THE JEWISH FEASTS AND CHRISTIANS

 Lev. 23 The Appointed Festivals

The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Tell the Israelites: You will announce the Lord's chosen festivals as holy meetings. These are my special festivals.

These are often referred to as "God's Calendar of Redeeming Grace." These feasts are an outline of God's redemption program. These forty-four verses tell the plan for the redemption of God's created universe. Paul tells us that they were a shadow of things to come. Cor. 2:16-17

 In the letter of Colossians 2:16-17, Paul writes, Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

 The Law gives commandments regarding holy days. Israel was mandated to remember and keep them year after year. However, Paul warns Christians not to get caught up in judging one another, separating from one another, over who celebrates or eats what. Israel was commanded to keep these feasts because they reflected the mysteries that wanted to reveal to His people in the years to come.

As Christians we see Christ revealed in the Feasts but are not obligated to celebrate these feast.  Many Christians celebrate a watered down version of the Pass Over Feast called the LORD's Supper leaving out many of the spiritual lessons that are found in the complete Pass Over feast.

 Each feast has a historical and memorial context as well as being prophetic. These feasts are not only prophetic, but they get fulfilled at their "appointed time" on the very day it is to be observed. It should be noted that this calendar of God is in a heptadic structure. That means it is built of multiples of seven.

 These are the appointed times [mo'ed] of YHWH which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to YHWH– burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day's matter on its day.

 According to Leviticus 23, there are seven moedim or times appointed by YHWH:

1. PEASCH. Time of Passover (Leviticus 23:4-5).
2. HA'MATZA'OT. Time of Unleavened bread (Leviticus 23:6-8).
3. REHSHEET. Time of First fruits (Leviticus 23:9-11).
4. SHAVUOT. Time of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-18).
5. TERUAH (ROSH HASHANAH). Time of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25).
6. YOM KIPPUR. Time of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-28).
7. SUKKOT. Time of Booths/Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-35, 39-44).

These appointed times are holy or set aside because they are also times when God meets with us. He connects with us, on our level, during these feasts and festivals.

 The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week--the end of a week of days. The feasts also recognize a week of weeks. Shavuot was to be celebrated seven weeks after the Feast of First Fruits. It was called the Feast of Weeks.

 A week of months is also recognized. Yom Teruah is celebrated on the 1st of Tishri, the first month of the civil year but the seventh month of the religious year. Passover is celebrated in Nisan, the first month of the religious year, but the civil year's seventh month.

 The Sabbatical Year is an essential Biblical concept. For six years, the Hebrews were permitted to till the soil and raise crops, but they allowed the land to rest in the seventh year.  

 The climax of the heptadic calendar is found in the Year of Jubilee. Seven years times seven is 49 years on the 50th year, Israel's children were to set all slaves free, forgive all debts, and return the land to its original owners. Peter refers to restitution of all things, the same phrase used in describing the Jubilee Year.

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

 This alone tells us that the heptadic patterns are worth careful attention.

  And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and seasons, and for days, and years: Gen.1:14

 There are 70 appointed times. These include 52 Sabbaths each year and the seven days of Passover, including the related feast days, plus three one day feast: Shavuot, Yom Teruah, and Yom Kippur. The Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, adds seven days plus one day for assembly.   

 52+7+3+7+1=70

 There are seven appointed times. The first three are in the spring: the Passover Feast, the Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits. These all occur in the first month of the religious year, Nisan-- (March and April). Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, falls by itself in the summer, fifty days after the Feast of First Fruits--(May and June). The final three appointed times are held in the fall of the month of Tishri-- (September and October); the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

 Understanding the Jewish Calendar

  The Lunar Cycle

The Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles. Towards the beginning of the moon's cycle, it appears as a thin crescent. That is the signal for a new Jewish month. The moon grows until it is full, the middle of the month, and then it begins to wane until it cannot be seen. It remains invisible for approximately two days2—and then the thin crescent reappears, and the cycle starts again.

 The entire cycle takes approximately 29½ days. Since a month needs to consist of whole days, a month is sometimes twenty-nine days long (such a month is known as "chaser," "missing"), and sometimes thirty (malei, ma-lay "full").

 Knowing exactly when the month begins has always been important in Jewish practice because the Torah schedules the Jewish festivals according to the days of the month.

 The first day of the month and the thirtieth day of a malei month are called Rosh Chodesh, the "Head of the Month," and has semi-festive status. 

 The Jewish Months

Nissan is the first month on the Jewish calendar. Before the Jews left Egypt, on the first day of the month of Nissan, God told Moses and Aaron: "This Chodesh (new moon, or month) shall be to you the head of months." So, the peculiarity of the Jewish calendar: the year begins on Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the month of Tishrei (the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve), but Tishrei is not the first month. Rosh Hashanah is referred to in the Torah as "the first day of the seventh month.

 Four feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost) occur in the spring and early summer. The final three feasts (Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) occur in the fall. Prophetically speaking, Jesus has fulfilled the first four, while the final three await future fulfillment. We are living between #4 and #5. Our Blessed Hope will faithfully fulfill the last three at just the right time!

 Leviticus 23 outlines each of the seven feasts of Israel, and here is the prophetic significance of each:

 Passover. This feast reveals that, just as the blood of the Passover lamb provided deliverance to the captive Israelites in Egypt, Jesus was crucified, becoming our Passover Lamb, at the same time that the lambs were slaughtered for the Passover meal during the feast (John 19:13-14). Indeed, Jesus the Messiah is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), whose blood was sacrificed for our sin.

 Unleavened Bread. In the Bible, leaven is often a picture of sin. But our Messiah was sinless, so He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. In John 12:24, Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." During this feast, Jesus was buried, the "grain of wheat" dying, then bursting forth as the "bread of life." (Jesus declared Himself the bread of life in John 6:35.)

 First Fruits. Jesus died on a cross for our sins, but He rose again as the First Fruits of those who are asleep! (1 Corinthians 15:20) "Those who are asleep" are believers who will be resurrected at the Coming of the LORD! Jesus was the First Fruit, but we will be like Him in the resurrection!

 Pentecost. Occurring 50 days after the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost is the image of the harvest of souls described in Acts 2, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Church. We are currently living in the Church Age, and the prophetic calendar is about to turn the page to the fulfillment of the final three feasts!

 Feast of Trumpets. 

God gave John a vision of this time, which he recorded in the book of Revelation. A large part of God's judgment is described in three series of sevens: the seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. The second of these series, the seven trumpets, is described in Rev. 8:6-9:21 and 11:15-19.

 In his vision, John sees seven angels holding trumpets and standing before God. An eighth angel offers incense at the altar with the prayers of believers. He takes his golden censer filled with fire from the altar and throws it towards the earth (Rev. 8:5-12). Then the first of the seven angels blow his trumpet.

 Trumpet 1: "… hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth". The first trumpet sends hail and fiery blood to the earth, destroying one-third of the trees and grasses. This is similar to the seventh plague God brought upon Egypt (Ex. 9:13-35).

 Trumpet 2: "… a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood". The second trumpet sends a fiery mountain into the sea, killing a third of sea life and destroying a third of the ships on the water. This is similar to the first plague God brought upon Egypt ( Ex. 7:14-25).

 Trumpet 3: "… a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and the springs of water". The third trumpet sends a star named Wormwood to the earth. It poisons the water and makes it bitter, causing many people to die.

 Trumpet 4: "… a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night" (Rev. 8:12). The fourth trumpet takes away a third of all light and makes part of both the day and night completely dark.

 Trumpets five through seven are also known as the "three woes," warning the people of the great pain that is coming (Rev. 8:'13).

 Trumpet 5: "They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone" (Rev. 9:5). The fifth trumpet will send a fallen angel with a key to open the Abyss. From the Abyss will come an army of locusts led by a king named Abaddon. They will look like horses with human faces and women's hair, breastplates of iron, lions' teeth, and scorpion tails. For five months, they will torment anyone who is not a believer with the seal of God on their foreheads. 

 Trumpet 6: "So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind" (Rev. 9:15). The sixth trumpet releases four fallen angels bound at the Euphrates River to lead a significant number of troops into battle to kill a third of humanity. They ride horses and wear red, blue, and yellow breastplates symbolizing the plagues they inflict upon society: fire, smoke, and sulfur.

 Trumpet 7: "There were loud voices in heaven, saying 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 11:17). The seventh trumpet opens the temple of God in heaven, and John sees the ark of the covenant. The people in heaven rejoice, knowing that Jesus will soon conquer Satan and bring an end to the evil on earth, establishing His everlasting kingdom.

 Even after these terrible judgments, many people will not repent of their sins but will continue living in their immorality. Just as the Egyptians' hearts were hardened when God used Moses to bring plagues upon Egypt, so will their hearts be hardened against God. Yet God continues to fight for the salvation of humanity. He will send two witnesses to Jerusalem who will preach and perform miracles. The beast will eventually kill them, but God will resurrect them three days later and take them up into heaven. It is after this that the seventh trumpet is sounded. The next series of judgments is the seven bowls.

 "For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) This feast points very clearly to the Second Coming! Jesus the Messiah is coming for His bride, and the Last trumpet of God will signal His coming!

 Day of Atonement. The Second Coming of Christ. Many Bible scholars believe this will be the Day of Atonement for the Jews who will finally "look upon Me [Jesus] whom they have pierced" (Zechariah 12:10) and recognize Jesus as Messiah (Romans 11:1-6, 25-36).

 Feast of Tabernacles (Booths). During their wilderness wandering, the Israelites lived in tabernacles (booths), as they dwelt near the tabernacle of God. However, the Feast of Tabernacles points to the day when the Lord fulfills His promise to "tabernacle" once again with His people. (Micah 4:1-7) What an incredibly joyous day that will be when we rule and reign with the King of Glory!

 For Jews who are yet to recognize the Messiah, they celebrate these feasts as reverent rituals. As believers in Christ, we study and acknowledge these feasts as confirmation of Jesus Christ's work on our behalf! If we wish to celebrate the final Feast of Trumpets, we must first celebrate the first six! We must be washed by the blood of the Passover Lamb who lived a sinless (unleavened) life and became the First Fruits. That speaks of salvation. Pentecost (pouring out of the Holy Spirit) becomes our inheritance, and we are set apart for His use until the last trumpet sounds, and Christ returns. That spares us from the wrath of God finishes His plan for the Jews (Day of Atonement). Then, and only then, may we thoroughly enjoy the Feast of Tabernacles when we dwell (tabernacle) with the Lord forever! (Psalm 23:6)