|
 |
|
Celebrate the Feasts of Israel |
Why are the Jewish Feasts important?
- The Jewish Feasts were
ordained by God at the giving of the Law (Leviticus 23).
- The Feasts serve as a
picture of the ministry of Jesus in both advents - the
Spring Feasts for the first advent and the the Fall Feasts
for the second.
- Yeshua Ha' Mashiach (Jesus
the Messiah) is not only recorded in the New Testament as
having observed many of these Feasts, but He often infused
them with additional meaning (cf. John 7:2, John 10:22).
- The Feasts of Israel hold
tremendous prophetic import that can bolster your faith and
enlarge your understanding of God's work amongst man and His
divine plan.
- Last but not least, when
believers enrich their understanding of the Jewish feasts
with a genuine and humble spirit they show "respect to the
root" (Romans 11:16 ff) and may also provoke their unbelieving Jewish friends
and neighbors to pursue a relationship with the God of their
fathers (Romans 11:11, 11:19).
|
| Spring Feasts |
| The Spring Feasts
are most well-known for the Feast of Passover.
Hananeel Ministries conducts many Messiah in the
Passover Seders (dinners) and Passover demonstrations in
various settings. Believers are often greatly
encouraged and challenged when they understand more
fully the relationship of Passover with the Lord's
Supper. The first Feast of Spring, the Feast of
First Fruits is perhaps the least understood of all the
Jewish Feasts, in part because it is the only Levitical
Feast that is no longer observed in modern Judaism.
This is unfortunate as the resurrection of Yeshua
(Jesus) is a clear fulfillment of this Feast (I
Corinthians 15:20). The Feast of Pentecost closes
the Spring Feast calendar, and it is this Feast which
God chose as the time to send the promised "Comforter",
the Holy Spirit. |
|
| Fall Feasts |
| Rosh Hashanah
(referred to in Scripture as the Feast of Trumpets)
marks the traditional start of the Jewish New Year and
the period known as the "High Holy Days". Yom
Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement" occurs ten days later
and traditionally is observed with a twenty-four hour
fast. The crowning glory of the Fall Feasts is the
lesser known (amongst Gentiles) Feast of Sukkot, or
Tabernacles. Sukkot, a "harvest festival", might
be described as "Jewish Thanksgiving" although it would
perhaps be more accurate to call our Thanksgiving
holiday, "America's Sukkot". These three Feasts of
Israel are rich with prophetic promise and meaning. |
|
| Other Feasts |
| In addition to
these ordained Feasts of Israel there are several other
special feasts, observances, and fasts. The Feast
of Hannukah, which usually occurs in December, is an
observance of an event that occurred during the "silent
period" when all Jewish scholars agree that the major
and minor prophetic books had been completed. But
it is interesting to note that Yeshua is noted in the
Gospel of John (John 10:22 ff) as having observed this
feast. The feast of Hanukkah also is important as
it celebrates the Maccabees overthrow of
Antiochus
Epiphanes, who's
act of desecrating the Temple foreshadowed the future
work of the anti-christ.
The feast of Purim, which
usually occurs in March, just prior to Passover, is
categorized by a spirit of joyful celebration that
focuses on the re-telling of the wonderful story of
Esther and Mordechai and the divine intervention that
spared the Jewish people from the schemes of the evil
Haman. |
|
| Want to learn more? |
- Visit our site's Jewish
Feast pages (see above)
- Rev. Tom Huckel and
other Hananeel staff speak regularly in congregations across
the East Coast U.S. and beyond. Visit our ministry
event calendar or check out Rev.
Huckel's message list for more
details.
|
|
|
|
|
