On October 17 (the 10th day of the seventh month in the sacred calendar), the tenth day after the Feast of Trumpets, the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Atonement was held in all the Churches of God throughout the world.

ⓒ 2010 WATV

The Day of Atonement was the day when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the second tablets of the Ten Commandments after the Israelites had been forgiven for their sin of making a golden calf and worshiping the idol at the time of the Exodus. In the Old Testament times, the high priest alone entered the Most Holy Place to offer the sin offering on the altar of incense once a year on the Day of Atonement; he took two goats and cast lots for them—one lot for God and the other for the scapegoat, and he confessed over the scapegoat all the people’s sins which had been transferred to the sanctuary, and sent the goat away into the desert, a solitary place. This ceremony of the feast represents that our sins, which have been borne by Christ, will be transferred onto Satan the devil, the originator of sin (Lev 23:26-30; Lev 16:5-10).

ⓒ 2010 WATV

Mother gave thanks to Father for having atoned for all the sins of His children, who were running towards death, through His boundless sacrifice, and She also prayed that Her children would live a righteous life for the gospel, looking forward to the eternal kingdom of heaven and putting God at the center of their lives. In addition, She reminded Her children that the way to repay God for His forgiving grace is to preach the gospel, and asked them to “lead many suffering souls, bound with the chain of sin, to God by preaching the new covenant, which Father had established with His love, to Samaria and to the ends of the world.”

ⓒ 2010 WATV

General Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim stated in his sermon, “The atonement of all the people’s sins, which had been committed throughout the year, was made in the Most Holy Place. This ceremony of the Day of Atonement represents that our sins can be forgiven only when we come to our Heavenly Mother, the reality of the Most Holy Place.” Then he urged the members, saying, “On this day, we are to put off our old self so that our souls can be cleansed. Let us learn the holy love of Mother, who takes care of Her children and leads them to heaven while sacrifi cing Herself for them and serving them, and with the mind of Mother let’s care for the whole world and lead all people to salvation (Isa 53:1-5; Heb 10:4-5; Eph 4:22-24; 1 Co 13:1-8).”

The members reminded themselves of Elohim’s love and sacrifice contained in the Day of Atonement. With a commitment to accomplish the gospel by suffusing their purifi ed souls with the love of Mother, they prepared for the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles.