All of Yahveh's Appointments (Festivals) are very important to Christians around the world. Despite the fact that a large portion of the church has consigned the Biblical festivals to a long-forgotten history of the Jewish people and the early church, they are as vital to Christian identity and understanding today as they were in Biblical times. The festivals which Yashua and His followers celebrated contain profound insights for Christians today.

The "Jewish" festivals are actually the Festivals of Yahveh. In Leviticus 23, Yahveh specifically outlined three major yearly appointments that He placed on His calendar to meet with His children. These were Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Four other times of celebration were added to these - making a total of seven Biblical festivals. Unleavened Bread and First fruits were celebrated immediately after Passover. Trumpets and the Day of Atonement were observed shortly before Tabernacles.

All the festivals were appointments with Yahveh (the meaning of the Hebrew mo'adim which is translated "festivals") and have great significance for Christians, because they reveal Yashua as Messiah and the Head of the Church.

Paul, the rabbi from Tarsus and apostle to the nations, declared that all the festivals (Sabbaths) were pictures of Messiah. (Colossians 2:16-17) No more perfect picture could have been established than in the three Spring Festivals. Yashua was recognized by John the Baptist as the Lamb of Elohim (God) who would remove the sin of the world. He was crucified on Passover, filling the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt with eternal and spiritual meaning. Yashua also fulfilled the festival of Unleavened Bread by being the sinless one, who was offered as the Bread of Life for the sins of mankind. Finally, Yashua also brought fullness to the festival of First Fruits with His resurrection on the very day of that festival, following his crucifixion on Passover. Thus Yashua became the First Fruit of the resurrection.

Just as Yashua promised, His disciples were clothed upon with the power of the Holy Spirit on the very day of the festival of Pentecost. Just as Yahveh appeared to Israel on the first Pentecost, at Mount Sinai, and gave them his Eternal Word in the form of the Ten Commandments, so on the first Pentecost following His resurrection, Yashua appeared to the believers in the Upper Room and filled them with the Holy Spirit, so that they could be His witnesses throughout the world. This empowerment has continued for some two millennia.

The Fall Festivals remain to be fulfilled in the time of the coming of the Messiah. Jews around the world expect the Messiah to come, while Christians await His return. When He comes, all the events in the Fall Festivals will come to consummation. There will be a day of awakening, the blowing of trumpets in Zion - Israel, in the church and in the world, fulfilling the Festival of Trumpets. At that time, all of Israel will be saved in a profound awakening, in which they will recognize their Messiah and be reconciled to Him in the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. All the righteous of the earth, both Jews and gentiles, will be gathered together for the festival of Ingathering (Tabernacles) in the universal dominion of King Messiah.

As believers, we have yearly opportunities to remember the most important events in salvation history ~ Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost. In the spring, we remember that redemption for all men was achieved through the death, burial and resurrection of Messiah Yashua. We also recall that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be Yashua's witnesses. Likewise, we have the annual opportunity to rehearse and pray for the fulfillment of the climactic events of salvation history. In the fall we hear the sound of the shofar (trumpet), awakening and challenging us to pray for the redemption of Israel and of the whole world, and to join in celebration and expectation of the final fulfillment, when Messiah comes and the entire earth submits to his dominion.

The festivals of Yahveh are for all His people, both Jew and Christian. They are full of rich meaning from salvation history, and they contain a wealth of understanding and inspiration in the expectation of their fulfillment at the end of the age and in the world to come.

Yahveh's imperative to His people, wherever they are, is still ~ "Celebrate!"