The times and seasons of the Lord are called divine appointments or His moedim. It is very important to keep your appointments with the Lord. In the Word the Lord has given His people specific times that if we obey the promptings of the Lord on how to keep these instructions, then the Lord will pour Himself out and reveal these truths in greater measure.
Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. 5:8
Don’t let anyone stand in judgment over you and dictate what you should eat or drink, what festivals you should celebrate, or how you should observe a new moon or Sabbath days— all these are only a shadow of what shall come. The reality, the core, the import, is found in the Anointed One. Col.2:16-17 The Voice.
Shadow means sketch, outline and the expression of the Truth, representing the form of the thing itself. These are all prophetic demonstrations of the fullness of Yeshua.
You see, everything written in the days of old was recorded to give us instructions for living. We find encouragement through the Scriptures and a call to perseverance that will produce hopeful living. Roman 15:4
The Father has specifically given weeks, months and yearly feasts to celebrate and to produce a cycle of blessing for us. He says honor the weekly Shabbat. This is the seventh day rest. The Lord is faithful to refresh and bless you. When you stop and acknowledge your need for the Lord of the Sabbath, you will be refreshed to receive progressive revelation.
Isaiah 58:13-14 says: Eternal One: If because of the Sabbath you set aside your own pursuits and pleasure, and you honor the Sabbath and sanctify that day by leaving it to and for the Eternal—If you speak of Sabbath-delight but avoid speaking idle words and refuse to get caught up and busy with your interests and concerns—Then you will discover joy such as only the Eternal can give. And I will raise you high and make your reach as wide as the earth, and you will live on all that I promised to Jacob, your ancestor, the heart of Israel. The Eternal One said these things. The Voice
The Lord has also given us the first of every month to celebrate. On the biblical calendar this is called Rosh Chodesh, the head of the month. We also call this first fruits. I love coming together with his people and listening to what the prophets have to say about each month of the year. On this day we can receive revelation, establish his firstfruit principle in our lives, and obtain continuing increase into our lives. As we bring an offering to the Lord of our first and best at the beginning of each month, He will bless the rest of what we have and sanctify the entire month and set it apart.
For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. Romans 11:16
Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase; So, your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10
Firstfruits is not limited to finances. The Lord’s resurrection is a perfect example of firstfruits. But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1Corinthians 15:20. Your firstfruit offering could be a revelation that you could present in a teaching, a song, a piece of art or, your first produce from your garden. The possibilities are endless.
Lastly, the Lord has given us three major yearly feasts to celebrate. They are the Feast of Passover, The Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “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. Lev. 23:1-2. These feasts are not relegated to a certain race of people, as most believe, which would minimize their importance. These are spiritual feasts for the spiritual man.
Included in Passover are the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Resurrection, also called the Feast of Firstfruits. This points to Yeshua’s death, burial and resurrection from the dead. During this season the Father reveals to his people the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and the power of the blood to redeem. During Pentecost we celebrate the giving of the covenant, the fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God and supernatural supply. Most Christians believe that Pentecost is mentioned for the first time in Acts 2 which is known for the demonstration of the outpouring of the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. However, we first see Pentecost mentioned in the Old Testament. Pentecost has many names: The Feast of Weeks, Shavuot, and the Feast of Harvest. In Exodus 23:16 it says, “You must celebrate the Feast of Harvest [called Feast of Weeks in 34:22; later called Pentecost]. Offer to God the first things you harvest from the crops you planted in your fields. Expanded Bible
These are all teaching to point to the harvests in the earth. God desires for us to go from harvest to harvest from blessing to blessing. In the Spring it is about the barley and wheat harvests and in the fall it is about the fruit harvest.
The last great feast is the Feast of Tabernacles, called the Feast of Ingathering, Sukkot and the Feast of Booths. We see the shadow of this as God’s people journeyed through the wilderness by setting temporary sukkas (booths). This festival is celebrated in the seventh biblical month of Tishri which correlates to the months of September/October on the Gregorian calendar. Leading up to this feast is the Feast of Trumpets (the Day of the Awakening Blast) and Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement. These all point to the second coming of the Lord. At Tabernacles we celebrate the Glory of the King and His rule over all the earth, as He sets up His Kingdom on the earth, to tabernacle with man. All of these feasts describe Yeshua, and the Feast of Tabernacles is the culmination of the fullness of our King where we will dwell with Him in Oneness for eternity.
We need to agree by faith the times and seasons of God which are ordained for His people to follow and enjoy. This is God’s plan to calibrate His people so that we will fully receive His abundant goodness and His extravagant blessings.
Satan tries to get us out of timing. Daniel 7: 25 says: He will speak against the Supreme God and oppress God’s people. He will try to change their religious laws and festivals, and God’s people will be under his power for three and a half years.
We must return to God’s original order. When we understand the times and seasons of the Lord (the feasts and the months), we will begin to recognize God’s unending cycles in the earth and start to operate in a revelatory flow that will move us into the fullness of God’s purposes. We will stay in alignment with God and keep moving into the next blessing. Our times are in his hands and we are moving supernaturally. God wants to lock you into cycles of blessings, growth and increase. He has a cycle of victory that will help you to overcome in every season. God’s desire is for you to break out of every cycle of destruction and into His cycle of blessing.
Written by Billie Alexander
Co-Founder, Limitless Realms Int’l Ministries
