God’s Appointed Times

We have just entered into a transitional season of time according to the Hebrew calendar, the month of Elul is the sixth month of the year and a time to prepare for the Fall Feasts.

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“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as official days for holy assembly.’” – Leviticus 23:1, NLT

 

We have just entered into a transitional season of time according to the Hebrew calendar; the month of Elul is the sixth month of the year and a time to prepare for the Fall Feasts: The Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles.

Moadim is a Hebrew word that means “Appointed Times.” This is the name that The Almighty gave to the Hebrew feast days that He established in Leviticus 23. He set 7 feast days of remembrance for His people to celebrate and talk about and remember His mighty deeds and also to point to what was coming in the future.

Did you know that there are over 100 instances of the number 7 in Scripture? This number is important and symbolic to God, and I will write an article on numbers in the near future to discuss. God set appointments with His people for days He would show up and be a part of their celebrations.

7 Main Feast Days

  1. Passover/Pesach
  2. Unleavened Bread
  3. First Fruits
  4. Pentecost/Shavuot (Feast of Weeks)
  5. Trumpets/Yom Teruah
  6. Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur
  7. Tabernacles/Sukkot

For some reason, in Western Christianity, we have forgotten about these days. Personally, I think they were hidden and stolen away by the enemy to separate us from the Hebrew people, from our roots, while also covering up revelation of Jesus and His return that is established in the feasts. In Jesus’s first incarnation, He fulfilled the first 4 feasts: He was the Passover Lamb, He was the Bread of Life come down from heaven, He was the first fruits risen from the dead, and He sent His Holy Spirit to empower us at Pentecost.

Many believe He will fulfill the Fall Feasts at His second coming: Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles! These are times of celebration and looking forward to what is coming, and these things were established by God in Scripture, not only for the people of Israel but also for the chosen ones who have been grafted in and are also children of Abraham, the father of faith.

As I’ve looked into these things and learned more over the last few years, I’m so excited that Holy Spirit is causing His people to remember what was forgotten and lost as we get closer to the time of the Bridegroom’s return. He encouraged us as wise virgins to watch and to be prepared for His return. How wonderful of our Savior to give us not only signs in the sky, His Word, and current events but to also appoint time markers to show us the way!

As a believer and seeker, I want ALL that Father has for His children, and I’m so excited to put to practice these new (to me) festivals and celebrations that He established and delights in. It’s like becoming a child again and learning new wonderful things!

The Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do no ordinary work on that day. Instead, you are to present special gifts to the Lord.” – Leviticus 23:24, NLT

This year, the Feast of Trumpets lands on September 30, 2019, on the Gregorian Calendar. It’s a time of rest, NO WORK. Trumpets are blown (commemorating trumpets blown at His return), and a feast with friends and family is to be had (commemorating the marriage supper of the Lamb).

I love to play shofar horns on Trumpets, even from YouTube on my computer, because I get so joyous in my spirit thinking of what it will sound like upon His return.

The three Fall Feasts run back to back; the next is the Day of Atonement which is celebrated this year at sundown on October 8th-October 9th, 2019.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Be careful to celebrate the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of that same month—nine days after the Festival of Trumpets. You must observe it as an official day for holy assembly, a day to deny yourselves[g] and present special gifts to the Lord. 28 Do no work during that entire day because it is the Day of Atonement, when offerings of purification are made for you, making you right with[h] the Lord your God. Leviticus 23: 26-28

This is a day of humility, restitution and remembrance of His once and for all sacrifice and a day to be intentional about making wrong right with people in your life. Forgive and be forgiven.

Next is The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated this year on October 13-20th. It is a 7 day celebration of the time that Israel wandered through the desert living in tents and how God kept and protected them during that time. In pointing to Messiah, it speaks of His return and tabernacling with His people again as Emmanuel “God with Us.” This is a really lovely feast where His people build tents and shelters of all different kinds and set up tables in them to feast in every night for 7 days! That’s a lot of feasting!

And the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Begin celebrating the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the appointed month—five days after the Day of Atonement. This festival to the Lord will last for seven days. On the first day of the festival you must proclaim an official day for holy assembly, when you do no ordinary work. For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. The eighth day is another holy day on which you present your special gifts to the Lord. This will be a solemn occasion, and no ordinary work may be done that day.” – Leviticus 23:33-36, NLT

This year will be my family’s first year to fully practice all three of these fall festivals, and I’m very excited about how He will reveal Himself to us in new and wonderful ways! I invite you to research for yourself and to ask Father how you may incorporate these wonderful times into your and your family’s lives. Blessings!

 

 

 

Featured Image by Gor Davtyan 

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About the Author

Cheryl is the author of The Waking, her first novel. She is also a business owner, an ordained minister, speaker, and student of the Word. She is passionate about seeing people know God deeply while finding true freedom and wholeness in life through Yeshua.