God's Appointed Times: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays [Paperback]

Barney Kasdan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1993

The biblical holy days are not just for Jews. Christians, too, can receive the blessing of these glorious days, the greatest object lessons in the Bible.

God gave each day to teach his people about him and his relationship to them. From the Sabbath, which pictures eternity, to the popular holiday, Hanukkah, mentioned by name only in the gospel of John, the special times were set apart to bless the people of God.

In this book, Barney Kasdan, leader of Kehilat Ariel of San Diego, one of the largest Messianic congregations in the world, explains every holy day described in Scripture. He teaches about the major and minor holy days, ever mindful that he is writing to both Jews and Christians.

Beginning with the Sabbath, the first holy day revealed in Scripture, he writes about Passover, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hanukkah—the Festival of Dedication, and Purim, the special day given in the time of Queen Esther.

Each chapter offers historical background, traditional Jewish observance, relevance to the New Testament, prophetic significance, and a practical guide for believers, including recipes, songs, and crafts.

There are other books on the subject of the Feasts of Israel, but this one goes beyond them all. It is written by a Messianic Jew, a Jew who trusts Yeshua. Who better to explain God's Appointed Times?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The biblical holy days are not just for Jews. Christians, too, can receive the blessing of these glorious days, the greatest object lessons in the Bible.

God gave each day to teach his people about him and his relationship to them. From the Sabbath, which pictures eternity, to the popular holiday, Hanukkah, mentioned by name only in the gospel of John, the special times were set apart to bless the people of God.

In this book, Barney Kasdan, leader of Kehilat Ariel of San Diego, one of the largest Messianic congregations in the world, explains every holy day described in Scripture. He teaches about the major and minor holy days, ever mindful that he is writing to both Jews and Christians.

Beginning with the Sabbath, the first holy day revealed in Scripture, he writes about Passover, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, The Feast of Tabernacles, Hanukkah—the Festival of Dedication, and Purim, the special day given in the time of Queen Esther.

Each chapter offers historical background, traditional Jewish observance, relevance to the New Testament, prophetic significance, and a practical guide for believers, including recipes, songs, and crafts.

There are other books on the subject of the Feasts of Israel, but this one goes beyond them all. It is written by a Messianic Jew, a Jew who trusts Yeshua. Who better to explain God's Appointed Times?

From the Author

Throughout Church history, there has been a chasm of misunderstanding between the Church and the Jewish people. Both Christians and Jews have falsely concluded that there is little real or practical connection between Christianity and Jewish life. However, these views are based on either ignorance or false presuppositions.

As one objectively studies the New Testament, one finds there is no escaping the inherent Jewishness of faith in Yeshua, the Messiah. Jesus himself was a traditional Jew living in the land of Israel. He called other Jews to follow him as Mashiach (Messiah), the anointed one from God. His early followers considered themselves to be Jews who had found the promised Messiah; hence, they naturally continued the Jewish expression of their faith.

It is, I believe, a tragedy that the Christian community has not understood, for the most part, the rich heritage on which its faith is built. Many believers, however, rediscovering these connections, are wondering just how they can understand the Jewishness of their faith in a practical way. The biblical holy days are a pragmatic way. These feasts were revealed by God for his own particular reasons, and through them all believers can be blessed, Jews and Gentiles.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 155 pages
• Publisher: Messianic Jewish Resources International (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880226545
• ISBN-13: 978-1880226544
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Holidays

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating reading..., April 15, 2000

By 

"shofar" - See all my reviews

This review is from: God's Appointed Times: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays (Paperback)

Written from a Messianic Jewish perspective, this book is an excellent introduction to both the spring and fall feasts of the Lord. The reader is guided through the history, prophetic significance, traditional Jewish observance, and New Testament observance. The author also explains how the holy days can be celebrated today by all believers in Yeshua Ha Meshiach. He even includes games, music, and recipes. The Gentile believers in Yeshua will be fascinated by the discovery of their Jewish heritage, and will understand more of what their Bibles are telling them. This is a must-have reference for the Christian's bookshelf, along with "God's Appointed Customs" by the same author. You may also want to check out "The Feasts Of The Lord" by Marvin Rosenthal.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Jewish Feasts for Today, March 30, 2003

By 

Donald S. Meador "imthman" (Novo Hamburgo, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: God's Appointed Times: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays (Paperback)

Barney Kasdan has given us a valuable book on the Lord's Feasts of the Old Testament. He writes as a Messianic Jew - a Jew who has come to believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah. His goal for writing the book is to acquaint Christians with the Jewish Feasts.

He examines the seven Feasts of the Lord found in Leviticus 23. He presents historical background, traditional Jewish observance (both Old Testament and rabbinic tradition), New Testament observance/significance, and prophetic fulfillment.

Kasdan intended this book to be a practical guide to the feasts. He suggests ways in which each of the holy days can be observed by believers in order to deepen their understanding of what God has done and will do. He includes recipes and crafts for each of the holy days.

At first, I thought this book was a little simplistic. Then, I read three others related to the same feasts. Kasdan has given us the most readable book of the lot. Two of the others that I read were primarily focused on the prophecy of the feasts - to me that took away from their practicality for today. I believe Kasdan has given us the better basic introduction for believers who want to know more about their Jewish heritage, without getting bogged down in prophetic studies based on typology and numerology.

I highly recommend this book as your starting place for learning more about the Feasts - God's Appointed Times.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUtstanding! A clear, useful description of Biblical "Times, June 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: God's Appointed Times: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays (Paperback)

A book that should be read by every believer - and those interested in opening their mind to the possibilities of belief - of the revelance of the Biblical holy days/holidays for us today. Clear and concise, it would benefit from being a bit longer at times, but is an asset to anyone's library.