Arise To Zion Ministries
Arise To Zion Ministries
Linda L.Sack
The Feasts of the Lord
I believe that every Feast was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ in either His life or death or resurrection. I hope that as I lay out the truths here you will also begin to realize how wonderful and perfect the plan of God is and was and always will be!
The Feasts are actually a pattern of Heavenly things on Earth. Hebrews 8:1-5, Hebrews 9:8-9 , Exodus 25:8-9 and 40, Exodus 26:30, Numbers 8:4, Ezekiel 43:1-6, Ezekiel 43:10-12
The Feasts are the Physical means and/or methods by which we may understand the spiritual things of the LORD. I Corinthians 2:9-13. They are the spiritual things given to us by God beforehand
People must set their desires upon the things of the Kingdom of God and leave the world which is spiritual Egypt.
Spiritually one must leave the world (spiritual Egypt), because it is a place of spiritual oppression and slavery, of darkness and false religion and it is the many faceted realm or kingdom of Satan, the prince of death.
The very first demand God spoke thru Moses to Pharaoh was to let His people go that they may worship Him in a Feast. Exodus 5:1-2 1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
Ex. 5:3 says that Moses explains that God’s people could be smited with pestilence or the sword if they do not honor God in His feasts… At one point, Pharaoh said he would let the men go to the wilderness to worship their God but not the women or children. Ex. 10:8-11. God said that ALL were to go.
The curses God decreed against Egypt thru Moses were all related to the gods Egypt served. He brought them down one by one in order to deliver His people so they could go out to the wilderness and celebrate a Feast with Him. In applying God's Word to our own lives today this means we must allow Him to destroy the idols we have served. Yes we all have them: Sex, sports, alcohol, drugs, power over people, greed, music, personal success, our own talents and gifts...and many more.
During the Seder Meal we dip our finger in our wine and sprinkle it on our Seder plate and yell out the different curses. Remember that the wine represents the Blood of Y’shua which defeated Satan and all the curses associated with him.
Let us look at the gods of Egypt and the curse of God upon them, defeating them. These are the plagues:
First Plague: Exodus 7:19 turns the Nile to blood. The Nile was worshipped as, “god of the river of life” or also “father of the gods” . Anuket, goddess of the Nile River, the child of Satis and among the Elephantine triad of deities; temple on the Island of Seheil, giver of life and fertility, gazelle-headed.
Second Plague: Exodus 8:5,6 caused the frogs to come up. This was to come against the frog-god idol of Egypt. Heget (also spelled Heqet) - goddess of childbirth and fertility, who breathed life into humans at birth, represented as a frog or a frog-headed woman
Third Plague: Exodus 8:16 -Created lice. This overthrew the Egyptian insect-god. Bes - dwarfed demigod associated with protection of the household, particularly childbirth, and entertainment.
Fourth Plague: Exodus 8:21-24. Creation of flies was to show the powerlessness of the god Beelzebub, god of the flies to protect the people from the Israelite’s God.
Fifth Plague: Exodus 9:1-7. God’s hand will smite the stock of Egypt with a very grievous murrain or pestilence. Egyptians worshipped their livestock and this plague was to show them that God was greater and no one could stop His hand. Pharaoh and all of Egypt had to admit it was God since none of the Israelite’s cattle or livestock were harmed.
Bat - represented the cosmos and the essence of the soul (Ba), cow goddess who gave authority to the king, cult originated in Hu and persisted widely until absorbed as an aspect of Hathor after the eleventh dynasty; associated with the sistrum and the ankh .
Apis - the Apis bull probably was at first a fertility figure concerned with the propagation of grain and herds; but he became associated with Ptah, the paramount deity of the Memphis area and also, with Osiris (as User-Hapi) and Sokaris, later gods of the dead and the underworld. As Apis-Atum he was associated with the solar cult and was often represented with the sun-disk of the cow deity between his horns, being her offspring. The Apis bull often represented a king who became a deity after death, suggesting an earlier ritual in which the king was sacrificed.
Hathor (also spelled Hethert) - among the oldest of Egyptian deities - often depicted as the cow, a cow-goddess, sky-goddess and tree-goddess who was the mother to the pharaoh and earlier to the universe, the golden calf of the bible, and later goddess of love and music. (THERE ARE MORE BUT I THINK THE POINT IS MADE HERE.)
Sixth plague: Exodus 9:8-12. Boils on man and beast. Only happened to the Egyptians and their cattle. This was to prove that the Egyptian gods of healing were unable to protect them. Isis (also spelled Aset) - goddess of magical power and healing, "She of the Throne" who was represented as the throne, also later as the wife of Osiris and as the protector of the dead
Seventh Plague: Exodus 9:22-26. Hail and fire. It was to smite all the bountiful vegetation and livestock of the region. This showed everyone that no one could be protected from the wrath of God. Bast - goddess, protector of the pharaoh and a solar deity where the sun could be seen shining in her eyes at night, a lioness, house cat, cat-bodied or cat-headed woman, also known as Bastet when superseded by Sekhmet
Eighth Plague: Exodus 10:12-15. Locusts. They ate what was left of the vegetation. Again, Goshen where the Israelites lived, remained untouched. There locusts were a new species which God specifically created against Egypt in order to show He was the only creator, rewarding only those who worship Him and cursing through the very means of creation those who deny Him.
Ninth Plague Exodus 10:21-23. A darkness which could be felt. (Similar to the absence of God). This overthrew the Sun god-Ra. Ra - the sun, also a creator deity - whose chief cult centre was based in Heliopolis meaning "city of the sun" . Ra-Horakhty - god of both sky and Sun, a combination of Ra and Horus - thought to be god of the Rising Sun
Tenth Plague: Exodus, in the 11th and 12th chapters was the death of the firstborn of all men and beasts in the land, at the hand of God Himself. This is where the plan of redemption is foreshadowed.
the Lamb is slain and only if the Blood is applied to the doorposts of the home are the inhabitants safe from the angel of death which God sent, because the angel would “pass over” that household.
This in today's terms is with regard to the Blood of Y'shua (Jesus) which is our Passover Lamb.
Jesus fulfilled this in all respects! He was born in a stable because He is the Lamb of God! His death on the cross; He was crucified on the exact day of Pesach in which the lamb was slain. He died at exactly 3pm which was the time decreed that the lamb should be slain for the sins of Israel. He applied His Blood on the Mercy Seat in Heaven and split time, split the veils in Heaven, and in the temple and also in man's heart, thus allowing for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, (Ruach Ha Kodesh) for the first time since Adam!
This plague overthrew every god of Egypt because it showed without doubt that God was the sovereign King. The giver and taker of life and the one who wanted to communicate with His creatures. He showed His care of His own people and how they truly were communicating with HIM.
Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag Ha Matzah) is another of the spring feasts and intertwines with Pesach. On Nissan 14 the Passover Lamb is to be slaughtered but beginning 4 days prior to that day the lambs are to be inspected to determine the perfect one to be selected for the sacrifice. It had to be without spot or blemish, a male of the 1st year.
Exodus 12:3-5 3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Y’shua was the lamb of God and again, that is why He was born in a manger. John 1:29 ICorinthians 5:7
He was inspected as decreed by God, and was found in the scriptures and He fulfilled all things.
When was He inspected? Look at Matthew 22:15-22 15Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying,
Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto
them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are
God’s. 22When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
AND AGAIN in Mathew 22:23-30 23The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 26Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27And last of all the woman died also. 28Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 29Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 33And when
the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
AND FINALLY, Mathew 22: 41-46 41While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
So, we see here that the Pharisees, Saducees and an educated lawyer all tried Him to see if He was an accurate teacher/Rabbi of the Law. The Lamb was inspected…
The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the day after the Lamb was killed and eaten. The sacrifice was slaughtered at the 9th hour, (3pm) between the evenings.
Y’shua gave up the ghost at the 9th hour exactly 3pm on the day of Passover.
Mathew 27:46, 50 That is also the day that the Israelites made their exodus from Egypt.
The 7th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was the Crossing of the Red Sea.
The Feast is a Memorial Forever (a remembrance)
ICorinthians 11:24-26 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.
The Communion table is the celebration of the fulfilled Feast of Pesach.
When Y’shua broke the middle matzah of the separated ceremonial matzahs, we know that He was telling His talmidim (disciples) that He is the Messiah, the Passover Lamb, the Afikomen.
AND when He drank from the cup of Redemption and passed it to His talmidim they understood that He was the Son of God the Messiah, who would take away their sins. The ONE sacrifice able to satisfy the perfection required for the wrath of God to be abated…the renewing of intimacy with God.
1st spring harvest is of barley, or the 1st fruit of the year. . Y’shua is the First Fruit of the Resurrection so it is befitting that He rose from the dead on the Day of First Fruits. (Sunday as we know it).
ICorinthians 15:20-23 20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Colossians 1:15 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Y’shua is the 1st begotten of the dead as seen in Revelation 1:5 5And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Y’shua fulfilled the Feast of HaBikkurim. He was crucified on Pesach, remained in the grave three days and resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits.
Every feast day is considered to be a special Sabbath according to scripture and it doesn’t matter on which day of the week it occurs. In this way we can understand the regulations regarding the handling of the Body of Messiah at His crucifixion and subsequent burial.
His Body had to be removed from the stake, cared for and put in a place of rest all before sundown on the day of special Sabbath. (Passover)
We read in Matthew 28:1 how the women went to the tomb on the first day of the week. Our Sunday is the 1st day of the week. 1In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
The Priest waves and violently shakes the sheaf of the first fruit. In Matthew 28:2 we see the parallel; 2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
An omer of manna was harbored inside the Ark of the Covenant as God commanded Moses to be a remembrance for the generations. Exodus 16:33-36 33And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. 34As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. 36Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
The Hebrew word for sheaf is “omer”, which is a measure of dry things equal to a tenth of an ephah. (an ephah then is equivalent to 10 omers of grain.
Why the counting of the Omer? It all leads us to The Feast of Pentecost or Shavuot which comes 50 days after the day of Pesach!
SHAVUOT Or- THE FEAST OF PENTECOST
Wheat Harvest or it is called the Feast of Weeks
The period between Passover and Shavuot became known as the omer.
There are many parallels between the first Shavuot and the Day of Pentecost in the 2nd Chapter in the Book of Acts. Let's examine them: The day Moses received the tablets of the Law from the hand of God 3,000 souls were slain due to disobedience and worship of the golden calf.
On the Day of Pentecost 3,000 souls were added to the Kingdom by receiving the Holy Spirit baptism of fire.
The mountain trembled when Moses took the Law-- the building where they were assembled was shaking
Noisy thundering on the mount- there was a mighty rushing wind
God descended in smoke and fire -- a. Tongues of fire come upon the disciples
God’s voice was as a trumpet -- Holy Spirit (Ruach Ha Kodesh) spoke through men in other tongues
Torah given in Covenant relationship-- The New and Everlasting Covenant is fulfilled and made manifest. As the Blood of Y’shua was applied to the Mercy Seat in Heaven the curtain in the heart of mankind was rent and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was enabled for the first time since Adam.
It is The Promise taught to us in Hebrews 11: The Old Testament prophets were told that ONE DAY the ability to have God in us was going to be restored to us! Can you imagine having that knowledge and never the experience but be willing to suffer and die for it?
The Feast of Trumpets This was fulfilled when the announcement of the birth of the Savior of the World came forth from the Heavens! The angelic hosts were celebrating and brought forth the Good News to the Shepherds out in the fields of Bethlehem!!!
There are many reasons to sound the trumpets; The Feast of Trumpets is a celebration of all of the occasions for trumpet blowing.
In order to have the benefit of Yom Kippur and have cover for their sins, the sins must be brought to mind.
It is a time for honoring and recognizing God with the faith for provision of a bountiful harvest: not just for the land but also for the womb. See Gen. 29 and I Samuel:1 for the stories of Sarah and Hannah.
Numbers says that it is a memorial for you before your God.
It is a witness; and a calling forth of the witnesses for God in the Earth.
It is not a time of morose depressive attitudes but rather a time of joyful celebration that a Holy and Righteous God has made a way to rid people of sin and have intimacy with God. It celebrates His goodness and mercy.
Jews have a ceremony that they perform on the 1st afternoon of Rosh Hashanah-the scripture for it is found in Micah 7:18-20. They call it a tashlich and it is casting their sins into flowing water. It is a cleansing ritual.
Blessing over the Candles: Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech Ha-olam, asher Kideshanu b’mitz v otav v’tzeervanu l’hadlik ver shel Yom Tov.
(all say)? Blessed are You Lord our God, ruler of the Universe, who sanctified us through His commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of the Holy Day.
There is a blessing that the Jews say because they feel so privileged to experience this High Holy Day! It is called:
Shehechiyanu Blessing
Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech Ha-olam, shehecheyanu v’keemanu, v’hee gee’ anu la’ zman ha’zeh.
(all say)? Blessed are You Lord our God, ruler of the Universe, who has dept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
Blessing over the wine: Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech Ha-olam, borei priy ha-ga fen.
The Feast of Yom Kippur
This feast was fulfilled by Y'shua Ha Maschiach (Jesus the Messiah) when He stood before Pontius Pilot who was the authority on Earth to set Him free or to put Him to death.
If you remember the in the Old Testament when the High Priest put the sins of the nation upon the ram, (male Lamb) and had another ram standing by to be the Scapegoat for the Nation who was not deserving to be exonerated by a Holy God...
Pilot called for them to bring out Barabbas. He said pointing to Jesus, "Behold the man!" In the O.T. the High Priest said, "Behold the ram."
Then he asked if they should release Barabbas or Jesus. The crowd screamed to crucify Jesus and set Barabbas free. Now here is the real beauty of this passage to bring it to fullness and clarity:
The name Barabbas means, son of the Father. Bar Abbas
Here we have a murderer who is named son of the father and the true Son of THE Father-sinless and blameless and who was the fullness of the Godhead bodily! And they blessed Barabbas and sent him on his way, (the Scapegoat) and they crucified the Lord for the sins of the world.
The Feast of Tabernacles BEAUTIFUL! THIS IS THE LORD'S DOING AND IT IS WONDERFUL IN OUR EYES!!!
This is fulfilled by the Lord in that He made the way for the tabernacle not made with hands to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God! The Ruach Ha Kodesh! We read in Hebrews that we are the Temple not made with hands. Paul tells us that we are the Temple of the Holy Ghost. We are the temporary dwelling places spoken of in O.T.
This is not difficult to grasp! We must understand that the Lord fulfilled all things...In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit left Adam and Eve when they sinned. The spirit and soul of man was no longer separate with the Holy Spirit in residence within their combined spirit and soul. That is why the Word of God is powerful and sharp as a two edged sword , cutting asunder spirit and soul...But I am getting ahead of myself.
When Y'shua ha Maschiach placed His blood upon the Mercy Seat and remission for sin was made, then the veil was rent! Or to put it better, the ABIITY for the veil to become rent is made. We read that the veil in Heaven was split in half from the bottom up and in Jerusalem in the Temple the veil was rent from the top down. Since man is the temple and the design is from the Heavenly model, just as the Temple built on the mount was, the WAY was made by our Lord and Savior! Time itself was split, people! This is exciting stuff folks! In the Old Testament the prophets, kings and people only had the promise of what we have! We do not need to have a third temple built in Jerusalem! WE ARE THE THIRD TEMPLE !
Don't concern yourselves with making Sukkah's and/or dovening at the Wall. We have THE COMFORTER ! The Authority over all the power of the enemy !
