Wow! It's been about 6 weeks since I wrote my blog on Feast #5. I never intended to let so much time elapse - - but now it is the end of August, and I am determined to tie up the loose ends!
The Sixth Feast commanded by God was Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. It is celebrated on Tishri 10, and falls in either September or October, depending on the lunar calendar. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) ends the 'new year' celebration of Rosh Hashanah (which begins on Tishri 1.) Tishri 1 is proclaimed as 'God's New Year' - the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve. The 10 days of Rosh Hashanah are set aside as The Ten Days of Repentance, which concludes with Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur will be fulfilled with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This year Yom Kippur will fall on September 25 (at sundown) and last until sundown September 26.
The Seventh Feast commanded by God was Sukkot, The Feast of Tabernacles. This week-long feast was celebrated Tishri 15 - 21, right on the heels of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This week is in remembrance of Israel's 40-year-long period of wilderness wandering after they were rescued from Egypt.
The Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled by the Millenial Reign. Unlike the reminder of the wilderness wandering, the Millenium will be a time of victory and celebration. The peace that the entire world yearns for will finally be realized with Jesus' 1000-year reign over the earth. It will be the anticipated revealing of the Messiah to the Jews - - who missed Him the first time because He did not come as the conspicuous conqueror, but to rule and reign in the hearts of man. Even so, it is a precursor to heaven. As good as it will be, it is not yet the perfection heaven will be.
One site I reviewed states that Jesus was born during the Feast of Sukkot. Whether that is true or not, we don't know. We know it wasn't in the winter, but we don't have a verifiable record of His date of birth.
However, the story of Joseph and Mary certainly lends itself to being wanderers and living in temporary dwellings, considering they gave birth to Yeshua (Jesus) in a temporary dwelling, then fled to Egypt for protection. Based on the Magi's timeline for when they first saw the star, it is probable that they were in Bethlehem for up to 2 years, after which they lived in Egypt for another segment of his young life....
What impresses me with this study of the feasts is how carefully God has designed the fulfillment of each one, linking them to specific fulfillments that are so clearly connected.
I know that I will approach the Fall Feasts with piqued interest! God is a God of design!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
