The Day of Atonement — Yom Kippur — is the most solemn of all God's annual holy days. It pictures the binding of Satan, the removal of the author of sin from the world, and the reconciliation of all humanity with God the Father through Jesus Christ. It is the only annual holy day observed as a fast.
What is the Day of Atonement?
The Day of Atonement — known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur — falls on the tenth day of the seventh month and is the sixth of God's seven annual holy days. It is the most solemn day of the year, set apart as an annual Sabbath, a holy convocation, and the only annual holy day observed as a fast.
God commanded Israel to "afflict your souls" on this day — to fast from food and drink from sundown to sundown as an act of humility, contrition, and dependence on God. It is a day of deep reflection, repentance, and looking forward to the time when the author of sin will finally be removed from the world.
"Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls... and do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God."
— Leviticus 23:27–28The Two Goats — A Picture of Atonement
In Leviticus 16, God commanded that on the Day of Atonement the high priest present two goats before Him. One was the "LORD's goat" — sacrificed as a sin offering, its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat to make atonement for Israel. The other was the "scapegoat" — upon which the high priest laid all the sins of Israel and sent away into the wilderness, never to return.
These two goats picture two profound realities. The LORD's goat pictures Jesus Christ — His sacrifice that makes atonement for our sins. The scapegoat pictures Satan the devil — who will be bound and removed from the world at Christ's return, the one ultimately responsible for leading humanity into sin.
"He shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly."
— Leviticus 16:33The Binding of Satan
The scapegoat sent into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement pictures one of the greatest events in prophecy — the binding of Satan the devil at Christ's return. Revelation 20 reveals that an angel will seize Satan, bind him, and cast him into a bottomless pit for one thousand years, that he should deceive the nations no more until the Millennium is finished.
This is profoundly significant. All the suffering, deception, and evil in this world trace back ultimately to Satan, who has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9). When he is bound, humanity will finally be free of his influence for the first time since the Garden of Eden — setting the stage for the glorious world of peace and righteousness pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles.
"He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more."
— Revelation 20:2–3At-one-ment with God
The word "atonement" itself means "at-one-ment" — the state of being at one with God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, humanity can be reconciled to the Father. The Day of Atonement pictures the ultimate fulfillment of this reconciliation — when Satan is removed, when Christ reigns, and when all of humanity will have the opportunity to be brought into harmony with their Creator.
The fast on this day is a physical act that humbles us before God, reminding us of our complete dependence on Him for life and salvation. As we fast, we are reminded that without God's mercy and Christ's sacrifice, we have nothing.
"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
— Romans 5:10How We Observe It Today
The Day of Atonement is observed as an annual Sabbath — a holy convocation on which no regular work is done — and as a fast from sundown to sundown. In 2026 it falls on Monday, September 21. Members fast for the entire day, attending worship services to reflect on the profound meaning of this solemn occasion.