Have
you ever heard of the feast of Passover and its prophetic connection to the
death of Jesus as the spotless Lamb of God? I am sure that you have. Did you
know there are 6 other feasts of the Lord, and just as the feast of Passover
had prophetic significance, so I believe the other feasts do also.
In
fact I believe that the spring feasts aligned with and were fulfilled by major
prophetic events at the First Coming of the Lord Jesus and thus I believe the
fall feasts will align with and will be fulfilled by major prophetic events
involving the 70th Week and Second Coming of the Lord.
Therefore
to help us establish a chronology of the 70th week we need take a more in depth
look at the feasts of the Lord and their prophetic significance and
implications. We will first examine the meaning of the word feast, which
alludes to their significance.
The
Hebrew word translated ‘feasts’ means appointed times. The idea is that the
sequence and timing of each of these feasts have been carefully orchestrated by
God himself. Each is part of a comprehensive whole. Collectively, they tell a
story. These feasts are also called ‘holy convocations’; that is they are
intended to be times of meeting between God and man for ‘holy purposes.’[1]
God
instituted seven yearly feasts for the Israelites to observe. There were four
spring feasts and three fall feasts. The feasts, in calendar order with their
associated Hebrew dates, are:
Spring
Feasts (March to June)
1.
The Feast of Passover—14 Nisan
2.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread. 15 – 21—Nisan
3.
The Feast of First Fruits—16 Nisan
4.
The Feast of Weeks—50 days after first fruits.
Fall
Feasts (September to October)
5.
The Feast of Trumpets—1,2 Tishri
6.
The Day of Atonement—10 Tishri
7.
The Feast of Tabernacles—15 – 21 Tishri
Not
only are these feasts significant from a relationship standpoint between God
and man, but they also have prophetic implications:
These
seven feasts typify the sequence, timing, and significance of the major events
of the Lord’s redemptive career. They commence at Calvary where Jesus
voluntarily gave Himself for the sins of the world (Passover), and climax at
the establishment of the messianic Kingdom at the Messiah’s Second Coming...[2]
Paul
alluded to this prophetic connection in Colossians 2:16,17 when he said.
16 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: 17 Which are
a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Let’s
expound upon this thought and see exactly how each feast points to a prophetic
event. Without going into too much detail, we will summarize the prophetic
implication of each feast. For a more thorough understanding of the feasts of
the Lord, I would recommend Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal’s excellent book The Feasts of the Lord.
1.
The Feast of Passover points to Christ as the spotless Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world, and was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross for
our sins on Passover on Friday Nisan 14, 33 A.D.
2.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread shows that Christ’s sinless body would not
undergo decay, and was fulfilled when Christ’s body did not decay while in the
grave.
3.
The Feast of First Fruits shows that Christ had power over death and was the
first fruit of the resurrection and was fulfilled when Christ rose from the
dead on the day of the feast of first fruits on Sunday Nisan 16, 33 A.D.
4.
The Feast of Weeks alludes to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the
initiation of the historical church period and was fulfilled on Pentecost on
Sivan 6, 33 A.D.
It
is clearly evident that the first four feasts were fulfilled at the time of
Christ’s First Coming and thus we can reason that the last 3 feasts will be
fulfilled in events surrounding Christ’s Second Coming. Let’s examine the three
remaining feasts, which occur in the fall, and see how they may be fulfilled.
The
fifth feast, the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah, is practiced as a two-day
feast.
Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה, literally
"head [of] the year") is the Jewish New Year. The Biblical name for
this holiday is called Yom Teruah (Hebrew: יום תרועה, literally
"day [of] shouting/raising a noise") or the Feast of Trumpets…
It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim
Nora'im ("Days of Awe")…Rosh Hashanah is a two-day
celebration, which begins on the first day of Tishrei.[3]
I
believe that since it is a two-day feast that it may have two separate and
different fulfillments, one on the first day and one on the second. One of the events I believe this feast may
align with, though I am not dogmatic about this, is the rapture. The trump that
is referred to at Christ’s coming to the clouds at the rapture may be a
reference to the trumpet blown at this feast.
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:30–31)
The
shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah is known as the last trump, which the apostle
Paul mentioned in I Thes 4:16-17 and I Cor 15:52 in connection with the
rapture.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed.
This
last trump of God will signal the beginning of the Day of the Lord in which the
righteous will be delivered and the wicked will be judged. In fact, ancient
Jewish tradition held that the resurrection of the righteous dead would occur
on Rosh Hashanah with the blowing of the shofar (trumpet), which is why a
shofar was engraved on Jewish gravestones. These two major occurrences signaled
by the blowing of the trumpet are consistent with the historical use of the
trumpet in Israel as explained by Marvin Rosenthal:
The
blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel had two primary functions. The first
was to call a solemn assembly; that is, when the children of Israel were to be
summoned to God’s presence, the trumpet was blown (Ex 19:13,17,19; Num 10:2).
And second, when Israel, under divine direction, was to go to war, the trumpet
was to be blown (Num 10:9; Jud 7; Jer. 4:19-21).[4]
Kevin
Howard has this to say about the judgment aspect of the Feast of Trumpets
Rosh
Hashanah was often referred to as Yom Ha-Din (“Judgment Day”) by rabbis since
it began the Days of Awe, the traditional time of God’s judgment.[5]
The
prophet Zechariah tells of the judgment that will transpire when the trumpet is
blown: “And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as
the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with
whirlwinds of the south” (Zech 9:14). The benediction given for the last 2,000
years during synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah also speaks of the trumpet
being blown at Rosh Hashanah at the Lord’s return, as explained by Kevin
Howard:
The
benediction also speaks of the end of days when God will again reveal Himself
through fire and the sounding of the shofar as He sends the Messiah: ‘The Lord
shall appear over them; his arrow shall go forth like lightning. The Lord shall
sound the shofar and march amid the storms of the south. (cf Zech 9:14)[6]
Another
interesting fact about the Feast of Trumpets that correlates it to the rapture
is that, in the ancient observance of the feast, no one knew the exact start of
the feast. It always started on the first day of the Jewish year, which is the
first day of the month of Tishri, but no one knew the exact day when a Hebrew
month started.
The
Hebrew months start by the sighting of the new moon, and it was the job of the
Sanhedrin to announce the beginning of the month when the new moon was
observed. Of course, one could calculate an approximate time by counting 29.5
days since the last new moon, but it did not officially start until the Sanhedrin
observed the crescent moon, and then declared it so.
This
correlates beautifully with the truth that no one knows the exact time of
Christ’s return. Some even feel that Christ’s own words, “No one knows the day
or hour” is a direct reference to this feast for this reason. In Jewish
tradition Rosh Hashanah is also known as Kiddushin/Nesu'in or the wedding
ceremony of the Messiah.[7]
In
fact the practices involving the ancient Jewish wedding ceremony closely
parallel the Messiah’s redemptive work. Pointing to the fact that the
bridegroom/Christ will come for his bride—the church—at the rapture.[8] Thus
these facts are a strong indication that this feast may be fulfilled at the
rapture and also since it has aspects of judgment, possibly at another event,
namely Armageddon.
Thus
in conclusion; in regards to the prophetic significance of the 2 day feast of
Rosh Hashanah. Since the feast involves aspects of deliverance and judgment and
has rapture associations. I believe it is possible that this feast may align
with the rapture of some unknown year, and the return of Jesus to the earth at Armageddon.
The
Feast of Trumpets also starts the time period known as the Days of Awe. The
Days of Awe are a 10-day period between Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement
in which observant Jews are to engage in a solemn time of self-examination.
Tradition holds that these days are the last chance to repent before God’s
judgment is finalized.[9]
Prophetically,
I believe these days may be fulfilled when after the last trumpet of the Feast
of Trumpets, which calls for a solemn assembly; Israel will assemble for seven
days and will receive Christ as their savior on the eighth day, which will be
the Day of Atonement. This may happen directly after the rapture when Israel
and all the world see Jesus in the sky.
Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is the most solemn and
important holy day of the Jewish calendar. In the Old Testament, the Day of
Atonement was the day the High Priest made an atoning sacrifice for the sins of
the people. This act of atonement brought reconciliation between the people and
God.[10]
I
believe this feast will align with the time after Israel repents and officially
recognizes Christ as Messiah and will be saved. And when will this occur? Most
likely after Israel flees into the wilderness after the abomination of
desolation and after the rapture.
The
final feast is the Feast of Tabernacles and is associated with Israel’s time in
the wilderness.
Sukkot, Succot or Sukkos, Feast of Booths, Feast of
Tabernacles is a week-long biblical Jewish holiday celebrated on the
15th day of the month of Tishrei… The sukkah is intended as a reminiscence of
the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40
years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. [11]
I
believe this feast will align with the time when Israel will once again find
themselves in the wilderness after fleeing the antichrist. And once again God
will watch over and provide for them for 3.5 years.
Putting It All
Together
I
view the prophetic implications of the fall feasts as follows:
1.
The Feast of Trumpets is practiced as a two-day feast that alludes to the
return of Christ during the event known as “The Day of the Lord” in which the
righteous will be raptured and the wicked will be judged. I believe this feast
will start to be fulfilled at the beginning of the Day of the Lord when Christ
comes to the clouds for His bride and will be totally fulfilled after God’s
enemies will be vanquished at the battle of Armageddon and Jesus takes His
throne in Jerusalem.
Note:
I am not dogmatic about the rapture aligning with Rosh Hashanah—I see other
possibilities such as Pentecost, the day of Ascension, or at no feast at all.
2.
The Day of Atonement speaks of the shed blood of Christ and the substitutionary
work it accomplishes in covering our sins and restoring us to fellowship with
God. This feast will be fulfilled after Israel repents and recognizes Christ as
Messiah and are saved on the Day of Atonement.
3.
The Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day celebration in which the Israelites
dwell in “booths” or shacks reminiscent of their journeying in the wilderness.
This feast will be fulfilled when Israel will once again find themselves in the
wilderness after they flee the antichrist after the abomination of desolation
where God will protect and provide for them for 3.5 years. This feast may also
align with the beginning of the Millennium in which God will dwell with man which
starts with the marriage supper of the lamb.
In
summary this is the way I see it happening;
Feast
of Trumpets (1st day): Rapture.
Feast
of Trumpets (2nd day, years later): Armageddon.
Day
of Atonement: Ethnic Israel will recognize Christ as Messiah and be saved.
Feast
of Tabernacles: Israel in the wilderness/beginning of the Millennium.
I
am certain that the fall feasts will have prophetic significance, whether or
not I have all the details and nuances correct, I do not know. As the
scriptures say, we see through a glass darkly. One thing is for sure, it is going
to be fascinating to see how all this works out.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the Son of man. Luke 21:36
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