Feast of the LORD #4 - Pentecost - Counting 50 to the Year of Jubilee - Part 2

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Did you know the Year of Jubilee can only be proclaimed to begin on the Day of Atonement? (Tweet that!) In Hebrew the Day of Atonement is called Yom Kippur. 

God gave these instructions through Moses in Leviticus 25:8-10:

You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.

The Day of Atonement is the 10^th of Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar. This year in 2014, that is October 4^th and we will talk more about the Day of Atonement as we approach that date. (Tweet that!)

The Day of Atonement is the sixth of the seven Feasts of the LORD. When this day is proclaimed, the trumpet is sounded in Israel. (Tweet that!)

According to the teaching of Mark Biltz, when Jesus stood up and read Isaiah 61:1-2, he was proclaiming the Year of Jubilee. (Tweet that!)

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,    because he has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives    and recovering of sight to the blind,    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:14-21, ESV).

Jesus stunned the people when he announced that he was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2 right before their very eyes. (Tweet that!) For more on Jesus fulfilling this prophecy see chapter 10 in my newest book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus. (Tweet that!)

Related Articles:

• Saturday, May 24 - 35 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost
• Tuesday, May 27 - 38 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost Before the book of Acts
• Thursday, May 29 - 40 Omer - Feast of the Lord #4 - Pentecost - The Second Feasts that Required Attendance
• Saturday, May 31 - 42 Omer - Feast of the LORD #4 - Pentecost - Counting 50 to the Year of Jubliee - Part 1

Jesus fulfills the Feast of Unleavened Bread

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During the first Passover back in the days of Moses, about 1500 years before Jesus walked the earth, God instructed the Israelites to make bread without yeast. This was because Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was going to release the Israelites from slavery and let them go so quickly they would not have time to let their bread rise.

In Scripture, yeast, or any kind of leavening that makes bread rise, most often became associated with sin.

Jesus told his disciples to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:5-12, Mark 8:14-21, Luke 12:1).

An exception, however, is a parable Jesus told where yeast was not sin but was compared to the kingdom of God, found in both Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:20-21.

Jesus was without sin. This is why he is associated with bread without yeast. (Tweet that!)

The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the day following Passover, which is always Nisan 14 on the Jewish calendar. The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for seven days, from Nisan 15 to 21.

Jesus, the only son of God who was without sin, lay in the grave on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Tweet that!)

✟   Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was without sin or defect (yeast) and so he fulfills the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Tweet that!)

Tomorrow for Easter, in a rare Sunday post, we will discuss how Jesus fulfilled the prophecy pictured in the third Feast of the LORD. (Tweet that!)

If you would like to learn more about how Jesus fulfills the seven Feasts of the LORD, you would enjoy my new book, just released this week, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus. (Tweet that!) The last seven chapters in the book discuss the historical as well as the prophetic significance of the seven Feasts of the LORD. For more on the discussion of Jesus fulfilling the Feast of Unleavened Bread, see chapter 37.

Jesus was Sacrificed on Passover

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Luke 22:14-15 tells us:

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."

While I was growing up, I got the idea that the Last Supper which Jesus enjoyed with his disciples was the Seder meal, which is the Passover ceremonial meal. (Tweet that!) Furthermore, Mark 14:12 tells us:

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

But now I believe the Last Supper actually was not the Passover Seder but rather the dinner meal the evening before Passover. (Tweet that!) In the Mark quote above, the disciples ask where to go to prepare for Passover, but they could have prepared for the Passover Seder and never got to have it with Jesus.

There is another possible timeline that works better: that Jesus did not eat the Passover Seder because he was actually crucified on Passover and was hanging on the cross instead of enjoying the Passover meal. (Tweet that!) 

In light of God's prophetic calendar and the meaning of the seven Feasts of the LORD, this only makes sense.

Jesus was our Passover Lamb. He had to be sacrificed on Passover to fulfill the prophecy pictured in Passover. (Tweet that!)

And in doing so, another prophecy was fulfilled.

"For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7b, NIV).

✟   Jesus was slain on Passover and so fulfills all the symbolism of the Feast of Passover. 

In the next two days we will discuss how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies pictured in two more Feasts of the LORD. If you missed the April 11 post about these Feasts, you can find it here: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD (Tweet that!) 

If you enjoy this blog and would like to learn more about how Jesus fulfills the seven Feasts of the LORD, you would enjoy my new book just released this week, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus. The last seven chapters in the book discuss the historical as well as the prophetic significance of the seven Feasts of the LORD. For more on the discussion of Jesus fulfilling the Passover, see chapter 36.

The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons

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When God set up the universe, He created ways to communicate with us. One way He communicates is through the moon, sun, and even stars (as in the star that was prophesied in Numbers 24:17 which led the Magi to the Christ Child centuries later. See Matthew 2:1-12.).

When God communicates with people, the Bible often calls these "signs." In the New Testament stories of Jesus (the Gospels), when Jesus performed a miraculous healing, these were often called "signs," especially by the writer John.

In the very beginning of the Bible, in the story of creation, God clearly tells us He will use the moon for "signs." This is prophecy. Here is Genesis 1:14 in a couple different English translations:

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years…' " (Genesis 1:14, English Standard Version - ESV).

Nearly identical except for a couple of words is the King James Version:

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:…" (Genesis 1:14, King James Version – KJV).

And from the newer New International Version:

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years…' " (Genesis 1:14, New International Version 2011 – NIV).

In the NIV that I usually prefer (from 1984, which is no longer available), part of this verse is translated:

"…and let them serve as signs to make seasons and days and years…" (Genesis 1:14, NIV 1984).

The newer NIV as well as the other older and well-respected translations make it clear that these heavenly bodies are for more than seasons, days, and years; they are for "signs." The newer NIV states it as "signs to mark sacred times." I like that.

So what is the point of all this about the moon? Two things:

• Prophecies in the Bible talk about the sign of the moon turning red and the sun turning dark – including prophecies Jesus himself spoke.

• We may very well see the moon turn red next week. (Tweet that!)

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

We are going to talk about this more, one step at a time. Let's finish today with looking at some of the prophecies in the Bible that most Christians believe have not been fulfilled, and so they are yet to be fulfilled in our future:

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Joel 2:31).

"The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine" (Joel 3:15).

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20, Peter is quoting Joel 2:28-32).

Isaiah also spoke of this:

"For the stars of the heavens and their constellations  will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising,  and the moon will not shed its light" (Isaiah 13:10).

Then, when his disciples asked Jesus what the signs of the "end times" would be, Jesus himself quoted the Isaiah passage:

"Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken' " (Matthew 24:29).

"But in those days, following that distress, " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light' " (Mark 13:24).

Jesus also said:

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea" (Luke 21:25).

Finally, long after Jesus' death and resurrection, John wrote of the vision he saw of the "end times":

"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red" (Revelation 6:12).

We are going to talk more about the sign of a red moon because we can expect some red moons in our future, and we even know the dates. Furthermore, they will occur on spiritually significant dates.

In 2014 and 2015 there will be a total of four lunar eclipses. When four eclipses appear, this is called a tetrad. An eclipse is one of only three situations that occur naturally that can cause the moon to appear red. Because of these Bible prophecies above, these four eclipses are becoming known among many as the "Four Blood Moons."

Significantly, these four lunar eclipses will occur on the first and the last of the seven Feasts of the Lord—meaning on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles—two years in a row: in both 2014 and 2015. (Tweet that!)

We are going to look at the seven Feasts of the LORD on Friday, April 11. But first, tomorrow we are going to look at the Jewish calendar and how it works, because that is important in understanding all of this.

On Saturday, April 12^th, we will look at the natural causes in nature that can cause the moon to appear red.

Then on Monday we will look at times in history when this same tetrad of four lunar eclipses on the same major Feasts of the LORD, two consecutive years, occurred. (Tweet that!) Yes, it has happened before. And significant events occurred in Israel and in the world at those times. So please stay tuned…and invite your friends to join us on this fascinating journey.

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're discussing information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here's our coming schedule. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)

Jesus Gives "The Sign of Jonah"

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Earlier in Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus for a miraculous sign. This always seemed strange to me since it seems Jesus was performing miracles often. Nevertheless, as a test to see if he was the Messiah, these officials asked for a "sign."

(In the Bible, especially in the book of John, the word "sign" means a miracle or a "miraculous sign.")

Jesus never performed a miracle solely for the sake of performing a miracle. He was not a show-off or a circus act. Jesus only performed miracles when he had a much larger message to share through it. (Tweet that!)

Therefore:

"He answered, 'A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth' " (Matthew 12:39-40).

Sometime later some of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus to test him by asking him for a sign from heaven. He said:

" 'A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.' Jesus then left them and went away" (Matthew 16:4).

The gospel-writer Luke also recorded this:

"As the crowds increased, Jesus said, 'This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah' " (Luke 11:29).

The sign of Jonah which Jesus was referring to, as Jesus made clear in the first Scripture passage above, refers to the three days, though no one would probably have read this verse as prophecy. In the original story of Jonah found in the Old Testament we are told this:

"But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17).

Jesus takes this verse and applies it to himself as a sign. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the big fish for three days and three nights, so Jesus would be in the grave for three days and nights. And that is exactly what happened. (Tweet that!)

After the people watched Jesus die on the cross, after the Roman soldiers verified that he was dead, after Pilate gave Joseph of Arimathea permission to take Jesus' body down and after Nicodemus helped Joseph bury him, Jesus laid in the tomb for three days and nights.

And then…

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus" (Luke 24:1-3).

And that is how the prophecy Jesus spoke and applied to himself, the prophecy of "the Sign of Jonah," was fulfilled. (Tweet that!) So the Pharisees and Sadducees got the miraculous sign they asked for that proved Jesus was the Messiah! (Tweet that!)

Jesus was in the grave for three days and then rose from the dead!

Special Note:

Tomorrow we are going to take a side trip on our journey to Easter. In anticipation of the first of the four coming lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're going to...

1. cover some of the Scriptures and prophecies concerning the moon as a sign (Tweet that!), 
2. get a primer on the Jewish calendar, 
3. look at the prophetic significance of the Feasts of the LORD, 
4. talk about causes of red or "blood" moons, 
5. and discover past "tetrads" of four lunar eclipses on Jewish Feast days in history and what happened then. 

I think you'll be fascinated! Don't miss it. And please invite your friends or church to join us.You can also use the share buttons at the bottom of each post to share this.

Here is the schedule:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April, 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)

Jesus, Though Sinless, was Numbered As One of the Sinners

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Jesus lived a completely sinless life. And yet he was counted as a sinner. This is because he took on himself the sin of all the world.

Even yours. And mine.

We've talked about prophetic passages Isaiah wrote in previous posts, including:

• Countdown to Easter Day 37: Jesus Prophesied He Would Go Just As It Was Written About Him
• Countdown to Easter Day 30: It's Not Blasphemy If It's True
• Countdown to Easter Day 21: He was Crucified

In verse 12 of Isaiah 53, the prophet Isaiah wrote:

"Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12, NIV 1984).

We can know with certainty that the "him" Isaiah wrote about approximately 700 years earlier was Jesus the Messiah because Jesus directly applied this prophecy to himself as he talked with his disciples during the Last Supper. (Tweet that!)

Jesus quotes Isaiah 53:12 in Luke 22:37 when he said:

"It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment" (Luke 22:37, NIV). (Tweet that!)

Jesus, the perfect sinless One, was counted among sinners like you and me. He became one of us, yet without sin. This is beyond-belief love and mercy! (Tweet that!)

How does the fact that Jesus was counted among the sinner-transgressors like us make you feel? How does the fact that he was willing to step down from glory and step into human flesh make you feel?

Jesus Predicted that Peter Would Deny Him

Not all the many prophecies fulfilled in the events surrounding the arrest, trials, crucifixion, death and resurrection were ancient prophecies, spoken or written hundreds of years earlier. In the same conversation we looked at yesterday where Jesus predicted that he, the Shepherd, would be struck and his flock of followers would be scattered, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times.

"Not me," Peter said (my paraphrase). "Never!"

But Jesus confirmed it.

" 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times,' " Matthew26:34.

This is Jesus speaking forth prophecy. Without a doubt. This was not an off-handed comment. This was details no one could know…unless one knows the future.

Jesus' prediction came true with alarming detail in the next few hours through the night.

After his third denial, when he heard the rooster crow, Peter remembered. (Tweet that!)

"The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: 'Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times' " (Luke 22:61).

The Lord Jesus must have been passing between buildings from one trial to another, or in some other way was able to make eye contact with Peter. What do you think Peter felt in that moment?

What do you think filled Jesus' eyes in that look? Tears of disappointment or disgust? Never! Jesus' eyes surely held nothing but love for Peter.

When Jesus looks at you, trying to get you to look in his eyes, he is not looking at you with disappointment or disgust. Jesus looks at you—yes, even you—with nothing but pure, honest love.

When you see and firmly understand Jesus' love for you, what do you feel in that moment?

Jesus not only predicted Peter would deny him three times, the gospel-writer Luke also tells us Jesus said:

"And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:32).

Can you see the prophecy and encouragement in that? Jesus knew Peter would deny him three times. And yet Jesus looked beyond that and he gave Peter something to do afterwards. No doubt this carried Peter forward when he probably wanted to quit. Peter did indeed strengthen his brothers…and so many of us through the ages with his courageous speeches recorded in Acts, his writings, and the rest of his life through to his death.

Peter had a major failing. But he turned it around and, possibly because of that major failing, his life was triumphant.

As we look around today, we sense something is coming. Many of us know major events are just beyond the horizon, even if most the people seem unaware of it or asleep to it.

What exactly is coming? We cannot know exactly what each of us will experience in the future, but Jesus knows. And right now we can work to strengthen our brothers and sisters. We can pray right now for our own strength in future challenges so that we will not deny Jesus Christ but will stay strong for him. No matter what we face. Even if we find ourselves living in the End Times.

Here is a prayer we can pray:

LORD Jesus, you know what it coming. You know when it is coming. Help me to never deny you. Help me to strengthen others in their faith in you. Help me live strong for you to the very end. If I do fail you, help me to turn back immediately and start again. Help me not to be afraid of what I see around me, but to be awed by what I see when I look in your eyes: that you love me and you will hold me firmly throughout whatever may come. Amen. (Tweet that!)


If you are enjoying these posts, you may also enjoy the book Prophecies Fulfilled in the Death & Resurrection of Jesus. For more information, click the "Prophecies Fulfilled Books" tab above.