The Prophetic Feasts of Israel
Last Updated:
02/25/2009 02:16
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This page provides an overview of the spring and summer feasts which are
already fulfilled in Christ's first coming. It also provides the links to the
last three fall feasts, which are yet unfulfilled. Except perhaps Rosh Hashanah.
The fulfillment of the spring and summer feasts are fairly common knowledge, so
I've just posted an overview from several sources who are credited and linked
here. Basically, they said it better than I could already, but I want it in a
more quick overview fashion with other good points mixed in. This should give
you the basic understanding and overview of how the Jewish feasts were shadows
of things to come, and are therefore an integral part of Bible prophecy. All of
their fulfillment is in Christ. The dates for the fall feasts are the result of
my study on the
woman of
Revelation 12.
Colossians 2:16,17
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of
an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow
of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Hebrews 10:1
For the law having a
shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things,
can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year
continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Revelation 19:10
And I fell at his feet to
worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant,
and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Spring Feasts:
Leviticus 23:4-8
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
even 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 an 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 an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
"The first Passover came into holy history nearly
3500 years ago. The family of Israel were captives in Egypt at that time. They
were about to embark on their first great adventure as a nation. On the eve of
that epic exodus out of the bondage of Egypt they were given their
instructions for Passover. They were to sacrifice a lamb and place the blood
upon their doorposts." -Endtime
Pilgrim
"Passover occurred on the
fourteenth day, first month. This is the month of Abib (Nissan) that was the
beginning of their sacred year. It celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from
Egypt, the land of slavery. It also celebrates the deliverance of the world
from sin when Jesus died during Passover." -teachinghearts.org
Deuteronomy 16:1
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the
Passover to the LORD your God: for in the month of Abib the LORD your God
brought you from out of Egypt by night.
Exodus 12:2-3,6
This month shall be for you the beginning of months: it shall be the first
month of the year to you. Speak to 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 an house. And you 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.
"The
death of Jesus Christ during Passover, fulfilled the events that this festival
symbolized for hundreds of years. The Lamb of God."
-teachinghearts.org
John
1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and
said, "Behold
the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world."
John
13:1
Now before the feast of the Passover, when
Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world to
the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them to
the end.
Passover: Connecting Jews
and Christians to Christ
For the Jews, Pesach (Passover) is about the blood on the door to cover their
sins. At the end of Israel's captivity in Egypt, the plague that broke the hold
of Pharaoh on the Israelites was the death of the first-born of all families who
failed to place the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their doorways. The symbolism
that is inherent is only fully realized when viewed from a Christian
perspective. As Chuck Missler says, "The New Testament is in the Old
Testament concealed and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed."
How true this is.The wages of sin is death,
Romans 6:23, and that's
what came to the first-born of the families without that blood covering their
door in Egypt. Every heart has a door into it that must be opened from the
inside. Jesus is at the door of each heart knocking, waiting to be let in.
Revelation 3:19,20 All have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God,
Romans 5:12.
For all who live, Jew and
Gentile, Christ was the offering of God's only Son, Yeshua (Jesus).
Romans 11 Only His blood can cover the door to our heart so that the
wages of sin will not separate us from God when all men are judged.
Matthew 26:28 Christ was also the ultimate and final sacrifice needed
to cover our transgressions from God's ways.
Hebrews 9:18-28 If we love God, then we will obey Him,
John 14:23-26, and by obeying God we love God and love
our neighbors as ourselves, the Golden Rule. This is the way of the
Christian, made possible by the sacrifice of Yeshua the Christ.However, over time, the spirit of
religion has blinded the
bride of Christ
with pagan terms and traditions. Easter deludes the Passover connection and
mutes the full understanding of God's amazing plan. Israel is still the
apple of God's eye. Indeed the past fulfillment of Bible prophecy and the
coming fulfillment is a testimony to this. The
70th week of Daniel is
prophesied for Israel, so in this, their existence is central and paramount to
the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and therefore God's overall plan for
humanity.
As Easter rolls around again, let
us not forget that in this pagan society we are Christians and Easter has
nothing to do with Christ or the Bible. In fact, Easter is mentioned in the
Bible, referring to a pagan Roman holiday celebrated around the time of
Christ's crucifixion.
Acts 12:1-5 So remember our Jewish roots as we are heirs of the
promises of Abraham through faith in Yeshua the Christ.
Galatians 3:6-29
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are
the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham,
saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of
faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one
that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of
God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is
not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a
tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it
be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or
addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith
not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after,
cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the
inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to
Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because
of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;
and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is
not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises
of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have
given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the
scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith
of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith
came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are
all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many
of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither
male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if
ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
Ephesians 3:1-6
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you
Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is
given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the
mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may
understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was
not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy
apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be
fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by
the gospel:
Let us not forget our root, who
is Christ. Born of the Jews to bring salvation to all mankind. Let us put
aside the rabbits, eggs, and pagan names to understand more fully the
salvation that has been given us through faith in Yeshua the Christ. Let us
also understand our connection through Christ to see how we too are connected
to Abraham and therefore the Jews remembering the promise to save those who
are currently blinded by God.
Romans 11
Leviticus 23:6
And on the fifteenth day of the
same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must
eat unleavened bread.
"In this period they ate unleavened bread. Bread
represents the body and leaven is a symbol of sin because Satan was 'puffed
up' with pride. So during Passover, sin would be removed from the land."
-teachinghearts.org
"At the time that the Haggadah was written, bread was
at the heart of every meal, and anything else eaten at the meal was considered
secondary to the bread. Whenever bread is a significant component of a meal,
the blessing over bread is recited first and covers all of the food and
beverages at the meal (except wine)." -Judaism
101
"The symbol of Leaven as wickedness -
Leaven in the scriptures symbolizes sin. From the Christian perspective, the
picture is quite clear. Jesus was the unleavened sinless Bread of Heaven. His
life was one of sinless perfection. And His body was offered up to YHVH/God.
He was the acceptable and perfect sacrifice for sin. The Feast of Unleavened
Bread is also a calling to God's consecrated people. They are exhorted to
journey on with their Saviour in a walk of holiness. In Christ we partake of
the unleavened Bread. Through Him we enter into a new state of being. We come
into submission to YHVH/God in unpretentious sincerity and truth. Here are the
words of the Apostle Paul on the matter.
1 Corinthians 5:7,8
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you
truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for
us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the
leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth.
When the Israelites left Egypt they left in haste.
The bread they took with them was unleavened bread, baked in haste for a
people who were on the move and preparing their victuals to travel. The Feast
of Unleavened Bread commemorates the time when the Israelites left Egypt.
Their next waypoint was the crossing at the Red Sea. They bread they took with
them was not puffed up. It was baked without yeast. There simply was not time
enough to allow the bread to rise.
The bread from heaven
The Bread from Heaven was seen in the earlier history
of Israel. And the heavenly food of provision was spoken of by the prophets.
The Bread of Heaven is seen repeatedly in the poetry of the Old Covenant.
Nehemiah 9:15
You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought them
water out of the rock for their thirst, And told them to go in to possess
the land which You had sworn to give them.
Psalm 78:24
Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of
heaven.
Psalm 105:40
The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the
bread of heaven.
The new covenant fulfillment of the feast of
unleavened bread
The New Covenant fulfillment of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread was seen in the Passover of Christ's passion. Jesus was
buried in the earth just in time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Here below
is a calendar of that epic year of Christ's passion. It lays out the seven
days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It also shows the back to back Sabbaths
that precede the Feast of Firstfruits. Firstfruits is day #1 of the fifty days
leading up to the Feast of Pentecost.
Chart by Gavin Finley - endtimepilgrim.org
The typology of Christ as the Bread of Heaven is in
the Holy Scriptures. It is taught in the New Testament and in the very words
of Jesus Himself. Jesus Himself said that He was the 'Bread sent from Heaven.'
John 6:33
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.
John 6:50
This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of
it and not die.
John 6:51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of
this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My
flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.
The Pharisees, the religious establishment of the
time, knew very well what Jesus was talking about. They were well versed in
the typology of the Messiah as the Bread of Heaven. They knew when He referred
to Himself as the Bread of Heaven He was claiming to be the promised Messiah,
the Holy One of Israel. That is why they took up stones to stone Him. Jesus
was the final and perfect sacrifice for sin. His body, broken and humbled on
the cross, was offered for our redemption. He was buried just as the eve of
the Feast of Unleavened Bread approached. He was in the grave for the 15th of
Nisan, according to the scriptures. And thus Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach
fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread." -Endtime
Pilgrim
Leviticus 23:9-14
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of
Israel, and say unto them, When ye be 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. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an
he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the
LORD. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour
mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour:
and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the
selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a
statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
"The spring
feasts are fulfilled in the New Covenant
In the three
spring feasts we see the redemption story of our Savior as it emerged into
history nearly two millennia ago. Our Lord Jesus personally fulfilled all
three of those spring feasts. They were accurately fulfilled down to the
minutest detail and on the very day of the lunar calendar they were due.
Christ was crucified on Passover, in the grave on Unleavened Bread.
In the case of
the Feast of Firstfruits on the morrow after the sabbath of Passover something
wonderful and unexpected happened. Our Savior once again fulfilled the feast.
He rose from the dead on the first day of the week. This was on the morrow
after the sabbath following Passover. Thus in His resurrection from the dead
He fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits. Resurrection Sunday came on the very
day in which the Feast of Firstfruits had been celebrated, (and foreshadowed),
in the Old Covenant since the feast was given by YHVH/God through Moses to the
covenant people as they gathered at Sinai.
The Feast of Firstfruits was fulfilled by Jesus in His resurrection. He was
the "firstfruits from the dead".
1
Corinthians 15:20-23
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by
Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
Jesus is called
"the Firstfruits of those that rise from the dead." Three days and nights
after His crucifixion and early in the morning Jesus rose again from the
grave. The Resurrection of Jesus came on the first day of the week. That day
happened to be the 17th of Nisan, right on the Feast of Firstfruits. Note that
the sabbath or 'high day" of the first day of the seven days of Unleavened
Bread is then followed by a regular weekly seventh day sabbath, (or Saturday).
There were two Sabbaths back to back that year, which was 32 AD"
-Endtime
Pilgrim
"The
Transfiguration
Luke 9:28-31
And it came to pass about eight days after
these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain
to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and
his clothes was white and glistening. And, look, there two men talked with
him, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spoke of his
departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.
There are two points to note in this story.
- The word "departure" is "EXODOS" in the Greek. So
Jesus began an exodus journey when He officially became the Passover Lamb.
The exodus would bring Him to Heaven.
- Moses symbolized the resurrected dead, while
Elijah symbolized the translated living. The exodus would begin an exodus of
the righteous living and the dead to heaven with the message of these two
men." -teachinghearts.org
Summer Feast:
- Pentecost "Feast of Weeks"
(Shavuot)
Fulfillment date: [June 2, 32 AD | Sivan 7, 3793]
Leviticus 23:15-22
And you shall count to you from the morning after the Sabbath, from the day
that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be
complete: Even to the morning after the seventh Sabbath you shall number
fifty days; and you shall offer a new grain offering to 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 baken with leaven; they are the
firstfruits unto the LORD. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs
without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they
shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and
their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto
the LORD. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering,
and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the
priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering
before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the
priest. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy
convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a
statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. And when
ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the
corners of thy field when thou reapest, 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.
According to Jewish tradition Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost
marks the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai on tables of stone. It began fifty
days after the Wave Sheaf . It also marked the giving of the Holy Spirit to
the church to write the law on flesh (in our hearts).
This is fairly commonly known by Christians because it marked something that
is still a part of our daily lives, the Holy Spirit's presence in us.
The Holy Spirit is the "oil" in us that gives us the fuel to shine our
lights for Christ. Without the oil, there is no flame, and therefore, no
light. And according to
Matthew 25:1-13, those without the oil (Holy Spirit) are not a part
of the harpazo of the bride.
Matthew 7:13-23
Get your oil now, before the door is shut. All
you have to do is ask Christ for it, He will answer. Talk to Him like He's
right there, because He is. He's anxiously waiting for your request. For
more detail on Pentecost, visit
here.
Fall Feasts: For
these, the detail is in the links at the top of the page.
-
Feast of Trumpets
(Rosh Hashanah)
Fulfillment date?:
[October 5, 2005 AD | Tishri 1, 5766]
-
Day of Atonement
(Yom Kippur) Fulfillment date?:
[September 26, 2012 AD | Tishri 10, 5773]
- Feast of
Tabernacles (Sukkot) Fulfillment date?:
[New Heavens and New Earth - God Tabernacles with Men?]
Other Potentially Important Jewish Holidays:
Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It
commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from
extermination. Is there something about this time that spurs Satan to try and
exterminate the Jews at this time? It happened in Esther's time at this same
time and now it appears that the abomination of desolation could as well.
Coincidence?
"Hitler
and Purim
Adolph Hitler knew about this holiday and its
significance in Jewish history. In 1941, Hitler banned the Jewish community
in Poland from the observance of Purim. They were forbidden to read the Scroll
of Esther and the synagogues were closed on that day (Goodman 1980: 374).
On January 30, 1944, Hitler addressed the German people on the occasion of the
11th anniversary of the Nazi party coming to power. In this anti-Semitic
diatribe, he blamed all the ills of Europe and Germany on "international
Jewry" (his words). He went on to predict that if the Russians defeated
Germany then "Jewry could then celebrate the destruction of Europe by a second
triumphant Purim festival." (New York Times, Jan. 31, 1944, p. 5)
Fortunately, just over a year later, Hitler committed suicide and the Nazi
regime came to an end.
The story is told of Hitler giving one of his fiery speeches in the large hall
in Munich early in his rise to power. In this oration he called for the
destruction of the Jewish people. In the front row sat a man, who on occasion,
would make faces and laugh at the Fuhrer. After the meeting Hitler
inquired as to who this man was and why he made faces and laughed at him. The
man explained that he was Jewish and said to Hitler, "You should be aware that
you are not the first anti-Semite who sought to destroy us. You may recall
that the great Pharaoh of Egypt sought to enslave the Jews. To commemorate his
defeat and our redemption, we eat tasty Mazot and observe the festival
of Passover. Haman was another enemy of ours who brought about his own
downfall. The delicious Hamantashen we eat and the jolly festival of
Purim recall our deliverance from him. While listening to your venomous
diatribe, I wondered what kind of delicacy would the Jews invent and what kind
of holiday would be established to celebrate your downfall" (Goodman
1980:384,385).
In an ironic twist, Hitler attempted to carry out his diabolical plan to
exterminate the Jewish people. Today, however, the Jewish people do not
celebrate the downfall of Hitler, but rather, they commemorate the tragic
event of the Holocaust by remembering the six million Jews who were
slaughtered in the concentration camps of Europe. This memorial day is called
Yom HaShoah and is observed on the 27th of Nisan. Some Jewish people
even fast on this day." -Gordon
Franz
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