Signs, Set Times and God's Feasts*
Christianity at its core and root is Jewish and can only be viewed from that perspective.
The LORD spoke to Israel as the nation that He delivered from slavery, whom He "brought up" from the land of Egypt. However, even though they were to have a very special relationship with the LORD, their sins had separated them from Him. They could no longer discern the traps and snares that had been laid for them even while they were being warned of them by the LORD and His prophets. (Amos 3:1-5). The LORD said, "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? Surely the LORD God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the LORD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" (v. 6-8).
Prophecy is not determined by men's interpretation, but by comparing the scriptures of what the LORD has said, and what we know through our Christian faith.
The LORD established signs and set times even in the heavens for all to see who are willing to see: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide day from night; and let them be for signs (oth - beacons, omens, miracles, signs, warning), and for seasons (mo'ed - [God's] appointed or set times, convocations, sacred season, set feast, appointed place of meeting, a signal appointed beforehand), and for days and for years...he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth...and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good." (Gen. 1:14-18, excerpt).
The magi from the East saw the sign, the new star in the heavens, of the birth of a King, and came from a great distance following that sign to find that King, the young Jesus in Bethlehem, yet the religious leaders missed or ignored the same sign. The LORD gives signs, prophecies and establishes appointed times so that His people will know what He is about to do and be prepared.
The prophet Habakkuk positioned himself to stand at his prophetic watch to see what the LORD would say to him: "And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision (hazon - vision, dream, revelation, prophecy), and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time (see mo'ed above), but at the end (qes - end, after, end of time) it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by faith." (Hab. 2:1-4). Those who live by faith watch for the signs and listen to the prophetic vision given by God.
The next chapter of Habakkuk tells us the prayer of the prophet after receiving this Word from God. Prayer is essential as we, the Church, see and recognize the signs as they appear.
The prophet Daniel received a vision and had understanding of it and knew that the time appointed for it was long. (Dan. 10:1). Daniel had a desire to understand the vision, and the LORD wanted him to understand the vision. A heavenly being came to Daniel: "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; ...Now I am to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days." (v. 11-14, excerpt).
The prince of Persia, mentioned above, who attempted to prevent the angel from coming to Daniel with the understanding of the vision, was not an earthly prince, but a spiritual prince, an opposing angel that ruled over the territory of Persia. It required mighty spiritual warfare, as well as Daniel's fasting, for the understanding to finally be delivered to Daniel.
The Feasts of the LORD are given in Leviticus. The LORD said to Moses: "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts (see mo'ed above) of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts." (Lev. 23:1). These are the feasts ordained and belonging to the LORD, God's feasts, not Israel's nor any people's.
The LORD begins the list of His feasts with the Sabbath (Lev. 23:3-4). The Church has turned away from the Sabbath. It is necessary for us to understand the importance of the Sabbath in the eyes of God. The LORD then commands the spring feasts, their sabbaths and their offerings: the LORD's Passover and the seven-day feast of unleavened bread (v. 5-8), the Feast of Firstfruits of the harvest (v. 9-14), and the Feast of Weeks, which we also call Pentecost (v. 15-22). Jesus fulfilled all of these spring feasts with His first appearing with His death, burial, resurrection and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Then the LORD commanded the fall feasts to be observed: a memorial of blowing of trumpets or the soon to occur Feast of Trumpets (v. 23-25), ten days later is to be the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (v. 26-32) and five days later is to be the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, plus an eighth day sabbath observance (v. 33-43). "And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD." (v. 44).
While Christ fulfilled the spring feasts with His first coming, He will fulfill the fall feasts with the events that are connected to His second coming: the crowning of the King, the resurrection of the Bride of Christ, and the Marriage of the Lamb to His Bride.
Immediately following the Leviticus 23 chapter regarding the Feasts of the LORD, the next chapter gives a command regarding the oil for the lamp of the tabernacle: "Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. Without the vail of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually." (Lev. 24:1-4).
The LORD commanded the pure olive oil to keep the lamp of the tabernacle burning continually. Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins who were awaiting the arrival and marriage of the Bridegroom, which is Jesus. Five of the virgins were wise and had enough oil to light their lamps upon the arrival of the Bridegroom. Five of the virgins had no oil, and were not prepared when the Bridegroom suddenly arrived. (see Mt. 25:1-13). Is your lamp lit? We are to be shining like the stars and bringing many to Christ, as Daniel prophesied.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared alive to His disciples for forty days, "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit: "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." (Acts 1:1-5, excerpt). Then His disciples asked Jesus if He would in their present time restore the kingdom to Israel? Jesus answered: "It is not for you to know the times, or the seasons (kairos - time, season, due time, a fixed and definite time, the right time, set time), which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (v.6-8).
The fall feasts are like dress rehearsals every year to prepare God's people for the fulfilment of each Feast at the set or appointed time. We do not know if this Feast of Trumpets and the other fall feasts will be fulfilled this year, with the crowning of the King, the resurrection of the dead, and the wedding of the Messiah/Christ, but we can know the prophetic promises attached to each feast and the signs that are appearing, and be prepared.
The following sources are recommended to learn more about the Feasts of the LORD and their prophetic meaning, and the signs and set times that are appearing in the heavens.
The following book about the Feasts is highly recommended and can be found at this link: Wake Up!
The following blog is highly recommended to learn about the signs in the heavens: Mending the Breach
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