Fifteen hundred years before the birth of the Messiah. The seven feasts foretold, in type, the major redemptive works of His life. The four spring feasts relate to His first coming . His death was depicted in Passover. That His body would not decay in the grave is seen in Unleavened Bread. His resurrection is illustrated in First Fruits and the commencement of the church and the new covenant is typified in the Feast of Weeks. The three fall feasts portray events to be associated with His Second Coming. The Feast of Trumpets depicts the rapture of the church. The Day of Atonement points to a large number of people, both Jew and Gentile who will be saved when they see Him coming. The Feast of Tabernacles speaks of the day when the Messiah Himself will tabernacle among men and usher in the millennium.
I will give a brief overview of the first four spring feasts which were fulfilled in the earthly life of the Messiah and go into more detail with the three fall feasts which depict specific events related to His Second Coming and form the basis of the "Blessed Hope"and relate to Bible prophecy.
1. Passover - This is the foundational feast. The other six are built on it. It begins on Nisan 14, the start of the Jewish "religious" new year. The dates on our calendar do not directly correspond with their calendar so the actual date they fall on, in March/April of our calendar changes from year to year. This feast began just before the Jews began their 40 year Exodus journey through the wilderness after their escape from Israel when they were told to cover their doorposts with lamb‘s blood so the angel of death would not take their first born son as he did the Egyptians. This is aka Redemption.
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread - proclaims that Messiah’s physical body would not experience the ravages of death within the grave. It is on the 15th of Nisan. This is aka Sanctification.
3. The Feast of First Fruits - typifies that Jesus was the First Fruit of Resurrection. This event occurs on the 16th of Nisan.
4. The Feast of Weeks - comes 50 days after First Fruits on Sivan 6 and is aka Pentecost. In the sacrifices, two loaves were offered, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. This feast symbolizes the Origination of the Coming of the Holy Spirit.
5. The Feast of Trumpets - aka Rosh Hashanah or "Head of the Year". This holiday is celebrated on the 1st & 2nd of Tishri, the religious 7th month and the first month of their "civil" new year. It is celebrated alongside Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The interval between the last of the spring feasts - Pentecost and the first of the fall feasts - Trumpets corresponds to this present age. Pentecost began the Church age and Trumpets, which will signal the Messiah‘s Second Coming will end it. This is the last "trump" spoken of in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thess. 4:16, not the seventh trumpet judgment in Revelations.
The blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel had three primary functions. The first was to call a solemn assembly, the second, when Israel under Divine direction was to go to war and the third was at the coronation of a new king. There are two major themes associated with The Day of the Lord. The first is deliverance of the righteous and the second is the judgment of the wicked. In connection with His Second Coming, Jesus will first call His own to Himself, the Rapture, and then will go to war against His enemies, concluding with His Coronation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This date corresponds on our calendar to September/October. It is also known as Israel‘s "Dark Day". It is the only feast that occurs at the new moon when the primary night light of the heavens is darkened. Amos 5:18-20, Zeph. 1:14-16. As the new moon is darkened so will the heavens be divinely darkened at the future Day of the Lord. Joel 2:31, 3:15 and Rev. 6:12-17. God’s wrath will be on both the world and Israel to prepare her for repentance and her National Day of Atonement, the 6th feast. At the "last trump", the Lord Himself will blow the trumpet, Zech. 9:14 and not an angel as depicted in Revelations. This last time that God blows the trumpet will signal the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord’s wrath upon the earth. 1Cor. 15:51-52 and 1 Thess. 4:16-17.
6. Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement, arrives on the 10th day of Tishri, the 7th month. On a future day, this feast will see its fulfillment as prophesied in Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." After that Zech.14:9 tells us that, "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name the only name." This is also depicted in Rom. 11:26, "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; and he will turn godlessness away from Jacob."
7. The Feast of Tabernacles - aka Sukkot: This is the most joyous and festive of all Israel‘s feasts. It is the most prominent and is mentioned more in scripture than any other. It occurs on the 15th day of Tishri, the 7th month. It lasts seven days and is a reminder of God‘s provision during their 40 year wilderness journey. It is also known as The Feast of Ingathering and is after the fall harvest. It corresponds on our calendar to late September/early October. The day after, the 8th day is a Sabbath. This feast depicts the Harvest of His people. Mal. 4:1-2, Is. 27:12-13, 11:11-12 and Jer. 23:7-8. That He will tabernacle with them is foretold in Ez. 37:27-28 and Rev.21:3. I believe this is also a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Another holiday that isn‘t in scripture but may have significance in the future is Hanukkah, which is on the 25th day of Kislev, the 9th month and is 75 days after Yom Kippur. While this is held in remembrance of the time in the Maccabean period when one days worth of oil lasted for eight days in the temple, it could also come to symbolize the time when Jesus will become the Light of the World as stated in Rev.21:23, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."
*some excerpts taken from, "The Feasts of Israel" by Marv Rosenthal
I will give a brief overview of the first four spring feasts which were fulfilled in the earthly life of the Messiah and go into more detail with the three fall feasts which depict specific events related to His Second Coming and form the basis of the "Blessed Hope"and relate to Bible prophecy.
1. Passover - This is the foundational feast. The other six are built on it. It begins on Nisan 14, the start of the Jewish "religious" new year. The dates on our calendar do not directly correspond with their calendar so the actual date they fall on, in March/April of our calendar changes from year to year. This feast began just before the Jews began their 40 year Exodus journey through the wilderness after their escape from Israel when they were told to cover their doorposts with lamb‘s blood so the angel of death would not take their first born son as he did the Egyptians. This is aka Redemption.
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread - proclaims that Messiah’s physical body would not experience the ravages of death within the grave. It is on the 15th of Nisan. This is aka Sanctification.
3. The Feast of First Fruits - typifies that Jesus was the First Fruit of Resurrection. This event occurs on the 16th of Nisan.
4. The Feast of Weeks - comes 50 days after First Fruits on Sivan 6 and is aka Pentecost. In the sacrifices, two loaves were offered, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. This feast symbolizes the Origination of the Coming of the Holy Spirit.
5. The Feast of Trumpets - aka Rosh Hashanah or "Head of the Year". This holiday is celebrated on the 1st & 2nd of Tishri, the religious 7th month and the first month of their "civil" new year. It is celebrated alongside Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The interval between the last of the spring feasts - Pentecost and the first of the fall feasts - Trumpets corresponds to this present age. Pentecost began the Church age and Trumpets, which will signal the Messiah‘s Second Coming will end it. This is the last "trump" spoken of in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thess. 4:16, not the seventh trumpet judgment in Revelations.
The blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel had three primary functions. The first was to call a solemn assembly, the second, when Israel under Divine direction was to go to war and the third was at the coronation of a new king. There are two major themes associated with The Day of the Lord. The first is deliverance of the righteous and the second is the judgment of the wicked. In connection with His Second Coming, Jesus will first call His own to Himself, the Rapture, and then will go to war against His enemies, concluding with His Coronation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This date corresponds on our calendar to September/October. It is also known as Israel‘s "Dark Day". It is the only feast that occurs at the new moon when the primary night light of the heavens is darkened. Amos 5:18-20, Zeph. 1:14-16. As the new moon is darkened so will the heavens be divinely darkened at the future Day of the Lord. Joel 2:31, 3:15 and Rev. 6:12-17. God’s wrath will be on both the world and Israel to prepare her for repentance and her National Day of Atonement, the 6th feast. At the "last trump", the Lord Himself will blow the trumpet, Zech. 9:14 and not an angel as depicted in Revelations. This last time that God blows the trumpet will signal the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord’s wrath upon the earth. 1Cor. 15:51-52 and 1 Thess. 4:16-17.
6. Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement, arrives on the 10th day of Tishri, the 7th month. On a future day, this feast will see its fulfillment as prophesied in Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." After that Zech.14:9 tells us that, "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name the only name." This is also depicted in Rom. 11:26, "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; and he will turn godlessness away from Jacob."
7. The Feast of Tabernacles - aka Sukkot: This is the most joyous and festive of all Israel‘s feasts. It is the most prominent and is mentioned more in scripture than any other. It occurs on the 15th day of Tishri, the 7th month. It lasts seven days and is a reminder of God‘s provision during their 40 year wilderness journey. It is also known as The Feast of Ingathering and is after the fall harvest. It corresponds on our calendar to late September/early October. The day after, the 8th day is a Sabbath. This feast depicts the Harvest of His people. Mal. 4:1-2, Is. 27:12-13, 11:11-12 and Jer. 23:7-8. That He will tabernacle with them is foretold in Ez. 37:27-28 and Rev.21:3. I believe this is also a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Another holiday that isn‘t in scripture but may have significance in the future is Hanukkah, which is on the 25th day of Kislev, the 9th month and is 75 days after Yom Kippur. While this is held in remembrance of the time in the Maccabean period when one days worth of oil lasted for eight days in the temple, it could also come to symbolize the time when Jesus will become the Light of the World as stated in Rev.21:23, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."
*some excerpts taken from, "The Feasts of Israel" by Marv Rosenthal
