"Appointed Times"

April 11, 2011

“Appointed Times…”

Blessings Folk!

Thought we would spend the next few days looking at what the Word of God has to say about the last days that the Lord was upon the earth.

Easter is Sunday, April 24th, this year.

Those of y’all local know that I give little credence to “easter” as a day. It is simply another example of how the early, institutional structure called “the church” sought to sanitize pagan practices. “Christmas” is the same.

Romans 14
 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
 5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

“Easter” was actually a fertility celebration...new life...spring, etc. That is the reason that the world has associated eggs, rabbits and the like with the day.

True Believers know that we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord with every breath we breathe.

Several questions have come my way of late.
We will look at them.

The following is often asked...

Why is Easter on different days?
What determines the date?

The short answer is that the Sunday of Easter is always the Sunday immediately following the Paschal full-moon after the vernal (spring) equinox.

Glad that is clarified, huh? Happy

The long answer is far more complicated and gives understanding as to why the Greek Orthodox tradition has Easter some 13 days later than we do...but that is a story for another time.

The institutional church sought to keep the date of Easter aligned with the Jewish Feast of Passover.

Often it is said that Passover changes date from year to year...read that in several sources. This is wrong.

Passover is to be celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan. Hebrew calendar, not our Gregorian (nor the Greek Orthodox Julian).

I am convinced that complete understanding of what the Lord reveals in His Word will shed much light on all things. Such is the case here.

One can not fully understand the last days of the Lord on the earth if one is ignorant of the Feasts of the Lord.

One can not fully understand the last days that we are living in if we are ignorant of the Feasts.

One will not understand the days yet to come if unacquainted with the Feasts.

The Lord gave Israel 7 Feasts to celebrated on an annual basis.
They are often called the “Feasts of Israel” though the “Feasts of the Lord” would be more accurate.

Now, take a few moments to read this passage...it is not that long…most of us will spend more time watching tv commercials today than it takes to read this… Happy Happy

Leviticus 23
1 The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying,
 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD'S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations--My appointed times are these:
 3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.

Verses 1-3 explain the weekly sabbath. This is important...

 4 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them.
 5 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover.

You see the repeated descriptions…”appointed times of the Lord”, “holy convocations”.
Watch them.
“Holy convocation” is a “sabbath” day. Hummmm...

Verses 4-5 describe Passover - Nisan 14.

 6 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
 7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.
 8 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'"
 
Verses 6-8 describe the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Note “holy convocation”. This is important.
Why?

Ok, I’ll drop the bomb.

Jesus was not crucified on what we call “Good Friday.”

Now, I hasten to say that this is nothing to separate fellowship over...I still participate in “Good Friday” gatherings, but, why not handle accurately the Word of Truth?

Again, Jesus was not crucified on Friday.

That should set off several questions in your mind.
It should also answer a couple. Happy
Answers are to be found in this passage.
We will pick this up later...

9 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
 10 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
 11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
 12 'Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD.
 13 'Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine.
 14' Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

Verses 9-14 explain the Feast of First Fruits...the one you rarely hear about.
Very important!
Note the timing…”when you enter the land” - so they did not celebrate this during the wilderness years… “on the day after the sabbath”… Hummmm...


 15 'You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths.
 16 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.
 17 'You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD.
 18 'Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.
 19 'You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
 20 'The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the LORD for the priest.
 21 'On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
 22 'When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"
 
Verses 15-22 explain the Feast of Pentecost.
Note the timing elements...7 sabbaths, 50 days
Note the sacrificial process...especially the bread...2 loaves...hummmm…

Hang in there now...nearly done.

The first four “spring” Feasts were fulfilled in the Lord Jesus when He came as Savior.
The last three “fall” Feasts have yet to be fulfilled by the Lord, but will be when He returns.

23 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
 24 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
 25 'You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'"

Verses 23-25 explain the Feast of the Blowing of the Trumpets - Rosh Hashanah
Note - holy convocation.

 26 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
 27 "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD.
 28 "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God.
 29 "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.
 30 "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
 31 "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
 32 "It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath."

Verses 27-32 explain the Feast of Yom Kippor - the Day of Atonement
Note the precision of timing “exactly on the 10th day…”, “on the 9th of the month at evening”…
Note the command to do no work, to humble self…
Note - holy convocation.

 33 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
 34 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD.
 35 'On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind.
 36 'For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.
 37 'These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the LORD--burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day's matter on its own day--
 38 besides those of the sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts and besides all your votive and freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD.
 39 'On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day.
 40 'Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
 41'You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
 42'You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths,
 43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'"
 44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.

Verses 33-43 explain the Feast of Booths - Succoth.
Note the length - 7 days
Holy convocations

The Feasts of the Lord give tremendous insight to the first and next coming of the Lord.

So, Jesus was not crucified on Friday.
On what day?
The answer is in this passage…and the New Testament...
More tomorrow…

Pray for Judy and family, Steven, Lynsi…

Blessings!