Hi Friend,

It may seem strange to some, but this season marks the beginning of the year.  Since it makes more sense for the year to begin in spring than in the dead of winter, God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites that the Passover season would designate the beginning of the year.

The parallel for Christians is that our life begins with Jesus, the Passover Lamb.  We are at the beginning of the yearly cycle starting with Passover and continuing through fall, ending with the Feast of Tabernacles, which symbolizes the return of the Messiah to reign on earth.

The yearly repetition has a discernable meaning to students of the Bible because it reveals a fundamental aspect of the nature of God.  The cyclical pattern of teaching has purpose.

When God chose to reveal to His servant Daniel the successive empires of power that would exist from Daniel’s day until the 2nd Coming, He revealed it through different dreams, each having the same meaning.  When the message is important God repeats it for emphasis.

Pharaoh dreamed dreams that could not be explained by his counselors, so he called Joseph to explain their meaning. It was the same dream repeated with different characters. But here we’re given the explanation of WHY God does it this way.  Joseph explained to Pharaoh, “And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.” (Gen. 41:32 NRSV)

Joseph’s answer gives us a deep insight into the mind of God.  The annual repetition of the Holy Days provides a powerful explanation about the immutable nature of God’s Plan. If a dream doubled means that a matter is fixed in the mind of God, how much more certain is the plan echoed by Holy Days recurring for 3,500 years?

As we walk through the Holy Days that are repeated yearly, it would be good to take Joseph’s words to heart.  For nearly 6,000 years God has spoken a consistent message.  God walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve and taught them the underlying morality of the universe.  He revealed it to Abraham, to Moses, to all the prophets and to Jesus and the twelve apostles.

It’s a great message!  He is still revealing it through the Holy Days. You can hear more about it at Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien