Back To The Future; YOM KIPPUR SERMON 9/25/26

BACK TO THE FUTURE THE ROLE OF PROPHET AND PRIEST A Day of Atonement Message Rev. John Shane Vaughn First Harvest Ministries International Opening Texts Leviticus 16:30 — “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before YAHWEH.” Psalm 73:16–17 — “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of Elohim; then understood I their end.” Revelation 20:1–3 — “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more...” BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 1 Revelation 12:11 — “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” INTRODUCTION — MEMORIES FROM THE FUTURE FHaMIly, welcome to the Day of Atonement. Welcome to the most celebratory day of the year. Now I know that sounds strange to some people. For centuries men have taught that this is a day of sorrow. A day of sackcloth. A day of empty stomachs and long faces. A day of mourning. But I came today to tell you that the Day of Atonement is not a funeral. It is a preview. It is not a day for looking at the ground. It is a day for looking ahead. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 2 There is a phrase that has been burning in my spirit: Memories from the future. That sounds impossible. A memory belongs to the past. You remember your mother’s kitchen. You remember the day you were baptized. You remember the day you buried somebody you loved. Memory looks backward. So how can a man remember something that has not happened yet? But that is exactly what this appointed day does. Isaiah says YAHWEH is: Isaiah 46:10 — “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” YAHWEH does not stand at the beginning wondering how it will turn out. He stands at the beginning already declaring the end. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 3 And every year, on the tenth day of the seventh month, He opens a door into that end. He takes His people by the hand— He walks them into tomorrow— and He lets them see. See what? SEE THE ACCUSER BOUND. SEE HIS END. SEE JUSTICE AT LAST. And then He sends us back. Back into this present evil age. Back into our bills, back into our battles, back into the headlines, back into the courtrooms, back into an ordinary Tuesday— carrying a memory of how this whole thing ends. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 4 That is what I mean by BACK TO THE FUTURE. And I want to plant this in your heart before we go one step further: ONCE YOU HAVE SEEN HIS END, HIS MIDDLE CANNOT FRIGHTEN YOU ANYMORE. The accuser is loud in the middle of the story. He roars in the middle. He threatens in the middle. He accuses in the middle. But Atonement lets you read the last page— and on the last page, he is not there. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 5 PART ONE — GOING IN: THE PROPHET’S EYES 1. TWO OFFICES, ONE DAY In Israel, YAHWEH established two great offices that dealt with time. The prophet saw what YAHWEH was going to do. The priest ministered what YAHWEH had done. The prophet looked forward. The priest kept the memorial. The prophet received the vision. The priest kept the lamp burning. Most of the year, those two offices work in different rooms. But on one day of the year— they meet. On the Day of Atonement, the priest does something he does on no other day. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 6 He walks past the veil. He goes where no man goes. He enters the Most Holy Place— the very presence of YAHWEH— the room where the verdict is kept. On that one day, the priest sees like a prophet. He goes behind the veil and looks upon what no one else can see. And then he does what only a priest can do— he comes back out and ministers it to the people. So here is the whole message in one breath: The prophet takes you into the future. The priest brings the future back into the present. The prophet says, “I have seen it.” The priest says, “Now live by it.” The prophet opens your eyes. The priest puts it in your hands. And listen to me, FHaMIly— BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 7 YAHWEH never meant for His people to have one without the other. A prophet without a priest sees the future and leaves the people with nothing to hold. A priest without a prophet keeps the rituals and forgets where they are going. Religion has done exactly that. It kept the priest and silenced the prophet. It kept the calendar and forgot the destination. It built monuments to what YAHWEH did— and stoned the ones who spoke of what He is about to do. But hear me: Truth that is only in the tomb is not the same as truth that is in the womb. One has already been born and buried. The other is alive, kicking, and waiting to be delivered. And the day when the accuser is removed has not yet been born into this world— BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 8 but it is alive. It is leaping. It is coming. And YAHWEH has made us both. Revelation 1:6 — “And hath made us kings and priests unto Elohim and his Father...” John 16:13 — “...he will shew you things to come.” Priests—who minister. And a Spirit within us—who shows things to come. So today I am calling you to do both. Go in with the prophet’s eyes. Come out with the priest’s hands. 2. UNTIL I WENT INTO THE SANCTUARY Let me introduce you to a man named Asaph. Asaph was a worship leader. A Levite. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 9 A singer in the house of YAHWEH. And Asaph almost lost his faith. Listen to him: Psalm 73:2–3 — “But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” He looked around and everything he saw said evil is winning. The proud were prospering. The violent were comfortable. The liars were getting richer. The mockers were getting louder. And the righteous were getting crushed. He says in verse 13: “Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.” In other words— “What’s the use? BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 10 Why keep YAHWEH’s ways? Why keep the Sabbath? Why stay clean? The wicked are winning anyway.” Some of you have been living in Psalm 73. You’ve looked at the news. You’ve looked at the courts. You’ve looked at the ones who lied about you and prospered. You’ve looked at the ones who persecuted the righteous and got away with it. And your feet have almost slipped. But then look at verses 16 and 17: “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of Elohim; then understood I their end.” Until I went into the sanctuary. Then understood I their end. Asaph did not get his answer by reading the newspaper. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 11 He did not get it by counting the votes. He did not get it by studying the stock market. He got it by going into the sanctuary. And inside the sanctuary, YAHWEH showed him— the end. He says in verses 18 and 19: “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!” As in a moment. Suddenly. And that, FHaMIly, is what the Day of Atonement is. It is the day YAHWEH brings His people into the sanctuary— so that they may understand the end. You cannot understand the present by staring at the present. You can only understand the present by seeing the end. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 12 The Day of Atonement is YAHWEH’s answer to Psalm 73. It is the day He says: “Come in here. Let Me show you how this ends.” 3. BEHIND THE VEIL Now come with me into Leviticus 16. Once a year—only once—the high priest entered the Most Holy Place. Hebrews 9:7 — “But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people.” Picture it. The whole nation gathered outside. Nobody working. Every household at rest. A holy convocation. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 13 And Leviticus 16:17 says: “And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out...” Until he come out. The priest disappears behind the veil. The people cannot see him. They cannot hear him. They are standing outside in the present— while he is inside, in the presence— looking upon the mercy seat, standing before the throne, seeing the verdict. And every eye in Israel is fixed on that curtain. Waiting. Watching. Because when that priest comes back out— he brings the verdict with him. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 14 And what was the verdict? Leviticus 16:30 — “...that ye may be clean from all your sins before YAHWEH.” CLEAN. That is the verdict. That is what the priest saw behind the veil. That is what he carried back into the camp. And FHaMIly, we have a High Priest who has gone behind a greater veil. Hebrews 9:24 — “For Messiah is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of Elohim for us.” YAHSHUA, the obedient Son, the last Adam, has entered heaven itself. He is standing in the presence right now. He has seen the end. He holds the verdict. And listen to what Hebrews says about our hope: BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 15 Hebrews 6:19–20 — “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even YAHSHUA, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” Do you see it? Our hope has already gone behind the veil. Hope is an anchor. But this is a strange anchor. A ship’s anchor goes down, into the sea beneath it. This anchor goes forward—into the future— into the Most Holy Place— into the room where the end is kept. And it hooks there. It holds there. So that no matter how the storm tosses your ship in the present— you are chained to the future. The waves can toss you. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 16 The wind can batter you. The accuser can roar at you. But your anchor is behind the veil— and the veil does not move. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 17 PART TWO — WHAT WE SEE ON THE OTHER SIDE 4. TWO GOATS — JUSTICE ENDS WHERE SIN STARTED Now let’s look at what the Day of Atonement actually shows us. Leviticus 16:7–8 — “And he shall take the two goats, and present them before YAHWEH at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for YAHWEH, and the other lot for the scapegoat.” That word “scapegoat” in the Hebrew is Azazel. Two goats. Not one. Two. And that is where most of Christianity has gotten this day wrong. They say both goats are Messiah. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 18 But YAHWEH did not cast lots to decide between two pictures of the same person. One lot for YAHWEH. One lot for Azazel. Two destinies. Two opposite ends. The first goat is slain. Its blood is carried behind the veil and sprinkled on the mercy seat. That is the blood that cleanses. That is the picture of YAHSHUA— the man who died, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood speaks mercy. But then comes the second goat. Leviticus 16:21–22 — “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 19 putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” The second goat is not slain. His blood is not carried into the sanctuary. He does not cleanse anybody. He is removed. The sins are confessed over his head— laid upon him— and he is carried away into a land not inhabited— and he never comes back. Why? Because YAHWEH is a just Judge. And justice asks a question: Where did this start? Who first lied? Who first rebelled? BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 20 Who first slandered YAHWEH to His own children in the garden? Humanity was deceived. The nations were deceived. Even the angels who fell were deceived. And YAHWEH, in His mercy, will restore the deceived. But the deceiver was deceived by no one. He sinned with full knowledge. He sinned with full authority. He sinned with a high hand. Numbers 15:30 — “But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously... the same reproacheth YAHWEH; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” So on the Day of Atonement YAHWEH shows us the verdict of the ages: The deceived are cleansed by the blood. The deceiver bears the responsibility and is removed. Mercy for the deceived. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 21 Removal for the deceiver. And his removal is not the failure of reconciliation— his removal completes it. Because as long as the accuser is in the camp, the camp can never be at peace. Hear this line, and carry it home with you today: JUSTICE ENDS WHERE SIN STARTED. That is what we see on the Day of Atonement. 5. I SAW AN ANGEL COME DOWN Now let’s go with John into the future. John was exiled on Patmos. An old man. Banished. Rome looked invincible. The saints were suffering. And YAHWEH took him by the Spirit into the future. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 22 And John writes: Revelation 20:1–3 — “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more...” ”I saw.” John saw it. He saw the chain. He saw the key. He saw the dragon seized. He saw the pit shut. He saw the seal set. And what is that? That is the Azazel goat, fulfilled. The one who bore the guilt of rebellion— led away by a fit man— BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 23 into a place not inhabited— shut up, so that he should deceive the nations no more. Think about what that means. For six thousand years, every nation on earth has been under his influence. Every war. Every lie. Every false religion. Every corrupt throne. Every broken family. His fingerprints are on all of it. But John saw a day coming when the nations are deceived no more. No more deception. No more whispering in the ear of kings. No more accusing the brethren. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 24 No more spirit of error working in the children of disobedience. And look what Isaiah says the people will do on that day: Isaiah 14:16–17 — “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee. They will squint at him. They will stare. And they will say: “This? This is the one? This is the one who made the earth tremble? This is the one we were so afraid of? This is the one who shook kingdoms?” On that day, the terror of the ages will look small. And Ezekiel says: BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 25 Ezekiel 28:18–19 — “...and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” In the sight of all them that behold thee. Never shalt thou be any more. That is what the Day of Atonement lets you see. Not a devil with a pitchfork running the universe. A defeated rebel—bound, sealed, and finally removed. 6. THE ACCUSER IS CAST DOWN — SUDDENLY Now I want you to see the name he carries in this age. Revelation 12:10 — “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our Elohim, and the power of his Messiah: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our Elohim day and night.” The accuser of our brethren. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 26 Day and night. He never sleeps. He never takes a Sabbath. He never takes a holiday. Every day and every night, he stands and points his finger. “Look at what they did. Look at their past. Look at their failures. They’re not clean. They’re not worthy. They don’t belong in the camp.” That is his job description. That is his whole ministry. Accusation. And that is exactly why the Day of Atonement is so glorious— because the Day of Atonement settles the case. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 27 The verdict comes out from behind the veil— CLEAN. And once the verdict is in, the prosecutor has nothing left to say. And watch how fast it happens. YAHSHUA said: Luke 10:18 — “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” As lightning. What is lightning? Lightning is the fastest thing in nature. It is not gradual. It is not slow. It is sudden. One moment there is darkness— and the next moment the whole sky splits open. His fall will not be a slow decline. It will be SUDDENLY. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 28 You see, the decree against him was spoken long ago— all the way back in Genesis 3:15, when YAHWEH told him the Seed of the woman would bruise his head. The decree is old. Only the appearing is waiting. And it is like lightning and thunder. You see the lightning first— then you hear the thunder. The decree has already flashed. We are only waiting for the sound to catch up. And notice when YAHSHUA said it. The seventy had just come back rejoicing: Luke 10:17 — “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” And YAHSHUA says, in effect: “Of course they are. I have already seen him fall.” BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 29 He was overcoming in the present by what He saw in the future. That is exactly what He is calling us to do. 7. JUSTICE AT LAST There is a cry that has gone up from this earth for six thousand years. It started with the blood of Abel crying out from the ground. And it continues in Revelation: Revelation 6:9–10 — “...I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of Elohim, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” How long? That is the cry of every widow who was cheated. Every child who was abused. Every believer who was slandered. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 30 Every faithful man dragged into court on false charges. Every congregation harassed for keeping YAHWEH’s commandments. Every martyr burned at the stake for keeping the Sabbath. How long? How long will the liar prosper? How long will the proud laugh? How long will the accuser have his day? And the Day of Atonement answers: NOT MUCH LONGER. Daniel saw it. Daniel 7:9–10 — “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit... the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” And then verse 22: Daniel 7:22 — “Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” The court is coming into session. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 31 The books are going to be opened. And judgment is going to be given to the saints. You who have been judged unjustly— will be given judgment. You who have been accused— will sit on the bench. You who have been dragged before men— will stand before the Ancient of Days vindicated. This is not revenge. This is not bitterness. This is justice. And YAHWEH’s justice is not only punishment. It is restoration. It is putting the world back the way it was supposed to be. It is the deceived set free. It is the captives released. It is the land given rest. It is every tear wiped away. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 32 And it begins— where sin started. The accuser goes first. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 33 PART THREE — COMING BACK OUT: THE PRIEST’S TASK 8. THE PRIEST CAME OUT SHINING Now we come to the turning point of this message. It is not enough to go in and see. You have to come back out. The high priest did not stay behind the veil. Leviticus 16:23–24 says he put off the linen garments, washed, put on his garments, and came forth. He came out. And can you imagine the sound in that camp when the curtain moved? The priest is alive! The offering is accepted! The verdict is in! We are clean! BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 34 And I think of Moses. Moses went up the mountain and stood in the very presence of YAHWEH. And when he came down: Exodus 34:29 — “...Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.” He came out of the presence shining. And what did the people do? They were afraid to come near him. So Moses put a veil over his face. Moses came down carrying the glory of another realm— and the people wanted it covered. Why? Because it did not match their circumstances. They were in a wilderness. No houses. No harvest. No homeland. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 35 And here comes Moses, shining— acting as though the promise were already true. FHaMIly, when you come out of this Day of Atonement, you should come out shining. You have been behind the veil. You have seen the accuser bound. You have seen justice at last. And the world will say: “Cover that up. Don’t you know what’s happening in the world? Don’t you know about the wars? Don’t you know about the lawsuits? Don’t you know what they’re saying about you? How can you be joyful at a time like this?” And you can answer them: ”Because I have been somewhere. I have seen how this ends. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 36 I carry a memory from the future—and it shines.” Paul said: 2 Corinthians 3:18 — “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of YAHWEH, are changed into the same image from glory to glory...” With open face. No veil. We do not hide what we have seen. 9. HOLD ON TO IT Now here is the danger. You can go into the sanctuary today— see the end— come out rejoicing— and by Wednesday, forget everything you saw. By Wednesday, the accuser is back in your ear. By Wednesday, the bills are back on the table. By Wednesday, Psalm 73 is back in your mouth. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 37 So how do we hold on to what we see? Hebrews 11:13 gives us the answer—four verbs: Hebrews 11:13 — “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” First—they saw them. The vision came first. That is the prophet’s part. Second—they were persuaded of them. They argued it out in their own minds until they were convinced. They settled it. Doubt no longer had a vote. Third—they embraced them. That word means to greet—to hug—to take hold of. They took the promise in their arms and would not let it go. Fourth—they confessed. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 38 They spoke it. They lived it. They said out loud, “This world is not my home.” See it. Be persuaded of it. Embrace it. Confess it. That is how you hold on to a memory from the future. Abraham did exactly that. He never possessed the land in his lifetime. He had to buy a cave to bury Sarah in— four hundred shekels of silver for a burial plot in the land YAHWEH had already given him! But: Hebrews 11:10 — “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is Elohim.” He had seen the city. So he could live in a tent. And now let me show you a man who held on while the accuser did his worst. Joseph. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 39 Joseph had a dream. The sheaves bowed. The sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed. That was his future. But YAHWEH did not show him the pit. He did not show him the auction block. He did not show him Potiphar’s house. And He did not show him Potiphar’s wife. Because Potiphar’s wife was an accuser. When Joseph would not sin, she grabbed his garment— and she used it as evidence against him. She lied. She accused. And Joseph went to prison on a false accusation. Does that sound familiar? That is exactly what the accuser does. He takes your garment— BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 40 something that belongs to you— and twists it into evidence against you. But here is what the accuser could not do. He could not take the dream. He could take Joseph’s coat. He could take Joseph’s reputation. He could take Joseph’s freedom. But he could not take the memory of the future. And Joseph held on— through the pit, through the prison, through two full years when the butler forgot him— until one morning he woke up a prisoner and went to sleep that night as ruler over Egypt. SUDDENLY. And the accuser’s lie was buried in the prison he built. When you have seen where you are going, BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 41 the accusation cannot hold you, because the dream is more real to you than the lie. 10. PREACH IT AS PRIEST And now we come to the heart of our calling. The priest who goes behind the veil and comes out silent has failed. The whole point of going in was to come out and tell the people. Malachi 2:7 — “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of YAHWEH of hosts.” The priest’s lips. What you have seen, you must say. And what do we say on the Day of Atonement? Listen to Leviticus 25: Leviticus 25:9–10 — “Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 42 shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof...” On what day did the Jubilee trumpet sound? The Day of Atonement. Not a day of mourning— a day of liberty. The debts canceled. The slaves set free. The land returned to its rightful owners. The families restored to their inheritance. That is the sound of this day. PROCLAIM LIBERTY. That is what the priest preaches. Liberty from the accuser. Liberty from condemnation. Liberty from the bondage of ignorance into glorious freedom. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 43 And listen—this is not just for today. This is a rehearsal for the next age. Look who serves in the Kingdom right after the accuser is bound: Revelation 20:6 — “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of Elohim and of Messiah, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Do you see the order in Revelation 20? Verse 3—the accuser is bound. Verse 6—the priests begin to reign. The very same people who saw his end by faith in this age will serve as priests in the age when it has come to pass. And what will they do in that age? They will teach the nations. They will show the nations YAHWEH’s ways. They will preach to a world that no longer has a deceiver whispering in its ear. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 44 So when we preach it now, as priests, we are practicing for then. 1 Peter 2:9 — “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Shew forth. A royal priesthood that does not proclaim is not a priesthood. It is a secret society. And we are not a secret society. We are the priests of the next age— sounding the trumpet of this one. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 45 PART FOUR — OVERCOMING THIS AGE BY WHAT WE SEE IN THE NEXT 11. HUMBLED BY WHAT WE SEE Now some will ask, “Pastor, if this is a day of celebration, what about humbling the soul?” YAHWEH commanded Israel on this day to humble their souls. The Hebrew is anah nephesh—to bow down the soul. And praise YAHWEH, we do exactly that. But understand—the Torah never defined this day by an empty stomach. It defined it by a bowed soul. That is the letter of the law and the intent of the Lawgiver. And I will not condemn any brother who fasts today. But I will tell you what truly humbles the soul. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 46 Seeing. Look at Isaiah. Isaiah 6:1 — “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also YAHWEH sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” What happened to Isaiah when he saw? Isaiah 6:5 — “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, YAHWEH of hosts.” Mine eyes have seen the King. That is what humbled Isaiah. Not an empty belly— a full vision. And then what happened? Isaiah 6:7 — “...Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” That is Atonement in one chapter! He saw. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 47 He was humbled. He was cleansed. And then YAHWEH said, “Whom shall I send?” and Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me.” He saw the future King—and he came back out to preach. The prophet’s eyes. The priest’s lips. In one man. So when we humble our souls today, we bow before what we have seen. We bow before the King who is coming. We bow before the Judge who is just. We bow before the verdict of mercy. And then we rise up rejoicing— because the verdict is clean. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 48 12. SMALL CLOUDS OF A GREAT FALL Now someone says: “Pastor, I believe it. But I don’t see it yet. The accuser still seems so strong.” Let me take you to Carmel. Israel had been in drought for three and a half years. Elijah prayed. He sent his servant to look toward the sea. “There is nothing.” Again. “There is nothing.” Seven times. And then: 1 Kings 18:44 — “Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand.” Someone else saw a tiny cloud. Elijah saw a storm. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 49 And here is my point: Every time you overcome the accuser in this age— every time you refuse his lie— every time you walk free of his condemnation— every time a captive in your family is set free— that is a cloud the size of a man’s hand. It is small evidence of his great fall. Paul said: Romans 16:20 — “And the Elohim of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” Under your feet. Shortly. Every victory in this age is a down payment on that day. So don’t despise the small victories. Don’t despise the day of small things. If YAHWEH has spoken rain— get ready for rain. And while you wait, prepare. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 50 Remember the kings in 2 Kings 3 who ran out of water in the wilderness? YAHWEH told them: 2 Kings 3:16–17 — “Make this valley full of ditches... Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water.” They dug in a dry valley for water they could not see. And verse 20 says the water came in the morning— ”when the meat offering was offered.” At the hour of the appointed offering. At the priest’s appointed time. The prophet gave the word. The priest kept the appointment. And suddenly the water came. FHaMIly, keeping this appointed day is digging a ditch. Keeping the Sabbath is digging a ditch. Walking in YAHWEH’s commandments while the world mocks is digging a ditch. And when YAHWEH’s appointed hour comes— BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 51 every ditch will be filled. 13. THEY OVERCAME HIM And now we come to the goal of this whole message. We do not go into the future just to admire it. We go into the future so we can overcome in the present. Revelation 12:11 — “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Three weapons. The blood of the Lamb. That is the first goat. That is the verdict—clean. The accuser cannot condemn what the blood has cleansed. The word of their testimony. What is a testimony? A testimony is the report of a witness. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 52 A witness tells what he has seen. Our testimony is the memory of the future. “I have seen him bound. I have seen his end. I have seen justice at last. I have seen the Kingdom.” When the accuser says, “You are guilty,” we say, “The blood says clean.” When the accuser says, “I will win,” we say, “I have seen your chain.” When the accuser says, “Look how strong I am,” we say, “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee— and say, ‘Is this the man?’” And they loved not their lives unto the death. Why? Because when you have seen the next age, this age loses its grip on you. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 53 You cannot threaten a man with the loss of this world when he has already seen the next one. Paul put it this way: 2 Corinthians 4:17–18 — “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” We look at the things which are not seen. That is how you overcome. Not by staring at the accuser— but by staring past him, into the age where he is gone. And to those who overcome, YAHSHUA makes a promise: Revelation 3:21 — “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 54 We overcome this age by what we see in the next. That is the purpose of this Feast. 14. I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE And finally— there is a day coming when faith will become sight. A day when the trumpet sounds. A day when the dead in Messiah rise. A day when mortality puts on immortality— 1 Corinthians 15:52 — “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump...” Suddenly. A day when the angel comes down with the key and the chain. A day when the dragon is seized. A day when the pit is shut and sealed. A day when the nations are deceived no more. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 55 And on that day, every believer who has kept this appointed time will look up— and see that angel— and see that chain— and see that seal— and say: I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE. Not physically. But in prophecy. I saw it in Leviticus 16, with the goat led into the wilderness. I saw it in Psalm 73, when I went into the sanctuary. I saw it in Isaiah 14, when they narrowly looked upon him. I saw it in Ezekiel 28, when he was never any more. I saw it in Daniel 7, when judgment was given to the saints. I saw it in Revelation 20, when the angel came down. I rehearsed it every year on the Day of Atonement. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 56 I preached it. I sang about it. I shouted about it. I overcame by it. And now— I HAVE ARRIVED AT THE FUTURE I HAVE BEEN REMEMBERING ALL MY LIFE. CONCLUSION — GO BACK TO THE FUTURE FHaMIly, some of you have spent too much time listening to the accuser remind you of your past. He reminds you of who you used to be. He reminds you of what you did. He reminds you of who hurt you. He reminds you of what you lost. He reminds you of Egypt. That is his favorite sermon. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 57 Your past. But the Day of Atonement gives you a different memory. REMEMBER YOUR FUTURE. Remember the verdict—clean. Remember the goat—removed. Remember the chain—bound. Remember the seal—shut. Remember the court—judgment given to the saints. Remember the trumpet—liberty proclaimed. Remember the King—coming. YAHSHUA said: Luke 9:62 — “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of Elohim.” Stop looking back at what the accuser keeps pointing to. Keep your hand on the plow— and keep your eyes forward. You might be in the pit— BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 58 but you have seen the palace. You might be falsely accused— but you have seen the accuser bound. You might be in Psalm 73— but go into the sanctuary and understand their end. You might be staring at an empty valley— but dig your ditches. You might only see a cloud the size of a man’s hand— but rain is coming. You might be exiled on your own Patmos— but you have seen the angel with the key. And I came to tell somebody: DON’T STOP NOW. Keep watching. Keep believing. Keep rejoicing. Keep keeping the appointed times. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 59 Keep preaching it as priests. Because what takes six thousand years to prepare can take only a moment to appear. And when YAHWEH’s appointed moment comes— SUDDENLY. Suddenly the lightning falls. Suddenly the chain is fastened. Suddenly the pit is sealed. Suddenly the nations are free. Suddenly the trumpet of Jubilee sounds throughout all the earth. AND THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN IS CAST DOWN. So go in today with the prophet’s eyes. Come out today with the priest’s hands. See it. Be persuaded of it. Embrace it. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 60 Confess it. Preach it. And overcome this age by what you have seen in the next. BECAUSE YOU HAVE A FUTURE TO GET BACK TO. And once YAHWEH has let you see the accuser’s end— YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN LIVE AS THOUGH HE HAS THE LAST WORD. THE CHARGE Stand to your feet. Lift your eyes—not to the ceiling, but toward the future YAHWEH has declared. And say this with me: I have been into the sanctuary. I have understood the end. The verdict is clean. BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 61 The accuser is bound. Justice ends where sin started. I will not live by the report of this age. I will live by the memory of the next. I will hold it, embrace it, and confess it. I will preach it as a priest. I will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. And when the angel comes down with the key— I will say, I have been here before. BENEDICTION Numbers 6:24–26 — “YAHWEH bless thee, and keep thee: YAHWEH make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: YAHWEH lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” May His face shine upon you— and may your face shine too, like the priest coming out from behind the veil, like Moses coming down the mountain, BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 62 carrying the verdict of a future the world cannot see yet. Now go and sit at the table together in covenant joy. Eat with gladness. Celebrate with one another. The accuser is going. The King is coming. Go in peace. Go in liberty. Go back to the future. BACK TO THE FUTURE. The verdict is clean. The accuser is bound. And suddenly — we will be there. Rev. John Shane Vaughn First Harvest Ministries International P.O. Box 2757, Bay St. Louis, MS 39521 BACK TO THE FUTURE · Day of Atonement · First Harvest Ministries International · 63