“ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the indications of the appointed times

“ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the indications of the appointed times? ”

Matthew 16:3

We ARE saved by His grace and not by our own good works, but modern Christianity is missing an entire context.

The Holidays of God

SPRING “FEASTS”

The Appointed Times (the moadim) already fulfilled

(See Leviticus chapter 23)

Passover*** Pesach Today, Passover (“Paschen” in Dutch) week is now incorrectly called “Passion week”.

OT: (The Original Testament) The lamb’s blood on the posts and lintel of the doorway so the Spirit of God could pass over the threshold …preventing the destroyer from entering. (See Exodus 12:23)

NT: The blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, on the vertical and horizontal of the wooden “doorway” of the cross.

This was not a human sacrifice, but God’s willing redemption in order to remove our condemnation. (Romans 6:23 and 8:1)

Unleavened Bread Seven days of no leaven (yeast) in the house beginning the day* after Passover

OT: The Hebrews had to leave Egypt quickly, so there was no time for making raised bread.

NT: Leaven often represents sin. This is a call to purity and holiness - keeping only what is necessary to the kingdom.

It is a call to sincerity and also to truth. (See 1 Corinthians 5:7,8 and John 4:23) (Jeremiah 31:31-33) (Ezekiel 11:19,20)

Firstfruits (of the spring barley) Firstfruits: the day after the regular (weekly) Sabbath during Unleavened Bread.

Firstfruits represents the resurrection of Yeshua/Jesus (1 Cor 15:20), and being an eighth day, also the new earth following the Sabbath millennium.

Note: the year in which Yeshua died and rose from the dead, that particular Firstfruits occurred three days after the Passover.

OT: The Hebrews passed through “the Red Sea” (actually, the Gulf of Aqaba) - symbolic of Yeshua’s death and resurrection.

NT: THIS is the day which God set aside to foretell and to honor the resurrection of Y’shua, the Bread of Life.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” 1 Corinthians 15:20

(See also 1 Corinthians 15:23, Exodus 22:29, Romans 8:29, and Revelation 14:4 and 14:12)

“Counting the Omer” connects Firstfruits to Shavuot.

Each day the priests accumulated a measure of grain (an omer) to count the 50 days from Firstfruits to Shavuot.

Note: This time span reflects the years leading up to each Jubilee (Leviticus 25). However, an actual Jubilee would occur on the Day of Atonement.

Shavuot*** The Feast of Weeks (Seven weeks + 1 day) Christendom knows Shavuot as “Pentecost”.

OT: The giving of the Commandments on Mt. Sinai.

NT: The giving of the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh. (See Ezekiel 36:26-28) (Acts chapter 2)

FALL “FEASTS”

The Appointed Times (the moadim) yet to be fulfilled

(See Numbers chapter 29)

Feast of Trumpets Yom Teruah: “the day of the awakening blast”

This is the only feast on the first day of the month (7^thmonth), the sighting of the crescent of the new moon. (Isaiah 66:22,23)

The Jews called this day “The day when no man knows the day”; the sky could be cloudy so, no one is able to know exactly on which day the new moon might be sighted. (See Mark 13:33,34 “the appointed time”)

Fulfillment: the resurrection and then the rapture into new bodies, when we shall go meet Yeshua as He is arriving. (1 Thes 14-17)

“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.” 1 Corinthians 15:52

(See also Revelation 10:7 – the “mystery” of 1 Corinthians 15:51)

Day of Atonement Yom Kippur, the 10th day of the 7th month**, also marks the jubilee cycle.**** (See Leviticus 25:8-11)

Yom Kippur is a solemn appointed time for self examination and repentance. Traditionally, it is a day of fasting.

Fulfillment: the Jews (the House of Judah) finally recognize and have faith in their own Messiah. (Zechariah 12)

“Thus all Israel (the House of Judah, as well as the House of Israel) shall be saved.” Romans 11:26 (See also v.23-25)

Feast of Tabernacles*** Sukkot (booths) lasts seven days beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month

Tabernacles is seven days, but the eighth day is known as “The Last Great Day” mentioned in John 7:2 and 7:37.)

Fulfillment: Y’shua will tabernacle (dwell) with us during the millennium. (Isaiah 4:5,6) (Related: See Zechariah 14:16-19)

YHVH Himself will tabernacle with us in the New Jerusalem of the new earth. (See Revelation 21:3)

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According to YHVH, each day actually begins at sunset and not midnight. (See Leviticus 23:5, 23:32 and Genesis 1:5b)

Unlike our modern calendar, YHVH’s year begins on the new moon at the appearance of the spring grain. (See Exodus 12:2 and 13:4)

There were three feasts when they were to go up to Jerusalem. (See Deuteronomy 16:16)

The list in Deuteronomy 16:16 includes the feast of Unleavened Bread, however verse 2 actually specifies Passover since they’re connected.

The first Jubilee was the 50^th year. However, each Jubilee is the first year of the next cycle, so it’s actually a 49 year cycle.