Gen 1:14 [Hebrew Stone’s Edition Tanach, (O.T.)  “Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for festivals and for days and years”

 

Act 3:19-21 (NASB)  "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

If one can grasp the meaning of the Feasts of the Lord and the temple Sacrifices, one will understand much of the entire plan of the Bible!  Know that when you read the word convocation in relation to the feasts the Hebrew means not only an assembly but it means a REHEARSAL and feast means a set time or an appointed time.

Every feast points to and symbolizes Jesus the Christ – past, present and future.  The 7 holy feasts occur in the 2 rain seasons – the Spring [former rain] and the fall [latter rain].  Hosea 6:3, “…and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

The Jewish Calendars

 

THE FEASTS OF THE LORD – Leviticus 23

The Spring Festivals – The Former Rain

Pesach or Passover

·        Related Scriptures:

·        Passover begins on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish religious calendar which is Nisan or Aviv.

·        God, not Moses, is the Redeemer; Moses is the heroic messenger.

·        The MALE, unblemished lamb at the peak of its life was brought in on the 10^th day of Nisan.  The lamb represents Christ and the number ten is the number of law.  Prior to the temple the Israelites lived with and inspected the lamb for 4 days.  4 is the number of all creation which Christ is to redeem.  After the temple a lamb was chosen by the high priest outside of Jerusalem on the tenth of Nisan. Then the priest would lead this lamb into the city while crowds of worshippers lined the streets waving palm branches and singing Psalm 118, "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord."  Jesus our Messiah who also came from outside Jerusalem entered Jerusalem this same day, on a donkey (usually ridden by a king), probably right behind the High Priest's procession. The crowds that had just heralded the entrance of the sacrificial lamb heralded the entrance of the Lamb of God. Accordingly, Jesus identified himself with the Passover sacrifice (John 12:9-19).  The High Priest would then take the lamb to the Temple, where it would be tied in public view so that it could be inspected for blemishes. In the same way, Jesus sat and taught in the Temple courtyard for four days. He was inspected and questioned as the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law sought to trip him up in His words and entrap Him. They could not, because He was perfect and without blemish.

• Before the Jewish temple, in the doorway on the 14^th of Nisan at the appointed time, the Father would lay his hands on the head of the lamb using his weight.  This would indicate full substitution and identification with and consecration of the lamb and attest to the appropriateness and fitness of the sacrifice.  The lamb’s throat would be cut and the blood applied to the top and side posts of the door.  The mother would roast the lamb over an open fire using [according to some Jewish scholars] a pomegranate stick.  The pomegranate represented fruitfulness and life due to its many seeds and ability to reproduce itself and was a frequent ornament in Jewish societies, particularly on temple garments.  The firstborn of every house whose door was “covered with the blood” would be spared; all houses not covered by the blood would have the firstborn killed.  Exodus 4:22, 23 (NASB) "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My firstborn.  So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."  On this night He killed every first born of Egypt, to set His Firstborn Son Israel free. And on this night some 1400 years later, He sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, to free everyone from slavery to sin and punishment.

·        After the temple the Passover lamb could only be slain in Jerusalem.  The Priest would bind the lamb to the altar on the 14^th of Nissan at 9AM.  At the same time outside the city, Jesus the Christ was both tied and nailed to the cross.  For 6 hours, both awaited death.  The lamb was to be slain “in the evening” – the Hebrew meaning being “between the evenings” or 3PM.  At 3PM the High Priest ascended the altar in the Temple, took his knife and killed the lamb pronouncing the words, “It is finished.”  This is the term that the priest in the temple would say with the conclusion of the daily peace offering as well as the various special festival offerings.  At exactly the same moment Jesus the Christ gave up His Spirit with the same words and died.

·        Many teach that originally, prior to the temple, each father acting as priest and killing the lamb for their own house symbolized Israel as a kingdom of priests.  This was later altered by Israel’s sinfulness resulting in the institution of the Aaronic priesthood by God.  The Lord’s Supper, as taught in the New Testament, demonstrates the return of the “kingdom of priests.”

·        There was only one real Passover – the first one.  All others were a celebration of the first.  Because conditions changed after both the deliverance from Pharaoh’s hand and the temple, the rules for subsequent Passovers changed.  Blood was no longer applied to the side and top door posts; it was handled according to temple rules.  Although certainly remembered, the rules regarding shoes on the feet, staff in hand, loins girded, eating in haste and not leaving the house were also relaxed.

·        Scriptures related to the Passover not only clearly typify the plan of salvation and sacrifice of the Christ, they also show the nature and character of God and Christ via commanding Israel to humbly remember the conditions that led to the exodus and by demanding kindness to strangers, orphans, widows, and the downtrodden.  Also, gentiles were able to partake of the protections of the Passover through faith demonstrated by obedience.

·        In the 6-week period preceding Pesach, there are 5 special Sabbaths. Four are entitled after the special Torah reading of that Sabbath. The fifth takes on luster because of it's proximity to the holiday itself.  See Appendix.

·        Passover represents the crucifixion of Jesus. He died on Preparation Day, the day before the special Sabbath (Mark 15:24).  He became our Paschal Lamb and was sacrificed on Passover.  The Christian communion service commonly called the Lord’s Supper is, in fact, a Passover celebration meal [Seder] celebrated with its full revelation and meaning revealed.

• During the Passover time, a sign hung on each lamb’s neck, bearing the name of the owner of the lamb. Jesus was crucified with a sign hung over His head with the name of His Father. Studies have shown the Tetragrammaton [the Hebrew unpronounceable name of God] probably appeared over Jesus when He hung on the cross. During Bible times, messages were commonly written with the first letter of each word. An example in English: UPS, stands for United Parcel Service. The phrase "Jesus of Nazareth and King of the Jews" was written in three languages on a sign above Jesus as He hung on the cross (John 19:19). The Hebrew initials for "Jesus of Nazareth and King of the Jews" was YHWH. That is why the priest asked Pilate to change the writing.

·        Jesus died at 3PM.  They hurried to place Him in the tomb by sunset at which time [Nisan 15] the next festival – Unleavened Bread begins.  John 19:31-42  Nisan 15 is the day Israel ate the Passover lamb with matzo and bitter herbs.  During this feast God not only commands Israel to eat matzo, He also demands they eat no leavened bread, that leaven not be found or even seen in their homes or even in their territories for those seven days (Exodus 13:3-10).  To prepare for this Passover feast, the home is cleaned from all leaven. (Spiritually, there must be a cleansing from sin in the individual as taught by Paul regarding the Lord ’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:24-32)  That is why Nisan 14 is called Preparation Day.  All bread, cakes, pasta, cookies and dry cereal are removed. Liquor is also removed because it is made from grain and could possible constitute a form of leaven. The house is cleaned of all crumbs.  Sometimes leaven would be hidden and a game would be made of finding it and getting completely rid of it before the deadline.  This feast also typifies sanctification and purity.  Spring cleaning started 13 days before the feast.  The preparations included a ceremony called Bedikat Hametz – the search for leaven.  The Search for Leaven was conducted in the dark and utilized a large wooden spoon, a long white feather, a candle, and an envelope for the burning of the leaven.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being.  Every nook and cranny of the house would be searched by the “light of the Lord”.  When leaven was found it would be brushed by the white feather [Holy Spirit] onto the wooden spoon [the Cross], placed in the envelope [the grave] and later burned showing it was never to return.  These leavened items should be burned and there is a special ceremony to do this, but since this might prove to be a financial hardship for some, they are permitted to remove it from the home and "sell" it to a Gentile friend for the duration of Passover.  Then it may be bought back.  Certain pets that ate grain based foods could be temporarily sold to a non-Jewish friend and bought back after the holiday. 

HAG HAMATZOH, MATZOT OR UNLEAVENED BREAD

• Related Scriptures:

·        The day after Passover, the 15th of the month of Nissan, starts the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  The purging of all leaven had taken place on Preparation Day and unleavened bread must be eaten for the length of the feast - 7 days.  Jesus was buried on Preparation Day and is depicted as both the Passover lamb and the matzo.  This day is when Israel eats the Passover meal with matzo and bitter herbs.  Why bitter herbs?  One Rabbi puts it this way:
At the Seder we say: "In every generation they rise against us to annihilate us." The Egyptians broke our backs and our spirits. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple and rivers of Jewish blood flowed. And so it was in every generation: Crusades, Inquisitions, Pogroms, Holocaust, Arab terrorism. Intense and irrational hatred has stalked our people to every corner of the globe.  Why the hatred? The Talmud says the Hebrew word for "hatred" (sinah) is related to the word "Sinai." At Mount Sinai, the Jewish people acquired the legacy of morality and justice -- a message that evil cannot tolerate. We taught the world "to beat their swords into plowshares." We taught the world "to love your neighbor as yourself." We taught the world equality before justice, and that admiration belongs not to the rich and powerful -- but to the good, the wise, and the kind.  Hitler said: "The Jews have inflicted two wounds on mankind -- circumcision on the body, and conscience on the soul." How right he was and how much more work we have to do.  Throughout the generations, the forces of darkness have sought to extinguish our flame. But the Jews have somehow prevailed. We have God's promise that we will be the eternal nation. For without our message, the world would revert to utter chaos.  At the Seder, we eat the bitter herbs -- in combination with matzah -- to underscore that God is present not only during our periods of freedom (symbolized by the matzah), but during our bitter periods of exile as well. He will never forsake us.  

·        Leaven is symbolic of sin.  It is that which gets inside and alters what it enters by puffing up.  The Hebrew for leaven is “chametz” which means decay, corruption and sour” and in the Bible leaven is used symbolically of sin, slavery and corrupted doctrine.  Eating unleavened bread symbolized a life of holiness.

·        The brown spots in matzo are called bruises.  'The LORD God of Israel, speaking through His Prophet Isaiah declares about the Messiah: 'And yet ours was the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished struck by God and afflicted. Yet, he was pierced through for our stubbornness, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his stripes we were healed' (Isaiah 53:4-5).  Notice all the stripes and holes in the flat matzo.  From the very beginning, matzo has had to be pierced so that the heat won't cause it to have air bubbles. Isaiah speaks of our Messiah as being pierced.  In the New Covenant we see that Jesus had His Hands, Feet and Side pierced through at His Death. God goes on to say that the Messiah would be 'crushed for our sins.' The matzo, at one time came from whole kernels. These had to be crushed into fine flour, mixed with water and placed in an oven. Biblical matzo was made with flour, water, salt and olive oil representing the sinless body, cleansing, preserving and the Holy Spirit.  The crucifixion was the furnace that crushed and 'baked' Him. 'But it pleased the LORD to crush him...' Is. 53:10. 

·        The Pesach Seder [Passover meal] involved 4 cups of wine which symbolized the 4 promises given to Moses from God in Exodus 6:6-7.  This was a rabbinical decree from Mishna Pesachim 10:1.  The rules of leavening apply to food prepared out of any of the five kinds of grain; barley, wheat, rye, oats, and spelt.  Although wine is fermented, it doesn't enter into the category of leaven because it’s not made from one of these five types. Some reports indicated that possibly unfermented "raisin-wine" was the only acceptable beverage for Passover. Today only kosher wine is used for Passover.  During the Seder, each participant drinks four cups of wine to recall the four expressions of redemption mentioned in the Bible (Ex. 6:6-7). God tells Moses to tell the people of Israel, "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you from under their bondage and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments: and I will take you to Me for a people and I will be to you a God." The four cups at the Seder represent the four expressions of redemption--bring, deliver, redeem and take. The first cup is called the cup of sanctification; the second, the cup of judgment; the third, the cup of redemption; and the fourth, the cup of the kingdom.  When Jesus said, “This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins” in Matthew 26:28, he had picked up the third cup – the cup of redemption.  

·        At regular holidays and Sabbath meals two loaves of unleavened bread are placed on the table as reminders of the shewbreads displayed in two rows by the priest in the temple.  On this particular feast a third matzo is added for the ceremony of the Three Matzot, the three pieces of unleavened bread. They are either placed under a napkin or in a Matzo Pouch, a single pouch with 3 compartments called the Unity Bag. The middle piece of matzo will be taken out and broken in half in a ceremony called “yachatz” meaning “to break.”.  One half will be placed back inside the pouch’s middle compartment between the other two pieces of matzo, and the other half will be wrapped inside a napkin and buried in a part of the house.  The buried broken matzo in Greek is called “afikomen” meaning ‘that which comes last’ or possibly, “he will come again.”  It is also called the bread of affliction or the bread of redemption.  The Hebrew for the matzo returned to the middle pouch is called Lechem Oni [the Bread of Poverty].  After the meal, the children will be released to try and find the buried matzo.  Nothing can continue till the buried matzo is found.  The one who finds it brings it to the father and is rewarded a silver piece or something of that nature.  The host will then raise the matzo and declare, 'All who are hungry and afflicted, come to this table and eat.'  He then lifts the matzo up, blesses God for redeeming Israel from Egyptian slavery and passes the matzo around for all to eat of it.  The best that Rabbis that still reject their Messiah can decipher from this is that they either represent Abraham, Issac and Jacob or the three layers of society in ancient Israel; the Aaronic Priesthood, the Levitical Priesthood and the rest of Israel.  But why then is either "Issac" or the "Levitical Priesthood" broken?  Second, why hide the middle matzo? And third, why reward the child with a piece of silver for bringing the hidden matzo?  The Three Matzot represent the Triunity of the Godhead – 3 separate but one just like the pouch.  That is why the pouch is known as the “Unity bag.”  The three matzot are covered by a napkin or placed in the pouch. Either way, they cannot be seen. And neither can we see God.  The ceremony of the Three Matzot represents the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah of the world.  The removal of the matzo depicts the revealing of the Christ - the word made flesh.  The breaking of the matzo is the breaking or crucifixion of the Son of God, the middle Person of the Godhead.  The wrapping of the matzo in a napkin depicts the wrapping and burial of the Christ while the other half placed back into the middle of the pouch depicts Jesus’ continued status as Godhead. The child bringing the hidden matzo into view again declares the resurrection of the Christ.  Silver is the metal symbolic of redemption (Exodus 30:11-16).  The buried matzo is called “He will come again or last,” the bread of affliction or the bread of redemption and the matzo returned to the pouch is called the Bread Of Poverty showing Jesus “emptied” himself.  Phillipians 2:5-8 (NASB)  “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

·        The matzo of Passover is a graphic picture of the crucified body of the Messiah - the piercing, the crushing and the bruises in addition to the matzo having no leaven symbolizing no sin.  This is why the LORD commanded that matzo be the bread of Passover - so that Jesus could inject Himself into the meaning of the matzo 1450 years after the Exodus out of Egyptian slavery.  And Jesus is the Matza that has come down from Heaven that gives us Life and True Freedom.

·        Jesus is called the “Bread of Life” and in Hebrew Bethlehem where he was born means “House of Bread.”  1Corinthians 5:6-8 (NASB) Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?  Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.  For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.  Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  In Jacobs time Bethlehem was also called “fruitful,” and David was anointed King by Saul in Bethlehem which is why it was called the City of David in Luke 2:4,11. 

BIKKURIM OR  FIRSTFRUITS OF THE BARLEY HARVEST

·        Related Scriptures:

·        The Feast of Firstfruits occurs on Nisan 17 - the third day after the beginning of Passover.  It's a feast of thanksgiving - it celebrates the barley harvest, the first grain of the season.  It is a celebration of new life, a celebration of the first harvest looking toward the larger harvest yet to come; a celebration of the promise yet to be fulfilled.  When the Israelites entered the Promised Land they were to present an offering of the first fruits of the land to the Lord God.  Firstfruits also typify people and this feast coincides with the exact day of the resurrection of Christ.  Christ is called, “the firstfruits of those that rise from the dead.”  [1 Corinthians 15: 20-23].  As part of the Temple ceremony, the priest would take some of the barley, lift it up, and wave it to the Lord in the sight of all the people. One of the foundational doctrines of our faith is the resurrection of the Messiah. This event was foreshadowed in the Feast of First Fruits, where not only did the Messiah die on Passover, but He rose on the Feast of First Fruits. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (Jn. 12:32)

·        There are actually 2 firstfruits.  This feast is called the early firstfruits (barley).  50 days later there is the feast of Weeks or Pentecost where you have the latter firstfruits (wheat).  Jesus being the early firstfruits and us the latter adds more meaning to what Jesus said in John 12:24,25, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.”  The 50 days in between is called the counting of the Omer.  An omer is a unit of measure – one tenth of an ephah which is about 2.2 liters.  This makes it a modest but important offering since the new produce could not be eaten until this firstfruits offering was brought to the Temple priest. On Nisan 17, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering.  Sometimes the Farmer would mark the offering with red cloth.  Every night to the night before Pentecost, Israelites recite a blessing and state the count of the omer in both weeks and days. So on the 16th day, they would say "Today is sixteen days, which is two weeks and two days of the Omer."  The counting is intended to remind Israel of the link between Passover, which commemorates the Exodus, and Pentecost, which commemorates the giving of the Torah.  The Torah is the first 5 books of Moses and the oral law involving the 613 commandments received as the Israelites camped at Sinai for a year.  The counting of the omer also reminds Israel that the redemption from slavery was not complete until they received the Torah.  It also was a reminder of the importance of what was coming – the word firstfruits means “a promise to come.”  Recall Jesus promised the Holy Spirit at this same time.  [Luke 24, 44-49]

·        The early firstfruits are waved before the Lord in their natural state.  The latter firstfruits were waved in a prepared state.  Both Israel and the church entered this period in their “raw” unprepared state, spiritually speaking.  Later, Israel was empowered at Mt. Sinai with the Torah and the church was empowered on the same day about a millennium and a half later with the Holy Spirit.  Both were prepared as the latter firstfruits typify. 

·        Science tells us that the firstfruits, like sprouts, are the most biologically alive plants.  They have the fullest life potential with the full chemical composition for the beginning and the end of its life unlike any other time in the life cycle of the plant.  Jesus described himself as being the fullest life and being the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega!  Jesus also said, “I am THE truth.”  The Hebrew word for truth is Emeth. It is composed of three letters: Aleph=Alpha, Mem=My, and Thaw=Theta. The Aleph and the Thaw are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet as the Alpha and Omega are of the Greek. Thus the term Emeth (truth) begins with the first letter of the alphabet and ends with the last.  This led the Jewish sages to find in this word a mystical meaning. The Aleph or the first letter of Emeth(truth) denotes that God is the first of all things. There was no one before Him of whom He could have received the fullness of truth. The Thaw, or last letter, in like manner signifies that God is the last of all things. There will be no one after Him – he is the fullness of all things and all things dwell in truth.

·        Originally the Jews were only given a 3 day leave by Pharaoh after the Passover. [Exo 8:27, 28 "We must go a three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us."  Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me." Exodus 12:31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, "Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the LORD, as you have said.] Israel remained under Pharaoh’s ownership.  Some Jewish scholars believe that in the original Passover the Jews would have received their freedom on Sunday, the day Pharaoh drowned in the sea and the same day the Christ rose from the dead.  Pharaoh’s death released all ownership rights freeing Israel to continue on into the Promised Land!  On Nisan 17, when Israel emerged from the Red Sea, this emergence was a shadow of the fulfillment of the day of resurrection and Firstfruits (Lev. 23:9-14). God's people emerged from sin (Egypt). The death of Pharaoh [sin] freed them.  If God hadn’t “resurrected” them after 3 days from certain death on the other side of the sea, they would have remained in sin [Egypt, Pharaoh, slavery].  Israel’s “resurrection” resulted in sin [Egypt, Pharaoh] being conquered.  1Co 15:17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. All this history lost its mystery when 1,478 years later on Nisan 17, 30 a.d. Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven as our high priest, the Firstfruit of the resurrected (John 20:17). 

SHAVUOT OR THE FEAST OF WEEKS OR PENTECOST

·        Scriptures related to Pentecost:

·        This occurred 50 days after the first Passover in Egypt when the Hebrew people came to Mount Sinai and received the Torah.  Shavuot means “weeks” and represents the 7 weeks the Hebrews prepared themselves for the giving of the Torah.  Jewish sages have compared this event to a wedding between God and the Hebrew people.  Also, the Apostles and others prepared themselves for the giving of the Holy Ghost which arrived 50 days after the resurrection [firstfruits].  The law of sin and death was delivered on Mt. Sinai; the law of the Spirit of life in Christ was delivered in Jerusalem on Pentecost [Greek for 50^th].  God would now be writing the Law in the hearts of believers.  At Sinai God birthed a nation, in the New Testament God birthed the church on the same day while the 120 and countless others who came to Jerusalem were celebrating the Feast and the giving of the Torah.  There were 3 feasts that required a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.  This is the reason for the crowd.  Scripture readings as part of Shavuot include Exodus and Ezekiel which speak of signs and wonders, many resembling what happened in Jerusalem on Pentecost.. 

·        An offering of 2 loaves of bread is made to the Lord as part of this feast.  It is significant that these loaves are baked with leaven, symbolic of sin.  It is believed these loaves represented the still imperfect Jew and Gentile being birthed as one new man [Ephesians 2:15] which is the church, the body of Christ.  The Kingdom of Heaven had now fully commenced while we head toward the fullness of the Kingdom of God at the end of the ages.  It is commonly misstated that the setting up of Jesus’ Kingdom was delayed.  This is untrue.  The Kingdom of Heaven [professing Christians comprised of wheat and tares] was to come first as Jesus plainly taught time and again.  Another example of this merging of Jew and Gentile appears in the book of Ruth, which is also read during this Feast.  Shavuot is the time of the wheat harvest in the land of Israel. Ruth, a Gentile, returned with her Jewish mother in law, Naomi, to the land of Israel during the time of the beginning of the harvest. One of the commandments given regarding Shavuot was Leviticus 23:22, where it states that the corners of a field being harvested must be left for the poor and the stranger (Gentile).  It was because of this Levitical law that Ruth, a Gentile, met and married Boaz, a Jew, bringing forth a son, who became the ancestor of Jesus the Christ.  This typifies again the Jew and Gentile coming together in Christ.

·        When God appeared at Sinai a shofar [trumpet made from a ram’s horn] sounded louder and louder.  Fire was seen, the wind roared and the ground shook.  Israel was in awe as the voice of God brought forth the Torah.  Jewish tradition states God spoke not only in Hebrew, but in every known tongue at the time.  The similarities of what happened at Pentecost with the noise, the wind, the fire, the shaking and everyone hearing the Spirit filled Apostles and others preaching in their own tongue proves the prophetic nature of what happened.

·        This feast was designated the Atzeret which is a festive gathering for the conclusion of a festive season, a concluding feast of Passover.

·        Many teach that in the prophetic time line we are between the Spring Feasts and the Fall Feasts with the Spring Feasts showing what has occurred and the Fall Feasts showing what is coming.

THE FALL FEASTS

YOM TERUAH OR THE FEASTS OF TRUMPETS OR SHOFAR
WHICH LATER BECAME KNOWN AS Head of the Year (Rosh Hashannah)

·        Scriptures related to the Feast Of Trumpets:

·        The 3 Fall feasts occur in the 7^th month – the Sabbatical month.  Most feasts start in the middle of the month around the Full Moon.  This feast also called Yom haDin or Day of Judgement starts the first of the month when a sliver of the moon shows and no one knew exactly when the trumpets would sound.  This encouraged a state of readiness.

·        The sounding of the shofar (ram’s horn) on the Feast of Trumpets ushered in ten sacred days that end on the Day of Atonement.  The number 10 is the number of law and this 10 day period is known as the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe or High Holy Days).  It is during this sacred time, the time of the great trumpet blast, that Jews believed each person’s final destiny in the Age to come was sealed in the Book of Life. 

·        During this time, Jews made things right with God and man, forgave and asked forgiveness and performed through spiritual house cleaning.  While repentance allowed the Jews to resolve these conflicts throughout the year, it was the main focus during Rosh Hashana. Repentance consists of several steps in the Jewish tradition including;
1.  Recognition and admission of the wrong doing
2.  Renunciation of the action
3.  Restitution to the wronged party and
4.  A promise not to repeat the offense. 
The theme of repentance figures into most all of the rituals and prayers of Rosh Hashana.  Sometime between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, it is customary to throw bread crumbs into a body of water as a symbolic act of repentance. This is called tashlich.  Most Jews do tashlich the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashana. Family and friends gather together at the waterfront to "cast away" the sins of the past year and resolve to do better in the year to come.  Micah 7:19 is among passages quoted.  “He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.”

·        In all services there would be awakening blasts from the shofar (ram’s horn).  There were three kinds of notes. The tekiah was a single blast. The shevarim was a set of three blasts. The teruah was a set of nine very short blasts. During the shofar service the horn blower blows three notes in different combinations as they are called out. At the end of the shofar service, a very long tekiah , the tekiah gedolah [the great trumpet blast Isaiah 27:13; Matthew 24:31] is blown.  It was to alert all believers to:
1. Wake up, acknowledge and face the Creator
2. Do whatever repentance was necessary
3. Remember the revelation on Mount Sinai (the Law)
4. Remember the exhortation of the prophets
5. Remember the destruction of the Temple
6. Recall the Binding of Isaac for sacrifice and the ram provided by the Lord
7. Be alert to possible imminent danger
8. Prepare for the Day of Judgment and Atonement which is at hand
9. Focus on the redemption of Israel
10. Remember the resurrection

·        Repentance in Hebrew is called “teshuvah which means to turn around and come back.  Jesus’ opening message was the same as the message of this feast, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” Matthew 4:17.  Also notice this feast came BEFORE the Day Of Atonement following the same pattern as Jesus taught – getting right with your brother BEFORE offering your gift on the altar.  [Matthew 5:23-24] 

·        Some teach that the more bent over [showing humility] one is for this feast the better.  Some point to the shape of the shofar as an example of humility.

YOM KIPPUR OR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

·        Scriptures related to the Day of Atonement:

·        This is Israel’s most Holy day.  The whole focus is on atonement and forgiveness of sin.  Atonement means to cover or to cancel.  The Hebrew for sin is “chet” which means to miss the mark, to come up short of God’s standard.  Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.  Only shed blood could atone for the soul.  God Himself was the first to atone [cover up] for sin by shedding blood when he sacrificed animals to cover Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Sinful man knew instinctively that something had to be done to cover sin because he tried covering himself with fig leaves.

·        While other sacrifices were done on this day, the main focus was the annual sacrifice consisting of 2 goats.  Although it was 2 goats it was considered one sacrifice.  The “chatat” (sin goat) was to be sacrificed on the altar after the priest had confessed the sins of the nation over it.  The second goat, the “azazel”, commonly called scapegoat, also had the sins of the people confessed over it but was then set free in the wilderness.  The standard thinking is that this symbolized the sins were sent away never to return but deeper research indicates this meant the sins were being sent back to the source of evil itself as proof there was no more condemnation for the sins.  See Appendix on Azazel.

·        While being bent over in humility is the preferred posture of the Feast of Trumpets, the straighter one is during this festival the better.

SUKKOT OR THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

THE SABBATH

PURIM – THE FEAST OF ESTHER
Compiled by Leon Clymer

The Jewish holiday of Purim, from the Book of Esther, is distinctly different from all the others. First of all, Purim tells the story of Jewish people who chose to live in a prosperous foreign country instead of returning to help rebuild the nation of Israel. Many American Jews today are faced with this dilemma, and most, like Mordecai and Esther, choose what appears to be a "safer" alternative. Purim also shows how G-D uses people who are willing to listen and obey in order to save and preserve His Chosen People, wherever they are.

The story takes place in Shushan, the capitol of Persia, shortly after the reign of Xerxes (486-465 B.C.E.) According to the Book of Ezra, the Jews of the Babylonian Exile had been allowed to leave in 538 B. C. to rebuild Israel. The events described in Esther happened approximately 100 years later to the descendants of those Jews who decided to stay in Babylonia.

Their circumstances sound very familiar to our present time. They were mostly of the Persian middle class. A few had even risen to prominent positions. The central characters, Mordecai and Esther, had Persian names. The name of Mordecai is believed to be a variant of "Merodach", patron deity of Babylon. The name of Esther means "she who is hidden ". Her Hebrew name is "Hadassah ". Apparently, Mordecai and Esther, and most of the other Persian Jews, had chosen to assimilate into Persian society to avoid discrimination, Esther kept her Jewishness a secret even when she was chosen as Queen.

However, G-D always seems to raise up a Pharaoh, Hitler, or Haman, to remind the Jews of their destiny. Haman, the Jew-hater of this story, was a descendent of Amalek, the eternal enemy of Israel. King Saul hand an opportunity to destroy Amalek’s descendants, but disobeyed G-D. (1 Samuel 15:9) Therefore, Mordecai, a Ben jaminite like Saul, was forced to deal with Haman. Haman aroused the anti-semitic hatred of the Persians and planned to exterminate all Jews.

After casting lots (Purim), Haman decided the Jews would all be killed on the thirteenth day of Adar, and all of their property seized. He persuaded King Ahasuerus with reasons that are always used against Jews; and the Jews are aliens in the land, they have "different" laws and customs, they were disloyal to the natkn. Foolishly, the King agreed wth Haman ‘s plan, and the fate of the Persian Jews was seemingly sealed.

However, G-D had a different pian. Responding to the supplications and pleas of His people, He raised up a deliverer in Esther, the Jewish Queen of Persia. Esther, like Moses, Gideon, and many others, was at first reluctant. She was afraid to expose her Jewish identity to help her people. Mordecai, her cousin and advisor, was forced to remind her in Esther 4:14 that G-D would raise another deliverer if she failed to respond. So Esther made the decision to lay down her life, if that was required, to save her people from destruction.

The remainder of the story is an example of God’s justice. Haman is exposed and hanged, Mordecai is promoted, and the Jews in all of the Persian Empire are allowed to defend themselves against their enemies. And so the day of destruction was turned into a day of deliverance for the diaspora Jews.

Purim, like Chanukkah, is a sign of physical redeeming of G-D’s people. Today, Jews and Gentiles alike, have the perfect redemption in Yeshua the Messiah, who laid down His life to rescue all who accept Him. Purim, like all of the Jewish Holidays, point to Him as our Redeemer. It is a said by the Rabbis "While all other Festivals may be annulled, Purim will never pass away". We are redeemed by Yeshua, and like Purim, the salvation He brings will never pass away.

Purim, or the Feast of Esther, happens every year on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of Adar, the last month of the Jewish calendar. Adar usually corresponds with the month of March. Esther 9:27 & 28 teaches the Jewish people to "Keep these two days. . . and that these days should be remembered every generation ".

In the Synagogues and Temples, the Megillah, or Book of Esther, is read aloud. When the name of Haman, the Jews’ enemy, is pronounced, children and adults alike, whistle, shake rattles, noisemakers, and stomp their feet to blot out the name. The children have costume parties and the women bake "Hamantaschens", which are small pastries shaped like a three cornered hat (Haman’s hat).

Even through Purim is a festive time, there is a period of fasting to remember that G-D heard His people when they fasted and cried out to Him. Also, Purim is a time for sending gifts of food to your friends and for helping the poor people in your community.

THE FEAST OF DEDICATION – CHANUKKAH

THE SACRIFICES

Appendixes

·        Some explanations regarding Passover dates:

·        Traditional Seder [Passover meal] Outline

·        History of the Jewish Star

·        The special Sabbaths preceding Passover

The Four Parashiyot

In the six weeks preceding Pesah during the months of Adar and Nisan, there occur four special Sabbaths called Sheqalim, Zakhor, Parah, and Shabbat Hahodesh. In addition, the Sabbath immediately preceding Pesah is called Shabbat Hagadol. The first four are referred to as the 'Arba Parashiyot and are distinguished by additional readings from the Torah and special lessons from the prophets. Two of these are connected with the celebration of Passover (M. Meg. 3:4). (A good summary of the 'Arba Parashiyot can be found in the Mishnah Berurah on O.H. 681:1, n. 1.)

Shabbat Sheqalim

In ancient days, every male Israelite twenty years and older had to contribute a half-shekel annually to the maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem. This had to be paid before the first of Nisan. In order to remind the people of this duty, proclamations were made on the first of Adar that the half-shekel was due (M. Sheq. 1:1). Inasmuch as Jews came to the synagogue on the Sabbath, it was instituted that on the Sabbath preceding the first of Adar, the Torah reading would include the passage describing the first proclamation of the half-shekel. On that Sabbath two Torah scrolls are removed from the ark. In one we read the portion of the week, and in the other Exodus 30:11-16, which contains this passage (O.H. 685:1). If the first day of Adar occurs on a Sabbath, three Torah scrolls are used: the first for the portion of the week, the second for the section for Rosh Hodesh (Num. 29:9-15), and the third for the section for Sheqalim (O.H. 685:1). Hatzi Qaddish is recited on the Sabbaths of the four parashiyot upon completion of the reading from the scroll prior to the one from which the Maftir is read. The Haftarah is from 11 Kings 12:1-17, which is an account of the gifts contributed for the repair of the Temple in the reign of King Jehoash. This Haftarah is recited even if Shabbat Sheqalim falls on Rosh Hodesh (O.H. 685:1).   In a leap year Shabbat Sheqalim occurs on the Sabbath before Adar II, or on Rosh Hodesh Adar II if it occurs on the Sabbath.

Shabbat Zakhor

The Sabbath preceding Purim is called Shabbat Zakhor. Again two Torah scrolls are used. In the first the portion of the week is read, and in the second, Deuteronomy 25:17-19, which tells of the battle with Amalek. This portion begins with the word zakhor-hence the name of the Sabbath. The Haftarah is from I Samuel 15:1-34, which also tells of a battle with the Amalekites. This material is associated with Purim because of a tradition that Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites since he was called an Agagite, and Agag was king of the Amalekites in the time of Samuel (I Sam. 15:8).

Shabbat Parah

The third of the four Sabbaths is Shabbat Parah. This must always precede the last of the four Sabbaths, Shabbat Hahodesh. Thus if Rosh Hodesh Nisan falls on a Sabbath and it also becomes Shabbat Habodesh, Shabbat Parah falls on the last Sabbath of Adar (O.H. 685:3-4). If Rosh Hodesh Nisan is in the middle of the week, Shabbat Habodesh falls on the last Sabbath of the month of Adar and Shabbat Parah precedes it (O.H. 685:5).   Again two Torah scrolls are used. From the first we read the portion of the week, and from the second, the laws concerning the red heifer (parah adumah) in Numbers 19:1-22. The Haftarah deals with the future purification of Israel as described in the Book of Ezekiel (36:16-38).   All Israelites carne to the Temple in Jerusalem on Pesah in order to offer the Paschal lamb. They had to be in a state of ritual purity to perform this rite. Since the ashes of the red heifer were used in the process of purification, this passage served to remind those who were not in a state of purity to take the necessary steps.

Shabbat Hahodesh

The Sabbath before the month of Nisan, or the first of Nisan if it is a Saturday, is Shabbat Hahodesh. Again two Torah scrolls are used. In the first we read the portion of the week, and in the second, Exodus 12:1-20. If Rosh Hodesh Nisan is on Sabbath, three Torah scrolls are used. In the first we read the portion of the week, in the second, the portion for Rosh Hodesh (Num. 28:9-15), and in the third, that of Shabbat Hahodesh. Qaddish is said after the reading of the second scroll. The Haftarah is Ezekiel 45: 16--46:18, which contains a description of the sacrifices to be brought on the first of Nisan, Pesah, and other festivals in the future Temple. This Sabbath celebrates the arrival of the month of Nisan, during which the liberation of the children of Israel took place.

·        The Jews and the relation to the moon

·        Azazel – Who was he?