THE APPOINTED TIMES
When we focus our mind on the Word of God in the appointed times we come to see the incredible revelations of God for the end times, the Revelation is entirely formed in the revelation of these things that God presented in the past as shadows, but Paul says, "the body is Christ" Colossians: 2:16-17
For God the Eternal Spirit presents Christ in various ways since His birth, suffering, sacrifice and death, also extending to His resurrection until His second coming to the establishment of His Kingdom.
When we look at (Lv.23 Det.16 Joel 2 Hosea.6 Is.51), we begin to see God's purpose, all this will be added in Revelation, and there will be the revelation of these times
Because there the reality is shown, that is why you need to understand the prophecies cited by the prophets and the application of things in the Law executed by the children of Israel, for you to understand, Paul's letters, for example; they are full of citations of God's laws concerning the appointed times, Paul speaks about planting (harvest 1Cor.3:9), Harvest, planting of wheat and also speaks of God's house, all this is a reflection of God's law, for there are two ways for you to see the Old Testament, literal and spiritual, when He spoke of His house it was in the spiritual sense and Paul highlights this, in 2 Cor. 3:13-18 Paul says that those who are under the Law (first covenant) have a veil over their heart, when they convert to Christ the veil falls from them and they begin to see Christ, because the shadow goes away and they come to see the reality which is Christ because they were bound to the shadow, but coming to the reality which is Christ, in His sacrifice His blood is sprinkled on the mind of man erases the shadows purifies the altar (spiritual house), causes man to change his life and his habits, this is the benefit that the blood of Christ provides us as the Lamb of God to purify us from our sins, when we read the scriptures with our spirit turned toward God, we observe what beautiful revelations were given to us in the resurrection and much more will be given to us at the moment of His coming, you will see that in the Law when the High Priest came out of the Holy of Holies with the sin of the people atoned for (this will be fulfilled in Christ's return for that was shadows). Heb.9..
In Daniel's 70 weeks and the seven Wonders (Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, for 1- to finish the transgression, 2- and to make an end of sins, 3- and to make reconciliation for iniquity, 4- and to bring in everlasting righteousness, 5- and to seal up the vision 6- and prophecy, 7- and to anoint the most Holy. Dn9:24).
But this is a more detailed subject that takes more time.
But let us see some texts that will express this idea of this study
In reality when we speak of shadows we are trying to say types or a sample of what will be, so God wants us to look at the old covenant to see the new.
Example: Christ is our High Priest who is at the right hand of God, and looking there in the law about the high priest, we see that His bride would have to be a pure virgin, could not be a widow or betrothed to another but, a spotless virgin (Lev.21:7,8), and at this point we see that Christ has a bride set apart for Him, a virgin without blemish Eph.5:27 this is just one of the points, see that John the Baptist calls Him bridegroom (John 3:29) and as a farmer and reaper the one who has the sickle that reaps his wheat into the barn but separates the chaff to burn (Mt.3:12), when John speaks this he has in mind a planting of wheat and the appointed time of the harvest this is the law the Feasts appointed by God, because you will see that it speaks of firstfruits, of harvests, and the feast of firstfruits was presented the first fruits of the harvests and only ended at the feast of tabernacles, but for there to be harvests there had to be rains (early and late), all this does not happen by chance for God is speaking to us by means of figures, observing this we will see what the Apostle Paul tells us, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ; For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; Col. 2:8,9" in Hb. 9 it says that "the earthly sacrifices did not perfect anyone in the execution of them", but rather we in Christ are being perfected because from Him comes the fullness, this perfection the change of consciousness of man also, here he presents us a key point that if you have the law in mind you will be able to understand what he wants to say here "in Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ", this here is a beautiful revelation that passes unnoticed by the minds of many because, because when you speak of circumcision you have to have in mind all of God's law, Paul says that everyone who allows himself to be circumcised will have to fulfill all that the Law says, so when he speaks of circumcising not in the law but in Christ, you have to have the reality in mind because just as in the first covenant you were circumcised you were obliged to obey all the ordinances of the law (Gal.5:3), beginning with Passover the first feast the beginning of the cycle Passover, unleavened bread, firstfruits, Pentecost and so on, but in Christ it is no longer the shadows so when he is circumcised in Christ it is no longer shadow but the reality Christ our Passover (Lamb), unleavened bread, firstfruits.....
In the first covenant the one who was circumcised became part of Israel there was no more difference between the foreigner and the natural Israelite, so also the circumcision in Christ which is that of the heart puts us at peace with God making us part of God's citizenship (Ephesians 2: 11 to 15), making us part of Israel with no more difference between Jews and Gentiles this is part of the covenant that God promised new covenant with the two houses of Israel (Judah and Benjamin first house, Ephraim representing the second house with Gentiles and the nine tribes) that is why the introduction of the Gentiles in the new covenant (Jer. 31:31) there was a body in formation pointing to a reality the shadows pointed to the real that is Christ, that is why in Hebrews ch. 9 details to us about these things since the Tabernacle its offices, today we understand all that they did but for them a veil was placed, and Paul could understand and pass to us that those things were shadows of things that would happen but the body was Christ, he speaks of the feasts beginning with Passover (Christ our Passover) unleavened bread, (bread without leaven) Firstfruits (death and resurrection) and Pentecost (endowment of power) Trumpets (preaching of the Gospel) Period in which the High Priest is in the Holy of Holies Atoning for Sin until the return of Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom (feast of Tabernacles), all this is exemplified in the feasts, we can see all this placed by Paul in his letters, see what he says in 1 Cor. 5:7-9 he speaks of this feast not literal but transposing the shadow to the reality that is to the spiritual, a new lump without sin that is why he says "purge out the leaven" that is sin the bread is Christ but the lump comes first and before the lump comes the wheat and looking from this angle we see the wheat being planted John 12:24 when Christ man was cast into the ground would have to die, then see what Paul is revealing that the grain died born many grains was ground kneaded to form the bread (body of Christ) without sin (without leaven) we see this cycle in the feasts the lamb in Egypt was slain to deliver Israel from wrath, the blood of the Lamb was the barrier that prevented death from entering the house and the flesh was the food to keep them strong and fit for the journey that would begin toward Canaan, when we read Ch. 15 of 1 Corinthians we find the firstfruits when there in Lv. 23 we see priest present the sheaf (wave offering) so that the people would be accepted this happened on the first day after the Sabbath, we see Pentecost is when God accepts the people (endowment of power), is when Christ in glory at the right hand of God fulfills the promise in His heavenly ministry as High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek, pours out the Holy Spirit upon the Church for just as Aaron was anointed with Oil upon his head and it descended to the body, this was the figure of Christ and the Church for Christ is the Head and the Church is His Body and being He anointed the body also receives the anointing we see this at Pentecost, endowment of power, so we observe; Passover represents Christ sacrificed and dead, Unleavened bread represents Christ taking away sin, Firstfruits represents Christ the Firstfruit of God, (the sheaf of the wave offering), what is this?.. well the children of Israel received the statute of the law that; when he entered the land he should observe this commandment of the first fruits of the earth every year, at the beginning of the harvest separated the first fruits to the Lord, as this offering came represented by the twelve tribes the Priest took a bound sheaf and waved it before God as if to say behold here Lord the offering of the field that the people brought to you (this sheaf represented the Messiah) from this day the people counted seven weeks of Sabbath the following day fiftieth day that is the first day of the week was the Pentecost (in Greek), this period is called in Hebrew: SHAVUOT - THE FEAST OF WEEKS and thus we see something wonderful, the Messiah as Lamb of God, in the tomb as Unleavened bread (we know that the grain of wheat when kneaded ground generates flour and flour the Bread and Bread goes to the oven-tomb), in the resurrection as Firstfruits to God representing us, and in Pentecost the anointing of the Church confirming that we were accepted: After the Firstfruits count the Omer (sheaf), the counting of the 50 days is called "counting the Omer", counting the sheaves. The nation of Israel was resurrected when it came out of the waters of the Red Sea and 50 days later God gave them the Law, the Torah. Jesus rose again and 50 days later God granted us the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit). Both cases cited have the same purpose (John 16.13-14 and Galatians 5.22-23). To be partakers of the Divine nature (2 Peter 2:4) These four stages have been fulfilled there are still three remaining which are: Trumpets or Yom Teruah (The Day of the Resounding Awakening), Atonement or Yom Kippur (day of forgiveness-covering of sin) and the Feast of Tabernacles or SUKKOT.
This subject will be our next study
Pr. José Ramos