.)

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More on this tomorrow…. As we slowly follow the High Priest step by step through the Day of Atonement… all by the GRACE of GOD.


All in HIS LOVE!