Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel

Copyright © 2013 Velda Stearns.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-8647-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8648-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8646-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013903353

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/26/2013

You can reach Velda Stearns at JewishFeasts@Yahoo.com

Table of Contents

Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1  Feast of Passover (Pesach)

Chapter 2  Jesus Christ (Yeshua) the Passover Lamb

Chapter 3  Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag haMatzah)

Chapter 4  Feast of Firstfruits (Yom Ha Bikkurim)

Chapter 5  Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)

Chapter 6  Celebrating Pentecost

Chapter 7  Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)

Chapter 8  Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

Chapter 9  Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot or Booths)

Chapter 10  Feast of Purim (Lots)

Chapter 11  Feast of Hanukkah

Chapter 12  Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel

Glossary of Jewish Terms

Sabbath Day Celebrations

Endnotes

Acknowledgements

Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel is dedicated to my husband, Robert and our four children, Keith, David, Michelle and Angela, who supported my research. I want to give credit to Tara Kieschnick-editor and Nancy Evans-artist. I also want to thank Lena Dooley for editorial support and encouragement.

This book is also dedicated to the Ladies Life Group at Gateway Church, who supported me as I taught the significance of the Jewish Feasts.

This book is the result of thousands of hours of research and writing, but no book can compare with God’s Holy Word. I hope that Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel will help you understand that Christ fulfilled the spring feasts and will fulfill the fall feasts at His Second Coming.

Endorsements

In 1 Chron. 12:32, the sons of Issachar were commended because they understood the times and knew what Israel should do. The message of the Bible is timeless, but each generation has the responsibility to apply its truths to the unique circumstances of its day. The challenges for Israel in David’s time were different from those in Daniel’s time. Each generation should understand Israel and the Jewish roots of our faith.

A foundational knowledge of the Feasts of Israel is critical to gaining an understanding of Israel and what Israel should do. The feasts also provide a rich theological encouragement for believers in Jesus.

We have known Velda Stearns for years and closely observed her love for the Bible and the Jewish people. We are honored to be her friends. Velda is a researcher and teacher who goes to great length to be both Biblical, historical, and devotional. She has a gift to concisely explain a mountain of complex and meaty information and make it applicable to the believer in Yeshua today.

Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel is informative, clear, and well-written. We especially like that Velda brought out how ancient Israel celebrated each feast and that Jesus brought fulfillment.

Jews and Christians, who are hungry for a deeper understanding of the feasts of Israel, will benefit from Velda’s book.

Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you as you begin this study to better understand Israel, our times and our faith.

Wayne Wilks Jr., Ph.D.

– International Director of Messianic Jewish Bible Institute

A grain of sand falls–a clock ticks–that bit of time will not come again. There is not a better or timelier season, to delve into Velda Stearns’ Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel. I was privileged to sit under her teaching on the Feasts and was in awe of the prophetic relevance in these God-appointed holy days. In each of God’s Old Testament festivals the reader will gain insight into the life and times of Christ: His death, resurrection and His long-awaited return as Yeshua Ha Mashiach, the Jewish Messiah!

Jan Poindexter – Former Executive Secretary

Fulfilling the Feasts of Israel

Introduction

"The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites: You will announce the Lord’s chosen festivals as holy meetings.

These are my special festivals’".

Lev. 23:1-2 ESV

W elcome to this comprehensive study about the seven appointed feasts, certain to bring deeper scriptural revelation to you as a believer. For it is through these seven portals, which God Himself refers to in Leviticus as My feasts, that we can glimpse His divine plan for the ages, as well as gain understanding about the prophetic events of the New Testament. These include the plan of salvation for all humanity, the origins of the Church, the first and second coming of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah (or " Yeshua Ha Mashiach "), and God’s ultimate providential plan for mankind.

Why Do We Celebrate?

"And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates" (Deut. 16:14).

All of us are familiar with the concept of holidays–days designated to commemorate important events. In our culture, these special dates include events based on scripture, known to us as Christmas and Easter. But these holidays have become a mere reflection of their true meaning, a contemporary mixture of watered down facts (the birth and resurrection of Jesus) and fiction (Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny). So have you ever wondered: WHY do we have holidays in the first place? WHERE did these celebrations originate? If based on scripture, then WHAT were God’s true intentions for these special days?

Few believers are aware just how closely connected these current celebrations are with ancient biblical commands. These specific seasons are rooted directly in the seven feasts God mandated the Children of Israel to commemorate forever. The twenty-third chapter of Leviticus outlines the complete instructions Moses received on Mount Sinai on how Israel was to properly observe these annual holidays. (These were not feasts or banquets as we think of them, but were structured around the sacrificial altar used to worship God.) The Jews have kept these holidays in one form or another for over 3500 years, helping to guide and sustain them throughout history. But as they continue to celebrate, most are totally unaware that these feasts point to their Messiah.

Believers Trace Their Roots to Abraham

It is unfortunate that Christians rarely celebrate the feasts, or much less understand their significance, for the Feasts of Israel also give us a greater understanding about the Jewish roots of Christianity.

But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree–some of the people of Israel–have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root (Rom. 11:17–18 NLT).

What’s more, the scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, All nations will be blessed through you. So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. Now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.¹

There is no division between Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, male and female in Christ’s family. We all share equally in a common relation with Jesus Christ. We are all heirs to the promise that God gave Abraham.

Purpose of the Seven Feasts of Israel

•   Passover reminded Israel of the day the death angel passed over.

•   Unleavened Bread (Hag haMatzah) reminded Israel of the day they left Egypt.

•   Firstfruits (Yom Ha Bikkurim) reminded Israel of the day they were rescued from the Egyptians and crossed over the Red Sea on dry land.

•   Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) reminded Israel of the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.

•   Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) reminded Israel to repent of their sins before Yom Kippur.

•   Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) reminded Israel to spend a day in prayer and fasting in order to obtain atonement.

•   Feasts of Tabernacles (Booths) reminded Israel of their wilderness walk.

Seasonal Celebrations

Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for him. All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God (Deut. 16:16-17 NLT).

The seasonal significance was shown with each feast celebrated at the same time each year. In time pasts, the feasts also served social and commercial purposes. They brought together the twelve tribes of Israel in worship, fellowship, and rest which helped unite the Jewish people.

Thousands of Israelites thronged Jerusalem during these feasts since the men were required to go to Jerusalem to worship on at least three different occasions: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Their coming together aided in promoting commercial bartering, trade and the exchange of merchandise. It also helped to unite the Jewish tribes.

Purpose of the Festivals

The Jewish Feasts have three purposes that help to better explain God’s reason for requiring their yearly observance. Each feast celebrates a special event in the history of Israel. They are celebrated on the same day each year. They are reminders of how God dwelt with the Children of Israel in the past and point to the future reign of the Messiah. These feasts have three purposes that help to better explain God’s reason for requiring their yearly observance.

•   A seasonal celebration the same time each year in Israel

•   A memorial of events in the history of Israel

•   A prophetic meaning that points to Yeshua, the Messiah

Each feast showed how God dealt with His people in the past and gave the fathers an opportunity to retell the story each year. They celebrated an event or special happening in the history of Israel. Each feast revealed a prophetic picture of the future that pointed to the coming Messiah.

The Number Seven

The number seven plays an important role in the feasts. There are seven annual feasts and three feasts celebrated in the seventh month. Every seventh day was a day of rest and every seventh year was a year of rest. The Feast of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles covered a seven day period of time. Between Passover and Pentecost are seven weeks. The Year of Jubilee was celebrated at the end of 49 years or seven times seven years.

Feasts are Divine Appointments

In addition to the Sabbath, these are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year (Lev. 23:4 NLT).

The feasts are more than mere tradition or seasonal remembrance. They are appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations to celebrated at their appointed times each year. The Hebrew word convocation is mentioned fifteen times in the Old Testament. Wherever the word convocation appears in the Bible, it is preceded by the word holy; hence, holy convocation.

The Hebrew word for convocation is miqra (‘mik–raw’). One of the meanings of this word is rehearsal. The feasts are rehearsals of events that will occur in the future. Rehearsals are typically followed by the actual event. For example, when you rehearse a wedding, the wedding follows. Each feast is a rehearsal of an event that only the Messiah can fulfill. Many Jewish people rehearse these feasts every year, unaware that they are rehearsing future events.

Believers in the first century understood that the feasts symbolized God’s plan of salvation through Yeshua, the long awaited Messiah. They celebrated the feasts