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BACKGROUND
THE FEASTS
EASTON
FEAST; FESTIVALS - RELIGIOUS; ATONEMENT; ATONEMENT, DAY OF; AZAZEL; PASSOVER; PENTECOST; TABERNACLES, FEAST OF:
NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY
PASSOVER; PENTECOST, FEAST OF; TABERNACLES, FEAST OF:
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
THE FEASTS - BIBLE DICTIONARIES
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| THE PROPHETIC FEASTS OF THE LORD
God's Past Pattern and Future Plan
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 The Feasts of Israel were the Feasts of the Lord, for He graciously gave them to His people as the pattern around which they were to base their spiritual lives and their worship of God. The whole Jewish religious calendar was focused around the celebration of these feasts. So let’s explore these exciting and revelatory festivals, by starting in the best place, quoting the Bible!
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To be Celebrated, Even in Captivity
Hosea 9:5
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They Establish Heavenly Patterns of Things on Earth
Hebrews 9:9
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| A QUESTION OF RELEVANCE? |
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 What on earth (or in heaven!) can be the relevance of these ancient Feasts to us today? Surely they have been fulfilled by Jesus, and replaced by the New Covenant of Jesus? The answer is both yes and no!
1. FULFILLMENT IN THE NATURAL: Let’s be perfectly clear right at the outset. In the natural, Jesus came as the final fulfilment of all three groups of Feasts, the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Feast of Tabernacles. There is no way that any of these feasts can, need to be or will be re-established in a physical form. For Jesus was the final natural fulfilment for them all.
2. FULLFILLMENT IN THE SPIRITUAL: Remember how we have discussed earlier that the New Testament interprets and fulfils the Old? Quoted the well-known saying, ‘The New is in the Old concealed, while the Old is in the New revealed.’ To really understand the New, we must first understand the Old. This may be a revolutionary thought to some, but it is valid.
We hear our Parliament or Congress, our government, by listening to the radio. However to fully understand the institution and its procedures we need to know the history of its formation and growth. With that understanding, we can appreciate, (although not necessarily like!) what is going on a lot more. So it is with our Christian walk. We read the New Testament, and interpret it a way determined by our historical and cultural perceptions, which obviously vary from country to country. We know what it says, but not necessarily why it is said. However, if we take the time and make the considerable effort required to also become familiar with the Old Testament, we will begin to understand the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’. In that way our understanding and appreciation of the Lord, who He is, what He is, and what He has done, will increase dramatically, enhancing and enriching our faith. The two work in tandem. For instance, 1 Corinthians 15:46 states a principle that has actually applied right through the Bible.
1 Corinthians 15:46
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 Nowhere is this more valid than in the Feasts of the Lord. Looking at the church as a whole, Jesus fulfilled all seven feasts in the natural, but only one group in the spiritual. This was the first, the Feast of Passover with His death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit literally spiritually fulfilled the Feast of Pentecost in power, on the Day of Pentecost. The Feast of Tabernacles however, has yet to be fulfilled in the Spiritual. For there are many promises in the Bible about healings, miracles and signs and wonders that have not yet occurred in their fullness. So either the Bible is exaggerating, or the fulfilment of these promises is still to come, after a third supernatural event, yet to occur. By following our progressive logic pattern, the pattern of threes that has permeated this book, the final fulfilment of God’s promises to the Church will be centred around the pattern of the Feast of Tabernacles, being overseen by God the Father himself!
Does that excite you? It certainly does me. Indeed it represents the fulfilment of the teaching of this book. And a thousand times more importantly, it also signals the ushering in of the End Time Age, to which all Christians are looking towards with eager anticipation. Or we should be! Some may argue that this will only happen with the return of Jesus, but that flies in the face of history and experience to date, the promises the Bible makes about the fulfilment of the Church and, most importantly, in the face of the pattern of the Feast of Tabernacles. But that is just a morsel to tantalisingly tempt our taste buds! The main course follows later! For first of all, we must start at the beginning, building on the solid foundation of the Feasts that have already been fulfilled.
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| SPRING AND AUTUMN FEASTS |
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 As there are three prime colours plus another four shades, making up a rainbow, so there are three divisions of feasts which include four others, making up the full complement of the Lords Feasts. Another illustration of God’s perfect pattern – or maybe just co-incidence, once again! The number of co-incidences we keep finding is reaching the level of improbability!
In the first set of feasts, summarised as Passover, there are three feasts. Pentecost stands alone. Then there is a further grouping of three under the broad heading of Tabernacles. The first four feasts, those of Passover and Pentecost, take place in the spring, while the final three, in the Tabernacle grouping, are celebrated during the autumn.
So, as we have already seen, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, fulfilled the spring feasts, both naturally and spiritually, The autumn feasts too, have been fulfilled in the natural by Jesus, but are still awaiting spiritual fulfilment. (I must stop using fulfilled and fulfilment as I continually have to correct their spellings, when prompted by my computer’s spellchecker! Then again, I could take time out to learn the correct spellings, couldn’t I! Lots like life really! So easy to put things in the too hard basket!) Once again, I suspect that co-incidence is being stretched to believe that this clear seasonal division is by mere chance.
In the studies ahead, we are going to look at the fully completed spring feasts. Thereby laying the foundation for our discussion on the amazing experiences that await us in the spiritual fulfilment (That word again – got it right this time!) of the three autumn, Tabernacle Feasts, still to come in a later series.
There are two vitally important local Jewish factors to understand before proceeding further. The weather patterns and monthly calendars of Israel. For their climate is basically dry, as you would expect. But there is a 4-5 month rainy season, commencing, and wettest, in the autumn, followed by irregular showers during the winter with another smaller peak, prior to spring. So unlike those of us who are used to living in colder climates, the most suitable time for growing annual crops is over the cooler winter period with its accompanying rainfall, not through the heat and dryness of summer. Therefore annual crops, such as wheat and barley are planted to benefit from the autumn rains, to grow through the winter, be brought towards maturity in the spring rainfall, before being harvested in early summer. The permanent crops however such as grapes and olives, follow traditional growing patterns the world over. Growing over the spring and summer, coming to maturity in late summer/autumn and being harvested prior to the autumn rains. Understanding this will enable us to better see the pattern of the Feasts, for they are intricately interwoven into the seasonal agricultural cycles.
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 Confusing things further, for nothing seems to be simple in Israel, either then or now, they had and still have, two calendars! The first is the Religious Calendar, based upon the agricultural cycle. Hence the start of the religious year was in the spring, around March or April in our calendar, the time of hope and promise to all those on the land, the world over. The barley and wheat harvests followed a month later.
Jewish calendars vary with the cycles of the moon. Passover, for instance, is celebrated in the middle of the first month of a New Year, at roughly the same time we celebrate Easter. We ‘weekend’ it but they don’t. For Jesus died at Passover. Another co-incidence? Definitely not, as we shall see shortly.
The Civil Calendar on the other hand, is as different as it is possible to be - out by six months! The first month of the civil calendar was the seventh month of the religious one. Clear as mud? Clear as crystal, I hope! So you have to be very careful with verses that say something like, ‘in the first month’, to know which calendar they are based upon. For that understanding may be crucial to pick up the full meaning of a whole passage of scripture!
It is probably a good time now to give an overview of the feasts themselves and the purpose for which each was instituted, in order to keep our later, more detailed, considerations in perspective.
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| PASSOVER |
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 RELIGIOUS MONTH: Twilight 14th of the 1st
TODAY: Mar-Apr
SCRIPTURE: Ex 12:1-14
PURPOSE: Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Eat lamb with bitter herbs & unleavened bread.
RELATIONSHIP TO MOSE'S TABERNACLE: Outer Court
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| Unleavened Bread |
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 RELIGIOUS MONTH: 15th-21st of the 1st
TODAY: Mar-Apr
SCRIPTURE: Ex 12:15-20
PURPOSE: Out of Egypt in haste. Unleavened bread, several assemblies, specified offerings.
RELATIONSHIP TO MOSE'S TABERNACLE: Outer Court
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| First Fruits |
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 RELIGIOUS MONTH: 17th or 18th 1st
TODAY: Mar-Apr
SCRIPTURE: Lev 23:9-14
PURPOSE: Recognising the Lord’s bounty in the land. Wave offering of first barley sheaf.
RELATIONSHIP TO MOSE'S TABERNACLE: Outer Court
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| PENTECOST |
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 RELIGIOUS MONTH: 6th of the 3rd
TODAY: May-Jun
SCRIPTURE: Lev 23:15-21
PURPOSE: A joyous thanks for the Lord’s blessing of harvest. Offerings include wheat.
RELATIONSHIP TO MOSE'S TABERNACLE: Holy Place
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| Trumpets |
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 RELIGIOUS MONTH: 1st of the 7th
TODAY: Sep-Oct
SCRIPTURE: Lev 23:23-25
PURPOSE: Asking for the Lord’s favour with trumpet blasts and sacrifices.
RELATIONSHIP TO MOSE'S TABERNACLE: Holy of Holies
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| Atonement |
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 RELIGIOUS MONTH: 10th of the 7th
TODAY: Sep-Oct
SCRIPTURE: Lev 16:1-24
PURPOSE: Cleansing priests & people from their sins. Solemn day of fasting & sacrifice.
RELATIONSHIP TO MOSE'S TABERNACLE: Holy of Holies
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| TABERNACLES |
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 RELIGIOUS MONTH: 15th-21st of the 7th
TODAY: Sep-Oct
SCRIPTURE: Lev 23:33-43
PURPOSE: Thanks for journey into & productivity of Canaan. Celebration in booths, sacrifices.
RELATIONSHIP TO MOSE'S TABERNACLE: Holy of Holies
We will next take a look at the individual spring feasts, identify their meanings, seeing how Jesus fulfilled them both naturally and spiritually, and their application to our lives today.
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| <i>NEXT WEEK</i>
THE PROPHETIC FEASTS OF THE LORD - Series 1 -
THE SPRING FEASTS - Part 2
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 Passover celebrated not only the release of the downtrodden Jews from Egypt, but also set the pattern for the coming of Jesus.
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 While there may be lots of things about our God that we don't understand, when it comes to His purpose and plan for mankind, there is no question. For it is illustrated and discussed, in many different ways, right throughout the Bible, in both Testaments. There is no excuse for us not to understand, and even less excuse not to follow in the paths He has clearly laid out for us. But, of course, the choice is always ours.
Throughout this series we are going to have a look at some of the sports and adventure activities found in New Zealand. Sadly, sport is the religion of many of our people. But as Paul said, physical activity is of some value. We just need to keep it in perspective!
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 New Zealand's national sport is Rugby Union. Our national team, the All Blacks, is the most famous in the world, although, in the modern era of professionalism, not always the best, these days. They are well known not only for their 'football' but also for the fearsome 'haka', the Maori war dance they perform before the battle begins.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
Learn more about us at...
www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
734. Man's blood spilled, is to be feared. Jesus' blood spilled, to be revered.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Eagles Fly High! (Pastors, Teachers and Students): http://www.wwj.org.nz/eaglepts.php
God Facts (A mine of information): http://www.wwj.org.nz/gfacts.php
Facts for Fun: http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php
Marriage and Family Facts: http://www.wwj.org.nz/maffacts.php
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God’s Instruction to His People 
God’s Blessing to be Upon Those Who Attend 
The Festivals Point towards a Fulfilment in Christ