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The Seven Festivals of the Lord By Christine Darg
Jewish festivals It’s troubling that described in the Torah the Church has substituted are highly significant to Easter, a pagan word, for world redemption. Passover. We must apply the Seven annual festivals (or broom of the Holy Spirit to moadim, appointed the cobwebs of erroneous seasons) picture God’s traditions that interfere with plan of salvation as God’s pictures! Many Passover embodied in Jesus. camp out spiritually at (Yeshua is his Hebrew Passover and its important Name.) e Lord’s holy convocations are outlined doctrine of salvation but don’t press on to learn in Leviticus 23. ree times a year all of Israel’s the blessings of the other Festivals of the Lord. men were summoned to appear before God in Mentioned next in Leviticus 23:16 is the Jerusalem over seven months’ time encompassing Feast of Weeks, Shavuot in Hebrew, a plural word seven themes represented perhaps by the seven meaning “Weeks,” because this holiday occurs branches of the Menorah candlestick. In the seven weeks aer Passover. In the New Testament spring, in April on our Western calendars, are the the holy day is called Pentecost (in Greek “pente” holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread and = fiy). is festival commemorated the giving of First Fruits. ese are grouped together as the Law to the Hebrew nation. On the day of “Passover,” or the “Feast of Unleavened Bread,” Pentecost the Holy Spirit was outpoured in and they typify redemption. e Passover Lamb’s Jerusalem and all were invited to enter God’s New protective blood foreshadowed the substitutional Covenant through baptism into Messiah. “en death of Messiah for our sins. Passover began in Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every Egypt with a lamb’s blood sprinkled over the one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remisdoorposts and lintels of the homes of former sion of sins, and ye shall receive the gi of the Holy slaves. e daubs of blood prefigured the Cross Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) Shavuot, or Pentecost, also ocof Messiah, our Passover lamb who saves us from curs in the spring on Western calendars. Pentesin’s slavery. Indeed, 1 Corinthians 5:7 declares, cost is about sanctification and empowerment, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” winning the lost at all costs, moving in the gis Jesus as a bleeding sacrifice was crucified on the of the Holy Spirit! Acts 19:2 asks, “Have you day of preparation for the Passover holiday at the received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” same hour the sacrificial lambs were being slaughMany church-goers sadly never arrive at tered for the commemorative meal. Leaven puffs Pentecost, but others stop at the Pentecostal up and is a picture of sin, thus the Festival of experience, enjoying the gis of the Holy Spirit. Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) pointed to the Many don’t move on to consider or experience Messiah’s sinlessness. First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10) the remainder of the Lord’s prophetic festivals. e last represents the promise of being raised from the appointed dead with Messiah. Yeshua’s body lay in the grave seasons are during the first days of Passover, planted like a grouped kernel of wheat. He burst out of the tomb as the together in the bread of life. Paul refers to Yeshua in 1 Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead” because fall in September or October Resurrection Day happened exactly on the holy on the Western day called First Fruits (Bikkurim in Hebrew). Shavuot~
calendar over a period of 15 days. ese final three festivals are Trumpets (or more literally in Hebrew the “Day of Shouting”), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and Sukkot, (Feast of Booths or Tabernacles). e Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) can’t be celebrated around the world until the new moon is sighted. It occurs on the first day of the seventh Hebrew month whenever the new moon appears, so perhaps it could be called “the day or hour nobody knows.” Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when Jesus will appear in the clouds to summons His bride, the Church, with a shout and a trumpet blast, the shofar of God! Just as the new moon must be watched in order to celebrate the festival, so we must watch continually for the Appearing of the Lord. Also called Rosh Hashanah, the head of the Jewish New Year, the Feast of Trumpets speaks of God’s new year, of victory, as well as redemption of our mortal bodies. e Rapture (or catching away of the Church) is associated with noise: 1 essalonians 4:16-17 declares, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. en we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air....” Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23:27) speaks of Israel’s National Day of salvation aer the Rapture. Yom Kippur will ultimately be the Day when the Jewish remnant will “look upon Him whom they’ve pierced,” and receive Messiah in fulfillment of Romans 11:26, “And so ALL Israel shall be saved.” Yom Kippur is the most somber fast day of the year, calling to mind our continuing need of forgiveness and cleansing. While Passover is a picture of the Lamb of God for world salvation, Yom Kippur is a shadow of Israel’s ultimate national salvation. Each Jewish person on Yom Kippur focuses upon self examination in the hopes that their names will be inscribed in the Book of Life. Remarkably, the whole nation comes to a halt and enters a no-man’s-land between heaven and earth, each person seeking forgiveness. In sharp contrast, Yom Kippur is followed by a full week ~Pentecost
First Fruits
of rejoicing. e last of the seven appointed seasons is the Feast of Tabernacles. (Leviticus 23: 34) Many scholars believe this week-long festival points to the Lord’s promise to “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over the world. e Jewish people dwell in booths (or “succot” in Hebrew) and go back to basics, spending seven days with their families dining and sleeping in these simple huts. While anytime is a fascinating time to visit Israel (because of Bible prophecy being fulfilled exponentially), it’s especially wondrous to visit the Holy Land during the Feast of Tabernacles to see this ancient holiday re-enacted. To summarize, the Lord’s seven festivals typify three aspects of God’s plan of redemption: Passover speaks of salvation and healing; Shavuot (or Pentecost) is a picture of sanctification and power--baptism in the Holy Spirit, when we progress from life in the flesh to life in the Spirit. e joyous Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of victorious conquest and rest, the life of an overcomer, when we enter into the Father’s Sabbath rest. Passover is the festival of the Son. Pentecost (Shavuot) is the festival of the Holy Spirit. And Tabernacles is the feast of the Father. Now let’s consider some simple lessons from the tabernacles. Flimsy and exposed to the elements, the makeshi tents, or huts, are easy to break down and pack up, a memorial of the tents that shaded the Jews during their Exodus from Egypt. A fragile succa could never serve as a bomb shelter! Rather, it’s designed as a humble, temporary shelter, a reminder that we’re all pilgrims and dependent upon God! A succa speaks of the fragility and impermanence of life. e rooop should be partially open to gaze
toward God and they shall be His heaven. A Succot people, and God greeting is “Moadim Himself will be l'simcha…” (times of among them.” joy!) One rabbi said During a future to be joyful for a Feast of whole week is the Tabernacles, most difficult of all the God’s promise Lord’s commands, and concerning Jesus was born in a Bethlehem cave or possibly in a succa! I’m sure complainers Mary’s son in and whingers might Luke 1: 33 will agree. But I’m also finally be fulfilled, “e Lord God shall give unto reminded of the St. Paul’s admonition, “Rejoice in him the throne of his father David: And he shall the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice!” reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his Practicing Jews forget about television and kingdom there shall be no end.” the Internet. e idea is to invite the special guests When America’s pilgrim fathers looked to of the Bible into your simple succa, to commune the Bible to find a way to thank God for the with the patriarchs and matriarchs, with Abraham harvest, they modeled the anksgiving holiday and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Rachel, aer the Feast of Tabernacles. erefore the Feast Leah, Joseph, Moses, Deborah, Ruth and David. of Tabernacles is many things: it’s a time for Introduce them rather than pop idols to your remembering that God is our shelter, a time to children, and sing and share together. celebrate the birth of Jesus, a season to be thankful e New Testament doesn’t mention when for His present provisions, and an appointed time Jesus was born, but the time of his birth can be to look forward to the Millenium! discovered if you do the math based upon clues e first four of the seven feasts (Passover, (no fact is recorded in the Bible by accident). Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Shavuot) that Scholars say the Light of the World was conceived occur during the spring have already been fulfilled during the Festival of Lights, the Feast of by Messiah. Aer a period known as the Church Dedication, which is another Jewish holiday Age, or the Times of the Gentiles, the final three called Hannukah. Although not a Levitical Feast, Levitical fall holidays (Trumpets, Atonement and Hannukah is mentioned in the New Testament in Tabernacles) will be fulfilled at the time of his John 10: 22. e time of gestation, 40 weeks aer Second Coming. If the first four spring feasts were Hannukah is....Succot, the Feast of Tabernacles! fulfilled in the Lord’s first coming, it follows that Does a succa look vaguely familiar--like a stable? the final three festivals will be fulfilled literally at e night the Saviour was born, there was no his Second Advent. room in Bethlehem’s inn. Besides caves, temporary It remains to be asked: Should Christians huts for animals were the only shelters available. celebrate Israel’s feast days? e Apostle Paul ruled (In fact, the Hebrew word for “stable” is succoth!) in Colossians 2: 16-17, “Don’t let anyone judge you e first chapter of the Gospel of John says by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a Yeshua “tabernacled” amongst us! religious festival.” ese, he said, are but “a shadow e Feast of Tabernacles is also a futuristic of the things that were to come; the reality is found in event when all nations will gather in Jerusalem to Messiah.” We’re certainly not bound to observe the worship King Messiah! Whenever Christians join Levitical feasts, but on the other hand, we shouldn’t with Jews to celebrate Succot in the streets of criticize believers who celebrate the Feasts of the Jerusalem, we’re part of a dress rehearsal propheLord and enjoy their deep messianic significance. sied in Zechariah 14: 16, when all nations will Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:17,“ink not that gather here to celebrate Tabernacles! Revelation I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am 21: 3 foretells, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is NOT come to destroy, but to fulfil.” among men, and He will dwell among them, and
Exploits Ministry Dedicates Quick Response Motorbike To Bring Healing in Israel
It’s so important to remember and to study the legacies of those who have lived a life of faith before us as excellent role models and who have also died in the faith. Truly, no deed done for the Lord and in the power of his Spirit will ever be lost. “Yea, saith the Spirit,.. their works do follow them.” (Revelation 14:13) That verse connotes memorials in motion. All good works springing from faith follow us into eternity. We felt it fitting to dedicate a quick response motorbike for Magen David Adom (ןגמ םודא דוד, “Red Shield of
David”) Israel’s national emergency medical, ambulance and blood bank service, in memory of my blessed parents. MDA is recognized by the International Red Cross as the national aid society of the state of Israel. My dear parents taught me to love the Lord and the Jewish people. They faithfully believed that God did not reject his people, nor is he finished with the Jews, and that Israel has a glorious future ahead! If you are not able to give blood to Israel, you can donate blood “virtiually” at the following website: www.afmda.org/h2hdonate/
‘And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.’ ~Revelation 14:13
The Fight of Faith
By Christine Darg
Most Christians have no trouble believing in the fact that Jesus died for our sins. But what about our sicknesses? Hebrews 3:12 declares that an “evil heart of unbelief ” prevents many of us from appropriating all of the Atoning work of the Lord! “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12, NIV) What’s wrong with this picture? -- A church that doesn’t pray regularly for healing, and pastors who won’t pray for healing but who advise, “Just go to the doctor.” Concerning many matters, there are proper times to pray “if it be thy will.” We must not boast about tomorrow: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money...’ Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ ” (James 4: 13-15) However, concerning healing, God’s will is clear in the Word. Let’s look at some very important verses in James 5: 14-15: “Is any sick among you? [is question implies that sickness should not be the norm.] Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord [oil representing the Holy Spirit]: and the prayer of faith [not the prayer of unbelief!] shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. [Who shall raise him up? e LORD!] And if he has committed sins…..[Oh, dear, now that’s a key] they shall be forgiven him.” ere are at least four sins that we can (unfortunately) repent of oen: First of all, doubt and unbelief. Secondly, general weaknesses. (We should or shouldn’t have done something, but because of weakness we caved in.) irdly, another general sin is
murmuring and complaining. God hates murmuring and kvetching, a good Yiddish word for moaning. Murmuring caused judgements big time in the Bible, and we are expected by God to learn from the mistakes recorded in holy writ. Fourthly, unforgiveness is dangerous, because it can have devastating consequences, resulting in bitterness, degenerative sicknesses and maladies. If the healing ordinance in James 5 were the only healing verses in the Bible, there should not be a sick person in the Church! e James 5 healing verses are authoritative enough on which to build the doctrine of healing. But there are many other healing promises in the Bible. God has provided all kinds of ways and means for us to get healed (such as the laying on of hands, just speaking the word of healing and evangelistic anointing with oil) but we must believe and practice these promises. Will the Lord hold us accountable for never claiming certain healing verses that have been available to us in the Bible all our lives? I believe many of the tears that will be wiped away in heaven will be because of our doubt and unbelief. God’s word means what it says, so we must face unbelief and repent for entertaining it. Consider another passage concerning doubt and unbelief in James 1: 6-7, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. at person should not expect to receive
anything from the Lord.…but let him ask in faith…. Nothing wavering, [how much wavering? NOTHING wavering], for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea…. Unstable in all his ways….” Healing is a test in life for every believer from time to time. When I pray for you in public meetings or over the Internet, I believe you are healed according to God’s sure promises, but do you believe? Ah, that’s an important catch. e temptation is to say in a double-minded way, “Well, I’ll have to make an appointment with the doctor, and if the doctor tells me I’m healed, then I’ll be healed.” But do you honestly hear any faith in God or in his Word in that statement? at is why for so many, the promises of God don’t work. e Lord wants to be believed, and he doesn’t have to defend his immutable Word, no matter what the critics say. e Lord is not obligated to defend his reputation as Healer, but on the other hand when somebody really believes him and is healed, God is pleased and even marvels at their faith, (just as Jesus marveled at the faith of the Centurion who simply believed and trusted in His spoken Word). When I was growing up in Virginia, a lady in my father’s Presbyterian church in Glenwood Park was experiencing terrible pains in her legs. She found James Chapter 5, and she called for the elders of the church to anoint her with oil. e elders came to her home and anointed her in unbelief. ey told her they didn’t really think God would do anything, but she believed! She was the one who did the calling, and she was healed to everybody’s amazement! James 5:14 instructs, “Let him call for the elders of the church.” In that phrase the verb “call” means to summon, demanding immediate action. erefore we have a direct command in the Bible that every sick believer should at once call for anointing prayer. Notice what the passage does NOT say. It does not say, “[And if it be God’s will], the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” No, it simply says “the prayer of faith will save the sick!” It does not say, “e Lord shall raise him up [if it be God’s will].” No, the verse simply says the Lord will raise him up off of the bed of affliction. So why do we add “if it be thy will” to the Word of God when it’s not there? e word for “save”—the Lord shall save the sick--is a form of sozo, the very word used by Jesus every time he said to a sick person, “y
faith hath made thee whole.” “And the Lord will raise him up” — “raise up” is the same verb in Mark 1:31 where Yeshua lied up and healed Simon’s mother-in-law who was sick from a fever (as depicted in the illustration above). Recently I experienced a dream about a priest who came to administer the last rites to a dying woman. Roman Catholics base their rite of extreme unction upon the James 5:14 anointing. But an anointing to comfort the dying differs entirely from the ordinance before us in James 5. In my dream the woman didn’t want to die. She didn’t want extreme unction; she adamantly wanted anointing with oil to be raised up, not to be put under! James 5 says to “call the elders,” not a priest. e purpose of the James 5 anointing is RECOVERY not preparation for burial! Please note the unconditional character of the promise. I daresay 99 per cent of the Church have yet to obey this instruction. Instead, the tendency is to call for the doctor. But if anointing for healing is part of God’s Word, let’s have the faith to obey it! Recently a woman with breast cancer by faith refused drugs that would destroy the immune system God gave her. We don’t suggest to people to stop taking medicine unless they truly believe they have a rhema word from the Lord. But she was sick and tired of treatments, and so she drew a line in
The Fight of Faith (continued) the sand. “I trust only Jesus,” she said. “ough he slay me, He’s my doctor and I’ll have no other.” And she said the Lord stood before her in an open vision, placed his hands upon her chest, and she was totally healed. By the spirit of revelation, she said, “I saw my healing as a promise in the Word.” She fought the fight of faith and won. e very same faith that saves your soul will heal your body. e Lord died for your sicknesses as well as your sins. We must not waste the Lord’s dreadful sufferings and the price that He paid for our sins and sicknesses! Messiah’s worshippers are not exempt from sickness and tribulations, but the Bible does give us a remedy: “let him call for the elders.” Physicians have their place, but not first place. Sickness is God’s alert; it is his messenger to call us back to God or to meet with the Lord. Sadly, sometimes illness is the only way God can get our attention. It is the name Yeshua, Jesus the Anointed One, as well as the prayer of faith that brings healing and deliverance. You may think, “I don’t qualify to pray for the sick because I’m not an elder.” However, God is no respector of persons. If you’re not an elder but you have faith to pray for the sick, there is another type of anointing with oil mentioned in the New Testament. Some ministers refer to it as “evangelistic anointing,” as recorded in Mark 6: 12-13, “And they went out and preached that
people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” So anointing with oil was the modus operandi of the disciples. I usually carry a bottle of anointing oil with me in my handbag, because I never know when I will have opportunity to use it. As led by the Holy Spirit, I’m prepared to anoint anybody who has the desire to be touched in the Name of Jesus the Messiah. Of course you can also pray for somebody without anointing oil. Mark 16:18 says that believers will place their hands on the sick and the sick shall recover. I hope this teaching reinforces in your mind that healing is promised by God for all who will believe and confess their sins. For an assurance in your heart concerning salvation and healing, I invite you to pray: “Father God, thank you that Jesus fully paid the penalty at the Cross for the forgiveness of my sins and for the healing of my diseases. I believe Jesus was raised from the dead, and I do confess with my mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord.’ Father God, Your Word promises that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. erefore, I call upon Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, and I am saved-- spirit, soul and body! Lord, I do believe your Word that ‘Surely He has borne my sicknesses and carried my pains, and He was wounded for my transgressions. He was bruised for my iniquities. e chastisement for my peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, I am HEALED!’
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