International Fellowship of Prophetic Watchmen

There are laws that YAH proclaimed through Moses to the Israelites that they were to do continually.  This is confirmed in Exodus 29:42-46. 

[Exo 29:42-46 KJV] 42 [This shall be] a continual burnt offering throughout your generations [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and [the tabernacle] shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. 45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I [am] the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I [am] the LORD their God.

And though the blood (of goats and bulls) sacrifice has been prophetically replaced by the final sacrifice of the Lamb who was slain, and the fire sacrifice by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), honoring these feasts and festivals is still to be done continually.

VAIYQRA (Leviticus) 23:1-44 assures us that these holy days/feasts/festivals/convocations are not appointed by man, but by YHVH Himself:

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts.

And again, God speaks on this subject of keeping His laws (ordinances in Malachi Chapter 3).

[Mal 3:6-7 KJV] 6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them]. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.   But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Before we delve into the Feasts & Holy Convocations, let's first address the elephant in the room which is the first of all Feasts that YAH holds us accountable to keep,...

1.       THE SABBATH

In accordance with the 10 Commandments that we find in Exodus Chapter 20, Lev. 23:3 reiterates the significance that these Commandments hold by drawing them together in Leviticus 23 as we observe the continual ordinances of YAH.

"Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings." 

With the understanding that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, the Word of YAH states in Genesis Chapter 2 that after ELOHIYM created in those 6 days, that He rested on the 7th.

[Gen 2:1-3 HNV] 1 The heavens and the eretz were finished, and all the host of them. 2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.

Definitions

For a more in depth study of the Sabbath, please follow the page link "Shabbat Shalom" and you are welcome to also listen to the related podcasts and Shabbat (cease) with us each Friday evening through Saturday evening.

2.      PASSOVER - [The Passover Festival/Feast of Unleavened Bread]

Ex 12:1-4; Lev 23:5; Num 9:1-14; 28:16; Dt 16:1-3, 4-7; Mt 26:17; Mk 14:12-26; Jn 2:13; 11:55; 1 Cor 5:7; Heb 11:28

Feast of Unleavened Bread/PESACH) Commemorates the sanctification of Israel and is referenced in the Exodus Chapter 12 as the First Feast of Unleavened Bread just prior to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. 

[Exo 12:15-20, 39 KJV] 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day [there shall be] an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save [that] which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe [the feast of] unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. ... 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

Ex 13:3-10; Ex 23:15; Ex 34:18; Lev 23:6-8; Num 28:17-25; Dt 16:3, 4, 8; Mk 14:1,12; Act 12:3; 1 Cor 5:6-8

3.      PENTECOST -  Offering of The First Fruits

Lev 23:9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. 13 And the meat offering thereof [shall be] two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD [for] a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof [shall be] of wine, the fourth [part] of an hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

[Exo 23:14-17 HNV] 14 "You shall observe a feast to me three times a year. 15  You shall observe the feast of matzah. Seven days you shall eat matzah, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv (for in it you came out from Mitzrayim), and no one shall appear before me empty. 16 And the Hag-HaKatzir, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field: and the Hag-HaKatzir, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field. 17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

[Exo 34:22-23 HNV] 22 You shall observe the feast of weeks with the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the Hag-HaKatzir at the year's end. 23 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Yisra'el.

[Deu 16:16 HNV] 16 Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of matzah, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:...

SHAVUOT - Festival of Weeks -  Symbolic of the #50

OBSERVING & HONORING YAH during this 1st Advent Moed, SHAVUOT - (May 19-21, 2018) as Pentecost concludes, commemorates the giving of the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament which were carried in the Ark of the Covenant) at Mt. Sinai

Ex 23:16; 34:22a; Lev 23:15-21; Num 28:26-31; Dt 16:9-12; Act 2:1-4; 20:16; 1 Cor 16:8

VAIYQRA (Leviticus) 23:9-14 (Eth Cepher) - 9 And YAHUAH spoke unto Mosheh, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Yisra’el, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap את eth-the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring את eth-a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave את eth-the sheaf before YAHUAH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Shabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave את eth-the sheaf a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YAHUAH. 13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YAHUAH for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought את eth-an offering unto your ELOHIYM: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Its origin as a Jubilee can be found in the Apocrypha Book of Yovheliym (Jubilees) 6:12-19 beginning with Noah and his descendants and again with Abraham, because it is deemed a perpetual feast:

“And this testimony is written concerning you that you should observe it continually, so that you should not eat on any day any blood of beasts or birds or cattle during all the days of the earth, and the man who eats the blood of beast or of cattle or of birds during all the days of the earth, he and his seed shall be rooted out of the land.  13 And do thou command the children of Israel (Yisra’el) to eat no blood, so that their names and their seed  14 may be before the Lord our God (Yahuah Elohaynu) continually. And for this law (Torah) there is no limit of days, for it is for ever. They shall observe it throughout their generations, so that they may continue supplicating on your behalf with blood before the altar; every day and at the time of morning and evening they shall seek forgiveness on your behalf perpetually before the Lord (Yahuah) that they may keep …”

SHAVUOT (PENTECOST) – Symbolic of the #50

15 it and not be rooted out. And He gave to Noah (Noach) and his sons a sign that there should not again  16 be a flood on the earth. He set His bow in the cloud for a sign of the eternal covenant that there

17 should not again be a flood on the earth to destroy it all the days of the earth. For this reason it is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets, that they should celebrate the feast of weeks (Shavu’oth) in this  18 month once a year, to renew the covenant every year. And this whole festival was celebrated in heaven from the day of creation till the days of Noah (Noach) -twenty-six jubilees and five weeks of years [1309-1659 A.M.]: and Noah (Noach) and his sons observed it for seven jubilees and one week of years, till the day of Noah's (Noach’s) death, and from the day of Noah's (Noach’s) death his sons did away with (it) until the days of Abraham (Avraham), and  19 they eat blood. But Abraham (Avraham) observed it, and Isaac (Yitschaq)and Jacob (Ya’aqov) and his children observed it up to thy days, and in thy days the children of Israel (Yisra’el) forgot it until ye celebrated it anew on this mountain. 20 And do you command the children of Yisra’el to observe this feast in all their generations for a commandment unto them: one day in the year in this month they shall celebrate the feast.  21  For it is the Feast of Shavu’oth and the Feast of Firstfruits of the wheat harvest: this feast is twofold and of a double nature: according to what is written and engraven concerning it, celebrate it.”

And as this is the time of giving unto the Lord during this feast, we are commanded in Leviticus 23, to make sure we consider the poor and less fortunate when we are gathering what is ours in this harvest time.  We are not to use the excess (glean) of the harvest.  We are to leave that for the poor and to the stranger.

Leviticus 23:22 And when ye reap את eth-the harvest of your land, you shall not make clean riddance of the corners of your field when you reap, neither shall you gather any gleaning of your harvest: you shall leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am YAHUAH ELOHAYKEM.

Feast of Weeks is included in the 50 days prior to the day of Pentecost and the indwelling of Holy Spirit in the form of the tongues of fire.

Pentecost was observed by the Hebrews beginning as commanded by God in Leviticus 23:9-21.  As a matter of fact, the Apostles and disciples were in the process of fulfilling their yearly observance of Shavuot in Acts Chapter 2, day of Pentecost.

“The Festival of Weeks includes 7 Sabbaths 50 days (beginning after First Fruits and) ending prior to Pentecost  (also known as Shavuot),  observed to honor God for the abundant provisions of agricultural harvest.  According to the book of Leviticus 23-15-16, they observed the festival of Pentecost 1,500 years before Jesus died; although it was fulfilled in Acts Chapter 2 (John 10:10) reflecting the day that the spirit of God came to and fell upon Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-20). God spoke, fire came and the Israelites trembled.  New Testament reflected more abundance (John 10:10) as Holy Spirit fell upon the people and spoke through each of them in their own language.”[1]

4.      ROSH HASHANAH (the Jewish New Year) - The Festival of Trumpets "Yom Teruah Sameach!"

Lev. 23:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no servile work [therein]: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Rosh means, the Head of the Year, in Hebrew.

Rosh Hashanah honors The Jewish New Year  (the head of the year on the rabbinic calendar) and is celebrated with the sounding of the trumpet (The Festival of Trumpets); a clarion call to repentance, consecration, etc.   It is on this day, kings of Israel were crowned and King David also rejoiced in this day.

Also referred to as, Yom Teruah or The Feasts of Trumpets & Shouting (Numbers 29:1); the resurrection of the dead in Christ who will arise when that last trumpet is sounded.  In the Old Testament, it reflects the virgin birth through Mary the virgin and now in the New Testament Book of Rev. 12:1 it reflects Jerusalem giving birth to the Body of Yahusha.  The Feasts of Trumpets is connected with resurrection and the Rapture of the Body of Yahusha during the visualization of the New Moon for the Autumn (Fall) Season.

So, as usual I make it a point to share the link to one of my favorite YouTube shofar calls on the sidebar of this page for your convenience.  Please feel free to use the video of your preference.

Rosh Hashanah is followed by 10 days of Awe, as we prepare for the Day of Atonement.

5.      10 DAYS OF AWE - Shabbat Shuvuh/Shabbat T'shuvah - Shabbat Shuvah or Shabbat T'shuvah 

("Sabbath [of] Return" שבת שובה or "Sabbath [of] Repentance" שבת תשובה) refers to the Shabbat that occurs during the Ten Days of Repentance, but is between (i.e. not including): the two consecutive Days of Rosh Hashanah; and the Day of Yom Kippur.

The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuvah, Shabbat of Return because its special haftarah reading begins with the words Shuvah Yisrael "Return O Israel", from the prophecy of Hoshea. It is also referred to as Shabbat Shuvah because it falls during the Ten Days of Repentance.

...The Shabbat was given to Israel as a time for Torah study and prayer, and, although one should always take care not to pass the time idly or in inappropriate conversation, on Shabbat Shuvah one should be especially careful to concentrate entirely on Torah, prayer, and reflection on repentance,thereby attaining forgiveness for whatever unfitting behavior may have marred other Sabbaths.

Scripture Focus:   Hosea 14:2-10; Joel 2:15-27 or the Book of Micah 7:18-20

“The selection from Hosea focuses on a universal call for repentance, and an assurance that those who return to God will benefit from Divine healing and restoration.”

“Hosea focuses on Divine forgiveness, and how great it is in comparison to the forgiveness of man.”

[Hos 14:1-9 KJV]  “1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, [Ye are] our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. 5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. 6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive [as] the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof [shall be] as the wine of Lebanon. 8 Ephraim [shall say], What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard [him], and observed him: I [am] like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. 9 Who [is] wise, and he shall understand these [things]? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD [are] right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.”

The selection from Joel celebrates a blow of the shofar uniting the people for fasting and supplication.

[Joel 2:15-27 KJV] 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where [is] their God? 18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: 20 But I will remove far off from you the northern [army], and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. 21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. 22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. 23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first [month]. 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. 27 And ye shall know that I [am] in the midst of Israel, and [that] I [am] the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.