FALL festivals
Are God’s people asleep today?
God’s people in Jesus’ time did not have their eyes By Dale Erickson open to the redemptive acts of God taking place Most of us enjoy a good nap from time to time. before their very eyes. Yes, they were asleep. For most of my life that just wasn’t possible. Some • The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) is of that involved time pressures, caffeine and chilknown as the Day of the Awakening Blast. It is also dren, but the truth is my body just isn’t wired for known as Rosh Hoshana (Tishrei 1-2 – September taking naps. When I was able to nap, I would wake 18-20). This is the festival which the Jewish people up groggy for an hour and then be unable to sleep will be celebrating when the gates of heaven are that night. My father on the other hand, could take opened to the “righteous” at the trumpet blast. See a 20-minute nap, wake up without an alarm and be 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. totally revived. • The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, Tishrei How many people could say that 2020 has been a 10 – September 27). This is the festival which the year for rest? For those whose eyes are focused on a Jewish people will be celebrating when the books pandemic, protests, riots and unrelenting bad news, allowing access to God’s Kingdom are closed. See 2020 could be viewed as a “fearful time in our hisMark 1:15. tory.” For those with eyes to see that God is on the • The Feast of Tabernacles (Hag HaSuccoth, move, 2020 could be the alarm clock that wakes us Tishrei 15-22 – October 2-9). This will be the festival up. Dale Erickson which the Jewish people are observing when God’s What does that have to do with the title of this people begin to tabernacle (dwell with) their Messiah. article, “Fall festivals”? See Revelation 21:3; Zechariah 14:16-17; Isaiah 11:1-12. Well, let me ask that in a different way. What do you know about The redemptive fulfillment of the first of the fall festivals may or the Jewish fall feasts of Rosh Hoshana, Yom Kippur and the Feast may not happen in 2020, but it is critical that God’s people be aware of Tabernacles and why should you care? If “I don’t have a clue” is that the redemptive clock is moving towards completion. One thing is your response, then read on. certain. God’s people in Jesus’ day were caught napping with disastrous There were seven festivals that God required His people to results. Time to look up (wake up), for our redemption is drawing nigh. celebrate. Leviticus 23:2 calls them the “appointed times.” You’ve “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this probably heard a little about the spring festivals, such as Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost. I would guess day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to that you don’t know very much about the fall festivals, such as Rosh the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but Hoshana (Yom Teruah), Yom Kippur, and the Feast of Tabernacles. let us be awake and sober.” – I Thessalonians 5:4-6 NIV For the sake of brevity, I will cut to the chase. The redemptive work Let’s hear the call to prayer for repentance and revival being called for by pictured by the first four Jewish festivals were all fulfilled by Jesus on our contemporary leaders. Check into the details at www.TheReturn.org. the very day that the Jewish people celebrated them. *Explanation of terms (taken from Wikipedia.org): • Passover (Pesach* – Nisan 14). Jesus is literally called our Pass• Pesach is another name for Passover, a major Jewish holiday that over lamb in 1 Corinthians 5:7. occurs in the spring during the Hebrew month of Nisan. • Jesus cleansed us from our sin during the Feast of Unleavened • Tishrei is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the HeBread (begins Nisan 15 and runs for 7 days). See 1 Corinthians 5:6brew calendar. It is an autumn month of 30 days and usually occurs 8 and 1 John 1:9. in September-October on the Gregorian calendar. n • Jesus arose from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits (Nisan 16). See 1 Corinthians 15:20. Pastor Dale Roy Erickson understands and lives out the importance of prayer • The disciples were instructed to wait for the Holy Spirit’s arrival, in his individual life and in the corporate life of the church. He is established which according to Acts 2:1-4 happened on the day of Pentecost as a gifted and creative teacher who carefully studies and presents the truth of (Hag Shavout). God’s Word. He is the president of Prayerful Publishing, Inc., publishers of the Why do Christians overlook the festivals of the Lord? They are the Teach Us To Pray curriculum, Heaven Help Us books, and the Prayer Prompts shadow. We have the substance (Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 2:16,17; Rom. Calendar, which has been downloaded for free in over 80 countries. He may be 14:6-7,10). Does that imply that we should ignore the redemptive pictures that the fall festivals reveal? No, and I will tell you why. Their reached at dale@prayerfulpublishing.com, or visit www.prayerfulpublishing.com for more information. fulfillment is truly at hand.
Jerry’s Life By Jerry McMurray
26 September / October 2020 | Christian Living
www.christianlivingmag.com
