A NICE LITTLE ENSIGN GEM ON FEASTS TIED TO THE FIRST AND SECOND COMINGS OF JESUS

Well, crickets on economic doom for today.  Just ran my sources again and nothing..... Dang it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a great resource:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1975/01/symbols-of-the-harvest-old-testament-holy-days-and-the-lords-ministry?lang=eng

Here is the goods from the end of the article on the Fall Feasts which point to the Second Coming:

If the first three holy days commanded by God taught of Christ’s first coming and were subsequently fulfilled by that coming, what of the remaining three holy days? The nature of these days and the time of their observance, the seventh month and the time of the final harvest, suggest that they point to Christ’s second coming and the completion of his harvest. (The frequent repetition of periods of seven—seven days forming a week, seven weeks preceding the Feast of Weeks, seven times seven years preceding the hallowed year of Jubilee, seven dispensations—suggests that the period of seven represents a completed cycle.)

The Lord commands Israel:

“… In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.” (Lev. 23:24.)

Eventually this holy day came to be known as the Feast of the Trumpets, or Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year of today, usually occurring around the latter part of September. (Jewish tradition uses the lunar calendar, which is variable because a 13th month is sometimes added to make the year come out even with the earth’s journey around the sun.)

On this holy day, many important things in Old Testament history have occurred. The Feast of Trumpets commemorated the time of the first stop after fleeing Egyptian bondage, a time when Israel was at last free and was gathered so they could renew true worship. Later, when Cyrus, king of Persia, felt directed by God to help rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and to begin to return the scattered Judeans that they might do so, this holy day became the scene of another important renewal after exile.

“And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man in Jerusalem.

“[And they] … builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

“From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. …” (Ezra 3:1–2, 6.)

The book of Nehemiah records the further revival of Israel with the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and a reawakening to God’s words:

“And all the people gathered themselves together as one man. …

“And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation … upon the first day of the seventh month.

“So they [Ezra and other priests] read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. …

“And all the people went their way … to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” (Neh. 8:1–2, 8, 12. Italics added.)

This holy day symbolizes, then, with its imagery of the blowing of trumpets, a call to regather and reawaken Israel. It is a time of renewal of true worship with new understanding.

Christ and his prophets teach of a latter-day awakening and gathering of Israel—the beginning of their second and final harvest. And there are those who see Rosh Hashannah as prophetic of this event, though most of them see it only as prophecy of the gathering and renewal of Judah. Latter-day Saints believe in a larger gathering: the Jews to Israel and all of Israel to the gospel. Both gatherings have already begun. Coincidence or not, the gold plates, which in their translated form (the Book of Mormon) have spread throughout the world to begin to awaken and gather Israel, were delivered into the hands of Joseph Smith in the latter part of September, a time closely approximate to the beginning of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. Coincidence or not, a statue of Moroni, their keeper and deliverer, now stands on temple spires, trumpet to his mouth, proclaiming to all Israel that it is time to awaken and gather.

Christ also taught that at the time of his coming in power and glory, “[God] … shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt. 24:31.)

This great and final gathering to full worship will also be ushered in with the blowing of trumpets.

The fifth and holiest of all Israelite holy days is the Day of Atonement, known today as Yom Kippur, which is full of witnesses of the Savior. It was also given by commandment.

“Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement … and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” (Lev. 23:27.)

Anciently, it was on this day that the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and there give an offering of blood that would atone for the sins of Israel, reuniting Israel with God. It was on this day that the ritual of the scapegoat was performed, where Aaron symbolically transferred all the sins of Israel upon the head of a goat.

Christ performed the act of atonement in the meridian of time. But the majority of Judah rejected the atonement. We know that in the last days there will be a refining by affliction of all mankind, with the nation of Israel a central figure in that refinement preparatory to their acceptance of Christ’s atoning work. Christ gives this description of those days:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.” (Matt. 24:21–22.)

It has been suggested that the apex of this affliction may be the “affliction of soul,” which will come when Judah beholds the Savior and comprehends the meaning of his wounded hands and feet.

As a simple matter of interest, the most recent Arab-Israeli war began on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. If nothing else, this demonstrates how strikingly easy it would be for the time of Israel’s final redemption to be directly connected with the Day of Atonement, a day set aside for affliction, sacrifice, and the reuniting of God with estranged man.

The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths is the final feast and with joy proclaims that the harvest is complete. It, too, has much significance:

“Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days. …

“And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees … and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.” (Lev. 23:39–40.)

This feast commemorates the fact that as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness they dwelt under booths covered over with boughs of trees. But it also relates to the harvest. Even to this day, at the appointed time, Jews set up booths at home or near synagogues with roofs of boughs and decorate them with the fruits gleaned from the harvest. There are many who have come to believe this feast symbolizes the millennium.

Zechariah may have been the first to make such a connection. He proclaims that after the Lord has come to reign as King upon the earth, “… every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” (Zech. 14:16.)

Since the Feast of Tabernacles is rejoicing in the completed harvest, would not the completion of Christ’s harvest be the cause for rejoicing at this time? Since the Feast of Tabernacles is “dwelling under boughs of goodly trees,” would not our “goodly dwelling” be Christ’s presence at such a time? The Psalms use the images of “shelter,” “dwelling place,” and “shade” all as descriptive of the Lord’s role unto his people. Nor can we ignore the former use of palm boughs to herald Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, acknowledging his kingship, or the reference in Revelation that describes heavenly worship and acknowledgment of Christ’s kingship with palm boughs. (See Rev. 7:9–10.)

So the time may come when we will all keep the Feast of Tabernacles. But our rejoicing will be in the spiritual harvest, and our dwelling will be in the presence of the Savior, not under the boughs that have so long symbolized him.

The Lord commanded Israel to observe six holy periods of time. They are part of the Law of Moses, the law that the Lord testified he came not to destroy but to fulfill. To this day many Jews continue to observe the holy days commanded by God centuries ago. What a great and marvelous revelation it will be when all that they have done so patiently and obediently through the years is shown to be a witness over and over of Jesus the Christ!

Paul explains:

“Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.” (2 Cor. 3:12–14.)

Behind the veil put over the Old Testament may be many beautiful and touching witnesses of the Savior and his works.

It is little wonder prophets say that when all things are revealed men shall sing of him: “… great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways.” (Rev. 15:3.)

[illustration] The Paschal lamb was male, firstborn, and without blemish.

[illustration] Harvest—symbol of the Pentecost.

[illustration] Sunrise signifies resurrection, “firstfruits of the dead.”

Lenet Hadley Read, homemaker and mother of five children has recently moved with her husband and family from North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma.