~ Appointed times or Biblical Holidays ~
We can’t really talk about the 7 Feasts without first talking about
Calendars since the feasts are based upon the Biblical calendar
which most people would call a Jewish Calendar. A list of the 7
feasts are found below written in red ink.
MAN-MADE CALENDAR ~VS~ CREATOR'S CALENDAR
THE MAN-MADE SECULAR CALENDAR:
Roman Emperor Julius Caesar started a 10-month calendar called the Julian Calendar, but Pope Gregory XIII introduced a better one, the Gregorian Calendar, in 1582 to correct the problem of the previous one which gained about three unwanted days every four centuries. Besides the 10 month calendar was throwing the farmers off schedule. Here in the West we still use the Gregorian Calendar. Both of these calendars introduced to us by the Roman Empire came with many differences from the Biblical one to include different names for days, weeks, and months, and the replacement of many biblical holidays with other holidays. They even came with a different New Years Day. The Prophet Daniel warned of an evil king who would “think to change times and laws” as recorded in Daniel 7:24-25 [KJV]. The Gregorian Calendar is a Pagan Calendar which is contaminated with the names of Pagan Gods, as follows:
D A Y S O F T H E W E E K -
1-Sunday Sun (Sol) God, under names such as Helios, Apollo, Star = SUN
Ogmios, Mithras, and St. Elias.
2-Monday Moon Goddess, under names such as Selene, Planet = MOON
Luna, and Mani.
3-Tuesday Norse God of War , under names Planet = MARS
Tiwas, and Tyr. The Latin translation is Mars.
4-Wednesday God of knowledge & wisdom, under names Planet = MERCURY
such as Woden, Odin, and Hermes.
5-Thursday God of Thunder, under the name of Thunor (Thor), Planet = JUPITER
Taranis, Perun, Perkunas, and St. Olaf.
6-Friday Goddess of love, under the name of Frigg. Planet = VENUS
7-Saturday God of Saturn, under the name of Seatere, or Seater. Planet = SATURN
M O NT H S O F T H E Y E A R -
January Janus Roman two-faced God of endings & beginnings
February Februa Roman Goddess of Passion and Love
March Mars Roman God of War Planet = Mars
April Afrodite Greek Goddess (& Roman Venus) Planet = Venus
May Maia Greek Goddess of Spring
June Juno Roman Goddess (Queen of Heaven)
July Julius Named after Emperor Julius Caesar
August Augustus Named after Emperor Augustus Caesar
September From Latin word "septem" meaning seven
October From Latin word "octo" meaning eight
November Front Latin word "Novem" meaning nine
December From Latin word "Decemi" meaning ten
The names of the last four months of the Gregorian Calendar are numerical titles which used to show their position in the older Julian Calendar. These four numerical months got out of order when the new months of January and February were added to the beginning of the 10-month Julian Calendar, to create the 12-month Gregorian Calendar. This forced the four months with numerical names further to the back of the calendar so that their names no longer matched their position in the calendar.
THE CREATOR'S CALENDAR:
The Creator, Yahweh our Elohim (God) has his own calendar which is quite different from our calendar and he is still running the world by it. It is our loss if we are ignorant of his time keeping system. If we want to flow along with him, we need to coordinate with his calendar so that we are not out of step with him. We don’t want to find ourselves zigging in one direction when he is zagging in an opposite direction. We will never be able to come close to understanding future prophetic events correctly without adopting his method of keeping time in our religious practices.
Not to confuse you, but sadly I have to report that there are at least four different versions of the Hebrew Calendar which is very frustrating because, how can we celebrate them together as a Convocation (assembly) as we are commanded to do in Leviticus Chapter 23 if everyone is using different calendars from each other which often have a separate date set for each feast? Though these competing dates for the same holidays often fall within one to three days of each other, it still does not help us all celebrate these appointed times together as a unified people. Here are the four main versions of Hebrew or Biblical Calendars:
I. Hillel II fixed mathematical Calendar: This is the most used, and was made by
Hillel II who was the last head of the Sanhedrin Council just before the 2nd Temple
in Jerusalem was destroyed. This was probably the right thing to do since the Jews
were getting kicked out of Israel and would no longer be able to check the moon
and barley from there. Plus, since the Jews were being scattered throughout the
Roman Empire, they needed some way to celebrate the feasts simultaneously as a
group. Almost all Orthodox Jews, as well as a probably 70% of Messianic Believers
in Yeshua also keep this calendar. We used to do the Aviv Moon Calendar but have
since retreated to the use of this one created by Hillel because it is easier to plan
ahead with this one.
II. Aviv Moon Calendar: This is the most biblical one and seeks to match the barley
harvest on the temple mount in Israel, with the first sliver of the moon, and allows
for a 13-month year when needed if the barley hasn't yet progressed to the state of
Aviv in time. Karaite Jews and probably 20% of Messianic believers use this method.
Michael Rood and Nehemiah Gordon are strong advocates of this method. It appears
that the “Sighted Moon Calendar” is the same calendar or is at least calculated the
same way. The barley harvest only applies to establishing the first month of the
year. After the first month has been declared, all that is needed to declare a new
month is sighting of the first sliver of the moon.
III. The Sited Moon Calendar: This calendar sets the first day of the year by the sighting
of the first sliver of the moon in Jerusalem. Then after counting off 10 days, people
can go out and pick out a passover lamb, and on the 14th day of the new year
Passover commences to get the feasts going for the year. This method seems to skip or overlook the need to incorporate the barely harvest in the calculations. After the first month has been declared, all that is needed to declare a new month for the remaining months of the year, is sighting of the first sliver of the moon.
IV. The Lunar Calendar: Although all Hebraic Calendars are based in-part upon the
moon, this is the one that got coined with the name "Lunar" and is probably followed by about 12% of Messianic believers. This is a confusing concept that would encourage a lot of confusion and frustration in your life. Supposedly the 7th day Sabbath is set for the month by whatever day the first sliver of the moon falls on. Then that same day is the Sabbath day for the remainder of the month. Each succeeding month will name its own weekly Sabbath day in the same manner so that very rarely with it fall on Saturday. This method of calculating the calendar has been soundly renounced in most congregations of both Messianic Judaism, Messianic Ephriamites, and/or Messianic Believers.
V. The Conjunction of the Moon Calendar: This method seeks to declare the period from
1-3 years of non-lighted dark moon between old and new moon cycles as the official new moon. This occurs at the end of the month just before light begins to shine on the moon again. This method is probably followed by about 3% of all Messianic believers. They have their reasons but it is just too confusing for me. I struggled through watching a video clip of it that lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes, two and a half times, and I still didn’t understand it. Aside from many scriptures and definitions to the contrary, I can't believe that our Heavenly Father would require us to follow something that is this hard to learn and understand. So I vote no!
VI. The Enochian Calendar: An ancient calendar described in the pseudepigraphical
(i.e.-falsely authored) book Enoch. It divided the year into four seasons of exactly
13 weeks each. Each such season consisted of two 30-day months followed by one
31-day month, and the 31st day ended the season, so that Enoch's Year consisted
of exactly 364 days. Since the bible already advises that the first month of the year
is in the month of Aviv/Abib n/k/a Nissan, and biblical dates like Passover and such
are already figured on a counting basis off of the first day of the year, this method
runs afoul of the bible. Plus Pagan holidays like Christmas and Easter are built upon
the four seasons being cut in quarters by the Winter and Summer Soltices, and the
Spring and Fall Equinoxes. This method is definitely not Yahweh's method.
THE CREATOR'S NEW YEARS DAY:
A Biblical or Hebrew day starts in the evening when the sun first goes down. Each new day starts in the night time as soon as it first gets dark but the daylight occurs in the second or last part of the day. It can be kind of hard to adjust our minds to this method of calculation when considering Biblical hours and days, because in our Western culture our new days technically begin at midnight, but we don't really call it the next day until daybreak arrives when the sun starts shining on the earth again. In contrast, the calculation of Biblical days are somewhat reversed because they start as soon as darkness appears wherever we currently happen to be located on earth. A well known Rabbi once declared that it is not officially a new day marked by sundown, until there are at least three stars visible in the sky. To make it easy, a good rule of thumb is to say that "Hebraic days last from sunset to sunset". This definition of what a day consists of, to include when it starts, how it is calculated, and when it ends, is derived from the book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verses 1-5 [KJV] where we find that darkness existed on earth before there was light and specifically in verse 5 where it reads that "... the evening and the morning were the first day." [KJV]
Our creator's New Year’s day falls on the first day of the Hebrew Month of Abib or Aviv (also known as Nisan) which falls somewhere in our month of March or April. It varies between these two Gregorian months from year to year because the Gregorian Calendar of our Western Civilization is figured differently than the Hebraic one, and these two calendars almost never line up with each other the same way each year. (The King James Bible spells this month as "Abib" with "b"s but the letters "v" and "b" seem to be interchangeable when these words are transliterated into English.) The country of Israel and modern Jews have wrongfully renamed the month of Abib with the Babylonian name of Nisan during their days as captives under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and have also renamed Yom Teruah (i.e.-The Feast of Trumpets) which falls on the first day of the 7th month as Rosh Hashanah (i.e-Head of the Year). They had no authority to make this change since the scriptures already said that the head of the year was called Abib and that it was to occur seven months earlier. No one is allowed to alter YHWH's commandments because it is written that we should not add to or diminish from YHWH's commandments as declared in Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32 [KJV].
+ Exodus 12:2 - "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the
first month of the year to you." 3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying,
In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according
to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: [KJV]
+ Exodus 13: 4 - " This day came ye out in the month Abib." [KJV]
+ Exodus 13: 4 - " This day came ye out in the month Abib." [KJV]
+ Exodus 23:15 - " Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat
unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the
month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before
me empty:)" [KJV]
+ Exodus 34:18 - "The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou
shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for
in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt." [KJV]Deuteronomy 16:1 - "Observe
the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month
of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night." [KJV]
Their new year begins on the 1st day of the Month of Abib because it's the exact same month they left Egypt. Abib is a word used to describe the condition of the barley standing in the field which is almost ready to harvest because it's brittle enough to be damaged by a hail storm even though it still looks green (like what happened in one of the plagues).
THE CREATOR'S NEW MONTHS:
Hebraic months start at the sighting of the first sliver of sunlight reflecting off of the moon after it has been totally dark and out of direct sunlight. Thus it is a lunar calendar. As soon as the first sliver of white appears from the moon's reflection of the sun, a new moon or a re-newed moon can be declared. On the other hand, the Gregorian Calendar is a solar calendar, and is only slightly coordinated with the changes of the moon.
THE CREATOR’S HOLIDAYS:
These are called the Feasts, Festivals, Appointments, or Appointed Times of the Lord. The Hebrew word used here is "Moed" for singular use, and "Moedim" (Moe-ed- eem) for plural use, meaning appointment, appointed time, feast or festival. The Feasts of the Lord are eternal and are to be celebrated forever by Israel and her descendants throughout all generations. We are also Israel if we have been grafted into the tree of Israel according to Romans Chapter 11 [KJV], and are a part of the common wealth of Israel according to Ephesians Chapter 2 [KJV] . These are not the Feasts of “The Jews.” Though Jews usually do keep these feasts, they represent only one of the twelve tribes of Israel and part of the original Kingdom of Israel who were commanded to keep them. We are not trying to replace the Jews, we are simply accepting our invitation to be included with them and be annexed into Israel as a graft into their tree according to Romans Chapter 11 [KJV] and as a part of the common wealth of Israel according to Ephesians Chapter 2 [KJV]. SO WHOSE FEASTS ARE THESE ANYWAY? YAHWEH DECLARES OWNERSHIP in .... by declaring, "These are MY feasts" in Leviticus 23:2 [KJV].
THE FEASTS (a/k/a APPOINTED TIMES) OF YAHWEH:
People usually say there are only 7 Feasts of the Lord commanded for us to keep in the Bible. However, the weekly 7th day Sabbath is also described as an Appointed Time or Feast Day in Leviticus Chapter 23 [KJV]. So in reality YHWH has eight commanded feast days as follows: One is weekly, and the other seven are annual. All these feasts of the Lord are listed in Chapter 23 of the book of Leviticus [KJV].
THE WEEKLY FEAST (a/k/a APPOINTED TIME) OF YAHWEH:
THE 7TH DAY WEEKLY SABBATH MEETING
THE SEVEN (ANNUAL) APPOINTED TIMES OR FEASTS:
S P R I N G F E A S T S -
1) Pesach (Passover). The Greek rendering is Paska.
2) Chag Hamatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread) - An Annual High Sabbath Day.
MANDATORY TO CONGREGATE
(Week of Unleavened Bread)—continues on for 6 more days totaling 7 in all.
3) Bikkurim (First Fruits of Barley) & begin the omer counting.
4) Shavuot a/k/a Feast of weeks (Pentecost a/k/a First Fruits of Wheat)
MANDATORY TO CONGREGATE
NOTE: When dealing with the Spring Feasts it is important to realize that feast #1, #3, & #4 overlap or coordinate with #2. So there is no real situation where there is a break where one feast completely stops before another feast starts except for the case of “Passover” which depicts the act of killing the Lamb for sacrifice on it’s own appointed day. That slaughtered lamb which is later eaten the next day on the first day of the week of unleavened bread, but Jewish tradition often labels that meal as the “Passover” meal instead of “the first unleavened bread meal”. Technically the Lamb is slaughtered on a different day that it is eaten, but the slaughtering and eating both usually happen within 6 to 12 hours because of they way that biblical days are calculated. Biblical days do not start in the dawn of daylight, nor during the darkness at midnight. 24 hour days in the bible run from Sunset to Sunset so if you slaughter a lamb in the afternoon just before the sun goes down, and then cook it, it will be ready to eat the next day which will occur as soon as it is dark after sundown. Since our western time system and calendar is so different from the biblical one, we would consider the whole affair of slaughtering, cooking, and eating the lamb to have happened within the last 6 hours of the same 24 hour day.
F A L L F E A S T S -
5) Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets) & wrongfully known as Rosh Hashanah (Head of the
6) Yom Kippurim (Day of Atonements), not spelled “Yom Kippur” or “Day of Atonement”
because it is plural
7) Sukkot (Tabernacles)
MANDATORY TO CONGREGATE
The last Great Day - an added 8th day to the Feast of Sukkot.
There are three travelling feasts each year where all males are supposed to travel to a place Yahweh has placed his name at (Jerusalem is preferred) to celebrate them there, but there are some verses which indicate that we should also bring other people to these events such as our relatives, and strangers who also believe. So really it should be attended by all believers who worship Yahweh, but only the males would be sinning if they ignored them. These three feasts are the Chag Hamatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles—which is 8 days in a row when “the last great day” is added to at the end as it always is). In the list above we have written “MANDATORY TO CONGREGATE” in green ink after each of the three feasts that all of the males may not be absent from according to Deuteronomy 16:16. They can be called “Mandatory Travelling Feasts” because all males are required to leave their house to travel to a place that Yahweh has selected for people to congregate at to celebrate these feasts. Usually that place would be Israel but since most of us are living outside of the land of Israel in exile, and cannot afford to travel to there for these feasts 3 times in each and every year, most of us search for a local congregation of people where we can attend so that we can celebrate these feasts with them. It is quite fine for us all to stay home alone or with our families to keep the rest of the feasts so long as we keep them on the appointed calendar dates, and try to be true to what the scriptures require of us. However, if you can find a congregation to assemble with on these other less mandatory travelling dates, then why not fellowship with them and enjoy their company?
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SPRING FEASTS AND FALL FEASTS
Among Feast Keepers who are both Torah observant and also submit to Yeshua of Nazareth as master, savior, and messiah it is commonly taught and believed that Yeshua has already fulfilled the Spring Feasts during his first coming to the earth, and has yet to fulfill the Fall Feasts which will take place in the future at his second coming. The idea is as follows — He fulfilled each Spring Feast during his life on the date of the each feast, and will fulfill each Fall Feast on each of those dates as well:
Y E S H U A F U L F I L L E D :
PASSOVER, when he gave his life as the required lamb for our sins;
WEEK OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, by cleaning sin out of our life which is represented by
FIRST FRUITS OF BARLEY, when he rose from the dead and was presented to the Father as the firstborn of many others. (1st Colossians 1:18, and Romans 8:29);
PENTECOST, where the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh who are following him, to help write the Torah on our hearts.
Y E S H U A W I L L F U L F I L L :
TRUMPETS, when he returns to catch us away into the air at the sound of a trumpet when he is to be crowned as King of Kings;
ATONEMENTS, when his followers repent and his blood is applied to forgive us in the group we belong to, and other groups;
At this point between the Feast of Atonements and the Feast of Tabernacles, is a 5-day period and is probably when he pours out his vials or bowels of destructive judgment on the world which appears in the book of Revelations, after he is sure that his body of covenant partners have been fully cleansed, forgiven, and protected.
TABERNACLES, when he and all of his saints who have been raptured return to the land of Israel to tabernacle together in one huge 8-day party in tents or temporary booths. It is here on earth where we will marry the Lamb of God at the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” (Revelations 19:9).
I want to clarify that even though Messiah did fulfill the Spring Feasts to a certain degree, and at least partially fulfilled the Fall Feast of Atonements by shedding his blood for it to be applied at the Annual Atonements which will occur just before the vials of Judgments are poured out in the book of Revelations, when he fulfilled some the first time, and will still fulfill others even more in other ways, in the future. We know that all of the Annual Feasts or Appointments point to more future fulfillment since the Apostle Shaul (Paul) said that they are shadows of things to come as recorded in Colossians 2:16 & 17 & Hebrews 10:1 [KJV]. Even the prophet Jeremiah revealed in Jeremiah 16:14-16, & 23:3-8 that YHWH has a sort of Second Exodus planned for all of this people where he will bring them all back home to Israel from the North and all the other places on earth where they have been scattered to. He will reclaim such a great multitude of people back to himself and the land of Israel that people will no longer be talking about the first exodus where Israel was delivered from Pharaoh because that will seem like small potatoes to everyone. The first exodus happened at Passover when the death angel came through, and afterwards they lived together with YHWH in a camp full of tents or booths far from the persecution of Pharaoh. According to God, it will all happen again but on a much greater scale. This sort of “Second Exodus” will probably begin at Passover and end at Tabernacles. Also, it will be MANDATORY for all of the entire world to come to the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) after YHWH returns to earth and lands his feet on the Mount of Olives at the start of the Millennial Reign as recorded in Zechariah Chapter 14:14-16, & 23:3-8. This feast was required for all of God’s children in the Tanach (Old Testament), and like all of the feasts they were practiced in the Brit Chadash (New Testament), and this feast will be practiced again in the Millennium. Why, then, have we quit in this current church age, and by whose authority?
SOME MESSIANICS & MOST JEWS CELEBRATE 2 EXTRA ANNUAL FEASTS FOR A TOTAL OF 9 FEASTS:
These two extra feasts fall in the winter after the fall feasts and are not commanded in the scriptures. They seem to only apply to the Southern Kingdom of Israel, known as Judah, because they commemorate significant past historical events which happened to the kingdom of Judah after the ten tribes of the Northern House of Israel had already been conquered and scattered among the Gentile nations of the world. In my opinion they are optional. The extra feasts are:
1. HANUKKAH or CHANUKKAH known as THE FEAST OF DEDICATION (of the temple).
Yeshua attended one of these celebrations according to John 10:22 & 23 [KJV], and because he did, many people are choosing to celebrate this feast also. Hanukkah celebrates the cleansing and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem back to Yahweh, after it had been taken over by the Greeks, and polluted by the worship of a false God whose statue as an Idol had been erected on it’s grounds
2. PURIM known as THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS (Esther’s triumph over Haman).
FINDING A GOOD HEBREW CALENDAR:
If you go to a conservative Jewish website for calendar dates, they usually omit the Feast of Bikkurim for some reason, and add in Chanukah, Purim and a whole bunch of extra feasts most Westerner's have never heard of, including but not limited to, National holidays in the state of Israel. A Karaite (scripturalist) Jewish website will not even list Chanukah or Purim since you can't find them written in the Tanach (our Old Testament). I have resorted to getting my Hillel II fixed calendar in pdf format from Monte Judah’s website at www.lionlamb.net . So far his calendars are free and include all the important dates for Messianic worshippers without adding in dates that we would not be interested in. Other good sources for a Messianic calendar might be www.elshaddaiministries.us , or www.messianiccovenant.com
RE-CAP & OTHER RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THE FEASTS:
A) Each feast is called MOED in Hebrew meaning: A feast, appointed time, or appointment. Plural
of moed is MOEDIM moe-ed-deem.
B) Each feast is also called a MIQRA or MIKRA mik-raw meaning: A convocation, assembly, public
meeting ,or rehearsal. The idea of an Assembly lets us know that people should not stay home and celebrate all alone on any of these feasts but should seek out a congregation. Surely Passover and Unleaved bread will happen again as our Messiah Yeshua returns for us during the rapture, so these are rehearsals or practices to get ready and stay ready for his return.
C) Just as the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) will "show us things to come" as recorded in John 16:13
[KJV], The Law, Holy Feast Days, New Moons and the Sabbath are "shadows" which also "Show us things to come" as revealed in Colossians 2:16 & 17 [KJV]. Hebrews 10:1 [KJV] has a better description calling them "Good things to come". You can't learn anything from these Feasts if you are ignorant about them, think they have passed away, don't practice them, or don't know the dates they fall on. While considering these appointed times, of YHWH we should avoid making faulty conclusions about them when we focus on some of Shaul’s writings such as Chapter 2 of the book of Colossians, in verse 14 which seems to advise us NOT to keep “holydays, the new moon, or the Sabbath” of YHWH, and in verse 18 goes on to include “worshipping of angels” in this list of things NOT to do. However as the chapter continues, it begins to describe these evil things as “rudiments of the world, “ordinances” of the world “as though living in the world”, which are after the commandments and doctrines of men?” in verses 20-22. Solving this dilemma is easy after we ask ourselves, when were YHWH’s holydays, new moon, or Sabbath which are listed in Leviticus Chapter 23, ever considered to be RUDIMENTS OF THE WORLD, or COMMANDMENTS AND DOCTRINES OF MEN? The truth is that the commandments of God which came from YHWH’s own mouth to Moses and to the Hebrews after they left Egypt and before the returned to the land of Caanan were not originally invented, designed, or derived from the world or the men in it, nor from men’s commandments or doctrines. At this juncture let me point out that the World and pagan religions also have their own holidays or holydays. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Pagan witches still have their own annual holidays, and the Roman Empire at the time that this book of Colossians was written was an empire steeped in Paganism with many Pagan God’s whose chief Deity was Mithras, the Sun God. Have you ever heard Black Sabbath? This is another name for dates on a witchcraft calendar when witches meet together. Yes they do have their own calendar which is partly calculated by the moon. Verse 23 of Colossians Chapter 2 goes on to list “neglecting the body” and not “satisfying” the flesh as another thing NOT to do which we all knows happens in mainline churches in the 40 day season of Lent, just the like the 40 days that worshippers of a false God named Tammuz practices. YHWH calls Sunrise Services to worship Tammuz one of many “Abomination” in Ezekiel 8:13-17. The king James version of Colossians 2:16 reads “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” 17 “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”. The word “is” in verse 17 appears in italicized font to indicate that it was not in the original text but was added by the translators to give it more clarity. But if you remove the word “is” which does not belong there, it reads BUT THE BODY OF CHRIST. Therefore the proper understanding of this part of the book of Colossians is that WE SHOULD NOT LET ANY PAGAN OR WORLDLY PERSON, JUDGE US ABOUT EATING OR DRINKING THE WAY THAT GOD WANTS US TO, OR ABOUT THE WAY WE KEEP ONE OF HIS HOLYDAYS, NEW MOONS, OR SABBATHS, BUT WE SHOULD LET PEOPLE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST JUDGE US ABOUT IT IF WE ARE FAILING TO DO IT ACCORDING TO YHWH’S COMMANDMENTS. Never let outsiders who keep a different set of holidays in honor to Pagan Gods dictate policy to us, and don’t let them make you feel obligated to worship angels, or to deprive your body for some Pagan holiday or ritual that are outside of scriptural guidelines.
D) These yearly feasts are to be kept throughout all the generations of anyone wishing to become or
remain a part of Israel. We have already shown that the feasts are commanded to be kept and observed by everyone of his people forever in Leviticus Chapter 23 [KJV]. For those of you who need proof that these feasts are for today's modern Christians because you think the Law is passed away, I would ask you to get a concordance and look up the word "Iniquity" and the word "Commandments" and you will find them listed quite a few times within the pages of the New Testament. There the word INIQUITY is often defined as lawlessness in the Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon and is presented as a bad thing. You will also find that the word COMMANDMENTS is also found several times in the New Testament and that it is a good thing to "Keep the commandments of God". You will notice that I did not say "the commandments of Yeshua (Jesus)" since some of you may not think God and Yeshua are in fact the same person. Commandments are the part of the law which have teeth in them and present direct requirements for all of us to comply with, and they make up the main part of the Law. I find it odd that we often call ourselves "Spiritual Israel", but we do it in a lop-sided fashion because we only accept their share of love, grace, and promises, from their covenant with YHWH, but reject most of their rules and instructions. However, when you get saved or born again after making Yeshua the Lord of your life, and he washes your sins away with his blood, you are no longer classified as a Gentile but have been merged together with Israel into "one new man" and are no longer separated as a stranger from "the commonwealth of Israel" and " the Covenants of Promise" according to Ephesians Chapter 2. You are grafted into the tree of Israel as a new branch according to Romans Chapter 11. This is important because the New (i.e.-Renewed Covenant) as foretold in Jeremiah 31:31-33, and was brought to us by Yeshua, does not apply to the House of Gentiles, but only applies to the House of Israel and the House of Judah. In order to get in on this covenant you have to allow yourself to be annexed to or grafted into Israel which can be described as YHWH's assembly of believers he has been collecting and adding to throughout several centuries. This annexation or grafting-in is what happens now in our engagement period and will be finalized when we, as the bride of Messiah, actually marry him at the marriage supper of the lamb - Revelations 19:7 [KJV]. The marriage makes us a part of his household, his nation, his covenants, his promises and his laws. This makes us Jewish in every possible way because he is also a Jew, especially in a legal sense. Since Judah is tribe of Israel, then we are part of Israel as well. No wonder Shaul calls us "joint-heirs with Messiah" in Romans 8:16 & 17 [KJV]. Anyone who has been baptized into Messiah or put on Messiah, are also one together in Messiah, and are therefore Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise - Galatians 3:27-29 [KJV].
E) These Annual Appointments with our creator are determined and managed by his calendar
his calendar which he gave to Moses in Leviticus Chapter 23 [KJV] , and are not connected to or relate to the pagan holidays listed on the Gregorian Calendar, such as Easter, Christmas, Valentine's Day, or Halloween. Not only is every name of the week and some of the months of the man-made Gregorian Calendar filled with the names of pagan gods, but it also causes us to say their names in defiance of Exodus 23:13 [KJV]. The pagan holidays crowd out and steal time and energy from YHWH's Feast Days.
F) Apostle Shaul (Paul) expected us to know and keep the feasts as we can deduct from reading 1st
Thessalonians 5:1-7 [KJV] which would protect us from danger during "The Day of The Lord" which is coming upon the whole world. Notice here that Shaul reminded them that the travail of the destructive day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, but that his readers in Thessaloníki should not have to be overtaken with it because they are not in darkness since they are children of the light. Herein Elohim (God) lets them know that they are part of a privileged group that has been informed ahead of time so that they can be prepared when it arrives. It is my opinion that Shaul said this because he knew that they were feast keepers just as he himself was, and just as all followers of Yeshua were in his day. Please observe the scripture reference verses below:
“1st Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no needthat I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 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. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.” [KJV]
we are totally saved in every single way, shape and form from the very moment after accepting Yeshua as Master and Savior, how is watching and being sober even relevant to us?
Notice the two words "TIMES" and "SEASONS" above in verse 1 [KJV]. These refer to the "SIGNS" and "SEASONS" listed in Genesis 1:14 which reads "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" [KJV]:
● That word SIGN is Strong's # H226 representing the Hebrew word אות “oth”
meaning: A Signal, Mark, or Sign.
● That word SEASONS is Strong's # H4150 representing the Hebrew word מועד “moed”
meaning :An annual Congregational Appointment. Adding the letters "im" at the end
would extend the word to read "Moedim" making it plural as in "Appointments".
Ever since the time of Moses, practicing Jews along with all Feast Keepers, the Signs and Seasons or Times and Seasons are the way that certain things are always calculated such as the Yearly Calendar, days, nights, Annual Feasts, and the Sabbath Day. Likewise these Times and Seasons are referred to in 1st Thessalonians 5:1-7 [KJV] and they are one and the same thing as the Signs and Seasons recorded in Genesis 1:14 [KJV]. They are to be used as signals to calculate Seasonal Appointments, Days and Years like the 7 Feasts of YHWH which we have been commanded to keep forever. If we are doing what we were commanded to do in Leviticus 23 [KJV], then we will not be caught like a thief in the night when The Day of The Lord finally comes. Anyone wondering how we can prove that the disciples of Yeshua and his followers in the New Testament Scriptures were in fact still keeping the Torah, weekly Sabbath and the Annual Feast Dates, I refer you to a CD series by Brad Scott of Wildbranch Ministries which he recorded in about 1983 entitled "The Church in the Book of Acts. He makes a pretty good case for it in this CD series.
There are lots of trumpets sounding off each year during each local celebration of the Feast of Trumpets. The Rapture and 2nd coming of our Messiah Yeshua are paired together with various trumpet blasts in the pages of the New Testament. Mark Biltz has a lengthy DVD series on "The Feast of The Lord" in which he claims that there are traditionally 100 trumpet blasts during this feast and the last one is known as "The Last Trump". However a certain number like "100 trumpet blasts" cannot be verified by scriptures and I suppose it is found in the Talmud which is usually reliable for things like this, but not reliable when it comes to anything about Yeshua whom it usually refers to in a despicable manner as "Yeshu" (i.e.-let his name be blotted out). Because most of us believe that the rapture will occur on The Feast of Trumpets in some future year, we always try to stay ready to meet him in the air every year during the duration of this feast.