tabernacles

Yom Teruah / Feast of Trumpets

/ Yosef (ytl) / Leave a comment

Most people don’t know of this feast as it isn’t acknowledged in Christianity, and in Judaism it is called by a different name, “Head of the Year”, or more colloquially, the “Jewish New Year” or “Rosh Hashanah”

I’m not going to get into why it is called and celebrated as the New Year in Judaism. Rather, what importance can it possibly have to Christianity?

First, you have to realize that God gave us a calendar that, among other things, shows a sequence of events. This calendar is His Feasts, or as He calls them, His Appointed Times.

It starts off with Passover, where Yeshua (Jesus) was crucified.

Immediately afterwards starts the week of unleavened bread, which is all about showing us what it means to not be “under the law of sin and death” and what it means to be “in His Kingdom!”

During this week of unleavened bread, the barley waving happens. The first fruits of the year, where, early in the morning, the barley is waved before God. Yeshua rose on this day! (And did you ever wonder about that odd story in the gospels where, early in the morning, Mary is at the tomb but she does not recognize Yeshua as He appears to her; When she does recognize him, she grabs on to him, but Yeshua answers, “Do not hold on to me for I have not yet ascended to the Father”? The answer is simple: Yeshua is keeping the feast of ‘barley waving,’ and as the first fruits of those risen, no one is to touch him until after he is risen to the Father, just as no one was to touch the new barley until after it was waved before Yehovah (the LORD). See Leviticus 23:14. )

Then, some weeks later, comes Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit is poured out, just as promised as part of the new covenant (see Jeremiah. 31:31-34; Joel 2:28-29). It is also, by ancient Jewish custom, the day that God spoke on Mt. Sinai as He was giving the 10 statements (called ’10 commandments’ in Christianity, but not in scripture). Do you see a connection?

Then, after many more weeks, comes the Feast of Trumpets. It is followed, 10 days later, by the Day of Atonement, and then 5 days later by the week of the Feast of Tabernacles. The day after Tabernacles is a single day, “the Eighth Day.”

To date, Yeshua has done nothing special on those days.

But what does Paul say in 1 Thess 4:16 and 1 Corin. 15:52? That Yeshua (Jesus) will return at the sound of the trumpet and a cry of command!

The Feast of Trumpets is, well, a feast where the shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) is sounded, and shouts of praise are given to Yehovah (the LORD)! Do you see a connection? The trumpet call is calling God’s people to prepare for what is coming! Prepare with praise, repentance, and joy!

Atonement and Tabernacles fit in to the events of the end times as well. Atonement can be viewed as that time when Yeshua finishes “removing the spots and wrinkles from the church” (see Ephesians 5:27), and also possibly when all of Israel recognizes the Messiah! Tabernacles is then a good picture of the “wedding feast of the Lamb!”

Another way of looking at the feasts is to see the full story of the gospel (see Exodus 6:6-7) and salvation! Yet another aspect is to see God revealing Himself completely through the events surrounding each feast! There is also a more ‘mundane’ meaning to the feasts, a giving of thanks for all that we have here on earth!

There are other ways of looking at these feasts. The facts about what Yeshua (Jesus) did on Passover, waving of the barley, and Pentecost are irrefutable though.

So why has Christianity thrown these feasts out, that are so full of meaning on different levels, and replaced them with feasts of man’s making? What are they afraid of?

So, take the opportunity to start enjoying the feasts God has given us, and at the same time learning what the gospel truly says and its impact on His followers! And know, that each time you do, you are completely in His will – a wonderful place to be!

Shalom!

Yosef

Christmas Tidbits

/ / 6 Comments

Well, it’s Christmas day for western Christianity.

There are many sites out there talking about one aspect of Christmas or another, and about its pagan roots.  (A very recent blog post that does a decent overall summary is by J.M.’s History Corner).  However, this blog isn’t about any of that.  This is just some fun tidbits taken out of the gospel accounts of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) birth.  I haven’t completely studied out all these points, but I mention them as they are good to ponder.

  • In the genealogy listed in Matthew 1, the wording is such that it is clear that Joseph is not the father of Yeshua (Jesus): “Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus (Yeshua) was born.” Matthew 1:16 (ESV)
  • We have no idea how many ‘wise’ men actually visited.  It is most likely, though, that it was, at least, a small entourage, as they were carrying some expensive gifts.
  • The priests and scribes were very learned in scripture, and knew immediately where the Messiah (Christ) was to be born.  But they were only interested in knowledge, and not experience, as shown by the fact that they never went down to Bethlehem after the wise men showed up.  Seems to me that such a monumenteous happening should illicit some sort of response.  Even King Herod had more belief then the priests as he acted on what he heard!
  • The wise men didn’t visit Yeshua (Jesus) as a baby.  Nor did they visit him when he was in the manger.  He was a child, living in a house, when they visited.  (Matthew 2:11)
  • Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, were ‘blameless’ according to the Law of God, following all of it!  I thought that it was not possible to completely follow the Law!?!  (See this post.)
  • Though the words used to describe Mary do not have to mean ‘virgin’, her own words make it clear she was.  (Luke 1:34)
  • Most of Western Christianity holds that Mary had children after Yeshua (Jesus).  Orthodoxy holds that those referred to as Yeshua’s brothers and sisters were step siblings or even cousins.  The language of the texts is, unfortunately, not absolutely clear one way or the other.
  • Was Zechariah only mute?  If so, why did people have to make signs to him, asking what he wanted to name John?  see Luke 1:62.
  • A completely plausible (and in my opinion correct) understanding of the whole ‘manger’ scene is that Mary and Joseph were offered accommodations in the inn keeper’s Sukkah (booth), as the feast of Tabernacles (or feast of booths) was under way.
  • Western and Orthodox Christianity celebrate Christmas on different days.  Not because of debate as to when it really was, but because the two are following different calendars.
  • The angels announcing the birth of Yeshua (Luke 2:8-20) is the closest thing we have in scripture to a birthday party.

I don’t actually ‘do’ Christmas.  I do, however, celebrate His birth according to the calendar God gave us, which places it during the feast of Tabernacles.

No matter what, though, there are two very good reasons for celebrating, and Christmas does (or used to) emphasize them.

Get together and get closer as a family.  Be nice to one another!

One can’t go wrong with that as a goal.

Shalom! – Yosef

 

 

God’s Calendar: Tabernacles

/ / 6 Comments

Well, the Day of Atonement is gone.  I enjoyed the day – a day of complete rest without any of the usual activity, seeking God.  He did show me a couple things that have been sneaking into my life over the last year that need to be dealt with – that is one of the purposes of the day – so I am glad He showed me what He did.  If you observed the day, then I hope God met you also.

Next comes the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ or ‘Feast of Booths’.   It is a seven day feast!  And, in the words of scripture, the first day, and on the eighth day are to be days of “solemn rest.”

“…that you generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.  I am Yehovah (the LORD) your God.”  Leviticus 23:43 (ESV)

The days are to be joyous celebrations.  There are two commands associated with the days.  One is to build and live in ‘booths’ (though that is specifically for “native Israelites”, anyone can join in the fun!), and the other is to ‘wave’ some stuff before the Yehovah.

“And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before Yehovah (the LORD) your God seven days.”  Leviticus 23:40 (ESV)

In Jewish tradition, the “4 species” to wave are an etrog, palm branches, myrtle, and willow.  Those are great if you can get them.  Often used substitutes are a lemon, corn stalk leaves, olive leaves, and willow.

The point is that you have a chance to be in the center of God’s perfect will by grabbing these items, and waving them around before Yehovah (and dancing if you like – I do).  It’s fun in a group or even alone!

An interesting point about the feast of Tabernacles is that it is the one feast explicitly mentioned that will be observed in the millennium.

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, Yehovah (the LORD) of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths…” Zecharaia 14:16-17 (ESV)

So get a early start and enjoy the feast now!  It starts, according to the Jewish calendar, at sunset on Sunday, the 23rd of Sept., 2018, and ends at nightfall on Sunday the 30th.  The final day (Saturday night to Sunday night, the 29th and the 30th) is known as “Hoshannah Rabbah” (sort of translated to “the Great Salvation” or “the Great Praise”).  Click this link to see an opinion on this day.

This leaves Sunday, the 30th to Monday night as the ‘eighth day’ and another ‘solemn day of rest’.  In Judaism, the day after this is celebrated quite vigorously as this is the day that the yearly cycle of reading through the Torah (1st 5 books of the Bible) ends and starts new.  Dancing and singing are part and parcel of the celebration!

Hope you join in the fun!

  • Yosef