the appointed times by Dr Chris Koster
The Hebrew
word is mo’edim, and in the traditional
versions of the Scriptures it was mistranslated as "festivals." The
Hebrew for festival is chag. Although
many a mo’ed is also a chag,
this is by no means always the case.
Elohim legislated these Appointed Times to be just that: a time
that He has appointed for them to draw near to Him to serve Him, to worship
Him. In Wayyiqra / Lev. 23 we find these Appointed
Times listed. The very first and most important one is the weekly Shabbat,
of course. The weekly Shabbat, as well as the yearly Shabbat, the Day of
Atonement, are mo’edim,
but they are not festivals. However, the other Appointed Times in Wayyiqra 23 are also called "festivals."
If we
turn our attention to these "Festivals of Yahuweh," we naturally ask
two questions: What are their significance, and
secondly, Why were they done away with by the Church? Before we discuss this,
please note that the seven festivals are grouped in three groups (1) The
festivals of the first month, Abib, (2) The Festival
of Weeks (Shavu’oth), and (3) The festivals of the
seventh month.
their significance
They were
instituted "as a law forever," as we repeatedly read. In the first
Scriptural month, Abib, we find the Passover -
Pesach, also called Unleavened Bread, having certainly been
fulfilled in the Messiah, our Passover Lamb slaughtered for us (1 Cor. 5:7).
But why insist that we still keep it ? - you might ask. The Passover was instituted forever, but as
Yahushua fulfilled it, His Body and His Blood took the place of the Passover
Lamb and its blood. Therefore we still keep the Passover, but with its
Messianic emblems, the unleavened bread and the cup of the vine. Write to us if
you wish to have further details. Suffice it to say, the apostles kept on
observing Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:3 and Acts 20:6), and Yahushua also
promised that He will again drink of the fruit of the vine when the Reign of
Elohim is physically set up, here on earth (Matt. 26:29).
The
second group actually consists only of the Festival of Weeks - Shavu’oth. Traditionally this is thought to commemorate
the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. But when the
taught ones were assembled on Shavu’oth, as we read
in Acts 2, the Set-apart Spirit was poured out on them. Nevertheless, they
simply kept on keeping Shavu’oth year by year, e.g.
Acts 20:16 and 1 Cor. 16:8.
The third
group, those of the seventh Scriptural month, are most interesting, because
they have never been fulfilled. The Appointed Times of the seventh month
consist of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Festival of Booths, and the Eighth Day
called Last (Great) Day in Yoch. 7. Interestingly,
the Festival of Booths (some say it comprises all the Appointed Times of the
seventh month) has another name: Festival of Ingathering, according to Wayyiqra 23:16 and 34:22, which we will discuss later on.
In Col.
2:16-17 we read that festival, new moon, Sabbaths "are
a shadow of what is to come." Notice, it is not past tense "were,"
no, it is present tense "are." Some years ago the editor of
"Midnight Cry," a well-known prophetic magazine, said. "The
Church has been robbed of its festivals." He then went on and elaborated
on the great prophetic significance of the festivals of the seventh month in
particular.
What do
these Appointed Times of the seventh month foreshadow? By the way, we all know
that the weekly Shabbat is a shadow of the seventh millennium, yet to come.
Nevertheless, we still keep the Shabbat for it is the sign of the Eternal
Covenant (Shemoth / Exo. 31:13-17 and Yehezqel 20:12-20).
Trumpets
- Yom Terua is generally interpreted as being a shadow of the
Last Trumpet - 1 Cor. 15:52, Matt. 24:31, 1 Thes.
4:16, Rev. 11:15 - heralding the Second Coming of Messiah and the establishment
of the Reign of Elohim here on earth!
Day of
Atonement - Yom Kippur? Yahushua has certainly atoned for us as individuals when He died in
our stead. However, as a nation Yisrael is still
awaiting its national atonement. Yisrael is still to
be reconciled to its Elohim, through Yahushua, the Sovereign of the Yehudim, the Shepherd of Yisrael.
Festival
of Booths - Sukkot is a shadow of Elohim setting up His Booth as the
New Yerushalayim comes from heaven. Among many
passages, let us read Rev. 21:3, "See, the Booth of Elohim is with men,
and He shall dwell with them and be their Elohim." But please note: In
spite of Him dwelling among His people the Festival of Booths continues to be
observed - read all of Zekaryah 14! Even those who
are left from the Gentiles (v. 16), after Yahuweh had fought against all the
Gentiles who came up to fight against Yerushalayim
(vv. 2-3), shall be compelled to worship Yahuweh and to observe the Festival of
Booths (vv. 16-18).
The Last
Great Day is a shadow of what Yahushua will do in the Last Day, as we read
of its fulfilment in Rev. 7:17, 21:6 and 22:1-2. As Messiah was observing the
Festival of Booths in Yoch. 7, we read in Yoch. 7:37-39 how He, on the Last Day, promises that He
will give us to drink from the fountain of the river of life, sometimes called
the fountain of living waters. Already this has had a fulfilment in the lives
of the True Believers, but the final consummation of this prophetic promise is
still future!
The
seventh Scriptural month is the time when the ingathering from the
threshing-floor and from the winepress has been completed (read Devarim / Deut. 16:13). The Festival of Ingathering
foreshadows the final ingathering of "the outcasts," "the
remnant of Yisrael." Almost every prophetic
book prophecies about this ingathering in the end-time (Write to us if you need
a list of these texts). This ingathering includes those truly converted
Gentiles who "joined themselves to Yahuweh," who have "joined
Yisrael" (Yesh.
14:1, 56:6-8, Zekar. 2:11), "even all the
Gentiles on whom My Name has been called, says Yahuweh" (Acts 15:17).
why did the church do away with
these festivals?
The
answer was given to us in Dan. 7:25 - the little horn (generally interpreted as
Rome) "intends to change Appointed Times and Law." This is
exactly what took place when the Roman Church was set up to lay
waste the True Worship, to trample underfoot that which is set-apart. The
Festivals of Yahuweh were done away with and they continued with their old
Gentile customs and festivals - Christmas, Easter, Sunday etc.
But
praise Yah, the times of the restoration of all matters are here (Acts 3:21),
and the Last Trumpet will soon sound to usher in the Sovereign of the Yehudim, as the Booth of Elohim is among men, as He dwells
among His people, as He sets up the Reign of Elohim.