A Wake-Up Call

This past summer as September 11 drew near, I abruptly became besieged by the number “14.” Yes, I meant to use that very word “besieged.” I couldn’t quit thinking about it. “Fourteen,” I would murmur, “what is it about the number fourteen?” I told the hubster how obsessed I suddenly was with that number.

And the feeling of obsession was eerily familiar. It reminded me of how I was obsessed with “9/11” for 5 days before the terrorists struck our country on September 11, 2001. I even wrote a blog about it in 2012, recalling how I felt God had shown me that 9/11 was coming as early as 9/6 of that same year. You can read that fascinating account at:

Remembering 9-11 and knowing that a 10-18 is coming

Now here I was obsessed by another number–14. And again, we were nearing 9/11. What could it mean?

In early September 2015 during my obsession with “14,” I was going through an obscure bottom drawer, looking for some paperwork from years ago. I stumbled upon a gold mailing envelope that read “Spiritual Stuff.” Upon opening it, I found an old dream typed on a piece of paper back in late 2002. Fascinated, I began to read it and was flabbergasted to see that the only number in the dream–repeated twice–was the number 14.

This was no coincidence. I had found the record of the dream at just the right point. Let’s go back in time to see how it originally transpired…..

On Christmas Day 2002, a dear friend of mine contacted me that she had had a dream she considered from God. She was a person who didn’t often have spiritual dreams, although she was (is) a very spiritual person. So when she said this one was meaningful, I took it to heart. She felt she should tell me this dream for some reason; in fact, she felt it so strongly that she typed it up for me. I filed it away for safekeeping. Here is the dream exactly as she typed it, with a name left out for privacy purposes:

“Leslie and I were staying together in a large hotel. I remember us going up to our room together–we were on the 14th floor in room #14. As we looked out the window of our room, there was a large storm brewing over the water. It appeared to be something small enough to see, such as a tornado, but it gave the excessive rain and storms usually associated with hurricanes.

“As we watched it, we decided to go downstairs to a lower level, thinking we’d be safer, but others in the hotel kept telling us to stay where we were. They continued to repeat, ‘Stay up here. You’ll be safer the higher you are. Don’t go down onto the lower levels.’ Although it seemed against all reason, we decided to stay on the 14th floor.

“The storm passed, and everything seemed to brighten up again, so we decided to go out onto a large deck at the rear of the hotel. It was on our floor. As I began to walk out onto it, I noticed that the deck itself had come loose from the building. It didn’t seem in imminent danger of collapsing, so I went out there anyway.

“Throughout the dream, I have a recollection of seeing other church people, although I can’t remember any specifically, other than **name omitted for privacy purposes** sitting out on the deck when I was out there. There were only a few people sitting out there, but they were all sitting in chaise lounges, relaxing and having something to drink.

“About the time I got out there, I looked over the water and saw that the storm had reversed direction and was headed right back toward us. Nobody else there acted as though they could see it. I felt the Lord was telling me to get off of there as quickly as possible. I began to yell at everyone to come back inside. Everyone else got back inside, and as soon as I got both of my feet back into the hotel, that deck collapsed.”

(DISCLAIMER: I asked my friend last month if I could have permission to share her dream, with names omitted. She said yes, of course. She also said this: “I’ve literally read the entire books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation, Zechariah, Obadiah, Joel, Amos, and parts of Isaiah and Jeremiah in the last week. Let’s just say I’ve read a lot about judgment, and had some keen realizations lately that people are not watching, and it’s happening right under their nose.”)

You can imagine my amazement when I found this old dream with the 14’s in it. In the following days, I continued to seek God and ponder the significance of the number.

And suddenly, clarity came.

In a few days, we would be commemorating the 14th anniversary of 9/11. FOURTEEN.

And something I had been teaching on–the very meaningful Biblical Shemitah year–was about to end on Sept. 13–at which point the new Jewish civil year would begin–on September 14. FOURTEEN. This is a huge day for me every year…..the first day of the holy 7th month on God’s calendar…..the Jewish New Year…..the day we celebrate the Feast of the Lord, Rosh Hashanah–also called the Feast of Trumpets–which symbolizes the Lord’s return to earth. Each year it is on a different day of either September or October, since God’s calendar is a lunar one, and thus, fluid. This year, it “just happened” to come on the 14th.

Two days I was anxiously awaiting were part of the “14” puzzle–the 14th anniversary of 9/11 and September 14th–Feast of Trumpets. And I didn’t realize it until AFTER the obsession with “14” had hit.

I knew then what the “14” in my friend’s dream meant:

–We stayed on the 14th floor which represented the 14th anniversary of 9/11.

–We stayed in Room 14 which represented September 14.

–A floor of a hotel is a bigger entity than a mere hotel room–just as a 14th YEAR is a bigger entity than a 14th DAY of a month. There is a room 14 on every floor–just as there is a 14th day in every month. But there is only one 14th floor–just as there is only ONE 14th-year anniversary. (Hope that logic makes sense as to why the floor corresponds to a year and the room corresponds to a day of the month.)

Why were these 14‘s important? Because the Christian world (and much of the secular world!) had been waiting for this year’s anniversary of 9/11 AND for the start of the Jewish New Year. Why? Because there had been so much teaching and warning about something big happening this September. Why? Because it was the end of the Biblical Shemitah year which only comes every 7th year and resulted in the biggest stock market crashes in history in 2001 and 2008…..at the end of Shemitah year…..both on the 29th day of the 6th Jewish month of Elul–the final day of the Shemitah year.

This year, the 29th day of Elul–the final day of this once-every-7-years Shemitah year–would fall on September 13. Since it was a Sunday and the U.S. stock market would be closed, many folks were waiting with bated breath to see what happened on the next day–Monday, September 14th. It seemed even eerier since this year the anniversary of 9/11 AND the end of the Shemitah year were the same weekend. That didn’t happen in 2008–the last time we had a Shemitah year. In that year, the end of the Shemitah year occurred a few weeks after 9/11, again due to the Jewish calendar being based on the moon and therefore fluid.

Indeed things did seem to be building toward something catastrophic as the stock market experienced some dark days in the days/weeks before the end of the Shemitah year. Even many stock market analysts with no Christian ties were predicting dark days ahead financially.

But nothing catastrophic happened…..just as in the dream, when the storm was approaching the hotel where we were in the 14th room on the 14th floor…..and then suddenly turned back out to sea. A dangerous storm that seemed destined to strike the hotel didn’t actually strike at all!

Then all is well, right? NO. Notice that the deck at the rear of the 14th floor was loose–not securely attached to the main structure…..perhaps in danger of collapsing.

I began thinking of that one person my friend remembered seeing on the deck (although there were others). Nothing was coming to me about why it was that particular person–very frustrating. Shortly after the 14th anniversary of 9/11 and the September 14th Jewish New Year came and went without great fanfare (just as the expected storm did no damage at that time), I suddenly realized that the person on the deck had a first name that was the same as a unit of U.S. money. That seemed very significant to me with regard to our financial system.

Then it hit me to Google the meaning of this person’s last name. Imagine my surprise when I found that this person’s surname meant “someone at a high place, in a raised-up area.” And this was the person sitting high and raised up on the 14th floor deck! It all seemed to fit. Symbolically, our financial system was still in an exalted position on that deck–just as the person with the monetary unit name was sitting comfortably up there where folks were relaxing in chaise lounges and sipping drinks.

But that deck was loose and not sturdy or trustworthy…..perhaps like our financial system here in the U.S.

The very next morning after I felt God had revealed to me the significance of that person’s name on the deck, I opened my Bible to read my daily chapter. At that time in September 2015, I was already in the Book of Revelation. And the morning after I got revelation on the person’s name, the very chapter in Revelation that I was scheduled to read mentioned the actual name of the person on the deck–the monetary unit…..in connection to a global financial failure!

Color me astonished at the timing!

What happens next in the dream? The storm that everyone had earlier expected reversed course and began heading back to the hotel. This time, no one was looking for it and couldn’t seem to see its approach. In other words, they were fooled. So when it struck, the faulty deck collapsed…..the deck that had been coming loose for a time, but which still seemed to be able to support those relaxed people, FELL catastrophically.

Do I think something is coming to our country that will cripple us and perhaps surprise us by its arrival? Yes. As for me, I’m coming in off the loose deck where we are so wrapped up in our own leisure and personal fulfillment, and I’m getting into a place where there is a firm foundation.

II Timothy 3:1-4 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”

LOVERS OF PLEASURE RATHER THAN LOVERS OF GOD.

We need to have our feet on a firm foundation rather than on a pleasure-seeking, loose deck suspended above 14 stories. That firm foundation is a strong relationship with Jesus Christ. “Oh, I believe in God,” people say. Yes, the Bible says the demons believe in one God, too, and TREMBLE. Our belief does nothing for us if we keep living for ourselves and not in close relationship with Jesus. Just believing in God will not get us into Heaven.

I urge you to enter into a true relationship with Him. The time is now. “Make haste; don’t delay” was a word of prophecy given to our church group a few weeks ago.

I have kept the revelation of this “14” dream to myself for 2 months. Yes, I am ashamed to admit I don’t like to be mocked or made fun of for claiming revelation from God or predicting something. But I’ve finally passed the point of caring what people think of me. What does God think? THAT is what matters.

I should’ve learned my lesson last spring with an experience I had. On Monday, April 20, 2015, a solemnity fell upon me suddenly–the sense that something catastrophic was about to happen somewhere in the world and that I needed to intercede. I have witnesses of this, since I testified of this prayer burden on Wednesday, April 22, at our weekly Bible study at The Well. That very night in a vivid dream, I saw a catastrophic avalanche on Mount Everest–so disturbed me that I told my hubster about it the next morning. But I didn’t tell anybody else.

Three days later on April 25, the devastating earthquake struck Nepal, and Mount Everest suffered the worst avalanche in its known history–22 people killed by the deluge of falling snow. I had seen it before it happened, but who would’ve believed me had I told it? Was I supposed to alert the Nepali government–some unknown gal from Walnut Cove, North Carolina, telling them an avalanche was coming? I can’t see that I had an outlet to share this, but maybe I’m wrong.

This past week was my bimonthly week to write my original newspaper column–“The Old Paths”–for The Stokes News. On Monday, November 9, as I wrote it, I mentioned the word “hankering” which, Google informed me, had Flemish roots. “Flemish?” I thought. “What is that?” Google once again provided help: Flemish means it came from Flanders, a region in Belgium.

Hmmm…..I was suddenly reminded that I had once dreamed of Belgium…..years ago…..maybe in about 2005? (I mean, who dreams of Belgium? Really!) In that dream, I was in Paris, France, when the city had been struck by absolute panic. There was pandemonium all around, and the government there closed the borders. I was in the heart of the city with a man with longish, curly hair; I wore his ring. (At the time of the dream, I had never even met the hubster–a man with longish, curly hair–whose ring I now wear.)

All I knew was I needed to escape the terror in Paris. I began to make my way north toward the Belgian border–to try to sneak across there. Soon I was in a barren area that looked like a wasteland. I even saw barbed wire borders and began to wonder if I was safe in this desolate area. (Tonight, when I Googled the border of France and Belgium, I found a region called “Zone Rouge”–the red zone–an area left so devastated by World War I that it is technically a wasteland even today. I found a picture of it that looks almost exactly like the area in my dream. There, 99% of animals and plants perish.)

What are the chances I would suddenly write a column about a word from Belgium that reminds me of a long-forgotten dream about such terror/panic in Paris that the borders of France are closed–just 5 days before terror actually hits Paris and the French borders are closed?

I have been beating myself up all night tonight as I watch the tragedy unfold in Paris. I feel that if I had been in consecrated prayer as I should’ve been this week, God would’ve given me warning about this. Instead, my 3 kids here at home were all hit with a bad respiratory bug which resulted in my body fighting it off with aches and pains. Instead, my plate was overly full of things that had to be done (or so I thought). Instead, I did not steal away to my prayer closet the way I normally do.

Prayer is key right now. Through His Spirit, our God WILL reveal things to come. Why? That those of us on the wall–the watchmen (you and me, if you know Him)–will know to sound the trumpet, to send the warning, to cry out for God’s people to prepare their hearts and to be more dedicated than ever to bring in the harvest of souls before it is too late.

I have people asking me what else I have seen in dreams that seems to be a portent. There are many things, but I will tell you this one: I saw what I thought was a football game going on. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a bloody battle of competition on a field of play–seemed much more serious than a simple game of football. What they were tossing about on the field seemed to be not a football but rather a weapon of mass destruction. (Perhaps football is a time factor? I don’t know.) Suddenly a cloud of smoke went up over a major city in the U.S. (My first thought was NYC, but it has not been confirmed to me.) The cloud was similar to a mushroom cloud but perhaps not as big. I remember that one of my older daughters was out of town at the time this happened, and I was desperate to hear if she was okay. After the attack, I saw people of a Middle Eastern nationality (no, I’m not racial profiling here–I’m just telling you what I saw…..and it IS key that ISIS is such a threat right now) riding through our streets in the U.S., with guns and terror. Even our very homes were not safe. Just as I, too, began to panic–just like the people all around me–I suddenly felt the Holy Ghost surround my very body just like a shield or a suit of armor. I knew then that the power of God was the ONLY thing that would protect us in the day of terror–not manmade weapons, but SPIRITUAL armor/weaponry.

THAT is what I would say to you: get yourself spiritually armed and ready; be clothed in the Spirit of God which is the ONLY thing that will bring you peace, love, joy, patience and every other good quality that will be needed as these last-day birth-pangs hit this earth. I don’t believe in spouting off doomsday warnings all the time or using scare tactics. Those of you who know me can attest that I preach the Gospel–the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ–and that I teach optimism and positivity. Some say I even wear “rose-colored glasses.”

But when He gives me something like what I have shared with you tonight, I cannot keep it to myself any longer. So take heart and listen to the words of our Savior:

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Luke 21:28 “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Psalm 91:9-11 “If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways”

He’s got this, Church! And He’s got us right in the palm of His hand and in the shelter of His wing!

Feast of Tabernacles: the season of our rejoicing!

I’ve gone through yet another season of what we often call Jewish holidays (I call them Feasts of the Lord), and we’ve come to my favorite one of the year. Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles, is the most joyful feast of all to me.

It is the 7th feast, held in the 7th month, lasting for 7 days. Ahhh, perfection.

And because God loved His people so much, He asked them to extend the festival 1 more day, to tarry with Him a little longer. In fact, an ancient Jewish midrash (story, exposition, interpretation) claims that what God said to His people about His rationale for the extra day was, “Your departure is difficult for me. Stay with me one more day.”

Isn’t that beautiful? Think of how much you love your significant other and what it would mean to you if he/she begged you to stay a little longer with him/her. Surely it would thrill your soul. Well, even more so when it’s the Creator of the Universe–the ultimate Lover of your soul–who asks you to linger with Him.

During this 8-day celebration, there is an emphasis on good food. I like that! Each night, observant Jews eat dinner in their sukkah (booth)–a little hut constructed in the yard to recall the reason for this holy feast: that God provided well for the Israelites as they dwelt in booths (sukkot is the plural of booth in Hebrew) in the wilderness. You might invite the neighbors over for cake and wine (grape juice for me–ha ha!) in the sukkah as you enjoy the evening air and gaze on the stars and nearly-full moon in the night sky.

Sound like fun yet?

And guess what God commanded the Jews to do during this week? REJOICE! Wow, somebody please command me to rejoice–I will definitely oblige!

But this is just for the Jews, you say. We Gentiles don’t bother, do we? Well, if we do choose to celebrate Sukkot, we will enjoy the blessing of it. The early church, which was of course predominantly Jewish by birth, still celebrated the annual Feasts of the Lord, until this practice was eventually frowned upon when Catholicism took root.

But the main reason we Christians would profit from studying and/or celebrating Sukkot is that it is a festival of hope for the future. Yes, it celebrates the past (“He has provided for us before, as in the wilderness”) and it solidifies the present (“He is providing for us even now!). But this Feast points forward to the future when His provision will be eternal.

It reminds us that we will tabernacle with our Lord forever one day. Every day in eternity will be Sukkot. You see, the Feast could’ve ended in the prescribed 7 days–7 being the number of divine completion.

But it didn’t. There is an 8th day–8 being the number of new beginning, a number outside of time as it doesn’t exist within our neat, little 7-day week. The 8th day represents eternity.

Jesus fulfilled the 4 spring feasts: His death (Passover), His burial (Feast of Unleavened Bread), His resurrection (Feast of Firstfruits) and His outpouring of the Holy Ghost (Pentecost). But the 3 fall feasts have yet to be fulfilled. A little over 2 weeks ago, we celebrated the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah)–representative of His 2nd coming. Ten days after that, we had Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)–symbolic of the coming Judgment Day when His atoning blood will make all the difference for those who follow Him.

What’s next after His return and judgment? Eternity with Him–Feast of Tabernacles–the grand diamond in the crown of Jewish holy days.

When you study this Feast, some passages of the New Testament make even more sense. You’ve probably read John 7 and totally ignored that the whole chapter is about our Messiah celebrating Sukkot. You’ve probably read verses 37-38 and never questioned why Jesus suddenly rose up in the Temple and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Just a random comment? No! If you understand Sukkot, you realize that each morning during the Feast, the priest drew a pitcher of water and poured it out as a sacrifice as part of a plea/prayer to God for rain during the coming winter months. After the long, dry summer, the rains, which began about November in Israel and lasted until around March, were crucial to crop development in the coming year. Sukkot was the time to beseech God to send the blessed precipitation.

So imagine that this water ceremony has just taken place in the Temple. And here comes Jesus–this “upstart” from Nazareth–who interrupts things by crying out that HE is the water they need. And the Word doesn’t say that He just spoke up. HE CRIED OUT.

Can you imagine the horror the Temple leaders felt? “Blasphemy!” they may have whispered to each other.

And our Lord wasn’t finished. The next day, it is recorded in John 8 that Jesus went back to the Temple to teach. He didn’t just haphazardly speak what is written in verse 12: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

That statement seems to come from nowhere. But if you know about Sukkot, you would know that each night of the Feast, there was a fabulous light display in Jerusalem. Not only were the huge Temple lampstands blazing, but also the multitudes of pilgrims in the city celebrating Sukkot would have their sukkahs alight as they rejoiced into the night.

The Jews at that time, who had just been dazzled by the nightly light show for a week, would totally “get” what Jesus was saying. He had just diverted their focus during the water ceremony to Himself, pinpointing Himself as the water they needed. NOW, He diverts their focus on light to Himself, declaring that He is the light they need.

What a nerve, the “big wheels” of that day must’ve thought. Their familiarity with Sukkot made Jesus’ comments even more inflammatory than what we clueless Gentiles perceive. It is imperative that we get out of our comfort zones and study the culture that Jesus preached in. It gives us knowledge we have been ignorant of for too long. Think about how we have sometimes made erroneous doctrines from things the Apostle Paul said in his letters–all because we did not understand the culture of that day or the circumstances of the people to whom he wrote.

Perhaps another reason that we would do well to study Sukkot in particular is that we very well may be celebrating it in Jerusalem one day. Zechariah 14:16-18 says this: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”

This is an endtime prophecy that pertains to us. EVERYONE will keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Wouldn’t we do well to learn about it now? The Jews see each Feast of the Lord as a “mikrah”–a rehearsal or foretaste of what is to come. So when I keep Sukkot, I see it as a rehearsal of my blessed eternity with Him!

If we belong to Him, we have already started our eternity! We are eternal beings just passing through this mortal life before we move on to our “real” life! We rejoice because He came down to tabernacle with us in the flesh for 33 1/2 years and then returned again as the Holy Spirit Who tabernacles with us constantly!

May we give Him all the glory in this the season of our rejoicing! And to think, WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN!

Click on the link below to watch the teaching I did on Sukkot at our church, Times of Refreshing, this past Sunday morning. Just ignore the phone ringing on camera; we are a casual group that meets in a home temporarily. Beneath this link is a handout that will help you follow along with the video. Enjoy!

FEAST OF TABERNACLES (SUKKOT)

What is Sukkot?
The final Biblically-commanded feast of the Jewish year (Lev. 23:33-44)
–Celebrated in the seventh month Tishri on days 15-21 (Lev. 23:34)
–Tishri 22–Day 8–is also celebrated (Lev. 23:36)
–A sabbath with new offerings specified (Num. 29:36-38)
–Called “Shemini Atzeret” (8th, solemn gathering)
— “Atzeret” comes from a root meaning “to hold back”
–God asked Israel to tarry 1 more day! (“Your departure is
                difficult for me. Stay with me one more day.”)
“Sukkot” = “booths” (singular is “sukkah” = “booth”)
–Sometimes called Festival of Booths
–Reminiscent of how Israel had portable dwellings in the wilderness
Also called Feast of Tabernacles
–“Tabernacle” = “mishkan”; also means “dwelling place”
Celebrates fruit harvest (grapes, olives)
–Exod. 23:16– “. . .the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.”
–Firstfruits celebrated barley harvest, Pentecost–wheat harvest
Called “The Feast of all Feasts” (I Kings 12:32)
–Pilgrims came from all over Israel to Jerusalem (like Passover and Pentecost)

What is required on Sukkot?
First day is a full Sabbath (Lev. 23:35)
Only four things commanded in Torah for this Feast
–Live in sukkah (Lev. 23:42)
–Bring offering in addition to regular offerings (Num. 29:12-39)
–1st day: 13 young bullocks and many other things
–Number of bulls goes down each day: significant
–Gather the four species (Lev. 23:40)–probably to be waved joyfully
–Etrog (citron): “boughs of goodly trees”
–Lulav: “branches of palm trees”
–Myrtle: “boughs of thick trees”
–Willows: “willows of the brook”
–Rejoice (Lev. 23:40)
–Because harvest is done and/or repentance is successful
–Called “season of our rejoicing” (Deut. 16:15)–“. . .because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.”
Every 7th year at this Feast, a public reading of Torah (Deut. 31:10-13)

How is Sukkot mentioned in the Bible?
Solomon chose it for consecration of Temple (I Kings 8:2-4)–shekinah glory fell!
Celebrated while wall was being rebuilt in Nehemiah’s time (Ezra 3:4)
Jesus sent His brothers to the Feast (John 7:2-8) then He went secretly (John 7:10-53)
It is mentioned for the future: all nations will come to Jerusalem for Sukkot
–Zech. 14:16– “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”

What are the Jewish traditions of Sukkot?
Many Jews don’t connect this to High Holy Days
Some say living in huts comes from agricultural component (harvesters in huts in fields)
They begin building sukkah at end of Yom Kippur–families building together often
–Sukkah: temporary shelter, roof of branches/twigs/leaves to keep sky visible
–Must eat in it; some sleep in it. Rejoice in it; don’t suffer (go home if it rains!)
–Kids decorate it: fruit/flowers/paper chains/crepe paper/Indian corn/gourds
–God turned their wilderness into a garden
–Stresses the impermanence of life
Special theme of trusting God (as Israel in the wilderness)
–Don’t become entombed in the safety of your houses; trust God
Special “guests” are invited, 1 per night in order: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David (all wanderers or exiles)
–Women, too, now! Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Abigail, Esther
They believe waving the 4 species brings a blessing of rain
–They circle sanctuary, branches in hands (7 times on 7th day)
–Number 4 is seen as symbolic–completion on Earth
Praise is recited each day (“hallel”)–often Psalms 113-118
Entire book of Ecclesiastes is read
–Stresses the vanity of life (dwell in huts), so eat/drink/be merry (rejoice)
–Festival season in spring starts with Song of Solomon (idealism of young love) and ends in fall with cynicism of old age!
Special readings are Exod. 33:12-34:36, Ezek. 31:18-39:16 (endtime war)
Special emphasis on birth: Day of Atonement wiped slate clean
–We begin over like newborns (water associated with birth)
Anticipates the messianic end of days (Zech. 14:16)
7th day called “hoshana rabbah” (“the great hosanna”)
–Should be full festival day, but adding 8th day changed that
–Seen as final day of judgment
–Solemn morning service (final seal not on Book of Life/Death until then)
–After morning service, festive meal with nuts, carrot rings (wealth)
Some stay up all night on 7th night to study Torah (Deut.)
–Old tradition: if you see your shadow with no head, you’ll die in next year
Week of great hospitality: visiting from sukkah to sukkah, having wine and cake
–Poor should be invited as guests
Theme of gathering in (harvest) and encircling (God surrounded them in wilderness)
Prayers for rainfall in coming winter months (Nov.-March), especially on 8th day
–Water libation (sacrificial outpouring) each morning at service
–Jesus knew this: John 7:37-38
Lighting ceremony each night (Jesus alluded to this in John 8:12 then healed blind man)
Some save lulav or willows to light fire for Passover to burn leaven or bake unleavened bread
–Ties festival cycle together
8th day: Torah festival
–Pentecost celebrates receiving Torah; Sukkot celebrates having it daily
–Very much a children’s festival with dancing, singing, carrying of flags
–7th day was end of perfect time cycle; 8th is a day beyond time
Strict Jews celebrate a 9th day–”Simhat Torah” (rejoicing in the Torah)
–Scrolls taken from ark then paraded around sanctuary
–Final verses of Deut. read, then 1st verses of Gen. (cycle renewed)
Entire festival has redemption theme–God redeemed them in desert
–Dry times in summer represented desert wandering

What does Sukkot mean for us as Christians?
It comes right after Day of Atonement (after judgment, millennial reign of Christ)
Celebrates harvest of fruit (James 5:7-8–“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
–Joel 2:23 prophesies of endtime when God sends former and latter rains in same month–final harvest!
Fruit planting takes place during spring rains (seed planted during Passover)
–Fruit matures during summer and is ready for harvest in fall
Celebrates God’s provision in the past (wilderness), present (harvest done) and future!
This Feast will be celebrated eternally as we dwell with Him (8th day)–mikrah: rehearsals
We are now tabernacles: I Cor. 6:19–“Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost”
–As He dwelt in the tabernacle of the wilderness, now He dwells in us!
Feast demands joyfulness; so does life in Christ
–Neh. 8:10– “. . .the joy of the Lord is your strength”
–Psalm 16:11– “. . .in thy presence is fullness of joy”
–Phil. 4:4–“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.”
Jesus was probably born during this festival: rotation of priests in OT possibly proves it
–At that time, Israel was divided into 24 districts (I Chron. 24)
–Each district sent 2 priests to the Temple each week to serve
–ALL priests went to Jerusalem 3 weeks each year (Deut. 16:16)
–Zacharias, dad of John the Baptist, priest of the order of Abijah (Luke 1:5)
–His division was 8th division to go (I Chron. 24:10)
–He ministered 9th week of year (all went up 3rd week)
–He was serving his time when he was promised a son (Luke 1:8-13)
–Gabriel came to Mary in 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy
–Would’ve been during Hanukkah–starts 10th month, 25th day
–Jesus born 9 months later–Feast of Tabernacles
–He came to Earth to dwell (tabernacle) among men
–He was the tabernacle in which God dwelt fully (Col. 2:9)
–Wouldn’t it be like God to fulfill a festival cycle? (born and return in 7th month)

I NEVER SHALL FORGET WHAT HE’S DONE FOR ME! (Yom Kippur–Day of Atonement!)

We used to sing a song in the choir at my former church–“Jesus, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me. Jesus, I’ll never forget how you set me free. Jesus, I’ll never forget how you brought me out, No, no, NO, NEVER!” That’s a song that comes back to me today on Yom Kippur–The Day of Atonement–the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

Was I born a Jew? No. But I was grafted into the family when Jesus died to redeem the entire world. Do I have to celebrate the 7 Biblically-commanded Feasts of the Lord? No. I have already celebrated the 4 spring feasts symbolically, and I will one day fully celebrate the 3 fall feasts symbolically.

But I believe that each year as the feasts roll around in their cyclical way on the Jewish calendar, it is important for me and mine to study them as they relate to our salvation. Jesus the Messiah is revealed in each one. In studying these holy days on God’s calendar, I learn about the past (how Jesus fulfilled them by His death, burial, resurrection, return as the Holy Spirit), the present (how to live holy per the traditions of the feasts) and the future (how He is coming back and what will follow).

Today is Yom (day) Kippur (covering). No longer do I need an earthly high priest to enter into the Holy of Holies once a year to apply the blood of goats and bulls to the mercy seat to cover my sins.

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come,with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Heb. 8:11-12

Yes, instead, Jesus became my High Priest once and for all. When He died on the cross, the veil into the Holy of Holies was rent in two. He had marched into the Holy of Holies, applied His own blood to the mercy seat for me and given free access to the most holy place to all who receive Him.

“For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” Heb. 7:26-27

He was without sin, yet He became sin for me. I cannot emphasize enough the term that is used several times in the Book of Hebrews–ONCE FOR ALL. Redemption for all who will receive it. And that redemption isn’t jerked away from us when we mess up. He knows our frame, that we are but dust. And because of that, He tells us that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

We in the church are so quick to condemn those who commit the “BIG” sins. (I know, because I have been on both sides–condemning those who commit the “biggies” and also committing “biggies.”) REALLY? I have seen church members who refuse to listen to a preacher who is divorced or who admits to backsliding into drug or alcohol abuse at some time in his/her Christian walk. REALLY? Who are you to judge another man’s servant?

What about the preachers who practice gluttony regularly with no recognition of that sin? What about those who are mean and hateful to their families behind closed doors while smiling graciously to their parishioners? You listen to them often enough.

What about those church members who crucify each other with their tongues? What about those respected church mothers who are quick to condemn you and murder you in their hearts for the least offense? They’re still teaching Sunday School and leading the choir, aren’t they?

Isn’t this hypocritical? Did He die for our sins (plural) before we get saved ONLY or also for those sins we might (will) commit after salvation? Why do we continue to look at Christians who sin (which is all of us–yes, you, too) and say, “That’s it. You blew it. You cannot minister/teach/preach/lead anything anymore.” REALLY? Show me where you find that in the Bible. Poor ole King David always gets mentioned in discourses on sin because of his murdering, adulterous, lying ways. (Yes, I said that about David).

But guess what? He repented and THEN (yes, after the horrible sins) was called “a man after God’s own heart.” He was still king of Israel and was still used of God.

On this Yom Kippur, I am alarmed that much of the Christian world is making the grace of God of non-effect. We judge which sins are forgivable. You think not? Then why do we say this sin (your gossip or your “white” lies which were probably not repented of) can be overlooked and you can teach Sunday School again? However, this other person who fornicated or got drunk or whatever but was truly repentant is barred from further service in the church. We might allow them to pass out tracts on the street, but no more service inside our “holy walls.”

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but perhaps it’s time we really took stock of what His atonement truly means. Redemption is serious business. Redemption is ongoing, continual. That blood is still flowing symbolically to cleanse us from day to day as we strive to live a holy life despite our flesh.

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4:14-16

And as we rejoice in the fact that we may approach His throne boldly to receive mercy, let us remember that Yom Kippur also represents an event yet to come–Judgment Day. After Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets–held 10 days ago) which represents His return, there will be the Day of Judgment (Yom Kippur prophetically) followed shortly afterward by the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). (This starts in 5 days on the Jewish calendar–can’t wait! It represents how we dwell with Him eternally. Stay tuned!)

Until then, here is a Scripture that is great to keep in mind as we await His return:

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God,let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb. 10:19-25

Click on the video below to see the teaching I did on Yom Kippur a couple of weeks ago at our church, Times of Refreshing. Please forgive me for not pronouncing everything correctly! Beneath the video is the handout we used in our teaching. It will help you follow along. Enjoy!

YOM KIPPUR (DAY OF ATONEMENT)

What is Yom Kippur?
“Yom” = “day” and “Kippur” = “covering, ransom, redeeming”
Sixth Scripturally-commanded holy day on Jewish calendar
–Held on 10th day of 7th month Tishri for 1 day
Second event in the fall High Holy Days and Days of Awe
–The only mandated holy day that is not a feast
–The only day all of Israel fasted (called “the fast” Acts 27:9)
No mention of it taking place until 444 B.C.

What does Yom Kippur consist of?
Four main components
–Holy convocation (undivided attention to God and gathering on a sabbath)
–Humbling of souls (affliction by fasting and repentance)
–Offerings (Lev. 16, Num. 29:7-11)–including regular sabbath offerings if on a sabbath
–Complete rest (or death as punishment)
Fourfold purpose
–To show the necessity of blood and God’s hatred of sin (Rom. 6:23, Heb. 9:22)
–To show contagious nature of sin–even holy Priest had to be cleansed! (Lev. 16:6)
–To point forward to the death of the Lamb of God
–To be repeated annually to show the way into the presence of God (Heb. 10:3)

What is the order of events on Yom Kippur?
1. High priest bathed his entire body, not just hands and feet as normally
–Washed his flesh in water in the Holy Place
–Had already washed once before entering Holy Place
2. He dressed in white linen with no ornaments
–Holy linen coat, breeches, girdle, fine mitre (headpiece)
–Also wore bells on skirt with rope attached
–Bells: to alert those outside if he was impure and died
–Rope: to drag him out
3. He sacrificed young bull for himself and his house
4. He selected 2 goats
–Goats selected by lot–1 for God, 1 for Azazel (name for Satan?)
–First goat sacrificed for people’s sins
–This blood placed on 2nd goat’s head (scapegoat)
5. Before offering this blood, priest filled censer with live coals from altar and put incense on them
–Cloud of incense covered mercy seat to keep him from seeing God
6. Once in Holy of Holies, blood was sprinkled upon and before mercy seat
–Bull for priesthood’s atonement; 1st goat for people’s atonement
–2 separate trips into Holy of Holies
7. Priest laid hands on head of scapegoat and confessed sins of the people
8. Scapegoat, bearing sins of the people, released into wilderness by trustworthy man
9. Remains of sacrificed bull and male goat taken outside city and burned

What are the Jewish traditions on Yom Kippur?
Main purpose is “teshuvah”–turning FROM sin and TO God
–Process began in 6th month Elul, sped up through Rosh HaShanah and the ensuing 10 days of repentance, reached end on Yom Kippur
Five services held (1 more than usual for festivals); most highly attended all year
–Before leaving for services, blessings pronounced upon children
–Very complicated services
–Proclamations made to nullify any vows/promises unfulfilled in coming year
–Jews still see spoken word as binding: “Words are important. . .The world itself     was created by God through the power of the Word.” (A rabbi)
–Jews believe you can’t be forgiven if you have unfulfilled vows (Matt. 5:24)
–Torah reading describes service in the Temple
–Emphasis also on Isaiah 57:14-58:16
–Book of Jonah read aloud (repentance important)
–They ask God to inscribe them in the Book of Life
Jews seek “kapparah”–cleaning of the slate/new chance at life
–Seen as a “brush with death” (wearing white kittel–burial shroud–and abstaining from life-giving food and water)
Jews observe 5 restrictions (afflictions): “shabbat shabbaton”–sabbath of complete rest
–No eating or drinking (fast day from sundown to sundown, no cooking allowed)
–Children and the sick are exempt
–Fast may be broken immediately after final service
–No bathing (stricter than regular sabbath)
–No anointing of body with oil
–No leather shoes (too comfortable)
–No sexual relations
Day before is a preparation day but also a sabbath
–Based on Lev. 23:32 which calls 9th day of Tishri a sabbath
–Great sabbath meal eaten before sundown!
–Some take mikveh (ritual bath) to purify themselves symbolically
Outdated traditions include twirling rooster or hen around hen while saying prayer for the animal to be killed in one’s stead
–Priests considered this too akin to white magic
–Now some Jews instead wrap money in handkerchief and follow same ritual
–Long ago, some Jews even flogged each other 39 times
–Some Jews still go outside to bless the moon at the end of the day (as at new moon)
Charity containers place in synagogues (typical on holy days)
Candles lit for deceased relatives
Women often wear white; mean wear kittels
Jews believe that the original purpose of this day was to cleanse the Temple of any
pollution that might have infiltrated the priestly system: “Too much pollution will render
   the sanctuary defiled and push the divine presence away.” (A rabbi)
–Since the Temple is no more, they now focus on cleaning up their individual lives,
including reconciliation with others
Shofar is blown to end the holy day–shows successful passage from sin to repentance
Some Jews go home and begin building sukkah
–Ties in Yom Kippur to Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) 5 days later

How does Yom Kippur parallel our salvation?
National cleansing of Israel since the Church will be  raptured out at Feast of Trumpets?
–Zech. 3:9: “. . .And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”
–Verse 10 refers to the millenium
Jesus, our High Priest: applied blood to mercy seat once and for all! (Heb. 5:1-10,
9:24-10:14)
–We all have access into the Holy of Holies now (Heb. 4:14-16)
Priest washing twice on each trip in: our progression in Christ
–First washing is salvation–a “must” to enter the “sanctuary” (safe place)
–To go into Holy of Holies (His manifest presence), must be saturated in the Word
White garment: us being freed from sin
–No longer can wear the “garments” worn on the outside; must “put on” righteousness
Incense often represents prayer (Psalm 141:2: “Let my prayer be. . .as incense”)
–Prayer brings us into Holy of Holies
Priest sacrificed 1st bull for his household: purity in priesthood (We are all priests now)
Jesus represented by both goats
–Like 1st goat, He was killed and mutilated for our sins
–Like 2nd goat, He took our sins upon His own head (Heb. 13:11-12)
Hebrew word for “atonement” means “covering”
–Same word as “pitch,” the substance Noah applied to the ark walls
–Came between Noah and judgment (the waters)–like Jesus’ blood and us!
Prophetic for us: final Judgment Day–Book of Life opened
–Jews either repented and were forgiven or died in sin
Day the shofar is blown for Year of Jubilee
–Lev. 25:9: “Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.”
–Our freedom from debt!
Rabbinical scholars say that at the time of the atonement, a crimson sash was attached to the door of the Temple and another on the horn of the scapegoat
–They knew when the goat was dead in the wilderness because the sash would turn white to signify the forgiveness of sins was complete
–Is. 1:18: “. . .though thy sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”
–Jewish literature says 40 years before the destruction of the last Temple in 70 A.D., the sash stopped turning white (No more need for the blood of animals to atone for sin!)
From the Talmud: “Forty years before the destruction of the Temple (ie. 30 C.E.) the lot did not come up in the right hand, nor did the crimson stripe become white, nor did the westernmost light burn; and the doors of the heikhal (the Holy Place of the Temple) opened of their own accord, until Rabbi Yochanon ben Zakkai rebuked them.”

Rosh HaShanah–Feast of Trumpets–HE’S COMING BACK!

Ever since God directed me to study the Feasts of the Lord back in the late ’90s, I’ve been fascinated with the Christian symbolism in these holy days that many call “Jewish feasts.” Actually, in the Bible, they were never called “Jewish feasts.” They were HIS feasts–seven of them Biblically-mandated.

The apostle Paul called them types and shadows–“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, Which are a shadow of things to come. . .” (Col. 2:16-17)

And thus each year I study the feasts as they come around, and I even teach on them occasionally. Tonight as I blog this entry, I have finished my celebration of Rosh HaShanah–Feast of Trumpets and the Jewish New Year. It is still technically going on because some of these holy days are celebrated for two days.

Rosh HaShanah, in particular, is a two-day event, because it is the only feast reckoned by the new moon. And the new moon was sometimes tough to spot in ancient Israel. What if it was cloudy? You might miss the appearance of the sliver-sized moon if you were the watchman outside Jerusalem waiting to sound the trumpet signal. So the celebration of Rosh HaShanah went an extra day–just in case. There are other reasons for two-day celebrations of one-day feasts, but that’s not the purpose of this entry.

Our church, Times of Refreshing (on the Old Paths), gathered last week on Sunday, Sept. 9, to study Rosh HaShanah. The video we made is posted at the bottom of this page, along with the handout we used to simplify the lesson.

Last night, Sunday, Sept. 16, some of our group met at 6:30 p.m. in downtown Walnut Cove–a town we have a burden of prayer for. It was not yet Rosh HaShanah as we sat at a picnic table, getting a head start on eating sweet treats as Jews do for the start of their new year.

We reveled in apples dipped in honey–the symbol of a sweet year to come! There was caramel dip as well, mini-Reese’s cups, cookies and other sweet portions, per Ezra 8:10 which tells what they did one Rosh HaShanah: “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

We sipped our sparkling white grape juice as we talked about what was going on around the world–the Muslim uprisings in particular which I believe are no coincidence as Israel’s High Holy Days begin. I had no idea when sunset was supposed to be. (I am still in such a summertime mode that I figured sunset was about 8 to 8:30.)

A sudden impulse hit me to click on my phone to check the time. Despite the fact that I was afraid Revonda, who was telling us something interesting at that time, would think I was rude, I reached for my phone. It said 7:25. I apologized after a minute, saying that I had to look because my kids were coming at 7:30 plus I was wondering when sunset was. Troy checked the weather page on his phone and was amazed when it said sunset was 7:25–exactly when I had looked at my phone!

The Feast of Trumpets had begun exactly as I felt to check the time.

We laughed joyfully at how the sunset timing had worked out. I later thought about some symbolism in even this simple event.

This past summer, I had attended a family Vacation Bible School at Rural Hall Church of God. They randomly (maybe not randomly by God!) placed me and my children in the tribe of Issachar; they had divided the many participants into the 12 tribes of Israel as classes.

As I looked at my name tag each night of VBS, I kept feeling in my gut that it was symbolic that I was in this particular tribe. When I researched the tribe of Issachar, I realized that at perhaps their most important time in Biblical history, they were the minority–very few in number compared to the rest of the tribes, yet they were the ones that all of Israel consulted in this particular situation. “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. . .” I Chron. 12:32

People who had “understanding of the times.” I realized last night as I looked at the phone at exactly the time of sunset, when sunset was indeed the time we were waiting for, that that little “coincidence” reiterated something to me: there are those in the Christian church at this time who have an understanding of the times we live in. They are not the majority. Perhaps some of them are those in whom the gift of prophecy works.

Those who have had a hunger put into their very soul to study the Feasts of the Lord–that includes some of you reading this right now–are likely people who have understanding of the times. These feasts can reveal to us many things: from the plan of salvation foreshadowed to what will happen in the world as we near Christ’s return.

What should you do, you people who are types of the tribe of Issachar? You should pray diligently for how God wants you to disperse the knowledge you have. Be on guard that the enemy of our souls does not pervert your gifting and try to take you into legalism with regard to the feasts. He did not call you to bring people back under the curse of the law if they do not celebrate the feasts in a mandatory fashion or they don’t keep the Law precisely as outlined in the Torah.

Galatians 3:13 tells us that “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. . .”

I do not believe that we are under a curse if we don’t keep the feasts, if we eat the forbidden foods noted in the Law, etc. However, although the curse is removed, I still believe that a blessing applies if we do keep the feasts and the Sabbath or if we try to abide by the dietary restrictions. It is not a matter now of keeping the Torah because we HAVE to, but because we GET to! There is a difference in motivation.

So although I do not believe that we are still under command to keep these holy days, I believe that if we DO, there is a special blessing and revelation in it.

Thus I celebrated Rosh HaShanah from sundown yesterday to sundown tonight. I don’t own a shofar, but I listened to one online in a YouTube video that my bosom friend Robin sent me.

And it ran chills over me, bringing tears to my eyes as I realized the prophetic significance of this holy day. One day the trumpet of God will sound and in the twinkling of an eye, the long season of our wilderness journey will be over! (Remember that there are over three long, hot summer months between the final spring feast of Pentecost and the first fall feast of Rosh HaShanah–representative of how after He fills us with His Spirit as at Pentecost, we must walk out our salvation on a pilgrim journey full of trials and tribulations until the trump sounds to herald Rosh HaShanah–His second coming!)

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,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.” I Cor. 15:51-52

Beloved, I don’t know when the Lord Yahushua is coming back. But I believe that symbolically we are in the sixth month of the Jewish calendar–the month of Elul–the month of preparation for the first day of the seventh, holy month Tishrei which is Rosh HaShanah–the Feast of Trumpets which prophetically points to His return!

If you belong to Him, you have been through the four spring feasts which have already been fulfilled in Jesus Christ–Pesach (Passover) when the blood was applied to your heart through His death, Unleavened Bread when you were freed from sin and buried with Him, Firstfruits when you experienced His resurrection power of new life after conversion and Shavuot (Pentecost) when you were baptized in the Holy Ghost for power in ministry.

You are now in the sultry summer months of the Jewish calendar, waiting for the final three feasts to begin in the fall. As you walk through the fourth month, the fifth month, the sixth month, your eyes are on that seventh month prize–HIS GLORIOUS RETURN (Feast of Trumpets–Rosh HaShanah), JUDGMENT DAY (Day of Atonement–Yom Kippur) and ETERNITY WITH HIM (Feast of Tabernacles–Sukkot).

The four feasts of the spring (four is the number of earthly completion) added to the three feasts of the fall (three is the number of heavenly/Godly completion) equals the divine completion of the number seven. So the next sound we listen for is the sound of the trumpet! THAT’S why I celebrate Feast of Trumpets–to remind me of the day of His appearing!

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” I Thess. 4:16-18

Click on the link below to watch our hour-long class on Rosh HaShanah. (Please forgive my mistaken reference to this feast as the “feast of all feasts.” I confused my notes on Feast of Tabernacles with Feast of Trumpets as I typed the lesson. So sorry!)

Our Bible study handout:

ROSH HASHANAH (FEAST OF TRUMPETS)

What does Rosh HaShanah mean?
“Head of the Year”–this term is not found in the Bible (applied in 2nd century A.D.)
–Considered the Jewish New Year

When is Rosh HaShanah?
“And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. . .” Numbers 29:1
First day of the month Tishrei
–Tishrei: 7th month on the Jewish holy calendar–holy month.
–1st month on the civil calendar (hence New Year)
On our calendar, occurs anywhere from mid-September to mid-October
Only commanded to be celebrated for 1 day
–Jews celebrate some 1-day holidays for 2 days (moon issues)

Why is it also called Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)?
God commanded them to blow trumpets on that day
—“. . .For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets.” Numbers 29:1
–Other new moons were signaled by short trumpet blasts–this one by long ones

What were the Jews to do on this holiday?
23 “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’” Leviticus 23:23-25
Celebrate it as a Sabbath.
—“You shall do no customary work.” Numbers 29:1
Blow the trumpets in the Temple and through the land of Israel. (Scriptures above)
–Traditionally, shofar (ram’s horn) was blown, not the silver trumpets of the Temple
–Shofar designated for Yom Kippur, Jubilee, call to battle
–A pattern of blows developed: 1 long blast (tekiah), 3 short blasts (shevarim), 9
staccato blasts (teruah), 1 long blast.
–Blown 100 times that day (several sequences)
Give offerings, some burnt
—2 “You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. 3 Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6 besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.”Numbers 19:2-6

How often is Feast of Trumpets mentioned in the Bible?
Besides the instructions on how to celebrate it, only once
–When the Jews returned to Israel from exile in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 3:1-6, Nehemiah 7:73-8:13)
—“Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. . .5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. . . 9And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.’ 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.” Nehemiah 8:1-10

What Jewish traditions are held?
Month before (Elul–6th month) is used for preparation
–Shofar blown every morning after prayer service (starting Sabbath before Elul begins)
as a reminder of repentance and approach of high holy days
Week before (last week of Elul) used for repentance
–Selihot (“forgiveness”): repentant prayers made
–Intensifies on final day of Elul: mikveh is popular
Psalm 81 is read (was sung by choir)
3 books are opened: Book of Life (Death) for wicked, Book of Life for righteous, Book of Life for
in-between
–Judge writes everyone’s name in one
–Satan appears before God to accuse Israel
–Shofar blown to confuse him
–Often called Yom Ha-Din–Judgment Day
Greeting is “Leshanah tovah tikatevu” (“May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a
good year!”)–based on Psalm 69:28, Exodus 32:32-33
Casting ceremony “Tashlikh” (“cast off”) held
–Originated in the Middle Ages, still popular
–On the afternoon of Rosh HaShanah, meet near flowing body of water to recite
Tashlikh prayer (Micah 7:18-20, Psalm 118:5-9, Psalm 33, Psalm 130, Isaiah 11:9)
–At end, shake pockets or cast bread crumbs into water (Micah 7:19, Ezek. 18:30-31)
Long services held (morning–5 or more hours often)
–Focus on 3 benedictions: Malkhiyot (Kingships), Zikhronot (Remembrances), Shofarot
(Rams’ horns)
–God’s majestic kingship, His remembrance of His covenant with Israel, the key
role of the shofar in history and the future
Joyful activities are not allowed (no weddings, e.g.)
–Yet there is joy: greeting cards sent, wishing “Shanah tovah!” (“A good year!)
Certain foods eaten
–Apples dipped in honey (next year full of sweetness)
–Fruit not eaten in a while consumed at dinner 2nd night
–Round loaves of braided hallah bread, rather than oval, eaten to symbolize crowns
–Head of fish (head and not the tail)
–No nuts (numerical value of “nuts” equals “sin”)
Observed as the birthday of the world
Believed to be the day the dead would rise for judgment
Sabbath in between Trumpets and Atonement: Shabbat Shuvah (“Sabbath of Turning”
based on Hosea 14:2)

What significance does it hold for Christians?
Does not commemorate any historical event–totally prophetic
Fulfilled in a sense by God’s regathering of Israel
Only holiday held at new moon
–Dark time of the month–like dark day of judgment (Amos 5:18-20, Zephaniah 1:14-16, Joel 2:31, Rev. 6:12-17)
Focus is on the new year, a new beginning
–We are new creatures–God’s focus is on “new”
–New name, song, thing, covenant, tongues, etc.
Takes place in 7th month–month of final harvest
Trumpet reminds us of Jesus’ 2nd coming
–Will call God’s people to assembly (Rapture)
–I Cor. 15:51-52, I Thess. 4:16-17

Pentecost–God’s covenant with His people!

As you know by now, I am a Christian who is getting back to her roots. My Messiah–my groom–was Jewish, and I want to familiarize myself with His culture. I have been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel, so I want to understand what the Jews do, how they live, what they celebrate.

So, I study the Feasts of the Lord which were outlined in Leviticus 23. And I see Jesus hidden in each one. I see symbolism that is very pertinent to modern-day Christians. I consider these feasts to be types and shadows, as the Apostle Paul said, of things to come.

Sunday, May 27, is Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) on the Jewish calendar. On the Christian calendar, it is called Pentecost. Since the Feast of Firstfruits (Resurrection Day or Easter Sunday morning), the Jews have been counting up to Pentecost–the 50-day countdown (count-up) that is called the Counting of the Omer. My kids and I have been counting along with them. What an exciting time it is!

We are almost at Day 50. For the Jews, Shavuot can come on any day of the week since their lunar calendar is so different from ours. They begin counting the omer the day after Passover, since Passover is considered a sabbath–no matter what day of the week it falls on.

Most Christians who subscribe to the Counting of the Omer, begin counting on Easter Sunday–the day after the “normal” sabbath, so that Pentecost always falls on a Sunday.

Well, guess what? This year, both Jews and Christians celebrate Shavuot (Pentecost) on the same day–Sunday! It just worked out this year that the day of the week matched for both groups.

This has been the case with every feast we have studied since December. There is a strange intermingling of the Jewish calendar and the Christian calendar this year. Could this be a sign of the times in which we live? The times of the end? The times where the Christians are drawn back to the Jewish roots of Christianity as their religion comes full circle–back to the Christianity of the Book of Acts?

Our community Bible study group started studying the feasts with Hanukkah (not one of the 7 Biblically commanded feasts but an important one nonetheless) this past year. The first full day of Hanukkah (the Festival of Lights which focuses on “increasing the light”) fell on Dec. 21–the winter solstice which celebrates the increasing of the light. Hmmm. . .

Then we learned that the 5th day of Hanukkah is the traditional day that the Jews give presents to their children. This fell right at Christmas Eve/Christmas this year. It won’t work out that way next year since Hanukkah is on different dates on our calendar each year.

When Purim came (again, not one of the 7 commanded feasts but one that is still Biblical), the Israeli prime minister had just visited with President Obama and had given him a special Purim copy of the Book of Esther. Very timely, huh?

When the spring feasts rolled around, the dates again were significant–beautifully situated with Easter. Passover came on the actual day that Jesus was crucified. This doesn’t always happen. Passover could be a Monday some years–not the day our Savior was killed.

The Feast of Firstfruits, like the others, can be any of the 7 days of the week. But this year, it was on Sunday–just as it was nearly 2000 years ago when our firstfruits representative, Jesus, arose from the dead. Next year, it won’t work out that way.

Timing is of the essence this year, it seems.

So now it’s time to celebrate Shavuot–a holiday during which we decorate with flowers and greenery, a time to read the Book of Ruth as a beautiful harvest/fertility/marriage story.

Because Shavuot is a love story feast. It represents the marriage of God to His people. The Jews believe that the Torah (law) was given to Israel on Mt. Sinai on the first Shavuot. That was God’s ketubah (marriage covenant) with His people. His laws were written on tablets of stone.

Then came the most well-known Day of Pentecost of all–the one described in Acts 2. Once again, God confirmed His marriage to His people. And not to the Jews only–this time to ALL flesh. He poured out His Spirit in the Upper Room, bringing to pass His earlier Word that one day He would write His laws–not on tablets of stone–but in the hearts of His people.

Shavuot is the time when the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were brought to the Temple and given to God. Two loaves of leavened bread were offered in wave offerings by the priests.

Let us celebrate this time not only as a renewing of the Holy Ghost within us, but also as a time to focus on the harvest. Jesus said that the fields were white unto harvest but that the laborers were few. Let us pray that laborers be sent into the ripe harvest. Let us volunteer to be part of that work crew.

It’s time to bring in the harvest!

Here is the YouTube video of a teaching I did at the Walnut Cove Public Library on Thursday, May 24, 2012. It will teach you so much about Shavuot/Pentecost. I made a handout to accompany the lesson and have included that information beneath the video below. Enjoy!

Here is the handout info that I gave to the participants in our Shavuot class.

FEAST OF WEEKS (SHAVUOT OR PENTECOST)

What is Shavuot?

A biblically-commanded feast to be kept 50 days after Feast of Firstfruits

–Celebrates the beginning of the summer wheat harvest (late May or early June)

—“And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought   the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.” Lev. 23:15-22

Also called “Pentecost” (from Greek word for 50th)

Held in third Jewish month, Sivan

–Most Jews celebrate it on a fixed date, Sivan 6, which could be a variable day

–They begin counting the day after Passover (“day after the Sabbath”)

–Some Jews, especially Messianic Jews, celebrate a fixed day but variable date

–They begin counting the day after the actual Saturday sabbath that falls during the week of Passover

(will always be a Sunday).

–Torah says to count from when the sickle is first put to standing grain

—“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you.” Deut. 16:9-10

–Only biblically-ordained feast not following the moon cycle

–Only Jewish feast celebrated totally on its own

–Spring and fall feasts come in sets of 3

–Passover/Unleavened Bread/Firstfruits, Trumpets/Atonement/Tabernacles

–Connected to Passover by the Counting of the Omer

One of 4 feasts already fulfilled in Jesus

–Represents the baptism of the Holy Ghost first seen in Acts 2

Two loaves of leavened bread brought to Temple as a wave offering

This day was a sabbath, no matter what day of the week it fell on

—“And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.” Lev. 23:21

–It was particularly holy–one of only 3 feasts (out of 7 total) in which all Jewish men had to present themselves in the Temple (other 2–Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles)

Jewish tradition: the law was given at Mt. Sinai on the first Pentecost (Ex. 19:1)

What are the Jewish traditions of Shavuot?

Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue

–Deals with harvest/fertility as well as covenant (Ruth/Naomi)

–Supposedly, King David was born and died on Shavuot (Ruth’s descendant)

Houses and synagogues are decorated with flowers (roses, fresh myrtle); green plants; branches

–Based on Ex. 34:3 which implies that land around Sinai was very green and ripe

–This is a harvest festival

Baskets are used for gifts and decorations

–Grain offerings brought to Temple in baskets

–Tradition says that Moses as a baby in his basket was found on Shavuot

Dairy foods are eaten

–Song of Solomon 4:11 implies the Torah (“the beloved”) is like honey and milk

–Promised Land flowing with milk and honey

Many strict Jews stay up all night studying Torah

–At sunrise, they ritually immerse themselves in water

–Just as Israel had 3 days of preparation in the wilderness (Ex. 19:10-11)

All Jews stand while Ex. 19-20 is read (as Israel did at Sinai)

How is Shavuot symbolic of a wedding?

Even before Passover, God saw Israel as His bride

—“Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” Exodus 6:6-7

–Verb “take” here is often used to mean “taking a bride”

God took Israel as His bride by joining with them in a covenant (Torah)

–When He birthed His church in Acts, it became His bride as well

Jewish weddings must have a “ketubah” (written contract specifying what each side will do as part of the covenant)

–At Sinai, Torah was the ketubah in stone

–In the upper room in the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit was the ketubah written on hearts

–In the Torah, God’s side of the covenant was salvation, healing, deliverance, blessings

–Why would the NT contract be any less?

Jewish couples stand under a “chupah” (canopy) as they are married

–Israel stood at the foot of Sinai, originally called the “nether” (“under”)

How does Shavuot parallel our salvation?

So far, the spring feasts have represented our initial steps to salvation

–#1: Passover–we accept the lamb (Jesus) and apply the blood (to our hearts)

–#2: Unleavened Bread–we eat bread with no leaven (repentance of sins) and prepare to leave Egypt (the world)

–#3: Firstfruits–we offer the first of our harvest to the priest (we pledge the best of our lives to Jesus as an offering)

Now comes #4: Pentecost–law was written on stone at Sinai

–On the first Pentecost after Jesus ascended, the law was written on our hearts as the Holy Ghost was poured out

—“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” Heb. 10:16

How does the Acts 2 Pentecost mirror the original?

There were supernatural signs

–Sinai: thunder and lightning

—“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” Exodus 20:18

–Acts: fire from Heaven, mighty rushing wind

—“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” Acts 2:1-3

Different languages were heard

—Sinai: Jewish scholars say God’s voice split into 70 languages for whole earth to understand

—Acts: 120 believers spoke in other tongues; each listener heard it in his own language

–Jewish custom holds that for a prayer service to be official, 10 people must be present; 12 tribes of Israel (10 x 12 = 120)

Both took place on a mountain

—Sinai: jagged mountain

—Acts: upper room high in Jerusalem on Mt. Zion

Law was given

—Sinai: Written in stone by the finger of God

—Acts: Written in hearts by the Spirit of God

—“. . .clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” II Cor. 3:3

A repayment was made

—Sinai: 3000 killed for worshiping golden calf

—“And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.” Exodus 32:28

—Acts: 3000 saved after Peter’s sermon

—“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” Acts 2:41

The first church was established

—Sinai: Israel was called a church just after the law was given

—“This is he [Moses] that was in the church in the wilderness” Acts 7:38

—Acts: First mention of NT church just after Holy Ghost baptism

—“. . .the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Act 2:47

Men swayed as though drunk

—Sinai: Priests waved the flour offerings with the bread (Lev. 23:20)

— “wave”–Hebrew “nuwph”–to vibrate and sway, to rock to and fro

—Acts: Onlookers thought the people in the upper room were drunk

—“Others mockingly said, ‘These men are full of new wine.’” Acts 2:13

Interesting questions and a thought about Pentecost

Why was leavened bread offered when leaven represented sin?

Why were 2 loaves offered?

Were the 120 in the upper room up all night before the Holy Ghost came?

Jews could not skip the first spring feasts and then celebrate Pentecost

–Neither can we skip the early stages of salvation and still receive the Holy Ghost baptism

Here is a video that shows the wheat harvest, set to the tune of that old hymn, “Bringing In the Sheaves.” Oh, what meaning that song has to me now!

My Christian journey into Judaism and Passover celebration!

I can remember seeing the so-called “Jewish” holidays on the calendar from the time I could read. But coming from my Christian upbringing, I didn’t understand what they were all about.

Plus, I grew up in the South, and there just weren’t very many Jews in Dry Hollow where I lived! My uncle DID marry a beautiful woman with Jewish ancestry, and I can remember being fascinated with that part of her lineage.

But I was taught through my church, thank God, that the Jews were God’s original chosen people and that Israel and the Jews were still very special.

Before you knew it, I was a young college woman who had spread her wings and left her tiny Southern town (for a somewhat bigger Southern town!). And on that college campus, I began to meet some Jewish people. One of my suitemates was Elise, a Jewish gymnast from New Jersey whose family had come from Poland.

She introduced me to one of her New Jersey Jewish pals, a soccer player named Howard who lived on the second floor of our high-rise dorm–just above us. Since first floor was an incomplete floor, we were thrown together with the second floor folks for parties, fellowship activities, beach trips, etc. Almost immediately, I was smitten with Howard and his humble personality and long, dark ringlets cascading to his shoulders.

He was a sophomore, and I, a lowly freshman, so I didn’t think he’d look twice at me. But soon he did, and suddenly we were dating. Although we broke up (peacefully) before the next school year began, I never had anything but fond feelings for Howard. He was ever kind, witty, cheerful and down-to-earth. He’s one of the few people on the planet about whom I can’t think of a bad thing to say. (He, Elise and I have recently been wonderfully reunited through Facebook!)

I can remember sitting around talking to him and Elise and thinking all the while, “These are Jews–God’s chosen people. Their lineage goes back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!” The fascination was intense, but I never really said much to them about it–maybe afraid of embarrassing them or something.

The years cascaded by, and I lost touch with Elise and Howard, although I carried fond memories of them with me. And suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, in the fall of 1999, it became imperative in my spirit man that I study the Jewish holidays. My ex-husband felt it, too; he’d say, “Leslie, what is Yom Kippur?” And my frustration grew as I couldn’t really answer that intelligently.

So I embarked on a journey that has taken me wonderful places! I began to study what I came to know as the “Feasts of the Lord.” In the spring of 2000, I ended up at the local synagogue (well, sort of local–about 30 miles away in Greensboro!), taking Judaism classes. I twisted the arm of my best friend Vicki to come with me (didn’t take much persuasion–she’s a very spiritual woman!).

Each Tuesday night, we headed to Temple Emanuel for Judaism 101, followed by Beginner Hebrew. Such anointed nights! I would sit hungrily in the Judaism class, soaking up the teachings about the holidays, seeing our Messiah concealed in each one. Then I’d hurry over to my beloved professor Andrew (we called him “A-DAM” (pronounced “a-DOM”) who would teach us to speak Hebrew through the “Read Hebrew America” program. He was so witty that I thought he should go on stage as a comedian!

He asked us what our names meant so that he could pick out a corresponding Hebrew name for us. I told him that Leslie meant “from the meadow,” so he chose the name “Sharona” (as in the roses of Sharon that bloom in the meadow) for me. When he’d call on me to read aloud, he would often burst into song with “My Sharona.”

Hebrew came easily for me. I would practice and practice each lesson at home, but it seemed I had a natural bent toward and accent for the language.

I never divulged that I was a Christian–not because I was embarrassed but because I didn’t want them to think I was there to proselytize. I wasn’t. I wanted to learn my Messiah’s culture and history from HIS people. But one night when it was time to read the Shema (Shema Yisrael! Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad–see picture for interpretation), I was so excited that I volunteered immediately when Andrew asked for a reader. My hand was up like Arnold Horshack’s!

Andrew said, somewhat frustratedly, “Is there ANYONE other than Sharona who will EVER volunteer to read aloud?” When everyone stared blankly at him, he cried out to his fellow Jews, “PEOPLE! The Christian chicks are blowing us away!”

I froze. How did he know I was a Christian? Was that a problem? Should I quit the class? I ended calling Andrew at his home and offering to drop out, assuring him that my motives were pure–simply to learn. He was magnanimous–told me it was no problem that I was in the class, that he was thrilled American Christians were wanting to build bridges of understanding between themselves and different cultures. I finished out the class in total comfort and peace.

Over a decade has passed since that time, but my love for the Jewish people and Israel has never diminished but in fact grown by leaps and bounds. I’ve sat at the feet of a fabulous Hebrew scholar/Christian preacher, Dr. Karl Coke of Charlotte, NC,  off and on for several years now. And in 2003, I began to teach about the Feasts of the Lord myself–to my fellow church members.

God has since opened doors for me to teach these things to people of varying denominations–not just at my own church. And the doors are opening more rapidly now; I’ve already been asked to do a teaching series on the Feasts at another local church.

As a Gentile, I didn’t grow up with these feasts and may have some of my facts wrong–something that I would bitterly regret and would ask that some kind Jewish (or Gentile) person correct me on. I would not be offended. (And please remember that I am a Christian who sees the Messiah in each Feast; I mean no disrespect for the Jews by teaching from a Christian perspective.)

Here is a YouTube video of a teaching I did at my local library last Thursday night, March 29, in preparation for Passover which is today, April 6. I will post a handout that accompanies the video teaching in case you want to follow along. I hope you can take time to watch it and experience the symbolism in the memorable Feast of Passover!

FEASTS OF THE LORD
What are the feasts of the Lord?
–The 7 Biblically commanded feasts in Lev. 23
–They are not Jewish feasts (Lev. 23:4)

Why should we study them?
–OT: Jesus CONCEALED   NT: Jesus REVEALED
–They teach us about the PAST
–we learn Jewish history
–we see Jesus symbolically concealed in them
–helps us understand our Messiah
–types and shadows (Col. 2:16-17, Heb. 8:5)
–They teach us about the PRESENT
–show us present-day truths
–give us knowledge of salvation and how to live in Christ
–They teach us about the FUTURE
–Col. 2:17 again
–revelations of the endtime are hidden in the feasts
–they are called “mikra”: rehearsal, recital (our rehearsal of our future)
–But they’re for the Jews, aren’t they?
–Israel OBSERVED them, Jesus FULFILLED them, we must APPLY them to our lives

Are we under commandment to observe them?
–No, according to Paul in Col. 2:16 (remember his circumcision argument earlier also)
–However, since we are now grafted into the commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12-13), we can certainly celebrate them and be blessed (double portion)
–Much historical evidence that early Christians, even Gentiles, celebrated feasts
–in 339 A.D., it became a criminal offense to convert to Judaism
–thus, Gentiles celebrating feasts = ostracism
–decades later, Synod of Laodicea ruled against Christians feasting with Jews

Is the order of them significant?
–Yes, they are called “moedim”: set times, appointed times
–Their order is the exact order of our lives in Christ
–Passover: we acknowledge that Jesus died for our sins and accept Him
–Unleavened Bread: we get rid of sin through repentance and baptism
–Firstfruits: we are raised with Him to offer ourselves
–Weeks (Pentecost): we receive the Holy Spirit
–Trumpets: Jesus comes back to get us
–Day of Atonement: we are judged
–Tabernacles: we enter our millenial rest, eventually Heaven
–There are seven feasts for a reason (rest)
–The first four have been fulfilled by Jesus; the last three remain to be fulfilled

PASSOVER (PESACH)
When is Pesach?
Nissan (Abib) 14 (on the 14th day of the first Jewish month)
–usually near our Easter but not always
Jews also call it “Hag ha-Aviv”–holiday of spring
–symbolized release from winter (bondage) into spring (freedom–Promised Land)
God’s mercy was shown even in the dates of Passover
–if a man couldn’t keep it, due to being defiled or away, he had another chance! (Num. 9:1-14)
–to be done the 14th day of the next month (called “Pesach Katan”)

What is Pesach?
In Hebrew, it means “to skip or leap over” (Angel of Death skipped over Israelites)
–also “to pass or hover over, for protection” (God hovered over them to shield them)
Jews see it as their “mikrah” (rehearsal) of their final redemption when Messiah comes
Specific instructions on how to celebrate are found in a few places
–Lev. 23:4-5, 7; Num. 28:16-23; Deut. 16:1-7; Ezek. 45:21
Historic celebrations of it can be found in several places
–Era of Moses: freedom from Egypt (Ex. 12:1-14, 42-50)
–again, the 2nd year after leaving Egypt (Num. 9:1-14)
–Era of Joshua: entering the Promised Land (Josh. 5:10-12)
–Era of Hezekiah: cleansing of the Temple (II Chron. 30:1-20)
–Era of Josiah: cleansing of the Temple (II Kings 23:21-23; II Chron. 35:1-27)
–Era of Nehemiah: rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ezra 6:19-21)
–Era of Jesus’ childhood: his 12th year (Luke 2:41)
–Era of Jesus’ adulthood: his 33rd year (Matt. 26:2, 17 – 27:45; Mark 14:1 – 15:25; Luke 22:1 – 23:33; John 2:13-23, 6:4, 11:55 – 19:42)
–Era of Paul: New Testament church (I Cor. 5:7-8; Heb. 11:28)

How is Jesus revealed in Pesach?
**The Gospel is paralleled in Exodus 12:1-14!
v. 2: “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”
–Pesach celebrated in spring–newness of life outside of Egypt (bondage)
–Jesus as our Passover: new beginning; newness of life outside of the world
—“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;   
            behold, all things are become new.” II Cor. 5:17
v. 3: “. . .In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb. . .”
–the lamb was set aside for 4 days (killed on the 14th)
—“For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past” Psalm 90:4
—“. . .one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”     II Peter 3:8
–from Adam to Jesus, 4000 years (4 days)
–“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world. . .” I Peter 1:19-20
–Jesus entered Jerusalem on Abib 10; was there 4 days before death
–family fond of lamb (tied to doorpost): truly a sacrifice
–pre-existent Jesus as God in OT
v. 3: “. . .they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house. . .”
–OT salvation for whole family
–Noah’s whole house saved (Gen. 7:1)
–Joshua’s whole house made a decision (Josh. 24:15)
–NT salvation was often the whole house
–Lydia’s whole household was baptized (Acts 16:15)
–Paul’s jailer and his whole house was saved (Acts 16:31)
–Crispus believed on the Lord with all his house (Acts 18:8)
v. 4: “And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.”
–NT command to witness and spread the Gospel: salvation is for everyone!
v 5: “Your lamb shall be without blemish. . .”
–Jesus was our “lamb without blemish” (I Peter 1:19)
–OT lamb had to be inspected (customarily, 7 times)
–Jesus was inspected 7 times
–#1: Pilate: “I find no fault in him.” (John 19:4)
–#2: Herod: “I. . .have found no fault in this man. . .” (Luke 23:14)
–#3: Annas: sent Him to son-in-law Caiaphas (John 18:24)
–#4: Caiaphas: “sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.” (Mark 14:55)
–#5: Judas: “. . .I have betrayed innocent blood.” (Matt. 27:4)
–#6: Centurion: “Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Matt. 27:54)
–#7: Thief (cross): “. . .this man hath done nothing. . .” (Luke 23:41)
v. 5: “Your lamb shall be. . .a male. . .”
–Jesus was often referred to as “one man”
—“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Rom. 5:19)
v. 5: “Your lamb shall be. . .of the first year. . .”
–scholars say this was a firstborn lamb
–Biblical principle that firstborns belong to God
–Jesus was “the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29)
–many OT types of Messiah were really second-born who became firstborn!
–Cain replaced by Abel, Ishmael by Isaac, Esau by Jacob
–even in NT, firstborn man Adam replaced by second man Jesus
–our first birth is our flesh birth
–must have second birth (born again) to become firstborn!
v. 5: “. . .ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats. . .”
–sheep always represented Israel, goats–Gentiles (us)
–foreshadowing salvation for all!
v. 6: “And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it. . .”
–the Jews took responsibility for Jesus’ death
—“Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.” (Matt. 27:25)
v. 6: “And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day. . and. . .shall kill it in the evening.”
–Pesach lamb killed in the afternoon of the 14th day
–Jesus was crucified at 9 a.m. but died at 3 p.m.
–“in the evening” literally means “between 2 evenings”
–at noon on the 14th, darkness covered the land for 3 hours
–when the light came again at 3 p.m., then Jesus died (Mark 15:33-37)
–He literally was slain “between 2 evenings”
v. 7: “And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.”
–we must apply His blood to our lives to be forgiven
—“. . .without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22)
—“. . .by his own blood he entered in. . .having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Heb. 9:12)
–Jesus shed blood from 5 places (5 = grace)
–head (thorns), hands (nails), feet (nails), back (whip), side (spear)
–lamb’s blood was on door: Jesus was the Lamb AND the Door
—“I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” (John 10:9)
–this application of blood forms the Hebrew letter “chai” (“life”)
v. 8: “And they shall eat the flesh in that night. . .”
–they were commanded not only to apply the blood but to eat the lamb
–Jesus said, “Whoso eateth my flesh. . .hath eternal life.” (John 6:54)
v. 8: “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread. . .”
—“I am the living bread. . .if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever.” (John 6:51)
–Jesus: our unleavened bread (leaven = sin)
–we, too, must let go of sin (leaven) when we are saved
v. 8: “. . .and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”
–suffering and death: we must die to self when we are saved
v. 9: “Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.”
–we must take ALL of Christ and His word, nothing watered down
–”purtenance” means innards, entrails (every part)
v. 10: “And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.”
–again, the emphasis is on eating ALL of the lamb (Him)
–if something was left, evidently we didn’t share enough
–remember the parable of the talents! (Matt. 25:25)
v. 11: “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.”
–had to eat quickly to get out of Egypt
–when we receive Messiah, we are to leave the world ASAP!
–He had let judgment “pass over” them and now could only continue to “hover over” them if they left Egypt
v. 12: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”
–judgment is for Egypt, not for God’s people
–each of the 10 plagues corresponded to one of their gods
–”I am the I AM” (don’t mess with me!)
v. 13: “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”
–blood represented a covenant relationship; God couldn’t break His word
–but you also had to do YOUR part–apply the blood to your house (life)
—“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:25)
–“propitiation”: substitute (Jesus was your Passover lamb killed for you)
–“forbearance”: He was kind and patient enough to forgive us (pass over us)
v. 14: “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”
–by law, the Jews had to keep the feast literally
–by grace, we have to keep the feast spiritually (apply the blood, eat the Lamb, leave Egypt)

What are the blessings of Pesach?
Obviously, life (through the blood of the lamb)
Healing and prosperity
—“He brought them forth also with silver and gold; and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” (Psalm 105:37)
–these blessings came from partaking of the Passover
–we have a right to these things, too, through Jesus
—“And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.” (II Chron. 30:20)–at Passover
–blood of the Lamb breaks the curse of sin, sickness and poverty

How is Pesach celebrated?
**The Jewish customs are not necessarily Biblical ordinances
Spring cleaning: the week before
–Passover always involved cleaning things up
–Josiah put evil out of the land before they held Passover
–Hezekiah’s people cast their pagan altars into a brook at Passover
–Jesus cleansed the Temple just before Passover
–Jewish priests wouldn’t go into the Hall of Judgment when Jesus was being tried (couldn’t be defiled before Passover)
“Erev Pesach”–night before Pesach when final housecleaning is done
–search for “hametz” (leaven): led by dad (traditionally with candle)
–leaven found must be burned
–some use palm branch from Sukkot (final fall feast) to light fire
“Fast of the Firstborn”–the day before Pesach, from sunup to sundown; a fast for firstborn Jews to commemorate their being spared
–some fast in honor of Esther’s fast (originally Abib 13)
“Seder” (“order”)–Passover meal eaten at sundown on Abib 15
–certain foods served in a certain order
–“karpas” (green vegetables, like parsley, symbolizing spring and rebirth, dipped in salt water to represent their tears)
–“haroset” (chopped apples, nuts, wine & spices: the mortar of Egyptian brickmaking)
–“maror” (bitter herbs like romaine or horseradish to represent slavery)
–“beitzah” (hardboiled egg scorched on stove burner to symbolize the Jews who have been burned but never beaten)
–“zeroa” (roasted lamb bone)
–certain customs kept
–recline on left side when eating (sign of freedom in ancient world), except when eating foods that symbolize slavery
–keep a large, ornate goblet filled with wine for Elijah who will come before Messiah
–head of family wears “kittel”–white robe similar to priest’s garment (he is the priest of the family who does the sacrifice)
–children ask 4 questions about Passover so that traditions and the story of the exodus may be passed down
–4 cups of wine are blessed and served
Biblically speaking, new ordinances were added after the original
–Many burnt offerings to be made (Num. 28:16-23)
–included a goat for a sin offering (Jesus as our scapegoat)
–Specific place designated for offerings once there was a tabernacle plan (Deut. 16:1-7)
–had to be offered “in the place which the Lord shall choose to put His name”
–no longer could Jews kill the lamb within their OWN gates (we can do nothing of ourselves once we have Jesus)