The very name of this feast, the Day of Atonement, clearly indicates its purpose. It is a day dedicated to repentance, confession, and atonement.
It is both a personal and a national day of repentance, inspired by the powerful words from Leviticus 16:30, “On this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.”
Notice the emphasis on this day (ki ba yom כִּֽי־בַיּ֥וֹם). Unlike the common phrase on that day (ba yom בַּיּ֣וֹם), which appears over 500 times in the Scriptures, the phrase ‘on this day’ appears only seven times. This rare usage highlights the importance and special significance of Yom Kippur in God’s calendar.
Now, to better understand the deep connection between the Messiah and Yom Kippur, we look to one of the most powerful prayers in all of Scripture—the prayer of Daniel the prophet. What makes this prayer special is not only its striking similarity to the prayers recited in synagogues on Yom Kippur, but also what happens afterward. This prayer triggers a revelation of an important prophecy about the Messiah’s First Coming: the timing of His arrival, the rejection He would face, and even the way He would die; all of this was revealed to Daniel right after this prayer in chapter 9. This prophecy explains why, in the first century, the Jewish people were aware of the coming of the Messiah.
When someone reads or prays this prayer, they will quickly realize that its strong uniqueness comes from being completely grounded in Scripture. From beginning to end, it reflects the Word of God. Scripture is its foundation, language, and authority. That is one secret of a powerful prayer. Here, Daniel draws deeply from the Torah—the five books of Moses; from the Ketuvim—the Writings; and especially from the Nevi’im—the Prophets of God, who many times called Israel to return to the Lord.
What makes this prayer even more powerful is that it is offered by a man who has led an exemplary life of study, discipline, and obedience to God. Daniel was about 80 years old, a seasoned servant of the Lord who had endured and risen above many trials and persecutions.
This prayer is so powerful that it continues to influence many aspects of Jewish prayer to this day. Let us read verse 2 of Daniel 9: “In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the Word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.”
Now, see, this prayer was sparked because Daniel understood בִּין (bîn), meaning he paid very close attention. He studied the books—the Bible and the prophets—and read and realized he was living during a crucial time in history. He was right at the end of the 70 years of the Diaspora, and it was time to return to the land. To go from Babylon to Israel, as a few did—like Ezra, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah—and about 50,000 other individuals. And so, as Daniel recognizes he is living at a pivotal moment in history, the first thing he does is turn to the LORD and begin to pray.
But before we get into this prayer, notice how Daniel read and understood this Bible prophecy: he believed it, and he read it plainly. For him, seventy years meant exactly seventy years, not a vague number subject to endless interpretation.
Sadly, many people today have lost their trust in God’s Word. By interpreting prophecy as allegory, they weaken the Scriptures’ power and authority. For example, John’s prophecy of the 1,000-year reign of the Messiah is often dismissed by both early church fathers and many modern commentators as just an indefinite period: Daniel would strongly disagree.
But there is something in how this prayer begins that reveals the power behind it; something that should ignite in us a strong desire to explore prophecies more deeply, especially during these times of war and rising antisemitism. It is in the words, the Word of the Lord. There is something hidden in the original language of this verse, something new in this Book of Daniel, something truly explosive.
Notice the Name of God here; it is His personal Name, YUD_HE_VAV_HE, which we commonly call Jehovah. This is the first of eight times this Name appears only here in this section of chapter 9 in Daniel, and it is related to discovering Him in the prophecies. It is in His Word where we discover the character of God, and especially in prophecies.
Before and after this chapter, God’s name Adonai is mentioned approximately 29 times, and Elohim is mentioned over 50 times. These names evoke God’s power, even during times of judgment when the Israelites were being punished. However, now that the time for returning to Jerusalem has arrived, Daniel calls on God’s mercy and goodness. Yud He Vav He is the name that reflects God’s grace, His redemption, and His promises. This is the name through which we know Him as the Covenant Keeper, because Daniel is about to recall His promises and covenants to act at this time. This serves as a divine clue that further emphasizes the power behind the prophecies.
And Daniel explains the reason for the Diaspora, which is the root of persecution and antisemitism. What he observed still applies today, for the reasons that have not changed.
He says in verse 11, “Indeed, all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him.”
Daniel mentions the curse in the singular: which one is it? Daniel refers to two prophecies of Moses that all Jews should understand to grasp what is happening to them today and what has happened over the last 2500 years. These are found in Leviticus 26, given as they left Egypt, and in Deuteronomy 28, given 40 years later, when Israel first entered the land.
There is an outline of the history of antisemitism; it clarifies many questions people have, including the root of global hatred toward Israel and, especially, the solution: confession and returning to God as He reveals Himself in the Scriptures, in the Tanach.
What follows Daniel’s prayer is exactly what everyone needs to understand and benefit from God’s forgiveness. The prayer does not end in verse 19; it continues through the prophecy in verses 24-27.
Verse 24 opens with words that proclaim the end of sin and the way to make atonement for iniquity and bring in everlasting righteousness. It is there that the Lord tells us that these things, these confessions and turning back to God, are possible through the coming of the Messiah, His First Coming.
Notice once again that Daniel tells us he will die; in vs. 26, he states that the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Here, he clearly indicates that at His First Coming, the Messiah will die for us. Many today in Judaism do not believe in two comings; Daniel the prophet clearly teaches us about this important point regarding the Messiah.
The word here is כָרַת (kārat), meaning “cut off,” but this same word is used for those who do not observe Yom Kippur in Lev. 23:28, where it states that, “If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.” However, Daniel tells us that the Messiah is the one who will take this curse for us and all Israel.
Click Here for the Video : Yom Kippur – Daniel Chapter 9