Lev 23.1-44 gives an overall instruction about the festivals and festive seasons. They are called the Lord’s appointed times. They are not “Jewish festivals.” The word for “appointed times” is “moedim” meaning “appointments.” They are also called “convocations” which is the word “mikrah” and means “rehearsals.” These appointed times are rehearsals for specific prophetic events in the plan of God. Over the years church leaders changed all these things because they thought they had the authority, but they serve a different God, primarily themselves. Most religions do not follow the God who spoke from a mountain to Moses. Their God would not bring sickness on you, or bring judgment because they have changed his character. The main concern with all this is is not whether one keeps the sabbath, but they have the wrong God. How do you know you have the right God and not being misled? Follow Moses and look at the covenants he made. Let God through Moses speak for himself. Pay attention to what Yeshua said. Many leaders plug up their own ears, but they also plug up the ears of all who listen to them.
The first thing God called “holy” and gave a kedusha to was the sabbath (Gen 2.1-3). The festivals listed in this chapter are blueprints for the redemptive plan of God. Whose voice are we going to listen to, God’s or the rabbis/pastors? Because people don’t understand Moses, they don’t understand the words of Yeshua (John 5.39-47). These festivals teaches prophecy and eschatology, which is the study of the Messiah and the redemption. Passover teaches the crucifixion of Yeshua; Hag ha Matzah (unleavened bread) teaches teaches his burial; Hag ha Bikkurm (first fruits) teaches the resurrection of Yeshua; Shavuot teaches the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the eschatological kahal; counting the omer teaches about the journey to Sinai; Rosh ha Shannah or Yom Teruah teaches the about the coming of Yeshua in the Natzal for his bride; Yom Kippur teaches about the second coming of Yeshua to Jerusalem and the defeat of the False Messiah; Sukkot teaches about the Messianic KIngdom. Yeshua fulfilled the first four festivals on the very day Israel was celebrating them, meaning, he will fulfill the last three in the same way. For more detail on these festivals, go to “All Teachings” on this website and scroll down to all the teachings on the festivals, the seven thousand year plan of God and any eschatological teachings there and you will find much more detail on how these festivals apply to prophecy. For now, these festivals cannot be kept today because there is no Temple or priesthood. These festivals can only be kept when there is a functioning Temple in Jerusalem. For more detail on this concept, see our teaching called, “Can You Keep the Festivals Outside of Jerusalem and the Temple” on this website. But, there is nothing stopping us from studying these festivals and how they apply to the Messiah and his eschatological plan.
Holiness is…
v 1…And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
v 2…”Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s (not Jewish) appointed times (“moedim” or appointments) which you shall proclaim as holy (have a kedusha) convocations (“mikrah” or rehearsals)-my appointed times are these;
v 3…Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest (completion), a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings (other feasts were kept in the sanctuary, but this was to be kept in their dwellings in all lands, wherever they were on the land or sea, even where the korbanot could never be offered).
v 4…These are the appointed times (moedim/appointments) of the Lord (what follows), holy convocations (mikrah/rehearsals) which you shall proclaim at the appointed time for them.
v 5…In the first month (Aviv/Nisan in the religious calendar starting in Exo 12), on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight (“”bein ha eruvim” or between the evenings, between 12 pm and 6 pm, about 3 pm; when in the land-Exo 12.25) is the Lord’s Passover (this was the time when Yeshua was crucified and died).
v 6…Then on the fifteenth day of the same month (the day begins at sundown on the fourteenth) there is the festival (hag) of Unleavened Bread (Hag ha Matzah-this was the time when Yeshua was buried; Yeshua was “unleavened” or without sin) to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread (feed on the word of God for life).
v 7…On the first day (fifteenth) you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work (work of occupational labor; usual work).
v 8…But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord (Num 28.19-25). On the seventh day Nisan 21) is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work (work of occupational labor; usual work).’ “
v 9…Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
v 10…”Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you enter the land (not outside the land) which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest (omer of barley; 2.4 liters) to the priest (it has to be “aviv” or green; this festival teaches the resurrection of Yeshua as the first fruits of those who will be resurrected-Matt 27.52-53; 1 Cor 15.20).
v 11…And he shall wave the sheaf (a tenufa back and forth, upwards and downwards, to acknowledge thankfulness to the Lord that the fruits of the earth came from him) before the Lord for you to be accepted, on the day after the sabbath (the weekly sabbath of that week; the first day of the week) the priest shall wave it (this is proved by the resurrection of Yeshua very early on the first day of the week while the priests were actually plucking up the barley to present to the Lord; Yeshua didn’t raise crips but he raises people-Matt 27.52-53).
v 12…Now on the day when you wave the sheaf (omer of barley), you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord (in addition the the Tamid lamb).
v 13…Its grain offering (minchah) shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil (solet), an offering by fire to the Lord (burned) for a soothing aroma (the Lord is pleased with their obedience in faith), with its libation, a fourth of a hin (a hin is 3.6 liters) of wine.
v 14…Until this the same day, until you have brought in the offerings of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places (while in the land-v 10).
v 15…You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath (seventh day sabbath), from the day when you brought in the sheaf (omer) of the wave offering, there shall be seven complete sabbaths (there must be fifty days to Shavuot in the counting of this omer and seven sabbaths-Deut 16.9).
v 16…You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath, then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord (this would put Shavuot on the first day of the week; Shavuot teaches the coming of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2 notes) on the very day they were celebrating this festival and the giving of the Torah on Sinai fifty days after coming out of Egypt-Exo 19.11).
v 17…You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord (this is called the “Shatai ha Lechem”; these loaves baked with leaven alludes to the Jews and non-Jews who began to enter the eschatological kahal on Shavuot in Acts 2 as first fruits of the coming harvest, and would spread the kingdom of God like “leaven”-Matt 13.33).
v 18…Along with the bread, you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd, and two rams, they are to be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their libations; an offering by fire (burned) of a soothing aroma to the Lord (he is pleaased with their faith and obedience).
v 19…You shall offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings (these are in addition to those mentioned in Num 28.27).
v 20…The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with the two lambs before the Lord; they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest (to be eaten by the priest).
v 21…On the same day you shall make a proclamation as well (Peter made on in Acts 2.14-40); you are to have a holy convocation (“mikrah” or rehearsal). You shall do no laborious work (occupational labor; usual work). It is to be a perpetual (olam) statute (as long as certain conditions exist) in all your dwelling places (in the land-v 10) throughout your generations.
v 22…When you reap the harvest of your land (Israel), moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien (repeats Lev 19.9; God shared with them, they will share with others). I am the Lord.’ “
v 23…Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
v 24…”Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month (Tishri on the religious calendar) on the first of the month (a new moon, you shall have a rest (shabbaton), a reminder (zikaron) by blowing of horns (“teruah” or a noise), a holy convocation (mikrah kodesh; this is Yom Teruah also known as Rosh Ha Shannah-Num 28.1-6; the beginning of the civil calendar; this festival teaches the resurrection of the righteous called the “Natzal” or “rapture” at the beginning of the 1000 year Messianic Kingdom; the “last trump” is an idiom for the festival used by Paul when describing this event in 1 Cor 15.51-52).
v 25…You shall not do any laborious work (occupational or usual work), but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.’ “
v 26…And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
v 27…”On exactly the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishri 10-very strong words) is the day of atonement (Yom Kippur or “day of restoring a covering); it shall be a holy convocation (“mikrah kodesh” or a rehearsal_ for you, and you shall humble your souls (“anah” meaning to afflict, not “tzom” which means fast-see Lev 16.29 notes) your souls (nefesh) and present an offering by fire to the Lord (Num 29.7-11; this day is also called “Shofar ha Gadol” or the “great trumpet” and an idiom for Yom Kippur, used by Yeshua in Matt 24.29-31 as the day he returns to Jerusalem in his second coming back to earth to set up the kingdom).
v 28…Neither shall you do any work (of labor and occupation) on the same day, for it is a day of atonement (restore a covering) on your behalf before the Lord your God (this was also the day when the Yovel year began, the fiftieth year of the seven Shemittah years).
v 29…If there is any person who will not humble (afflict) himself on the same day, he shall be cut off from his people (untimely death by God).
v 30…As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people (same as cut off).
v 31…You shall do no work (occupational or usual work) at all. It is to be a perpetual statute (olam, as long as certain conditions exist) throughout your generations in all your dwelling places (in the land-v 10).
v 32…It is to be a sabbath of complete rest (shabbaton) to you, and you shall humble your souls (Hebrew “anah” which means to afflict, and not “tzom” which means fast-see Lev 16.29 notes); on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep (Hebrew “tishbetu” or “celebrate”) your sabbath (Yom Kippur is a possible date for Yeshua’s return; eschatology points to it with 2520 days in the birth-pains and Yeshua returning at the “great shofar” in Matt 24.29-31; that means the birth-pains will begin on a Yom KIppur).”
v 33…Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
v 34…”Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month (Tishri 15) is the Feast of Booths (Sukkot-this festival teaches the Messianic Kingdom on earth) for seven days to the Lord.
v 35…On the first day is a holy convocation (“mikrah kodesh” or a rehearsal; this is a possible date for the birth of Yeshua); you shall do no laborious work (occupational or usssssual labor) of any kind.
v 36…For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord (Num 29.12-40). On the eighth day (called Shemini Atzeret” or the concluding eighth day; possible date for the circumcision of Yeshua) you shall have a holy convocation (mikrah kodesh; a rehearsal) and present an offering by fire to the Lord; it is an assembly (atzeret; a solemn one). You shall do no laborious work (occupational).
v 37…These are the appointed times (“moedim” or appointments) of the Lord which you shall proclaim as holy convocations (mikrah kodshim or rehearsals), to present offerings by fire to the Lord-burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and libations, each on its own day (Num 29.12-40)-
v 38…besides the sabbaths of the Lord, and besides your gifts and besides all your votive (vow) and free-will offerings, which you give to the Lord.
v 39…On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land (of Israel, not outside the land), you shall celebrate the feast (hag) of the Lord for seven days, with a rest (shabbaton) the first day (possibly when Yeshua was born) and a rest (shabbaton) on the eighth day (possibly when Yeshua was circumcised).
v 40…Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.
v 41…You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual (olam, as long as certain conditions exist) statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
v 42…You shall live in booths (sukkot; also the word for a stable-Gen 33.17; this also relates to the birth of Yeshua who was in a stable, or sukkah, when he was born) for seven days; all the native born in Israel shall live in booths (sukkot, once they get to the land; this does not apply outside of the land);
v 43…so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord (Yehovah) your God (eloheychem).’ “
v 44…So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times (moedim or appointments) of the Lord (for a more detailed look into the concept of Yeshua being born at Sukkot, go to “All Teachings” and scroll down to the teachings called, “Temple 201-The Ceremonies-(the Birth of Yeshua at Sukkot)”-Part 39 through 50 on this website.
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