God requires us to “bear fruit.” This is not optional. Yeshua got so angry at the Pharisees because of their failure to produce righteousness that he said God would give the kingdom of God to another nation that produces it.
Ecclesiastes is customarily read during Sukkot, the festival of Booths or Tabernacles, to pour a bucket of reality on the rejoicing of the promised time when God will dwell with mankind.
We look for an explanation for the misery and battle between good, bad and evil explored in the book of Ecclesiastes both from the beginning of history and the end. Revelation 21–22 assures us that God will wipe away all tears and there will be no death, mourning, pain or frustration. All those things will pass away. That is what we are all looking forward to when Yeshua will tabernacle with men forever.
Sukkot, the festival of Booths or Tabernacles, is more than just remembering Israel had to live in tents between deliverance from Egypt and entrance into the Promised Land. Part of preparing to live in God’s presence is learning how to keep ourselves “clean” and holy — set apart from the evil of the world while in the world — so that we can prepare for a prophesied time when God’s people will teach the nations.
How would you explain the “feasts to the Lord” to someone who asked you why you observe them (1Tim. 3:15)? What is so important about observing Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) for believers in Yeshua as the Messiah?
Adultery and divorce are rampant problems in modern society, even among the body of believers in Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah. Rather than changing the words of Torah, Prophets and Writings on these two topics, Yeshua closes loopholes in interpretations of adultery laws and expands the meaning of adultery, in keeping with other teachings in the Scriptures.
This month is referred to as the “ingathering” at the end of the year or the end of the cycle of seven appointments with God, the “feasts to the Lord.” What do these times mean? How do we give an answer to someone when they have questions?
The focus of Isaiah 61 is the status of the poor. Notice there are several similarities between that passage and Yeshua’s “happy are”/“woe to” discourse, commonly known as the Beatitudes.