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Showing posts with label feastsofthelord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feastsofthelord. Show all posts

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Why is there a moon phase on the top of my blog?

1 Tishri 5770

Shalom,

Many people have been asking me, why is there a moon phase on the top of my blog? What is the relation to our lives? -- Well, to make it straight forward, I will answer that question like this : I put a moon phase on the top of my blog is for a sign. To let me know the sign, the season, the time as the Bible told us to do so.

This is my biblical reason why I put a moon phase on the top of my blog.

Gen 1:14  KJV
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

Since the Creation, God had made the sun, the moon and the stars for signs, for seasons, for days and for years.

Example :
The birth of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ), God put a bright star to locate the place so that the three wise men could come to worship Him. The star was a signal, a beacon

Now let us read once more Gen 1:14 from the Hebraic perspective. Why do we must read it from the Hebraic perspective? Because our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach was a Jew. Even He died as King of the Jews.

Joh 19:19  CJB
Pilate also had a notice written and posted on the stake; it read, YESHUA FROM NATZERET THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Let us read Gen 1:14 from Hebraic perspective so that we can get the message clearly.
Gen 1:14  KJV
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs [אות - 'ôth], and for seasons [  מועד - mô‛êd], and for days [יום - yôm], and years [שׁנה -  shânâh]:

The word signs in Hebrew is
'ôth.
The word seasons in Hebrew is
mô‛êd.
The word days in Hebrew is
yôm.
The word years in Hebrew is
shânâh.

Now let us study these Hebrew word one by one.
'ôth
The word signs in Hebrew is 'ôth.
Strong's Hebrew-Greek Dictionary :
H226
אות
'ôth (to be read : oth)
Probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: - mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.

Brown-Driver-Brigg's Hebrew Definition :
H226
אות
'ôth
BDB Definition :
1) sign, signal
1a) a distinguishing mark
1b) banner
1c) remembrance
1d) miraculous sign
1e) omen
1f) warning
2) token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing).

Note :
According Genesis 1:14 God put sun and the moon to give us signal (in the sense of appearing), beacon, or warning etc. Appearing of what? Of course, appearing of God Himself to us.
mô‛êd


The word seasons in Hebrew is mô‛êd. The word seasons here is not talking about the season in our terminology like summer, winter, spring etc.

Strong's Hebrew-Greek Dictionary :
H4150
מועדה    מעד    מועד
mô‛êd  mô‛êd  mô‛âdâh (to be read : mo-ade', mo-ade', mo-aw-daw')
From H3259; properly an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand): - appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn (-ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed).
Brown-Driver-Brigg's Hebrew Definition :
H4150
מועדה  /  מעד  /  מועד
mô‛êd  /  mô‛êd  /  mô‛âdâh
BDB Definition:
1) appointed place, appointed time, meeting
1a) appointed time
1a1) appointed time (general)
1a2) sacred season, set feast, appointed season
1b) appointed meeting
1c) appointed place
1d) appointed sign or signal
1e) tent of meeting
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H3259.

Note :
According Genesis 1:14 God put sun and the moon to give us appointed place, appointed time, meeting appointed time.

Let us read Leviticus 23:2.

Lev 23:2  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts
[מועד - mô‛êd] of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts [מועד - mô‛êd].

In Leviticus 23:1-44, we can find all the feasts of the LORD God. God calls these all as "my feasts". Not somebody's feasts, but God's feasts.

Read once more :
Lev 23:2  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

Whose feasts? God's feasts!!!
These feasts belong to God, not mankind.

So, there are 7 God's feasts according to Leviticus 23. Those are :

1. Passover - Pesach (15 Nisan).
2. Seven Days Unleavened Bread - Chag HaMatzot(15 Nisan - 22 Nisan).
3. Firstfruits - Reishit Katzir (17 Nisan).
4. Pentecost - Shavuot (6 Sivan - 7 Sivan).
5. Trumpets - Rosh Hashanah (1 Tishri).
6. Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur (10 Tishri).
7. Tabernacles - Sukkot (15 Tishri - 21 Tishri).

Those 7 are appointed times.
These are appointed times, or meeting appointed times. God sets the time for us to enable us to meet Him, to celebrate with Him, to worship Him.

How does God give the signal that His appointed times is coming? By the moon phase. Go back again to Genesis 1:14.

Gen 1:14  KJV
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

This is the reason why I put the moon phase on the top of my blog, it is to understand the signal when the appointed times is.

Please remember, if you use the Gregorian calendar, by calculating the month from January up to December, you will not understand all of these appointed times.

Why?

Because all of these 7 feasts, they all use the lunar calendar. Not the solar calendar. Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar.The following are tropical solar calendars :

    * Gregorian calendar
    * Julian calendar
    * Bahá'í calendar
    * Hindu calendar
    * Coptic calendar
    * Iranian calendar (Jalāli Calendar)
    * Malayalam calendar
    * Tamil calendar
    * Thai solar calendar

A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun (or equivalently the apparent position of the sun moving on the celestial sphere).

But do you know that the biblical calendar is a lunar calendar?

A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the moon phase. It takes about 29.5 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth. During each lunar orbit, the Moon's appearance changes from not visibly illuminated (a new moon) through partially illuminated (a waxing crescent) to fully illuminated (a full moon), then back through partially illuminated (a waning crescent) to not illuminated again (a new moon). This cycle of moon phases is called a lunation :

It takes about 29.5 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth. During each lunar orbit, the Moon's appearance changes from not visibly illuminated (a new moon) through partially illuminated (a waxing crescent) to fully illuminated (a full moon), then back through partially illuminated (a waning crescent) to not illuminated again (a new moon). This cycle of moon phases is called a lunation:

Photobucket

The first time that the waxing crescent of the Moon is visible marks the beginning of a Jewish month, called Rosh Chodesh (head of the month).

Rosh Chodesh symbolizes renewal and restoration. Just as the moon wanes and disappears at the end of each month, but returns and waxes again to fullness, so we suffer until the return of our beloved Mashiach Yeshua, who will restore the glory of God fully upon the earth.

Twelve chodashim (months) make one shanah ( one year) (however, since 12 x 29.5 equals 354 days, but a solar year is 365 days, an extra month (called Adar Sheni) is added to the Hebrew calendar every two or three years in order to keep the solar seasons aligned with the lunar calendar).

The Earth’s moon is about 400 times smaller than the Sun but it is also about 400 times closer, so that they both appear to be about the same size in the sky. This accords with the Scripture that says :

Gen 1:16  KJV
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.


According to Rabbinic tradition, the very first commandment given to the children of Israel after being delivered from Egypt was to sanctify the new moon (Exodus 12:1-2)

Exo 12:1  KJV
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
Exo 12:2  KJV
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

thereby causing the fledgling nation of Israel to depart from the solar tradition of the Egyptians (Ra worship - worshipping to the sun) and to look to the moon for a new means of reckoning time and seasons.

Knowing precisely when Rosh Chodesh began was critical to the order of the mo’edim, or appointed times commanded by the LORD.

But it is very sad nowadays to find the Church return to solar calendar. God had given the lunar calendar to His people to separate His people from idolatry system, but now the Church promotes the solar calendar back again.

That's why the Church now is missing some appointed times that God had given to intimacy with. We will not understand His works by looking at solar calendar.

But...we will understand His works by looking at lunar calendar.

Consider this...

The Spring Festivals (Passover, Firstfruits, and Shavuot) have been perfectly fulfilled in the first coming of Yeshua as Mashiach ben Yosef, as a Suffering Mashiach. Isn't that right? Amen?

And the Fall Festivals (Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot) will be fulfilled in His second coming as Mashiach ben David, as a King Mashiach.

Since the first advent fulfilled all of the spring mo'edim to the smallest of details, we believe that His second advent portends similar fulfillment as revealed in the fall mo'edim

Amen, my brother and sisters?

Let us return to the system that God had given to us so that we can understand His appointed times. If we are worshipping Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) as Lord and God, but we are celebrating Christmas, celebrating Easter, celebrating Good Friday, Ash Wednesday etc...what does it mean?

It means nothing!!!

God never given His commandments to celebrate all these. Yeshua (Jesus) never taught His disciples to celebrate all these. The Pope had commanded the people to celebrate all these. A man had commanded the people to celbrate all these. And by doing this, sadly Christians are returning to solar calendar, because all of these celebrations are based on the solar calendar.

But what did God command to us? God has His own feasts. God has His own appointed times. God has His own celebration and God calls these as "My feasts".

This is the one that we should celebrate. Because we belong to God so this is the reason we celebrate His feasts. All of His feasts are in lunar calendar.

As Yeshua (Jesus) had Passover meals 14 Nisan, died in the feast of Passover 15 Nisan as Lamb of God, buried in the tomb as Unleavened Bread in the feast of Unleavened Bread 15 Nisan, raised as Firstfruit in the feast of Firstfruit 17 Nisan, and Holy Spirit was given in 6-7 Sivan in the feast of Pentecost and all of these feasts had been fulfilled.

If Yeshua (Jesus) first coming had been fulfilled through the first 4 feasts, so Yeshua (Jesus) second coming will be fulfilled through the last 3 feasts, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

That is why Paul said :

1Th 5:1  KJV
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
Note :
Paul believe that his readers already understand about the times and the seasons (the appointed times or mô‛êd )

1Th 5:2  KJV
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3  KJV
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Note :
The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night for them who are sleeping, for them who are not aware, for them who don't understand appointed times.

But for those who are watching, Paul says on the next verse

1Th 5:4  KJV
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5  KJV
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6  KJV
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7  KJV
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1Th 5:8  KJV
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  KJV
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Note :
Read carefully that Paul says that the day of the Lord will not come as thief in the night for those who are watching.

Why?
Because God's people is following His Word. God's people is following His system, lunar system, not solar system. Because God's people is following His Word, then they are not in the darkness.

Consider this...

Rev 3:3  KJV
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Note :
If someone does not watch, The Lord will come to him/her as a thief, because he/she doesn't know the time.

But on the other hand, if someone does watch, if someone knows God's feasts, he/she will keep watching, because through His feasts, God teaches us to watch and every God's feast has prophetic meaning so that His people will not forget.

Consider the story of 10 virgins...

Whom did Yeshua (Jesus) tell "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh"? Yeshua told this statement to the foolish virgins because they didn't watch.

Mat 25:8  KJV
And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9  KJV
But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10  KJV
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11  KJV
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12  KJV
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13  KJV
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Note :
On verse 13, Yeshua (Jesus) said this statement to the foolish virgins, not to the wise virgins.

Can we watch by using solar calendar? Can we watch by using Greogorian calendar? No!!!

Today is 1 Tishri 5770 in biblical calendar. Today is Rosh Hashanah or feast of Trumpets. This feast represents the rapture of the Church before the 7 years Tribulation is begun. Everytime we celebrate this feast of Rosh Hashanah, we remember that one day the Lord will rapture us. Everytime celebrate Rosh Hashanah we are reminded that there will be a Rapture one day in the future.

Hallelu-Yah...I pray so that God bless you through His Word on your study. Keep in His Word.

Blessing,
Andre

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Passover to Pentecost (1 of 7) The Feasts of The Lord




God's Feasts - mô‛êd

Shalom,

Let me share with you about God's feasts in Lev 23:2. It is said :

Lev 23:2  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts [ מועדה - mô‛êd] 
The word feasts comes from Hebrew word mô‛êd which means :
Note :
The Strong's number for mô‛êd is H4150

1. Strong's Dictionary
H4150
מועדה    מעד    מועד
mô‛êd  mô‛êd  mô‛âdâh
mo-ade', mo-ade', mo-aw-daw'
From yâ‛ad ; properly an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand): - appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn (-ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed).


2. Brown-Driver-Brigg's Hebrew Definition
H4150
מועדה  /  מעד  /  מועד
mô‛êd  /  mô‛êd  /  mô‛âdâh
BDB Definition:
1) appointed place, appointed time, meeting
1a) appointed time
1a1) appointed time (general)
1a2) sacred season, set feast, appointed season
1b) appointed meeting
1c) appointed place
1d) appointed sign or signal
1e) tent of meeting
Part of Speech: noun masculine

The word feasts in English translation of KJV Bible comes from Hebrew word
mô‛êd. It is a meeting time, a appointed time that the LORD God has made to meet with His people.

Imagine, if a President of a nation has made several meeting times or appointed times, do you dare not to come? Do you dare not to observe?
If we are afraid of not coming in President's meeting times, then how about God's meeting time? Do you dare not to to come? Do you dare not to observe?


Remember, God says that these are His feasts.

Lev 23:2  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

These feasts belong to God, not mankind.

So, there are 7 God's feasts according to Lev 23. Those are :
1. Passover - Pesach (15 Nisan).
2. Seven Days Unleavened Bread - Chag HaMatzot(15 Nisan - 22 Nisan).
3. Firstfruits - Reishit Katzir (17 Nisan).
4. Pentecost - Shavuot (6 Sivan - 7 Sivan).
5. Trumpets - Rosh Hashanah (1 Tishri).
6. Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur (10 Tishri).
7. Tabernacles - Sukkot (15 Tishri - 21 Tishri).

Those 7 are appointed times.

Blessing,
Andre


Thursday, July 16, 2009

7 Feast of the LORD - All the Feasts that we should know

Shalom,

Maybe not so many people realize that our God, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel has His Own Feasts. God calls all of these feasts as His Feasts.

Lev 23:2  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
Lev 23:2  CJB
"Tell the people of Isra'el: 'The designated times of Adonai which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times.

These feasts do not belong to certain people or races. But, these belongs to God.

Many people now are blinded to see. They can not distinguish which one is God's feast (ordered by God) and which one is human's feast.

Unfortunately, many people now tendency to celebrate human's feast rather than God's feast ( the feast that is ordered by God for us to celebrate). Example :
25 December of Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and etc.

All of these feasts were created by men and ordered by men to mankind. But if we want to examine the Word of God, God has His Own Feasts and His Own Calendar.

This is a simplified overview of the Feast of the LORD.
   
A Simplified Overview of the Feasts of the LORD

Lev 23:4  KJV
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

Leviticus 23 is the single chapter of the entire Tanakh (the 5 books of Moses) that sums up everything. God's eternal plan -- from chaos to eternity -- is ingeniously revealed through the nature and timing of the Seven annual Feasts of the LORD. In less than seven minutes, you will come to realize that the entire human race now exists between two of these feasts. Let us survey God's calendar in its essence.
   
Sacrifice is the major feature of the feasts. Believers in Mashiach are also responsible to keep these feasts, and knowledge of them enhances our faith, since every feast has its own prophetical meaning.

Our Lord kept every one of them without fail, even celebrating Pesach on His last earthly night. Now I will tell you what the feasts are called, when they happen and why they remain significant.
   
It was on Mount Sinai that God gave Moses the dates and observances of the seven feasts. Here are their names:

   1. Passover (Pesach) - Nisan 14
   2. Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi) - Nisan 15-22
   3. First Fruits (Yom habikkurim) - Nisan 16
   4. Pentecost (Shavu'ot) - Sivan 6
   5. Trumpets (Yom Teru'ah) - Tishri 1
   6. Atonement (Yom Kippur) - Tishri 10
   7. Tabernacles (Sukkot) - Tishri 15

When do they happen?

Jewish Months

God's calendar is based on the phases of the moon. Each month in a lunar calendar begins with a new moon.

Photobucket

Note :
To be read from right to left.

Pesach falls on the first full moon of Spring. The first three feasts, Pesach, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits fall in March and April. The fourth one, Shavu'ot, marked the summer harvest and occurs in late May or early June. The last three feasts, Trumpets, Yom Kippur and Sukkot happen in September and October.
           
The Spring Feasts
   
1.
Passover (Pesach). Leviticus 23:5 specifies that the festival year begins with Passover on "the fourteenth day of the first month" (Nisan 15). Passover is the Feast of Salvation. In both testaments, the blood of the Lamb delivers from slavery – the Jew from Egypt, the Christian from sin. Think about the tenth plague in Exodus 12:5 when Egypt's first born sons died while the angel of death "passed over" the Jewish homes with the blood of the lamb on their door posts.

In the B'rit Chadashah (The New Testament), Jesus serves as the sacrificial lamb. It is no coincidence that our Lord Himself was sacrificed on Passover. In Egypt the Jew marked his house with the blood of the lamb. Today the Christian marks his house – his body, "the house of the spirit" with the blood of Christ. Passover, then, represents our salvation.
   
2.
Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi). Leviticus 23:6 puts the second feast on the next night: "On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread." Leaven or yeast in the Bible symbolized sin and evil. Unleavened bread, eaten over a period of time, symbolized a holy walk, as with the Lord. Unleavened bread, in the B'rit Chadashah (New Testament) is, of course, the body of our Lord. He is described as "the Bread of Life" (Lechem haChayim). He was born in Bethlehem, which, in Hebrew, means, "House of Bread" (Bet Lechem).

Look at the matzah and see that it is striped: "By His stripes we are healed"; pierced: "They shall look upon me whom they've pierced," and pure, without any leaven, as His body was without any sin. And the Passover custom of burying, hiding and then resurrecting the second of three pieces of matzot (the middle piece), presents the Gospel (Afikomen).

3.
First Fruits (Yom Habikkurim). "On the morrow after the Sabbath" following Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:11 schedules First Fruits, the feast for acknowledging the fertility of the land He gave the Israelites. They were to bring the early crops of their spring planting and "wave the sheaf before the Lord."

The modern church has come to call this feast "Easter," named after Ishtar, the pagan goddess of fertility. We continue to revere objects of fertility such as the rabbit and the egg, and this is form of paganism. This rabbit and egg is nothing to do with the Bible.

But the First Fruits is a biblical feast. It is a celebration to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on First Fruits, which indeed occurred (plus, eventually, the resurrection of the entire Church!)

4.
Pentecost (Shavu'ot). Leviticus 23:16 says, "Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shell ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord." In late May or early June, Shavu'ot marked the summer harvest. Leviticus 23:17 requires an offering of two loaves of bread, baked with leaven. These loaves symbolize the church being comprised of both Jew and Gentile.

A review of the first four feasts reveals that Yeshua was crucified on Pesach, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised on First Fruits and sent the Ruach Hakkodesh on Shavu'ot. Because we have not yet seen the fulfillment of feast number five - Trumpets - we remain under the orders of Shavu'ot.
   
The Fall Feasts
   
5.
Trumpets (Yom Teru'ah). Ever since Isaac was spared by virtue of the ram being caught in the thicket by its horn, God seems to have enjoyed the trumpet. He used it when Joshua conquered Jericho. In Leviticus 25:8-10, he specified its use in having trumpets "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (that quotation appears today on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, assuring us that America was founded by Bible readers). Leviticus 23:24 requires that, "in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets."

The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September. This jump in time from the Feast of Pentecost in May or June seems to represent the Church Age in God's planning, since the trumpet unquestionably represents the Rapture of the Church. The trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come into the Temple. The high priest actually blew the trumpet so that the faithful would stop harvesting to worship. Now, when the trumpet sounds in accordance with 1 Corinthians 15:51-3, living believers will cease their harvest and rise from the earth. The Church will be taken out of the world.

6.
Atonement (Yom Kippur). Leviticus 23:27 provides a day of confession, the highest of holy days.  "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord." This is the one feast that is not fulfilled by the church, because the Church owes no atonement. The Church is not innocent, of course, but it is exonerated. The Day of Atonement will be fulfilled in a wonderful way when the Lord returns at His Second Coming.

7.
Tabernacles (Sukkot). Leviticus 23:34 says, "The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord." God wanted to celebrate the fact that He provided shelter for the Israelites in the wilderness. Each year on Tabernacles, devout Jews build little shelters or "booths" (sukkot) outside their houses and worshipped in them. Tabernacles represents the Lord's shelter in the world to come (olam habah), His great Tabernacle to exist in Jerusalem during the Kingdom Age. The Lord will establish His Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 37:26), and the world will come every year to appear before the King and worship Him (Zechariah 14:16-17).

Chanukah, by the way, was not given by God on Mount Sinai, but was prophesied in Daniel 8:9-14, and took place in 165 BC when the Temple was rededicated. Now you probably agree that Christianity's Jewish roots offer an eye to the future as well as the past. The next time someone mentions "The Seven Feasts of Israel," you'll realize they're really talking about the Seven Feasts of all time!

Purim was also not given by God on Mount Sinai. Purim is a happy, fun-filled holiday that rejoices over the irresistible grace of the God of Israel and His providential care. And while we should rejoice over the deliverance of the LORD in times past, Purim has a prophetic dimension that yet is to be fulfilled in acharit hayamim (the end of days).

The story of Esther says that Purim, unlike many of the other holidays, will be celebrated even after the final redemption after the End of Days. This is because the story of Purim, God's covenantal faithfulness and defense of His people, will be magnified in the deliverance that leads to the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom upon the earth. Indeed, the Second Coming of the Messiah will be regarded as the final fulfillment of Purim!

Haman is clearly a type of Anti-Messiah / Anti-Christ (satan) who desires to see the Jewish people exterminated once and for all. In the New Testament we know that there is soon coming one who is the embodiment of this "spirit of Haman," and of Hitler, and of all the other anti-Jewish murderers throughout the ages. This one is the "man of sin" or the Messiah of Evil (2 Thess. 2:3), who will broker peace in the Middle East and feign to be friendly to Israel, but who will ultimately betray her and seek to have her utterly destroyed.

Satan's final attempt to provide the ultimate "Final Solution" will be foiled, just as Haman's attempt was foiled. His plan will boomerang upon his own head, just as Haman's plan boomeranged upon him. And he and his children will all hang from the gallows, just as Haman and his children did.

When Yeshua returns at the end of the Great Tribulation, He will destroy the Messiah of Evil by the Word of His Power and physically deliver Israel as her rightful King and Lord. Israel's long-awaited Mashiach ben David will be clearly revealed and understood to be Mashiach ben Yosef Himself. Then, and only then, will Israel experience the true deliverance and salvation of God -- and the rejoicing of that Purim will be like none other! Maranatha, Yeshua Adoneinu!

I hope and pray that this article will open our hearts about all the 7 Feasts of the LORD.

Keep in His Word.

Blessing,
Andre


Tuesday, January 27, 2009

All Biblical Feasts of the LORD - The Calendar of God - Part 4




It explains God's Calendar that every believer should understand and the Feasts of the LORD. It explains how they are related for every believer in Yeshua Ha Mashiach/Jesus Christ.

All Biblical Feasts of the LORD - The Calendar of God - Part 3




It explains God's Calendar that every believer should understand and the Feasts of the LORD. It explains how they are related for every believer in Yeshua Ha Mashiach/Jesus Christ.

All Biblical Feasts of the LORD - The Calendar of God - Part 2




It explains God's Calendar that every believer should understand and the Feasts of the LORD. It explains how they are related for every believer in Yeshua Ha Mashiach/Jesus Christ.

All Biblical Feasts of the LORD - The Calendar of God - Part 1




It explains God's Calendar that every believer should understand and the Feasts of the LORD. It explains how they are related for every believer in Yeshua Ha Mashiach/Jesus Christ.

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Biblical Feasts of the LORD

Shalom,

Leviticus 23 is the single chapter of the entire Tanakh that sums up everything. God’s eternal plan -- from chaos to eternity -- is ingeniously revealed through the nature and timing of the Seven annual Feasts of the LORD.

Lev 23:4  KJV
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

In less than seven minutes, we will come to realize that the entire human race now exists between two of these feasts. Let us survey God’s calendar in its essence.

Sacrifice is the major feature of the feasts.

Believers in Mashiach are also responsible to keep these feasts, and the knowledge of them enhances our faith. Our Lord kept every one of them without fail, even celebrating Pesach on His last earthly night. Now we will see what the feasts are called, when they happen and why they remain significant.
   
It was on Mount Sinai that God gave Moses the dates and observances of the seven feasts. Here are their names :

   1. Passover (Pesach) - Nisan 14
   2. Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi) - Nisan 15-22
   3. First Fruits (Yom habikkurim) - Nisan 16
   4. Pentecost (Shavu’ot) - Sivan 6
   5. Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) - Tishri 1
   6. Atonement (Yom Kippur) - Tishri 10
   7. Tabernacles (Sukkot) - Tishri 15

Photobucket

When do they happen?

God’s calendar is based on the phases of the moon. Each month in a lunar calendar begins with a new moon.

Pesach falls on the first full moon of Spring. The first three feasts, Pesach, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits fall in March and April.

The fourth one, Shavu’ot, marked the summer harvest and occurs in late May or early June.

The last three feasts, Trumpets, Yom Kippur and Sukkot happen in September and October.
           
The Spring Feasts
   
1.
Passover (Pesach).
Leviticus 23:5 specifies that the festival year begins with Passover on “the fourteenth day of the first month” (Nisan 15).

Lev 23:5  KJV
In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.

Passover is the Feast of Salvation.

In both testaments, the blood of the Lamb delivers from slavery – the Jews from Egypt, the Christians from sin.

Think about the tenth plague in Exodus 12:27 when Egypt’s first born sons died while the angel of death “passed over” the Jewish homes with the blood of the lamb on their door posts.

Exo 12:27  KJV
That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

In the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament), Jesus serves as the sacrificial lamb. It is no coincidence that our Lord Himself was sacrificed on Passover.

In Egypt the Jew marked his house with the blood of the lamb. Today the Christian marks his house – his body, “the house of the spirit” with the blood of Christ. Passover, then, represents our salvation.

2.
Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi).
Leviticus 23:6 puts the second feast on the next night : “On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Y-H-V-H; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.”

Lev 23:6  KJV
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

Leaven or yeast in the Bible symbolized sin and evil.

Unleavened bread, eaten over a period of time, symbolized a holy walk, as with the LORD (Y-H-V-H).

Unleavened bread, in the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament) is, of course, the body of our Lord, Yeshua Ha Mashiach. He is described as “the Bread of Life” (Lechem haChayim).

Joh 6:35  KJV
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Joh 6:48  KJV
I am that bread of life.

He was born in Bethlehem, which, in Hebrew, means, “House of Bread” (Bet Lechem).

Look at the matzah !

Matzah (also Matzoh, or Matsah) Hebrew : מַצָּה‎, in Ashkenazi is Matzo or Matzoh, and, in Yiddish, Matze) is a cracker-like flatbread made of white plain flour and water.

You will see that the matzah is striped :
Isa 53:5  KJV
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

The matzah is pierced :
Psa 22:16  KJV
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

Zec 12:10  KJV
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

And the matzah is pure, without any leaven, as His body was without any sin. And the Passover custom of burying, hiding and then resurrecting the second of three pieces of matzot (the middle piece), presents the Gospel (Afikomen).

3.
First Fruits (Yom Habikkurim).
“On the morrow after the Sabbath” following Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:11 schedules First Fruits, the feast for acknowledging the fertility of the land He gave the Israelites.

Lev 23:11  KJV
And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

They were to bring the early crops of their spring planting and “wave the sheaf before the LORD.”

Lev 23:12  KJV
And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

Unfortunately, the modern church has come to call this feast “Easter,” named after Ishtar, the pagan goddess of fertility.

We continue to revere objects of fertility such as the rabbit and the egg which is totally wrong and against the Scripture.

The First Fruits celebration was to be over God’s replanting of the earth in the spring. Today this feasts celebrates the resurrection of the Lord Yesua Ha Mashiach on First Fruits, which indeed occurred (plus, eventually, the resurrection of the entire Church!).

To be more details please click here : Yeshua is our First Fruits - Wednesday Crucifixion  

4.
Pentecost (Shavu’ot).
Leviticus 23:16 says, “Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shell ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Y-H-V-H.”

Lev 23:16  KJV
Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

In late May or early June, Shavu’ot marked the summer harvest. Leviticus 23:17 requires an offering of two loaves of bread, baked with leaven. These loaves symbolize the church being comprised of both Jew and Gentile.

Lev 23:17  KJV
Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

A review of the first four feasts reveals that Yeshua was crucified on Pesach, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised on First Fruits and sent the Ruach Hakkodesh on Shavu’ot. Because we have not yet seen the fulfillment of feast number five - Trumpets - we remain under the orders of Shavu’ot.
   
   

The Fall Feasts
   
5.
Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah).
Ever since Isaac was spared by virtue of the ram being caught in the thicket by its horn, God seems to have enjoyed the trumpet. He used it when Joshua conquered Jericho. In Leviticus 25:8-10, he specified its use in having trumpets “proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (that quotation appears today on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, assuring the people that America was founded by Bible readers).

Lev 25:8  KJV
And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
Lev 25:9  KJV
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Lev 25:10  KJV
And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Leviticus 23:24 requires that, “in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets.”

Lev 23:24  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September.

This jump in time from the Feast of Pentecost in May or June seems to represent the Church Age in God’s planning, since the trumpet unquestionably represents the Rapture of the Church.

The trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come into the Temple. The high priest actually blew the trumpet so that the faithful would stop harvesting to worship. Now, when the trumpet sounds in accordance with 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, living believers will cease their harvest and rise from the earth. The Church will be taken out of the world.

1Co 15:51  KJV
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  KJV
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  KJV
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

6.
Atonement (Yom Kippur).
Leviticus 23:27 provides a day of confession, the highest of holy days.  “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Y-H-V-H.”

Lev 23:27  KJV
Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

This is the one feast that is not fulfilled by the Church, because the Church owes no atonement. The Church is not innocent, of course, but it is exonerated. The Day of Atonement will be fulfilled in a wonderful way when the Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach returns at His Second Coming.

Yom Kippur is vitally important for Messianic Jews and Christians, since it reminds us of our great need for God’s intervention in our lives, and also helps us walk in the truth. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye (plural) may be healed" (James 5:16).

Eschatologically, Yom Kippur represents the national restoration of Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation period, but it also is a reminder of the terrrible cost of sin in our lives. Sin is so offensive and the debt is so great that it took nothing less than the sacrifice of Yeshua Himself in order to secure our reconciliation with God. We therefore should tremble with fear before God in reverent gratitude of His mercy toward us.
                                       
The Future Fulfillment
Just as Rosh HaShanah reveals the coming time of Judgment and the rapture of the kehillat Mashiach (church of Christ), Yom Kippur prophetically pictures the Day of the LORD or the Day of Judgment in the Acharit HaYamim (last days).

After the judgment of the nations during the Great Tribulation, national Israel will be fully restored to the LORD and their sins will be purged (see Matthew 24). Indeed, our beloved Mashiach will one day return to Israel, cleanse her temple, restore her to Himself, and set up His glorious kingdom.

Hallelu-Yah!

7.
Tabernacles (Sukkot).
Leviticus 23:34 says, “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.

God wanted to celebrate the fact that He provided shelter for the Israelites in the wilderness. Each year on Tabernacles, devout Jews build little shelters or “booths” (sukkot) outside their houses and worshipped in them. Tabernacles represents the Lord’s shelter in the world to come (olam habah), His great Tabernacle to exist in Jerusalem during the Kingdom Age.

The LORD will establish His Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 37:26), and the world will come every year to appear before the King and worship Him (Zechariah 14:16-17).

Eze 37:26  KJV
Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Zec 14:16  KJV
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Zec 14:17  KJV
And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

Chanukah, by the way, was not given by God on Mount Sinai, but was prophesied in Daniel 8:9-14, and took place in 165 BC when the Temple was rededicated.

Dan 8:9  KJV
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Dan 8:10  KJV
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11  KJV
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12  KJV
And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Dan 8:13  KJV
Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14  KJV
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Chanukah is actually the Day of Dedication, the day when Y-H-V-H dedicated His only begotten Son Yeshua Ha Mashiach to all mankind.

Chanukah is actually the Day of Light, the day when the Light of the world came from everlasting, it is the day when the Word was conceived. It is the day when Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Mat 1:18  KJV
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

To be more detail about Chanukah please click here : When Jesus was conceived - When Jesus was born

Now you probably agree that Christianity’s Jewish roots offer an eye to the future as well as the past. The next time someone mentions “The Seven Feasts of Israel,” you’ll realize they’re really talking about the Seven Feasts of all time!

Blessing,
Andre