God’s appointed times means God is saying this is My calendar and My schedule, I want to make an appointment with you to meet with Me. What an honour this is for all of us! These appointed times, seasons, holy days all refer to God’s will being fulfilled in the physical time we are in.
The first appointment is the Sabbath. Every week God wants to meet you and see you, in this holy tabernacle at this holy time.
Biblical holy days in Hebrew is “mikrah” which means a holy convocation, gathering, assembly.
The root word for mikrah is yarah. “Vayikrah” and “torah” also share the same root. These convocations are times when God is calling His people to give them His Word. God commanded the Israelites to remember 8 events in a year.
Other than the Sabbath, there are 7 feasts and holy days.
- Passover
- Feast of Unleavened Bread
- Feast of First Fruits
- Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, Feast of Harvest)
- Feast of Trumpets
- Day of Atonement
- Feast of Tabernacle (Feast of Booths)
These 7 most important holy days are instituted through the Exodus and the wilderness journey. They commemorate the process of God saving His people and bringing them into the land of Canaan.
For the Israelites, redemption work was Exodus and the wilderness journey. For us that redemption work is a foreshadow of Jesus’ crucifixion, receiving the Holy Spirit and our life in the church.
God tells His people to observe and remember these holy days, as it is connected to the coming Messiah and the end times. (Deuteronomy 32:7)
Mikrah serves 4 purposes to the Jewish mind:
- To remember God’s saving work in Egypt and the wilderness
- As reminders for people to give thanks to God in times of harvest while living in Canaan
- As a prophecy of the Messiah’s work, these feasts and holy days become signs to look for in Jesus. They are a great tool and aid to help us recognise who Jesus is.
- To outline the times in redemptive history
For the Jews, Mikrah is not just about the past, it is about looking forward. Every year they are rehearsing for the coming of the Messiah. Holy days of the Lord become holidays for us today. God wants His people to convocate on holidays. Thus holidays are not legitimate reasons to be away from church.
Holy days are set from before creation. God does the work of creation and redemption within time. That is why in Genesis 1 He introduces the concept of time “in the beginning”.
(Genesis 1:14) Seasons = moed which means appointed times. All Jewish feasts are called “moed”.
1. Passover (Exodus 12:3-6)
In the gospels, John the Baptist declares Jesus as the lamb. (John 1:29)
The last week of Jesus’ life before crucifixion is called Passion Week and also Passover week. Jesus entered into Jerusalem to be questioned, on the 10th of Nisan, and the day He died was the 14th of Nisan. On the 10th of Nisan, the Jews were to bring in the lamb, and examine it for 4 days. Then on the 14th they kill the lamb. The blood of the lamb is what saves them, just as Jesus’ blood saves us.
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread
7 days from the day after the Passover, from the 15th of Nisan, to the 21st of Nisan. The Israelites cannot eat any leaven and they were to clean and remove all leaven from their houses. (Exodus 12:15, 19, Leviticus 23:6-8) Before crucifixion, Jesus cleansed the temple.
In the history of the bible, the Exodus happened on the 15th of Nisan. On the 21st of Nisan, the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they crossed the Red Sea, burying Pharaoh and the army in the sea.
Mark 7:6-9, Jesus said that teaching the traditions of men is hypocrisy. My own interpretations and thoughts delivered as the Word of God is leaven. We’ve to receive the Word as is, without adding my thoughts to them.
3. Feast of First Fruits
This took place during the week long Passover celebration. (Leviticus 23:4-8) On the day after the 1st Sabbath day (15th) after Passover.
The Feast of First Fruits is the resurrection day. Jesus resurrected on Lord’s Day and became the first fruit of resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
The Israelites were to gather the first fruits and offer it to God without eating any themselves. They believe the Lord will provide for the rest of the year.
4. Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, Feast of the harvest)
This feast is kept on the 50th day from the Feast of First Fruits. (Exodus 34:22)
In the Old Testament, on this day God came down to give His people the 10 Commandments in His own voice. This is the birth of Israel. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit came down on this day, this is the birth of the church. From there, they went out harvesting, evangelising, and giving thanks. (Romans 8:23, James 1:18). Personally, receiving the Holy Spirit is the birth of my new self.
Passover is when we are given salvation. We eat freely what God gives to us. The feast of weeks however, is the time to give thanks for the fruits we bear as a result. (Leviticus 23:16-20, Number 28:26-31).
5. Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-24)
This is kept on the 1st day of the 7th month, Tishri.
On this day at break of dawn, they blow trumpets to announce to people that the new beginning of the farming year has come. The Jews also believed this day is the day God created Adam.
What do trumpets mean?
- Trumpets were used to signal war, convocations and alerting events. Joshua 6:5, 20, Job 39:25, Jeremiah 4:19, Jeremiah 49:2.
- Trumpets were heard in the presence of the Lord. When the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, trumpet sounds came. Exodus 19:16-19, Revelation 11:15, 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
As soon as the people of Israel heard the sound of trumpets, they immediately gathered to the Tabernacle of meeting. The blowing of the trumpets on this day was to prepare the people to meet God in the new year.
1 Corinthians 15, apostle Paul writes that at the sound of the trumpet, the Lord will come and transfiguration will take place,. 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
6. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27-32)
This is kept on the 10th day of the 7th month. This is the day on which people of God afflicted themselves, lest they may be cut off. It is the day when all sins and transgressions are atoned for.
This represents the final day when God engraves His living Word on the tablets on our hearts and cleanse away all sins. (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Our spirit and soul and body will receive complete salvation.
7. Feast of Booths / Feast of Tabernacle (Leviticus 23:33-43)
This is kept for 7 days from the 15th day of the 7th month.
This is the day the Israelites built the tabernacle after Moses returned from his 8th descent from Mount Sinai.
In Revelation 21 the New Jerusalem is the eternal tabernacle. This feast foreshadows the day when we will enter that eternal tabernacle. The Jews call this last day of the feast: Hoshanna Rabah – the great day of celebration.
These 7 days of celebration are really great days of joy and thanksgiving. So no sin offering is given during these feasts.
Deuteronomy 16:15, they should celebrate for 7 days. 7 represents the eternal time, time of completion. Let us come into this feast, this day, and celebrate for 7 days, celebrate eternally in the kingdom of heaven.
Conclusion: Where is my faith standing in this timeline?
At Passover, feast of weeks, Day of Atonement?
- Passover = Jesus’ death on the cross and grace of salvation
- Feast of Unleavened Bread = time of growth and nurturing in the Word without leaven, time we are set apart from the world and receiving the Word
- Feast of Weeks = Movement of evangelism
- Day of Atonement = Day we are perfected in salvation, spirit soul and body
- Feast of Tabernacle = Foreshadows eternal tabernacle, the new Jerusalem
God has His appointed times and God has set His place. We need to be at the appointed place where God wants us to be. May we be ready wherever God wants to meet with us.
AMEN!
