Understanding God’s Calendar, Timing, and Cycles
Understanding God’s Calendar, Timing, and Cycles
1 Chronicles 12:22-32: “…of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…”
God is calling us to walk as the Tribe of Issachar who not only knew the times but understood what to do in the midst of those times.
God’s calendar operates in times and seasons. Ecclesiastics 3 says, God has an appointed time for everything. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: …”
If we know what God’s time is, and we stay in His timing we will be blessed.
How do we learn to walk in the Issachar anointing? We do this by learning to pay close attention to God’s calendar. By aligning ourselves with God’s calendar we are able to recognize His times and seasons. God’s calendar gives us a series of appointed times every year. These appointed times form a yearly cycle of life, designed to move us year by year into a greater experience of His blessings.
The Biblical Feasts are part of a cycle of life that actually make up the Biblical Calendar.
Exodus 23:14 sums it up this way: “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to Me…”
- Celebrate Passover – The Feast of Unleavened Bread – celebrated in early spring – March or April
- Celebrate Pentecost – The Feast of Harvest – celebrated in late spring – May or June
- Celebrate Tabernacles – The Feast of Ingathering – celebrated in the fall – September or October
Three times a year…appear before the sovereign Lord.
These times are key times/appointed times/set apart times where God desires to meet with us and accomplish specific spiritual transactions in our lives.
Passover: begins the biblical calendar – It is marks the first month in God’s cycle of redemption.
It is a cluster of three feasts:
Passover – Jesus was crucified on the Feast of Passover
Passover celebrates: redemption from sin and cleansing from impurity – the joy of being “redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.” It is a celebration of God’s love and power that sets us free from the slavery of Egypt/bondage and delivers us out of the hand of our enemy – setting us free to enter God’s promise!
Unleavened Bread – the three loaves of unleavened bread in one napkin, used during the Passover celebration, are called “Unity”: symbolizing the unique unity of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. During the Passover feast, the father breaks one of the loaves symbolizing the death of Jesus, he wraps it and hides it under a pillow, representing the burial of Jesus – this we understand is the celebration of the death of Jesus – later the pillow is removed and the bread unwrapped representing the resurrection of Jesus.
Firstfruits – Jesus was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits
Pentecost or Shavuot: held in the third month of the biblical calendar: The early church began on Pentecost. Pentecost is a celebration of God’s provision – a time to thank God for His provision in the past and gain faith to experience His full provision in the year ahead.
It also is a cluster of three celebrations:
- God’s provision of the harvest – God’s blessing of abundant provision. Pentecost is a time to celebrate with praise and to give. As we do this it positions us to receive. Scripture: Psalm103:1-5: Praise Him for His Provision
- God’s provision of His Word – Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, which took place on the Feast of Pentecost. This feast is about the release of supernatural revelation. It was the day that God opened the heavens to reveal His Word. It is a time of God revealing His heart to His people – a time to renew our commitment to the reading and study of God’s Word. As we meditate on the Word, we attune our minds to think the thoughts of God, faith is released and we receive a fresh move of the Spirit. This prepares us for the next level of Pentecost. Scripture: Psalm 103:6-18: Receive the Revelation of His Heart and Nature.
- God’s provision of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2: The Spirit fell during the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is a celebration of God’s power and authority on earth as it is in heaven – It is a time for us to prepare for “open heavens” – for a new release of His Spirit. Scripture: Psalm 103:19-22: Declare His Power and Authority over All the Earth! Cry out for the new wind of Pentecost – a new outpouring of His Holy Spirit.
Tabernacles
The Fall Feasts were given to create a pathway into God’s glory. It provides for us a pattern for revival – individually and as a nation.
This is important:
Passover begins God’s yearly cycles. Then comes Pentecost, the Feast of Open Heavens. Then comes a long hot summer and when fall arrives, God moves us into the climax of the yearly cycle, the celebration of His glory at the Feast of Tabernacles.
It can be very confusing because, Tabernacles start in the seventh month of the biblical calendar but it is known as the Birthday of the World, the Anniversary of Creation and the Head of the Year.
Question: Why does the Head of the Year begin in the seventh month?
There are two different cycles in God’s calendar.
- Cycle of Creation/Cycle of Blessing: In God’s original plan, each Feast of Trumpets was to begin a new year of peace, health, joy, and provision in God’s presence. Then sin entered the world. Sin took us out of God’s cycle of blessing and into a cycle of sin and death. In the cycle of sin and death, the new year no longer brought peace, health, joy, and provision. Instead each year brought more fear, loss, infirmity, and death.
- So God initiated a NEW cycle (with Jesus) – the Cycle of Redemption. The Cycle of Redemption rescues us from the effects of sin and restores us to God’s original plan. The seventh month in the Cycle of Redemption becomes the first month, the “Head of the Year” in a new year of blessing.
Back to Tabernacles: It too is a cluster of feasts and celebrations:
- Feast of Trumpets – Rosh Hashanah – Head of the year – Birthday of the World – Anniversary of Creation. The Feast of Trumpets is a wakeup call. God gave one command for this festival: All His people should listen to the blast of the trumpets – a call to awaken, to alertness, to a new season. The sound of the trumpet is designed to pierce our soul and call us to attention – to awaken our spirit – this is a time to ask God to show us anything that would hinder His work in us. Joel 2:1
The Days of Awe (Teshuvah): A extended time (10 day period) of seeking Him. Teshuvah: to “turn” and to “return” – it means “repentance” and “springtime (a season to experience a fresh release of life and blessing).” When the trumpet blast calls you to alertness, it is a time to turn and return – to draw close to God for full restoration. Jeremiah 29:12-13
- The Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur – A Day to be restored – to put all of your sins under the blood of the Lamb and be fully restored to God and His purposes. Isaiah 44:22. Day of Atonement is the Holiest day of the year. It is not a feast, but a fast – it is not a day to rejoice and celebrate, but to humble yourself before God by fasting. Originally it was the day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies. The Day of Atonement is not a joyful day but it does open the door for the most joyful celebration of the year – the Feast of Tabernacles. 1 John 1:9
- The Feast of Tabernacles – Succot – An appointed time (a week) to experience God’s Glory.
Tabernacles celebrates God’s Glory – His Presence “dwelling” with His people – a time to yearly renewing our joy of life in His Presence. For one week God asks His people to tabernacle with Him. Leviticus 23:40 and Deuteronomy 16:14-15 – it is a time to be joyful and rejoice. It is a time to bring an offering as an expression of thanks to God – Deuteronomy 16:16-17. Tabernacles was actually the time of Jesus’ birth – not December 25th – Jesus, the Light of the World came during Tabernacles to tabernacle/dwell with us. 2 Chronicles 7:1-2
The Feasts and the Church
The yearly cycle of feasts give us a picture of Church History.
Passover: pictures the ministry of Jesus on the earth that brought redemption and cleansing so we could come into the presence of God. He purchased our redemption at Passover when he died as the perfect Passover Lamb. Passover gives us a fresh experience of deliverance each year.
Pentecost: pictures the early church which started by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The early church experienced the abundant release of God’s provision and power.
Then came the Dark Ages where the church lost many of the wonderful treasures Jesus had given it. The church became a political organization, often corrupt, with little evidence of the spiritual power God intended.
After the Dark Ages the Spirit of God began a process of restoration in His church that is still continuing today. He is preparing His Bride for His return and He is in the process of restoring what has been lost that the Glory of God may be seen in His Church.
Tabernacles: Tabernacles will be the primary feast for the days ahead. The end-time church will experience the presence of God as never before and manifest God’s glory in the earth! We will be the fulfillment of Tabernacles.
Hanukkah is celebrated in December but it is not one of the three main feasts.
Hanukkah means “dedication” because it celebrates the re-dedication of the temple after the victory of the Macabees. It is a time when the Lord is calling us to re-dedicate every area of our life that has become, dusty, dull and out of order. Everything they did, and still do, in the celebration of Hanukkah points to Jesus, the Light of the World, our Messiah. What a great way to start our celebration of the Christmas season!
But Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights, and this is because immediately following the miraculous deliverance, God provided another miracle of provision – the provision of oil for the menorah. One of the main features of the Festival of Hanukkah is the lighting of the Menorah. Hanukkah, according to biblical data, is the time that Jesus was conceived – The Light of the World was conceived on the Festival of Lights.
This synopsis was taken from Robert Heidler’s books: “The Messianic Church Arising” and “The Cycles of God.”
04-07-11 Bea Tapparo – Walking in Dominion Ministries and The Rock Worship Center
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