1. An Overview of the Feasts

2. The purpose of the Lord’s Feasts is to prepare God’s people to receive the Messiah, his Son, Jesus. They are one of God’s primary tools through pictures and enactments to teach his people – both ancient Israel and grafted-in Gentiles – what it means to enter into relationship with Him and walk with Him. Purpose of the Feasts

3. “Moed” and “Mikrah” “Moed” - Gen. 1: 14 – “Let their be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons (moed), and for days and years.” Moedmeans appointed time or season. Lev. 23: 2, 4 – “The feasts (moed) of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations (mikrah), these are My feasts… These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” “Mikrah” usually translated as “holy convocation” or “sacred assembly” essentially means “dress rehearsal.” While we do eat a lot during the feasts, mere eating is not to be the primary idea in our mind. Rather, these celebrations, or festivals, are a dress rehearsal for the purpose of revealing the Messiah and learning the redemptive and prophetic plan of God.

4. Significance of each Feast Season “God appointed three feast seasons with seven individual feasts and scheduled them on the Hebrew calendar in such a way that the Jews would have to travel to Jerusalem three times a year to keep them.The three feast seasons were know as Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), and Tabernacles (Succot). They portrayed and represented three major encounters with God in the lives of His covenant people. These encounters were for the purpose of providing His divine . . . Peace (Passover) Power (Pentecost) Rest (Succot) Taken together, they represent seven steps in the believer’s walk with God.

5. Hebrew Calendar