Fall Feasts
Rosh Hashanah or Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur, Feast of Tabernacles. The hidden day precedes the sounding of the trumpet and at the last trumpet of God there will be a day glorious. It is also the Day of Judgment followed by ten days of awe before the covers of the books open and the rewards are determined. Then we are with Him. Resurrection /rapture, judgment /recompense, rule with Him. The veil, The Ark, The Person of the Almighty.
Rosh Ha Shannah
Li Shannah Tovah or to you a good year.
Something you will see in ethnic Hebrew circles
every
Rosh. When we of the nations wish one
another a "happy New Year" we express the hope for the day and
perhaps the next year, for as long as it lasts. But for the kosher Jew
the idea
is that the next year will only be good or tov if the well wished has
his name
scribed in the book of life which they seem to feel belongs to Elohim
or
perhaps the Father, but the New testament or Brit Ha Desha tells us
that this
book belongs to the Lamb. We all
should realize that the Lamb is Y'shua or Jesus.
In fact during the ten days of awe between Rosh
and another
day in the trilogy of high holy days which is Yom Kippur or day of
covering,
there is among those who fear God the wish that the name "may it be
inscribed in the book of life for the following year".
The idea here sounds ludicrous until you
realize they specialize in the God of the Old Testament who has never
changed. Basically the idea is this;
that year to year the name inscription in that book gave you another
Rosh to
Rosh to live, to draw a daily breath on the earth.
Without that inscription you are on borrowed time my friend. And with a temporary covering of a bull to
clean
the high priest, and lamb, and a goat to give the covering for the
people, and
a goat led off to a place wherein it should never be brought back as a
live
bearer before the Living God, all the people as a nation; for the
covering was
a blanket covering applied not to the individual but the nation as a
whole; had
a collective inscription in the book.
So at this point there may be as it stands in the calendar they
have now
"Year 5460 Israel" in the book supposedly. But
of course we know that one year a man was crucified by Roman
hands having been betrayed by the hands of a close man and Jewish
hands, and
thereafter the plan of the "Shannah Tovah" changed drastically. How is it that Paul tells us that what
the
blood of goats and bulls could not do the blood of the Son of God has
done? What has it done?
Well what did the bull do?
The bull as it turns out was a versatile animal. It was used to consecrate in atonement for
the first ordination of the priesthood then annually as the atonal
offering for
the high priest and his family, also it came into play when the nation
as a
whole sinned and the sin became known and atonement was needed. Beyond this, it was used as peace offering
and as a freewill offering and when the people came into Canaan they
used the
bull as a whole burnt offering or perhaps holocaust offering because
they were
now in the land. The goat was used as an atonal and transgression or
guilt
offering but it would appear that the goat always had something to do
with the
eradication of sin. All of this Jesus has done for us.
He becomes the cosecratory blood that atones
for us that we may be enabled to be empowered by the breath of God or
the Holy
Spirit to serve as priests on an individual level.
Thence a whole new priesthood has come
about. He also becomes the atonal blood
for the nation of those who are the called out from among the nations
and
dedicated as His. The royal priesthood
and Holy nation. In that whenever the
ekklesia as a whole sins the Son is the covering for the sins of the
whole. He is also our peace and the
offering of blood that brings us into peace with the Father. He is also the agent by which all vows are
paid or forgiven us. He is also the
blood or the consumed offering for each of us everytime we move into a
promised
"land". Finally He is the
individual covering that is perpetually before the Father that at any
time this
priesthood may enter in to the very presence of the Holy Himself for
Jesus
blood became first the atonement for Himself.
Otherwise how is it that He says in the 17th chapter
of John
" I sanctify myself for their
sakes that they may be sanctified in truth." He adds that "Your word
is truth". When He refers however
to the "Word" He refers to Torah.
So then He has offered His blood as the arch-typical offering
for
Himself as "high priest" and for us all as His priests.
Now the name of each of us may become perpetually written in the Lamb's book. The book of life for those redeemed from the curse of the Law, which is that all have fallen short of the Glory of God and none are able to bring themselves up to the holy standard. It is all about covenant in which the requisite blood must be shed in order to bring about the blessing of the favorable hand of God upon the life for the following year. Herein is the affability of the blood of Jesus found to be to its utmost for as we walk or live IN the Holy Spirit we walk or live IN the covenential relationship thereby insuring that the inscription of your name remains in the Lamb's book of life. It also insures that as long as you walk or live in this manner you will have the favorable hand of blessing from God on all you do and in all your life perpetually.
Yom Kippur
Called the Day of Atonement following the days of
awe where
all vows were to be paid and the house was to be put in order. It is here that the books are opened in the
heavens and the year is reviewed. In
Daniel as Daniel saw the day of judgement and the books were opened
there is no
true mention of the names of those books yet Paul tells us in Romans
that when
Jesus comes He will recompense according to deeds done.
How would He except a record had been
kept? Therefore, one of those books
must be the book of deeds done. Another
book is the Lambs book of life possibly there is also a record of the
tears and
prayers of the saints and the children of Israel for I allude to God's
response
to Moses in Exodus when He made Moses to know his destiny as God's
appointed
deliverer of the nation of Israel.
On this day the things which were decide at Rosh
ha Shannah
are sealed and the books having opened for the chance of intercession
on the
part of the righteous, now close. The
covenant blessings or curses are set for yet another year.
This is why the ritual of the goats was so
important. The goat whose blood is for
the atonement of the nation, mixed with Bulls blood as atonement for
the
offerer is the covering on the mercy seat.
The goat that is for Azazel is the one that is led off and
Talmud
suggests that it is pushed over the cliff of a certain precipice that
the
animal never return anywhere. The blood
covers and the scape goat removes as in the ritual of purification for
a leper.
In this ritual; the live bird is bound to a cedar shake with red cord
and a
hyssop twig. Now then another of the
same type of bird is slaughtered in an earthen crock over running water
the
live bird is dipped shake hyssop and all into the dead ones blood and
then is
set free. The lepers stain is removed and the he can reenter Temple. In the same manner the peoples leprous
callousness is removed by the double imputation onto the two goats
which are
then dispatched and they can return to the presence of God.
But the key here is the covering and the purified
state of
the people under the covering. This
offering is no haphazard thing, indeed the Talmudic tractate Yoma tells
an
interesting tale of the Kippur ceremonies.
The day begins with the morning offering by fire and then
quickly
evolves into the highest and key holy day of the year.
On this day the atonement is provided for
you. It is in the Old testament and the
liturgy of the Yom Kippur prayers of today and it is almost as if it
were
magic, in an attempt at a clean slate; which works!
Two things stand out in the day the priests
garments and the
string. According to Howard and
Rosenthal's "The Feasts of the
Lord", the priest will embark on an elaborate ceremony which also
involves
the switching between two sets of garments one golden with a purple
robe and
the breastplate, and the other white linen. In a special golden tub or
bath set
aside just for this event with the thin linen suspended from the hands
of the
priests assisting the High priest will be ritually immersed and switch
this
process five times during the entire day.
And behind the drape there is light provided.
They stand on the outside back to the Mikvah and the people see
the priest go through the motions of disrobing and robing and in
between the
immersion into the water. First off, he washes his hands and feet in
the
regular ritual manner then immerses himself in the Mikvah. Then he dons
the
golden clothing and purple over robing with breastplate and washes
again the
hands and feet and commences the regular morning service.
He comes back to the Mikvah to repeat the
entire procedure but this time he dons white linen for Yom ceremonies.
Now
there are four fires lit and it is the afternoon service which begins
the Yom
ceremonies. In white linen he goes to
the court of the priests and lays hands on the bull waiting for him
there. He confesses his sins on the bull
and
invokes the covenant name of Jehovah or Yahweh. Then
he is escorted by tow other priests; the deputy high priest
and the chief priest of the division whose turn it is to serve, to the
eastern
side of the altar where the goats are.
Two gold lots are shaken in a gold cup and the high priest
removes them
and presses them upon the foreheads of the goats thus one lot is marked
for the
Lord and that goat will be slain and offered up and the other or Azazel
and
that goat will be led away and the string will be tied to that goats
horn. The Azazel goat will face the
people and the
Lord's goat will face the altar. It is interesting to note that the two
goats
are spoken over as a sin offering to the Lord together! Now the high
priest return to the bull and lays hands on it again this time
confessing the
sin of the priesthood itself. Now the
bull is slaughtered and the blood collected in a golden funnel; shaped
bowl
which is handed to an assistance to stir. Now he takes the fire pan,
goes up
the ramp to the altar and extracts a pan full of live coals for
flashing off
incense and gathers two handfuls of the incense into a gold ladle. Now
with
fire in the right hand and incense in the left he approaches the
curtain. Now the curtain is hung in such a
manner
that it is in two layers, in fact it is a double curtain whose levers
are so
arranged that one opening apparatus is inside the Holy place yet
accessed from
without and the other in on the outside. The assisting priest draw on
these
levers and the curtain parts with a outer left hand opening pulled back
and an
inner right hand opening pulled back.
The priest enters by the narrow way by the straight gate by the
particular path of the curtains! To
enter any other way is not to be the
Priest and to die! From left to right
and into the small room he enters and there he immediately turns to
face the
curtain and moves to the left again where the grate for the incense is. Into the grate go the live coals and onto
the coals the two handfuls of finely ground sweet censing powder. Now a
thick
clouds fills the chamber yet the priest faces the curtain and exits as
he came.
Now he takes the from the assistant who has been stirring, the "bowl"
with the bulls blood and reenters with it having deposited the fire pan
out
side. Now in the thick cloud of smoke
he can barely see anything, but he can just make out the location of
the ark.
To the east side on the ark top or mercy seat he shakes the blood laden
finger
seven times and then again in front of it. He then exits and places the
bowl in
a specially designed gold stand. Now he slays the goat and enters with
it's
blood and repeats the procedure at the ark as was dome with the bulls
blood.
All this time no one else has been allowed into the temple. After
exiting the
Holy of Holies he takes first the bulls blood and then the goats and
sprinkles
the veil itself seven times. Finally mixing both bowls together he
smears the
horns of the altar with the two bloods this cleanses the ark and the
holy outer
area where the menorah and the table and the gold altar are and the
altar of
sacrifice itself. And those doors
remain closed until he is through. Now
when they open again the people rejoice for the first half of the
atonement is
complete. However the priest has one
more thing he wears into that place and it is a rope. For if the
priests outside
do not hear the sound of the fringes of his robe making noise they will
begin
to pull on that rope till they bear to the doors the dead priest. Thence the scape goat is useless for the
atonement is not accepted and the people will bear their sin. Now with
the
tabernacle cleansed anew he may turn to the goat that has been
peaceably
grazing on a small patch of grass awaiting its fate.
The priest lays hands on the goats pronounces the sins of the
people and to the man who is assigned the job he dispatches the live
scape
goat. As the other priest is taking the
live goat to its doom the High priest completes the sacrificial
offering of the
bull and the goat from the altar with the remains being burned outside
the camp. Now he faces the people reads
the passage
of Leviticus and quotes the numbers
passage finally he will offer up the ram of dedication.
Last but not least the returns to the Holy
of Holies to retrieve the fire pan and ladle.
The thread comes into play here. Now according to Talmud tied to the horns of the goat is a huge shock of red thread of the variety used in textile making on a loom. The man with the goat then takes the goat to a precipice a cliff and pushes it over backwards. String has also been tied to a rock from the shock of wool on the goats horn and string has been tied in the Temple from the linen on the horn. It is tied to the inside of the doors. When the goat has expired a strange thing happens, the red threads turn white! Temple is opened and the people can se the thread and know that the full atonement has been made.
Now in Yeshua we have a permanent atonement made
so we can
dispense with the animal cruelties here. The ram which has also been
peaceably
awaiting its fate is now taken and no sin laid on it is offered up as a
whole
burnt offering on the altar. The ram it
has been discovered from scripture was very specific in its use. It is only for dedication and apparently
nothing else. For the altar has been atoned for but not rededicated top
its use
until the ram is wholly burnt on it. Lastly the fat of the goat and
bull are
offered in fire as the smoke of atonement.
In the meantime the priest will take the carcasses of the goat
and bull
to a clean place outside the camp and incinerate them.
Both the goat tender and the priests who
incinerate the sin carcasses must Mikvah before entering the camp again
including the clothing they wore!
In regard to the thread, it is recorded that for forty years after the death of Yeshua the thread would not turn white.
Everytime the High priest has to enter the Holy of Holies there would be a Mikvah and ceremonial hand and foot washing; but at last he comes out of the water and is in the golden garment for the evening sacrifices. Thus, Yom Kippur draws to a close.
Covenant is now restored and the blessing can flow again. It is also said that at this time the prayers of the people are heard and the heavens are open to their cry.
Sukkot
The
Feast of
Feasts.
Where the booth is decorated with old and new
fruits. It has also been called the
festival of
harvest ingathering, so it for the ingathering of the bride is the
premier
harvest of the Lamb, and His marriage supper is the event of eternity. Yet the booth and the feast is so much more
than
this. For it is the bridegroom who enters
into the temporary place of habitation, which is now our hearts, and
"sups" with us. It is the
celebration of the right to be I the presence of the Living God who is
Holy. In this the Torah calls for all the
celebrants to additionally are to bring the branches and fruits of the
myrtle
the palm and the willow, the fruit then would be the citron, to the
temple or
tabernacle to rejoice before the Lord for seven days.
Now in Jesus day, an added celebration took place as is recorded
in Talmudic tractate Sukkah. The people in their Sukkahs come with
their lulav
and etrog or the branches and the citron and they attend.
Sukkot is the season
were rain is
most anticipated. So the water
ceremony, stemming off the daily water libation, is a visual
representation of
the prayer for rain. There was a water
ceremony a the great last day of the feast.
The lights were always lit in the temple at this time. It is the second evening and in the women's
court the menorim are relit. In the ceremony are torch dances by the
Sanhedrin
through the night. There was also sung
the songs of decent Psa. 120-134 by the Levitical choir each of the
fifteen
steps is sung and this was done each night there after till the last
day. On the erev of the last day the song
is sung
one last time. The Tanna states that
the last day is the day God will set His decision for rain in the New
Year.
The sacrifices
included one goat,
14 lambs, 2rams, and from 13 to zero in bulls each day.
because this was also the time of the early
harvest or autumnal harvest the tenth was to be brought at this time
the
offerer having had his atonement made at Yom Kippur which is why Jesus
tells us
that if there is ought we must reconcile then we can offer up. Each
days
sacrifice is offered with the drink and grain offering at all 24 rota
of
priests served their second week at this time.... the rota were
required by the
Davidic organization of the temple service to serve two weeks out of
each
year. The requisite week on the
regulate cycle and Sukkot week. Whilst
regular week was a sabbatical week the Sukkot week was an eight day
affair. It is however on the day of the
water ceremony that Jesus utters His famous words of being the "well"
from which to "draw". Now I
addition to all this the species are brought etrog which we now use as
a citron
but was then a small leafy branch of a citrus with small lemon like
fruit. The lulav is a date palm branch the
hadas is
the myrtle and the arava is the willow and because it says two willows
are
used; the etrog or citrus branch is held in the left and the others are
bound
together and held in the right. psalm 118: 25 is chanted.
Since the water ceremony is not done, any
more the simchat torah was instituted to take the place of it. At this time the Torah scrolls are turned
back the Be-Reshite or Genesis. In the Torah Ceremony the scroll is
carried
around the synagogue and there is must rejoicing. The other aspect of
this is
the harvest of in gathering, where in the Lord of Harvest has blessed
the people.
It
has its roots in the
scriptures of Isaiah. The final judgement harvest is spoken here Hos
6:11 Joel
3:13 Mal 4:1-2 and the idea that the olive tree are beaten down and
threshed a
harvesting of olives. Isa 27:12-13, 11:11-12 Jer 23:7-8; and the
gentile
believers Zech 14:16-17 lastly the
Shekinah tabernacle itself as a covering of cloud in the day and the
fire at
night, Isa 60:1 19 and Zech 2:5 and Isa 4:5-6