Appointed Times

The Story All Stories Point To: An Epilogue

The Story All Stories Point To: An Epilogue

We have walked through the history, the shadows, and the symbols. We have measured the wall with the plumb line of the Tanach and cleared away the debris of centuries. But as the dust settles, we find ourselves standing before a quiet, garden tomb in the twilight mist of the third day.

If the powers of darkness had known—if they had truly understood the architecture of the Father’s heart—they never would have struck (1 Co 2:8). But they did. And in that moment of apparent defeat, the single act of history occurred by which the marred beginning was reversed.

Since the garden, all of creation was caught in a singular, terrifying momentum toward destruction. But at the empty tomb, that momentum was broken. The seal was not just moved; the curse was intercepted. Every story ever told—every longing for home, every hope for justice, every cry for life—was merely a rehearsal for this. All history prior flows toward and into that tomb; all history and hope following walked out of it.

The Pattern of the Restoration

This is the story the Passover was preparing us for. The One who brought order to the tohu vavohu of Ge 1:1 is the same Word who was with God and was God in the beginning (Jn 1:1-2). He stood in the gap to reverse the great fruit fiasco of Ge 3:15-16.

The Feasts of Yehoveh are not merely dates on a calendar; they are the spiritual nervous system of the restoration of all things.

  • Passover & Unleavened Bread: The substitutionary sacrifice has been made. Yeshua, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Cor 5:7). We were taken out of Egypt by His blood, and now, we enter the week of Unleavened Bread—the season where we yield our lives to Him as He removes the "Egypt" from our own hearts.

  • Firstfruits: The seed that was planted in the earth did not stay there. He is the Firstfruit from the dead (1 Cor 15:20), the proof that the harvest of humanity has begun. Because He rose, we know the harvest is sure.

  • Shavuot (Pentecost): Fifty days later, the Fire that descended on Sinai to give the Torah descended again to write that Torah on hearts of flesh (Ac 2:1-4, Jr 31:33). It is the empowerment to live as citizens of the Kingdom while still in the diaspora of this world.

  • Yom Teruah (Trumpets): We listen for the blast. It is the announcement of the King’s approach. The Risen One is the Returning One (1 Th 4:16).

  • Yom Kippur (Atonement): The day of final reckoning and covering, where the High Priest emerges from the Holy of Holies to declare that the dwelling place of God is finally, fully cleansed.

  • Sukkot (Tabernacles): The end of all stories. The Great Rehearsal for the day when the dwelling place of God is with man (Rv 21:3). The earth restored, the curse forgotten, the King in our midst.

Seven feasts, largely forgotten, hold the key to all we believe in and hope for by the Word of God.

The Living Hope

I look at the empty tomb and I don't just see a historical fact; I see my own future. Because He rose, I know I will too. This reality demands more than my intellectual assent—it demands my alignment. I want my life to be a rehearsal for His Kingdom. I want the rhythm of my days to beat in time with the Feasts that proclaim His plan.

The "Faith Once Delivered" is not a burden to be carried; it is a Person to be followed. It is the clarity that when everything else falls away, He remains.

He is risen. The Lamb has conquered. The tomb is empty. The King is coming.

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Firstborn from the dead has claimed His inheritance! We do not celebrate a faded memory; we rehearse a coming glory. To the Lamb who was slain and is now seated on the throne—to Him be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the power, forever and ever!

Amen.

The Faith Once Delivered — Installment Seven of Seven

The Faith Once Delivered — Installment Seven of Seven

Jude did not write, 'Contend for a better argument.' He did not write, 'Contend for a reformed calendar.' He wrote, 'Contend for the faith.' The faith — the whole thing, complete, once delivered, needing nothing added and tolerating nothing removed.

Decorated Corruption

Decorated Corruption

The people filling Easter baskets on Sunday morning are not pagans.

They are sincere believers who have met the risen Yeshua — sometimes in the middle of those very celebrations. Their faith is genuine. Their love for God is real. And their sincerity is not in question.

The Myth Merchants

The Myth Merchants

You have probably seen the meme. "Easter is really the feast of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of fertility." It circulates every spring, dressed in scholarly confidence, shared by sincere believers who want to protect the faith. 

The Goddess Never Left

The Goddess Never Left

She is not a myth. She is not a symbol. She is the oldest and most persistent adversary in the biblical record — older than Babylon, older than Rome, older than the church itself. And the biblical writers do not treat her as a curiosity. They treat her as a catastrophe.

How We Lost the Thread

How We Lost the Thread

In A.D. 325, a Roman emperor wrote a letter. It was not a theological argument. It was a political decree. And it changed the Christian feast of Passover forever.

He called the Jewish people "that hostile crowd" and declared it "unworthy" for the church to follow their calendar. That single decision — grounded not in scripture but in ethnic contempt — severed the resurrection feast from the Hebrew calendar that gave it its meaning.  

Installment One: Recovering What Never Should Have Lost

Installment One: Recovering What Never Should Have Lost

Around A.D. 160, a bishop in Sardis preached the oldest surviving sermon on the resurrection feast. No eggs. No bunnies. No seasonal sentimentality. Just this:

"I am your freedom. I am the Passover of your salvation. I am the lamb slaughtered for you. I am your ransom. I am your life. I am your light. I am your resurrection. I am your king."

THE LIGHT THE DARKNESS COULD NOT HOLD

THE LIGHT THE DARKNESS COULD NOT HOLD

In the Temple courts, towering menorahs blaze against the winter night,
their flames proclaiming a memory—
light that once defied desecration.

FROM FIRSTFRUITS TO PENTECOST — THE PROMISE FULFILLED

FROM FIRSTFRUITS TO PENTECOST — THE PROMISE FULFILLED

This is not merely the conclusion of a counting of the omer (Lev 23:15-16) ; it is the culmination of covenant. The Torah was given at Sinai on this same day, fifty days after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. And now, the Spirit is given on the same day, fifty days after our Passover Lamb, Yeshua the Messiah, was raised from the dead.

Hijacked Time: How Easter Replaced Passover—and Why It Matters

Hijacked Time: How Easter Replaced Passover—and Why It Matters

With the approach of Passover and Easter, I am again reminded of the tensions caused by how the world and the church has lost track of time and the misplaced traditions that have set aside God's plan for celebration and worship. This disconnect between modern calendars and God's ordained accounting of time represents more than a mere technical difference—it signifies a profound spiritual rupture.

The Council of Nicaea in 325 CE represents perhaps…

Messy Christmas: Stepping into God’s Story

Messy Christmas: Stepping into God’s Story

The Christmas story is often wrapped in sentimentality—soft lights, serene nativity scenes, and cozy traditions. Yet, the reality of the first Christmas is strikingly different. It’s messy, disruptive, and deeply transformative. From Mary’s scandalous “yes” to God, to the chaos of a birth in a stable, the story invites us to step into the unfolding work of redemption.

Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel was not a moment of comfort but a call to trust and surrender amidst uncertainty. Her obedience echoes the creation story, where God brought order out of chaos, and reminds us that redemption often unfolds in the messiness of life.

This Christmas, as we reflect on Mary’s faith, may we recognize that God is still working through the chaos of our lives. Like Mary, we’re invited to say “yes” to God’s story—a story that transforms mess into meaning, bringing light and life to a broken world.

Jesus @ Hanukkah

Jesus @ Hanukkah

"As Christmas and Hanukkah align this year, explore their profound connection. Discover how Hanukkah's Festival of Lights commemorates God's faithfulness and how Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World. Together, they shine a powerful message of hope, redemption, and divine light breaking through darkness."

Time and the Calendar Disconnect - Have We Lost Track of Time?

Time and the Calendar Disconnect - Have We Lost Track of Time?

Here's a one paragraph excerpt:

In this insightful article, we embark on a profound exploration of the biblical feasts and their intrinsic connection to God's ultimate plan for humanity. Tracing the historical divergence between the Passover and Easter celebrations, we uncover the unfortunate disconnect that occurred when the early church, influenced by prevailing anti-Jewish sentiments, intentionally separated Easter from its Jewish roots at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. As we delve into the Summer Feast of Pentecost, we unravel its deep symbolism and continuity with God's promised plan, set in motion at creation itself. Through this illuminating journey, we are invited to rediscover the sacred calendar instituted by God, transcending cultural boundaries, and gain a renewed appreciation for these divinely appointed times that foreshadow the climactic events of the Apocalypse and the glorious return of Christ.