ⓒ 2007 WATV

On September 21 (the tenth day of the seventh month in the sacred calendar), the members, who had offered prayers of repentance for ten days from the first day of the Feast of Trumpets through the Day of Atonement, participated in the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Atonement for the forgiveness of their sins, with gratitude in their hearts.

The Day of Atonement is the day that Moses was given the second tablets of the Ten Commandments. On this day, only the high priest could enter into the Most Holy Place once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people in the Old Testament times: He put all the sins of the people, which were temporarily held in the Holy Place, upon the head of the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat representing the devil, and sent it away to a solitary place in the desert. This was a prophecy that all our sins, transferred to Christ, would be placed upon Satan, the originator of sin.

Mother offered a prayer of thanks to Father who atoned for all the sins of His children so that their spirits might be cleansed and born again through this gracious feast. Also, Mother prayed for Her children to confess all their sins like the tax collector who realized he was a sinner, so that they might achieve complete repentance and bear the fruits of repentance abundantly, and also earnestly prayed for them not to be stained with sin again.

Chief Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim explained the meaning of the Day of Atonement, and urged the members, “Let’s live a life of repentance every day, according to the teachings of God, so that we will not receive the grace of Christ in vain, who sacrificed Himself to atone for our sins. He also urged them to lead all the souls groaning under sin around the world to repentance, saying, “Let’s remove our stubborn, unrepentant hearts, and come to God who waits for us to repent and saves us.”

After the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Atonement, Mother blessed the members to be filled with the Holy Spirit and bear good fruit abundantly at the coming Feast of Tabernacles, saying that the grace of the forgiveness of sins was granted to all the members who had offered prayers of repentance for ten days.