Christine Darg

 

By Christine Darg,

Jerusalem Channel

Jewish festivals and holidays are highly significant to the Lord. Is it any coincidence that the first Gulf War ended at Purim, the holiday that commemorates Israel’s salvation from annihilation in Persia (modern-day Iran)…..and after more than a decade of space for Saddam to repent, the second war began on Purim?

We will briefly review the SEVEN Annual Convocations of the Lord, which are grouped into three festivals. These Festivals (God’s appointed seasons) encompass the entire plan of salvation.

Yah’s convocations are listed in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus; three times a year all the males of Israel were commanded to appear before Yehovah in Jerusalem at these Pilgrim Festivals:

1. In the spring, in April of Gregorian calendars, Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits comprise the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These three ceremonies typify the first and foundational aspects of divine redemption, that of accepting the Passover Lamb’s cleansing blood, repenting, dying with Messiah and entering into water baptism for the washing away of our sins and the born again experience of being made alive by the Spirit of God . . . . and being raised up with Messiah, the first fruits from the dead. Many believers camp out here at Passover and don’t press onward into further revelation. (And even more troubling, the Church has changed Passover to the pagan “holiday” of Easter, the fertility goddess, but I’ve written elsewhere concerning taking the Broom of the Holy Spirit to the cobwebs of Church traditions that make void the power and that destroy the pictures of God).

2. What Christians call Pentecost, meaning 50 days later, is termed in Judaism “Shavuot,” literally the “Feast of “Weeks” occurring approximately in May or June of our calendar. This second festival commemorates the giving of the Torah, and is a picture of the outpouring and baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts Chapter 2– leading a holy life, worship of God in Spirit and in Truth. Many stop there at the Pentecostal experience and don’t go on further in God’s redemption cycle.

3. The last three festivals of the Lord, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles, were grouped together and occur in September or October of the Gregorian calendar. The convocation of Trumpets speaks to us of God’s civil new year, of victory, of the redemption of our mortal body which will accompany the glorious appearing of our Lord from Heaven with the saints and holy angels. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the most somber fast day, calls to mind our continuing need to bring our sins to Messiah for forgiveness and cleansing and is a picture of the day when all of Israel is saved. The week of dwelling in booths (“Succot”) of the Feast of Tabernacles not only remembers when the Israelites dwelt in the wilderness but it also portrays the coming of the Father and the Son to dwell in and with us forever and of the new heaven and earth reign of Messiah Yeshua. The eighth day of Tabernacles speaks of the first day of eternity.

These three festivals typify the three aspects of God’s plan of redemption:

Passover–salvation

Shavuot–sanctification–baptism in Holy Spirit, when we progressively move from life in the flesh to life in the Spirit

Tents/Tabernacles–conquest and rest, becoming an overcomer, the third area of redemption—victory over our carnal lusts, victory over Satan, victory over our pride and self-seeking when we enter Father’s rest

Passover is the festival of the Son.

Pentecost (Shavuot) is the festival of the Holy Spirit.

Tabernacles is the feast of the Father.