The Fall Feasts

Shofarel Jewish Ministries

Fall Feasts of Israel 2019

Jesus our Messiah in His first appearing fulfilled the spring festivals with his first coming; He was our Passover Lamb [Slide], hanging and dying on the cross as the lambs were slaughtered at sunset at the Temple. Jesus was our Unleavened Bread, though without sin, He was pierced [Slide] and striped for our sins. And our Jesus was the First Fruits, [Slide] risen from the dead incorruptible to glory.

The Apostle Paul tells us that today, we are in the middle festival of Shavuot—Pentecost, the ingathering of Gentiles into the Kingdom of God. Pentecost was the ingathering of the wheat crop, but spiritually it is the ingathering of the Gentiles. A time for the Gentiles to be grafted into the root of [Slide] Abraham to make the Jewish people jealous for their Messiah. And the apostle Paul teaches that when the time the Gentiles is complete the Messiah will come again. Let’s look at the second coming through God’s appointed times.

The very first of the fall festivals is called Yom Teruah in Hebrew, or the Feast of Trumpets. Here's what God says in Leviticus 23:23 about this appointed time. [Slide] “23 The LORD said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of Sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25 Do no regular work, but present a fire offering to the LORD.’” This is interesting because when God first meets with Moses on Mount Sinai He announces Himself with a trumpet blast in Exodus 19:18-19, [Slide] “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.” We know that kings are announced with a trumpet blast; how much more so the King of Kings.

It is interesting that 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states, [Slide] “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first.” That's the announcement that King of kings, Messiah Jesus has returned; the sound of the arch Angel and the blasting of the trumpet. When the trumpet of God sounds, God moves. This trumpet call is only for believers as this signifies the Rapture.

Throughout Israel's history the trumpet was used to gather people for war and for worship. In Numbers 10:9 Moses writes, [Slide] “When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.” But on the final Yom Teruah, when the trumpet blasts and the Lord descends, he will gather the faithful to himself. The congregation of Believers will be raptured.

On the traditional Jewish calendar, the Feast of Trumpets is called Rosh Hashanah. And Jewish people begin what is called the 10 days of awe and repentance known as ya-mim no-ra-im. The Jewish understanding the Lord is opening the Book of Life on Yom Teruah, and Jewish people—who have no way to sacrifice today without a Temple, have 10 days to commit themselves to charity, good works, and prayer to be added into the Book of Life for one more year. Rosh Hashanah is a time of great joy. It is a time of great expectation. The Jewish people are sending Happy New Year cards and rejoicing before the Lord. There are apples and honey being eaten as the shofar sounds and we celebrate this sweet time. But the joy is tempered with the knowledge that Yom Kippur-the day of judgment is just 10 days away. And Jewish people believe that as God opens the Book of Life on Yom Teruah—God closes the Book of Life on Yom Kippur.

This concept of joy tempered by solemn fear is understandable. Yes, there will be great joy when Messiah returns—for those of us who already believe and trust in Jesus as Messiah. But what about Jewish people and Gentiles who have rejected Jesus. And as Zechariah 12:10ff says, ([Slide] 7) “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” And don’t miss that pronoun change. God says that they will look at ME whom they have pierced and mourn for HIM! This is part of the “every knee will bow and every tongue confess, when they see the Son of Man, Jesus, the one they have pierced, coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Two things here: “Son of Man” and “coming on the clouds” are both direct biblical reference to deity.

Jesus returns at the sound of the trumpet to rapture His congregation. Sometime after the Rapture, the Tribulation will begin. At the end of the Tribulation which will last seven years, Jesus will return to the earth and He will judge the living and the dead. This judgment is the second Fall Feast called Yom Kippur.

Let's read what the Scripture says about Yom Kippur in Leviticus 23, starting in verse 26, [Slide] “The LORD said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the LORD. 28 Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29 Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. 30 I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” Notice that God says it's a lasting ordinance. So when Jesus returns he will make atonement for those who trust in him as Messiah—all the resurrected OT saints, the resurrected Tribulation saints and those who survived the great Tribulation—Jesus will make atonement for their sins. But Jesus will also judge those whoever have lived and died who have rejected his Lordship.

There is another description of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus chapter 16. God says in Leviticus 16 verse seven and following, [Slide] “Then Aaron is to take two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meetings. He is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as a scapegoat shall be presented live before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.”

[Slide] Two identical and unblemished goats were brought before the high priest and a lot was cast for each goat. The priest took two golden lots from the urn, one marked "l’Adonai" and one "l’azazel." It was considered a good omen if the lot marked "for the Lord" was drawn by the priest in his right hand. The goat whose lot was to the Lord would soon be sacrificed and its blood was used for an offering to make atonement in the most holy place.

A unique feature of the Day of Atonement ritual is that instead of placing a single hand upon the sacrificial animal as in earlier Levitical chapters, here Aaron as the high priest places both of his hands upon the live scapegoat (16:21). The Zohar argues that this two handed intensification is significant because it indicates that the intentional sins are being transferred from Israel to the scapegoat. There is no provision for the removal of intentional sin in the Old Testament. The priest would place both his hands on the scapegoat’s head and declare all the sins of Israel were being placed on it. The goat then had a scarlet cord tied around its horn and released into the wilderness as commanded by Scripture. But what is the goat would return from the wilderness back to the city—with all the sins of Israel! Heaven forbid! So in reality, the scapegoat was released into the wilderness by the priests [Slide] and then pushed over a cliff where would fall to its death. And each year that scarlet cord that was tied around the goat’s horn would turn white to signify that God had accepted the sacrifice of the scapegoat for the sins of Israel.

Worship at Herod's Temple was empty and incomplete. The presence of the Lord did not fill the Temple at the time of Messiah. After all the intricate rituals were followed, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies only to be confronted by a cold reminder of the absence of the Shekinah glory of God. The glory of the Lord, God's visible presence in the midst of his people had hovered over the Ark of the Covenant for almost 800 years. Then the unthinkable happen. Ezekiel watched in stunned silence as the glory of the Lord lifted from above the Ark of the Covenant and began to move from the sacred room. Within a few moments the Shekinah glory of God had departed from the Holy of Holies completely. Ezekiel 10:18, [Slide] “Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the Temple and stood over the cherubim.” Thus the exile to Babylon was upon them. The Ark of the Covenant was taken with all of the Holy implements.

All that remained in the sacred chamber at the time of Jesus was a barren rock, three fingers high, known as the [Slide] foundation stone. The building which stands today on the site of the Holy of Holies is called the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic site which Jews are not permitted to enter.

Yom Kippur was the only day in which the name of God, the “I am that I am” name could be uttered and only by the High Priest. When the name of God was uttered by the High Priest the people fell with their faces to the ground crying out, "Blessed be His name, the glory of His kingdom is forever and ever" (Yoma 3:8). The Tetragrammaton was pronounced 10 times during the Yom Kippur sacrifices.

This now brings us to the third fall Festival, the Festival of Tabernacles. Here's what God says about the Festival of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23 starting in verse 33: [Slide] “The LORD said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. [Slide] 36 For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to the LORD. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. 37 “‘These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the LORD—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. 38 These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.  39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of Sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of Sabbath rest. 40 [Slide] On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.”

Now the original celebration of the Festival of Tabernacles, which is Sukkot in the Hebrew, was to remind us of the time we spent wandering in the desert living in booths or tents. But more importantly it was the time when God dwelled with us. This festival of Sukkot represents the third and final Fall Festival of the Lord. It is the Millennial Kingdom of God.

On the first day of the feast of Sukkot we have the illumination ceremony. The priests would take four 50 cubits high golden candlesticks [Slide] with 4 golden bowls into the Court of the Women and fill the 10-gallon bowls with pure oil (Sukkah 5:2). The priests would take their worn out priestly linens and use the old clothing as wicks. The light emanating from the 4 candlesticks was so bright that there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not lit up (Sukkah 5:3). All night people would dance and sing while holding flaming torches. The Levites played their instruments with spirited music. Harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets, instruments without number according to Sukkah 5:4. The priests stood on the 15 steps leading down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, corresponding to the 15 songs of ascent—Psalms 120-134. Along with the musical instruments the Levitical choir stood and chanted, singing as people danced. As the sun began to rise and the candlesticks began to pale, there were prolonged trumpet blasts and then the prayer of repentance recited. This was an elaborate ceremony with the light representing the Shekinah glory of God that once filled the Temple. Certainly we can see the fulfillment of Sukkot as the celebration of the Lord’s return His Millennial Kingdom when Jesus reigns on David’s throne in Jerusalem for 1000 years.

The celebration of Sukkot continued until the seventh day when the water libation ceremony was conducted on [Slide] Hossana Rabbah-the great salvation. Sukkot is a pilgrimage festival in which all men must appear before the Lord with an offering. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem it was an immense celebration with 1000’s of people from all over the world participating in the parade from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam. The priests following behind the flute player called the pierced one, [Slide] who led the multitudes to the Pool of Siloam and filled the golden pitchers and then paraded back to the Temple to pour out living water and prayer. In contrast to the rest of the Sukkot celebrations, Hossanna Rabbah was observed as a solemn extension of the Day of Atonement. For the rabbis taught that it was on this day that the gates of judgment of life and death—sealed at Yom Kippur were now pronounced by God. In fact, it is customary for religious Jews to stay up all night before Hosanna Rabbah praying and studying Torah hoping for one last chance at atonement.

The Torah prescribes special sacrifices for each of the days of Sukkot. On the first day, 13 oxen were offered. [Slide] The number was reduced by one each day of the festival such that on the seventh day, 7 oxen were offered. The total number of these sacrifices was 70 (13+12+11+10+9+8+7=70).

These seventy oxen correspond to the original seventy nations of the world enumerated in the Torah who descended from the sons of Noah. Israel brought these sacrifices as atonement for the nations of the world, and in prayer for their well-being; as well as for universal peace and harmony between them. The rabbis remarked: [Slide] "If the nations of the world would have known the value of the Temple for them, they would have surrounded it with a fortress in order to protect it. For it was of greater value to them than for Israel [instead, they destroyed it]" (Bamidbar Rabba 1).

Now what is the mysterious [Slide] eighth day of the seven-day festival. In traditional Judaism, the day after Sukkot is call Shemini Atzeret both in the Bible and in rabbinic literature. Shemini Atzeret [Slide] is the eighth day by its very name and a solemn assembly. Shemini means eighth and atzeret means to “take back” or “hold back.” The Talmud has a parable that explains the nature of Shemini Atzeret: “A king once gave a feast to which the diplomatic representatives of many nations were invited. The feast lasted for seven days. When they were ready to depart, the king called aside his son who was also among the guests and said to him, “While all of these strangers were around we hardly had an opportunity to have an intimate conversation. Tarry thou one day longer, when we shall hold a simple feast all to ourselves.” Thus God arranged for the feast of Sukkot when 70 offerings are made on behalf of the 70 nations of the world. On the conclusion of the feast, God begs of Israel to tarry (atzar) one day longer when only one bull and one ram are offered on behalf of Israel.

The final celebration for the Fall season in Judaism is Simchat Torah [Slide]. The joyfulness of Sukkot is dim compared to the exuberance displayed during the Simchat Torah which means “rejoicing in the Law.” Simchat Torah commemorates the closing of the annual Torah reading cycle and the beginning of a new one. Each week the synagogue a portion of the Torah is read based on a one-year cycle. On the evening of Simchat Torah the scrolls are paraded around the synagogue seven times as the children lead the procession singing, waving flags, and carrying apples and candles on tall sticks. The congregation sings and dances with each other and with the Torah scrolls. After they have circled the synagogue seven times, they read the last passage in the book of [Slide] Deuteronomy and the scrolls are placed back in the Ark. The next morning, the Torah scrolls are again paraded around the synagogue seven times. The last portion of Deuteronomy is read again, but this time it’s followed by the first portion of the book of Genesis and the one-year cycle begins anew.

Those chosen to recite these two sections are called the bridegroom of the Law and the bridegroom of the first portion. Some actually believe that the entire celebration prescribed for Simchat Torah closely parallels the Jewish wedding service and in fact symbolizes the marriage of Israel to the law as well as [Slide] Christians to their Messiah. The bridegrooms of the Torah for instance, are attended by groomsmen. The procession around the synagogue seven times resemble the Jewish wedding custom of walking around seven times with the bride and groom. Shofars are blown.

What could Shemini Atzaret and Simchat Torah mean to us as Believers in Messiah? Do they have a special prophetic meaning like all the Spring feast days of God? I believe that they do. Jewish people have so many rituals that clearly point to Messiah--but without Messiah are seemingly just rituals. I believe that God gave the Jewish people these rituals so that when they do come to know their Messiah. But until more Jews come to know their Messiah, Christians need to understand these festivals to be able to share the Jewish Messiah with Jewish people who complete these myriad rituals with zeal but without knowledge.

Let’s take a quick look at these festival celebrations which can happen simultaneously because God is not linear time restricted like we are. Messiah comes back at the sound of the trumpet—This is the festival of Yom Teruah—the rapture of Believers. Jesus comes on the clouds—not to the earth—[Slide] the Believers are risen first to meet the Lord in the air not on earth. Those of us who are raptured are the Bride of Messiah. The Believers who have come to faith from Acts Chapter 2 through the Rapture. We are the only ones married to Messiah. The rest—OT saints, Tribulation saints—they will all be resurrected to attend the wedding feast. They are friends of the Messiah—not the bride. Just like in the ancient Jewish wedding service. Small wedding—family only. Multitudes at the banquet.

Then we have Yom Kippur, the day of Judgment and Atonement. This correlates to the judgment—the Tribulation when all people will answer before the Lord for what they have done or not done. Those who survived the Tribulation will all be Believers and consisting of both Jews and Gentiles. Then comes the resurrection of the dead and their Yom Kippur Judgment as Daniel 12:1-2 states, “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

The illumination ceremony is when Jesus, the Light of the world returns and this will be the first day of Sukkot—Jesus reigning from the throne. The seventh day of the Festival of Sukkot we have the water libation ceremony the day of Hosanna Rabbah, the great salvation. The ceremony signifies the pouring out of living water was understood to be the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling again with men. We read in John 7:37-38 [Slide] that on the last and greatest day of Sukkot, Jesus offered “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” and he promises living water, eternal life. The day of restoration will take place after the Tribulation also known as the “time of Jacob’s distress” as spoken by Jeremiah 30:7, [Slide] “How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.” And paralleled in the New Covenant Scriptures as the great tribulation in Matthew 24:21, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”

The Messiah told of the world’s indescribable agony during this terrible period in Zechariah 13:8-9 [Slide]. From the midst of the great tribulation the Jewish people will cry out to their God and in His great mercy the Lord will send his Messiah Jesus to deliver them from Tribulation and that is when they will [Slide] look at him whom they pierced. If you are witnessing to a Jewish person—don’t miss the pronoun change in this verse: or the similarity in wording to the sacrifice of Isaac and John 3:16. Israel will be restored both spiritually and nationally. Her enemies will be crushed and the Messiah will reign, not only over Israel but overall the nations of the earth in His Millennial kingdom: as it is written Zechariah 14:9 [Slide] “The Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and his name the only one.” This will occur after the tribulation when Messiah has won the battle, throwing Satan into the abyss for 1000 years. Revelation 14:1-2, [Slide] “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.”

Satan is locked up in the abyss at the end of the Tribulation which is the reason the festival of Sukkoth is such a joyful occasion. Satan is locked up unable to attack or influence those of us living in the Millennial Kingdom dwelling with our Messiah.

At the end of the festival of Sukkot, Jesus is enthroned in Jerusalem. In Revelation 7:17, [Slide] “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” When Jesus returns he will finally be accepted by the one third of the Jewish people who survived the Tribulation and Romans 11:26 comes to completion when [Slide] All Israel will be saved for they have finally taken the Living Water offered by the Messiah.

But what about Shemini Atzeret? This mysterious eight day of the seven day festival. The image suggests the “remaining” or “abiding” an extra day with the Lord, beyond the seven days of fullness—remaining forever! Sukkot represents the Olam HaBa—the forever. The number seven in Judaism represents perfection on earth and we cannot reach the “eighth” without going spiritual in the Lord. Shemini Atzeret—is a solemn day. Why would this day be so sad with Jesus on the throne of the Millennial Kingdom? I think that the Scriptures point prophetically to this day as the time after the Millennial kingdom, after the 1000 years of Messiah earthly reign when the Anti-Christ [Slide] is released from the Abyss for one last time in which he attacks the people of God before being thrown into the Lake of Fire for all eternity. Remember this comes after the great joy of Sukkot which represents the Millennial Kingdom. What happens after the Millennial kingdom?

I think that Shemini Atzeret is solemn because it is the time of Satan’s release from the abyss for a short time. Listen to what happens and why it would be solemn—at least for a time. Revelation 20:7ff, [Slide] “When the thousand years ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—in order to gather them for battle. They are as numerous as the sand of the sea. 9 They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 And the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Now it makes sense why this day would be solemn but it lasts only a minute in God’s time because God has defeated Satan once and for always! We now enter a time that is even more joyful than that of Sukkot. More joyful than living with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom. What could possibly be more joyful than dwelling with Messiah in the Millennial kingdom? More joyful than Jesus reigning from the throne of David and all evil being forever trapped in the abyss? Simchat Torah! The completion of the Law. Joy, joy, joy!

Remembers that the theme of Simchat Torah is like a wedding feast, but more importantly, it is the time when we will live the Word of God perfectly—like Jesus did when He walked the earth! The word of God will be fully written in our hearts and our minds. Revelation 21:1ff, [Slide] “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Better than living only with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom is living with the full Trinity in Heaven! A place where there will be no more sickness, suffering or pain! This is the confirmation of the prophecy made through Isaiah 65:17, [Slide] “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” This is why we will not miss those who are not in heaven with us. God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away and only perfection—those written in the [Slide] Lamb’s Book of Life will enter Heaven. We will not mourn for those who did not heed the warning and witness of the Lord.

In the New Heaven and New Earth is when we will get our glorified bodies because the old order of things has passed away everyone will need our glorified bodies to enter heaven and nothing will ever again defile the place where God dwells with us. Joy, joy, amazing joy!

Simchat Torah! The Law is now fully written on our hearts and minds, and our joy is overwhelming because we are now living the Law perfectly-the Law is complete in us as it was in Messiah. There will be no more sin, joy, joy, joy. We will now have our glorified bodies and our eternal place in heaven, in the place that Jesus prepared for us in John 14, joy, joy, joy! We will finally be living, not only with Jesus in the Millennial kingdom—joy, joy, unspeakable joy but with the entire Godhead in heaven, joy, joy, forever joy!

Let me tell you where you will dwell. Revelation 21: 18ff, [Slide] “The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. [Slide] I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” [Slide] Joy, joy, forever joy! [Slide].