From the Desk of Jeff King

Dress rehearsal

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ – Colossians 2:16-17

God's feast days are missing on the Christian calendar. Many Gentile believers regard them as outdated, insignificant Jewish rituals. That is unfortunate because they miss the fullness and beauty of God's plan of redemption, reflected in His appointed times. The Old Testament feasts were dress rehearsals for the two greatest events in history – the first and second coming of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, God's agent of mercy and justice.

Yeshua fulfilled the spring feasts – Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits – with His death and resurrection. God sent the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to indwell the hearts of believers on Shavuot (Pentecost), the last of the spring feasts. Yeshua will fulfill the fall feasts – Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot – when he returns as Davidic King. He will destroy His enemies, reign from Jerusalem and tabernacle with the righteous forever. Jewish sages wrote that Messiah would enter the world stage twice – once as Mashiach ben Yosef, the suffering servant, and later as Mashiach ben David, the conquering King. But they missed the prophetic picture that a single Messiah would fulfill both advents; they believed He would come as two different persons.

God's appointed times or seasons are eternal (2 Chronicles 2:4) and Christians – Jew and Greek – honor Him by honoring His calendar. God does not distinguish them as Jewish feasts, but rather His feasts (Lev. 23:2). We think of feasting as a dining experience but God introduced these dates for another purpose. The Hebrew word for "feasts," mow'ed, means appointment, fixed time or signal. For centuries, the Father has been signaling mankind to look to His Son. Here's an overview of the fall feasts and their link to Yeshua:

• Rosh Hashanah – Commonly known as the Jewish New Year. In Biblical times, the dates of festivals were determined by a lunar calendar. Hebrew months begin with the sighting of the new moon. Because Rosh Hashanah starts on the first of Tishri – the only holiday that falls on the first day of the month – not all Jewish communities could be alerted in time. Even residents in Jerusalem could miss the start of Rosh Hashanah if clouds covered the night sky or witnesses arrived too late. That's why the one-day celebration was extended a second day to give all Jews a chance to participate. Rosh Hashanah usually falls between mid-September to early October. According to Jewish tradition, the destiny of mankind is recorded by God in the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah. Those who repent of sins are granted a happy and good year. God seals judgment 10 days later on Yom Kippur.

Prophetically, the holiday – also referred to as the Feast of Trumpets – points to the catching away of Yeshua's bride. The apostle Paul seems to be imparting this revelation to the church at Corinth: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." When Yeshua says in Matthew 24:36 that no one knows the day or hour of His return, it is a signal to believers that His return will fall on Rosh Hashanah. It is the only Biblical feast with an undetermined start time because of the new-moon sighting.

• Yom Kippur – Also known as the Day of Atonement, it is a time to afflict the soul, fast and repent of sins from the past year. The 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe. Jews believe God reviews the books of judgment on Rosh Hashanah and dispenses judgment on Yom Kippur. The 10 days are a person's last chance to make amends and demonstrate repentance.

In the Temple period, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year, on Yom Kippur, to make atonement for Israel. He began preparation a week early by isolating himself in a Temple court chamber to keep from becoming ritually unclean. He would rehearse his priestly duties with great fear and trembling; a mistake on Yom Kippur could cost him his life and the nation its covering. Wearing a simple white garment that symbolized purity, the high priest would offer a bull as a sin offering for himself and family. To atone for the sins of the nation, lots were cast to determine the fate of two sacrificial goats. One goat was slaughtered as a sin offering. The other animal, identified as the scapegoat, was driven into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away the sins of Israel. According to the Talmud, a scarlet cloth was tied between the horns of the sacrificial goat. Each year the cloth turned white, fulfilling Isaiah 1:18 – "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."

Following the crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth, God sent the Jews miraculous signs to validate His Son's sin atonement for mankind: the scarlet cloth no longer turned white, the Western lamp that lit other Temple lamps would go out, and the great Temple doors, which took 20 men to move, would open by themselves. The red cloth meant the Father no longer would accept animal sacrifices for atonement. The extinguished lamp was meant to divert attention to Yeshua, the light of the world (John 8:12). The open doors were symbolic of the unrestricted access mankind now had to the Father through the Son.

The prophetic fulfillment of Yom Kippur will come when – after Yeshua's bride is removed on Rosh Hashanah and God punishes the wicked during the Days of Awe – judgment is sealed for eternity. God then dwells with the righteous, a glorious union that is reflected in the final fall feast described below.

• Sukkot – The seven-day harvest festival also is called Feast of Tabernacles. Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, it is the most joyful and festive of all Israel's feasts. Sukkot, from which America's Thanksgiving holiday was modeled, has significance historically and prophetically. The Hebrew word sukkot means "booths" and refers to the temporary shelters that Jews are required to dwell in during the holiday as commanded in Leviticus 23. It recalls the 40-year wilderness sojourn when the Israelites lived in hastily-built housing and "tabernacled" with God. Booths today are built with no fewer than three walls and are decorated with colorful fall fruits and vegetables. Jewish families eat meals in the booths and the most observant even sleep in them.

Christians should rejoice during Sukkot because it points to a future period when God will dwell with the righteous forever (Revelation 21:3-5). The broken relationship between God and man – repaired and restored through the blood atonement of Yeshua – is brought to completeness when we leave our fleshly tent and join Messiah as His bride. God's desire to fellowship with man is a theme throughout the New Testament. John 1:14 says the "Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The Greek word for "dwelt," skenoo, means tent or encampment. Notice that Yeshua never sought the affluent trappings of Jerusalem for Himself. He preferred to keep company with common men in common surroundings.

When Yeshua returns to rule and reign from Zion, it will be in all His splendor and glory. Each year the nations will be required to go up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD and keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16). Those that don't will be denied rain. While this plague should be taken literally, it likely has a spiritual application as well. The Torah frequently is compared to water that purifies. If a nation fails to keep this pilgrim feast, perhaps the LORD will withhold revelation of His Word.

Yeshua risked His life to celebrate Sukkot during His earthly ministry. Knowing the corrupt religious leaders were plotting to kill Him, He slipped quietly into Jerusalem apart from His family and taught in the Temple. That's how important the Lord viewed the biblical feasts. Not only was His attendance required as a Torah-observant Jew, He was setting an example for our benefit. Yeshua tells His followers to watch and pray (Mark 13:33). Without an understanding of His prophetic timeline, how will we know what to look for? God’s calendar is not exclusive to Judaism. It was a gift to Christians as well – markers in time that point to Messiah's soon return.

Posted by Jeff King at August 22, 2004 12:52 PM