The Feast Dates: Our Position

On the topic of feast dates, you will get a different response depending on who you ask as there is much debate on them. You will often find people change their positions every other year too based on the latest theories. As with all things biblical, it is certainly worth doing your own personal studies on the matter and have friendly conversations with others to have iron sharpen iron.
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Our Position

In Leviticus 23, YHVH gave His people His Feast Days, and each points to both our Messiah’s first coming and His second coming. The Spring Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Shavuot/Pentecost all were fulfilled in Yeshua’s first coming as our Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7) who was without sin or leaven (2 Cor 5:21), who rose from the grave as our First Fruits (1 Cor 15:20), and who sent His Holy Spirit on Shavuot/Pentecost (Acts 2).  Likewise, the Fall Feasts of Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles have yet to be fulfilled, but will be when Yeshua returns as King at the sound of the trumpet (1 Thess 4:16), to judge the earth (2 Cor 5:10), and receive His Bride at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:7-9).

Our position is that God gave these feasts for the sake of being in unity, love, and fellowship with other believers, and to come together in unity to worship God alongside them. Furthermore, the current situation regarding the lack of trust in a central authority to set dates as in ancient Israel poses a problem: It is almost impossible to have 100% accuracy on determining the dates yourself due to a variety of factors. For this reason, we do not believe our interpretation of whether it is “this or that day” is worth coming in the way of fellowship with others, with whom we may differ. One day He will come back to set everything that is uncertain straight again, all will come to Jerusalem in unity, on the same day, to worship. Keep in mind right now we are living in the “dispersion” – God’s people are scattered and in the process of being regathered, and the finalization of this regathering occurs at the Second Coming of Christ.

The vast majority of believers who keep the feasts, keep the feasts according to the Hillel II calendar (currently in use in Israel and by most feast keeping believers). Because of this, we at Rise on Fire have subscribed to the same in order to fellowship with these believers on these beautiful feasts! But if we visit somewhere where they celebrate on a different date based off a different calculation model, we also gladly fellowship and celebrate with these believers! Keep in mind that Yeshua kept the dates set by the authorities in Israel in His day, joining all of Israel’s corporate feast days so He could be a witness to corporate Israel, despite having theological differences with them on various, even serious, topics.

In the current season of God restoring His people back to His feasts, we must remain humble and remember that this restoration remains new to all of us, we all have much to learn as we have been separated from the biblical feast days for millennia. This calls for us to place our differences aside at times to present a Body of Christ to the world that is united in His feasts, not divided, as far as possible. Otherwise, why would their hearts be attracted back to these beautiful feasts of unity?

We know this situation may not be ideal, but we are being tested in it to demonstrate fruits of the Spirit and not to let our pride of “being right” on dates come in the way of what Father’s intention for these feasts were in the first place. If we study the “why” of these feasts, they all have one thing in common: To purge us of all pride and rather to inspire humility. If we try our best at this and hope to learn the spiritual lessons they each teach us, our Father is most pleased.

“I therefore, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3

Let us honor our King in our lives and in our celebrations of His Feast Days, that we may be witnesses of His heart and character to all who see.

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8

We hope this helps your journey!

Many blessings and shalom