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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
| AUTUMN FEASTS
THE PATTERN OF THINGS TO COME |
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 “They (the High Priest) serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:5-6)
“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37-8)
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| FEAST OF TRUMPETS |
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 “The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.’ ” (Leviticus 23:23-5)
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| DAY OF ATONEMENT |
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 “The Lord said to Moses, The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. Do not work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath." (Leviticus 23:26-32)
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| FEAST OF TABERNACLES |
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 “The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the Lord by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work……… On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the Lord for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native- born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ “ (Leviticus 23:33-44)
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| ONWARDS INTO AUTUMN |
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 In the natural, I have to admit that I am a ‘summer man’, preferring the sun of summer to the cold of winter. But in New Zealand it doesn’t get really hot in summer, as a cooling sea completely surrounds us. Our climate tends to be a very pleasant, temperate one. Undoubtedly would have different preferences, living in warmer climes. Certainly are products of our environment, aren’t we?
Spiritually however, there is no doubt that autumn is the time to live, irrespective of where we live! For those whose desire is to participate in the fullness of God’s plan for his people, the ‘spiritual autumn’ is most definitely the time to be alive! As summer separates spring and autumn in the natural, so nearly 2,000 years separates the Spring and Autumn Feasts in the spiritual.
Earlier, we looked at the history of the church, seeing how it gradually declined when spring gave way to the long summer of the Dark Ages, some time after the feast of Pentecost. The ‘autumn’ Reformation saw the gradual restorative process commence. The truths and experiences of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Pentecost were re-established from the 1500’s to the 1900’s. Their re-establishment has prepared the church for the exciting culmination of God’s ‘master plan’. For we are destined to return to the full glory Adam and Eve enjoyed before the terrible temptation of that fateful fruit became too exciting to resist.
Genesis 2:15
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 Man took care of the garden on God’s behalf. One day, those who qualify for the first resurrection will rule and reign over the earth, with the Father’s delegated representative, Jesus Christ at their helm, for a period of 1,000 years. Sound fanciful? Not at all! For it is the logical conclusion of past events and is confirmed by scripture itself.
Revelation 20:4-6
As we investigate the Autumn Feasts, we will see just who these people are.
Throughout these writings, the logical nature of God has been presented. His master plan for the human race from the beginning of time, a plan from which He has never deviated. Our problem though is one of perception. Because we live in such a minute portion of His time span, we cannot see the full extent of the perfect plan He has devised. It is only now, as His plan approaches its logical conclusion and the Lord is choosing to reveal more of it to us, that we can begin to comprehend a little more of its magnificence, but still, only in the broadest sense.
A certain observation in Scripture is that types, patterns and prophecies are generally best understood after they have happened! I am relieved that it is not just me, for many of the greatest characters in the Bible have failed to recognise God’s hand until after the event too. God has a real sense of humour. I can just envisage Him chuckling to Himself, as He watches our puny attempts to predict, in the finest detail, what He is going to do with and to us! “I will show them”, He likely laughs to Himself, “My ways are greater than their ways and my thoughts greater than their thoughts!”
So we wont attempt to outthink God in our considerations of the Autumn Feasts, but will look at the patterns they have established, and attempt to draw some apparently logical conclusions from them. But no doubt, God will still have the last laugh!
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| TIMING OF THE FEASTS |
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 Of the seven feasts, three involve the specific revelation of one of the three persons of the Godhead. The specific fulfilment of each of these three feasts relates to a single event, in which the character and majesty of the participant is revealed. The full nature of Jesus was revealed at Passover, on the cross and in His resurrection. The full nature of the Holy Spirit, in turn, was revealed on the Day of Pentecost. Logic therefore has it, that the full nature of God the Father will be revealed in the form of His delegated servant, Jesus, at the time Jesus returns to rule and reign upon the earth in fulfilment of the Feast of Tabernacles. While we do not know the date and time of His return, for not even Jesus does Himself. Isn’t it just possible however, that it may be during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, the feast that reveals the nature of the Father?
Interestingly, these three ‘Godhead’ feasts have the other four logically placed between them. The feature of these remaining four is that all require action on our behalf, for their fulfilment. Let’s look at the order in which the Feasts occur.
1. Feast of Passover……………….. Revealing the character of Jesus
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread.....………Symbolic of removing sin from our lives
3. Feast of Firstfruits……………….........Thanks for God’s bountiful provision
4. Feast of Pentecost………………. Revealing the character of the Holy Spirit
5. Feast of Trumpets………………..........Advising us to prepare for God’s imminent return
6. Day of Atonement………………..........A call to holiness prior to God’s return
7. Feast of Tabernacles……………..Revealing the character of God the Father
...................................................through Jesus Christ
While this all seems logical and straightforward when expressed in this way, it has not appeared so to us, because of the timing involved. For there has been a long gap between the Feasts of Pentecost and Trumpets, of over 1900 years, that has served to confuse the situation for us. We don’t know why this occurred. Was it man’s reaction to the revealing of the Holy Spirit that prompted the delay, or was it God’s plan all along? We don’t have the answer. Maybe God planned all along that there would be a summer between the spring and the autumn, as there is in the natural. He certainly knew it would turn out that way.
So let’s add in the seasons and see how they manage to confuse the simple picture above!
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| SPRING FEASTS (All c. 30AD).............Church grew until c.100AD. |
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 1. Feast of Passover
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread
3. Feast of Firstfruits
4. Feast of Pentecost
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| SUMMER (c.100 - 1900’s AD)..............Decline and rebuilding of the church from c.1500’s on. |
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| AUTUMN FEASTS (c. late 1900’s - ?)....Until the Lord returns. |
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 1. Feast of Trumpets
2. Day of Atonement
3. Feast of Tabernacles
While the summer break upsets the rhythm, as holidays seem to do, (everything shut down during the Dark Ages, just like NZ’s shops used to do during the holidays!), the inevitability of God’s supreme pattern will still be fulfilled.
Over the next weeks we will look at the individual Autumn Feasts in more detail, to search out the truths they reveal and to discover their relevance for our lives today.
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| <i>NEXT WEEK</i> |
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 As we now move into our detailed studies on the 3 Feasts remaining to be fulfilled, my heart jumps with excitement. For these next studies are going to give us an indication of God's future plans for you and for me.
And it all starts with the Feast of Trumpets.
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 I hope you will be starting to pick up the broad picture and that you might become as enthusiastic as I am about some of the principles that these Autumn Feasts are going to reveal. It really is an incredible study!
My country of New Zealand has very beautiful scenery, so during this series I am going to share some of this with you.
Today it's one of our magnificent sunsets over the live volcanoes in the centre of the North Island.
'Sunset from Ngapuketurua' - The sun sets over Ruapehu, Ngaruahoe and Tongariro.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
2. A foolish man needs wisdom, the wise man godliness, a godly man the character of Christ.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Links to other sites of interest: http://www.wwj.org.nz/links.php
Till Death do us Part!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/tddup.php
Pets Rule!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/pets.php
The World's Greatest Groans: http://www.wwj.org.nz/groans.php
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