The Secret Counsel of the Coming Feasts*
Many churches, including ours, were started at the time of the fall Feasts of the LORD even though we may not have been aware of it at the time. The Feasts are not the feasts of men, or even of Israel, but they are Feasts of the LORD. These Feasts hold a prophetic counsel for appointed and set times, which is the meaning of the Hebrew word mo'ed. Jesus fulfilled the spring Feasts with His first appearing, and we believe that He will fulfill the Fall Feasts with His second appearing and reign on the earth.
The prophet Amos wrote this Word from the LORD: "Surely the LORD God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret (sod - counsel, assembly, familiar assembly of converse and intimacy with God) unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the LORD God hath spoken (dabar - speak, say, promise, commune, utter, command), who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:7-8). The LORD has always desired an intimate relationship with man, even from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, when the LORD walked with man. He shares His secret counsels with man as He prophesies of things to come.
The Gospels give us Jesus' prophecy regarding the signs that will be coming upon the earth. In Mark 13, Jesus warns of deception by those who are either preaching falsely in His name or claiming to be the Christ themselves. Jesus warned of wars, earthquakes, famines and troubles which will be the beginning of the sorrows to come. We have seen a recent increase in all of these things. Jesus said that believers will be persecuted and delivered up to councils. The Gospel, Jesus said, "must first be published among all nations." (Mk. 13:4-10). We have already seen the Gospel preached in all languages to all nations and people, even the most remote people.
In Luke 21, Jesus spoke of the time when the signs would come to pass: "...Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Jesus also described the coming signs that would even extend into the heavens. He said that as a result: "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh...when you see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (v. 24-36, excerpt).
Jesus referred to the time of the Gentiles being fulfilled, a reference which we will see again in scripture. Jerusalem and the land of Israel is no longer "trodden down of the Gentiles," but is in full control not only of their restored nation, but of the city of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount. The time of the Gentiles has been, or is nearly, fulfilled. The generation who sees these things will also see the fulfilment of all of these things. Pray that you do not become concerned with the cares of this life and miss the impending return of the Lord. We are to pray that we are accounted worthy to escape these worsening disasters and stand before Him.
Later, Paul would also write about the fulfillment of the time of the Gentiles, and how this would impact Israel. Paul described the Gentiles as growing out of the wild olive tree and then grafted into the good olive tree. God would also then restore the original branches of the good olive tree, referring to the Jewish people, grafting them back in again. This blindness that had happened to Israel regarding the Messiah/Christ and their salvation, was for the purpose, in part, of God to bring the Gentiles into His Kingdom. However, this blindness would last only until "the fulness of the Gentiles be come in... And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion a Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins (see the Feast of Atonement below)...For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Rom. 11:24-29). The fulness of the Gentiles is a set time, an appointed time of the LORD that will be followed by all Israel being saved.
The Church had always understood the secret counsel of the appointed times of the Lord. Paul wrote to the Church: "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." (1 Thess. 5:1-3). The times and seasons were known as labor pains. The Book of Revelation speaks about the woman who labors and gives birth to the male child. We are not supposed to be surprised or unprepared by the signs, the events, and the return of the Lord. We have the secret counsel that has been given to us by the Lord. Why do some churches ignore the Feasts and the signs? We are to watch and pray when we see them occurring. We have been given the armor of God to defend us in these things: "For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (v. 4-11).
The Feasts of the LORD are described in Leviticus 23. The LORD said to Moses: "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts....These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons (mo'ed - appointed time, set time, assembly, appointed place, sacred season, set feast, appointed sign or signal, a signal appointed beforehand, due season)." (v. 1-4, excerpt). These feasts are the set and appointed times in the plan of God for us.
The fall feasts are the ones that are soon to begin. These Feasts of the LORD are the Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. They are described in Leviticus 23:23-44). All three of the fall feasts fall within days and weeks of each other.
The Feast of Trumpets has been associated with the moment of the Rapture, or Catching-Away of the Church. The covenant promise that God made to take away the sin of Israel (and all of us who believe) is The Day of Atonement, and the eternal Atonement is the blood shed by Jesus Christ.
The Feast of Tabernacles will be a required observance to come and worship the King during Jesus' Messianic reign here on earth. Those nations that fail to observe this feast will have no rain.
The intimacy and secret counsel of God are shown in these feasts. Intimacy with God was lost through sin, but the LORD promised to restore this intimate relationship through the spring feasts, including Passover, which were fulfilled by Christ's first appearing. Jesus was our Passover Lamb, sacrificed on the cross at the exact appointed time when the Passover lambs were being slain in the Temple. The veil in the Temple, separating man from the presence of God was rent in two during that Passover, opening the Way into the Holy of Holies. All of these events were revealed beforehand by the secret counsel of God as shared with David (see Psalm 22) and Isaiah (including Ch. 53 and more).
The prophet Habakkuk (meaning "embrace") wrote: "I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he (the LORD) will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time (mo'ed - see meaning above), but at the end 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 right in him: but the just shall live by his faith." (Hab. 2:1-4).
We walk by faith, and not by sight, but we are allowed to see the signs of the (appointed) times. These times and the return of Christ are not to overtake us unaware like a thief in the night. These coming feasts are the time to watch and see, as Habakkuk did, to wait in faith and prepare to hear the friend of the Bridegroom shout: "The Bridegroom is coming!" These set times and appointed feasts are directly connected to Messiah/Christ Jesus. For us to have the privilege to dwell intimately in the secret counsel of God is more valuable than silver and gold.
*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 8/16/26 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on the Facebook page of Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. Dr. Stevenson's video messages are also found on You Tube at the Kenneth Stevenson channel. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, which is evidence of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook. Also the book NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling, written by Dr. Stevenson, is available on Amazon.
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