I wanted to let you know that
I'm in the midst of scheduling speaking events for myself from now
through next year at about this time. God's been opening some amazing
doors to minister and share His heart for people through little old me.
I'm blessed to be along for the ride! :-)
I had a conversation
with someone recently who didn't realize that there was a lot more I
could offer a congregation than just Jesus in the Passover
presentations. So, I thought I'd share a little teaching on the Fall
Feasts of Israel! Think of it as preparation for what is to come
prophetically. If there's any way I can be of service to you or your
congregation (or you want to pass this email along to share with someone
that's okay!), just let me know!
(At sunset on Sept. 4, 2013 Israel begins year 5774 on the Hebrew Calendar.)
The fall is arguably the most important time of the year in Judaism.
Three of Israel’s holiest days are celebrated then, and all in the space
of 15 days. They are Yom Teruah, or Feast of Trumpets, followed 10
days later by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and 5 days after that by
Sukkot, the week long Feast of Tabernacles. On our calendar they
usually occur some time between mid September and early October due to
the differences between the Jewish (lunar) calendar and the western
(solar) one. Each of these holy days has both historical and prophetic
significance, the prophetic fulfillment to occur on the day itself.
Therefore Christians study them for glimpses into the future as well as
to gain a better understanding of Jewish culture.
Happy New Year
Gentiles (non-Jewish
people) are sometimes confused in their studies of these holy days by
the fact that the God changed the Jewish calendar at the time of the
first Passover (
Exodus 12:2). What had been the 7th month was
thereafter to be the first, moving the beginning of the year to the
spring, 14 days before Passover.
But because of the harvest, the Jewish people retained their original
calendar as well, so now they have a religious year which begins in the
spring and a civil year beginning in the fall. This is why the Feast of
Trumpets is also known as Rosh Hashanah, which means “head of the
year”.
Rosh Hashanah is a time of new beginnings. According to tradition,
the creation of heaven and earth was completed on Rosh Hashanah, and
therefore Adam was born on that day. For Jewish people these events
combine to give the day it’s historical and future fulfillment. Also,
based on the view that John the Baptist was born in the spring, around
Passover, and his birth preceded the birth of Jesus by 6 months, it is
likely that the
birth of the Messiah was on Rosh Hashanah (although some Jewish believers would argue for the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles).
Unlike other Jewish feasts the Feast of Trumpets takes place on a New
Moon, when just a sliver of the Moon appears in the night sky. Since
this has to be confirmed by eye witness sightings the weather has to be
very clear to observe the rising of the New Moon, and it’s not always
that way. For this reason the Feast of Trumpets is known as the feast
where no one knows the day or the hour, something Jesus may have alluded
to in Mark 13:32.
According to
Matt. 24:29, the Sun, Moon and stars will all go
dark at the end of the Great Tribulation period to signify that the most
terrifying judgments ever to be visited on Planet Earth have ended.
Sometime afterward the Lord will return on the clouds of the sky with
power and great glory. Four times within the span of 28 verses the
Lord said the people on Earth at the time will not know the exact time
of His return in advance, using a form of the phrase “you will not know
the day or the hour” (
Matt. 24:46, Matt. 24:42-44, Matt. 24:50, Matt. 25:13).
This leads some scholars to speculate His return will coincide with
the Feast of Trumpets. If so the 2nd Coming will be the prophetic
fulfillment for the Feast of Trumpets.
Of the Lord’s coming with power and great Glory,
Zechariah 9:14 tells us,
"Then
the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Lord GOD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the
south, and the LORD Almighty will shield them."
And
Matt. 24:30-31 adds,
“At that time the
sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of
the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with
a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Others think that the "Rapture" of the believers will happen on Rosh Hashanah.
Religious
Jewish people believe that on this day in Heaven, books recording the
good and evil deeds of mankind are opened on Rosh Hashanah for an annual
review of man’s behavior. To this end, they spend the previous month in
a sincere effort to right all the wrongs they may have committed during
the year just ending.
When the books are opened, the names of those whose life has been
exemplary in every respect are immediately entered into the book for
another year of life, while those who have demonstrated no redeeming
qualities at all are scheduled for death. Since normal bell curve
distribution would indicate that very few fit at either extreme, the
majority will have 10 more days until Yom Kippur to “get right with
God.” These 10 days are called the Days of Awe where each man’s destiny
hangs in the balance as he goes about asking forgiveness from friends
and neighbors for the sins he’s committed in the year just past. Thus
also the tradition of sending greeting cards during this time. A common
greeting among Jews during the 10 Days of Awe is, “May your name be
written in the Book.”
On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah (it’s a two day celebration)
Orthodox Jewish people go to a running brook or stream where fish swim
and throw pebbles or crumbs of bread into the water, symbolizing God’s
casting away of their sins. While doing so, they recite
Micah 7:18-20. They also celebrate God's graciousness with specially made sweet bread called Challah, along with honey, salt and apples.
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the
transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry
forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the
depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.”
This is one of the most eloquent descriptions of God’s grace to be
found anywhere in Scripture. It reminds God of His promise to be
merciful to them in the coming judgment of Yom Kippur.
The fish’s
dependence on water symbolizes their dependence on God. The fact that
fish can’t close their eyes reminds them to be thorough because God sees
everything. This ceremony is called Tashlich, Hebrew for “You will
cast”, a reference to hurling their iniquities into the sea in
Micah 7:19.
Judgment Time
Ten days later, on Yom Kippur (the Day
of Atonement), judgment is rendered, the books are closed and everyone’s
fate is sealed for another year.
Yom Kippur was the only day of
the year when it was permissible to speak the Name of God according to
Rabbinic tradition. These names were created out of the four letters
that Hebrew scribes used to represent God’s name in the Old Testament.
Wherever the words LORD and GOD appears all in caps (at least in the
King James Version), you’ll find the Hebrew letters YHWH in the Hebrew
text. Theologians call these four letters the tetragrammaton, which is
Greek meaning “four letters”. So, in effect these four letters are
God’s initials, standing for His real name. Yes God does have a name, if
you want to know more about this subject, and what I believe is the
proper pronunciation of His name and an alternative history of how
Jewish people used to speak the Divine Name in everyday conversations,
check out my book,
Genesis Unbound.
According to the Rabbis. it was forbidden for Jewish people to speak
God’s actual name except for once a year on Yom Kippur when it was
spoken 10 times. After the Temple was destroyed, the Yom Kippur ceremony
changed and the name of God ceased to be used and was eventually lost,
again, according to Rabbinic tradition. Regardless, in
Philippians 2:9-11 it says that Jesus, or in Hebrew, Yeshua -- is now the name above all names.
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the
name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
During the great and awe inspiring ceremony at the Temple on Yom
Kippur, two goats were brought before the High Priest. One was a goat
“for the Lord” to be presented as a peace offering as commanded in
Lev. 16:7-10.
The other was called “the scapegoat” because all the sins of the nation
were symbolically placed upon its head, and then it was led outside the
city to be killed. The goats had done nothing to deserve this but were
chosen to demonstrate the fact that only the shedding of innocent blood
could atone for the sins of the people. The death of the two goats
symbolically set aside the sins of the nation, made their peace offering
acceptable and gave them peace with their Creator. The people spoke the
Name of God in heartfelt thanks.
When the goats were brought before the High Priest, their respective
roles in the ceremony were determined by lot. Two golden lots were
placed in a golden bowl and as he placed his hand upon the head of each
goat, the High Priest reached into the bowl and pulled out one of the
lots. Before the Yeshua's death, the goat that was to be presented to
the Lord as a peace offering always turned out to be on the right hand
of the High Priest. After the Yeshua's death the lot for the peace
offerening never came out for the right handed goat again.
While the scapegoat was symbolically receiving the sins of the people
upon its head a scarlet ribbon was tied from one of its horns to the
door of the temple. When the time came for the goat to be taken into the
wilderness the ribbon was cut, leaving some on its horn and some on the
door. At a predetermined location outside the city, the goat was pushed
off a cliff and fell to its death. Before the Yeshua's secrifice, at
the moment of the scapegoat’s death, the remnant of ribbon on the temple
door turned from red to white symbolizing the passage from
Isaiah 1:18,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”
After the Yeshua's sacrifice this also never happened again. The One
Who now sits at the right hand of the Father and Who had fulfilled the
dual role that the two goats only symbolized had come and forever taken
away the sins of all who would choose to accept Him. (Source: The Fall
Feasts Of Israel. Authors Mitch and Zhava Glaser, Publisher Moody
Press.)
Yom Kippur Is Only A Shadow …
Believers in Yeshua have
traditionally believed that the Lord Jesus began His ministry on Yom
Kippur announcing in effect that the judgment that was due mankind would
be borne by Him (
Luke 4:16-21), and that man no longer needed to live in fear of judgment, nor have to endure the 10 Days of Awe every year.
It’s easy to see the Messiah in the role as our scapegoat, His shed blood purchased our pardon forever (
Hebrews 10:11-14), but He was also our peace offering.
“He is our peace, Who has broken down every wall.” (
Ephe 2:14)
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus)
,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on
earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on
the cross." (
Colossians 1:19-20)
Some believe there will be a prophetic fulfillment of this Feast
in the Book of Revelation's tribulation survivors. That they will
receive their fulfillment of the Yom Kippur judgment in the days
immediately following the Messiah’s return. This is described to us in
the Sheep and Goat judgment (
Matt 25:31-46) where Gentiles who’ve
cast their sins at the foot of the cross during the Great Tribulation
will be granted life in the Kingdom, and those who haven’t will be sent
away for death. Their willingness to risk their lives by ministering to
believing Jewish people during the Great Tribulation will be evidence of
their faith. (Old Testament mention of this event can be found in
Joel 3:1-3.) In
Matt. 19:28 the Messiah told His disciples that the judgment of Jewish people who survive the Great Tribulation will take place then, too.
For those of all ages who reject the Messiah's atonement, the
prophetic fulfillment of Yom Kippur will come at the end of the Book of
Revelation's Millennium period in the so-called Great White Throne
judgment. For the last time, the books will be opened and the unsaved
dead will stand before God to be judged according to their works.
Everyone whose name is not written in the book of life will be thrown
into the lake of Fire (
Rev. 20:11-15).
Happy Thanksgiving
Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, comes
five days after Yom Kippur. It’s a harvest celebration and was the
inspiration for the American Thanksgiving Day. It began as a seven-day
feast (later expanded to eight) when all the tithes the Israelites had
set aside during the year were brought to Jerusalem for a joyous time of
national celebration and thanksgiving for the Lord’s bountiful
provision. The aroma of delicious foods cooking over open fires
permeated the whole city. For seven days where ever you went there was
an air of joy and festivity as the people remembered their Provider and
gave thanks. (
Deut. 14:22-26).
Historically the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the time of God’s
dwelling with the Israelites in the wilderness. Its prophetic
fulfillment comes in the Millennium when the Lord will once again dwell
among His people; with the Church in the New Jerusalem (
Rev 21)
and Israel in the Promised Land. From that time forward the Holy City
will be called Jehovah Shammah, which means “The Lord Is There” (
Isaiah 62:2 & Ezekiel 48:35).
Somewhere along the way a water libation ceremony was added to the
Feast of Tabernacles. Each morning a procession of priests would descend
the steps from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam and dip a silver
pitcher into the water. Carrying the water back to the altar, they
would pour it into the ground that had been exposed by the removal of a
paving block near the altar, while offering prayers for rain. The
purpose of this daily ceremony was to remind God to bring the fall rains
needed to prepare the ground for planting. In Israel it doesn’t rain
during the summer and the ground gets very hard. Gentle rains are needed
to soften the ground so it can be prepared for the fall planting.
On the last day of the feast the High Priest himself would officiate
and on this day instead of a silver pitcher one of pure gold would be
used. The High Priest would be dressed in all his finest and attended by
a huge contingent of similarly attired priests, blowing trumpets,
singing psalms, and waving palm branches. When it was first described to
me, I was struck by its beauty and pageantry. I’ve since read that
extra balconies were set up around the Court of the Priests so more
people could observe it.
One year just as the High Priest was about to pour the water into the ground, a loud voice interrupted the ceremony shouting,
“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 7:37-38) It was Jesus and He was referring
to the Holy Spirit, who believers would soon receive. This caused many
to believe that He was indeed Israel’s Messiah. (We’re not told what the
High Priest’s reaction was, but it couldn’t have been pleasant.)
Let’s Get Spiritual
Following the thought that events that
were external and physical in the Old Testament are often internal and
spiritual in the New, there is a sense in which these holy days also
reflect the life of the believer.
As Jesus came to live in the world at His birth (Rosh Hashanah), so
He comes to live in our hearts at our new birth. As He required the
shedding of innocent blood to reconcile Himself with Israel (Yom Kippur)
so He shed His own Blood to reconcile Himself with us. As He dwelt with
the Israelites in the wilderness of Midian (Tabernacles), so He dwells
with us in the wilderness of Earth.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” He promised. (
Matt 28:20) Even so, Come Lord Jesus. (
Rev. 22:20) You can almost hear the Footsteps of the Messiah.
(adapted from A Bible Study by Jack Kelley)
