ISRAELITE FEASTS
INTERACTIVE BIBLE STUDY
Prophesies reveal various aspects of the plan of salvation through the use of symbols, many of which come from the earthly sanctuary. Even the exact timing of the phases of Christ’s ministry were revealed through the language of the sanctuary (see Daniel 8 and 9). In like manner, the annual Israelite feasts were also symbolic, representing specific events in Christ’s ministry that encompass the plan of salvation.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations...” Leviticus 23:1-2.
To begin, click on the "Start" button. Use the "Next" and "Back" buttons to navigate through the study.
Prophesies reveal various aspects of the plan of salvation through the use of symbols, many of which come from the earthly sanctuary. Even the exact timing of the phases of Christ’s ministry were revealed through the language of the sanctuary (see Daniel 8 and 9). In like manner, the annual Israelite feasts were also symbolic, representing specific events in Christ’s ministry that encompass the plan of salvation.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations...” Leviticus 23:1-2.
To begin, click on the "Start" button. Use the "Next" and "Back" buttons to navigate through the study. Feast #1: Passover
1
"And ye shall keep it [the lamb without blemish] up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses...and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." (Ex. 12:6-13).
2
"For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7). (See also John 13:1, Heb. 11:28)
2
Christ’s death on the cross in the spring of 31 AD fulfilled the symbolism of this feast, by delivering believers from sin and death. Christ died in the late afternoon on the 14th day of the 1st month of the Jewish calendar, fulfilling this symbolic feast on the exact day it was celebrated
(John 19:14).
Feast #2: Unleavened Bread
1
"Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off form Israel" (Ex. 12:15).
1
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was celebrated for one week, beginning on the 15th day of the first month of the Jewish year.
This feast started with the eating of the passover lamb, along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The Israelites would make bread with absolutely no leaven, even being careful to sweep away any trace of it (Ex. 12:15-20). This was in memory of the haste in which Israel left Egypt (Ex. 12:33-34, 39, Deut. 16:3).
2
"Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8).
2
Leaven symbolizes wickedness (I Cor. 5:8), false doctrine (Matt. 16:6, 12, Mark 8:15), greed (Matt. 23:14, hypocrisy (Matt: 23:25-28) and evil in general, from which we are to leave behind in haste. The absence of leaven represents Christ’s perfect character and was fulfilled when Christ died, having not sinned His whole life. Because of His sinless life and victory over death, He is able to substitute His righteousness in place of our sinfulness, cleanse us from sin and change our character into His likeness.
Feast #3: Firstfruits/Wavesheaf
1
"...then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it" (Lev. 23:10-11).
1
Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the 16th day of 1st month.
2
"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept...But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming" (1 Cor. 15:20,23).
"For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches" (Rom. 11:16).
2
Jesus fulfilled this feast when He was resurrected on the 16th day of the first month and presented to our Father in heaven, exactly when this feast was held. Just like the symbolic ceremony of waving the first fruit gave promise of the harvest to come, Jesus’ resurrection is the pledge of the harvest to come when the righteous dead are raised at Christ’s second coming.
Feast #4: Weeks/Harvest
1
"Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord" (Lev. 23:16).
1
The Feast of Weeks/Harvest (Ex. 23:16) was held in the third month on day six of the Jewish calendar. This was 50 days after the Wave Sheaf celebration.
2
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting...And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:1-4).
2
In the New Testament, this Feast of Weeks was called Pentecost, and its symbolism was fulfilled exactly 50 days after Christ rose from the grave. On this day, Christ’s anointing as our heavenly High Priest enabled Him to pour out the Holy Spirit on the disciples. The Holy Spirit is one of the great gifts from Christ, and the Holy Spirit imparts gifts to the church. This outpouring of the spirit during Pentecost, converted 3000 souls on that day, and continues to empower the church in the harvest of souls (Ephes 4:8-11, Luke 11:13).
Feast #5: Trumpets
1
"In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation" (Lev. 23:24).
1
The Feast of Trumpets was observed during the first 10 days of the 7th month of the Jewish calendar.
God instructed the Israelites to observe this feast with a blowing of trumpets. The word translated to “blowing the trumpets” is truwah, which means clamor, battle-cry, alarm, joy or sounding. As an example, when the Israelites defeated Jericho, they marched around the city for seven days and then shouted with a great “truwah”. The walls of Jericho fell down flat. The blowing of trumpets represents warnings, judgment, a time of testing and preparation, and the climactic shout of alarm or victory that occurs right before a significant event.
The 10 days of this feast were a time of warning and preparation leading up to the Day of Atonement.
2
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Rev. 14:6-7).
2
As previously studied in the presentation on the 2300 days, the Day of Atonement was prophetically fulfilled beginning in 1844. Just like the Feast of Trumpets sounded the warning to prepare the Israelites for the earthly Day of Atonement, the prophetic fulfillment of the Feast of trumpets can be seen in the loud and widely proclaimed warning message of pending judgment given prior to 1844.
The message had long been building momentum and greatly intensified in urgency just prior to the event. Revelation 14 also describes this event as the first angel’s message, who loudly announces “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” Even though the people giving the message mistakenly believed that Christ would come to earth in 1844 instead of coming to the ancient of Days in the Most Holy place of the Heavenly Sanctuary (Dan. 7:13), they still delivered the message of pending judgment loudly and clearly.
Feast #6: Day of Atonement
1
"And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein" (Num. 29:7).
1
The Israelites kept the Day of Atonement on the 10th day of the 7th month of the Jewish calendar.
2
"For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord...And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation...to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year" (Lev. 16:30-34).
2
This was a solemn day of judgment for the Israelites. Those who did not afflict [look down, humble, weaken, answer, chasten self] his/her soul that day would be cut off (Lev. 16:29, 23:27-29). This was the only day of the year that the high priest would enter into the Most Holy compartment of the Sanctuary (note: throughout the rest of the year, he would minister daily in the Holy compartment). On the Day of Atonement, he would first make atonement through sprinkling of blood for himself and for his household. Then, he would not only make atonement for the people, but also for the sanctuary itself. This was necessary because throughout the year, confessed sins were transferred symbolically to the sanctuary. Now full atonement would be made and the sins removed completely.
3
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Dan. 8:14).
"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Heb. 8:1-2).
3
In review of the previous presentation on the 2300 Days, the date of 1844 as a prophetic fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is calculated based on prophecies in Daniel 8 and 9. The 2300 days (prophetic years) are added to the starting date of 457 BC (the comprehensive decree to restore and build Jerusalem). More precisely, the date of October 22, 1844 is the tenth day of the seventh month according to the Jewish calendar, as kept by the orthodox Karaite Jews.
The "sanctuary being cleansed", when used in prophecy, refers to the sanctuary in heaven, in which Jesus has been mediating since His ascension. Let's look next at what it means for a sanctuary to be cleansed...
Feast #6: Day of Atonement
1
“Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” (Acts 17:31).
1
he Hebrew word for “cleansed” in Daniel 8:14 is “tsadaq” and is associated with concepts such as justice, judgment, vindication, cleansing, and salvation. It indicates a restoration of the order established by God through a work of cleansing and judgment. As we've seen, the earthly sanctuary was patterned after the true tabernacle, the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 8:1-2).
2
"I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins" (Is. 43:25).
2
The process in the earthly sanctuary of finally removing sins from the sanctuary that were previously forgiven, is also what happens in the heavenly sanctuary. Those who have accepted Christ are investigated, and their previously forgiven sins are forever blotted out of remembrance (Is. 43:25, Heb. 10:17-18). The righteous principles of Christ’s kingdom and His people, are vindicated. Justice wins!
3
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).
“In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found” (Jer. 50:20) (see also Jer. 31:34).
3
With His continual ministry, Christ assumes responsibility for the sins of His people. But, during the Day of Atonement, sin is removed from the heavenly sanctuary, revealing God to be totally unrelated to the cause of sin (note that this doesn't change the fact that He paid the penalty for our sins). This is a time of investigation and judgment “...the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Dan. 7:10). When the heavenly judgment is done and rewards are determined, then Christ will come again (Rev. 22:12).
Feast #7: Tabernacles
1
“Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God) (Lev. 23:41-42).
1
Feast of Tabernacles (or Ingathering) was celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. During this feast, the Israelites were commanded to dwell in booths for seven days in memory of God’s protection while they were in the wilderness.
The word translated to “booth” is “sukkah” and means a hut, tabernacle, tent or cottage. This reminded them of how God was with them in the wilderness and dwelt with them in His own tabernacle. God’s presence, called the “Shekinah,” actually dwelt in the Most Holy place of the earthly sanctuary above the Ark of the Covenant.
2
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle...” (Ex. 25:8-9).
2
So, in the prophetic fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus (who just entered the Most Holy place during the Heavenly Day of Atonement) again dwells with us in the Most Holy Place, but now in the Heavenly sanctuary. He is leading and protecting us during our journey to the promised land in heaven and ultimately to this earth made new.
Summary
#1 - The Passover (14th day of 1st month)
Christ died on the cross, paying the penalty for the sins of His followers.
#2 - Feast of Unleavened Bread (15th to 22nd days of the 1st month)
Christ lived a life without sin, making it possible for His followers to claim His perfection.
#3 - Feast of Firstfruits (16th day of 1st month)
Christ is resurrected, giving promise of a resurrection for His followers.
#4 - Feast of Weeks (50 days after Firstfruits)
Christ is anointed and gives the Holy Spirit to His church to enable them to spread the gospel.
Christ died on the cross, paying the penalty for the sins of His followers.
#2 - Feast of Unleavened Bread (15th to 22nd days of the 1st month)
Christ lived a life without sin, making it possible for His followers to claim His perfection.
#3 - Feast of Firstfruits (16th day of 1st month)
Christ is resurrected, giving promise of a resurrection for His followers.
#4 - Feast of Weeks (50 days after Firstfruits)
Christ is anointed and gives the Holy Spirit to His church to enable them to spread the gospel.
#5 - Feast of Trumpets (day 1-10 of 7th month)
Christ tests His people and sends warnings, preparing them for the pending judgment.
#6 - Day of Atonement (10th day of 7th month)
Christ moves into the Most Holy Place and begins judgment, advocating for His followers.
#7 - Feast of Tabernacles (day 15- 22 of 7th month)
Christ dwells with His people from the Most Holy Place during their journey to the promised land, leading and protecting.
The feasts provide an awesome portrayal of how Christ is working to restore His people. The feasts were each symbolic of very real aspects of the plan of salvation, revealing critical keys to understanding prophecy.
End of Study
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
The Jewish observance of Passover was in commemoration of their birth as a nation, when God delivered from Egyptian slavery all those who sprinkled their doorposts with the blood of a slain lamb.