To:	 "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Date:	 Wed, 1 Oct 1997 02:14:36 
Subject: An Overview of the Feasts

From:    Mark Wilson
To:      heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Intro to the Festivals

                           THE FEASTS OF THE LORD

                                THE INTRODUCTION

The introduction to the feasts will be quite lengthy because a depth of
understanding is necessary before we can begin.  The church has been
negligent in searching out and teaching these feasts so that any
teaching must begin in the very basics.  The general attitude in the
church concerning the feasts is that Jesus fulfilled all the feasts,
including the Sabbath, so all that is just past history.  It is true
that Jesus fulfilled all the feasts but it is equally true that now we
also must keep the feasts.  Not the shadow of the literal details but
the reality of their fulfillment in our lives.  

1CO 5:7-8 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just 
as you are {in fact} unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been 
sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor 
with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened 
bread of sincerity and truth.  

Christianity was birthed out of a Jewish background with Jewish customs 
and tradition.  The early churches were "synagogues" after the Jewish 
tradition.  The early church didn't have a "New Testament" to study and 
refer to.  There were no cassette tapes or Christian libraries or Christian 
programs.  They had the Old Testament and made application to their 
daily lives from these writings.  The Law, the Psalms and the Prophets 
were all revelations of Jesus Christ.  

LUK 24:27 And beginning with Moses and with all the
prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the
Scriptures.  

JOH 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, because you think that
in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me;
The Old Testament scriptures are a revelation of Jesus Christ.

COL 2:16-17  Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or
drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- 
things which are a {mere} shadow of what is to come; but the
substance belongs to Christ.  

We should each understand that
Christianity had been altered by being westernized, then modernized,
then gentilized, and intellectualized.  In this country we see the
scriptures through American glasses, then through cultural glasses, 
then through traditional glasses and through denominational 
glasses etc. From time to time it is important to try to see Christianity 
from the Old Testament scriptures and come back to our roots.  The 
problem with this is that a casual reading will produce very little light. 
There is a wide spread fear that this kind of inquiry will somehow bring 
us back under the law.  Our purpose is to see Jesus Christ as He was 
revealed to the early church.

The New Testament scriptures take on a new depth of revelation and
clarity of application when seen in the unfolding of Old Covenant
truth.  It is true that we must always be alert to understand that the
Old Testament scriptures show us types and shadows and not the exact
reality.  

HEB 10:1 For the Law, since it has {only} a shadow of the good
things to come {and} not the very form of things, can never by the same
sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect
those who draw near.  

HEB 8:4-5 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a
priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to
the Law;  who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things,
just as Moses was warned {by God} when he was about to erect the
tabernacle; for, " See, "He says," that you make all things according to
the pattern which was shown you on the mountain. "

For example:  We study many details of the Tabernacle of Moses, which
is just a shadow of the Tabernacle of God, in order to receive a
revelation of the Tabernacle of God.  We study the life of Abraham in
order to get a revelation of faith.  We study the details of Israel
coming out of Egypt in order to get a revelation of how we can escape
from the world and participate in the Kingdom of God.  We study the Mt.
Sinai experience of Israel in order to get a revelation of the foulness
of Pentecost.  Israel stayed at Mt. Sinai for one year and so many
things took place that are applications for our lives.

Most all Pentecostal churches quote John 7:37-39 and apply it to the
baptism of the Holy Spirit.  This is quite proper but it is so much
fuller when it is seen in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles.  

JOH 7:2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand.  
Most of us struggle over Jesus' teaching in John 6 and many wild 
things are taught from these verses.  However, if we put it in the context 
of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread it brings stability to the
understanding.  

JOH 6:4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at
hand.  The manna was certainly "the bread of life" to Israel and Israel
was to remember that they were slaves in Egypt and had to eat "the bread
of affliction".  Jesus was bringing the revelation that He is the
fulfillment of the shadow which was the manna.  Therefore, He could say
" I Am the bread of life".  Many confuse this with the Lord's Supper
because they don't recognize the context is Passover and the eating of
the Passover Lamb.

There are multitudes in the "Christian church" that are in a
pre-Christian condition, spiritually.  Many have "received Jesus Christ
as Savior" and are living in a sub-Christian experience.  Much of what
is accepted as Christianity today is a mixture of many things that are
non-Christian.  A T.V. documentary on Christianity wouldn't reveal what
Christianity really is.  It would only show various interpretations of
what is supposed to be Christian.  It would be influenced by culture,
tradition, denominations, outward forms, heritage, rituals, sacraments
and even opinions and dogmas.  It should be obvious that there is not
all this confusion in God's mind.  He knows what He can accept as
Christian but we have been influenced by all kinds of things and none of
us has a clear perspective.

Much of the church has determined that "salvation" means forgiveness of
sins.  Salvation is determined by the application of the blood.  When we
study the Feast of Passover we discover that "this salvation" involved
the killing of the Passover Lamb. the application of the blood, the
eating of the Passover Lamb, eating bitter herbs, eating in haste,
eating standing up with the staff in the hand, with sandals on the feet
and with the loins girded about.  Then we learn that the entire lamb had
to be eaten.  The legs, the head and the entrails.  What was not eaten
was lost forever because what was not eaten had to be burned with fire.

All these details will give a depth of understanding to how God views
"salvation".  If we only see the blood and nothing more we will reject
the rest of the feast of unleavened bread.  Then malice, wickedness,
false teaching, hypocrisy, hardness of heart and immorality will be
permitted in our lives with no fear. 

EXO 34:25  "You shall not offer
the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of
the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning.  This is
something that is very common in the church.  Proclaiming the blood but
offering it with malice, wickedness, hypocrisy and with a hard heart.
However, much of the church is ignorant of this fact.  Many will dismiss
this application because they say now we are living in grace and God is
overlooking all these negative things.  He just wants us to be happy so
do whatever makes you happy.

When the church substituted "the gospel of salvation" for " the gospel
of the Kingdom", the gospel was reduced to forgiveness of sins.
However, the Kingdom demands obedience and changed lives.  The 
"gospel of salvation" deals with our sins and fallen state but our 
development into the Kingdom government of God is forgotten.

The progression of the feasts of the Lord emphasize the "development"
aspect of our salvation.  The children of Israel coming out of Egypt and
progressing toward Canaan is a picture of development and shows the
result of not developing in faith and obedience.  They were prohibited
from entering Canaan because of unbelief and disobedience.  We could say
the children of Israel were "saved" by the blood in Egypt.  They were
"saved" by the water of the Red Sea.  They were "saved" by the manna
from heaven.  They were "saved" by the water out of the rock.  Still
they were not "saved" as far as Canaan because of unbelief and
disobedience.  Israel never went back to Egypt but the never came 
under the kingdom government of God either.  It was several 
generations before the kingdom was established at Jerusalem.

Each of the feasts were a time of covenant renewal.  It was a time for
corporate Israel to acknowledge God and to remember how God had
delivered them.  They were to remember how they were slaves in Egypt and
how God gave them the law, the priesthood and established them as a
nation.  God provided for their individual sins in the sacrifices as
well as their corporate sins on the Day of Atonement when the blood was
carried into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled on the mercy seat.  In
the Feast of Tabernacles they remembered how God led them in the
wilderness and they lived in tents.

Each of the feasts had a historic fulfillment in Israel.  Each feast
had a fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  Each feast has a personal
fulfillment in each of our lives.  Each feast has a corporate
fulfillment in the church and each feast has a future, eternal
fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.  For example: Jesus Christ is our
Passover Lamb.  He is our Unleavened Bread.  He was resurrected
Firstfruits etc.  This is all objective as far as our experience is
concerned.  Now each of us must personally experience Jesus Christ as
our Passover.  Each of us must experience the feast of Unleavened Bread
and the Firstfruits resurrection now.There will also be the corporate
fulfillment of the Feast of Firstfruits when the bride will be caught up
in the rapture.

Each of these feasts was a harvest feast and each harvest depended upon
the early and the latter rains.  Each feast involved the bringing in of
the very best of the harvest to God.  Jesus said "The end of the age is
the harvest and the reapers are the angels".          

JAM 5:7-8  Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. 
Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being 
patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient;
strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  

James tells us the rains and harvest speak to us about the coming 
of the Lord. 

HOS 6:2-3 "He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on
the third day That we may live before Him. So let us know, let
us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the
earth."  

The former rain was for the first four feasts and the later
rain was for the last three feasts.  Historically, this speaks about two
appearances of the Lord.  The first coming fulfilled the first four
feasts and the next appearing will fulfill the last three feasts.  The
first four feasts were fulfilled exactly to the minute and we can look
forward to the last three being fulfilled exactly to the minute also.
The purpose of both comings of the Lord is "harvest".  The first time He
came as the Passover Lamb.  The next time He will come as the 
conquering King.

In addition to these seven harvest feasts there was the weekly feast of
Sabbath rest.  The English word "feast" suggests everyone eating and
drinking and having a fun time.  The Spanish word used is "festival" and
suggests something like mardi gras or a day of carnival.  Sabbath was a
day of rest and even a solemn assembly.  It was a time of remembrance
when Israel remembered that God was the creator of all things and then
rested on the 7th day.  We will see that Jesus also perfectly fulfilled
that feast and has become our Sabbath rest.  All these feasts were
called "the appointed times of the Lord".  God completes the reality of
these things in our lives in His appointed times.

The message of the church has focused upon God's provision of
redemption for all those who believe.  This points to "Passover" and
focuses upon the blood.  However, Jesus' massage was "repent for the
Kingdom of God is at hand".  His message focused upon God's eternal
purpose.  It is certainly proper to preach Passover but all the rest of
the feasts must also be brought into perspective.  Passover was not
complete without the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

When we see all the feasts in perspective, we will see God's purpose is
not just forgiveness of sins but rising up out of a fallen state and
developing into a Christ-like character that can fulfill the purpose of
God through out eternity.  Sinful man must be transformed into a Godly
person and not just "forgiven" for being a sinful man.  Forgiveness of
sins has become "another gospel".  It is not wrong but it is incomplete.

In these feasts we will see "man's preparation" and "man's
responsibility".  None of the feasts were options and all were
requirements.  

EXO 34:23 "Three times a year all your males are to
appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.  

DEU 16:16 "Three times
in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the
place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the
Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear
before the Lord empty-handed.  

EXO 23:16-17 "Also {you shall observe} the
Feast of the Harvest {of} the first fruits of your labors {from} what
you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of
the year when you gather in {the fruit of} your labors from the field.
Three times a year all your males shall appear before the
Lord God.

So many in the church are deceived into thinking all that is necessary
to appear before God for these feasts is "just believe".  When we see
the feasts are a time to bring to God what we have personally sown and
reaped from our own field that is the result of our personal labor, we
will understand this is a time of solemn assembly.  No one can appear
empty handed.  There are feasts of HARVESTS.

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