Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles should be celebrated by Jews and Gentiles alike.

In preparation for the fall feasts of Israel, let’s take a step back and look at the feasts as a whole. Are they merely fascinating historical occurrences, or do they hold deeper relevance for believers in Yeshua (Jesus) today, whether you’re Jewish or Gentile?

Throughout the ages, God has sought after the people of Israel, in order to bless them and to make them a blessing to many peoples (Gen. 12:2-3). He also gave Israel a sacred trust—to bear His Name and to be the nation from which His redemptive plan for the world would go forth (John 4:22). This plan is illustrated in the feasts He ordained.

These annual feasts are called “moedim” in Hebrew, meaning, “appointments.” In a sense, these “appointed times of the Lord” (Lev. 23:4) constitute God’s agenda with His redeemed people. Ultimately, they provide a Biblical and historical foundation for faith in Yeshua.

Messiah Yeshua was to be the fulfillment of the feasts; indeed, He is the purpose for their existence. “These (Feasts, Sabbath day …) are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Messiah” (Col. 2:17). Even as all Scripture is inspired and profitable, these “shadows” are relevant for followers of Messiah today because they never stop pointing to Him! (2 Tim. 3:16).

So, what are these feasts and how do they outline God’s redemptive program? God’s seven annual appointed times are laid out in Leviticus 23. The first three feasts—Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits—are celebrated in the springtime.  These feasts illustrate the redemption accomplished in Yeshua’s first coming, when He became the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” (John 1:29) and through His resurrection, our “Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20).

The fourth feast, Pentecost (or “Feast of Weeks”), speaks of the establishment of the Body of Messiah when the Holy Spirit was poured out at this feast’s fulfillment (Acts 2:1).

The final three feasts come in the fall, during the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. As the biblically significant number seven indicates, the fall feasts point to a time of completion and paint a prophetic picture of the coming fulfillment of God’s redemptive program.

The Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25) is commonly called Rosh HaShanah or the Jewish New Year. When the Jewish people came out of Babylonian captivity, they adopted the Babylonian civil New Year as their own.

Even though it falls on the first day of the seventh month, it is called New Year’s Day. Because there is very little biblical information on this mysterious feast, Jewish tradition teaches that the blowing of trumpets, or shofars, during this feast recalls the ram’s horns Joshua and the Israelites used at Jericho, and of the ram that Abraham sacrificed in place of Isaac.

Scripture notes a time when Israel is gathered back to the land by the “blowing of a great ram’s horn” (Is. 27:13), and in the New Covenant, Paul explains this mystery as a time when all believers will be gathered to Messiah (1 Cor. 15:51,52; 1 Thess. 4:16-18). And because none of us know the exact time of this future “blowing of the trumpet,” the Feast of Trumpets should motivate us to readiness and service.

The next fall feast is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). In Jewish tradition, this day is for Jewish individuals to “get right” with God. Biblically, it was a day for Israel to be restored to God as a servant nation (Lev 16, 23:26-32). Prophetically, it points to the time when Israel as a nation will be gathered to Messiah Yeshua.

At the end of the coming tribulation period, Israel as a nation will “look on Me (Messiah) whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for a firstborn son” (Zech. 12:10). In that day, Israel will receive “cleansing from sin and impurity” (Zech 13:1), be grafted back into “their own olive tree,” and “thus all Israel will be saved!” (Rom. 11:23-26). The Day of Atonement reminds us that this national gathering of Israel is coming, motivating us to share the Good News of Messiah “to the Jew first and also to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16).

Finally comes the Feast of Tabernacles (or the “Feast of Booths”). This harvest festival is called “Booths” because God commanded Israel to live in booths each year during this feast, to remember the time in the wilderness and how the Lord alone is our protection and security. This feast is also called the “Feast of Ingathering” (Ex. 23:16).

Today it is celebrated as a final harvest festival, accompanied by great joy in the provision of God for His people. Zechariah prophesied that the nations will one day be “ingathered” to Messiah. One day all surviving nations which had once attacked Israel will honor the King of Kings, the Messiah of Israel, by celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem each year (Zech. 14:16-18).

We see the seventh month as pointing to the time when God will complete His redemptive plan, by gathering the Body of Messiah (the Feast of Trumpets), gathering the nation of Israel (the Day of Atonement), and gathering all nations (the Feast of Tabernacles) to Himself.

I hope that this article has given you a clearer picture of the amazing, incomprehensible love of God as you consider His redemptive plan in the context of His appointed times.

The Feasts of Israel are special times for all who trust in the One that they speak of, as we remember the great salvation He has provided for us, anticipate His glorious coming, and use them to share His great love and plan with Jewish and non-Jewish people who don’t yet know Him!

Dr. Sam Nadleris a Jewish believer in Jesus and has been in Messianic Jewish ministry for over 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Good News to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To equip the Body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship, and the Feasts of Israel. Sam mentors Messianic leaders around the world, and regularly holds leadership conferences to train and encourage congregation planters in their vital ministry. For more information and resources, visit: www.wordofmessiah.org. 

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http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/standing-with-israel/51612-for-all-here-is-god-s-redemptive-plan-in-the-feasts-of-israel

There are two verses in chapter 12 of the Book of Daniel that use the same unusual phrase, “until the time of the end.”

Source: Bible Codes Hint to Arrival of Messiah after the Current Shemitta Year

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/44778/bible-codes-hint-arrival-messiah-after-shmitta-year-jewish-world/#a5DIarBrt10fIZvW.99

http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/44778/bible-codes-hint-arrival-messiah-after-shmitta-year-jewish-world/#9gc6EEJTUrvYELWO.97

Source: Prophecy Fulfilled: Sept. 4, 2015

I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to publish this tidbit of news I discovered in Friday morning’s newspaper, but by now everyone must surely know. On page 10 of the Jerusalem Post, there was a small article that happened to catch my attention.  I would have expected it to be placed on the front page (knowing its significance), but nevertheless, there it was.  I had been patiently waiting for this event to happen (along with many other people).

image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/BIN-OpEd-Experts-300×2501.png

The article, which you can also find originally posted on Reuters, states: “The White House said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman would meet with President Barack Obama in Washington on Sept. 4. The two leaders will discuss Yemen, Syria and steps to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told this to reporters who were traveling on Air Force One. The story goes on to say that US President Barack Obama wants to “shore up relations” after a period of tension regarding the US-led nuclear deal with Iran.

The timing is uncanny though, since this visit is scheduled to come less than two weeks before a Congressional vote on the nuclear agreement with Iran.  Furthermore, the article points out clearly that the gist of the meeting is to discuss “steps to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region.”

Can you smell the fear there? One of the things I learned in my Executive Counter-Terrorism course at IDT was that it’s the “infidel” (aka – moderate) Sunni Arabs in Saudi Arabia that are first on the Iranian (Shi’ite) nuclear hit list. Before Israel even – despite all the rhetoric to the contrary.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Very interesting. All this has been mapped out over 1500 years ago in the following Jewish scriptural sources:

Yoma 10a in the Talmud – “Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda in the name of Rabbi Ilayi: In the time to come, Rome will fall at the hands of Persia.”

Well, how it that going to happen? We definitely know that present-day Persia and Rome intensely dislike each other ever since the Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US was revealed (in Nov. 2011). The above verse may in fact elude to the final battle of Gog and Magog that we may witness at the End of Days.

But here is something closer to home. The following passage is from a Midrash (an ancient text originally compiled circa 500 AD). Keep in mind that Midrashic literature is not always meant to be taken at face value, but is usually coming to teach an historic lesson that all can learn from.

Yalkut Shemoni (Isaiah, #499) – “Rabbi Yitzchak said: The year that Melekh HaMashiach (King Messiah) will be revealed, all the kings (leaders) of the nations will be struggling against each other. The leader of Persia (Iran) will contest with an Arab leader and the Arab leader will go to Aram/Edom (the Western Superpower) to get council from him. The leader of Persia will respond and [attempt to] bring destruction to the entire world. All the nations of the world will be trembling and shaking and falling on their faces. They will be seized by pains like labor pains. The Jewish people will be overcome by panic and fear, saying: “Where can we go? Where can we go?” And the Messiah will say to them: My children, do not fear, everything I did I did only for you! Why are you frightened? Don’t be afraid–the days of your redemption have arrived!”

I’d say this particular Midrash is not just conjecture, but pretty specific!

image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/useful_banner_manager_banners/64-ARKReport1-BookReview-600WIDE.jpg

But when the Midrash speaks about destroying the world, for instance, it begs the question: Is this statement to be taken literally, or does it refer perhaps to another type of destruction? Iran and ISIS intend to destroy other things in the world as well, one of which is Democracy, and replace it with a global Islamic Caliphate. Or maybe it points to the poisoning of ecosystems and drinking water sources throughout the world by means of terror attacks, etc. Maybe it’s all three! (heaven forbid)

Rabbi Yonasan Eibshetz (1690-1764) in his book Ya’arot Dvash – “At a certain moment the time will come when the Messiah should have already arrived but the redemption has not yet come. The Messiah will ask how it could be that the time for redemption has arrived and he still undergoes sufferings? The response that he will receive is that he must wait for nine months. Why? In order to wait for the fall of Persia (Iran) at the hands of Edom (the Christian West), and then the final redemption will come!”

No doubt Jerusalem will end up in the centre of all this by then as well. The main thing for us is to be hopeful that the Redemption of the Jews, and all peoples, should happen in a merciful way, and not followed by sorrow and servitude!

Each one of us can actually affect that outcome by strengthening our connection to the Creator and our commitment to Him, each in his/her own way, in our everyday lives, and by doing random acts of kindness to each other. Sounds corny, but this stuff really does have an effect on High.

This piece wouldn’t be complete without at least a couple other hints that also point to this upcoming year as being especially appropriate for the Messianic arrival. In the Bible Codes the words “Melech HaMashiach” – Hebrew for King Messiah, are found crisscrossed with the words Obama and “Shoresh Nachash” (meaning Source of the Snake). In fact, the numerical equivalent, or Hebrew gematria, for Barack Obama, and also Snake, both equal 358, the same exact number as the word: Mashiach! (his antithesis?) There are actually so many more hints available on this stuff that it’s outside the scope here.

My take on all this? Nobody alive today can pretend to know for-sure if all these sources pertain to this year specifically, but that little article that I chanced upon reveals the most striking fulfillment so far of prophecy, right here in the 2015 daily papers. One things you CAN bet on though, is that this Sept. 4^th I’ll be checking the news.

Fasten your seatbelts folks!
Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/47934/prophecy-fulfilled-sept-4-2015-opinion/#2bm1y7sz5mXaxIqd.99