Feasts of the Lord

"The L-rd’s appointed times, which you shall proclaim as

holy convocations--
My appointed times are these:" (Leviticus 23:2)
"My appointed times are these." So says the Lord in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, about the
seven annual festivals now commonly called the "Jewish holidays" or the "Feasts of Israel."
Actually, this cycle of festivals that mark the Jewish calendar are as much for the Church as for
Israel, and can best be understood by those who are redeemed by Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ).
Why, then, don’t we know anything about them? Why have these feasts been shuffled out of our
lives? Good questions!
To make a very complicated history simple, this is what happened. During the time from the
second to the fourth centuries, the demographics of the Church changed. What was once a sect
of Judaism had become a predominantly Gentile culture. Particularly during the reign of
Constantine, the Church suffered grave revisions in doctrine and in practice. In an effort to make
Christianity a distinct religion, the Early Church leaders removed all Jewish customs and
practices from the worship of the G-d of Israel. In effect, they laid an ax to the root of the tree to
which the wild branches had been grafted. (Read Romans 9, 10, & 11.)
Psalm 89:15 in the Amplified Bible states: "How blessed---happy, fortunate (to be envied)--are
the people who know the joyful sound (who understand the spiritual blessings symbolized by the
Feasts); they walk, O Lord, in the light and the favor of Your countenance." Yet, for 1600 years,
the Church has not heard the joyful sound of the shofar, nor the singing at the Feast of Passover;
they have not celebrated with meals under the canopy of the Sukkah, nor danced in celebration
of the giving of the Holy Scripture. Each of the seven annual Feasts of the Lord is rich with
meaning and with the revelation of the character of G-d, and with signs of the coming Messiah.
Yeshua died on Passover; He was in the ground at the beginning of Unleavened Bread, and He
rose on the Feast of FirstFruits. (Read John 12) He is our perfect Passover sacrifice; He is the
Unleavened Bread that came forth from the earth; and He is the FirstFruits of the resurrection.
Fifty days after the Sabbath of Passover is the Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost). In Acts 2, we have
an account, not of the Feast of Pentecost, but rather of that year’s celebration of this ancient
Biblical custom. Those who were gathered in a room in one accord were doing so to
commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, just as it had been observed for some 1500
years by that time. When Moses returned from the Mount, 3000 were slain because of sin; when
the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) came upon those in Jerusalem, Peter preached for about
ten minutes, and 3000 were saved. The letter of the Law brings death, but the freedom of the
Spirit brings life! It is important to note that only those who were celebrating the Law, received
the Spirit.
Then comes Summertime, when there are no feasts. It is a time to labor in the fields, and to work
while it is light. Interestingly, Leviticus 23 inserts instruction to leave gleanings for the poor at
this point in its explanation of the Feasts. The last month of Summer is the month of Elul.
During this entire month expectancy builds with the single blast of the shofar each day, in
anticipation of the coming Feasts of the Messiah in the Fall.
Finally, on the first day of the seventh month is the Feast of Trumpets, when the shofar (ram's
horn trumpet) is blown 100 times. This signals the laborers to cease from their work and to enter
a time of repentance and of reconciliation. After ten days of awe, comes Yom Kippor (the Day of
Atonement), when the holiest man in Israel enters the holiest place in Israel and pronounces the
holy Name of G-d, and only with the blood of a perfect sacrifice. Finally, five days after that
comes the Feast of Tabernacles, when we remember living in the very presence of G-d for forty
years by dwelling in booths for eight days. It is this final Feast that the prophet Zechariah
foretells of in chapters 12 through 14. We will all go up year after year, and celebrate this final
Feast with Messiah when He returns.
Four Levels of Understanding
NAME OF THE LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2
FEAST Our Own Universal
Historical 1st Century
Spiritual Life Experience
Israel’s Salvation by
Fulfilled once &
Passover deliverance Yeshua sacrificed willingness to
for
Pesach from Egypt apply the blood of
all at Calvary
The Lamb
Hasten to leave Purging us of
Unleavened Yeshua is the We can live
No time for bread leaven...
Bread Unleavened unleavened lives
to rise "the sin that so
Matzoh Bread through Yeshua
(18 minutes) easily besets us."
Yeshua rose as Mikvah
Yeshua was our
Wave sheaf of guarantee of Water baptism
FirstFruits B’korrim, giving
Barley resurrection identifies us in
B’Korrim us assurance.
Crossing Red Sea John 12: 23, 24, His death, burial,
I Corin. 15: 20-24
32 and resurrection
Weeks/Pentecost Wheat Harvest Personally
Acts 2 experience
Shavu’ot Ratification of Acts 2
Outpouring of infilling of
Celebrates Covenant
Ruach HaKodesh Ruach HaKodesh
giving of Torah @ Sinai

Summertime: Time to labor; there are no feasts until the Fall . The sixth month, Elul, is
spent in anticipation of "The Feasts of the Messiah" which come in the seventh month,
Tishrei. I believe, and I pray that we are, now in that sixth month. "The fields are ripe unto
harvest, but the laborers are few."
Trumpets
Rosh HaShannah
Celebrates
creation of the
world
Day of Atonement Hebrews 9:11 All Israel will be
Yom Kippur saved in a
Awesome Day of National Day
the L-rd of Atonement
(No longer just
 covered.)
Tabernacles
Rejoice in the L-
Sukkot
rd always. Again,
Rememberance of
I say rejoice!
40 years of
Praise Him!
wandering

Two Calendars Make One Year

Or...How 7+7=12
The Jewish Calendar is based upon a Lunar Month. Each
month, therefore begins with the new moon, and lasts for 30
days. The Rabbi’s determined that 7 times in 19 years, they
must add an additional month of 20 days, similar to our leap
year adjustment made every four years.
Think of a year, not as a flat timeline, but as a continuum. The
religious calendar begins in Nissan, the season of Passover. It
ends, with the seventh month, Tishrei. The Civil Calendar
begins with Tishrei, and ends, seven months later, with Nissan.
So, the two calendars overlap in their beginning and their
ending months. 7+7(-2)=12!
POSITION
NAME SEASON FESTIVALS BIBLICAL
SACRED CIVIL
REFERENCES
Passover
Spring Exodus 12:2
1 7 Nissan Unleavened Bread
Latter rains Nehemiah 2:1
First Fruits
2 (8) Iyyar I Kings 6:1, 37
Ester 8:9
3 (9) Sivan Pentecost
Acts 2
Summer
4 (10) Tammuz
Dry season begins
5 (11) Av Tisha B'Av *
6 (12) Elul
Trumpets
Fall
7 1 Tishrei Atonement John 7:37
Early rains
Tabernacles
Wheat and barley
(8) 2 Heshavan
sowing
(9) 3 Chislev Winter Channukah * John 10:22
(10) 4 Tebeth Esther 2:16
(11) 5 Shebat Zechariah 1:7
(12) 6 Adar Ezra 6:15
* Non-Biblical festivals
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