Showing posts with label Tabernacles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tabernacles. Show all posts

Here's When the Biblical Holidays Happen in 2024

Here's When the Biblical Holidays Happen in 2024 | Land of Honey


This is when the Biblical holidays happen in 2024.

If you're looking for next year's dates for Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and the Feast of Tabernacles you have come to the right place. These holidays have historic and prophetic meaning in Scripture and believers today can take part in that by adding these dates to their calendars!

While the Bible gives specific dates for each holiday, the Gregorian calendar doesn't match up with the Creator's calendar so the dates land a little bit differently each year on our modern calendar. There are also a few different ways to calculate the start of the year and because of that some groups will observe them at slightly different times. What I'm sharing here is the most commonly used set of dates. Whether you go by this calendar or another, mark your calendars for these set apart times!

When do the Biblical holidays happen in 2024?

Passover - April 22-23

Unleavened Bread - April 23-30

First Fruits - April 27-28

Shavuot - June 11-13

Feast of Trumpets - October 2-4

Yom Kippur - October 11-12

Feast of Tabernacles - October 16-24

Dates for the Bible holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Feast of Trumpets,  Yom Kippur, and the Feast of Tabernacles for 2024 | Land of Honey


A couple of things about this: according to this calendar, days start in the evening at sundown. This means that Passover starts on the evening of April 22 and goes through the evening of the 23rd. If you do not observe days as starting in the evening, then celebrating Passover the day of April 23rd would be appropriate. This calendar also gives an extra day to both the Feast of Trumpets and Shavuot, even though in the Bible they are both just one day events...feel free to just celebrate the first day of those!

It's also important to note that while all of these are special times, some of these days are considered Sabbaths which means we shouldn't work on them. These Sabbath days are the first and last days of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and the first and last days of Tabernacles. This means that believers should request off from work or arrange to be away from their business on those days, as well as refrain from shopping, errands, and yard or household projects and chores. 

Sabbath days for 2024:

April 23-24
April 29-30
June 11-12
October 2-3
October 11-12
October 16-17
October 23-24

As well as all weekly Sabbaths, of course. 

This is your year to celebrate the Bible holidays!

This is your year to start celebrating the Biblical holidays! | Land of Honey


Related posts:
The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays
Why the Biblical Holidays Are for All Believers
Six Reasons Believers Should Keep the Bible's Holidays Today

Home is Where the Sukkah Is - Free Printable for Sukkot

Home is Where the Sukkah Is | Land of Honey


If you're looking for ways to decorate for Sukkot and the Feast of Tabernacles, this printable has you covered. Simple decorations like this can help spread the festivity of this Biblical holiday and spread the joy and message of that! It couldn't be easier. Just print it off and stick it on your refrigerator or in your cubicle at work. Frame it if you want to. It also works well to put in a sukkah or a camper.

Download this Home is Where the Sukkah is printable for free below!

Home is where the sukkah is. | Land of Honey

Yes, I do realize the picture is a tent and not a sukkah as defined by Jewish law. This is simply meant to be something fun, and if the tent in the picture doesn't work for you and this printable isn't for you, there are no hard feelings. In Scripture the word 'sukkah' means temporary dwelling space, which is an appropriate term for a variety of structures.

Home is where the sukkah is printable for the Feast of Tabernacles | Land of Honey



Click here to download this 'Home is where the sukkah is' printable. It is free for your personal use.

More Feast of Tabernacles:
Sukkot Scavenger Hunt Game
Stargazing Sukkot Party
Things the Messiah Said During Sukkot

The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays

The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays | Land of Honey

This post is an overview of the Biblical holidays from Scripture, explaining what the holidays are according to passages like Leviticus 23, and Deuteronomy 16. These are not traditional Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas, but rather set apart times created by the Living God. We will go over the basics of each holiday from Passover to Shavuot to the Feast of Tabernacles, what happened on them historically and what they symbolize.

In addition to the weekly Sabbath, there are seven different holidays that we are instructed by Scripture to set apart. These times are special, and not only because we are told to celebrate them. Each holiday has significance historically, prophetically, and in the life of the Messiah. Paul wrote in Colossians that these times are a shadow of things to come. That means we have a lot to learn from these holidays.

The Biblical holidays are:

Passover
Feast of Unleavened Bread
First Fruits
The Feast of Weeks / Shavuot / Pentecost
Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah
Day of Covering / Day of Atonement Yom Kippur
Feast of Tabernacles / Sukkot

While specific dates are given in Scripture, the Biblical calendar doesn't mesh perfectly with the Gregorian so the dates move a bit each year. Land of Honey posts the dates for the upcoming holidays at the beginning of each year.

Please note that Bible holidays are for Bible believers. 

Many people are under the mistaken belief that the holidays that YHWH instructed us to keep were somehow only for the Jewish people, but that idea is not supported by Scripture. Deuteronomy 16:14 expressly tells us that foreigners who join the community of YHWH's people should celebrate these days too, so no matter your background, ethnicity, or family traditions the Creator invites you to these times.

Bible holidays are for Bible believers. | Land of Honey




When we learn about each Biblical holiday, we learn more about Scripture. It's truly stunning how much meaning is jam-packed into each of these times. And studying these holidays means we remember what YHWH did on these days. The holidays are, as N.T. Wright says, 'kingdom moments' and God has always performed amazing miracles on these days throughout history. Celebrating these holidays is celebrating what God has done.

A brief overview of the set apart times:

Passover: In the Biblical year Passover is the very first feast. We see the Israelites keep Passover just before the Egyptian exodus. They were instructed to brush the doors of their homes with blood from a lamb, we are reminded that the Messiah was the perfect sacrificial lamb. That's not just an allegory either, Yahusha was killed on Passover. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread: This is a week long celebration that starts the day after Passover. Leavened/yeast bread and other products are forbidden this week. As yeast is a very small ingredient that rabidly transforms all the dough, we are reminded that the small things in our life make a huge impact. And this lack of leaven reminds us to purge the sin from our lives, which is made possible through the Messiah's sacrifice.

First Fruits: This day happens the day after the Sabbath during the week of Unleavened Bread. This is when the first of the barley harvest was to be presented before YHWH. First Fruits is the day the Messiah resurrected from the dead and presented himself to the Father. It is also when we are to start counting fifty days.

Feast of Weeks: Fifty days after First Fruits we are to celebrate Shavuot. This is a day of great significance as the instructions on how to live were given at Mount Sinai and then shortly after the Messiah's ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Shavuot. The Feast of Weeks is a celebration of having God's word and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Feast of Trumpets: The first of the fall feasts, Yom Teruah means something like Day of Sounding. All those verses that talk about a trumpet sounding when the Messiah returns? It will happen on that day. Perhaps the most joyous time in history will be on Yom Teruah at the return of the Messiah!

Yom Kippur: Under the Levitical priesthood this was a very significant day because it's the day that the priests made atonement for all of Israel's sin with the two goats. Today we can celebrate that the Messiah has atoned for our sins. Prophetically, it is thought that this will be the day that the earth is judged and the people who have been atoned for by Messiah will be separated from those who have not.

Feast of Tabernacles
This is a beautiful look ahead to when YHWH will dwell or camp with us. With that in mind, it's no surprise that it is believed the Messiah was born during this time. This eight day celebration usually looks like a camping trip, with the commandment being to dwell in tents. Others build a temporary structure on their property and spend time there throughout Sukkot. We reflect on this world being a temporary place for us, while we look forward to the day when the Messiah returns to dwell with his people!

Passover - Messiah crucified  Unleavened Bread - freedom from sin  First Fruits - Messiah rose to life  Shavuot - Holy Spirit is poured out  Feast of Trumpets - Messiah returns  Yom Kippur - Messiah judges the world  Tabernacles - Messiah dwells with us | Land of Honey



Welcome to My Sukkah

Welcome to My Sukkah | Land of Honey
This is my sukkah this year, come on in and have a look around!

decorate a sukkah with corn | Land of Honey
Since Vayikra 23:39 tells us that Sukkot starts after the corn is harvested, I brought the mini blue popcorn I grew into the sukkah as a beautiful decoration (love that color!) and reminder of YHWH's provision.

All dogs go to Sukkot | Land of Honey
My dog spent a lot of time here.

DIY sukkah decorations | Land of Honey
Before we added the roof made of tree branches I hung sedum flowers from the bamboo.

Scripture study in the sukkah | Land of Honey
As you can see our design is very simple this year. Bamboo polls and twine comprised the structure, while thrifted curtains were the 'walls.'

DIY hanging lanterns for the sukkah | Land of Honey

Simple bamboo and twine dwelling for Sukkot | Land of Honey
This was our temporary dwelling this year. It held up really well (no collapses this time), and I was happy with the design. Obviously it wasn't weatherproof, but I haven't seen a sukkah that is. At night we took in the table and chairs and the blanket we used for a rug. The next day we would take out whatever we felt like. Sometimes the table again, or a chair for reading, or even just the rug. Nothing was too heavy so it worked pretty well.

Sukkot centerpiece made with corn stalks | Land of Honey
This bowl of apples brought such a nice perfume to the sukkah.

Scripture study in the sukkah | Land of Honey
2 Cornithians 5:1 - if our earthly tent is destroyed we have an eternal building from YHWH.

Simple bamboo and twine dwelling for Sukkot | Land of Honey

DIY hanging lanterns for the sukkah | Land of Honey
The lanterns are regular ball jars with twine wrapped around them. The candles are the battery operated kind.

Scripture study in the sukkah | Land of Honey
This was such a peaceful place to study and read or sit and talk.

Menorah Sukkot centerpiece | Land of Honey
He is light.

Bamboo sukkah for Sukkot | Land of Honey


What was your sukkah like this year? I am sharing a few of my favorites next week, so please send me a photo of yours if I can include it!

Things the Messiah Said During Sukkot

What the Messiah had to say during Sukkot | Land of Honey


Did you know the Messiah had a lot to say during the Biblical holiday of Sukkot or Tabernacles? I believe this holiday is significant to the Messiah because at this time we remember that he dwelled with us and will once again come to live amongst us. 

If we study Scripture we can see that the Messiah did keep the feasts, including Sukkot. He would have spent time in a temporary dwelling, he went to the Temple to celebrate with others, and he taught there. We have this special glimpse into his life, because everything he did was within the context of obedience to Scripture. There is added depth to the words of the Messiah when we realize where and when those statements were made. Think of what Sukkot looks like; the temporary dwellings, the four species, and imagine Yahusha in the midst of that speaking these words.

John 7:37 | Land of Honey

Things the Messiah Said During Sukkot:

"If anyone thirsts, let them come to me and drink." -John 7:37
This is a beautiful verse with added meaning: if you wanted to come to the Messiah then and there you would have to come to the feast of Sukkot. And by coming to Sukkot he would refresh and revive you.

"Go up to the festival." -John 7:8
Here is an example of Yahusha verbally encouraging people to keep the feasts of YHWH. When he told his brothers to go up to keep Sukkot, it was not an abstract or simple idea. First of all, it's over 60 miles from the Galilee area to Jerusalem. And Sukkot is also an eight day festival. In essence he was telling them to take their time, money, and resources to honor YHWH. He didn't throw in, "if you want to," or "if it's convenient." The savior told them to celebrate Tabernacles.

"He that believes in me as the Scriptures have said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." -John 7:38
When Yahusha said this the only Scripture that existed is what we now call the Old Testament. He wants us to see that these writings - Genesis, Malachi, Chronicles, everything - are about him. They talk about him, they prophesy of him, they point to him. That includes the feasts. Why would we forgo a commandment of YHWH that points to the Messiah?

"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." - John 7:24
Usually only the first three words of this verse are quoted. The Messiah expects his followers to use discernment when evaluating circumstances and relationships. He expects us to look at an action and be able to tell if it is something that lines up with Scripture or not. As with traffic laws, it is not my responsibility to toll out penalties for violating the rules. But still I can see that running a stop sign is a breach of the law. In the same way, if my friend is driving I won't give them a ticket for speeding but I can suggest they slow down. Yahusha expects us to use righteous discernment in our lives.

"Are you angry that I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath?" -John 7:23
The Messiah asked this question in response to accusations that he was demonically possessed. This is similar to popular responses to those who are seeking to live righteously by keeping YHWH's feasts and such. "You're crazy! You've been deceived into thinking observing the commandments is important." In John 5 he healed a man at another festival of YHWH (which was probably also Sukkot), on Shabbat. This was not a violation of the Torah, but an offensive to rules made up by men. Going against status quo is nearly always upsetting to others.

"The world hates me because I bear witness that its works are wicked." -John 7:7
If you're a Tabernacles celebrator you might feel a little bit out of place at this time of year. What do the neighbors think of the sukkah? Stores are decorated for Halloween. Your coworkers don't quite get the importance of this week for you. Choosing to keep the Biblical holidays points out to others that the typical holidays are not okay.

"My teaching is from the one who sent me." -John 7:16
Here he pointed out that he is teaching is consistent with what YHWH had already commanded throughout Scripture. This is significant because it tells us that Yahusha's instructions line up with YHWH. YHWH wants Sukkot honored, so does the Messiah.

The Messiah encouraged others to keep the Feast of Sukkot - John 7:8 | Land of Honey

Scripture points to the Messiah's birth being during Sukkot as well. Math can be done to figure out when John the Baptist's father served in the Temple, shortly afterwards Elizabeth was pregnant with John. We know that John was six months older than Yahusha, so the family likely had a Passover baby and a Sukkot baby that year. We also see that the Savior was literally born in a sukkah and that the wording of the angel's announcement to the shepherds was very Sukkot-centric.

The Messiah didn't tell us not to judge, but rather to judge righteously. | Land of Honey


Scripture also tell us that during Sukkot The Messiah:

-Went to the temple for Sukkot. -John 7:2

-Taught. -John 7:14

-Sent people to celebrate Sukkot. -John 7:8

-Went to the festival. -John 7:10

"The one who says he lives in him ought to walk as he did." -1 John 2:6


John 7:26 - The Messiah During Sukkot | Land of Honey

Hebrew Holiday Calendar Dates + Printable

The definition of Hebrew is 'one who has crossed over to the other side.' I think that's pretty fitting for the Feast days of YHWH. They're not exactly mainstream. They're about as opposite as possible from that. You don't celebrate the Feasts by accident. It takes deliberate intent and action to leave behind the celebrations of our culture. To cross over. Which is why I've made this printable. Take it and pencil it in on your calendar now, put in for vacation time now. You won't be sorry. It really is a privilege and joy to celebrate YHWH's festivals.

Hebrew Holidays 2016 - free printable | Land of Honey
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These are the traditional dates for the Feasts this year, used by most Messianic and Jewish groups. There is a lot of debate over how this mashes up with the Gregorian calendar so I can't say for certain that these dates are absolutely correct. The second set is inspired by teachings out of Torah to the Tribes. Study for yourself and prayerfully consider when to celebrate the Festivals of YHWH, and then do what you need to be able to celebrate by taking off work, rearranging vacation plans, etc. I don't know if either set is flawless, but we can be joyful that we are taking steps to honor the Word and keep the commanded Feast days.
Hebrew Holidays 2016 | Land of Honey

So how does this work?

For the first set of dates, days start at sundown. Meaning Sukkot starts the evening of October 16 and ends at sundown on October 24.

You will also want to keep in mind that work is not permitted on certain days during the Festivals, similar to a special Shabbat. We should honor YHWH by planning ahead to be free from our professional and home duties on those days.

Passover No Work Days:
April 22 - April 24
April 29 - 30
Work is permitted only April 25 - 28.


Shavuot No Work Days:
June 11 - June 12

Yom Teruah No Work Days:
October 2 - October 3


Yom Kippur No Work Days:
October 11 - October 12


Sukkot No Work Days:
October 16 - October 17
October 23 - October 24

(Again, starting the evening of the first date, and ending the evening of the second date.)


Hebrew Holidays 2016 | Land of Honey
The Torah to the Tribes dates in the second set are morning to morning, with the exception of Yom Kippur, which Scripture says is evening to evening.
Hebrew Holidays 2016 - free printable | Land of Honey
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Click below to download!

Printable calendar in white
Printable calendar in orange
Torah to the Tribes in white
Torah to the Tribes in orange

These are completely free for your personal use.