The Seven Feasts of Israel

For those desiring to learn more about the Hebrew Roots of the Christian faith the best place to start is with the system of remembrance practices known as the Feasts of Israel/The Feasts of the Lord.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years...."

This is where the calendar is started and the word ‘seasons’ means the "appointed times" (HaMoyadim).

There are only 70 specially appointed times for holy days called "HaMoyadim" (the appointed times) in a year, as defined by Leviticus 23*:

2. 7 days of Pesach/Passover (encompassing Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Feast of First Fruits)

4. 1 day for Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets, which is concurrent with Rosh Hashanah ... this and other things will be explained in detail as we study each feast)

	These are times when Elohim, the God of the Universe, has requested we meet with Him and times that He meets with us.
	This is not to say we cannot enjoy communing with Elohim/God at any time we approach Him in faith believing that Blood of Yeshua/Jesus has given us access.
	It says that God as a planned time to meet with us and He dictated the dates and proper observation to Moses on Mount Sinai. His instructions are recorded in Leviticus chapter 23*.
	You wouldn't neglect an important appointment to meet some world leader…would you? Would you neglect an appointment with God who has scheduled this in on His calendar?
	The festivals of the Lord found in Leviticus 23* were given to us by God so His people could understand the coming of the Messiah/Mashiach and the role that Messiah/Mashiach would play in redeeming and restoring both man and the earth back to God following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden/Gan Eden.
	Although most Bible believers have heard of the Feasts, the deep meaning and the importance of these Feasts are for the most part not understood.

The Feasts are beautiful shadow pictures of God’s redemptive work through His Son.

If you desire a deeper understanding of our Most High Holy God in a greater way than you do today, then the Feasts will reveal to you the deeper things.

~ Feasts Can Foretell the Future ~

To understand these Feasts is to understand how God announced in advance how His Son would pay the penalty for man’s sin.

Yeshua/Jesus fulfilled each of these Feasts to the very day and hour, which God’s people had observed for hundreds of years.

The Jewish people observed these Feasts, but few recognized the Messiah when He came.

Why didn't they recognize their Messiah when He suffered and died during His appointed time (HaMoyadim)?

They did not recognize their Messiah because they had added so many man-made rules and traditions to God's Law/Torah that they were consumed with their religiosity.

Can the church learn from the Jewish people? The church today has basically done the complete opposite and has gotten the same results. The church has subtracted from God's Law through our man-made religious doctrine and traditions.

Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:17-18:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law/torah, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

Because the church has separated itself from God’s Torah/Law (instructions!) and His people they may not recognize Messiah’s second coming at His appointed times. We need to rid ourselves of our misconceptions about God’s Law/ Torah and seek to understand the shadow pictures of the past through the Light that has been given us.

· It would take a book the size of the Bible to explain Leviticus 23* and the importance of the symbolism.

· The events in the New Testament, the important future events involving the Church, and the Jews are all part of God’s plan from chaos to eternity!

· All of this is beautifully revealed through the timing of these 7 annual Feasts.

· As we learn of these Feasts you will become aware that we are now existing between two Feasts, and that it is important for us to have a handle on God’s calendar in its original nature.

So let’s shed some light on these Feasts. I pray you will be blessed by these studies on the 7 Feasts of Israel.

Click on the chart to see an explanation and another chart of the Biblical holidays.

God revealed the feasts for a reason and through them all believers can be blessed, Jews and Christians. Throughout Church history there have been some major misunderstandings between the Church (the body of Christ/Messiah) and the Jewish people.

As one studies the New Testament there is no escaping the Jewishness of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus, Himself, was a traditional Jew living in the land of Israel. His earlist followers considered themselves to be Jews who had found the promised Messiah; therefore, they naturally continued the Jewish expression of their faith.

It is a tragedy that the Christian community has not understood, for the most part, the rich heritage, which its faith is built on. Many are rediscovering these Jewish connections and are wondering how they can understand the Jewishness of their faith in a practical way.

God revealed the feasts for a reason and through them all believers can be blessed, Jews and Christians.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

The Feasts of the Lord, or Biblical holy days, teach us about the nature of God and His plan for mankind. In the New Testament there is a passage found in regards to the holy days.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
(Colossians 2:16-17)

The “feasts” are not the ultimate goal of faith and we are to avoid legalism. Yet, they do hold some profound lessons for God’s children. The feasts are not obsolete practices of faith but, they are in fact genuine shadows or models of God’s Truth.

This is something that needs to be explored in a positive way, and not have the old "you’re putting us under the law, again" spirit nagging us!

First let’s establish that Israel has two calendars; one, their civil calendar, begins in the fall (Tishri, about September/October on our calendar); the other, their religious calendar, begins in the spring (Nisan, about April/May on our calendar.)

Month #	Civil Calendar	Religious Calendar
1	Tishri	Nisan or Nissan (Aviv = "Spring" in Hebrew)
2	Heshvan or Cheshvan	Iyar
3	Kislev	Sivan
4	Tevet	Tammuz
5	Shevat	Av
6	Adar	Elul
7	Nisan or Nissan (Aviv)	Tishri
8	Iyar	Heshvan or Cheshvan
9	Sivan	Kislev
10	Tammuz	Tevet
11	Av	Shevat
12	Elul	Adar

Religious and civil dating system were based on both lunar and solar cycles. In the calendar used today a day is counted from sunset to sunset, a week comprises 7 days, a month has 29 or 30 days, and a year has 12 lunar months plus approximately 11 days (or 353, 354, or 355 days). In order to bring the calendar in line with the annual solar cycle, a 13th month of 30 days is added in the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years of a 19-year cycle. Therefore, a leap year may have from 383 to 385 days. The Jewish Era in use today was popularly accepted around the 9th century AD and is based on Biblical calculations placing the creation in 3761 BC.

So let’s get started with the first Biblical Holiday!
This link will take you to:

1: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2: 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.
3: Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4: These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5: In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.
6: And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7: In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8: But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
9: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
11: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12: And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
13: And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
14: And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
15: And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
17: Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
18: And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
19: Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
20: And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
21: And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22: And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
23: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25: Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
26: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
27: Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
28: And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
29: For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30: And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31: Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32: It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
33: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
34: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
35: On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36: Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
37: These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
38: Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
39: Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40: And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
41: And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42: Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
44: And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

	We need to remember because we are prone to forget! We are, more often than not, an ungrateful people like the nine lepers who forgot to go back and thank Jesus for healing (Luke 17:12-19).
	We should be grateful to our Creator for having recognized our tendency to forget and provided us with an appointment calendar to jog our memory … really!