The Seven Feasts of Messiah
Last week we discovered what was actually nailed to the Cross at Calvary, my debt, my sin, in essence Me, Jesus died on my cross in my very place, so let us explore the Seven Feasts of Messiah. Passover; Exodus 12:24-27 “And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, what mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, it [is] the sacrifice of the LORD’S Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed their head and worshipped.” Here it is declared as a “Forever Festival,” and it is in the first month, the first festival, and celebrates that the Angel of Death passed over when he saw the blood of the Lamb on the door, and the Redeemed in Eternity are forever covered by the Blood of the Lamb of Calvary. Celebrated Nisan 15-21, unleavened bread has no yeast, Yeast=Sin, no more sin, nor dying from sin, 1 Corinthians 15:31 “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” This service reflects what happened every Sabbath in the Sanctuary, the Priests gathered around the “Table of Shewbread,” and as the new was slid on, the old came off, twelve loaves always on the table, and the pitchers containing the “Drink Offering” which were consumed along with the Shewbread, no yeast or fermentation in the drink, no yeast and fermentation in the bread, pointing to the sinless blood and flesh of Jesus. John 6:54-55 “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” This concept is somewhat in the celebration of “The Mass,” “The Table,” “Ordinances,” “Holy Communion,” but more specifically in “Passover.”
Weeks; is the next festival, or “The 50th Day,” or “Pentecost,” the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It took 50 days for Israel to leave/exodus Egypt and to present themselves at Mt Sinai. Exodus 34:22 “And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.” Deuteronomy 16:9-10 “Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from [such time as] thou beginnest [to put] the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give [unto the LORD thy God], according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:” Seven Weeks x Seven days in a week = 49, the very next day is “The Fiftieth.” The theme of Pentecost is tied up in the word “Torah,” which means “Instruction or Teaching.”
Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Revelation 5:10 “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Would you “Marry a Spouse” for only one hour per week, turn up, eat up, show some presence and then be gone till next week, just like many who attend churches throughout the world. With God, it is all in, everything committed, or you fall into the loose grouping of Prostitutes and Sinners, and they face the penalty of High Treason against the Government of God. Pentecost is in the Hebrew Mindset, a Marriage contract with God, “Marriage Supper of the Lamb,” in Heaven, plus loads more reference to this concept. Moses, who was “the go between” in this arranged marriage, brought Israel out under the marriage cloud, to present the Bride to her husband, God, but just a few short days later they were in drunken debauchery before their new lover, Baal, a Golden Calf, anything but pure commitment to God, thus Moses threw down the “Marriage Contract,” [The 10 Commandments] showing that in just a few days after marriage, they were prostituting themselves to other gods. Now the “Seven” weeks can be also seen as “Seven Days,” and that is the length of time it takes to get Married, Feast of Tabernacles is seven days, which memorializes the Exodus, it also take “Seven Days” for the redeemed to Exodus to “The Promised Land” to arrive in Heaven, Married, “Marriage Supper of the Lamb,” sevens linked to “Marriage,” or “Fully Committed to God.”
Tabernacles; this is in the 7th Month, Tishrei 1-21, and this starts with “Blowing the Shofar,” or the “Feast of Trumpets.” This is sectioned off into two sections, but grouped under the concept “to return or repent.” Matthew 3:1-2 “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 10:7 “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” So as the days of this Earths existence quickly draws to a climactic close, Teshuvah or “Trumpets” is critical, almost past time to repent and to forsake sin, and be Baptized into God. 2 Peter 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:” This Festival/Feast has a strong “Judgement,” theme running throughout it as well. The last part of the last Trumpets, or “Last Trump,” is confirming that the very next day is “Yom Kippur,” or “The Great Day of Atonement,” everybody sleeping in their graves or alive and remain, are in essence snap frozen in time, character is fixed for all eternity, and there are now only Saved-Lost, Sheep-Goats, Wheat-Tares. Revelation 22:11-12 “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets) begins on Elul 1st and runs for 40 days (40 means “Delay”) and finishes with “Yom Kippur,” or “The Great Day of Atonement,” but the first 30 days are known as “The High Holy Days,” and then the last 10 days starting on Tishrei 1st and takes up to Tishrei 9th, are the days of awe, the very next day is the 10th day of the 7th month, and a finality. These last 10 days are known as “the days of awe” or “The time of Jacob’s Trouble” last portion, for in these last 10 days, things really ramp up very quickly, tempestuous tumultuous days. Then comes “The Last Day,” probation now closes eternally, what is shall so be forever, too late for repentance and sorrow, weighed in the balance and found? Then Jesus crops the earth and harvests his wheat, leaving Satan’s tares in the field to burn later, Exodus to Heaven, now Eternity proper really starts.
Conclusion; Passover – Shed blood of lamb to cover sins so that death passes over and you can Exodus. Spiritual – Calvary Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world actually transpires in reality. Jesus is our Passover.
Unleavened Bread – The going out of Egypt. Spiritual – death and burial of Jesus, sanctification and separation from sin and evil, no more yeast of sin.
First Fruits – Crossing the Red Sea. Spiritual – his Resurrection as the “Bread of Life,” walking now in newness of life, walking in the Spirit and not in the Flesh.
Pentecost – Giving the Torah on Mount Sinai. Spiritual – Immersion in the Holy Spirit, growing in grace and faith, becoming “Spiritual.” Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Feast of Trumpets – Blowing the Shofar, Jewish New Year, all things becoming new. Spiritual – Resurrection of those that sleep in the dust, and the translation of those who are alive and remain are caught up. (1 Thes 4:14-18) Very last call, last chance to confess and to repent and to remove sin before it is way too late.
Day of Atonement – High Priest enters the Holy of Holies to cleanse and to remove all record of sin from all those already confessed, forsaken and repented of. Spiritual – Yielding to God so that we may live face to face with him, with no record of past sins ever to be found, Perfect.
Tabernacles – Entering the great Promised Land with rejoicing. Spiritual – A daily rest (Shabbat) in the Messiah and having the “Shalom” of His Kingdom in our hearts, ongoing.
Will you every day say, “I pledge allegiance to the “Kingdom of God,” and for all of which it stands, one kingdom, eternal and indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The way you live from now on, daily, will be the evidence of your true heart and commitment. Matthew 10:7 “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
