Bible Feasts & Holidays - Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is the most solemn and important holy day of the Jewish calendar. This year it begins at sundown on October 8. In the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement was the day the high priest made an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people. This act brought reconciliation between the people and God. When the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., the Jewish people could no longer present the required sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, so it came to be observed as a day of repentance, self-denial, charitable works, prayer and fasting.

Paul said in Colossians 2:16-17 that the Jewish feasts and celebrations were a shadow of the things to come through Jesus Christ. Of all the Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur presents the most foretelling picture of Christ's death on the cross and his complete fulfillment of the Day of Atonement.

• Learn all about Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement

Also:

• Bible Feasts Calendar
• Seasons of Faith - Christian Holiday Calendar