The American Wisdom Series

Presents

Feasts of the Lord

Feasts of the Lord: the Sabbath and the feasts
Leviticus 23:1  ¶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.

[*] The feasts of the Lord. These were great religious festivals which were to be observed by Israel every year. The first three verses of this chapter do not relate to the feasts, but seperate the Sabbath from the feasts.

Israel's religious calendar began in Nisan (in the spring); their civil year, in Tishri (in the autumn). The seven festivals of the Hebrews were included within the first seven months of the religious calendar: the first three feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) took place in the first month, Nisan; the last three (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) in the seventh month, Tishri. Between the first and last three was the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) which followed fifty days after the first fruits.

The following table correlates the Hebrew religious calendar with the one generally accepted by Christians:
Nisan (or Abib)         = March-April
Iyyar (or Ziv)           = April May
Sivan                       = May-June
Tammuz                  = June-July
Ab                           = July-August
Elul                         = August=September
Tishri (or Ethanim)   = September-October
Marchesvan (or Bul) = October-November
Chislev                    = November-December
Tebeth                     = December-January
Shebat                     = January-February
Adar                        = Febuary-March

Almost every six years an extra month (Second Adar, or leap year month) was added because the calendar was based upon the moon instead of the sun.

Leviticus 23 continued
Leviticus 23:3  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.

The feasts of the Lord: [1] Passover; Christ our Redeemer
4  ¶These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5  In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.

[*] The Passover, vv.4-5. This feast is Memorial and brings into view redemption upon which all blessing rests. Typically, it stands for "Christ our passover, sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7; cp. 1 Pet.1:19)
1 Corinthians 5:7  ¶Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1 Peter 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
 The Passover was the initial Israelitish Festival and took place on the fourteenth day of the month, Nisan.

Leviticus 23 continued
The feasts of the Lord: [2] Unleaven Bread, Memorial feast (cp. 1 Cor.11:23-26
Leviticus 23:6  [*] And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7  In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8  But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

[*] The Feast of Unleavened Bread. vv.6-8. This feast speaks of communion with Christ the unleavened wave loaf, in the full blessing of His redemption and of a holy walk. The divine order is beautiful; first, redemption; then, holy living. Cp.1 Cor.5:6-8; 2 Cor.7:1; Gal.5:7-9. The festival began on the fifteenth day of the first month, Nisan, and continued for a week.
1 Corinthians 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7  ¶Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
2 Corinthians 7:1  ¶Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Galatians 5:7  Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8  This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Leviticus 23 continued
The feasts of the Lord: [3] First Fruits; Christ risen (1 Cor.15:23)
Leviticus 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:

[*] The Feast of First Fruits, vv.10-14. This festival is typical of resurrection---first, of Christ, then of those who are His at His coming (1 Cor.15:23; 1 Th.4:13-18).
1 Corinthians 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1 Thessalonians 4:13  ¶But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The feast, observed in the same week as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was held on the sixteenth day of the first month, Nisan, being the beginning of the barley harvest.

Leviticus 23 continued
Leviticus 23:11  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.

Leviticus 23 continued
The feasts of the Lord: [4] Wave Loaves; the Church at Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ
Leviticus 23:15  ¶And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16 [*] Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

[*] The Feast of Weeks, a harvest known as Pentecost, vv.15-22. The antitype is the descent of the Holy Spirit to the form the Church. For this reason leaven is present, because there is evil in the Church (Mt.13:33; Acts 5:1-10; 15:1).
Matthew 12:33  Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Acts 5:1  ¶But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
7  And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
Acts 15:1  ¶And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Observe, it is now loaves; not a sheaf of seperate growths loosely bound together, but a real union of particles making one homogeneous body. The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost united the separate disciples into one organism (1 Cor.10:16-17; 12:12-13,20).
1 Corinthians 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
1 Corinthians 12:12  ¶For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:20  But now are they many members, yet but one body.
Pentecost took place fifty days after the offering of the first fruits, coming at about the beginning of summer.

17[*] Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

[*] The wave loaves were offered fifty days after the wave sheaf. This is precisely the period between the resurrection of Christ and the formation of the Church at Pentecost by the baptism of the Holy Spirit  (Acts 2:1-4; 1 Cor.12:12-13).
Acts 2:1  ¶And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
1 Corinthians 12:12  ¶For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
See Church (Mt.16:18; Heb.12:23,).
Matthew 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Hebrews 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
With the wave sheaf no leaven was offered, for there was no evil in Christ; but the wave loaves, typifying the Church, are "baked with leaven," for in the Church there is still evil.

The word "church" (Gk. ekklsia, from a verb meaning to call out) is used of any assembly and in itself implies no more than a gathering of people who have been called forth, e.g. the town meeting at Ephesus (Acts19:41),
Acts 19:41  And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly
and Israel, called out of Egypt and assembled in the wilderness (Acts 7:38).
Acts 7:38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Israel was a "church," but not in any sense the N.T. church---the primary point of similarity being that both were "called out" and by the same God. See Acts7:38 and Heb.12:23.
Acts 7:38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Hebrews 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Church (true), Summary: The Church, composed of the whole number of regenerate persons from Pentecost to the first resurrection (1 Cor.15:52),
1 Corinthians 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
united together and to Christ by the baptism with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:12-13),
1 Corinthians 12:12  ¶For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
is the body of Christ of which He is the Head (Eph.1:22-23).
Ephesians 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
As such the Church is a holy temple for the habitation of God through the Spirit (Eph.2:21-22);
Ephesians 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
is "one flesh" with Christ (Eph.5:30-31);
Ephesians 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
is espoused to Him as a chaste virgin to one husband (2 Cor.11:2-4);
 2 Corinthians 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
and will be translated to heaven at the return of the Lord to the air (1 Th.4:13-17).
1 Thessalonians 4:13  ¶But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Leviticus 23 continued
Leviticus 23:18  And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
19  Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
20  And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
21  And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 23 continued
The feasts of the Lord: [5] Trumpets; prophetic of the future regathering of Israel
Leviticus 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.

[*] The Feast of Trumpets, vv.23-25. This feast is a prophetic type and refers to the future regathering of long-dispersed Israel. A great interval elapsed between Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets, answering to the period occupied in the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age. Study carefully Isa.18:3; 27:13 (with contexts),
Isaiah 18:3  All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.
Isaiah 27:13  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
and Joel 2:1-3:21
Joel 2:1  ¶Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 8  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? 12 ¶Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 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. 28 ¶And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29  And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30  And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Joel 3:1  ¶For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2  I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 3  And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. 4  Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; 5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: 6  The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. 7  Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: 8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it. 9 ¶Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10  Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11  Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12  Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14  Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15  The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16  The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. 18 ¶And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. 19  Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20  But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21  For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.
in connection with the trumpets, and it will be seen that these trumpets, always symbols of testimony, are connected with the regathering and repentance of Israel after the Church Age is ended. This feast, which was held on the first day of the seventh month, Tishri, was immediately followed by the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 23 continued
Leviticus 23:25  Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Leviticus 23 continued
The feasts of the Lord: [6] Day of Atonement (Heb.9:1-16)
Leviticus 23:26  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
27 [*] Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

[*] The day of Atonement, vv.26-32. The day is the same as that described in Lev.16, but here the stress is laid upon the sorrow and repentance of Israel.  That is, the prophetic feature is made prominent, looking forward to the repentance of Israel after their regathering under the Palestinian Covenant (Dt.30:1-10)
Deuteronomy 30:1  ¶And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
2  And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3  That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have  compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4  If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5  And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7  And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8  And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9  And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10  If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
preparatory to the second advent of Messiah and the establishment of the kingdom. See the conection between the trumpet in Joel 2:1
Joel 2:1  ¶Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let alnl the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
and the mourning which follows in vv.11-15;
11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? 12  ¶Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15  Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
also Zech.12:10-14
Zechariah 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12  And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13  The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14  All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
in connection with the atonement of Zech.13:1.
Zechariah 13:1  ¶In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
Historically, the fountain of Zech.13:1 was opened at the crucifixion but rejected by the Jews of that and succeeding centuries. After the regathering of Israel the fountain will be efficaciously opened to Israel. The Day of Atonement was the tenth day of the seventh month, Tishri.

Leviticus 23 continued
Leviticus 23:28  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
29  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31  Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32  It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

Leviticus 23 continued
The feasts of the Lord: [7] Tabernacles (Esra 3:4))
Leviticus 23:33  ¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
34  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, [*] The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.

[*] The feast of Tabernacles, or Ingathering, vv. 34-44, is, like the Lord's Supper for the Church, both memorial and prophetic---memorial as to redemption out of Egypt (v.43); prophetic as to the kingdom-rest of Israel after her regathering and restoration, when the feast again becomes memorial, not for Israel alone, but also for all nations (Esra 3:4; Zech.14:16-21; cp.Rev.21:3).
Ezra 3:4  They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
Zechariah 14:16  ¶And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17  And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18  And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 20  In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21  Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
Revelation 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
This festival, its name derived from the fact that during its observance the Israelites dwelt in booths or tabernacles (vv.42-43), began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Tishri, and lasted for one week.

Leviticus 23 continued
Leviticus 23:35  On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36  Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
37  These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
38  Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
39  Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40  And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
41  And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42  Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43  That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
44  And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

[*] Compare the order of the feasts in Lev.23. Here the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles are given special emphesis as marking the beginning and the consummation of God's ways with Israel: the former speaking of redemption, the foundation of all; the lstter, of regathered Israel blessed in the kingdim. Between, in Dt.16:9-12,
Deuteronomy 16:9  Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 10  And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
comes the Feast of Weeks---the joy of a redeemed people anticipating greater blessing yet to come. Cp.Rom.5:1-2.
Romans 5:1  ¶Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Deuteronomy 16:2  Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.
3  Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4  And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5  Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:
6  But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7  And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8  Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

TheFeast of Weeks
Deuteronomy 16:9  Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
10  And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
11  And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
12  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

The Feast of Tabernacles
Deuteronomy 16:13  Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
14  And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15  Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

The gifts of the males
Deuteronomy 16:16  Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
17  Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

Judges in the gates
Deuteronomy 16:18  ¶Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
19  Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20  That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
21 [*]Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

[*] The groves (Heb. asherim) so often mentioned in the O.T. were devoted to the worship of Ashtoreth, who was the Babylonian Ishtar, the Aphrodite of the Greeks, the Venus of the Romans. Yes, a sex goddess. See Jud.2:13
Judges 2:13  And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
Ashtaroth, plural of Ashtareth, the equivalent of the Phoenician goddess of fertility, Asharte (see Dt.16:21-22),
Deuteronomy 16:21  Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22  Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.
Groves, which were worshiped as idols during times of spiritual declension in Israel (Jud.10:6; 1 Sam.7:3-4; 12:10; 31:10; 1 Ki.11:5,33; 2 Ki.23:13).
Judges 10:6  ¶And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
1 Samuel 7:3  ¶And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4  Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
1 Samuel 12:10  And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
1 Samuel 31:10  And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.
1 Kings 11:5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1 Kings 11:33  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
2 Kings 23:13  And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
And most of us still do today! Do you know what the "groves" are? You should, because it is from the "groves" that we get "quick like a bunny" and "Ishtar's fertility eggs" to roll about the church lawn!
'asherah,ash-ay-raw', Hebrew 842; or 'asheyrah, ash-ay-raw'; from Hebrew 833 ('ashar); happy; Asherah (or Astarte) a Phoe$nician goddess; also an image of the same :- grove. Compare Hebrew 6253 (`Ashtoreth).
By the way, the "asherah", from whence we get Easter, is rated "X"! see our pamphlet #6096

Note: In all other places excepting at Dt.16:21, "grove" and "groves" read "idol" and "idols" in many additions of the Bible.

Deuteronomy 16  continued
Deuteronomy 16:22  Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

History shows that the northern 10 tribes migrated north over the Caucasus Mountains (hence called Caucasians) and became known as the Cimmerians, the Celts, the Saxons ('Saac's sons), etc., and settled in western Europe, the British isles, and later many migrated to the Americas. (Note: If you would like to know about the location of the 10 so-called "lost tribes" of the house of Israel, then contact Artisan Publishers at www.artisanpublishers.com and purchase the little booklet The Abrahamic Covenant, by E. Raymond Capt.) or log unto pamphlets #1064 and #1020 on this web site.

By the way! Do you want some wisdom???? Rev. 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

How do I count the number of the beast?"

Read pamphlet #1761. It will explain!
Editor's question: When we are ask to count the number of the beast, aren't we are really being ask to count the number of Satan's descendants living among us?