By observing the Fall Feasts, we progress through repentance and redemption in order to experience His joy.
Leviticus 23 reveals God’s plan to meet with His People, Israel and those who have been grafted in through faith in Israel’s Messiah. It tells of a time when Moses heard the voice of the Lord saying:
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.”
The last three holy convocations or “festivals” that the Almighty commanded the Torah observing people to celebrate are:
- The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)
- The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and
- The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)
Each of these feasts occurred in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, the month called Tishri.
Yom Teruah, the first of the Fall Feasts, heralded the arrival of the seventh month. It also began what is known as the Ten Days of Awe between Yom Teruah and the Yom Kippur. This is the period in which the penitent would humble themselves in preparation for the Day of Atonement.
During these 10 days we are to forgive those that have wronged us… but more importantly, we should look within and ask forgiveness from those we ourselves have wronged.
Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the year. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Torah observant people traditionally observe this holy day with fasting and intensive prayer.
Sukkot is the harvest festival that commemorates the Israelites’ wandering the desert following their Exodus from Egypt. The week-long period is observed by building and spending time in a sukkah, a temporary outdoor structure that represents our temporary life on earth as we look toward eternity with the King of Kings.
On Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets), the sound of the ram’s horn calls upon each person to repent and confess his sins before his Maker.
Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) is that ominous day when peace is made with God.
During Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles), Israel obeys God’s command to rejoice over the harvest and the goodness of God.
By observing the Fall Feasts, we progress through repentance and redemption in order to experience His joy.
Perhaps most significant, the Fall Feasts remind us that we are laborers in his field. The fields are ready and it is time for us to work for the greatest harvest of all — the Harvest of Souls for a celebration that will last for all eternity.
