Satan the Dragon to be Bound

Chinese Dragon
A Chinese Depiction of a Dragon
(The Bible in Revelation 20:2 Calls Satan Both a Serpent and Dragon)

The Day of Atonement, most commonly called Yom Kippur by the Jews (or the Fast in the New Testament), starts Wednesday, October 8th at sunset this year.

Do you know its Christian significance? Do you know that early Christians observed it?

Oddly, because most people associate the Day of Atonement exclusively with the Jews, they are much more likely to celebrate/participate in the pagan Druid holiday in October now called Halloween (see Is Halloween Holy Time for Christians? ) than observe a biblical Holy Day.

Do you know that the Bible indicates that one of the things that it pictures is the binding of Satan the dragon for 1000 years?

How can this be determined?

This can be determined essentially by looking at ceremonies associated with the Day of Atonement in the Hebrew Scriptures and noticing a prophetic parallel in the New Testament.

Although many Protestant commentators seem to misunderstand these passages in Leviticus concerning the Day of Atonement, they are correct that the SLAIN goat represents Jesus Christ.

Yet, notice what happens immediately after the atoning from the death of that first goat:

And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness…And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp (Leviticus 16:20-22,26).

The atonement is over after the first goat is sacrificed. The atonement is not part of the symbolism of the second goat. While many Protestant commentators either do not know what the Azazel goat represents or think it represents the physical life of Christ, the latter explanation would not seem to be consistent with the statements in Leviticus 16:26 (bolded above).

Why?

Because notice that it is a fit man that takes the goat into the wilderness and he has to wash himself after he has released the aza’zel goat. If the second goat represented Christ, the fit man would have to wash BEFORE touching the goat and not AFTER releasing it.

What Happened to the Live Goat is Symbolic of Satan

We in the Living Church of God believe that what happened to the live goat in Leviticus 16 is symbolic of Satan for two basic reasons:

1) The term scapegoat is an inappropriate translation into English, as it implies that blame is being placed where blame is not due. The Hebrew term is actually aza’zel. This is a term that some Jewish people have historically ascribed to a Satanic adversary.

2) What happens with the Azazel goat and what happens to Satan is quite similar, if one compares Leviticus 16:20-22,26 to Revelation 20:1-3.

Specifically, we cite the following passage from Revelation 20:1-3:

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 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 till the thousand years were finished.

Notice that it is a fit man that places the Azazel goat which bares blame for sins into the wilderness, and an angel that places Satan, who brought sin into the world, into the wilderness of the bottomless pit. Contrary to the claims of those who do not take this portion of Revelation literally, this 1000 year binding of Satan has certainly not taken place since John was inspired to pen Revelation.

Satan the Dragon is bound for the entire 1000 years of the millennial reign of Christ. And that is just part of the significance of the Day of Atonement for Christians. A day that early Christians, like the Apostle Paul (cf. Acts 27:9), kept (the Fast was so widely observed in the 4th century that it was condemned by John Chrysostom (see Fall Holy Days Approach).

The Day of Atonement, unlike the world’s false pagan holidays, does have much significance for Christians today.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? Did they? Did Jesus? Did Paul? Should you?
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement”. Does it have any relevance for Christians today?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians?
LCG 2008 Feast of Tabernacles’ Information Here is information on many Feast of Tabernacles locations for this year.
Is Halloween Holy Time for Christians? This article provides some historical and biblical insight on this question.