And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.(Leviticus 23:1-2)
God has laid out in many ways the future of Israel and of the world. Prophecy is one of them, the Song of Moses for example, Another way that the Lord has clearly told His people and whoever has ears to hear, what the future would be, is in the Festal Holidays of Israel.
The word ‘feasts’ in the above cited scripture, is literally,”Appointed times“. These are appointments on a schedule. God has pre-arranged special appointments with His people throughout History, and he has taught them ta prophetic schedule via the yearly holidays He has ordained for the chosen people.
The feasts of Israel are divided into three special sections. There are the three Spring Feasts, Passover,Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. Then there is a lone summer feast, Pentecost, and finally there are the three Fall Feasts of Israel, the feast of trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and finally the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Spring appointments with Israel have already been kept. Messiah has come and offered himself as the Passover Lamb. He was crucified on Passover, after a thorough inspection for flaws by the High Priest and the religious leaders of Israel. The feast of unleavened bread is the removal of sin (Leaven,corruption), out of the house, as a consequence of Passover. Three das after the feast of Passover, te High Priest would go to the barley field and gather the first sheave and offer it as the first fruit before God. On that same morning around thirty AD , Christ rose from the dead.
THose appointments have already been kept.
After fifty days, the feast of Pentecost occurs, in the summer. Around thirty AD again, there were a group of Jewish believers meeting in the temple on the day of the feast of Pentecost, fifty days after the ressurection.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.(Acts 2:1-4)
God has kept the first four of the ordained appointments in history with Israel his people, although for the most part they were unprepared or oblivious to what was happening.
But there are three feasts yet to come, The feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of tabernacles,
The Feast of trumpets has been partially obscured by the Rabbis, the emphasis of it being Rosh Hoshanah, or New Years day. What are trumpets sounded for? Warning, and Assembly. When the trumpets are sounded, and the congregation gathers together for assembly, worship or for war.
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;(Joel 2:1)
And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.(Numbers 10:3)
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?(Amos 3:6)
The Trumpet of God has certainly been sounding to the ends of the earth since May,1948, with the resurrection of Israel and the return after almost two thousand years of exile. The Jewish people are coming out of their exile in the Muslim world; Russia, Europe, India,China, and literally from the very ends of the earth.
The sound of the trumpet should provoke trembling though as both Joel and Amos attest.
The Feast of Trumpets actually commences something called the “days of awe” the time between this feast and the next, more solemn feast(Actually a fast), the day atonement. On tat day the people of ISrael are literally commanded to repentance, self examination, and humiliation of souls.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”(Leviticus 23:26-32)
This is the meaning of our current season of affliction, I believe the time has come for Israel to enter into her fall appointments with God. Passover, Unleavened bread , Firstfruits and Pentecost have already happened in history. Most of the nation missed out on the full significance of these events.As Jesus lamented, they did not know their time of visitation. But there remain three feasts.
The Trumpet has been sounding, and Israel is regathering, and the time has come for her to deeply soul search and repent. The “Days of Awe” correspond to the “time of Jacob’s trouble”, the prophetic “Night”, “Affliction” and as Daniel warned, “The time of tribulation, such as has never happened before nor shall ever happen again”.
The pressure will accomplish the goal, Israel will repent and be re-instated as Kings and Priests and the whole world will be resurrected!
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.(Hosea 3:4-5)
All of this is in preparation for the final appointment with Israel Feast of Tabernacles. God has an appointment with Israel, He will once again dwell in the midst of them and there will be a Messianic Banquet, a wedding feast that shall be the ground of all true Joy and happiness!
And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.(Isaiah 25:6-9)
The feast of tabernacles corresponds to the final, glorious future for the children of Israel, chastened and redeemed, but restored to their ordained glory as the Holy nation, dwelling with God forever.
As it is written of this people,
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.(Isaiah 60:1-2)
Pastor Bill Randles Blog 