How to Keep
Yahweh’s Annual Feasts
When You Cannot Meet with Others
(Part 2)
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Spring festival days explained in part one of this article depicts Yahshua’s
sacrifice and the Firstfruits, those now being called, responding to that call,
putting sin out of their (our) lives, through baptism and receiving the Holy
Spirit so we can keep Yahweh’s Law (Exodus 20 and Acts 2). Only a relatively few
are in this group, when compared to the billions who are alive now and the
billions who have lived and died without ever hearing the message of salvation,
and will be in the First Resurrection when Yahshua returns to establish His
kingdom here on earth. That is where this article begins.
The Feast of
Trumpets
will be on the New Moon day of the Seventh Scriptural month, which the Jews call
Tishri. On the Roman secular calendar commonly used, this will be October 10
this year (2010), beginning at dark of Oct. 9th. This is an annual
High Sabbath, and the only “work” allowed is the preparation of food (Exodus
12:16).
Scriptures indicate
that this is the day when Yahshua will return to earth to resurrect the dead
saints who are now sleeping in their graves, and to change those who are still
alive at His coming.
If you cannot meet
with an Assembly, study the following
Scriptures: Mat. 24, all, especially verses 14, 24, 29-33, 42, 44. (note vs. 31,
“And
he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall
gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.”)
Also note that “this generation…” spoken of in verse 34, means the generation
living when these things come to pass. Many of them are here now.
(1 Cor 15:50-53 KJV)
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of Yahweh; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. {51}
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, {52} In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53} For this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
(1 Thes. 4:13-18
NRSV) “But we do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not
grieve as others do who have no hope. {14} For since we believe that
Yahshua died and rose again, even so, through Yahshua, Yahweh will bring with
him those who have died. {15} For this we declare to you by the word of
Yahweh, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of Yahshua, will by
no means precede those who have died. {16} For Yahshua himself, with a
cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of Yahweh’s
trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in the Messiah will rise first.
{17} Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds
together with them to meet Yahshua in the air; and so we will be with Yahshua
forever. {18} Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
Revelation 20:1-6
speaks of this great resurrection of the Firstfruits of Yahweh’s called-out
ones.
The Day of
Atonement
is the next High Sabbath, nine days later, on the 10th of Tishri
(Oct. 19 this year). On this day,
we are to do no work at all; neither are we to eat or drink anything for the
period from the evening of the 9th until the evening of the 10th
(Leviticus 23:27-32).
Study Leviticus 16.
The two goats, contrary to our former belief, both represented Yahshua’s atoning
work on our behalf. The sacrificed goat’s blood represented the blood of Yahshua
that was to be shed to take away our sins. The “azazel goat” who had the sins of
the people laid on his head and carried them away, represents Yahshua’s taking
our sins upon Himself and freeing us from them. He was put to death at Golgotha,
just outside the city of Jerusalem.
This Day is also
associated with purifying the Bride of the Messiah (the Assembly) just prior to
the wedding of the Lamb (Rev. 19). Study this chapter as well as chapters 20-21.
These two chapters also relate to the next festivals, Tabernacles and the Last
Great Day.
The Feast of
Tabernacles,
a seven-day
Festival, begins on Tishri 15 (Oct 24), a High Sabbath. It ends on Tishri 21
(Oct. 30 this year), but is immediately followed by “the Eighth Day of the
Feast,” called “the Last Great Day, Oct 31.” This is technically a separate
Feast, as explained below. This eight-day period is one of the three “pilgrim
feasts,” spoken of in Deut. 16:16-17, when we should travel to a Feast site and
meet with others. But if you cannot, then study Leviticus 23, Deut 16:13-17, 2
Chr. 8:13, Ezra 3:4, and Zechariah 14. This chapter teaches that the Feast of
Tabernacles will be kept during the Millennium and beyond.
In the New Testament
book of John, chapter 7, we find Yahshua attending the Feast and teaching at the
Temple. This was about six months before His impalement, and the Jews were
already seeking to kill him. He knew when He was to die, thus He went up
secretly, lest they impale him prematurely (His time was not yet come, John
7:30). He had to die at Passover time, thus to become our Passover Lamb (1 Cor.
5:7).
Later on, they made
serious plans to kill him (John 11:53-54), which they carried out at Passover.
It did not apparently occur to them that they themselves were helping to fulfill
prophecy; that Yahshua was destined to be OUR Passover sacrifice once and for
all time.
There are instances
in the New Testament where all the Feasts are mentioned as being kept by New
Testament Believers, including Tabernacles, as we just saw in John 7. Some other
instances that you can look up for yourself are: Luke 2:47, Luke 22:8-11, John
2:23, John 7:2-37, all speak of Yahshua keeping the Festivals.
Later references,
AFTER His resurrection, are found in 1 Cor. 5:7-8, 1 Cor. 11:23-34, Acts 12:3,
20:6, 20:16, 1 Cor. 16:8, Acts 18:20-21, Acts 27:9 (Atonement, the “Fast Day”),
and of course the events of Acts 2. If the disciples had not been keeping this
day of Pentecost, they would not have been there to receive the Holy Spirit.
Paul wrote in
Colossians 2:16-17 that the Festivals, Sabbaths, and New Moons, are
shadows of things to come. If we do not keep these days, then we do not
truly understand His Plan of Salvation, and future, end-time events.
But back to the
Feast of Tabernacles and what it pictures in Yahweh’s great plan on our behalf.
Yahshua’s triumphant return signals the beginning of the seventh
one-thousand-year “Day,” called “the Day of Yahweh,” mistakenly referred to as
“the day of the LORD” in most versions of Scripture, about 25 or 30 times.
This is to be a
traumatic time for the earth and its sinful, wayward inhabitants. It follows
Satan’s “great tribulation,” spoken of in several places, including Matthew 24,
which is persecution against the called-out Saints. The difference is that the
“Day of Yahweh” is His punishment against those who have rebelled against Him
and His Son during the just-ended six one-thousand-year “days,” ever since the
rebellion of Adam and Chavah (Eve).
After Yahshua’s
return, and after the wedding of the Lamb to His Assembly, the resurrected and
changed Saints, He goes about to establish His Kingdom here on earth, with
headquarters in Jerusalem. Ruling under Him will be the Patriarchs, including
King David.
After Satan’s army
is defeated and peace is restored, the earth will undergo a cleansing process.
Those left alive in the flesh will be rehabilitated, and all rebellion will be
squelched. The Ten Commandments will be enforced. This one-thousand-year period
is a time of reconstruction and re-education. It is also a time of testing for
those living over into it in the flesh (request my booklets, “Truth About
Judgment,” and “Truth About the
Resurrections” for more detail). The two houses of Yisrael will be reunited
and restored during this time. After everything is ready – Yahweh’s government
restored, Yahweh’s chosen people, Yisrael, returned to their land, the Gentiles
grafted in, then comes the next and final step in His plan:
The Last Great
Day, that
eighth day of the Feast, is the last High Sabbath of the year, and occurs on the
22nd of Tishri, immediately after the last day of Tabernacles. It is
spoken of in Lev. 23:36 and 39, Num. 29:35, 2 Chr. 7:9, Neh. 8:18, etc.
On the last day of
the Feast (The Eighth Day), Yahshua gave a sermon at the Temple in Jerusalem
(John 7:37), in which He proclaimed the plan of salvation, and the need for the
Holy Spirit to dwell in our minds and hearts. Study this along with what Paul
wrote in Romans chapters 7 and 8.
This, immediately
following the 1,000-year “Day of Yahweh,” signals the beginning of the final
part of the “Fall Harvest,” when all the rest of mankind either dead or living
from the days of Adam to that time, will be resurrected to be judged. Yahshua’s
discourse in Matthew 24:30 to 25:30 chronicles the events from His return at the
beginning of this period, and the setting up of the Kingdom, including the first
Judgment period.
But, beginning in
Matthew 25:31 to 25:46, He is speaking of a separate Judgment – the one at the
END of the 1,000 year period, when those who lived through this time, and those
who died in ignorance or rebellion during the previous 6,000 years, will be
resurrected (Rev. 20:4-6). Notice the different terminology He used. In Matthew
24, He stated:
(Mat 24:30-31 KJV)
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. {31}
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall
gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.”
This is a gathering
together of all the saints, past and present, who have either died in a “saved”
condition, or who are alive and changed to Spirit at His coming. BUT now notice
the contrast we find in Mat. 25:31:
(Mat 25:31-33 KJV)
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: {32} And
before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: {33}
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”
This is not another
“coming,” but a continuation of the process – the next step, if you will, when
the events recorded in Revelation 20 will take place. It is after He has been
here for 1,000 years. Verses 4 and 5 state that these resurrected saints lived
and reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years, and that “the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the
first resurrection.”
Then, beginning in
verse 7, it goes on to explain the adversary’s final assault and his fate.
Verses 11 through 15 explain the final judgment of those who were not called in
this life. The “book of life” (verse 12) will be opened once again to record
names of those who have now learned the Truth from the Scriptures (the “books”
of verse 12). If they accept and repent, they will receive eternal life – those
who do not, will be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed, not
tortured for all eternity as Christianity teaches.
After these events,
the earth is to be purified by fire, and man’s works will be completely
destroyed in that fire. Then Yahweh Himself will descend from the heavens with
the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2), and we shall be ever with Him. When this happens,
Yahshua will step down and Yahweh will be all in all. Notice this Scripture:
(1 Cor 15:19-28 KJV)
“If in this life only we have hope in the Messiah, we are of all men most
miserable. {20} But now is the Messiah risen from the dead, and
become the firstfruits of them that slept. {21} For since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. {22} For
as in Adam all die, even so in the Messiah shall all be made alive. {23}
But every man in his own order: the Messiah the firstfruits; afterward they that
are the Messiah’s at his coming. {24} Then cometh the end, when he
shall have delivered up the kingdom to Yahweh, even the Father; when he shall
have put down all rule and all authority and power. {25} For he must
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. {26} The last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death. {27} For he hath put all
things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is
manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. {28}
And when all things shall be subdued unto him, Then shall the Son also
himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that Yahweh may be
all in all.”
This completes
Yahweh’s plan of salvation, from creation of the earth until it is purified and
made a fit place for the saints to live. You should study all these Scriptures
and more during these days. Use your concordance and look up as many other
relevant Scriptures as you can think of.
But best of all,
make an earnest effort to attend a REAL Feast this fall. There is nothing like
it – nothing with which to compare the benefit you will receive. Use this
article as a guide ONLY if you absolutely cannot attend. May Yahweh bless you as
you strive to serve Him. ~