Yeshua in the Fall Feasts

As one reads the scriptures starting in Genesis, one is able to quickly see that YA appreciates order. He seeks to create things according to a method that promotes order and organizes things such that there is not chaos. That is not to say surprises, serrendiptous events and unexpected events are not welcome or are evil, these things can be very welcome and they also do not have to be chaotic.

As well as we read the scriptures it also becomes obvious that YA will use everything as an opportunity to teach. Everything in his creation has a place and a part for in his kingdom. He pays attention to every detail even those things that we do not see as important. As such he also gives insite in to the workings of his kingdom and his creation. This is how we are able to have many sciences to understand the world around us. We see some of this order built in to creation in

14 And Elohim said, “Let lights come to be in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and appointed times, and for days and years,

15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.” And it came to be so.

16 And Elohim made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars.

17 And Elohim set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And Elohim saw that it was good.

19 And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the fourth day.

What does this mean to some of us or how do some of us understand this? This seems to speak of time or at least the tracking of it. Verse 14 specifically sites appointed times, and for days and years. So it seems reasonable that these seasons of the year are orderly and on purpose. In other words they mean something they are important. In fact the scriptures give indication to the importance of time in

1 For every matter there is an appointed time, even a time for every pursuit under the heavens:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot;

3 a time to slay, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for battle, and a time for peace.

So with these 2 concepts in mind; that there is an order and purpose to the appointed times, and for days and years; combined with the concept of there is a time for everything, what are some of the times that come to mind and how are they meaningful for you? Birthdays are a wonderful way of tracking time and greater than that a measure to use for gauging maturity. When the weather starts to change and we get the smell of snow in the air and we know that Hanukah is near? Or when we hear the cicaidas outside we no it is going to get hot cause summer is coming. Farmers, shepards and gardners have always been sensitive to the changes of season and passage of time. Is it any great wonder that YA knowing who we are and being sensitive to us and our understandings would have the same indications setup for us? That is where the festivals come in. With the 3 fall feasts we can see reflections of the Messiah and his arrival. speaks to the idea that the Torah and things in it are a reflection of Heaven and the good things to come but that it was not able to impart perfection by themselves as they where only reflections.

For the Torah, having a shadow of the good matters to come, and not the image itself of the matters, was never able to make perfect those who draw near with the same slaughter offerings which they offer continually year by year.

This is why we need Yeshua as our high priest to mediate for us the covenant and forgiveness. So what does this have to do with the Feasts? Well the feasts in the Torah, though imperfect compared to the feasts in Heaven, do match up to signficant events that are to come.

So the first one to look at today is today Yom Terurah. Yom Terurah is part of A special season known as Teshuvah, which in Hebrew means "to return or repent," begins on the first day of the month of Elul and continues 40 days, ending with Yom Kippur. Thirty days into Teshuvah, on Tishrei l, comes Yom Terurah. This begins a final ten-day period beginning on Yom Terurah and ending on Yom Kippur. These are known as the High Holy Days and as the Awesome Days (Yamim Nora'im, the days of awe). The sabbath that falls within this ten-day period is called Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. Five days after Yom Kippur is Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. Teshuvah begins on Elul 1 and concludes on Tishrei 10, Yom Kippur. Each morning during the 30 days of the month of Elul, the trumpet (shofar) or ram's horn is blown to warn the people to repent and return to G-d.

The Season of Teshuvah

Teshuvah (repentance) speaks to all people. Those who believe in the Messiah are called to examine their lives and see where they have departed from G-d. It is a call to examine the Scriptures and the evidence that the Messiah was who He said He was.

The Season of Teshuvah

G-d has always had a heart to warn people before He proclaims judgment. G-d warned the people before the flood, and He warned Nineveh before it was ruined. He does not want anyone to receive the wrath of His judgment (Ezekiel [Yechezekel] 18:21-23,30-32; ; 33:1-7; .)

So what does it sound like the Yom Terurah represents with regards to Yeshua? The hint is in the trumpets. The day the trump will sound the anouncement of his arrival and the call to repent and his eventual reign as king. So it is the call to repent and celeberate the arrival of Yeshua.

Next we have Yom Kippur. It comes 10 days after Yom Terurah. It is Hebrew for the Day of atonment. has details about this.

27 “On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.

28 “And you do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before יהוה your Elohim.

29 “For any being who is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people.

30 “And any being who does any work on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the midst of his people.

31 “You do no work—a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 ‘It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.”

What are some important things one reads in this? What are some mysterious or hard to understand things about this?

Part of the tradition of Yom Kippur is the casting of lots over 2 goats. 1 goat was to be sacrificed as a sin offering and the other goat was released in to the wilderness.

G-d gave this ceremony of the casting of lots during Yom Kippur to teach us how He will judge the nations of the world prior to the Messianic age known as the Millennium. The nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people. Those nations who mistreated the Jews will be goat nations and they will go into the left hand. Those nations that stood beside the Jewish people will be sheep nations and will enter into the Messianic kingdom or the Millennium. Yeshua taught us about this in Matthew 25:31-46.

Yeshua during His first coming was a type of the goat marked La Adonai. Yeshua was a sin offering to us as G-d laid upon Him the sins of the whole world (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 53:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Galatians 1:3-4; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John [Yochanan] 2:2; 4:10).

In the ceremony of the two goats, the two goats were considered as one offering. A crimson sash was tied around the horns of the goat marked azazel. At the appropriate time, the goat was led to a steep cliff in the wilderness and shoved off the cliff. In connection with this ceremony, an interesting tradition arose that is mentioned in the Mishnah. A portion of the crimson sash was attached to the door of the temple (Beit HaMikdash) before the goat was sent into the wilderness. The sash would turn from red to white as the goat met its end, signaling to the people that G-d had accepted their sacrifices and their sins were forgiven. This was based upon Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 1:18. As stated earlier, the Mishnah tells us that 40 years before the destruction of the temple (Beit HaMikdash), the sash stopped turning white. This, of course, was when Yeshua was slain on the tree.

From a spiritual standpoint the Day of Atonement was the most solemn of all the feast days. It was the day of cleansing for the nation and for the sanctuary. On this day alone, once a year, the high priest entered into the holiest of all, the Holy of Holies in the temple, within the veil of the temple, with the blood of the L-rd's goat, the sin offering. Here he sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. The blood of the sin offering on the great Day of Atonement brought about the cleansing of all sin for the priesthood, the sanctuary, and Israel as a nation (Leviticus [Vayikra] 16:29-34).

So how does this fit with the idea of Yeshua? After Yeshua arrives he will bring cleansing and while today through his sacrfice and resurection we have been forgiven and cleansed of SIN, in the day of his reign these things become sight and we shall see the cleaning. Yom Kippur is about the cleansing of SIN through Yeshua in his reign as king.

All of this culminates in what comes next Sukkot.

Sukkot (Tabernacles) is the fall harvest festival. It begins on the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and concludes on the twenty-second with Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, also called the eighth day, the rejoicing in the Torah. Shemini Atzeret functions as the conclusion of Sukkot, but it is also a separate festival . What are some inital thoughts about Sukkot? For those who have celeberated Sukkot what are some of your favorite things?

Like the other pilgrimage festivals, Sukkot [tabernacles] has an agricultural element. It marks the time of the harvest, the final ingathering of produce before the oncoming winter. Hence, it is also called Hag HaAsif, the festival of Ingathering. As it is written, "You shall celebrate the Festival of In-gathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Exodus [Shemot] 23:16).

Sukkot is the time when the produce of the field, orchard, and vineyard is gathered in. The granaries, threshing floors, and wine and olive presses are full to capacity. Weeks and months of toil and sweat put into the soil have finally been amply rewarded. The farmer feels happy and elated. No wonder Sukkot is "The Season of Rejoicing." While all of the three pilgrimages are times of rejoicing, Sukkot (Tabernacles) is specifically designated as Zeman simchatenu, the season of our rejoicing.

How does the season of SUkkot being the end of the harvest fit with the idea of the feast?

The Sukkah reminds us of the clouds of glory that surrounded Israel during their wandering through the desert on the way to the Promised Land. Everybody then saw the special Divine protection that G-d bestowed upon Israel during those difficult years. As it is written in Exodus (Shemot) 13:21, "And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night" (NAS).

Spiritual Application (Halacha). G-d desired that the tabernacle in the wilderness be built because He wanted to dwell with His people (Exodus [Shemot] 29:44-45). Spiritually speaking, this physical tabernacle was given by G-d to teach and instruct us that He desires to live and dwell with His people by means of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:1). The clouds represent the believers in Yeshua (Hebrews 12:1; Revelation 1:7).

Another name for the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) is the Feast of the Nations. Sukkot (Tabernacles) will be celebrated by all the nations on earth during the Messianic age, the Millennium (Zechariah 14:16-18). The future observance of Sukkot by the nations of the world rests upon Israel's election and mission. The universal concern of G-d's plan for the Jewish people reaches back to the covenant with Abraham (Avraham). In that agreement, G-d promised in Genesis (Bereishit) 12:3, as it is written, "...all families of the earth [shall] be blessed [through his seed]." From Abraham (Avraham), G-d would raise up a people, Israel, to be a blessing to the nations. That promise was fulfilled through Yeshua, the Messiah, as stated in Galatians 3:8,14,16,29. In fact, the greatest evangelism in the history of the world will be by 144,000 anointed members from the tribes of Israel proclaiming the gospel (basar) of the Kingdom of Heaven through Yeshua HaMashiach (Revelation 14:1-7).

A fascinating and mysterious pattern emerges from the seemingly endless list of sacrifices found in Numbers (Bamidbar) 29:12-35. During the week of Sukkot (Tabernacles), 70 bullocks were offered on the altar. The connection of the 70 bulls to the 70 nations is taken from Deuteronomy (Devarim) 32:8; Genesis (Bereishit) 46:27; and Exodus (Shemot) 1:1-5. Once again, the association of the nations of the world to Sukkot (Tabernacles) is found in Zechariah 14:16-19.

When Jacob (Ya'akov) and his family went to Egypt (Mitzrayim), there were 70 people who went, and it was there that they became a nation. The nations of the world are associated with Sukkot (Tabernacles) in First Kings (Melachim) 8:41-43 when Solomon dedicated the temple (Beit HaMikdash) during Sukkot (Tabernacles). For this reason, the festival is also called the Feast of the Nations.

Another fascinating thing about the sacrifices during Sukkot (Tabernacles) is that when the offerings are grouped or counted, their number always remains divisible by seven. During the week, there are 182 sacrifices (70 bullocks, 14 rams, and 98 lambs; 7 divides into 182 exactly 26 times). Add to this the meal offerings, 336 tenths of ephahs of flour (48 x 7) (Numbers [Bamidbar] 29:12-40). It is no coincidence that this seven-day holiday, which takes place at the height of the seventh month, had the perfect number, seven, imprinted on its sacrifices.

Sukkot is a picture of the Messianic Kingdom (thousand-year reign of the Messiah) as the joy, and the number seven was connected to the sabbath, which was also seen as a picture of the Messianic Kingdom. The sabbath (shabbat) falls on the seventh day of the week.

Although G-d is concerned for the universal redemption of the nations, those nations who do not turn to G-d will be judged. Either they will not receive rain (Zechariah 14:1-9,16-18), or rain will destroy them and be a curse upon them (Ezekiel [Yechezekel] 38:22-23). This is why the traditional Bible reading for the second day of Sukkot is Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 38:14 to 39:16.

So Sukkot is representative of the Millenial reign of Yeshua as King. He will setup his kingdom and establish his people and at the end of that time is the 8th day or the rest of eternity.

So Yom Terurah is the call for us to repent for the time of Yeshua is near, this is also reffered to as the call to repentance and the calling of the bride. Yom Kippur is the atonement of SIN or cleansing us of SINs corruption. THis is alson known as the preperation of the bride. Sukkot is the time we live with our Messiah and King in his kingdom. It is also when the bride and the groom are brought together forever.