“And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts’.” Leviticus 23:1-2
The Hebrew word for “holy” is ( קָדוֺשׁ kadosh ) and “convocation” is ( כִינוּס keenoos ). It is often misinterpreted that these feasts are called the Feasts of Israel. They are feasts of the LORD. What is the big deal? Whether the God of Israel or the children of God?
It is a very big deal. These belong to God. The Israelites are told to “keep” these holy. They are reminders of God’s “holy appointments”. Ephesians 1:4 says that we “are chosen in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world.” What does that mean?
Before God created the first cornerstone of creation, He chose you and me, knowing we would ALL turn away from Him in sin. That choice required Him to become our sin and DIE IN OUR PLACE. With that decision, (ready for this?) He “placed” the date on His eternal calendar, and then He created that first cornerstone of this world.
Just a couple weeks ago, we reviewed this same lesson, but we moved to the calendar date, “And it came to pass in those days . . .” Jesus’ birth as a forerunner for God to fulfil each of these feasts. In order for God to fulfill these feasts, He first had to COME “in the fulness of time” ( כִינוּס “keenoos”, convocation / appointment). So now, let us come back to the actual Feasts of the Lord. Leviticus 23
Sabbath – is listed first but is not one of the feasts. Every Sabbath is a holy day for the Lord and is listed in most of the Feasts to make a certain day of the particular feast, holy ( קָדוֺשׁ kadosh).
Spring Feasts:
Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits (barley harvest)
Weeks:
Feast of Weeks, FirstFruits (wheat harvest)
Pentecost – 50 days, Counting 7 weeks from FirstFruits
Fall Feasts:
Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah, new year), Feast of Atonement / Ingathering (fruit harvest), Feast of Booths (Tabernacles)
In the next several lessons we will visit each of these feasts and see HOW or WHEN they are fulfilled. Some are already fulfilled, and some are yet to come. Some books of the Old Testament are completely set to picture one of the feasts. Stay tuned for an exciting journey.
Feasts Of The Lord – The Sabbath
“Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day . . . And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:1-3
The Hebrew word for “six” is ( שִׁישׁ sheesh). The Hebrew word for “seven” is ( שִׁבָע sheeva ). In Hebrew, the letters are also numbered. The letter for number 6 is ( ו vav, V ). The letter for number 7 is ( ז zayin, “Zion”, Z ).
God finished His creation in six days. The letter for 6 is a vav, V. The vav is shaped like a shepherd’s staff. God created everything in a very systematic way just for man to survive and flourish, just like a shepherd would give his life for the sheep. And then came the sabbath, ( שָׁבָּת shabat ); God’s day.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.” Leviticus 23:2-3
God wants us to remember His day, just as He focused for six days on our days, but He calls it a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּס kadosh keenoos ). This belongs to God as Zion. This is law, and this is listed before any of the feasts. It is described IN several feasts;
“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have a HOLY CONVOCATION: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is a HOLY CONVOCATION: ye shall do no servile work therein.“ Leviticus 23:6-8
Did you ever wonder why Jesus would “break” the sabbath with miracles, right in front of the scribes and pharisees? Jesus explained this to them on one occasion;
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore, the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28
The sabbath belongs to God! We see this in the Feasts of the Lord; His feasts. Let’s look at a specific time that Jesus “rested” on the sabbath. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and the shepherd gives His life for the sheep. And so, He did. Jesus died on the feast day, Friday, and was buried until Sunday morning. What was in between? The sabbath; Jesus rested.
By the way, most of the names of God have a shepherd’s staff (vav) in the center: ( יהוה Yahveh ), ( אָדוֺנָי Adonai ), ( אֶלוֺהִים Elohim ). You and I are written on His heart, my friend.
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of the Passover
“And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” Exodus 5:1-2
The Hebrew word for “know / comprehend” is ( יֹדֵעַ Yode’a). In order to fully understand the Feast of the Passover, we must travel back to the great Exodus from Egypt, and just a little bit of history review along the way.
The children of Israel went into Egypt at the time of Joseph during the famine, and they lived there for 430 years. Pharoah did not know Joseph and the people were becoming a great number of people, so Pharoah made them slaves to make bricks and build cities. God sent Moses to free His people.
At the time that Moses went in to Pharoah, Pharoah would not let the people go, but he went on to say, “I do not know the Lord” (לֹא יֶָדַעְתִי אֵת־יהוה lo yade’tee et Adonai ). He was really saying that “I do not know YOUR GOD.” The Egyptians were very much into worshipping false gods, but Pharoah did not know the God of the children of Israel.
God sent along 10 plagues to show the EGYPTIANS who He is, and to remind ISRAEL who He is, and to show all that He is the only LIVING GOD. Each of the plagues were a challenge of each of the Egyptian gods. The plagues destroyed the livelihood of Egypt, while God protected Israel from harm.
In our study of the Feasts of the Lord, we are only concerned with the tenth plague; the death of the firstborn son. Yes, even the Egyptians sacrificed their children to idols. But God was getting ready to show Israel what He was going to do in fulfillment of the first of His feasts.
God told Moses,
“This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house: Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it 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, wherein they shall eat it.” Exodus 12:2-3,5-7
Nissan: new calendar, first month. Day 10: choose a lamb, without blemish, a yearling male. Day 14: kill it in the evening, save the blood, paint the door posts with the blood, go in and stay inside.
“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: 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. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.” Exodus 12:12-14
Midnight: God will pass through to kill all the firstborn.
Token: When I see the blood, I will “PASS-OVER” you.
Memorial: Feast to the Lord forever
“holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּס kadosh keenoos )
This is a picture of the death of God’s Firstborn Son for our sins. Each of the feasts will show a picture of what God will do for us. After that first Passover night, Pharoah and all Egypt knew exactly who God is, and all Israel knew that God loved them.
There are some of the Old Testament books or chapters dedicated to “picturing” a Feast of the Lord. We will come back to those after we visit all seven feasts.
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of Passover, cont’d
“And ye shall eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s Passover. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed their heads and worshipped.” Exodus 12:11,26-27
The Hebrew word for “Passover” is ( פִסַח Peesach). We now know the origin and very first Feast of the Passover, the tenth plague of Egypt. The plague claimed a life from EVERY family in Egypt, but none of the families of the Hebrews. That night, the death angel “passed over” all who chose to make the sacrifice and paint the blood on the doorposts and stay inside.
The word, “Passover” lends itself to the thought that I deserve the punishment it brings because it is coming my way, but because of some “sign” or circumstance, the punishment I deserve is not seen. I hope you will understand ( יֹדֵעַ Yode’a) this true picture.
“These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at evening is the Lord’s Passover.” Leviticus 23:4-5
I don’t know why, in this great descriptive passage of all the Feasts of the Lord, so very little is said about this first feast. It is also the groundwork for all the other feasts, because NONE of the other feasts could take place if the first did not happen. I feel it is because just one year earlier, such a dramatic picture was drawn with the first Feast of the Passover.
So, let’s look back at the description that God originally gave Moses. The description of the “sign” is the key. Remember our Christmas devotionals, and how the shepherds were given a “sign” wrapped in a manger, and the wise men followed a bright “sign” in the sky? Let’s see if we can find our “sign”. And in our search, remember the Feasts of the Lord are HIS DIVINE APPOINTMENTS, “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּס kadosh keenoos ).
“This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house: Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it 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, wherein they shall eat it.” Exodus 12:2-3,5-7
On the 10th day of the first month, they were to choose a lamb without spot. It would be inspected each day thereafter until the 14th day of the same month.
In the day of our Lord, the 10th day of Nissan, Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Each of the days of that week, the Scribes and Pharisees attempted to trick Him up with their questions in order to find a reason to kill Him. But He was spotless.
On the 14th day of the month, Nissan, Jesus celebrated the Feast of the Passover with His disciples. They sacrificed the lamb, stayed inside and ate the meal. He said, this is the last time I will eat this bread and drink this cup until “it is finished” in the kingdom of God. That very night, Jesus was taken captive, “the chosen Lamb of God”.
When they killed the lamb, the Israelites were to catch the blood and paint it on both side door posts and along the top door post . . . and stay inside. They were to eat the meal together. All was prepared just as the Scriptures laid it out.
When Jesus died, the blood ran down the upper crossbar and down the sides of the center post. God the Father had sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins, as recorded in Romans 3:25, I John 2:2, I John 4:10.
Let’s look for that sign:
“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a “token” upon the houses where ye are: 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.” Exodus 12:12-13
“When I see the (sign / token) “blood”, I will Passover you.” I thank the Lord Jesus, the Spotless Lamb of God, my Kinsman Redeemer for the shed blood for my sin.
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of Unleavened Bread
“Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.” Luke 22:1
“In the fourteenth day of the first month at evening is the Lord’s Passover.
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no laborious work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation: ye shall do no laborious work therein.” Leviticus 23:5-8
The Hebrew word for “leaven” is ( חַמֵץ khamets). In Luke’s account, the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is so linked with the Feast of the Passover that one is known by the name of the other. This is because the first three feasts are a cluster known as the Spring Feasts. Often, the Feast of FirstFruits is never mentioned. Watch the dates of each.
Feast of the Passover – Nissan 14
Feast of Unleavened Bread – Nissan 15, for seven days
Feast of FirstFruits – the day following the Sabbath, Sunday
Leaven ( חַמֵץ khamets) is a yeast ingredient that causes bread to rise. In the original Feast of the Passover, the great escape from Egypt, the people were instructed to omit the yeast because of the urgent need to GO at a moment’s notice, and to have shoes on their feet.
Leaven is a much bigger picture as well. Leaven is pictured in Scripture as “sin”. They were instructed to keep sin out of the bread. Bread is also pictured in Scripture as “life”. Sin leads to death, not life.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a time when the family gets ALL leaven out of their homes. The families would make it a game, of sorts, to get the children to participate. Dad would “hide” some of the leaven and have the kids search for it. They would take with them a candle, a small brush, and a container.
When the family has successfully gathered all the leaven, all families would carry it out beyond the city gates to a designated place and throw it into a bonfire. For an entire week, there was to be no leaven in the house.
When Jesus began His ministry, on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, He went into the temple and “cleansed” it from the money changers.
“After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.
And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” John 2:12-17
And then again at the end of His ministry, He came into Jerusalem and went into the temple and “cleansed” it once again.
“And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Luke 19:45-46
Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus fulfilled the Feast of the Passover on the very feast day, Nissan 14, in the evening, as He was taken captive in the Garden of Gethsemane to become the Passover Lamb sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus is the Passover Lamb, unblemished and without sin, ( חַמֵץ khamets). On the very day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Nissan 15, that Spotless Lamb of God was crucified. Jesus became our sin as He took our place on OUR cross. And at high noon, when the sun was at its highest, God turned the lights off as He turned His holy ( קָדוֺשׁ kadosh ) face from the “leaven” ( חַמֵץ khamets) hanging on the cross, for it was a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּס kadosh keenoos ).
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of FirstFruits (barley harvest)
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, 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.” Leviticus 23:10-11
The Hebrew word for firstfruits “first of the harvest” is ( רֵשִׁית קְעִירְכֶם resheet keerkem). This was to be one feast that had to wait until the Children of Israel occupied the Promised Land, because they had NO CROP while in the wilderness. Just think what it must have been like to get that first crop of barley and to cut that first handful of harvest ( רֵשִׁית קְעִירְכֶם resheet keerkem) for a wave offering of thanksgiving to the Lord.
I can almost see them get the family together on the day following the sabbath, with family all around, cut the handful, and shout and “wave” it before the Lord, because of their excitement. And then “rush” it to the priest for the very same wave and praise. What a joyous time it must have been.
I believe the excitement was just as great when the women approached the open tomb and found that Jesus had risen from the dead.
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen.” Luke 24:1-6a
The Scriptures say that they ran to the disciples with the news, and that Peter and John ran to the grave to see for themselves.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of them that slept.” I Corinthians 15:20
When we read in Leviticus of these first three feasts, it seems that this Feast of FirstFruits doesn’t really fit in. But as Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread by giving Himself as the Spotless Lamb Sacrifice; without spot or blemish (sinless), and died on our behalf, it is a joyous thing to see that He also arose on the very feast day.
But this feast is NOT about the harvest of grain, but of the harvest of souls, “of them that slept”. Jesus, early on Sunday morning, became the FirstFruit of the resurrection; a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos ). Now, that is worth praise and waving!
it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” Leviticus 23:14
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of Weeks (wheat harvest)
50 days – Pentecost
“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.” Leviticus 23:15-17
The Hebrew word for “count” is ( אַפַר safar). We are familiar with this feast known as Pentecost. Pentecost is 50. This name comes from “counting” from the previous feast days. Many consider this feast as an interim feast, because it comes between the Spring Feasts and the Fall Feasts. Just to be sure, this feast CANNOT be separated from the Spring Feasts, even though it is separated by several weeks.
God says to begin with the day after the Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That would be Sunday, the Feast of FirstFruits of the barley harvest, resurrection Sunday, and count seven Sabbaths (weeks), or 49 days. Then on Sunday, 50 days, is another Feast of FirstFruits of the wheat harvest.
Why would this need to be a certain number of weeks or days? Just like all of the feasts, it is set on God’s eternal calendar. Also, it allows timing for the wheat crop to be ready for harvest. But it is much more than just another calendar date.
“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.” Leviticus 23:3
The Sabbath is a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos ), even though it is NOT one of the seven Feasts of the Lord. The number can be thought of as “God’s number”, or “perfection / complete”. So, God chooses to count by sevens, but even more, by Sabbaths times Sabbath.
This is a very special feast. Remember that on the Feast of FirstFruits of the barley harvest, Jesus arose and became the “FirstFruit of the Resurrection”. 40 days later, Jesus ascended to the Father with the promise that He would send the Holy Spirit. 40 is also a counting set of days. It is thought of as a “waiting time”, “time of growth”, “Spiritual maturity”.
I had a niece who’s “40” was only one day of life, and my Dad is still counting his “40” at 96 years. I use the “40” as my spiritual walk with the Lord, my commitment from salvation. I am nearing 60 years, and the journey gets much better and better as time goes on.
Then on the 49th day, Sabbath, plus one, Sunday, came the Feast of Weeks. On that particular feast day, 49 days after Resurrection Sunday, the disciples were preaching in the temple, and God showed up. The Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove and landed on each of them.
“And when the day of Pentecost had fully come (days had counted down) ( אַפַר safar), 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 there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” Acts 2:1-8
Whether they EACH spoke in a separate language, or they spoke in their own tongue and others HEARD in their own language cannot be determined in this Scripture. There are 11 people groups listed, and there were 12 disciples at that time (they had chosen one to replace Judas shortly before this time).
There is something very special in this feast that is NOT in any other feast.
“Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.” Leviticus 23:17
Along with the burnt offerings, they were to bring two loaves of bread, made from the wheat harvest and “wave” them before the Lord, just as they waved the sheaves in the Feast of FirstFruits of the barley harvest. But one thing changed.
These loaves are to be baked WITH LEAVEN. In the last feast, I said that the leaven represented sin, but in this feast, leaven is a picture of the Gentiles, “all nations”. Gentiles were present at the feast as well. Gentiles were referred to as “uncircumcised”, “unclean”, “SINners”.
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when you reap, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the POOR, and to the STRANGER: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 23:22
The harvest is referred as souls coming to Christ for salvation. God’s instructions are to leave the corners and edges of the harvest for the “poor” of the land, and to strangers, foreigners, Gentiles.
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Leviticus 23:21,37-38,41,47b
Feast of FirstFruits – barley.
Jesus became the FirstFruit of the Resurrection.
Feast of FirstFruits – wheat.
3,00 souls were saved, and others added daily.
It shall be a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos )
Welcome to God’s family, my friend.
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of Trumpets
Jewish New Year – Rosh Hashanah
“And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos ). Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” Leviticus 23:23-25
The Hebrew word for “trumpet, ram’s horn” is ( שׁוֺפָר Shofar). This Feast of Trumpets begins the Fall Feasts. It is also the first day of the new “civil” calendar, and it marks the warning of coming judgment. These three seem to be totally contrary to each other. For instance, how do you get a “New Year’s Day” in the seventh month? And how do you have such a festive day that is also a warning of coming judgment?
Let’s begin with the Jewish calendar. Israel follows two calendars simultaneously. One determines the numbered calendar months, which was set in motion as the children of Israel fled from Egypt, that I call the “Calendar of the Lord”.
“And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” Exodus 12:1-2
So as the months and days on the calendar are given for each of the Feasts of the Lord, they are from the calendar of the Lord begun at the Exodus. However, they also have a civil calendar which begins “on the first day of the seventh month”. In our Google calendar, it is called “Rosh Hashanah”, head of the year. It is the most festive time of the year for the Jews. But in the Lord’s calendar and Scripture, it is called the Feast of Trumpets.
On that day, a priest will blow the ram’s horn “trumpet” with 100 blasts. It is symbolic and very precise. There are three long blasts, followed by three short blasts, and followed by three staccato blasts. This set of blasts continue 11 times, totaling 99 blasts. At that time, the High Priest will announce (for all to hear), “The Last Trump.” At which the trumpeter will take a mighty big breath and blow until he has no breath left in him; the 100th blast.
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the “trump of God” ( שׁוֺפָר Shofar): and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and we shall forever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” I Thessalonians 4:13-18
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump ( שׁוֺפָר Shofar): for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” I Corinthians 15:51-55
“The Last Trump”, a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos ). Many Christians believe this is the time of the rapture of the church as described in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:51-55. I agree wholeheartedly. I would like to recommend a Christian documentary film, “Before The Wrath”. It shows from a Jewish wedding that the rapture MUST take place before the Tribulation. So, for the Christians, this day is indeed the most festive time of our lives. II Thessalonians 2 also describes that the Christians will be taken out before the Tribulation begins.
But let’s get back to the feast. The sounding of trumpets ( שׁוֺפָר Shofar) throughout the history of Israel was for several reasons; making an announcement from the king, signaling retreat from war, the precession of the king entering the city, the anointing and crowning of the new king, AND WARNING OF IMMENENT DANGER.
The Feast of Trumpets warns of the judgment known as the Great Tribulation, or the Last Days, Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Tribulation begins when the antichrist signs a peace treaty with Israel. It will consist of seven years of judgment plagues over all the earth.
The first four feasts were fulfilled by God (Jesus and the Holy Spirit) on the very feast days, and some Jewish Rabbis have taught that He will also perform these last three on the very days as well. But the Scripture clearly states that “no man knows the day nor the hour”. However, I get excited with the memory that Jesus Promised His disciples that He will indeed return for His own.
I want to close with the timing of the last three feasts, the Fall Feasts. This is not just a break in the feasts because some are fulfilled, and others are not. It is more in line with the seasons of the year to represent the seasons of time. We live in the end times, the time before winter.
These three feasts are also a fall “cluster”, even though they do not overlap like the Spring Feasts. They are separated just as the fulfilment is separated in time. And the last comparison is that they reflect BACK to each of the Spring Feasts. We will get into that more in the next feast.
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of Atonement
The Fast – Yom Kippur
“And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos ) unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.
It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.” Leviticus 23:26-28,31b-32
The Hebrew word for “atonement” is ( כִיפּוּר kippur ). It simply means “forgiveness, pardon”. Forgiveness is an emotional response to a sorrowful spirit. For instance, when a person says or does something to hurt another, but through remorse, asks for forgiveness, the forgiving response, “I forgive you”, holds the thought that the act against me will not be remembered to be used in return, while pardon is the thought that a punishment of some source or value is attached to the act. Pardon closes out the deserved punishment.
Just as the Feast of Passover is linked back to the great escape, Exodus from Egypt, the Feast of Atonement looks back to the Mountain of God, where Moses went to talk to God. The first trip up Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets. When Moses returned to camp, he found the people reveling in idol worship. They had pressured Aaron to make them an idol, because Moses had taken so long to return from the mountain. They said, “perhaps he has perished.”
Upon seeing the great sin of worshipping a golden calf idol, Moses threw down the tablets of the law, and they crumbled into pieces. God’s law had been broken through sin, even before the people heard it read. Just like our sin breaks our relationship with God, it cannot be un-broken, mended, refashioned, or fastened together. All is hopeless because of sin.
Old Testament: “if you eat of the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you will surely die.”
New Testament: “For the wages of sin is death.” “And sin, when it is complete it leads to death.” “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Broken.
Moses commanded the priests to draw their swords and go through the camp, killing at random. Moses’ words to the remaining people was, “If I feel like it, I will go back up the mountain and ask God . . . Perhaps He will forgive.
Perhaps He will forgive.
During this Feast of Atonement, “Yom Kippur” ( כִיפּוּר kippur ), the people were to “afflict” themselves through fasting and prayer; skip a meal and pray for forgiveness in its place. Israelites today begin the 40 days of fasting each year leading up to the feast “day” ( יוֺם yom ). As the people waited for an additional 40 days for Moses to return from the mountain the second time, they could only hope and pray that God would forgive.
Looking back to the Spring feasts, we can know for a fact that God will forgive because He took the punishment that we deserve ( כִיפּוּר kippur ). Our part in salvation is only to believe that He freely gave Himself for us, and to ask for His forgiveness ( כִיפּוּר kippur ). So, let’s look back to the “fulfillment” of this feast.
Remember the Feast of Trumpets sounds the alarm of judgment coming into the Tribulation, while during the Tribulation the Jews (and possibly new Christians) fast and pray for forgiveness at Jesus’ second coming. Even though the dates of the actual Fall Feasts are separated by days, they are very much interrelated as a “cluster” of feasts.
As the Fall Feasts picture the end of time, they also picture the fulfilment of the Spring Feasts. Jesus’ second coming with forgiveness and pardon for our sins could only be possible if He Himself “paid” the death penalty. It is a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos )
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of Atonement
The Ingathering
“And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of the produce which you have sown in the field: the feast of ingathering, which is at the end of the year, when you have gathered (לְקָבֶּץ lekabets ) in thy labors from the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear ( לְאֶסוּף le’esoof ) before the Lord God. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God.” Exodus 23:16-19 (Leviticus 23:39-41)
The Hebrew word for “gather, to collect” is (לְקָבֶּץ lekabets ). The Hebrew word for “gather, to rally” is ( לְאֶסוּף le’esoof ). On the day of the Feast of Atonement, there is also another part to the feast. Looking back at the Spring Feasts and the Intermediate Feast, we see a “Feast of FirstFruits”. In the Spring Feasts, it came on Sunday following the Sabbath. It was the firstfruits of the barley harvest. The Feast of Weeks is the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.
The Fall Feasts are no different. However, it is not called a feast of firstfruits. FirstFruits says that the FIRST cutting of the harvest is waived before the Lord. The Fall Feast, Feast of Atonement, is “The Ingathering”. The difference is that this feast comes AFTER; at the end of the harvest of fruit; grapes and figs.
It is very similar to the Thanksgiving feast that we celebrate, which originally came at the end of the first harvest when the settlers “thanked” the Lord for getting them through the hard winter and had given them the harvest.
“Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in corn earing time (barley) and in harvest thou shalt rest. And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks (Pentecost), of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end (Atonement). Thrice in the year shall all your male children appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel ( לְאֶסוּף le’esoof “to gather, rally” ). The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God (לְקָבֶּץ lekabets “to gather, collect” ).” Exodus 34:21-23,26
Because of the sin of the children of Israel, Moses had to return to the mountain to plead their case with God. Because of our sin, Jesus had to return to the Holy Mountain in Heaven to plead our case with His Father.
The fruit of Ingathering, the grapes, had to be pressed in the winepress and the wine would run free. A price had to be paid; the penalty is death. Jesus paid that penalty. He had to take the “payment before the Father”. Moses had to pronounce judgment on the people. He had to take the “payment before the Almighty”.
Jesus pleads our case, just as Moses. Jesus had blood on His hands, just as Moses. Jesus appears before His Father without “leaven, sin”. But Moses . . . because of the “leaven, sin” appeared before the Almighty.
This Feast of Atonement rightly has this Feast of Ingathering as its name (both are the exact same feast). But the Feast of Ingathering itself has a two-fold picture. The Feast of Atonement paints us the picture of our sin and our need of forgiveness ( כִיפּוּר kippur ) and pardon ( כִיפּוּר kippur ).
The pardon comes ONLY through the shed blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ; the blood ran freely down the cross. But the Ingathering also shows His people coming together.
“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּס kadosh keenoos “holy convocation” ); even so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 36:23-29a,38
Ezekiel prophesied that the Jews would return to Jerusalem one day ( לְאֶסוּף le’esoof “to gather, rally” ), and that day is here. They will come from all corners of the earth and God will make the land flourish once again. That day is here. God’s Spirit is within each of them, and they will turn to the Lord their God; Jesus. That day is here. The Feast of Atonement / Feast of Ingathering is being fulfilled right before our eyes.
A very special thing happens after the Feast of Ingathering. All the harvest is done. NOW, they pray for rain to replenish the earth.
There is also another part to the Feast of Ingathering. ALL peoples of ALL lands will STAND ( לְאֶסוּף le’esoof “to gather, rally” ) before the Great Judge, the Almighty. If they appear with leaven, sin, and no blood covering, they will face eternal judgment in the lake of fire. If they appear with their sin-stained robes washed in the blood of the Lamb of God, without blemish, spot, sin, without leaven . . .
WE WILL BE HOME!
Feasts Of The Lord – Feast of Tabernacles
Booths / Tents – Sukkot
“And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be a holy convocation ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos ): ye shall do no labor therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no labor therein.
These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, everything upon his day: Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.
Also, in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land (Ingathering), ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 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.” Leviticus 23:33-39a,40-43
The Hebrew word for “booths, tents, huts, tabernacles” is ( סֻכֹת sukkah, sukkot (pl)). Each of these words for sukkot signifies a “temporary” dwelling. As we study the Feast of Tabernacles, we can see that it is indeed a “temporary” place to stay. In the literal history of the day, the people, {especially shepherds and harvesters) would build a temporary covering in the heat of the day to shelter them from the heat of the sun. They would build it from materials that they find lying around. As they leave the area, they would leave it standing (as long as weather allowed) for the next shepherd who comes along.
You might wonder WHY the tabernacle is considered “temporary”. First of all, let’s see WHY God told Moses to build a tabernacle. It was THE place of worship. And in the holiest place of the tabernacle, God was to be found at the Ark (ארוֺן aron “closet” ) of the Covenant (בְּרִית breet “promise” ). It should not be a surprise that God wants to meet with us in our “closet” of prayer.
During the great escape from Egypt, God promised that He would go with them. And during the time in the Promised Land, God promised that He would always be with them. Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to always be with them. GOD HAS PROMISED ALL HIS FOLLOWERS ALL THROUGH TIME THAT HE WOULD ALWAYS BE WITH THEM. And God promised us who love His covenant at the cross of Calvary that WE WOULD ALWAYS DWELL WITH HIM. But it still does not make any sense that the Tabernacle would be considered temporary.
The exodus from Egypt (picture of worldly life) was only a temporary journey unto the Promised Land (picture of Heaven). But then, for many years in Israel, God still dwelt in the tabernacle. Remember that God is NOT restricted to a “box”. It is the picture to Israel as a place, reminder, of His promise to never leave or forsake His people.
What changed? King David had a mansion home built for him, and he thought, “I have a home of cedar, but God has not a “permanent” home to dwell.” God had a very similar thought; “I have an eternal home. I will build a mansion for My people.”
For 40 years in the wilderness, the children of Israel dwelt in booths. And when they came to stay for a time in any certain place, they would build a booth for the family. In our Scripture, “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.”
Our journey on this earth is “temporary”. Our decisions, choices and paths ONLY affect our eternal life or punishment. Our bodies are temporal. They will perish, but we will be “made new”.
“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible (dying, decaying) must put on incorruption (permanent, eternal), and this mortal must put on immortality.” I Corinthians 15: 51-53
We have seen the history of the Feast of Tabernacles. Now let’s look at the fulfilment of the feast. This is still part of the Fall Feasts cluster. The Feast of Trumpets sounds the warning of judgment and leads into the Tribulation period of seven literal years.
The Feast of Atonement is the turning of our lives away from this world and unto Christ and leads through the Tribulation to meet the Lord on the other end; perhaps He will forgive. The time of Ingathering is ongoing (even now we see it) at the end of this world showing the children of Israel have returned to the Holy Land of Israel and to the God of their fathers, Jesus Christ.
The Feast of Tabernacles is the time that Jesus will return and set up His “temporary” kingdom on this earth for 1,000 years (by the way, that is longer than Methuselah’s life at 969 years). WE WILL REIGN WITH HIM. It is a picture of eternity with Christ, without sin and death, but it is temporal. Will we live in booths??? The Scripture only says that it will be on this earth. Presently, there are homes. Perhaps we can build homes, the Scripture does not say. BUT it is still temporal.
“Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name, Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Tabernacle).” Matthew 1:20b-21,23
“it is a holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos )
“I am the Lord your God.” ( אָנִי יהוה)
One day, we will be HOME !!!
Feasts Of The Lord – Year of Jubilee
“And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy ( קָדוֺשׁkadosh ) unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.” Leviticus 25:8-13
The Hebrew word for “Jubilee” is ( יוֺבֵל yovel ). We have gone through all seven Feasts of the Lord; the Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits), the Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), and the Fall Feasts (Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles). We saw how the Sabbath was integrated into every one of the feasts as a holy day ( קָדוֺשׁ יוֺם kadosh yom ). And we saw the firstfruits in each of the three seasons of feasts (Spring, Intermediate, and Fall).
I have added a lesson for each; the Sabbath, the Feast of Ingathering, and now the Year of Jubilee. These all are integrated into the Feast of Atonement. They are similar to a “hinge” that ties these feasts into a cluster. The Sabbath is seen in all seven feasts as a holy day, “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּסkadosh keenoos ). The Ingathering comes about as hearts are turning to the Lord and bringing His people back home, the core focus of the Atonement. And the Jubilee comes with Atonement as well, but focuses toward the Tabernacles, the time we go home.
The ”Year” of Jubilee begins with counting, just as the Feast of Weeks.
The Hebrew word for “count” is ( אַפַר safar). Let’s count. The Feast of Weeks is “seven sabbaths”, 49 days. The Year of Jubilee is “seven sabbaths of years”, 7 x 7, 49 years (v8). And then the 50th year, the land is set aside, no planting or reaping of a harvest. The people will live from the abundant harvest of the previous year.
In this 50th year, ALL Hebrew slaves will be set free. What? Set free? Set free from slavery. If a person or family cannot pay a debt, they are taken as “servants” to the one to whom the debt is owed. They do not work as slaves for 50 years, but rather to the time of Jubilee, which could be as little as a single year. This does not refer to the slaves from other peoples in the house of a Jew.
The trumpet will sound. Why? Is it because of a warning? The warning came with Trumpets to sound the warning of coming judgment. What about a celebration? Absolutely. The celebration is that ALL my land that I sold during the last 50 years gets returned to me at no cost, and all slaves will be freed. What a deal. Could it be that the King is coming? Also true. And He will (future) set up His kingdom in the Feast of Tabernacles.
Yes, the celebration. Can you imagine the feeling of being set free? One might have been enslaved on the first year after Jubilee and has worked for 50 years paying off a great debt (or possibly with a smaller debt has recently been freed before Jubilee; seems fair), and another with a very great debt has been enslaved for only a year or two.
Both go free! Now that does not seem one bit fair. We, you and I, are the latter. Our debt of sin enslaves us for eternity. Don’t count the years to 50. Lock the door and throw away the key. MY sentence will never end. But Jesus . . . has set us free. THIS IS A JUBILEE !!! ( יוֺבֵל yovel )
“Wherefore ye shall . . . keep my judgments and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.
The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.” Leviticus 25:18-23
And then comes another part to the Jubilee; the land. The sabbath year (every 7th year) they are to let their land set idle on that seventh year. It is also true in the 49th year. Israel counts the years from creation (yes creation, based on studies following dates in Scripture, whether absolutely accurate or not) and divides the seven years just like we do division in Math class. This present year is 5784. So, the sabbath year was just two years ago, and yes, they celebrated the Sabbath year. We are 16 years away from the Jubilee Year.
Land that is sold for whatever reason, (we will say it is for a fellow Jew to harvest his own crop) is sold for the cost of the land in proportion to the remaining years of harvest until Jubilee. The buyer is literally “buying” the number of harvests.
Can you remember the time that God took back HIS land at the end of the Wilderness wanderings? Can you remember the time that God took back HIS land at the end of the Babylonian captivity? Can you remember the time that God took back HIS land in 1948 when Israel became a nation once again???
Gues what? God will again take back HIS LAND to fulfill the Year of Jubilee ( יוֺבֵל yovel ). He will set up His kingdom on this earth for 1,000 years; Tabernacles, as the King of all Kings. Are you counting the years? Be careful here. The Scriptures say very clearly that NO MAN KNOWS the day nor the hour of the coming of the Son of Man (Jesus). It may or may not be the exact year, or the exact date, or an exact hour on our timeline.
Remember that these feasts are a “holy convocation” ( קָדוֺשׁ כִינוּס kadosh keenoos ) on God’s eternal calendar; His feasts, and His timing. But can I say, “Warm up the trumpet”!!!
“For it is the jubilee ( כִּי יוֺבֵלkee yovel ); unto you ( הִואhee ) it shall be holy ( קָדוֺשׁ kadosh ).” Leviticus 25:12a
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