What Are God's Appointed Times (Moadiem)?
And… Are They Still In Affect?
Jack Jackson - MinisterwhereYouAre.org

When we study Genesis 1:14 we find the word "moad" translated as season: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmaments of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons (moad) and for days and years." One of the major reasons for God creating these lights (sun and moon) was so God's people would know when to come together for God's appointed days. Examples of these include God's Sabbath, which starts at sundown on the seventh day (our Friday evening) and lasts until sundown the following day (our Saturday). God also uses the new moon as an appointed time for His people to worship before Him. The new moon is the first sliver of a moon each month. Even without a watch, a person can know when to start Sabbath, and can do the same for new moon festival.

Once the months were established, God appointed the 14th day of Nissan as Passover (1st of 7 more moad outlined in Leviticus 23), which starts the Feast of Unleavened Bread (2nd), which ends at Feast of First Fruits (3rd), there are then 50 days until Feast of Weeks (Pentecost or 4th and final spring feast). In the fall the Lord appointed the Feast of Trumpets (5th), Day of Atonement (6th), and finally Feast of Booths (tabernacle or 7th). These are statutes forever, which clearly means they were to continue to do them forever.

But weren't these just for the Jews?

Look at Leviticus 23: 2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts (moadiem of God), which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are my feasts."

Who's feasts are these? God's

Who was the vessel to bring this knowledge of God's appointed feasts, who was to proclaim them? Israel, God's people

Did the foreigner among them participate in all these? Absolutely!

So these are the eternal moadiem of God Himself which He wanted proclaimed to the world. Contrary to most popular Christian teaching, these are not Jewish holidays, these are God's appointed days, and they are forever. Remember, only God can establish something as Holy. He most certainly does not recognize Ramadan as a holy day, but a pagan "holiday". I don't even like to use our English word holiday (holy day) because it takes away from the point that man makes nothing holy (set apart) by participating on a day, only God has the authority to set something apart.

Please note that God established Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Feast of First Fruits to first prophesy about what Jesus (Yeshua) was going to do, and now so we could see what He did. These represent His death, burial and resurrection; all tied to God's appointed feasts. Many celebrate man made "man-holy days" rather than seeing Jesus in the only God appointed feasts of that season. Likewise all the feasts point to Jesus (Yeshua) now as our High Priest, interceding on behalf of His disciples which are following after Him and walking in His ways.

Jesus and His disciples who were with Him kept all these moadiem (appointed times). He taught them to come together for these over three years which means they kept over 160 Sabbaths together, over 40 New Moon Feasts together, and 3 cycles of the 7 annual feasts together. That was undoubtedly part of His discipleship. This is where they learned "The Lord's Supper" in the Passover, now our communion. All these appointments of God were kept, and seen as the grace of God, a time of celebration and teachings all pointing to Jesus' life and ministry as High Priest and then as King of Kings. These were taught as eternal, and that the Apostles continued in all of these shows they continued to follow after the Master, even unto their deaths. They too were to make disciples in the same manner as the Master had discipled them. The first century congregation was a synagogue which recognized that all of God's appointed times pointed to Jesus (Yeshua) and recognized Him when many did not.

Many who did not want to believe He was Messiah tried to discredit Him (and Paul later) by accusing Him of not obeying God's Torah (law), because they knew that such as discredit would prove He was not the Messiah (Deut. 13:1-5, 18:15-22). Why then do so many teach that Jesus (Yeshua) came to destroy any part of the Torah? If that were true, He cannot be a prophet or be the Messiah. Why do so many Christians believe Jesus did away with the Law (Torah) or think Paul did also for that manner? Many incorrectly interpret Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believeth." They say, "See Jesus ended the law (Torah)". The problem comes in the translation "end". That is the Greek word #5056 telos, which actually means "to set out in front for a definite point or goal". Yeshua (Jesus) demonstrated to us how we are to obey the Torah, not to put an end to it. Paul said "Follow me as I follow Christ"

But certainly the New Covenant Church was supposed to follow Torah and keep the appointed Moadiem, were they?

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or a new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of the things that will come; and the body that is Christ." Col 2:16-17

In context the "you" would be defined as someone beholding order, steadfast in Christ, walking in His ways, rooted and built up in Him, taught Torah, guarding against traditions of men, circumcised in the heart, and dead to old pagan ways.

Notice verse 16 does not say not to be judged of keeping full moons (a pagan practice), or man established pagan days; but not be judged for respecting His established holy days (for only God can establish a true holy day). If you wanted to eat meats strangled, this passage did not allow you use this when judged for it. If you wanted to continue to drink blood, as the pagans did, you couldn't say "Don't judge my drinking blood, pointing to this verse as support. This passage was clearly in context given to the one who had turned from man's ways and pagan practices to follow God's moadiem and Torah, including His dietary laws.

But what about Romans 14? This was about the oral law teaching that if a Gentile cooked meat, it was unclean. So many were keeping the oral law and only eating vegetables when invited to eat with a Gentile. Paul just said, do here what you feel is best. If you don't want to eat the meats (keeping oral Torah) don't. Those who had liberty (that is to not keep the oral laws which did not have written Torah support) could also eat if they wanted. However, they were encouraged not to make it a big issue. Esteeming the day, wasn't concerning Saturday verses Sunday, because the first century believers were all observing moadiem and therefore meeting on the Sabbath morning for holy convocation. This in no way is saying we can assume all days are holy, because if all are holy (set apart) then none are. Sabbath was still the moadiem of God, but some also worshipped everyday as well, including God's holy day. Also note that esteeming a day had nothing to do with not keeping God's appointed day each week to cease from working and devoting it all to God.

While Paul tells us to not judge, he is not teaching us not to obey the keeping of moadiem or written Torah, or else he would have deserved to have been killed, and claims against him would be true. He in fact took a Nazzarite vow, requiring offering of sacrifices for himself and 4 others. If he did this only to fool the Jews, he was deceptive and was bearing false witness in his vow, a sin.

But Paul denounced Judaism, didn't he?

Paul said "I am a Pharisee" (current tense) as late as Acts 23:6 and even persuading others he was not guilty of departing from his faith, never denied his faith as a Pharisee (Act 24:14 -16, 25:6-8). So why does Paul get accused of doing away with Torah? because of a wrong understanding of context. The same Paul also said to be carnally minded, meant one was at enmity with the Torah and lead to death being in the flesh not pleasing to God (Romans 8:6-8); that Christ showed us the aim or goal to keep torah (Romans 10:4-5) and live that life out; that the Torah teaches us about God's character until we meet Him and then gladly walk in the ways of Yeshua by faith (Gal 3:24); that by the Torah is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20); Do we then make void the Torah through faith? God forbid, we establish the Torah. (Romans 3:31)

So in faith, establish Torah and His appointed times in your life, thus walk as Jesus did; willing to loose your life to gain it!