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GOD’s Feast Days – Yom Kippur
GOD’s feast days. Yom Kippur, is the most holy day of all of GOD’s Feast Days. Yom Kippur is the day your name is written in the Book of Life. You could also say, it’s the day your name is recorded in the heavenly scrolls as belonging to GOD.
In the beginning, this day was named, “Day of Atonement.” However, today it is called Yom Kippur. In any case, the preparations for this day begins at sunset on Yom Teruah, aka Rosh Hashanah. Customarily, it takes eight days to prepare for this feast day.
The Book of Life
God says we are to “afflict our souls” during this feast. In other words, we are to commit ourselves to being in some type of pain during this feast. Traditionally, most people afflict themselves by fasting for 24 hours beginning at sunset on the eve of Yom Kippur.
Additionally, many people afflict themselves by doing “good works” towards others during the 9-day preparation for this feast. For instance, I once knew of a couple that had their mortgage paid off by someone during this feast. It was the way this individual chose to afflict himself, by giving out money to others.
However, I doubt giving away money to get your name recorded in the book of life, works with GOD. Furthermore, such actions does not convey a contrite heart for sinning against GOD’s instructions. That is, unless the money is being given to the homeless, the needy, and the very poor.
Part of the reason for this is because all the riches in the world belongs to GOD. Therefore, the salvation of your soul is priceless, because HE owns it. GOD created it and HE can either destroy it or let it live forever in HIS presence. So, when giving money YAH want it to go the hungry, the poor, and those who are desperately in need.
Yet, HE tells us that only those of us who do HIS instructions will have their names recorded in the Book of Life. Therefore, HE requires anybody who want their name inscribed in the Book of Life to afflict themselves on this feast day.
Join me, as I search out how our ancestors afflicted themselves before GOD on this feast day. Does HE require us to fast in order to afflict ourselves? What do we need to do in order to have our names inscribed into the Book of Life every year?
