what are the FEASTS of YAHUAH?
feasts of yahuah
What are the Feasts of Yahuah?
In the Assembly of Yahusha, we observe the Feasts of Yahuah. Yahuah gave the following instruction to His people Israel through Moses:
Leviticus 23:1–3 (NIV84)* — 1 jwjy said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of jwjy, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. 3 “ ‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to jwjy.
The Feasts of Yahuah were appointed times when the people of God would hold a sacred assembly. In these assemblies, people would gather together for worship, prayer, thanksgiving, and reading the words of God. Each Feast has a theme and purpose that the people of God reflect upon for deepening their relationship with Yahuah. The 7 appointed Feasts of Yahuah outlined in Leviticus 23 are as follows:
• Passover: 14th Day of the First Month
• Feast of Unleavened Bread: 15th Day of the First Month
• Firstfruits: Sunday after the 15th Day of the First Month
• Feast of Weeks: 50 Days after firstfruits
• Feast of Trumpets: 1st Day of the Seventh Month
• Day of Atonement: 10th Day of the Seventh Month
• Feast of Tabernacles: 15th Day of the Seventh Month
The first three feasts fall in the first month, which is around Springtime and initiates the harvest season. The Feast of Weeks takes place around the end of Spring and marks the end of the barley harvest and beginning of the wheat harvest. The last three feasts fall on the 7th month which is around the Fall season. The Feasts begins with the death of a Lamb on Passover, which initiates the different harvests throughout the year. The harvest times during the feasts bring the people together for worship and thanksgiving. More importantly, the harvests symbolize Yahuah’s work of salvation.
The Feasts of Yahuah, together with the Sabbath, are designated as sacred assemblies (Leviticus 23:1-3). They thus provide us today with a timeline of worship throughout the year when we gather together as an assembly of God’s people. Every Sabbath and during the appointed times of the Feasts we hold congregational worship services in the Assembly of Yahusha.
Why do we still observe the Feasts during the Christian era?
The Bible records that our King Yahusha (John 7:1-14, 37; Matthew 26:18) and His Apostles and disciples (1 Corinthians 5:7-8; Acts 2;1-4; Acts 20:16; Acts 27:9) observed the Feasts of Yahuah. Of course, we are not required to observe the Feasts literally today, because Yahusha’s sacrifice has obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:12). Apostle Paul teaches us how the feasts are to be observed in Colossians 2:16-17:
Colossians 2:16–17 (NKJV) — 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
The feasts today are shadows of things to come and the substance or body is Yahusha. The body does not replace the shadow; on the contrary, the continued existence of the shadow is contingent on the body. Thus, Colossians states that the arrival and presence of Yahusha undergirds the legitimacy of biblical Feasts. The meaning of the Feasts sheds light on this.
The Hebrew word for Feast is moed which literally means appointed time. It is an appointed time not only for the people of God to gather, but also for Yahusha to carry out Yahuah’s work of redemption and restoration according to His timeline. This is illustrated by what Yahusha did on the exact days of the first four Feasts:
As can be seen the Feasts were appointed times because they foreshadowed the work of Yahusha for our salvation. The Feasts were shadows pointing to Yahusha. This connection between the Feasts and the work of Yahusha is the basis for our observance of the Feasts today. We observe the Feasts today as a memorial of the sacrificial work of Yahusha that gifted us our salvation. As we observe the Feast we remember the love of Yahuah and Yahusha and give them praise and thanks in worship.
What is the significance of observing Yahuah’s Feasts today?
One of the purposes of celebrating the Feasts today is to remember and give thanks to Yahuah and Yahusha’s work of redemption. Additionally, by observing the Feasts we also celebrate the ongoing work of Yahuah’s restoration through Yahusha. In Leviticus 23:1-3 the Feasts were appointed times for assemblies or convocations. The Hebrew word used for assembly is miqra, which can also mean a rehearsal. Every time we gather together for a sacred assembly during the Sabbath and the Feasts we are also rehearsing for future events according to Yahuah’s work of restoration. What are these future events? If we will use as a template the works of Yahusha during that He carried out on the exact days of the first four Feasts, we can anticipate with faith the following future works:
Every time we meet together to celebrate the Feasts we rehearse and proclaim by faith our hope that Yahusha will return and restore everything. This is the complete Gospel message. The Good News is that Yahusha died for us, was buried, and was resurrected (first 3 Feasts). This completed the work of redemption. Now Yahusha continues to work in us through the Holy Spirit (Feast of Weeks) to help prepare us for His return.
Now, we eagerly wait for Him to complete His work of restoration when He returns for us (Trumpets), and then to earth to execute judgment (Atonement), and to establish the Kingdom (Millennial and Eternal). This is our hope and faith. The Moedim is the GOSPEL concealed. The GOSPEL is the Moedim revealed.
What is the Feast of Dedication?
The Feast of Dedication, also known as Hanukkah, is an eight-day Jewish festival that celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. The festival commemorates the Maccabees' victory over Greek oppression and the cleansing of the Temple after it was desecrated by the Syrians. The Syrian occupiers built an altar to Zeus in the temple of Jerusalem, which angered the Jews and led to their revolt.
The celebration highlights how Yahuah miraculously delivered a small remnant Jewish believers from Antiochus Epiphanes and his Syrian army. The Feast is celebrated beginning on the 25th of Kislev (9th month of the Jewish calendar).
Although the Feast of Dedication is not among Yahuah’s Feasts, it was observed by Yahusha Himself:
John 10:22–23 (NKJV) — 22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.
It turns out that the Assembly of Yahusha, which is also a temple of God today (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), was dedicated for service to Yahuah and Yahusha on December 12, 2020, on the Feast of Dedication. For this reason, we also observe the Feast of Dedication to commemorate how Yahuah historically delivers His small remnant from their enemies and to show thankfulness for Yahuah bringing us together in the Assembly. Observing the Feast of Dedication is also a way for us to rehearse our faith that Yahusha will dedicate the Millennial Temple when He returns to establish the Kingdom.
