There is another layer to this . According to Zechariah ( ch . 14 ), arguably the greatest day in the Millennial Kingdom is Sukkot when all the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the King . They don ’ t come and gather on Yom Kippur to seek atonement — that ’ s already been provided for . They don ’ t come on even Passover to ask for redemption — that too has been covered . They come at Sukkot , the time of intimacy . Jeremiah phrases it like this ,
“ Again the word of Adonai came to me , saying : ‘ Go , and cry in the ears of Jerusalem , saying , thus says Adonai : I remember the devotion of your youth , your love as a bride , and the way you followed Me in the wilderness , in a land not sown . Israel was kadosh to Adonai , the firstfruits of the harvest . All who devoured him were held guilty . Catastrophe overtook them .’ It is a declaration of Adonai .” ( Jeremiah 2:1-3 )
The goal of God has always been intimacy . Over and over again , God says , “ I will be their God and they will be my people .” Yeshua even describes His love for Jerusalem , the heart of the Jewish people , being like a hen wanting to gather her chicks close to her . ( Matthew 23:37 ) Intimacy , closeness , and relationship is what God desires most .
Forgiveness and atonement are essential . They are , however , not the endgame . What is provided on Yom Kippur is to provide for us a means by which we can be with God without spot or wrinkle . The same is with Yeshua : He died , was buried , rose again , and ascended to the Father so that we could return to our Father . ( see Colossians 1:19-20 )