Think of the appointed festivals in Leviticus 23 as DRESS REHEARSALS. We are to rehearse them year to year, so we KNOW what to expect when the real thing unfolds.

The Festivals that have been kept for thousands of years by the followers of Yahweh are those such as (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits), AND ( Pentecost, Trumpets and Atonement) You also have “New Moon and Jubilee as additional special festivals.

• The festival of “Feast of Tabernacles“, was a celebration held for thousands of years. The believers of Yahweh would gather in Jerusalem, and would set up tents and dwell in them as one of the main requirements of the festival. So think of a week of camping. Why were they brought to that location….., and why the tents? In fact, Yeshua Jesus was born 5 miles out of the city at the START of this festival in a humble tent. Yahweh was telling them that they would be celebrating Yeshua our redeemer who was to come. Now that he has come, we celebrate his birthday on that day. This happens in the fall season, not winter.

• The festival of Passover – for thousands of years, the believers would have to sacrifice a lamb for their sins on this festival. A male first born lamb was required without spot or blemish. The very day that the lamb was to be examined by the festival, Yeshua rode in on a donkey, in essence to be examined by the people as THEIR lamb. He died for our sins right on Passover, and in the word, the Romans were responsible to get him down, off the tree before the Feast of Unleavened Bread started. He then fulfilled the festival of “First Fruits” resurrecting on that exact day. Amazing !!!

Every feast was timed perfectly to full-fill prophecy. Yeshua was born on Yahweh’s high holy day, died on Yahweh’s High Holy Day, and Resurrected on Yahweh’s High Holy Day, and WILL return On Yahweh’s High Holy Day. All these festivals have a purpose. Yahweh was telling us to PAY ATTENTION on these days.

• Feast of Trumpets is when Yeshua will gather us up to the Great supper, and just a little while later, we will return with him on Atonement, where he will take down Satan and reign for 1000 years. In the word of God, he tells us WHERE Yeshua will return in advance….. We celebrate this day as millions of other believers have before us, but these two prophecies are yet to be full-filled.
• Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit was poured out. Again, the location of this festival was pre-determined and celebrated for thousands of years, because ONE year, the Holy Spirit would be given, just like Yeshua was born on one of the years of “Tabernackles”

For years, I often wondered how bunnies tied into Easter, or why we celebrate Santa Claus…or so many of the other traditions. I came to learn the history behind them, and even though so many others still keep them, we decided that the feasts actually contain richer meaning for us.

The best thing is knowing that God had created them for a purpose. Stumbling across them changed our lives…. I hope you can find richness in them as well. Meranda~