Dear Refiner's Fire...

I have a question that you might be able to shed some light on for me.

Under the Old Covenant (Mosaic), the Jewish people were required to offer sin offerings and guilt offerings when they had sinned. What do the Jewish people now do (those who don’t recognize Yeshua as Messiah) to atone for those sins since the Law commanded them to make the sacrifices and offerings only at the temple in Jerusalem (ye, I know the temple isn’t rebuilt yet)? What will they do on the Day of Atonement on Sept 22?

Our Response....

Thank you for writing to The Refiner's Fire. You've posed a great question.

Unfortunately, most of our Jewish brethren's eyes are still blinded to Yeshua and so they are under the erroneous belief that, for now since there is no Temple, prayer and repentance are the key to obtaining God's forgiveness. During the High Holy Days, they concentrate on mending broken relationships and getting themselves "right" with YHWH and their fellow man.

The thing is, religious Jews already believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - and they are Torah observant and following YHWH's "forever" commands, which puts them closer to YHWH than any other "religion" in the world since hardly anyone else is Torah observant. Their only problem is that so far, they haven't seen that their long-awaited Messiah has already come. But, God promised that He will open their eyes and that every knee would bow (Isaiah 45:23) to Yeshua (Romans 14:11)!

Please notice that Hebrews 9:28 says: "...so also the Mashiyach was once offered; and, by himself, he burned away the sins of many: and a second time, without sins, will he appear for the life of them who expect him."

"Those who expect him" are the Jews - who already believe that their Messiah is coming. Most just don't yet realize that His Name is Yeshua....