JEWISH FEASTS, JEWISH WEDDING

 

   

Acts 18:21

        “But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.”

 

         I Remember reading the above scripture and never really understanding why Paul said, “I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem”;  What was so special about going to Jerusalem and keeping the feast, did he know something that the 20^th century Christian overlooks or don’t understand?

 

       If we really want to understand the Christian faith we must remember our Jewish roots!  Just as in the natural, the trunk of a tree and it’s limbs are not from two separate entities, but one!  Neither are the roots of it for that matter; they are of one!  The Church of today has lost it’s understanding of our Jewish roots, that we were a wild olive tree, we were grafted in!   So then the Church is not something totally different from Hebrew culture.   We were grafted into being the real Jew, that of “faith”; and even though we are, if we lose our understanding of how God dealt with the Jews in culture or otherwise, then we will miss out on a real clear understanding of what will happen in the near future…   The book of Revelation for example:  Many people find it confusing and hard to understand; but one time I heard Brother Perry Stone preach the whole book of Revelation from a “Hebrew” Perspective!  And everything made sense; The feasts, the symbolism, the patterns and prophecies.  Now I understood why Paul said, “I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem”  The whole Bible is of Hebrew culture!  Though the New Testament was written in Greek, Jesus talked to Saul on the road to Damascus in the “Hebrew” tongue!  The Church of today, particulary in America is liken unto what Nebuchadnezzar  did in changing  Daniel’s  name to Belteshazzar; and Hananiah to Shadrach; and Mishael to Meshach and  Azariah to Abednego; it was for them to lose their identity!!!  When we think of the Church, we ought not to think of America, the protégé, the  pinnacle of what is Christian.  It is not the pure model of what Jesus established and is establishing. 

        

         Onto the study of “The Rapture”    I just want to point out the fact that we need to see “The Church” as how God defines it and lays it out in the Bible &  by understanding Hebrew events, we will see why “The Church” will not go through Daniel’s 70^th week (The Tribulation) as we know it!

 

First, because of the above statement, many of you may be saying if the Church is Jewish then we are going to go through Daniel’s 70^th week?

 

NATURAL  &    SPIRITUAL

    God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 22:15-18:

15      And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16      And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:(type of Jesus)

17      That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18      And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

    There’s a spiritual side of the seed, (the stars of the heaven) and there’s a natural side of the seed, the sand which is upon the sea shore!  New Testament Christians, because of Christ are the spiritual seed of faith which comes from “all the nations”(v18) also known as the fullness of the Gentiles! “…that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25   When the fulness of the Gentiles is come in, then the spiritual seed “the Church” is taken out of the way, God turns His attention BACK TOWARDS ISRAEL the natural seed!  The books of Daniel & Revelation are a reflection of the Jewish people!

JEWISH FEASTS

 

1.     The Feast of PASSOVER (Pesach) 1^st Month  14^th Day

2.     The Feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD

3.     The Feast of FIRSTFRUITS

4.     The Feast of PENTECOST (Shavout)  50 days after PASSOVER

5.     The Feast of TRUMPETS (Rosh HaShanah) 7^th Month 1^st day

6.     The Feast of ATONEMENT (Yom Kippur) 7^th Month 10^th day

7.     The Feast of TABERNACLES (Succot) 7^th Month  15^th day

 

Bible events will happen on FEAST DAYS!!!

 

Jesus fulfilled the first three in His death, burial, and resurrection:

·       He died on PASSOVER

·       He’s in the ground at UNLEAVENED BREAD; He’s sinless, wrapped up and buried

·       8 days later He appears to Thomas saying, “touch me”.  He’s the FIRSTFRUITS from the dead!!!

 

 

 

The Church has fulfilled one 50 days later:

·       Acts 2          And when the day of PENTECOST was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.          And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.            And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.    And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.     Jesus told them to tarry at Jerusalem UNTIL they be endued with power from on high!  When did it happen?  On the FEAST DAY!!!

 

 

The next 3 will be fulfilled:

·       ROSH  HASHANAH  (The FEAST of TRUMPETS)

          Compare: The Last TRUMP  1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 

                         1 Thessalonians 4:17

 

 

·       YOM KIPPUR  (The FEAST of the ATONEMENT)

Compare:  Revelation chapter 5… the only one found worthy, Jesus as the high priest

 

 

·       SUCCOT  (The FEAST of TABERNACLES)

Compare: The only feast Jews & Gentiles celebrate together!   And it lasts 7 days!!!  One week!!!   The Tribulation is for One week!!!   Jewish & Gentile believers will be pulled out and in heaven BEFORE Daniel’s 70^th (one week) Tribulation!!!!

 

 

JEWISH WEDDING

      The Jewish wedding tradition is an excellent pattern of what Jesus will do with the Church in the last days!

·       A covenant was made between the parties in which they vowed a vow by drinking from a cup!   Jesus did this in Matt 26:29-30  “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”

·       They would depart and not see each others’ face until the time!  The Groom to be would go to His father’s house and prepare a place for them!!!    John 14:2-3  “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

·       Nobody knew the day or the hour when the it was to take place; Only the Father!!   Matt 25:13  “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

·       When it did happen, a call/cry was made!!   Matt 25:5-6  “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”  Compare also the call of the LAST TRUMP!!!   For nearly two thousand years voices have been crying, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him”

 

 

 

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