About ten years ago the editor of the well-known Christian prophetic magazine Midnight Cry wrote in a leading article on this subject, and he lamented over the fact that "the Church has been robbed of its festivals!"

    During the past few years, or even the last few decades, there has been an increasing awakening to this fact: the believers have indeed been robbed of this special blessing, these "appointed times" (Hebrew mo'edim) of delighting in that which Elohim gave to His people, namely the festivals of Yahuweh!

    Besides being a time of blessed rejoicing, these festivals also "are a shadow of what is to come" (Col. 2:17, NASB). Every born again believer has the right to enquire what the future holds for him/her, and the Messianic Belief in general, not so? Indeed, our loving Heavenly Father did reveal it to us! He has given us this special treasure (the Scriptures, His Word) which contains all the blessed promises, these jewels, this wealth, all the refined gold, all the treasures which He has in store for His children!

    He has truly given us these festivals as shadows (prophetic shadows) so that we might know for certain "what is to come"! All we need to do is to search the Book of Books, thereby enquiring from Him who gave them to us, His dearly bought children.

    At this stage you might ask, "Have these festivals not been fulfilled in Messiah?" The answer is: The first few of them have, but certainly not those of the last group, the festivals of the seventh Scriptural month! Nevertheless, all seven festivals have a historical meaning, as well as a Spiritual meaning. Note well, even if those first few have been fulfilled, all of them were instituted or legislated by Yahuweh to be "a statute forever," more correct, "a law forever."

    Note well too, that although Messiah was our Passover lamb, He said that He will again partake of the Passover cup "when I drink it anew with you in My Father's Kingdom" (Mt. 26:28). Yahushua Himself also kept the Festival of Booths and the Last Great Day (John 7:10-39). We also repeatedly read in the Messianic Scriptures that the apostles kept these festivals, even after Yahushua had ascended to heaven - Acts 2: 1, Acts 18:2 1, Acts 20:6, Acts 20:16 (some 25 years after Messiah's ascension), as well as the Day of Atonement ("the Fast") in Acts 27:9.

    We further read in Zech. 14:16-19 that after Yahuweh sets up His Kingdom here on earth in Yerushalayim (Zech. 14:1-9) even all the nations (gentiles) that are left shall be compelled to keep the Festival of Booths (Sukkoth). If they rebel, they shall get no rain, and, Yahuweh shall even smite them with plagues! This fact of Sukkoth still kept in the blessed future is also revealed in Hosh. 12:9. We also read in Nah. 1:15 that Yehudah (the Yehudim, the Chosen People) are once again admonished to keep all the festivals (appointed times). This text in Nah. 1:15 is eschatological, an unfulfilled prophecy, i.e. future.

    Most of the English translations of the Scriptures have tragically mistranslated the Hebrew words mo'ed (appointed time) and chag (festival) in many places, and also confused them, some versions even mistranslating them as "feasts." It is important for us to render translation of the Hebrew text as literally as possible and to ignore the mistranslations of the Septuagint (Greek), which have influenced translators in the past - sadly.

    In that great chapter describing these appointed times (mo'edim), Lev.23, these seven appointed times are listed for us. Not all of them are called "festivals," though, e.g. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is an appointed time, but it is not a festival (chag), by no means.

    The very first one on the list of appointed times in Leviticus 23 is the Sabbath, the weekly Sabbath. But in this article we are focusing on the annual appointed times, commonly called the annual festivals. By the way, we prefer to use the word "festival" rather than "feast" because the latter rather means a festive meal. Let us look at these 7 appointed times:

1. Passover (Pesach) is a term which was used at times as an all-inclusive name for the entire period of seven days of Unleavened Bread (Ezek. 45:21; Deut. 16:2-3; 2 Chron. 35:1-19). In Scripture the word Pesach has three other meanings as well. The word is used as a name for the Passover lamb itself, and it is also used to describe the Passover Meal, and also used as a synonym for the First Day of Unleavened Bread. Nowhere in Scripture will you find the term "Day of Passover" as most festival keeping groups erroneously call it. As already stated, "Passover" is also used as a synonym for the First Day of Unleavened Bread - read this for yourself in Mt. 26:17-18; Mk. 14:12, and especially in Luke 22:1!

    So the appointed time called "Passover" or "Unleavened Bread" is an all-inclusive term or time which comprises the slaughtering of the lamb, the Passover meal which then follows after sunset, the convocation and keeping of the First Day of the seven-day appointed time, as well the waving of the sheaf on the day after the Sabbath falling in this period of seven days (a shadow of Yahushua doing this too after His resurrection!), all the while abstaining from eating leavened food in this seven day period.

    Pesach, instituted as a law forever, commemorates the exodus of Israel out of the land of slavery, out of the land of bondage to sin. More important: Messianic believers commemorate the Passover Meal of Yahushua, the subsequent suffering and death of Him, the Passover Lamb slain for the sins of all those who accept Him as their Passover, their exodus from bondage to sin. However, the Chosen will also commemorate this time, even by Yahushua Himself when He returns (Mt.26:29). The Spiritual significance of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Messiah is the one supreme theme in the life of the True Believer, surpassing all else!

    The First Day of Unleavened Bread (like the Last Day) is kept as a special day in which a set-apart gathering (convocation) is held. This day together with the Last Day are rest-days, and not Sabbaths, and no servile work is done, but preparation of food (cooking) is permitted (Ex. 12:16). In the KJV' s rendering of Lev. 23:24 as well as in Lev. 23:39 (twice here) we read the word "Sabbath," speaking of the appointed day of Yom Teru'ah and the two appointed days during the period of Sukkoth, but this is an error - the Hebrew word should have been translated as "rest-day," as modern English versions correctly do. Note well: the only day among these appointed times which indeed is a Sabbath is the Day of Atonement, in fact it is even stricter than the weekly Sabbath because it is also a solemn day of fasting and humbling oneself (denying oneself). Read the first two lines of Lev. 23:37 together with the first line of Lev. 23:38 and see for yourselves that these "appointed times" are "besides the Sabbaths of Yahuweh," in other words, these appointed times or festivals are not Sabbaths, they are additional to the Sabbaths - except the Day of Atonement which is a Sabbath of course.

2. Last Day of Unleavened Bread is also an appointed time, a day of rest from servile work, and a day of gathering together for a set-apart convocation, as already discussed above. This day is the last day of the 7 days on which leavened food is prohibited. Note well: according to 1 Cor. 5:8 we refrain from eating the "old leaven" (literal leaven) in this period, but more important, we once again see to it that all "evil and wickedness" is eliminated from our lives. We earnestly seek, and eat, the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

3. Festival of Weeks (Shavuoth, Pentecost) is calculated by counting from the day after the Sabbath falling in the week of Unleavened Bread, that means 7 weeks are counted from a First Day of that week. Therefore this day, the Festival of Weeks, always falls on a day called Sunday by the Gentiles.

    Traditionally this day commemorates the giving of the Law (rather: the Teaching) on Mount Sinai. When we read in Acts 2:1 of the disciples coming together on Shavuoth, we learn that they were filled with the Set-apart Spirit. It is not a case of them gathering together to receive the Set-apart Spirit, no, they were filled with the Spirit because they obediently assembled for the set-apart convocation, as it had been legislated by Yahuweh, to be kept forever! These 120 disciples were Torah-keeping, they were obedient disciples.

4. Trumpets (Yom Teru'ah) is on the first day of the Scriptural seventh month, and is the first of the four appointed times of this seventh month. As already stated, the appointed times or festivals of the seventh month have definitely not been fulfilled yet, and are indeed shadows of what is to come. Yom Teru'ah is a shadow of the Last Great Trumpet which shall be sounded at the Second Coming of Yahushua! Read this for yourself in Mt. 24:30-31; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:15 & 18; Rev. 11: 15; Isa. 27:13 & Isa. 18:3. Whoever loves Yahushua, and whoever yearns for His return, take note! And share in the blessed expectation of the Greatest Climax of all ages by keeping and attending the convocation at the appointed time of Yom Teru'ah!

5. Those who say that Messiah has already atoned for them often ignore the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). However, this Day of Atonement is a shadow of the time when atonement shall take place between Israel (as a people) and their Elohim! It is an appointed time, it is also a strict Sabbath, and it is a time of fasting - that is why it was called "the Fast" in Acts 27:9.

6. Festival of Booths (Sukkoth) is a time of great rejoicing before Yahuweh for 7 days (plus 1, the Last Great Day) well described in Lev. 23:34-43; Ex. 23:16; Ex. 34:22; Numb. 29:12-40; Deut. 16:13-17; Neh. 8:13-18; Zech. 14:16-19 & Jn. 7:2-39. It is a time of living in booths made of branches and boughs of leafy trees, commemorating the time Israel dwelt in booths after Yahweh had brought them out of Egypt, the land of sin (Lev.23:43). Besides being a time of joyous celebration, it is an appointed time, a shadow of Yahuweh setting up His Booth, embodied in the Person of Yahushua, in the midst of His people - how else would you explain Rev. 21:3? Read it prayerfully, read this verse clearly and see it for yourself! Read Rev. 7:15 in the NASB too! Read Heb. 9: 11 also, as well as Acts 15:16, and again read Rev. 21:3-4. Almost every one of the prophets wrote about this time to come, the time when Yahuweh will dwell in Yerushalayim, in the midst of His people!

    This most blessed time of rejoicing in the seventh month is also called the Festival of Ingathering (Ex. 23:16; Ex. 34:22), when Israel had gathered in from the threshing-floor and from the winepress (Deut. 16:13). By the way, some think that this term Festival of Ingathering does comprise all the festivals of the seventh month. However, we think it is only another name for the Festival of Booths, but it might include the Last Great Day as well.

    This "Ingathering" is highly significant, for it is indeed a shadow of the harvest at the end of the ages, the ingathering of His people from all over the world, the ingathering of the true wheat - in contrast with the counterfeit wheat (darnel) of lawlessness, and the chaff, which are all going to be burned! (Mt. 13:39-42). This ingathering is described for us in many of the prophetic books, e.g. Isa. 11:11-12; Isa. 56:8; Jer. 3:14-15; Jer. 23:3-4; Ezek. 34:11-16; Ezek. 36:24; Ezek. 37:21; Mic. 2:12; Zech. 8:7-8; Zeph. 3:20, & Mt. 3:12.

    If you and I have truly been set apart from all the sins of this world of which the King of Babylon is the head, if we have truly been set apart unto Yahuweh, we indeed have much to look forward to, we have much to rejoice about, we delight in this great "Ingathering" -which already is becoming a reality - a great anticipation of that which is soon to come to consummation!

7. The Last Great Day was kept by Yahushua (Jn. 7: 37-39) when He stressed the great Spiritual blessing awaiting those who drink the Spiritual water, who get their teachings from Him! His Father is the fountain of living waters (Jer. 2:13; Jer. 17:13) and out of Yahushua flow those rivers of living water. By the way, this verse in Jn. 7:38 has been incorrectly translated in the common versions. The following versions draw our attention to it in their footnotes: RSV, NIV, NEB, and GNB - read it for yourself. Yahushua gave the water, and the Spiritual water (the Teaching) in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4; Prov. 1:23; Neh. 9:20). Read also Jn. 4:10-14 & Jn. 6:63, and especially the following eschatological prophecies: Isa. 44:3; Joel 3:18; Zech. 6:12-13; Zech. 13: 1; Zech. 14:8; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 21:6; Rev. 22:17!

    The Last Great Day is indeed a shadow of what is to come, for the coming Kingdom, the coming Reign of Yahuweh, is called the "Day of Yahuweh in no less than 30 Scriptures, and is similarly referred to in ±300 texts. The world has existed for ±6000 years, that means "6 days" a day represents a 1000 years in prophetic time. But the 7th Day belongs to Yahuweh, even the soon coming "7th Day," the seventh millennium the Great Day of Yahuweh. The world has had 6000 years of do-it-yourself reigning, the seventh one will be the Reign of Yahuweh! (Dan. 2:44; Dan. 7:13-14, 22-27; Ps. 2:8; Hagg. 2:22; Rev. 11:15; Rev. 12:10, etc.).

    Those who sincerely long for His Reign to come, for Him to be King over all the earth, shall indeed do their utmost to share in the blessed appointed time, the Last Great Day!

    "Why must I keep these festivals which were given for the Jews?" - you might ask. Our reply to you is this:

• Does not Rom. 11: 17-24 clearly tells us that the born again Gentile believer is grafted in among the truly faithful Yehudim (Israelites)?

• Do we not read in Eph. 2:19 and in Eph. 3:6 that the Gentile believer becomes a fellow citizen and a fellow heir with the faithful Israelites, and a member of the household of Elohim?

• Do we not read in Rom. 15:27 that the born again Gentiles become partakers of Israel's Spiritual matters?

• Do we not read in the end-time prophetic passage of Isa. 56:6-8 that the Gentile who believes also loves the Name of Yahuweh, that he keeps the Sabbath, and that he holds fast the Covenant of Elohim? Remember that the Festivals were legislated in Ex. 23:14-16 and that this was, and still is, part of the Covenant Law (Covenant Teaching).

We have indeed been robbed of these Festivals! Who did it? - would be your next question. Our reply to this is:

• Search the Book! Indeed, it was prophesied through Daniel. Daniel had a vision in Dan. ch. 7, which he did not understand. He then asked one of the Heavenly Messengers (Gabriel?) as we read in Dan. 7:16. This Heavenly Messenger gives the explanation, and in Dan. 7:25 He says that this "little horn" (generally interpreted as Rome, or the Man of Lawlessness, or the King of Babylon, or the Anti-Messiah) is responsible for it! He says in Dan. 7:25 that this little horn "shall intend to change Appointed Times and Law"! As earlier said, "appointed times" and "festivals" are used interchangeably in many places, here too having the same meaning. The following translations have rendered this word as "festivals": Good News Bible, Isaac Leeser's translation, Luther's translation, Canisius' translation, while many other version render this Aramaic word as "appointed times" or as "sacred seasons."

• The little horn has indeed tried or intended to change it, but the Festivals of Yahuweh are being restored, even in our day! Halleluyah for that! Halleluyah for the fact that the treasures, the blessings which we have been robbed of, are being restored! We are indeed living in the exciting days where all Spiritual matters, all the Spiritual blessings are being restored, as was prophesied in Acts 3:21, as well as by every one of the prophets!