The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
An Overview of the Festivals
UNDERSTANDING THE FEASTS
 As
stated in Chapter 1, the festivals are blueprints through which G-d
revealed His overall plan of redemption for both man and the earth
following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Gan Eden) as
well as the role that the Messiah (Yeshua) would play in that
redemption. The festivals are divided into two major portions, depending
upon whether they occur in the spring or the fall. The spring festivals
teach about the first coming of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and
the fall festivals teach about the second coming of the Messiah
Yeshua. In Hosea (Hoshea) 6:3 it is written, "...His going
forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain,
as the latter and former rain unto the earth." The "latter and former
rain" in this passage is commonly interpreted and understood to be the
coming of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). This is indeed a
valid interpretation and application; however, the former and latter
rain also refers to the first and second coming of the Messiah (Yeshua).
G-d
set up the festivals in an agricultural context. G-d gave the natural
for us to understand the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:46-47).
During the course of the year, the rains come in Israel at two
primary times--the spring and the fall. If we cross-reference Hosea (Hoshea)
6:3 with Joel (Yoel) 2:23, we see that the former rain is the
Hebrew word moreh which means "teacher," and the word
moderately in Joel 2:23, is the Hebrew word tzedakah,
which means "righteousness." The teacher of righteousness was a term for
the Messiah. Yeshua (Jesus) was the teacher of righteousness
sent by G-d as can be seen in John (Yochanan) 3:2. Yeshua
was sent by G-d to the earth to faithfully teach us righteousness, just
as G-d faithfully sends us the rain (Isaiah [Yeshayahu]
55:10-11). The harvest (believers in the Messiah) is the product that
the rain (the Messiah) produces.
In
Leviticus 23:2 it is written, "......the feasts of the Lord,
which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations...." The Hebrew term
translated as convocation in Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:2,4 is
miqra, which means "a rehearsal." From this we can see that G-d
gave the festivals to be yearly "rehearsals" of the future events in the
redemption. Because G-d gave the "rehearsals" to teach us about the
major events in the redemption, if we want to understand the major
events in the redemption, then we need to understand what G-d was
teaching us by these rehearsals. The purpose of this book is to show how
the "rehearsals" teach us about the real events in the redemption and
the role of the Messiah (Yeshua) in these events.
In
Deuteronomy (Devarim) 16:16, G-d instructed the people to come
to Jerusalem
(Yerushalayim) three times a year to observe the feasts. As
they came, they observed ceremonies given by G-d that were performed in
both the temple (Beit HaMikdash) and the home. These ceremonies
were twofold in nature. They looked forward and they looked backward.
Many of these ceremonies and the specific instructions concerning what
was done during these feasts and how they were done can be found in the
Mishnah, the oral teaching of Judaism, in the section called Mo'ed.
The Mishnah is divided into six orders. Each order is divided into
tractates, or different sections of each order. The order called
Mo'ed speaks of the festivals. Mo'ed, which we saw earlier
means "an appointed time," has two meanings. First, in Deuteronomy (Devarim)
16:16, the Jewish people have an appointment to be at a specific place (Jerusalem)
at a specific time (the time of the three major pilgrimage festivals).
Secondly, G-d has an appointment to perform certain events in the
redemption at this time. There are four important aspects to remember
when dealing with each of the seven great festivals of the L-rd:
- All of the
festivals are, at the same time, both historical and prophetic.
- All of the
festivals teach about the Messiah (Yeshua), or Jesus.
- All of the
festivals are agricultural in context.
- All of the
festivals teach about your personal relationship with G-d and how
you are to walk (halacha) with Him as you grow in the
knowledge of Him, from being a baby believer to a mature believer.
It
is important to remember that as an entire unit, the festivals teach and
reveal the complete plan of G-d; however, each festival centers on a
particular theme in the plan of G-d.
OVERVIEW OF THE SPRING FESTIVALS
The
four spring festivals are Passover (Pesach), Unleavened Bread (Hag
HaMatzah), First Fruits (Bikkurim), and the Feast of Weeks
(Shavuot), or Pentecost.
- Passover (Pesach)
occurs in the first month of the religious calendar (Aviv, also
called Nisan), on the fourteenth day, Leviticus (Vayikra)
23:5.
- Unleavened
Bread (Hag HaMatzah) immediately follows the first day of
Passover (Pesach). It is observed in the first month
(Aviv/Nisan) from the fifteenth day to the twenty-first day
(Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:6-8).
- The Feast of
First Fruits of the barley harvest (Bikkurim) is observed
during the week of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah).
Anciently, on this day, sheaves of barley were waved before the L-rd
in a prescribed ceremony. Today, this festival is not observed in
traditional Judaism.
- The Feast of
Weeks (Shavuot) is also known as Pentecost. Beginning on
the Feast of First Fruits (Bikkurim), we begin to count 50
days. This is called the counting of the omer. On the fiftieth day
following the Feast of First Fruits (Bikkurim) is the Feast
of Weeks (Shavuot) or Pentecost (Leviticus [Vayikra]
23:15-21). (Note: Pentecost is a Greek word that literally means
"fiftieth.")
These
four spring festivals are joined together as an interrelated unit. The
Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) is considered the conclusion or
atzeret to Passover. The season of Passover (Pesach) is not
considered totally over until Shavuot (Pentecost) is completed.
The Exodus Story: From Pesach to Shavuot
Pesach
(Passover) begins in Egypt (Mitzrayim) (a type of the world),
where the children of
Israel
had become slaves. When the children of Israel cried out to G-d to remember
the promises He made to Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak),
and Jacob (Ya'akov), G-d called forth a deliverer named Moses (Moshe).
G-d told Moses (Moshe) that He was going to bring the children
of Israel out of Egypt (Mitzrayim) to the
Promised Land (Exodus [Shemot] 3:8). When G-d sent Moses (Moshe)
to Pharaoh, G-d did not tell Moses (Moshe) to ask Pharaoh to
allow the children of Israel
to leave Egypt and go to
the Promised Land. Instead, G-d only instructed Moses (Moshe)
to ask Pharaoh to allow the children of Israel to take a three-day
journey into the wilderness to make a sacrifice to G-d (Exodus [Shemot]
3:18). Moses (Moshe) obeyed G-d's instructions exactly as can
be seen in Exodus (Shemot) 5:1-3. Pharaoh's first deviance of
the Almighty One of Israel was his refusal to allow the people of G-d to
observe a feast and to sacrifice to Him!
After
a remarkable series of plagues inflicted on
Egypt (Mitzrayim) because of Pharaoh's
continued stubbornness, the children of Israel were finally released to leave Egypt laden with
the spoils of the Egyptians. The children of
Israel
came to the banks of the Red Sea on the
seventeenth day of Aviv/Nisan, which is three days after the day of
Passover in the first month of the religious calendar. The Passover Lamb
was slain on the fourteenth of Nisan and the people left
Egypt
(Mitzrayim) before midnight in the evening of the fifteenth
after the death angel struck the firstborn of Egypt (Mitzrayim). When
Pharaoh saw that the children of Israel were trapped against the sea,
he foolishly decided to pusue them with his army (Exodus [Shemot]
14:1-9). The children of
Israel
became afraid, but Moses (Moshe) rose up and said, as it is
written, "...Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation [Yeshooah
in Hebrew], of the Lord..." (Exodus [Shemot] 14:13). Jesus (Yeshua)
in Hebrew means salvation or Savior (Matthew [Mattityahu]
1:21).
At
this point, the sea divided and the children of Israel crossed the floor
of the Red Sea on dry ground while the Egyptian army, along with
Pharaoh, pursued the Hebrews into the Red Sea and were drowned (Exodus [Shemot]
14:26-28; 15:4,19). The Bible says that the L-rd's right hand destroyed
the Egyptians (Exodus [Shemot] 15:6,12). The right hand is a
term for the Messiah, Yeshua (Psalms [Tehillim] 44:3;
48:10; 63:8; 74:10-11; 89:13; 98:1; 110:1; 118:16; 138:7; Isaiah [Yeshayahu]
41:10; 53:1-5; 62:8; Acts 2:32-36; 5:31-32; Hebrews 1:3).
It
is important to note that Pharaoh, along with his army, drowned in the
sea. In the days of Joseph (Yosef), there was a famine in
Israel
and the children of Israel
went down to Egypt
(Mitzrayim) and gave themselves to rulership under Pharaoh.
Because of this, Pharaoh had legal ownership over the people. This
ownership could be broken only by the death of Pharaoh, thus freeing the
children of Israel to go to
the Promised Land. Because of this fact, G-d did not violate His word to
Pharaoh through Moses (Moshe) when he asked Pharaoh to let the
people go on a three-day journey into the wilderness, but later
continued to go to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh died, his rulership
over the children of Israel was
legally broken and the people were free to go to the Promised Land. For
this reason, the season of Passover (Pesach) is called "The
Feast of Our Freedom".
Spiritually
speaking, Pharaoh is a type of satan (Ha satan). Until you
accept the Messiah (Yeshua) into your life, Satan (Ha satan)
has legal ownership over you. By the death of Yeshua (Jesus),
the legal ownership that satan (Ha satan) has over our lives is
broken and we are free to enter into the spiritual promised land of G-d
and receive all the promises that He has promised us.
Fifty Days From the Red
Sea: Shavuot (Pentecost)
From
the crossing of the Red Sea (Nisan 17) to the day Moses (Moshe)
met G-d on Mount Sinai
were 47 days. For 47 days the children of
Israel
traveled through the wildemess before they came to
Mount Sinai on the third day of the third month (Sivan)
(Exodus [Shemot] 19:1). G-d instructed the people through Moses
(Moshe) to sanctify themselves before He visited them three
days later on Mount Sinai, which would be the sixth day of the third
month of Sivan (Exodus [Shemot] 19:10-11). This day would be
the fiftieth day following the crossing of the Red Sea; it came to be
known as the revelation of G-d at Mount Sinai.
This day being the fiftieth day from the crossing of the Red Sea on Nisan 17 would be the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot),
or Pentecost.
Therefore,
from the Exodus story, we can see that the Lamb was slain on the
fourteenth of Nisan, the day of Passover (Pesach). On the
fifteenth of Nisan, the day of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah),
the people left Egypt;
on the seventeenth of Nisan the children of
Israel
crossed the Red Sea; and 50 days later on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot),
or Pentecost, G-d gave the Torah (instruction) on
Mount Sinai. In the following chapters, we will see how
Yeshua (Jesus) died on Passover (Pesach) (Nisan 14), was
in the sepulcher on the day of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah)
(Nisan 15), and was resurrected on the day of First Fruits (Bikkurim)
(Nisan 17), and the Holy Spirit empowered the believers 50 days
following Yeshua's (Jesus) resurrection on the day of Pentecost
(Shavuot). We will also discover what these feasts mean to the
individual believer and how they relate to our personal relationship
with G-d.
FALL FESTIVAL OVERVIEW
The
fall festival season begins with a 40-day period called, in Hebrew,
Teshuvah, which means "to repent or return." This 40-day period
begins in the sixth month of the religious calendar, the month of Elul,
and concludes on the tenth day of the seventh month, which is Yom
Kippur, the day of Atonement. Each morning in the synagogue
following the morning prayers, a shofar is blown (except on sabbaths and
the day preceding Rosh HaShanah, the Feast of Trumpets). Psalm
(Tehillim) 27 is read every day. Rosh HaShanah is the
thirtieth day into this 40-day period of Teshuvah or
repentance. The biblical name for Rosh HaShanah is Yom
Teruah, which means "the day of the awakening blast." Non-Jews call
this the Feast of Trumpets. It is observed on the seventh month (Tishrei)
and the first day of the month (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:23-24).
G-d gave us this day to teach us about the resurrection of the dead, the
coronation of the Messiah, the wedding of the Messiah, and much more.
This day is both the Jewish New Year and the beginning of a period of
soul-searching known as the High Holy Days, culminating on Yom
Kippur. Therefore, the last 10 days of the 40-day period of
Teshuvah, beginning on Elul 1, is also called the High Holy Days.
The
first and second days of the 10 High Holy Days (Tishrei 1-10) are
collectively known as one day (Nehemiah 7:73; 8:1-2,13). The
seven-day period from Tishrei 3 through Tishrei 9 is called the Days of
Awe or the Awesome Days (Yamim Nora'im). G-d gave these special
days on His calendar to teach us about the future tribulation period on
earth (Chevlai shel Mashiach). These seven days will correspond
to the seven years of the tribulation known in Hebrew as the "birthpangs
of the Messiah" (Chevlai shel Mashiach).
Yom
Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is observed on the tenth day of the
seventh month (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:26-32). Since Rosh
Hashanah teaches us about the resurrection of the dead, the
coronation of the Messiah and the wedding of the Messiah, and the Days
of Awe teach us about the tribulation (Chevlai shel Mashiach),
Yom Kippur teaches us about the literal second coming of the
Messiah Yeshua when He will set His foot down on the Mount of
Olives (Zechariah 14:4).
The
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is observed the fifteenth day of
the seventh month of Tishrei to the twenty-first day. This festival
teaches us the joy of the Messianic Kingdom, known in Hebrew as the
Athid Lavo or to non-Jews as the Millennium. This can be found in
Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:33-44. The day following the
twenty-first day of Tishrei, the last day of Sukkot, is a
special day called Shemini Atzeret. It is known as the eighth
day (Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:36) and is the twenty-second day of
Tishrei.
Another
festival called Simchat Torah is observed in conjunction with
Shemini Atzeret. Simchat means "rejoicing" in Hebrew,
so Simchat Torah means "rejoicing in the Torah." In ancient
times, this festival was observed on the twenty-second of Tishrei, the
same day as Shemini Atzeret. Today it is celebrated on the
twenty-third of Tishrei. The celebration of Shemini Atzeret and
Simchat Torah spans a 48-hour period, but it is referred to as
"one long day." It is only one of two instances in the biblical year
when there is a 48-hour period known as one long day. The other is
Rosh HaShanah, which spans the first and second days of Tishrei.
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah were given by G-d to
teach us how things will be following the Messianic age or the
Millennium when the world will enter into eternity.
FEASTS OF THE L-RD
Biblical/Hebrew Name English Name
Time of Observance
1. Pesach Passover Nisan/Aviv 14
2. Hag HaMatzah Feast of Unleavened Bread Nisan/Aviv 15-21
3. Bikkurim First Fruits of Barley The morrow
Harvest after the
sabbath during
Hag HaMatzah
4. Shavuot Feast of Weeks/Pentecost Fifty days from the Feast of First Fruits
5. Yom Teruah Feast of Trumpets Tishrei 1
(Rosh HaShanah)
6. Yom Kippur Day of Atonement Tishrei 10
7. Sukkot Feast of Tabernacles Tishrei 15-21
Booths
a. Shemini Atzeret The eighth assembly/ Tishrei 22
conclusion
b. Simchat Torah Rejoicing in the Torah Tishrei 23
HISTORICAL APPLICATION OF THE FEASTS
FEAST HISTORICAL
ASPECT
1. Passover Israel's deliverance out of Egyptian bondage
(Pesach)
2. Unleavened Bread The going out of Egypt
(Hag HaMatzah)
3. First Fruits Crossing the Red Sea
(Bikkurim)
4. Pentecost Giving the Torah at Mount Sinai
(Shavuot)
5. Rosh HaShanah Blowing the Shofar/Jewish New Year
(Yom Teruah)
6. Day of Atonement Priest entered the Holy of Holies
(Yom Kippur) Cleansing of the people's sins
7. Tabernacles Entering the Promised Land/Great Rejoicing
(Sukkot)
MESSIANIC APPLICATION OF THE FEASTS
FEAST MESSIANIC
FULFILLMENT
1. Passover Death of Yeshua on the tree
(Pesach)
2. Unleavened Bread The Burial of Yeshua
(Hag HaMatzah)
3. First Fruits Resurrection of Yeshua
(Bikkurim)
4. Pentecost Pouring out of the Holy Spirit (Ruach
(Shavuot) Hakodesh) on Shavuot (Acts 2)
5. Rosh HaShanah The Resurrection of the Dead /
(Yom Teruah) Rapture (Natzal) of believers
6. Day of Atonement The Day of Messiah's Second Coming
(Yom Kippur) (Zech 14:4)
7. Tabernacles The Messianic Era/Millennium
(Sukkot) (Athid Lavo)
SPIRITUAL
APPLICATION OF THE FEASTS
FEAST SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
( Halacha
)
1. Passover Repent (Teshuvah) and trust by faith
(Pesach) (Emunah)in the shed blood of Yeshua
2. Unleavened Bread Sanctification and separation from evil
(Hag HaMatzah) represented by water immersion (Mikvah)
3. First Fruits Walking (Halacha) in newness of life
(Bikkurim)
4. Pentecost Immersion in the Holy Spirit (Ruach
(Shavuot) HaKodesh) and growing in faith (Emunah)
in G-d making spiritual aliyah)
5. Rosh HaShanah Hear (Shema) the calling (Shofar) of
(Yom Teruah) for our lives
6. Day of Atonement Yielding ourselves to G-d so we may
(Yom Kippur) live (face to face) in His Presence
7. Tabernacles A daily rest (shabbat) in the Messiah
(Sukkot) and having the rest (menuchah) of His
Kingdom in our hearts
Continue to
Chapter 3
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