The 7 feasts in the bible
WHY should we celebrate THE 7 FEASTS IN THE BIBLE?
7 biblical feasts
Here are a list of the 7 Feasts in the Bible.
Spring Feasts / Moedim
1. Pesach – Passover
2. Chag HaMatzot – The feast of unleavened bread
3. Yom habickurim – Feast of first fruits
4. Shavuot – Pentecost
Autumn Feasts / Moedim
5. Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah
6. Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement
7. Sukkot/ Feast of Tabernacles
There are 8 feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23, as the Sabbath is referred to as the very first meeting / feast.
All the great events in Jesus’ life were on a feast day!
Before we dive futher into them, I would like to point at one of the yearly feasts that sadle is regarded higher the the ones mentioned above.
Even though we as a family do not celebrate Christmas, and this article is not about Christmas, I want start by bringing it up as an example.
Something happens to our senses, when we think about Christmas time. We remember the lovely scents, the lights in the dark, family and friends meeting, the gifts, the preparations, the expectations, the warm living room and maybe the snow outside, the food and the coziness. What’s not to like about Christmas? We can’t wait to make each other happy and laugh together.
Take a look at what feast takes up most of our time and attention on the calendar year after year, over and over again. Christmas shines with all its glory. However, it is not a biblical feast, and Jesus did not keep it, it is in all its roots, a pagan festival that Christians chose to participate in and make so many things symbolize the Christian message. Lots of lovely memories, traditions and Jesus birthday are associated with Christmas.
All of this is of course fantastically lovely, but also very very sad, that it has become The highlight of the year and totally covers the most important feasts that God has established. It is man made traditions and I just imagine my father in heaven so sad about it. I would like to bring some thoughts to life and reveal some truths that can be covered by all of the other pagan holidays that have become a normal part of our modern society, commercials, shopping business and habits that are just followed without recognizing what is actually being celebrated.
In Denmark we can count 7 feasts that actually are celebrated in the months and are a cover up for the feasts of God. It truly shows that someone else likes the attention God should have.
Ready let’s go!
God´s Feasts
Do you know them?
Many people haven’t seen or been familiar with all of Gods 7 feasts, even though they are all in the New Testament, but because they dont know them from the old, they cannot see them in the new Testament and therefore of course they are not so accepted. We hope this website can bring some clarity to all of the feasts!
It is so important that we do not live by other peoples opinions and traditions, which became really clear to us through this Journey. It is so easy to be caught up in jewish traditions, but that is not our focus and message here. We look at what the bible explains, and seriously encourage people to read and study the bible themselves, rather then going on you tube to get explanations that can actually be misleading at times. There are of course many great videos out there, but my point is that if you have not studied the bible and mostly rely on videos from people who seem great. Then be aware there are many traditions and great sounding ideas, instead of the actual biblical meaning. When people don’t know the word of God themselves, but are relying on other peoples sermons/ food, that is like eating second hand food. Get the word directly into your own homes, and eat the same food as a family, God´s food, which God has created the feasts to be a great tool how to.
Most importantly it is a story of our Lord and Savior Jesus! We were so surprised to see that Jesus is the fulfillment of all these feasts, and how much the New Testament talked about them through the life of Jesus! All of Jesus fulfillments in the New Testament happened on a feast day!
I was really surprised by people’s reaction to the 7 feasts, when we started to keep them, which is also understandable, when these holidays has been put in the oblivion box for especially the pagans for almost 2000 years. There were incredible many boring attitudes towards them, most people only knew 2 or 3 of the 7 feasts, just like us before getting to know all of the feasts. Therefore the rest of the 7 feasts became really strange to bring up or mention as God´s feasts. As long we only talked about Passover or Pentecost it was ok, but the rest which are really important to God, were not so popular to mention.
After all it sounded; they are in the Old Testament, so what are we going to do with them?
The Bible is 66 books with a story that cannot be divided, even though it is called the Old Testament and the New Testament, they are together 1 story that leads us to Jesus!
It is basically the whole Bible story, divided into 7 different feasts of remembrance, Jesus is a picture of them and comes to fulfill them all.
Together and in the order the Feasts are put, they tell one story, a story about God and his sinful people who gave and redeemed us through Jesus our Savior, made us a new creation and filled us with his Holy Spirit, still waiting for the Messiah to return again, a reunion between the bride and bridegroom, God and his redeemed people in the new Creation.
By remembering the feasts, we get the whole story and full picture of the Bible! It is made and put together by God! With very vivid pictures and colorful illustrations, when we read about them and get to remember these Bible stories in our homes, Jesus comes alive to us.
When we started to study the 7 biblical feasts that are in the Bible, it dawned on us more and more how important they are for a Christian to know. There is a cycle in the Bible and in our lives that goes through the 7 feasts in the Bible. In the meaning of each one and the connection between them.
SHOULD A CHRISTIAN FOLLOW THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS?
But they are from the Old Testament
Here I want to share with you why it is so important to know the 7 feasts in the Bible.
For many hundreds of years the church has not taken the feasts seriously, but has exchanged them with so called “Christian” and pagan festivals instead.
I think it is important to notice that the 7 feasts are not the Jews Feasts but Gods Feasts, they are for, and to the Lord, just as it is continuously said in Gods word. It it explicitely saying Gods feasts in the bible! Therefor they are Feasts from and to God!
The people celebrating them in the Old Testament are called Jews, and just by saying Jews there can be a multiple of reactions and thoughts toward that people group. But they were chosen by God and he wanted them to have a close relationship with him. A Jew is also a picture of who you as a Christian are on the Journey.
Even though these stories tell about another people group at another time, we are to identify with them, and see our own journey in life through these stories, our sinful nature and the need of a savior. But also who we are in Christ and our new identity. Who God is, becomes very beautifully portrayed, when we study the feasts.
The moon cycle which the Bible follows, tells a story every year. The feasts are a story that is told from creation in page 1 and continues all the way to the last page of the Bible.
At the very beginning in the story of creation on page 1 vers 14 it says that God put the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky, he put them there to separate day from night, they must serve to determine feast times / Moedim ), days and years and they must be light in the firmament to light the earth.
The feasts are mentioned here Gen1:14 and set in motion even before man or a Jewish nation is even created. God had already planned the 7 feasts to be set in motion on page 1 of the bible.
The Hebrew word used here is Moed or Moedim it is the word used for the feast days and means: Appointed time, place of meeting. it is a time or place of meeting together!
Leviticus 23 talks about all 7 feasts, and how they are to be remembered.
These are the appointed times / feasts days of the Lord, these are the appointed 7 feasts the Lord has set.
Notice that these words appear when you read Leviticus 23.
The Lord spoke to Moses and said; These are my feasts, the Lord’s feasts.
These are the feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the appointed time.
All the feasts are the Lord’s feasts, for the Lord.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The Hebrew word for feasts is moedim, (the last im in the word moed-im just makes it plural) Moedim means meeting, set time, or appointed time in English, we read about it when Moses wanted to go out and meet with God in the tent of meeting / revelation, known as (Hebrew) ohel moed, the meeting tent, or tent of meeting.
Another ohel moed is the tabernacle, tent of meeting, dwelling place.
So just as the tent is a time and a place where you meet with God, and hear God’s voice, God has given us times during the year when he wants to meet with us.
We live in a hectic world where we can easily forget things, the Israelites were challenged to harvest their grain at the appointed times and when they came to the threshing floor, idols were set up which were very tempting to put their trust in, God wanted their focus to be on Him who is their provider in all areas of life and not what various idols could offer them.
The feasts kept Gods people focused on him, at a time when all the pagan Gods also were worshipped. The 7 feasts are the appointed feasts of the Lord. They are not only important for what he has done in the past, but they are important for what he does in the future.
They are an invitation for all of us to enter into our full heritage as Christians, to know and understand the ways of the Lord. We are transformed, and just like Jesus celebrated all the 7 feasts and the disciples celebrated them, just like Paul celebrated them, when we understand them, it transforms us, it transforms our families, it is not something you lawfully must do, but it is a blessing ! A huge blessing you don’t want to miss.
All the great events in Jesus’ life were on a feast day!
The 7 Feasts in the Bible.
Spring Feasts / Moedim
1. Pesach – Passover
2. Chag HaMatzot – The feast of unleavened bread
3. Yom habickurim – Feast of first fruits
4. Shavuot – Pentecost
Autumn Feasts / Moedim
5. Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah
6. Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement
7. Sukkot/ Feast of Tabernacles
There is a certain feeling associated with the parties we hold during the year, as described in the intro, but do you know and have you tasted the ones that God has asked us to remember every year.
I hope you will now be curious to take a little reading travel through the feasts.
Shalom!
How we keep the 7 biblical feasts
We are not celebrating the feasts as described in the Old Testament 🙂
Jesus has given us a new and living way 🙂 The Old Testament is a shadow of what was to come, they were pictures to remember and prepare his people of the reality that was to come ( Jesus )
We have the real deal so to speak, but as we study the Old Testament and the pictures God has put there, it only enhances and enlightens our understanding of who Jesus really is. It is truly an amazing journey of revelations!
So what we do is; Speak about the word of God, we normally don’t use rabbinic traditions, but we can talk about them, and look at some of they’re illustrativ enactments. We manly use lots of biblical illustrations and decorations in our home to remember what the stories are about, and how they point us to Jesus.
We also don’t feel obliged to keep the feasts days on the exact day of the Israeli calendar or the same length of days, but we keep them around that time. So we don’t lawfully celebrate them, but they are talked about for days, sometimes weeks as we prepare for the feast. During School work, devotion or study time we are focused around the feasts that are coming!
It is all about Jesus!
God bless!
