The story of the Bride is woven through the feasts of the Lord. God’s calendar is the one He refers to all through the Bible. (He does not use our Gregorian calendar.) God placed signs in the heavens with the moon being prominent to declare His feast days. 

Genesis 1:14 says, “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;”

Psalm 104:19 goes on to say: “He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows it’s going down.”

 And Numbers 9:2 makes the connection with ‘seasons’ or ‘appointed times’ with the feasts: “Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time.”

 Both the word ‘seasons’ and the words ‘appointed time’ come from the same Strong’s number – 4150. 

 The KJV translates Strong’s #4150 in the following manner: feasts, season, appointed time, solemn assembly, etc.

 So, God laid out seven feasts to Moses in Leviticus 23 that Israel is to celebrate forever. Since we as believers are now grafted into Israel, God’s feasts are times we can celebrate too. God highlights His feast days on His calendar which is based on the lunar (moon) cycle. Each month begins with the first sighting of the new moon. 

The first month of God’s Biblical calendar begins in March or April depending on when the new moon appears. Passover is on the 14th day of the first month (Leviticus 23:5). This was the day that Yeshua sat down with His disciples and offered them the cup of the New Covenant. We covered this event and its connection with the Bride HERE. Later that day, (remember God’s days begin with evening and end with daytime.—Genesis 1:3-5) Yeshua paid the ultimate Bride price. He was crucified for our sins so we could be reconciled to God. 

The Feast of Firstfruits was on the day after Sabbath, following Passover. It was on that day, the first day of the week, that Yeshua rose from the dead with the keys of death and hell in His hands. He was forever declaring power over the enemy and the guarantee of eternal life for all who believe. 

The next feast is the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-17) seven weeks after the Feast of Firstfruits. This year the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot will begin at sundown on May 16th and end at sundown on May 18th. There are seven weeks between the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks. This covers the duration of time between when the Jews left Egypt and when they met with God at the base of Mt. Sinai. 

 It is at Sinai where we find the next connection with the Bride. 

In Exodus 19:1-8 we have this account: In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai…3 the LORD called to him (Moses) from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4’You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” 

 7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together and said, “ALL THAT THE LORD HAS SPOKEN WE WILL DO. 

In Hebrew, their answer meant, “We agree to do even before we have listened.” 

 Later in Deuteronomy 4, Moses repeats what happened that day starting with verse 11:

And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 And he declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. (The fact that God engraved them on stone meant that it was the everlasting word of God.)

A cloud covering became the chuppah (a canopy) under which God met with His Bride. A display of lightning and thunder followed, along with the sounding of a long, loud ram’s horn. Then, God spoke the Ten Commandments over His Bride. The Jews consider them as God’s wedding vows to His Bride.

Each statement contains principles for a blessed marriage and a blessed life. 

I am the LORD your God

Thou shall have no other gods before Me

Thou shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain

Remember to keep the Sabbath day, to keep it holy

Honor thy father and thy mother

Thou shall not kill

Thou shall not commit adultery

Thou shall not steal

Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor

Thou shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

This practice of laying out ground rules or agreements on how the bride and groom are to live out their marriage is still followed today. The document they read and sign is called a ketubah. 

After signing the ketubah, they are considered married. But the marriage will not be consummated until after the bridegroom prepares a place for them to live, attached to his father’s house. Only then will the actual wedding take place. 

Yeshua told His disciples: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions (rooms); if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3

Now let’s jump ahead– When the Day of Pentecost had 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 the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

Shavuot means WEEKS and is the Hebrew word for Feast of Weeks. Pentecost means FIFTY or FIFTIETH. (50 days after First Fruits – 7 weeks +1 day). So they both are pointing to the same day. 

God met Israel at the bottom of Mt.Sinai fifty days after leaving Egypt and spoke a marriage covenant to them. The disciples met on the Temple Mount fifty days after Yeshua rose from the dead (Feast of First Fruits). He put the Word in their hearts with the infilling of Holy Spirit. 

Men from every nation were present that day and they all heard the gospel in their own language. 3,000 were baptized after Peter preached. The New Covenant church began in earnest on Pentecost. They were all now one in Christ. (Galatians 3:26-28)

We, along with others from every nation of this earth, wait with expectation for His return. Yeshua paid the bride price to free us from our sin and reunite us to God on Passover. He went into the grave on the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On the Feast of First Fruits rose from the dead guaranteeing eternal life for all believers. Later, He sealed the marriage covenant on the Feast of Weeks with the infilling of Holy Spirit. The Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and the Feast of Tabernacles will also hold some significant events. As these feasts play out this fall, I hope to give some understanding of what the events will be and how we can prepare for them. 

(Pentecost on our Gregorian calendars this year will be on May 23, but the true Pentecost date is May 17. The makers of our calendars are counting from ‘Easter’ which in truth, is not Biblical. But that is another story for another day.)

God bless you all. Shalom ♥