FROM PASSOVER TO THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES – AN OVERVIEW OF THE SEVEN ANNUAL FESTIVALS

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:16-17

The seven annual Festivals of Yehovah are not only celebrations of God’s provision and deliverance but are foreshadowings of the Messiah. They are symbolic pictures of Christ.

PASSOVER

“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” Exodus 12:2

The Ceremonial Calendar begins with the month of Aviv. The Hebrew word, אָבִיב (aviv) literally means, “ear of grain.” It first month on the ceremonial calendar is in the spring when barley, the first of the grain harvests, is reaped. After the Babylonian captivity, the first month was called Nisan. The word “Nisan” is related to the word “nissim,” meaning “miracles.” The first month on the Hebrew ceremonial calendar, corresponds to the Roman months of March - April.

Passover, the first of the seven festivals, recalls the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. Passover is both an historical account and a prophetic picture. Moses “The Deliverer” is a type of the Messiah. The bondage of slavery in Egypt is a type of the bondage of sin in the world. Pharaoh typifies Satan. The Passover, when the firstborn male child passed from death to life by the blood of the lamb, is a picture of our passing from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the Son by the shed blood of the Lamb of God.

FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

Chametz” is the Hebrew word for leavened grain products. Leaven is an agent, such as yeast, that causes batter or dough to rise, especially by fermentation. It is written in the Torah (the “Five Books of Moses” or Pentateuch) that during the week of Passover (the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread coincides with the day of Passover) that the Israelites should -

Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. Exodus 13:7

The Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthians not to boast but to expel the immoral brother in their midst. Paul like Jesus, using leaven as a type of sin, implores the body of Christ to be rid of hateful actions and speech. We are live as genuine followers of Christ by walking in the truth. The second festival, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is seven days long which symbolizes the lifelong process of the sanctification of the believer. By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit we are to rid our lives of leaven and be transformed into the image of Christ.

FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS

The third festival annually celebrated is the Feast of Firstfruits. The LORD (Yehovah) commanded that the Israelites were to bring an annual offering on the first day of the week (the day after the Sabbath) each year as they celebrated the Passover in the Promised Land.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:20

Jesus was raised from the dead on the day after the Sabbath. The women went to tomb on the first day of the week. Jesus arose on the Feast of Firstfruits. The apostle Paul recognized that the Messiah (the Christ) was the fulfillment of this ordinance that was given to Israel. The Feast of Firstfruits pictures the resurrection of Messiah.

FEAST OF WEEKS

The fourth and last of the spring cycle of festivals is Shavuot. It was called the Feast of Weeks because seven weeks were counted from the Feast of Firstfruits (firstfruits of the barley harvest) until observing this celebration. The count began during the 1st month of the Hebrew ceremonial calendar (Nisan) on the day after the Sabbath of the Passover week. The count continued for seven weeks until the end of the first week of the 3rd month of the Hebrew ceremonial calendar (Sivan).

In the Greek language, Shavuot was known as Pentecost meaning “fiftieth,” since it was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Feast of Firstfruits. Jesus arose on the first day of the week (a Sunday) which was the Feast of Firstfruits. By counting seven full weeks, the forty-ninth day is on a Saturday. Adding one more day, for a total of fifty days, the day of Pentecost is again a Sunday.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:2-4

The four spring Festivals of the LORD: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and The Feast of Weeks all take place within the first three months of the Hebrew calendar. The spring cycle of biblical festivals was literally fulfilled by the First Advent: Redemption (the Passover), Sanctification (The Feast of Unleavened Bread), Resurrection (Firstfruits) and the birth of the Church (Pentecost).

THE CHURCH AGE

Then during the summer months there are no festivals. It is a time that the wheat harvest grows until it is ready to be harvested. This is a picture of the Church Age. After the summer, the fall cycle of festivals take place and all three fall festivals take place in the seventh month of the ceremonial calendar.

THE CIVIL CALENDAR

Israel experienced two great captivities. Nine hundred years after the great delivery from the bondage of Egypt, a remnant of God's people from the Southern Kingdom of Judah returned from Babylon after 70 years of captivity. These events are reflected in two Hebrew calendars.

The Civil Calendar begins in the seventh month of the Ceremonial Calendar. The seventh month is called, Ethanim which means the month of offerings. Three out of the seven Festivals of YHVH take place within the seventh month. After the Babylonian exile, the name of the seventh month was called Tishri. The name Tishri was taken from the Assyrian language and means, “beginning.” According to rabbinic belief, creation took place on Rosh HaShona - “In the beginning …” Tishri, the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar, corresponds to the months of September - October. The Hebrew calendar originally started in the fall, but after the great deliverance from Egypt the LORD commanded that the calendar begin in the spring.

FEAST OF TRUMPETS

On the Feast of Trumpets, which occurs on the first day of the seventh month (a New Moon Festival), both silver trumpets are blown which announces that the whole camp gather together in the presence of the LORD and the shofar is blown which is associated with the resurrection of the dead.

The fifth of the festivals, the Feast of Trumpets foreshadows the Rapture when God's elect will be translated in the blinking of an eye and gathered into His presence to be forever with the Lord.

Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah - The Day of Trumpets) is held on the first day of the seventh month. Ten days later, on Tishri 10, the sixth of the festivals, Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement is observed.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

The most solemn and holy day for the Jewish people is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when the entire Book of Jonah is read. Jesus, the Lamb of God, proved He was the one true acceptable atonement offering when He rose from the dead on the third day.

Jesus our Messiah is not only the perfect substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, but is also our High Priest. Aaron, the brother of Moses, had to remove his ornate priestly garments and put on plain white linen garments before he could enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement. Bathing and then putting on clean white linen was symbolic of being purified from sin and then being clothed with righteousness. Only after purification, could Aaron come before the mercy seat to first offer up an atonement offering for himself and then for his people Israel.

Just as the earthly high priest removed his ornate priestly garb on the Day of Atonement, Jesus removed His garments of glory and took on the nature of a man in order to provide atonement for sinful mankind. Messiah Jesus was sacrificed once for all. The perfect sacrificial Lamb of God is also our eternal High Priest forever and the mediator of a new and better covenant.

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

The final of the seven annual feasts is Sukkoth – The Feast of Tabernacles. It is a pilgrimage festival; it is one of three festivals that were celebrated until 70 A.D. by mass pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Sukkoth is also a harvest festival. It is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha'Asif, the Festival of the Ingathering (harvesting). Thirdly, we remember the Exodus from Egypt on Sukkoth. The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. It is the final festival of the fall cycle of biblical festivals. The day following the seven day celebration of The Feast of Tabernacles, is a special Sabbath - a closing assembly.

At the First Advent, Jesus came as a suffering servant. The Jews were anticipating a conquering king and instead were offered a slaughtered Lamb. At the Second Coming, Jesus will indeed come as a conquering king - The King of kings and the Lord of lords. God will tabernacle with men. Jesus will establish his kingdom on earth and rule from Zion. The last of the Festivals of the LORD - Sukkoth - is a type of the Millennial Kingdom. During the Millennium, at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11

As a Jewish believer in Yeshua (Jesus) as the Son of God and Messiah (Christ), I am sharing my understanding of the natural and spiritual fulfillments that are foreshadowed in the Festivals of Yehovah in a series of posts. If you want to study any of these festivals in more depth, use the links provided below:

WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS STUDY THE FESTIVALS OF THE LORD?
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/why-should-christians-study-the-festivals-of-the-lord

JESUS IS THE PASSOVER LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/jesus-is-the-passover-lamb-without-blemish

SYMBOLS OF CHRIST IN THE PASSOVER
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/symbols-of-christ-in-the-passover

SANCTIFICATION OF THE BELIEVER IN CHRIST
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/sanctification-of-the-believer-in-christ

HOW WAS JESUS ABLE TO CELEBRATE PASSOVER AND YET BE CRUCIFIED ON PASSOVER?
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/how-was-jesus-able-to-celebrate-passover-and-yet-be-crucified-on-passover

CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED, ENTOMBED, AND ROSE FROM THE GRAVE ON THE FESTIVALS OF YEHOVAH
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/christ-was-crucified-entombed-and-rose-from-the-grave-on-the-festivals-of-yehovah

THE FEAST OF WEEKS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/the-feast-of-weeks-and-the-holy-spirit

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT PART I – JEWISH TRADITIONS CAN NOT ATONE FOR SIN
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/the-day-of-atonement-part-i-jewish-traditions-can-not-atone-for-sin

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT PART II – JESUS OUR HIGH PRIEST
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/the-day-of-atonement-part-ii-jesus-our-high-priest

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES AND THE REIGN OF CHRIST
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/the-feast-of-tabernacles-and-the-reign-of-christ

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES – THE LAST AND GREATEST DAY
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/the-feast-of-tabernacles-the-last-and-greatest-day