God's days of celebration
Over the centuries, the church has gained so much fascinating knowledge and richness from the Word of God! Particularly exciting topics are the "resting and feasts of God" and the "calendar of God." God vividly wants to remind us that He gave us these wonderful feasts to remind us of His Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and His heavenly timetable.
The Sabbath, the seventh day, was given to us as a precious day of rest. The Bible speaks of seven exciting "festivals of the Lord." The Hebrew word "Moed" means "a appointed time" and indicates that these are divine feasts that invite us to encounter God. These wonderful feasts are explained in Leviticus 23.
It is important to note that God's biblical calendar, with its 364 days (30 days x 12 months plus 4 days), differs from the Gregorian calendar we are familiar with, leading to some interesting discrepancies.
The biblical calendar was developed by our God YHWH (Hebrew: יהוה). YHWH (Yahweh/Yahuvah) alone holds the copyright. God's calendar and the calculation of time originated with the creation of the earth, when the sun, moon, and stars (and their respective orbits) were created. God has given us a calendar that is revealed to us in the Old Testament, for example, in the Deuteronomy, but also in books not included in the canon, such as the Book of Jubilees and the Book of Enoch. The biblical calendar was developed by our God YHWH (Hebrew: יהוה). YHWH (Yahweh/Yahuvah) alone holds the copyright. God's calendar and the calculation of time originated with the creation of the earth, when the sun, moon, and stars (and their respective orbits) were created. God has given us a calendar that is revealed to us in the Old Testament, for example, in the Deuteronomy, but also in books not included in the canon, such as the Book of Jubilees and the Book of Enoch. ...
The “Jewish calendar” (or the “Hebrew calendar”) used in Israel today is NOT the calendar of God described in the Bible (in the Old Testament, also called “Tanakh” in Hebrew), as it refers to different calculations.
Differences include:
-
The Bible speaks of twelve months, and the year begins in the first month (Nisan - March/April). Passover begins on the 14th day of the first month.
-
However, the Jewish calendar, used in Israel, begins with the appearance of the new moon in the seventh month (September/October).
-
The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), for example, does not always fall on the same Gregorian calendar date. Since all dates remain constant in God's biblical calendar, Sukkot always begins on the evening of the 15th of the seventh biblical month (15 Tishri). The day of the week, however, does not necessarily have to be the same.
Note: In the Bible, a "24-hour day" begins at 6 p.m., which means that we greet the new day at sunset—and so the festivals also begin in the evening!
​
​
The seven biblical holidays
God's holy days hold a fascinating secret – מה miqra , which means that these events repeat themselves and prepare for the future, even for today!
The seven festivals are divided into two groups: four festivals in spring and three festivals in autumn .
The spring festivals were all fulfilled by Jesus, our Messiah, and we can look forward with great anticipation to the fulfillment of the autumn festivals at His second coming!
The four spring festivals
The spring festivals were all celebrated by Jesus, our Messiah. Yeshua fulfills the serving role of priest.
Passover : Jesus/Yeshua's death on the cross
Feast of Unleavened Bread : Yeshua's life free from sin; Yeshua's burial
Feast of Firstfruits : Isaiah's Resurrection
Shavuot (Pentecost): The coming of the Holy Spirit and the founding of the church
The three autumn festivals
The autumn festivals will be fulfilled at Yeshua's second coming, when he assumes the role of ruling king.
Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets): A day of warning and exhortation to repent and turn to God. The blowing of trumpets is also found in the Book of Revelation, chapters 8 to 11.
Yom Kippur : Day of Judgment and Salvation
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles): Second Coming of Jesus and the Messianic Kingdom.
Jesus, his apostles, and the first churches observed these holidays with great devotion (Acts 2:1; 12:3; 20:6f; 1 Corinthians 5:7f; 16:8).
All festivals and holidays are not only historical reminders, but also point towards fulfillment in the future. They are of great importance to all people!
Two more festivals
In addition to the aforementioned festivals, there are the festivals of Hanukkah (Dedication of the Temple) and Purim , which commemorate significant historical events and were also celebrated by Jesus and are still important for us today in the time shortly before the Second Coming of Jesus and the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom on Earth.
