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September, 2025 (Vol.59-No.9) |
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By Scott LaPierre Table of contents .Looking to Jesus’s First Coming .The First Biblical Feast, Passover (Pesach), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Crucifixion . The Second Biblical Feast, Unleavened Bread (Hag Hamatzot), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Unleavened Body in the Grave . Jesus’s Unleavened Body Couldn’t Remain in the Grave . The Third Biblical Feast, Firstfruits (Hag HaBikkurim), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Resurrection . What Are Firstfruits? . The Fourth Biblical Feast, Pentecost or Weeks (Shavuot), Looked Forward to the Church’s “Harvest” . The Seven Weeks Between the Third and Fourth Feasts . The Sabbath Looked Forward to the Rest Christ Offers . Christ’s True and Greater Rest . What Did the Hebrews Understand? The seven biblical feasts are divided into two groups. The four spring feasts look to Jesus’s First Coming, and all were fulfilled when they were celebrated: • Jesus was crucified on Passover • Jesus’s sinless, or unleavened body, was buried during the Feast of Unleavened Bread • Jesus was resurrected on Firstfruits • The church began on Pentecost The three fall feasts, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, look to Jesus’s Second Coming, and because the spring feasts were fulfilled when the feasts were celebrated, it is reasonable to expect the fall feasts to be fulfilled when they are celebrated. The first feast, Passover, began the first month of the Hebrew calendar, Nissan 14, our March 30.* The feast of firstfruits is below the feast of unleavened bread, because firstfruits took place during unleavened bread. Seven weeks passed between the third and fourth feasts looking forward to the seven weeks between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension when He revealed himself to over 500 witnesses. There is a six-month gap between Nisan, when the spring feasts begin, and Tishri, the seventh month when the fall feasts begin. This six-month gap represents the church age or gap between Jesus’s two comings. Looking to Jesus’s First Coming Leviticus 23:4 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. The Hebrew word for feasts is môʿēḏ, which means “appointed times,” which is why many Bibles refer to the feasts as appointed feasts instead of only feasts. This is the first of four times in verses two through four that the word appointed is used. God wants us to know these feasts are appointed. Why the repetition? God carefully planned their timing and sequence to point toward Christ and the work He would accomplish in His First and Second Comings. The First Biblical Feast, Passover (Pesach), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Crucifixion Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover. 1 Corinthians 5:7 Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Every Passover looked forward to Christ, our Passover lamb, who was crucified on Passover: • Matthew 26:2 the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. • John 19:13 Pilate…brought Jesus out, and…14 it was the day of preparation of the Passover. At the same time the lambs were being prepared to be slaughtered for the Passover meal, Jesus was being prepared to be slaughtered for our sins. Exodus 12:13 [God said], “When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” When the Jews were in Egypt, they took the blood of the Passover Lamb and covered their doorposts so the wrath of God would pass over them. The typology is that when the blood of Christ covers us, the wrath of God passes over us, too: • Passover celebrated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. • With Christ as our Passover, we can celebrate the true and greater deliverance from slavery to sin and death. The Second Biblical Feast, Unleavened Bread (Hag Hamatzot), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Unleavened Body in the Grave Leviticus 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month (so again, Nisan) is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 8 But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” Passover took place on Nisan 14th or March 30th. The Feast of Unleavened Bread began the next day, Nisan 15th, and lasted one week until Nisan 22nd, or March 31st to April 7th. The Feast of Unleavened Bread took place right after Passover because it celebrated Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, and Israel was delivered right after Passover. The Israelites were delivered so quickly they didn’t have time for the leaven to make their bread rise: Exodus 12:11 In this manner you shall eat [the unleavened bread]: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. When the Feast of Unleavened Bread is discussed, Exodus 12:15 and Exodus 12:19 both read whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM ISRAEL. That’s pretty serious! Eat leaven and get killed! Leaven and yeast are the same, so you read this and say, What’s the problem with leaven? What does God have against fluffy bread? The Old Testament prefigures the New Testament, and in the New Testament, leaven is a picture or type of sin: • Leaven is a fungus that grows in bread dough like sin grows in a person’s life. • You can never completely remove leaven from the dough, and we can never completely remove sin from our lives. • Leaven “puffs up” bread like sin puffs us up or leads to pride. • A small amount of leaven spreads through a batch of dough as a small amount of sin spreads through a person’s life, a marriage, a family (think of Achan’s sin affecting his entire family), or a church. Paul condemned churches that let sin remain among them: 1 Corinthians 5:6 and Galatians 5:9 both read Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? The Feast of Unleavened Bread looked forward to Jesus’s burial, and Jesus was buried right after He was sacrificed as our Passover Lamb. The feast of unleavened bread refers to Jesus’s unleavened or sinless body being buried in the ground. So, is there a connection between Jesus’s body and bread? Absolutely! We celebrate that connection every Sunday during communion: Matthew 26:26 Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; THIS IS MY BODY.” Bread of Life is one of the most common titles Jesus used for Himself: John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread (referring to His body), he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world IS MY FLESH.” Jesus’s body is the true and greater sinless or unleavened bread. Jesus described His body as a grain of wheat planted, or buried, in the earth, ready to burst forth as the Bread of Life: John 12:23 Jesus [said], “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth (or is buried) and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He’s referring to his death, and He said if He died and were buried, it would bear much fruit. And has there been much fruit from Jesus’s death and burial? Absolutely! The fruit of our salvation. Just as every Passover lamb looked forward to Christ as our Passover lamb, every piece of unleavened bread looked forward to Jesus’s unleavened or sinless body being buried in the earth. Jesus’s Unleavened Body Couldn’t Remain in the Grave Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death If you sin, you die. But the opposite is also true: if you never sin, you shouldn’t die. And because Jesus’s body was sinless or unleavened, when it was buried, the grave couldn’t hold Him: Acts 2:24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO BE HELD BY IT. The Third Biblical Feast, Firstfruits (Hag HaBikkurim), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:20 Christ has been raised from the dead, THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP…23 But each in his own order: CHRIST THE FIRSTFRUITS, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. The feast of firstfruits looked forward to Christ being the firstfruits of the resurrection: Leviticus 23:9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. 14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” Halfway through verse 11, look at the phrase “On the day after the Sabbath,” which tells us when Firstfruits was celebrated. The Sabbath is Saturday and the day after the Sabbath is Sunday, so Firstfruits was celebrated on Sunday. In other words, Firstfruits was celebrated the first Sunday after Jesus’s death, and we know this Sunday as Resurrection Sunday. The confusing part is the Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated during the Feast of Unleavened Bread: • The Feast of Unleavened Bread was one week long: Friday to Thursday. • The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated on the Sunday in the middle of Unleavened Bread. The first three biblical feasts were close because they looked to Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. What Are Firstfruits? We don’t use the word firstfruits much, so think of two things when you hear this word. First, firstfruits were the part of the harvest set apart for God because they were expected to be the best of the harvest, and God wants our best. Christ is called our firstfruits because He’s the best of the harvest of those resurrected. Second, firstfruits always looked forward to a greater harvest to follow. The Israelites gave their firstfruits to God, believing He would provide a later, greater harvest for them. There was no guarantee they would have more produce later, so it took faith to give the firstruits of the harvest to Him. Christ is the firstfruits because he’s the first of the resurrection. His resurrection looked forward to a greater harvest to follow. And this harvest brings us to the last feast… The Fourth Biblical Feast, Pentecost or Weeks (Shavuot), Looked Forward to the Church’s “Harvest” Leviticus 23:15 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. The first three biblical feasts were close together, but the fourth feast was celebrated seven weeks, or 49 days, which is why Pentecost is also called the Feast of Weeks. Most people have heard of Pentecost, not because they are familiar with the Feast in the Old Testament, but because they are familiar with Acts 2 and the Holy Spirit descending. It says Pentecost is celebrated the day after the seventh Sabbath or Sunday, so: • Firstfruits, the day Jesus was resurrected, was Sunday • Pentecost, the day the church was born, was Sunday Even though the Old Testament emphasized Saturday or the seventh day, there was still much about the first day or Sunday. It took place the day after the 49th day or on the 50th day, which is why it’s called Pentecost. The Seven Weeks Between the Third and Fourth Feasts The seven weeks between the first three biblical feasts and Pentecost represent the time Jesus showed Himself to people before the Ascension: Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father (referring to the Holy Spirit), which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Jesus was telling them to get ready to celebrate the fourth feast! He was going to leave them, but He would send the Holy Spirit, and they needed to wait in Jerusalem until that happened, which is really to say until Pentecost. Leviticus 23:22 “And when you reap THE HARVEST OF YOUR LAND, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after YOUR HARVEST. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” It mentions their harvest twice. The third feast, Firstfruits, expected a greater harvest to follow, and Pentecost represents that greater harvest. This looked forward to the great harvest of souls brought into the church following Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection: Acts 2:41 those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day ABOUT THREE THOUSAND SOULS. Acts 4:4 many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND. In a matter of a few days, 8,000 Jews were saved. That’s a great harvest! The Sabbath Looked Forward to the Rest Christ Offers Leviticus 23:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.” The Sabbath isn’t one of the seven biblical feasts, but it’s mentioned here because Sabbaths are such a big part of the feasts. Like the feasts, the Sabbath also looked forward to Christ and the true and greater rest He offers: Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” It’s important to remember Jesus said these words to Jews who were already observing the Sabbath because the rest He offers is greater than the rest on the Sabbath: • The Sabbath rest was physical, and the rest Jesus offered was spiritual. • The Sabbath rest was for one day, but the rest Jesus offers can be enjoyed seven days per week. Christ’s True and Greater Rest It’s the rest we can have from worry and anxiety as we trust in God’s sovereignty and plan for our lives: 1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. It’s rest from feeling like we must do everything ourselves or manipulate circumstances. It’s being able to trust God will bring about the best end. It’s the rest that comes from NOT being in bondage to some sin, addiction, or lifestyle. It’s the rest that comes from knowing we’re forgiven. Many people spend much of their lives struggling with guilt and condemnation associated with their past actions, but resting in Christ’s forgiveness delivers us from that. Many people spend their lives terrified of death and the unknown that follows it. Resting in Christ means freedom from fear of death and confidence in where we will spend eternity. It’s the rest from working for salvation. Consider what the author of Hebrews said to his readers who thought works saved them: Hebrews 4:3 We who have believed enter that rest [in Christ]…10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. This refers to God resting after the six days of creation. God rested on the seventh day because His work was completed, and we can rest because the work for our salvation is completed: John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished.” Some of the Hebrew readers hadn’t rested in Christ’s finished work. We are blessed to be able to do so. What Did the Hebrews Understand? Did the Hebrews wonder why the biblical feasts were so close together? Did they wish God spread them out a bit? More importantly, did they know the feasts looked forward to the Messiah? Or did they only see the feasts celebrating their deliverance from bondage in Egypt versus the true and greater deliverance the Messiah provides from bondage to sin and death? Whatever the case, I know this: We are incredibly blessed that God so clearly revealed His Son through these feasts. They were established 1,500 years before Jesus came, and they alone should be enough to give faith to even the most doubtful individuals. *The comparable dates on our Gregorian calendar might be off by one day because the Jews reckoned time differently than us. For example, their third hour is our 9 AM and their ninth hour is our 3 PM. So it’s not a perfect twenty-four-hour correspondence. Reprinted with permission from Scott LaPierre  By Scott LaPierre The four spring feasts point to Jesus’s first coming and are covered in this post. The three fall feasts, described in Leviticus 23:23-44, look forward to His Second Coming. This video explores the profound significance of these three feasts. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) symbolizes the Rapture, where Jesus gathers His church; the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) looks ahead to the Tribulation and “the Wrath of the Lamb”; and the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Succoth) signifies the Millennium when Jesus will “tabernacle” among us. Table of contents • The Spring Feasts Reveal the Lamb of God, and the Fall Feasts Reveal the Lion of the Tribe of Judah • The Six-Month “Gap” Between the Spring and Fall Feasts Represents the Church Age • The First Fall Feast of the Lord, Trumpets, Looks Forward to the Rapture When Jesus Gathers His Church o Does the Feast of Trumpets Give Us the Date of the Rapture? • The Second Fall Feast of the Lord, the Day of Atonement, Looks Forward to the Tribulation and “Wrath of the Lamb” • The Third Fall Feast of the Lord, Tabernacles, Looks Forward to the Millennium When Jesus “Tabernacles” Among Us o The Connection Between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Millennium o Did the Feast of Trumpets Look Back on Christ Dwelling with Israel in the Wilderness? • The Fall Feasts of the Lord Demonstrate God’s Love My last post examined the first four spring feasts, and in this post, I will examine the last three fall feasts. I want to capture the transition between the spring and fall feasts. The Spring Feasts Reveal the Lamb of God, and the Fall Feasts Reveal the Lion of the Tribe of Judah If I worded this heading differently, it would be, “The spring feasts reveal the Suffering Servant, and the fall feasts reveal the Coming King.” God often uses animals to picture kingdoms. For example: • In Jeremiah 5 and 49, a lion and eagle represent Babylon. • In Ezekiel 17 and 19, an eagle and crocodile represent Egypt. Probably most famously, in Daniel 7: • A lion represents Babylon • A bear represents Medo-Persia • A leopard represents Greece • And a fourth, monstrous beast represents Rome God also uses two animals to represent Christ’s Kingdom, and we see them in the seven feasts: • The four spring feasts looked forward to Jesus’s First Coming as the Lamb of God. • The three fall feasts look forward to Jesus’s Second Coming as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Just as the first four feasts go together and looked forward to Jesus’s First Coming, the three fall feasts go together and look forward to Jesus’s Second Coming. They all occur within about 20 days of each other: Tishri 1 to Tishri 21 or September 21 to October 11. The Six-Month “Gap” Between the Spring and Fall Feasts Represents the Church Age Leviticus 23:5 IN THE FIRST MONTH, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover. Passover occurred in the first month. Leviticus 23:23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, IN THE SEVENTH MONTH, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. This is the fifth feast, Trumpets, which occurred “in the seventh month.” So, there is a six-month gap between the spring and fall feasts of the Lord. They are separated by as much time as possible. If the feasts were any further apart, they would be closer together on the other end of the calendar. This six-month gap represents the church age or “gap” between Jesus’s two comings. I use the word “gap” because if you’re familiar with Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, this gap should make you think of the “gap” between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks. The First Fall Feast of the Lord, Trumpets, Looks Forward to the Rapture When Jesus Gathers His Church Leviticus 23:23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.” Briefly consider the “gap” or the Church Age between the fourth and fifth feasts. Last post I wrote that the third feast, Firstfruits, looked forward to a great harvest. That harvest began at Pentecost and continued throughout the Church Age, or “gap” between the fourth and fifth feasts: Acts 2:41 Those who received [Peter’s] word (following his great speech) were baptized, and there were added that day ABOUT THREE THOUSAND SOULS. Then, a little while later: Acts 4:4 many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND. In a matter of a few days, 8,000 Jews were saved. That’s a great harvest! In the Old Testament, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) commemorated the end of the physical harvest. In the future, it will commemorate the end of the spiritual harvest or Church Age. Additionally, throughout the Old Testament, trumpets were used to gather people. Here are a few examples: • Exodus 19:13 When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain. • Numbers 10:2 Make two silver trumpets…use them for summoning the congregation. • Nehemiah 4:20 When you hear the trumpet, rally to us there. • Jeremiah 4:5 Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, “Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!” So, trumpets were used to gather people throughout the Old Testament, and it looked forward to the Rapture when the Lord gathers His people, the Church: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET OF GOD. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at THE LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. Leviticus 23:24 says “blast of trumpets” plural. There was a long break between the spring feasts and the fall feasts of the Lord, and the Feast of Trumpets served to wake up everyone. This looks to one of the themes in the New Testament that we must be alert and ready for Jesus’s imminent return for His church. We are to live as though Christ could come for us at any moment because He could. Think of Jesus’s teaching on this subject: Matthew 24:42 Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…44 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is primarily about preparing for Christ to come for His bride. We don’t know when that will happen, so the bridegroom comes, the foolish virgins aren’t ready, and Jesus ends the parable this way: Matthew 25:11 [The foolish] virgins [said], “Lord, lord, open to us.” 12 But he answered, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. This is why Jesus’s return for His church is regularly compared with the way a thief breaks in unexpectedly: • 1 Thessalonians 5:2 The day of the Lord will come LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT…4 You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you LIKE A THIEF. • 2 Peter 3:10 The day of the Lord will come LIKE A THIEF… • Revelation 3:3 I will come LIKE A THIEF, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. • Revelation 16:15 Behold, I am coming LIKE A THIEF! Blessed is the one who stays awake. We don’t know when a thief will strike, but we will be prepared if we know he will. Similarly, we don’t know WHEN Jesus will return for His church, but if we believe He will, we will be prepared. Does the Feast of Trumpets Give Us the Date of the Rapture? I just shared that Jesus will come for His church like a thief in the night, and nobody knows the day or hour. But you probably also know some verses encourage us to watch the times and seasons to know when the end is near: • Matthew 24:33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. • Luke 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. We don’t know, but we should watch and have some idea. So I’m not going to declare a day and hour, but if I was forced to choose, here’s what I’d say: Because all four spring feasts were fulfilled when the feasts were celebrated (Passover was fulfilled on Passover, Unleavened Bread was fulfilled on Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits was fulfilled on Firstfruits, Pentecost was fulfilled on Pentecost) it is reasonable to expect the fall feasts of the Lord to be fulfilled when they are celebrated. If I had to choose a day for the Rapture, it would be when the Feast of Trumpets is celebrated: Tishri 1 or close to September 21st. The Second Fall Feast of the Lord, the Day of Atonement, Looks Forward to the Tribulation and “Wrath of the Lamb” Leviticus 23:26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and YOU SHALL AFFLICT YOURSELVES and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For WHOEVER IS NOT AFFLICTED on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and YOU SHALL AFFLICT YOURSELVES. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.” On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the High Priest would enter the Holiest of Holies and sprinkle blood on the ark to atone for Israel’s sins. Three times, the verses discuss Israel afflicting themselves. It’s pretty odd to see this discussion of affliction on a day that’s supposed to be a celebration. But it’s perfectly fitting because the Day of Atonement looks forward to the Tribulation when a Christ-rejecting world is afflicted. The Third Fall Feast of the Lord, Tabernacles, Looks Forward to the Millennium When Jesus “Tabernacles” Among Us Leviticus 23:33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths (many translations say Tabernacles) to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation (or Sabbath); you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation (or another Sabbath) and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work. 37 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation (referring to Sabbaths), for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, 38 besides the Lord’s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord. 39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest (or Sabbath), and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest (another Sabbath).” God provided for Israel in such incredible ways when they were in the wilderness, He established the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth) to celebrate it. The Israelites would live in tents or temporary shelters called booths for seven days, which is why the Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of Booths. Tabernacles emphasized Sabbaths (mentioned six times in the verses) or rest. So, there was a dramatic change between the 6th and 7th feasts: • The Day of Atonement was about affliction. • Tabernacles was about rest and rejuvenation. This pictured the dramatic change between the Tribulation and the Millennium. The Connection Between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Millennium Leviticus 23:40 “And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees (keep the palm branches in mind) and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” 44 Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord. The Israelites would make their tents, or booths, out of palm branches. What event in Scripture comes to mind when you think of palm branches? The Triumphal Entry. I want to establish the connection between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Millennial Kingdom: Luke 19:11 [Jesus] was near to Jerusalem, and [the Jews] supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. This is Palm Sunday. Jesus makes His Triumphal Entry and is crucified in five days. But the Jews think Jesus is about to establish His kingdom. Because they think He’s setting up His kingdom when He enters Jerusalem: Mark 11:8 Many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches…9 [They] were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 BLESSED IS THE COMING KINGDOM of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” There was no command for the Jews to put palm branches down, so some people used clothing instead. Some Jews used palm branches because they associated the Feast of Tabernacles with the Messiah’s Kingdom. Leviticus 23:41 says celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles “is a statue forever throughout [the] generations.” Tabernacles is supposed to be celebrated forever. I want to share some verses from Zechariah about this, but first, let me give you an idea of what’s going on: • The Second Coming occurs. • The armies of the earth fight against Jerusalem. • Jesus destroys these enemies at the Battle of Armageddon. • Then, He establishes His Millennial Kingdom. • People who survived the battle enter the Kingdom. We’re going to pick up at the description of the Battle of Armageddon: Zechariah 14:12 This shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths…16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles). 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King (which is to say they don’t observe Tabernacles)…there will be no rain on them. 18 [This] shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. Notice two things. First, if people don’t celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, they will be punished. Second, the Feast of Tabernacles is so closely associated with the Millennial Kingdom that it will be celebrated during the Millennium. We don’t have time to look at the verses, but Micah 4:1-7 and Isaiah 2:3-4 prophesy of this. We will be celebrating having Christ in our midst, tabernacling among us. Did the Feast of Trumpets Look Back on Christ Dwelling with Israel in the Wilderness? The Feast of Trumpets looked forward to Christ gathering His people, the church. The Day of Atonement looked forward to Christ atoning for our sins. Is there some way, or ways, the Feast of Trumpets looked forward to Christ dwelling or tabernacling among us? Or here’s a better way to word this question: the Feast of Tabernacles celebrates Israel’s time in the wilderness. Are there some ways we see Christ dwelling with the Israelites when they were in the wilderness? Absolutely! You could argue that the one time in the Old Testament you MOST see Christ with His people is when they were in the wilderness! Here are some examples. God provided Israel with manna, and Jesus said He’s the true and greater bread from heaven: John 6:32 “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, My Father gives you the true bread from heaven (referring to Himself). 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The manna, or bread from heaven, pictured Christ, the true and greater Bread from Heaven. The way the manna physically nourished the people looked to the way Christ spiritually nourishes us. God provided Israel with a cloud that protected them from the sun’s heat during the day and a pillar of fire that protected them from the cold at night. Listen to the way it’s described: Exodus 13:21 THE LORD WENT BEFORE THEM by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. The LORD was in the cloud and fire, and in the next chapter, we learn it was Jesus: Exodus 14:19 Then THE ANGEL OF GOD was going before the host of Israel moved and…THE PILLAR OF CLOUD MOVED FROM BEFORE THEM AND STOOD BEHIND THEM. The Angel of the Lord was in the cloud and pillar of fire; this Angel is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. The cloud is associated with God’s glory: Exodus 16:10 [Israel] looked toward the wilderness, and behold, THE GLORY OF THE LORD APPEARED IN THE CLOUD. The cloud was the glory of God, a visible representation of God’s presence with them. It looked forward to the way God would reveal His glory and be visibly present with His people at the Incarnation: John 1:14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and WE BEHELD HIS GLORY, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The point is the cloud in the wilderness was a dramatic picture of Christ being with His people. Paul ties all this together and identifies another way Christ was with Israel in the wilderness: 1 Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual ROCK THAT FOLLOWED THEM, and THE ROCK WAS CHRIST. In a few verses, Paul associated Christ with the cloud, manna, and rock that gave them water. The words “followed them” make it sound like Jesus was with them. How does a Rock follow people? The key is the word spiritual: “all ate the same SPIRITUAL food, and all drank the same SPIRITUAL drink.” It doesn’t mean Jesus literally or physically was the manna or rock, but it does mean Jesus spiritually provided for Israel in the wilderness, like He spiritually provides for us, the church, in the New Testament. Jesus compared Himself with the bronze serpent that saved the Israelites from the fiery serpents that were killing them, like Jesus saves us from the spiritual serpent or Satan, that kills us: John 3:14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Israel camped around the ark, which represented the presence of the LORD, making them feel like the Lord dwelt with them. Every sacrifice was a picture of Christ. The Fall Feasts of the Lord Demonstrate God’s Love Christ didn’t physically dwell with His people in the wilderness, but these were all dramatic ways He spiritually dwelt with them, looking forward to the Millennium when He physically dwells or tabernacles among us. Similarly, the Feast of Trumpets didn’t really gather God’s people to Him. It only looked forward to the Rapture, when God will truly gather His people to Himself. Did the Day of Atonement truly forgive people’s sins? No. If it did, God would not have sent His Son. Atone means cover. The Day of Atonement only covered people’s sins while looking forward to Christ coming as our Great High Priest to enter the true and greater Holy of Holies, heaven itself, and remove our sins: Hebrews 9:24 Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. All these feasts reveal Christ. They are God’s loving ways of reaching out to draw us to His Son. Don’t ignore what God has done for you. If you’ve never repented and put your faith in Christ, let today be your day of salvation. Scott LaPierre is a teaching pastor, author, and Christian speaker on marriage. Scott and his wife, Katie, have ten children that they homeschool. Pastor Scott holds an MA in Biblical Studies from Liberty University and loves spending time with his family and studying and teaching God’s Word. ******************************************************** Scott LaPierre is a teaching pastor, author, and Christian speaker on marriage. Scott and his wife, Katie, have ten children that they homeschool. Pastor Scott holds an MA in Biblical Studies from Liberty University and loves spending time with his family and studying and teaching God’s Word. Articles taken from https://www.scottlapierre.org Reprinted with permission from Scott LaPierre | Return Home | Current Wingspread | Wingspread Archives | Contact Us | |
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