The Seven Feasts of the Lord
The Appointed Times of the Lord
The Three Harvests; The First Fruits; Three Times Each Year You Shall Appear
The Sacred Year and the Beginning of the Governmental Year
December 1, 2014
When we speak about sacrifices and offerings we are not referring to the Old Covenant dimensions of sacrifice. In the New Covenant dimension of sacrifice we are speaking about "doing the whole will of God." In the modern church the pastor speaks about sacrifice as giving tithes and offerings. It is clear that these four sacrifices are intrinsically linked to "doing the "whole" will of God."
Heb 10:4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING THOU HAST NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY THOU HAST PREPARED FOR ME; 6 IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN THOU HAST TAKEN NO PLEASURE. 7 "THEN I SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE ROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO THY WILL, O GOD.'" 8 After saying above, "SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN THOU HAST NOT DESIRED, NOR HAST THOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them" (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, "BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO THY WILL." He takes away the first in order to establish the second.
Therefore, the application for the sacrifices in each of our lives are directly related to our obedience to God, to His Covenant, to His Will and to His ultimate purpose. None of the systems of "religion" within the Old Covenant were effective to prepare a people to fulfill God's Eternal Purpose. In fact the blood of bulls and goats could NEVER "take away sin." That was only a covering.
The Old Covenant was "useless" simply because it had no provision to fulfill the whole purpose of God because it had no provision to enable Israel to do the whole will of God. It could only accommodate the natural man. Therefore, it could make nothing Perfect! What difference has taken place in the New Covenant that totally changes the result? God begins with a totally New Creation, a new inner man.
Heb 7:18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath 21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, "THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, 'THOU ART A PRIEST FOREVER'"); 22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
The Law was set aside because "it was useless" in bringing anyone to "perfection." Even though this may be regarded as vain repetition by some, the "better hope" is firmly connected to this better Priesthood. It is THIS Priesthood that has been assigned for the perfection of the church. Nevertheless, in this instance we are focusing upon the multitude of sacrifices associated with these seven feasts.
Rom 12:1 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Since every Feast required its own sacrifices and its specific offerings this study will make various Christian applications as our personal responsibility to God within the context of the New Covenant. Many of the Feast Sacrifices were successfully fulfilled by Jesus at Calvary. Some were fulfilled by His death, His burial, His resurrection and His Ascension. Nevertheless, that does not completely replace our personal experience and participation in the "sacrifices" which obviously is required of us!
For example; we must also appear before God at all three Feasts of the Harvest Year. Not in the Old Covenant dimension but in the New Covenant fulfillment. For example: we must all appear before God for "PASSOVER, For PENTECOST and for TABERNACLES."
Exodus 23:14 "Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15 "You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. 16 "Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Exodus 34:21 "You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest. 22 "And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 "Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 "For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God. 25 "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning. 26 "You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."
None of these feasts were optional. Why? These were the APPOINTED TIMES OF THE SOVEREIGN LORD! Seeking for an excuse to avoid these Feasts is stupid. Why? That is because each of these feasts will provide something eternal and experiential for us.
1Cor 5:7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Lev 23:4 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them.
Lev 23:37 'These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the LORD --burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and libations, each day's matter on its own day--
Lev 23:44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.
This suggests "AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE LORD" and at a "Fixed Time."
When we recognize that Passover and Pentecost IS a required "Appointment with the Lord" it seems ludicrous to create a doctrine against these experiences. This ignorance is difficult to explain and confusing why a "minister" should so cavalierly speak against Pentecost without at least looking at ALL the scriptures dealing with it.
[Appointed] H4150 מועדה מעד מועד mô‛êd mô‛êd mô‛âdâh
From H3259; properly an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand): - appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn (-ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed).
Attempting to forecast or determine the End Time or the time for the First Fruit Harvest of the Earth without a clear understanding of these Appointed Times of the Lord has been a mistake that is repeated regularly. Every year, for decades, someone comes up with a time or a prophesy about the end times and all have failed miserably. I seldom listen to any more pointless "prophesies about the end time" that do not include the perfection of the church and the completion of God's Eternal Purpose.
Will judgement come upon the United States because of its departure from God? Has the downward spiral already begun? Absolutely! Is THAT the Great Tribulation? I don't think so!
The fact that these FEASTS are the "Times of the Lord" when EVERY male had to appear before God to offer the best of what they had personally planted AND harvested from their fields has been ignored for centuries. If you had no harvest to offer you had no possibility of "appearing before the Lord." Why? No one could appear before the Lord "empty handed."
Exodus 23:15 "You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
Exodus 34:19 "The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep. 20 "And you shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the first-born of your sons. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
Since we are presenting these Feasts as absolutes " as the Appointed Times of The Lord" OR just as it may also be said; "Our Personal Appointment with the Lord" this becomes a very serious issue for the casual and lukewarm church. The reason should be quite obvious! If you have no harvest to present to God "In That Day" what are the chances that you will be permitted to appear before the Lord? Singing about "Rejoicing in that glorious Day" could be a big deception.
Well, brother Leo, once again you are taking the joy out of being a Christian. Not at all! What I am doing is defining what it means to be a Christian.
Rev 14:14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Mat 13:37 And He answered and said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 "Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
I am amazed each I time I write about the Seven Feasts and the Three Harvests at how clear and simple God has made the end time message. While the panoramic view of the "Appointed Times of The Lord" is easy to present, it is the details of the Feasts that is so devastating to the casual "minister." His first response is to cry "FOUL" because you are walking all over the grace of God! My response is; No, you have ignorantly conceived a counterfeit grace.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
The Grace of God is the Person whom has appeared to redeem us from EVERY lawless
deed and to PURIFY, for Himself, a People for His Own Possession. This was God's Plan at Mount Sinai so we have no hesitation in connecting these things to the Feasts and the Appointed Times, as "our Appointment" with the Lord! We have no hesitation in connecting this "GRACE" to the church age and also to the End Time! Why? That is because these verses are assigned to; The appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus!
Since I have been asked to just do a Panoramic View of the Feasts of the Lord as they relate to the Appointed Times of the Lord, we will bypass many of the disturbing details. This does not mean there are no disturbing details that we should present but we will begin slowly. Why? That is because we are presenting these things to a "discipleship class" in another country.
The three main places we find some facts about these Feasts of the Lord is in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28 and in Deuteronomy 16. Of course we must begin in Egypt and in Exodus 12 for Passover and Exodus 13 for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Chapter 13 is very much a part of Passover as is Chapter 12. Of course this contains some things that is too disturbing to sensitive ministers and casual believers. We will leave these "disturbing facts" in Chapter 13 for another time.
Mat 16:6 And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Mat 16:11 "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Mark 8:15 And He was giving orders to them, saying, "Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
Luke 12:1 Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
1Cor 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
In Galatians Paul refers to leaven as false teaching.
Obviously this "leaven" appears to be very legalistic but none of this "leaven" can be acceptable in the Church He is building!
In that same way we will bypass some of the disturbing things about the Feast of the Fiftieth Day, called the Feast of Pentecost, because too many casual believers have refused to appear before God for that Feast. Still, these same people think they can abstain from Pentecost but then appear before God for the Feasts of the Seventh Month. Of course, if we just keep silent about that in these documents they can be happy and "assured" about their "half-a-gospel." Still, up until the time comes for Jesus to appear, even the full gospel of the Kingdom may be too difficult for the casual believer! Until then we can sing;
"WHAT A DAY OF RECKONING THAT WILL BE ON THE DAY WHEN MY JESUS I SHALL SEE! WHEN HE TAKES ME BY THE HAND AND TELLS ME HE HAS NO IDEA WHO I AM, WHAT AN EXCITING DAY THAT WILL BE!"
But Lord no one told me I could NOT appear before you empty handed. No one told me I could only bring the Harvest of what I planted in my field. I just thought I only had to believe something and pay my tithe!
"The Gospel of the Bargains" will be revealed to be a counterfeit gospel which will produce devastating consequences on that day when we ALL must stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ.
Mat 13:27 "And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
Mat 13:28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' And the slaves *said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' 29 "But he *said, 'No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
Right in God's field there are these two "seeds" growing. If we suggest that both the Tares and the Wheat are developing in the visible church, then some could ask; "Where is the love of God in that? The God I know would not burn up these good church people because they surely LOOK like Christians!"
We were also told that the Wheat, the good seed, are the sons of the Kingdom.
The problem is that both the wheat and the tares look about the same up until
harvest so it is very difficult to separate these into two distinct groups. Obviously the Angels can tell the difference and will separate them without hesitation! However, the Gospel of the Kingdom seems to cause the necessary division between the two groups even today in the visible church. The problem today is that too many are in one group and too few in the other. The "Tare Churches" appear to be very successful in attracting members. The "kingdom Churches", not so much!
What we learn from the Appointed Times of the Lord is this; His table will be FULL at the wedding feast but there will be NO TARES there. The largest group will be invited guests from all past dispensations and this group is so many they cannot be counted. A much smaller group will be the "Ones who have made themselves ready!" These will be the First Fruits, the Overcomes, the Perfected Saints which are also called the Bride of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb.
Since the last Feast in the sequence, the Feast of the Seventh Month which is the Feast of Tabernacles, will be the end of the Harvest Season for the church age, it is essential that we personally "Appear before God for each of His Appointments." To ignore these TRUTHS appears to be extremely ignorant when the Bible is so clear. We must NEVER put God's hand in a box to project future events because all the circumstances are very fluid and EVERYTHING must be in place before the end of the church age closes.
In many areas of the Christian Life it requires a certain element of RISK but at the end is always the REWARD. There is first the danger and then there is the blessing. This was demonstrated by Jesus both physically and visibly but also is related to us as Christians.
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Philip 3:7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Since the Risk and Reward features of the Christian Life are generally ignored, we will present them without embarrassment. When we compare the Danger with the Blessing it is regarded as despising the grace of God but of course there is NO scripture to justify that interpretation.
Unless we clearly present the great reward in the World Yet to Come and to our So Great a Great Salvation which is related to the Kingdom of God, in the present tense, we are not presenting the Real Gospel accurately! Paul suffered BY the Grace of God NOT to receive the Grace of God. Paul first RECEIVED the Grace of God which permitted him to suffer BY the Grace he had received. When we just set our doctrine from one or two scriptures, we generally miss the Kingdom Dimension of the Christian Life and erroneously assume things related to eternity.
Today the church is divided by those who view the Kingdom by the great RISK, cost and Danger from those who view the Kingdom as a great Opportunity, a bargain and by its Eternal Blessing. When there is "blood in the streets" it is too late to make a decision about the risk factor. At that time it is not a matter of you accepting the Kingdom but the real risk is about the Kingdom accepting you! Why? In Matthew 7:21-22 these "ministers" were casting out demons, doing miracles and prophesying but Jesus NEVER Accepted them. The great Danger of moving into the Governmental Dimension NOW is NOTHING compared to the danger or being rejected like those who are revealed in Matthew 7.
But what has all that to do with the seven feasts, encompassed within the Appointed Times of the Lord? That is because they present to us the Harvest of the last days of the church age? When in the Seventh Month, when the final Harvest of the Agricultural Year ends, the Governmental Year begins. This is because Israel kept two separate YEARS of 12 months. The year of the harvests began at Passover which was the First Month of the Agricultural year or some call it the Sacred Year. This new system of judging time began at the First Passover while the other "Civil" year still was in effect. The other Year was the Governmental Year or some call it the Civil Year and was the historical year of Israel up until that time.
Exodus 12:2 "This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household.
This "month" was the beginning of the Harvest- Feast- Year! But, brother, what has that to do with us and why should we confuse the issues with two different years? That is because when God finishes Harvesting the Earth at the Seventh Month and the Final Harvest, immediately the Governmental Year BEGINS! This is revealed in Revelation 20 as the Millennial Reign of Christ and the visible Kingdom of God on earth. It is FOLLOWING the Millennial Reign (one thousand years) of Christ Jesus on earth that God creates the World yet to Come which is the Eternal Tabernacle of God.
It is because of those Seven Harvest Feasts and how they relate to our preparation that they all become critically important to us. The Seventh Month of the Harvest Year is the First Month of the Governmental Year. We defy these "Times of the Lord" in vain!
The Two Jewish Calendars
(1st month) Nisan 1st of Harvest Year or Sacred Year (Passover on the 15th to First Fruits)
(2nd month)
(3rd month) Sivan (50th Day Pentecost & First Fruits)
(4th month) Tammuz
(5th month) Av
(6th month) Elul
(7th Month) Tishri= last Days of Harvest Time (Blowing of Trumpets to Tabernacles & First Fruits) (1st month) of Governmental or Civil year (Christ's Kingdom; Revelation 20)
(8th month) Heshvan Preparation; Five Months plus 15 days For Planting and Growing
(9th month) Kislev
(10th month) Tevet
(11th month) Shevat
(12th month) Adar
While the confusion of months exists, the chart will help us understand the difference between the Harvest and the Government. Since these are two distinct things and times they are recorded as two years. Nevertheless, the chart reveals how the two are interrelated. The END of the Harvest begins the Government. The End of the Final Harvest is the End of the Tribulation (Revelation 19) and the Beginning of the Kingdom Reign of Christ Jesus with His Saints. (Revelation 20)
The Three Realms of the First Fruits reveals the three dimensions of the Harvest of the Earth. The Last of the Harvest in the Seventh Month corresponds to the Seven Years of Tribulation. Seven is number of the completion of the Earth Ream while 12 is the number of the completion for the Eternal Realm. 12 represents the END of the time realm. 12 then corresponds to the END of Revelation 20. Revelation 21 is the BEGINNING of the Eternal Realm. The Five Months of Planting and Growth and the Seven Months of Harvest explains how God prepares each of us to be made compatible with and take our place in the Kingdom Government of God. The "timing" of our beginning is critical to our being part of the First Fruit harvest. Most believers will just "wait" until it is too late.
The intrinsic value of the Seven Feasts is to reveal God's Purpose for the Church Age. "Accepting Jesus as your personal Savior" reveals NOTHING about the various Harvests or about the perfection of the First Fruits. This faulty concept about "accepting Jesus" corrupts our understanding of the Seven Feasts and the Mature Harvest of the First Fruits and then the Main Harvest in these three dimensions. "Going to Heaven when we die" to far too shallow a goal to relate to the Harvest of the Earth and the gathering in of the First Fruits.
It is for that very reason that we see the Tabernacle of God is divided into these three dimensions. (1) The New Earth (2) The New Heaven and (3) The New Jerusalem. God has a place for EVERYONE but everyone will not be in the same place. Since the First Fruit Harvest PRECEDES the Main Harvest in all three dimensions, it is the First Fruits that are caught up FIRST at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. It is the First Fruits, the Overcomers, the Perfected Church, the Kingdom Priests, the Bride that is caught up to the New Jerusalem; to the Throne of God! Of course Christ Jesus was the very FIRST of the First Fruits.
ALL this is extremely relevant to each of us and directly relates us to the Harvest of this Earth. Of course the nasty part of this study is that the casual believers and the lukewarm are just counted as TARES and go into the fire. God has a place for EVERYONE but one place is to be avoided at ALL COSTS. That is the real danger of not taking FULL adantage of our opportunity.
Since this study is just an overview of the Feasts we will not focus upon the details or of the many kinds of sacrifice. Some of the sacrifices speak to us of "doing the whole will of God" but some speak about our preparation for the First Fruit Harvest. While it is certainly true that Jesus fulfilled EVERY sacrifice, it is also true that we must be personally prepared for Harvest.
Col 2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. 16 Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
If you read this carefully you should see that this is not speaking about the New Covenant fulfillment of these things but is a warning about going back to the bondage of keeping the Old Covenant ritual of these things. Of course these Feasts, New Moons, Sabbath Days are just a shadow of the reality but that does not invalidate the REALITY of the feasts ETC as we experience the Spiritual and Eternal Fulfillment of these things.
Lev 23:1 The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'The LORD 's appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations--My appointed times are these:
Lev 23:3 'For six days work may be done; but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:4 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 5 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover. 6 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'"
Lev 23:9 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
11 'And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 'Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD. 13 'Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with its libation, a fourth of a hin of wine. 14 'Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
Lev 23:15 'You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. 16 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. 17 'You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. 18 'Along with the bread, you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd, and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their libations, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. 19 'You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 'The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD; they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 'On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations. 22 'When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"
Lev 23:23 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 'You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'" 26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 27 "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. 28 "Neither shall you do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. 29 "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30 "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 "It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your Sabbath."
Lev 23:33 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) for seven days to the LORD. 35 'On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. 36 'For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.
Lev 23:37 'These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the LORD --burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and libations, each day's matter on its own day-- 38 besides those of the Sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts, and besides all your votive and freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD.
Lev 23:39 'On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day. 40 'Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 'You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 'You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" 44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the LORD.
Deu 16:1 "Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 "And you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to establish His name. 3 "You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), in order that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 "For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning. 5 "You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the LORD your God is giving you; 6 but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. 7 "And you shall cook and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses. And in the morning you are to return to your tents.
Deu 16:8 "Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God; you shall do no work on it. 9 "You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 "Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the LORD your God blesses you; 11 and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your town, and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name.
Deu 16:12 "And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Deu 16:13 "You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) seven days
after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat;
Deu 16:14 and you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter
and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns. 15 "Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you shall be altogether joyful.
Deu 16:16 "Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.
Deu 16:17 "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD
your God which He has given you.
Num 28:16 'Then on the fourteenth day of the first month shall be the LORD'S Passover. 17 'And on the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast, unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. 18 'On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. 19 'And you shall present an offering by fire, a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls and one ram and seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect.
Num 28:20 'And for their grain offering, you shall offer fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for a bull and two-tenths for the ram. 21 'A tenth of an ephah you shall offer for each of the seven lambs, 22 and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 23 'You shall present these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. 24 'After this manner you shall present daily, for seven days, the food of the offering by fire, of a soothing aroma to the LORD; it shall be presented with its libation in addition to the continual burnt offering. 25 'And on the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.
Numb 28:26 'Also on the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the LORD in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.
Because this is just an overview we will not include Chapter 29 because this is the real understanding of the intensity and excitement of the Feast of the Seventh Month which is the Blowing of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. However, we will make a distinction with the Law of the Feasts given at Mount Sinai and the Law of the Feasts in the Book of Numbers.
Israel had wandered for 40 years in the wilderness and had come to the place on the East side of Jordan. Here is another "FORESHADOWING" and a shifting from the wilderness to the Promised Land. There is a change of leadership from Moses to Joshua (the Jewish name for JESUS) and now the LAND represents the Kingdom and the PLACE where God will establish HIS name.
Numbers 36:13 These are the commandments and the ordinances which the LORD commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.
It should be noted that AFTER they Crossed Jordan they had to begin in a whole new BEGINNING! Every male had to be circumcised and keep Passover and THE REAL HARVEST BEGAN. Why? The was NO HARVEST in the wilderness and for 40 years they could NOT keep the Feasts! They could not even keep Passover. Why? That is because there was NO Harvest and, therefore, NO FIRST FRUITS for ANY of the Feasts.
The disobedience at Ai quickly resulted in the death of a whole family. Why? Now the Government of God begins. The grace of the wilderness (where God put up with so much carnality) has transitioned to the Grace of the Kingdom where it is possible to be VOMITED OUT. In this realm the tares and the Wheat become the real issue. What we thought was Christianity might be shaken.
Heb 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN." 27 And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
For our God is a consuming fire is not compatible with the combustibility of the tares! The production of WHEAT is directly related to the planting of the proper seed of the Kingdom. Of course if the kingdom Seed is offensive there is plenty of the other seed available. Really large fields can be planted quickly with this rejected seed and make a big impression on the ignorant. In Harvest time all this will become very evident but then the transition from tares to Wheat is not possible. The groaning and gnashing of teeth will be quite unpleasant.