http://z13.invisionfree.com/BlogMithrandirOlorin/index.php?showtopic=30
Not just because we believe in the Hebrew Bible, all of them also have New Testament significance. The relevance of the Passover season (Passover being the Crucifixion, First Fruits the Resurrection, and Pentecost the birth of the Church) is well known, so I want to get into the rest.
John 10:22 tells us that the feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah) is when the narrative in the following verses took place. I don’t believe that is incidental, I think it means something. Hanukkah is the Jewish Holy Day claimed to have no Old Testament significance, it did originate in the so called “Intertestamental period” but the history behind it is in Bible Prophecy. Mainly Daniel 8 and 11, but also Haggai 2 seems to anticipate that time of year becoming a time to rededicate the Temple. And some see Zechariah 4 as anticipating the Hanukkah menorah, the imagery of that Chapter of Zechariah is also affiliated with the 2 witnesses in Revelation 11. One Witness is obviously Elijah, the other is debatable, but I firmly believe it’s Enoch as I’ll explain in a separate article some day, interestingly in the Hebrew Enoch’s name (could also be rendered Henoch) is basically the first syllable of Hanukkah.
http://askelm.com/star/
There are some things I disagree with there, but it basically explains why I date the Birth of Yeshua to the 1st of Tishri (Trumpets) in 3 BC. It also argues based on the view I agree with on the Star of Bethlehem that the magi presented their 3 gifts to Yeshua on the 3rd day of the Hanukkah festival, the traditional day for gift giving.
Yeshua being born on the 1st of Tishri places his circumcision on the 8th of Tishri, the day in 1 Kings when the initial dedication of Solomon’s temple began, before being finished on the 10th (Yom Kippur). But also puts Yeshua’s presentation in the Temple when (Simon gave his Prophecy and Anna the Prophetess is mentioned) on the 10th of Cheshvan (The day God commanded Noah and his Family to enter the Ark, 7 days before the Rain started on the 17th).
Also if you study the chronology from Luke’s account Yeshua being born on the New Moon of the first month puts his conception and the Annunciation on the New Moon of the 4th month Nine months earlier, same day Esther was made Queen in Esther 2:16. That day is also the 6th or 7th day of Hanukkah depending on exactly how the moon phases. The visitation which was very soon after (Perhaps the last day of the Hanukkah festival) was when Elizabeth was 6 months Pregnant. That means John the Baptist’s conception, and Gabriel appearing to his father in the Holy Place was probably on the New Moon of the 10th month. And then John’s birth on the New Moon of the 7th month, Nisan, the ceremonial New Year.
What’s interesting about the Nativity narrative revolving around those 4 New Moons, is that according to the Apocryphal Book of Jubilees Chapter 6 verse 23 Noah told his sons to observe remembrances on those same 4 New Moons. Now this isn’t inspired, but if it’s based on a real ancient tradition, it’s interesting because I believe the Lunar and Solar cycles where still in synch back then (I believe they where still the days of Joshua, possibly all the way to Hezekiah), and that those 4 new moons would have exactly corresponded to the Equinoxes and Solstices. So they equate to the beginnings of each season.
Jubilees goes on to also try and connect specific events of the Flood narrative to those 4 dates, but only the events for the 10th and First months are accurate. It says the rain stopped on the New Moon of the 4th month, but that would have actually been the 27th of Kislev, but it has in common that both those days are during what would become Hanukkah, and as I showed above the 27th is when the magi presented their gifts to Yeshua.
Educated Christians like me love pointing out how the Birth of Yehsua couldn’t possibly be in late December/Early January. But as I’ve shown events from the Nativity narrative did take place around that time, during the Jewish Hanukkah (2 different Hanukkahs separated by 2 years, 4 BC and 2 BC)) festival, so our celebrating it then isn’t unjustified.
I have a hunch Yeshua’s Baptism was on Tu B’Av, the 15th (Full Moon) of Av, a day when the unmarried girls of Jerusalem dressed in white garments and went out to dance in the vineyards to seek a husband. Also the day the Tribe of Benjamin was allowed to intermarry with the other tribes after the incident of the Concubine of Gibeah (see Judges chapters 19-21). Since the only Jewish precedent for Baptism is the Mikveh, one it’s usages was a ritual cleansing of a Bride before her wedding.
There is a 40 day period in Jewish tradition equating to the entire month of Elul and the first 10 days of Tishri when it’s believed the Gates of Heaven are open, and is the ideal time to Pray and Repent. Believed to originate with being the 40s days Moses prayed on behalf of Israel over the Golden Calf incident. I believe this is also the 40 day period Yeshua fasted in the wilderness soon after his Baptism. This also places when Satan tempted him on Yom Kippur, which is interesting since many believe Yom Kippur was the day Serpent Tempted Havah (Eve), and Adam fell.
That was the Yom Kippur of 28 AD (I place the Crucifixion on the Passover of 30 AD as I’ll explain in a future article), the Yom Kippur of 29 AD is references back to in John 11:51, where it refers to the annual Prophecy made by the High Priest.
John chapter 7 clearly defines itself as revolving around the 7 day feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), it ends with “And every man went unto his own house.” referring to their leaving their temporary dwellings. I believe we need to study this feast and it’s deeper meanings more to fully comprehend that Chapter. But also I believe John 8, 9 and the first 21 verses of Chapter 10 all take place on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (In Israel those are the same day). The first part of Chapter 8, the well known story of the Adulteress I believe has an additional typological significance, remember that Israel is often symbolized as an Adulteress (Like in Hosea). It occurred very early that day.
Then when Yeshua blurts out “I am the Light of the World” I believe he was interrupting the key Torah reading of that day. And everything afterwards occurs still on the same day or perhaps into the next by my understanding.
Purim is an interesting holiday, it’s linked to Passover in a sense (The actual climatic sequence of Esther occurs over passover, Haman was hanged on the 17th of Nisan, the day of the Resurrection). I think in John 11 it might have been over the period of Days Purim is observed that the Death and Resurrection of Lazarus took place.
The common theory on the Prophetic significance of the Feasts is that the Spring Feasts deal with the first Advent of The Messiah and the Fall feasts deal with the Second. While that’s basically true, I have already demonstrated that the Fall feasts did have some roll to play during the the First Advent.
Pesach Sheini (Second Passover) on the 14th of Iyar, the month following Passover, I find interesting. It’s there to allow a 2nd chance at Passover if for some reason you couldn’t observe it when it actually happened. It’s the only major Feast day for which this second chance is allotted, it is also thematically affiliated with Second chances.
At least twice in the History of Ancient Israel, the entire nation collectively had to use it. During the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah. It was during this special Passover of Josiah that many survivors of the Northern Kingdom returned South, the narrative specifically singles out many of Asher being among those. I think the Ancestors of Anna The Prophetess of Luke 2 are among those.
You should Study Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 remembering that he didn’t get to finish.
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2012/1064/
What he’d repeatably demonstrated was that Israel constantly failed to obey God the first time but got it right the second time. It’s pretty clear his climax was going to be that they would Accept Yeshua as their Messiah when he came the second time. Romans 11 makes it clear Israel’s current spiritual blindness isn’t permanent, Hosea 5:15 I believe makes Israel’s repentance the trigger of the Second Coming.
So, I think Second Passover is linked to this point of Stephen’s sermon. Now I’d already come to this hypothesis before I looked up the History and noticed that ALL the major national Holidays of modern Israel are in the month of Iyar, the same month as the 2nd Passover. the 5th of Iyar is their Independence day (The previous day being their Veteran’s memorial day). The Battle at Degania was the 11th. The surrender of Nazi Germany, Suicide of Adolf Hitler, and the Liberation of various Concentration Camps where all in this month. But best of all of Unification of Jerusalem during the Six Days War is the 28th.
So I’m going to predict that the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38&39 will also occur in this month, and the Second Passover itself will be important to the Two Witnesses. It seems God is constantly using this Month to make progress in the development of Modern Israel. In the context of the late J.R. Church’s “Hidden Prophecies in The Psalms” theory, I think Iyar of each respecting year of the 20th century might be a good place to focus on.
Hanukkah as I already said I think will likely be relevant. But I’m not sure how, since I think the Tribulation will likely be fulfilled on a Tishri-Elul year it seems unlikely the future Abomination will occur the same day as the past one. The 21st of December 2012, which was so infamous due to the Mayan Calender, fell well after Hanukkah ended in that year (it’s the 8th of Tevet, 9th after Sunset). But it was 1-2 days before the major Fast Day of Tevet, the 10th. And the traditional anniversary of the Translation of the Septuagint. At any rate, nothing happened.
1 Kings 12:26-33 tells us that when Jeorboam chose to fall into idolatry he created a major Feast Day for the Northern Kingdom on the 15th (Full Moon) of Cheshvan, a month after Tabernacles. He was clearly making his own replacement for that Biblical Holiday, but it also basically corresponded to the Pagan Mid-Autum festival season, from which Samhain and our modern Halloween derive. But that it’s 2 days before the Anniversary of the beginning of the Flood I also find interesting.
People who believe in certain Lost Tribes becoming Europeans theories sometimes see the Celtic Samhain deriving from this directly, becoming dated where it is now when they switched form a Lunar to Solar calendar. I don’t believe those theories (their mostly advanced by Anit-Semites, but Brit-Am is an exception to that), but I do believe the Tribe of Dan had an interesting history (part of it is them being connected to the Tutha De Danann, who are also said ot have brought Samhain to Ireland), one of Jeorboam’s major Calfs was set up in Dan. My interest in this theory derives impart from the theory that the “Antichrist” might come from Dan (This was the nearly universal view of the Early Church Father). Jeroboam is also in a sense a Prototype of The “Antichrist” being given 10 Tribes as the Little Horn will be given 10 Kingdoms, and his Right Hand becoming “Dried up” (Zechariah 11:17).
So might it be possible this date will be important Prophetically as well? It’s also near the anniversary of The Flood, and Yeshua said “As the days of Noah where, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be” A statement that I think means many things. It should also be noted that the 15th is believed to be the day Matthias father of the Maccabees died. And it’s the day the Novemberpogrome happened, considered by many the start of the Holocaust.
But now to the real major point, the Fall Feasts of Tishrei. The Prophetic significance of Tabernacles I think is the most difficult to Discern, but I think how it’s used in John 7-10 might be a clue, also, some think each Chapter of John’s Gospel also links to the corresponding Chapter in Revelation. In which case we have the sealing of the 144,000, and the 7th seal and first 6 Trumpets. But I’m uncertain on that.
The Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hoshanah is frequently linked to Kingship, in fact it seems traditionally Kings of Israel where formally Crowned on that day. So after the Second Coming and Battle of Armageddon I think that will be Day Yeshua is finally Crowned to start his Millennial Reign. As I mentioned before, Yom Kippur was the day Solomon’s Temple was dedicated, I think it will be the same for the Millennial Temple, 10 days after Yehsua is Crowned, and perhaps true of the Tribulation Temple 7 years earlier as well.
