01/01/2018: GOD’S SEVEN FEASTS

GOD’S SEVEN FEASTS
 PART 2
                There are seven holidays that God instituted, which were intended to be times to meet with God. The Lord spoke to Moses saying,
“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: These are My Appointed Feasts,
the Appointed Feasts of the Lord, which you are to proclaim
as SACRED ASSEMBLIES.” (Leviticus 23:1&2)
 
            Passover (Pesach) used to be a one day event, however they have incorporated the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits to be celebrated along with Pesach. Now the entire event lasts from Nisan 14 to 21, the Hebrew calendar shows Nisan to be March and April overlapping and thus the Hebrew calendar is what is used to identify the date of the Feasts.
 
            During the eight day period Hebrews are not permitted to eat anything with leaven in it, they must eat Matzot (Matzah) bread which is made with flour and water only, no leaven/yeast. The Matzah bread has stripes and holes in it, the stripes are symbolic of the Stripes on Jesus Christ from His scourging that He endured for our sins, the holes are symbolic of the wounds in Jesus from the piercing and nails that penetrated His body.
 
            Hag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread is one of three holidays where all Jewish Men had to go to Jerusalem to appear before the Lord.
 
DEUTERONOMY 16:16 & 17
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.”
17 “Every man shall give as he is able,
According to the blessing of the  Lord
Your God which He has given you.”
 
            Now I have covered the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits, all three of these Feasts fall in the same period of time March – April. Scriptures to find these three will be found in Exodus 12:1-4; 15-20; Leviticus 23:4-5; 6-8; 9-14.
First Fruits: (Yom HaBikkurim) First Fruits are given for the Spring Barley Harvest.
 
by Pastor Larry Pinkerton