AN OVERVIEW OF GOD’S FEASTS
AND FESTIVAL SEASONS
by Robert Macdonald
Jesus, the Focus of the Feasts
and
The Reason for the Seasons!
AN OVERVIEW OF GOD'S FEASTS AND FESTIVAL SEASONS
This
paper started out as a summary statement on
some of what my wife Peggy and
I believe, recorded to pass on to
our progeny. It is not meant to
be an exhaustive scholarly exposition. It
makes reference to several sources, but
draws information from many other sources.
It is clear that important events recorded in the Bible associated with the unfolding of God's plan of salvation have occurred on the days or during the seasons God gave Israel. In the Old Testament these milestones include the first Passover in Egypt, the passing through the Red Sea, the giving of the Law, the crossing of the Jordan River into the promised land and the seven days of marching around Jericho which culminated in the city walls falling. In the New Testament these milestones in God's unfolding plan of salvation are key elements of the Gospel including the Lord's Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
In the past God has carried out His plan according to His timetable as outlined in the calendar and days He gave Israel. It is likely that God will continue to do so, carrying out future events prophesied in His word according to these same days and seasons. In Hebrews 10: 1 we have a hint concerning this. The writer states that the law, a term applied to the first five books of the Bible, foreshadows good things to come. Likewise we are told that in carrying out the Old Testament ordinances, the priests served "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things" (Hebrews 8: 4-5). In recent years many have studied the unfolding of biblical prophecy with God’s feast days as an outline, coming up with scenarios differing in some respects but having certain basic commonalties. By way of shedding additional light on these future fulfillments of God's feast days and seasons, I am proposing herein a framework that I hope will provide an enhanced understanding of their meanings and symbolism.
Putting together the pieces of the puzzle of the understanding of God's plan and how it is interwoven into the structure of His days is a continuing and collective effort that has spanned decades and will no doubt continue until the ultimate fulfillment of His plan. Those contributing to this understanding have done so by the study, both of the Bible and the written records of the Jewish people who have observed and acted out these days for thousands of years. In so doing the Jewish people have arrived at insights that go way beyond scriptural revelation in terms of the understanding of prophetic implications regarding the coming Messiah and other latter-day events. In addition the actual annual observance of these days focuses our minds on them, triggering new insights to understanding them. While the observance of these days is not, in my opinion instrumental in our salvation, they can be important teaching tools to help us learn the deeper truths of God. Though having Jesus Christ living in us, we are still physical beings for whom physical acts can be of spiritual benefit. While acting out these days and seasons year after year with prayer and meditation on their significance in the light of the Bible, the Spirit of God reveals to us ever deepening insights and dimensions as to the richness and fullness of their meanings and how end-time events fit into the structure.
God has revealed His days to us in several places in the Bible. Exodus 23: 14-17 describes three feasts. The first, “the feast of unleavened bread” is a seven day observance in the Spring (verse 15). The second of these, also occurring in the Spring (v. 16, first part) was the "feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labors", a one day observance. The third feast which takes place at the time of the much larger Fall harvest is called “the feast of ingathering” (second part of v. 16). It takes place “in the end of the year when you have gathered in your labors out of the field”. It will be shown later that this is another multi-day observance. As two of the three of the feasts of Exodus 23 are multi-day observances, I prefer to call them festival seasons or harvest festival seasons, which are compared to and correspond to the harvest seasons in Israel. This designation is helpful to avoid confusion between them and the single day feasts God would later reveal to Israel. Note that the second and third festival seasons are named or described as harvest festivals. The first festival season, the Feast of Unleavened Bread (verse 15) is also a harvest season. Verses 18 and 19 refers to this first festival season wherein it is described as the "first of the first fruits of thy land which you will bring into the house of the Lord thy God". God's instructions concerning this very significant ceremony performed during this first festival season are found in Leviticus 23. Much more will be described later, but briefly, before the Spring harvest could be begun, some of the first fruits of the grain harvest was to be brought to the priest who waved it before the Lord (v. 10, 11). This grain, the first of the first fruits, was the first harvest. Two more harvests follow. These three festival or harvest seasons (also listed in Exodus 34: 18-23 and Deuteronomy 16: 16) are analogues of God's spiritual harvests, resurrections by which He brings the dead back to life to be His spiritual sons and daughters in glory! (Hebrews 2: 9, 10) It is interesting to note how many times Jesus used the concept of the harvest as a metaphor to refer the ingathering of believers into His Kingdom! The designation as harvest observances of these three festival seasons does indeed provide a vital key to their meaning.
God designated three harvest festival seasons: The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Harvest and The Feast of Ingathering: He commanded that all male Israelites appear before the Lord at these three harvest or festival seasons (Exodus 23: 17, Exodus 34: 23 and Deuteronomy 16: 16). Therefore they are often referred to as pilgrimage feasts. Dr. Stephen E. Jones1 suggests that the act of appearing before the Lord (at the Tabernacle or Temple) at each of the harvest seasons prefigures three resurrections. We are told that in a future resurrection “the dead…stand before God” (Revelation 20: 12). It is interesting speculation that these assemblies before God may have included this meaning.
In Deuteronomy 16: 16 God required the Israelites to travel to the place that He chose, the location of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, to worship Him. This was the one place of worship. Today Christians are not required to travel to any certain location observe a festival and worship God. Every child of God is a holy vessel in which God has placed His Name through His Spirit. Christians worship God wherever they are in spirit and truth (John 4: 21-24).
Included within and around these three festival seasons are seven feast days, also called holy convocations, assemblies, annual Sabbaths, holy days or high days (Leviticus 23: 2). These three festival seasons are one of two keys to the meaning of the seven feast days. These days are described in the remainder of the chapter and also in Numbers 28 and 29. These feast days will be explained in more detail later, but here a general picture of them is presented. This brief explanation of what I referred to above as a "framework”, is a proposed model for your consideration. It is based on my own study, to be explored more fully in the ensuing sections of this paper. The first three feast days are in the Spring, and the last three are in the Fall. The feast day in the middle, also occurring in the Fall, designated as a "memorial of blowing of trumpets" in Leviticus 23: 24, is more commonly called the Feast of Trumpets. In my opinion this feast day, central among the seven feast days, represents among other things one and perhaps two momentous events in the unfolding of God's plan of redemption. This meaning will be dealt with in the section on the Feast of Trumpets.
Six times the King James translation uses the word solemn with the description of the feast days. In five of these instances the Hebrew word means simply feast or assembly. The translators simply added the word solemn. In the sixth instance (Deuteronomy 16: 15) the entire phrase “shall thou keep a solemn feast” is derived from a single Hebrew word chagag” meaning “to observe a festival. This and the more usual word for feast chag have the root meaning circle, which primarily refers to circle dancing, the most common form of dancing in the middle east from ancient times to today! Whether or not the feast days were necessarily occasions for dancing, most were typified by rejoicing before the Lord as a major theme, not solemnity! Strong’s Concordance translates chagag as “to be giddy”, or “celebrate”. The Feast of Tabernacles especially is to be a time of rejoicing (Deuteronomy 16: 13-15; Leviticus 23: 39-41). See Dean E. Wheelock2 for a more complete explanation.
Of these seven feast days, three stand apart from other days, and four are associated with two multi-day periods. The first two of these seven feast days are included within the festival season of Unleavened Bread, the first and last days of this seven day period. Another of the seven feast days occurs during of the seven-day period called the Feast of Tabernacles. The seventh and last follows immediately after the Feast of Tabernacles.
The first three feast days represent the steps in the redemption of those that are being called in this age for a very special relationship with God. It is a very close relationship, the closest possible: union with Christ! This group of people with the Creator of the universe living within them through the Spirit of God, are known as the church, the body of Christ, or more commonly, Christians. These, a relatively small group are associated with the smaller Spring harvest. Then, associated with to the greater Fall harvest, we have the last three feast days representing the same steps in the salvation of the rest of the world. These three feast days represent events that will occur after the return of Jesus. In another sense, the first three feast days represent the spiritual manifestation of the Kingdom of God in which God lives and rules within still physical Christians, and the last three feast days its physical manifestation, in which the saints as resurrected spirit beings assist Jesus Christ as King ruling on earth to bring about a much greater harvest. In short, God has given us two sequences of three feast days each representing two salvation groups separated by a central feast representing in my opinion, the most momentous event or events in God’s plan!
The first key then to the understanding of the feast days is the recognition that they are closely linked to the harvest seasons ancient Israel. God’s annual festivals depict the work of Jesus Christ in “harvesting” human beings into the Kingdom of God. As will be shown, they are God’s annual reminders of Jesus’ role in securing redemption and salvation for all humanity of all ages!
A second key to their meaning is found in an enigmatic statement of Paul (Colossians 2: 16-17). He says that holy days, new moons and sabbaths “are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ”. In attempting to clarify the meaning, the King James Version translators added the word “is” into the text. It is now known that this insertion was not helpful. Paul was expressing a concept derived from one of the works of Plato, in which he distinguishes shadow from reality or substance. In The Cave, Plato used the word “soma” for reality, a Greek word normally translated in the New Testament as “body” such as a “dead body” or “the body of Christ” meaning the church. The sense of the phrase in Paul’s statement is that holy days, new moons and Sabbath days are shadows of things to come, but the reality (body) is Jesus. In making use of this metaphor Paul is not saying that the observance of these days is of no value, but that they have their fulfillment in Jesus and His work of redemption.
God has established an infinitely meaningful and profound prophetic system through His choices of three festival seasons and seven feast days that He presented to the children of Israel. He dictated the dates and proper observances to Moses on Mount Sinai. A book the size of the entire Bible itself might be needed to fully expound upon the meanings of these days and how they relate to the momentous events involving His plan of salvation. All of God's plan from creation to eternity are ingeniously revealed through the nature and timing of these seven annual feast days and three festival seasons. As one writer on God's feast days rightly observed, these days are the Master Builder's blueprint!
Noted earlier in this paper was the helpfulness of some of the Jewish traditions in understanding the feast days. These traditions have been built up layer upon layer over the centuries and many are not constructive in the overall Christian understanding of these days, especially in regard to those occurring in the fall. For the purposes of this paper I have generally included only traditions that supplement historical references in Scripture, aid in the understanding of their meanings for Christians, or fit into the structure provided by the keys to their understanding: That the festival seasons depict the plan of God’s harvest and the concept of shadow versus the reality of Jesus.
Jesus instituted at the Passover supper that God gave Israel, the symbols of the broken bread and the wine. These symbols represent our acceptance of His shed blood and the receiving of Jesus, the Bread of Life (Matthew 26: 17-30). This ceremony has been called among other things the “New Testament Passover”, “Lord's Supper", "Communion", and "Eucharist". While some observe the Passover as a family at home, most take part in a collective ceremony as a congregation. Unleavened bread is used in the ceremony to represent Jesus' body, because, as will be explained later, at this season leaven represents sin, and Jesus was sinless.
Jesus fulfilled many details of the ritual involving the Passover lamb by becoming our Passover. Peter spoke of “the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish” whose sacrifice “was foreordained before the foundation of the world…for you” (I Peter 1: 19-20). A male lamb or a goat without blemish was chosen on the 10th day of Nisan, the first month of the ecclesiastical year (Exodus 12: 3-5). Just as the lamb was to be without blemish, Jesus was without sin. The lamb was held until Passover, the 14th day of the month when it was slain and eaten (Exodus 12: 6: 6-11, Leviticus 23: 5). Jesus and His disciples ate a Passover meal in the evening at the beginning of the 14th day of Nisan. After the meal Jesus instituted the New Testament symbols of the broken bread and wine. The bread symbolized Jesus’ body which we are to figuratively take into ourselves just as the children of Israel ate the Passover lamb. The wine symbolized Jesus’ blood by which we receive spiritual salvation just as the Israelites received physical salvation from the blood of the lamb. Jesus was crucified during the daylight portion of the 14th day (Matthew 27: 32-56), dieing on the cross in the late afternoon at the time the Passover lambs were being slain. Thus in one day He partook of the Passover with His disciples, instituting the New Testament Passover or the Lord's Supper, and then became our Passover and Savior. He so fulfilled the parallels of the Passover Lamb that not a bone of his body was broken. See John 19: 33-36; Exodus 12: 46; Numbers 9: 12). From the Passover lamb, the shadow, to the reality of Jesus our Passover Lamb! The Passover is indeed replete with illustrations of shadows versus reality. While the Passover day is not designated as a holy day, the next day, the 15th day is a holy day, and is sometimes called the Feast of the Passover.
DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
Having had our sins forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus depicted by the Passover, we come to the seven Days of Unleavened Bread also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the first of the three festival seasons (Exodus 23: 15). The first two of the seven feast days are included within this festival season (Leviticus 23: 6-8). The first is on the 15th of Abib (also known as Nisan), the first month of the year. The second feast is seven days later on the 21st. Only unleavened bread is to be eaten during these seven days. During this season leaven is symbolic of sin, and the absence of leaven signifies a state of freedom from sin (i.e. righteousness). I Corinthians 5: 6-8 describes this symbolism and points out that unleavened bread denotes sincerity and truth. Leviticus 23: 6 not only prohibits the eating of leaven but specifies that unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days. It may also be that eating of unleavened bread during this time, just as in the Lord's Supper, is symbolic of our responsibility of feeding upon Jesus, the Bread of Life. (John 13: 35)
The Christian life is an analogy of the experiences of the Israelites leaving the bondage of Egypt. Some believe that they passed through the Red Sea on the first day of the week during the Days of Unleavened Bread. In the next section it will be shown that this day is associated with new beginnings. As such it might be appropriate that the passage through the Red Sea marked a new beginning of Israel as a nation. Although it is not conclusive, I believe that the chronology of the Israelites leaving Egypt (Numbers 33) better supports a seven day period from the start of the exodus to the passage through the Red Sea. Starting out of Egypt on the first Day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15), they left Egypt on the seventh day (Nisan 21) upon crossing through the Red Sea. It took seven days to free themselves from the slavery and bondage of Egypt, a type of sin. Paul even likens their passage through the Red Sea as a forerunner of baptism (I Corinthians 10: 1-2). Likewise Christians are completely delivered from the bondage of sin by Jesus’ redemptive acts pictured by the rituals of the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Our personal baptism is the shadow; our acceptance of Jesus as our personal Savior is the reality. In Christ we are free from the bondage of sin!
I do not believe that the act of physically putting out leaven or eating unleavened bread for these seven days is instrumental in our salvation, but doing so has the value of reminding us of the symbolism represented by this festival season. The act of putting leaven, a type of sin, out of our houses illustrates a vital lesson. Leaven is removed prior to the first Day of Unleavened Bread. Furthermore, leaven is to be put out of our houses during this period when it is discovered. In like manner the Christian is to put sin out of his life as he discovers it. As Paul said: “Purge out therefore the old leaven” (I Corinthians 5: 7). As meaningful as this symbolism is, there is a far more important lesson to be learned from the Days of Unleavened Bread. This period is not called the "days of the putting out of leaven", but the Days of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12: 3; 20: 6). Paul referred to the Corinthian Christians as being “unleavened” in I Corinthians 5: 7. Even though there was sin among them as there is with all Christians, Paul was able to refer to them as being unleavened, because as Christians, they were forgiven and made right before God. I once believed that Paul wrote this epistle during the days of unleavened bread and his description of the Corinthians as being “unleavened” referred to their being physically unleavened. In this interpretation he was telling them to purge out the old leaven (quit sinning and become spiritually unleavened) just as they were physically unleavened. It is more likely that Paul was admonishing the Corinthians to quit sinning as sin was incompatible with their new nature of being sinless in Christ.
I am convinced that the primary lesson of these seven days of being unleavened is that the Christian is completely forgiven of sin by Jesus' sacrifice, at all times reckoned by God as fully justified, completely sinless, sanctified unto a state of holiness in Christ, and having eternal life. Jesus Christ living His life in us is the ultimate in being unleavened! Being physically unleavened is the shadow and sanctification in Christ is the reality!
Seven denotes completeness and perfection. Not only is the Christian completely forgiven of sin, but I believe the seven day period also denotes a complete circle of time representing the believer's life in Christ, culminating in resurrection to eternal life. Perhaps these seven days represent as well the entire New Testament age between the first and second coming of Christ.
The seven Days of Unleavened Bread comprise the first of the three festival seasons listed above for the children of Israel. The Passover and its rituals were initiated while in Egypt. This next ritual could not be carried out until the children of Israel entered the promised land because it depended upon a grain harvest. The first harvest of barley began in the Spring, continuing throughout the next two months. However the harvest could not begin in Israel until a certain very important ritual took place. Although this ritual did not take place on one the seven feast days God gave Israel, this day was clearly tied in with the annual cycle of feast days and festival seasons which pictures His plan of redemption. Just as the Passover lamb represented Jesus, He was also represented by this next ritual. It depicted a vital part of His plan, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and associated events.
Before the grain harvest could begin, a sheaf of grain was to be cut and waved by a priest before the Lord (Leviticus 23: 10-11). Because of the King James Version wording here, the day is often called “The Wave Sheaf Offering”. The word “sheaf” in Leviticus 23 is translated from the Hebrew word omer, which actually is a unit of dry measure, about 2.4 liters. The omer of grain was to be of the first fruits, the first harvest to be reaped. Paul said that Christ became the first fruits from the dead, and afterward those that are Christ's at His coming (I Corinthians 15: 20, 23). Other scriptures show that all the saints are first fruits (James 1: 18; Revelation 14: 4), so it is more precise to call Jesus the First of the First Fruits. The phrase “first of the firstfruits” is connected with The Days of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 23:18-19 and Leviticus 23:10). This day is therefore often properly called “The First of the Firstfruits”. The omer of grain was chosen in advance, just as was Christ. The uncut grain was tied in a bundle symbolizing His captivity. The bundle was cut loose from the ground, the grain was prepared and the omer (in a vessel) waved (actually elevated, not waved back and forth) before the Lord on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23: 11, 15). (Some believe that this took place on the day after an annual Sabbath, the first Day of Unleavened Bread. (More on this in the next section on Pentecost). The cutting of the grain symbolizes Christ's Resurrection, His release from being confined to the earth. Like the bundle of grain now loosed from the ground, the resurrected Christ became free from physical sustenance that tied Him, as it ties us all to the earth. The next morning, the morrow after the weekly Sabbath, the priest was to “wave the omer (of the first fruits) before the Lord to be accepted for you” (Leviticus 23: 10-11). The omer was to be lifted up toward heaven as a symbol of something actually being transferred to heaven to be presented to and accepted by God on our behalf. The omer was then lowered back to the ground. Following His resurrection, Jesus would not at first let Mary touch Him as He had not yet ascended to the Father (John 20: 17). Later that day Jesus directed His disciples to touch Him (Luke: 24: 39). Between these two events He had presented Himself before God the Father and returned to earth. Note that after raising the omer, it was lowered to the ground. Jesus did indeed return to earth the same day. Could the act of lowering the omer of grain to the ground also prefigure His second coming?
The ritual of the omer offering was the shadow. The reality is the Resurrection and acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice. Just as the offering of the omer of grain sanctified the whole harvest, the reality of Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice made possible not just the Spring harvest but also the Fall harvest.
As suggested earlier, the cutting of the bundle of grain was symbolic of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing in the instructions given by Moses indicates the time of day that the bundle of grain was to be cut from the ground. Nor does the New Testament shed much light as to what time of day Christ was resurrected from the dead. The Resurrection could have occurred any time during the period of hours after the weekly Sabbath ended at sundown and the time the empty tomb was discovered in the morning of the first day of the week (Matthew 28: 1). For additional information on the timing we need to turn to the Mishnah, part of a larger body of Jewish literature called the Talmud. The Mishnah, a collection of Jewish law and traditions, describes the ceremony of cutting, preparing, and lifting before the Lord of the offering. The bundle of grain was cut immediately after sundown following the Sabbath. Lawson C. Briggs3 provides a more complete description of the ritual as described in the Mishnah. From a practical point of view the timing as described in the Mishnah of the cutting of the bundle of grain makes sense. The cutting of the bundle would not likely have taken place on the Sabbath. It is logical that it would have been cut right after sundown while there was adequate light. This would leave sufficient time to prepare the grain and get it to the priest by morning to be elevated before the Lord.
Is it possible that the timing of this Jewish ritual can pinpoint the time of Jesus' resurrection? Researchers have found many parallels between extra-scriptural rituals associated with Passover and aspects of Jesus' life and death. Zola Levitt4 speculates: “Did some of among the prophets and priests of Israel understand the circumstances surrounding the coming and departure of Messiah? Or did God somehow reveal to the priests that they should handle the omer of grain in the way that they did? Apparently something has shaped many rituals and practices of the Israelite people in their attempts to obey God more fully.”
For these and other reasons, I believe that the ritual indicates that the Resurrection occurred right after sundown following the Sabbath. As biblical days begin and end at sundown, this would have been the first day of the week, even though we would call it Saturday night.
In recent years many Christian writers have taken note of the prophetic aspects of God's feast days. However most have enumerated them incorrectly, designating the day of the omer offering as the third in the series of the seven feast days, and then omitting the seventh. Even though this day is not designated as a feast day or a holy convocation, it is nonetheless an integral part of the Days of Unleavened Bread and a very special day. Jesus’ resurrection is an extremely significant event in the plan of God and should not be ignored. The period of the Days of Unleavened Bread is an appropriate time to reflect and meditate upon, and perhaps expound upon the meaning of the Resurrection which made possible the fulfillment of these days for the Christian. Although there is no command to observe it, it is entirely fitting to rejoice over and celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord during this time period. Apart from the Resurrection we would have no hope of eternal life! (I Corinthians 15: 12-19) We should remember that the ritual (Leviticus 23: 11) of the elevation of the omer of grain (our Savior) is “to be accepted for you” (KJV), or “so it will be accepted on your behalf” (NIV), or “that you may find acceptance” (NRSV). This is not an offering for Messiah to be accepted, but rather that we would be accepted by our heavenly Father!
Jack M. Lane, author of What in the World is God Doing? is very familiar with the feast days of Leviticus 23. Most of authors of books on the meaning to Christians of the feast days including authors mentioned herein, Louis T. Talbot and Zola Levitt include the First of the First Fruits in the list of the seven feast days and omit the Eighth Day, the last of the feast days. Mr. Lane knows very well that this day of the omer offering is not a not one of the seven feast days and that there are not eight feast days, as one writer suggested. Yet he feels so strongly that this day has been almost universally neglected by Christians who observe or take note of these feast days that he has written a paper called The Wave Sheaf Offering—The Forgotten Holy Day5. In no way does he propose that the day should be treated as holy convocation, nor that anyone should perform any of the priestly ceremonial functions related to this day, but he suggests that “we might do some small thing to recognize this day.” This day represents the day the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! One more very important point should be made in regard to the omer offering. The harvest could not begin until the omer was cut and offered. It was contingent upon the offering of the first of the firstfruits. The omer of grain, being the first of the firstfruits was the promise of a greater harvest: "Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming” (I Corinthians 15: 23). Jesus Christ is also called "the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8: 29) and in Colossians 1: 14-20 "the firstborn from the dead”. In post-apostolic Christianity the day of Jesus' Resurrection is almost universally known as "Easter", rather than the “First of the First Fruits”. Dr. Louis T. Talbot6 appropriately observed that “To call this day ‘Easter’ is to perhaps miss the ultimate significance of this prophetic day. Not only was Jesus, the first fruits, raised from the dead on this day, but we are given the promise that we will all follow in due time in a resurrection.” Jesus' resurrection was a guarantee that all who put their faith in Him as Lord and Savior will be gathered as the harvest of the first fruits to Him at His second coming in glorious resurrection bodies! (I Corinthians 15: 20) The next section on Pentecost describes another important ritual. Just as the omer of grain was elevated, two loaves of bread represented Christians were lifted before God. In God’s good time we will rise in the air in a resurrection!
The second harvest festival season and the third of the seven annual feast days are combined in a single day with various names and designations. Because it represents the early harvest, it is known as the "feast of the harvest, the first fruits of thy labors" (Exodus 23: 16), “the first fruits of the wheat harvest“(Exodus 34: 22), and "the day of the first fruits" (Numbers 28: 26). It is also known as the “feast of weeks" in Deuteronomy 16: 10 because it took place seven weeks after the Spring harvest was begun (verse 9), the day of the offering of the omer of grain by the priest. An alternate way of determining this day was by counting 50 days from the day after the weekly Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23: 15-16). The count was inclusive of the starting day, the first day of the week, so that 50 days later was also on the first day of the week. Unlike the other feast days, the date is not designated in the Scriptures; it has to be counted. Hence it is commonly known today by the New Testament term, Pentecost, from the Greek for "fiftieth".
Fifty days after Jesus' resurrection, the disciples and Jews from various parts of the Roman Empire assembled to observe this feast day (Acts 2). At that time God gave His Spirit to the assembled believers. Imbued with the power of God they spoke to the assembled group and many others repented and also received the Spirit of God. From that day on, the Holy Spirit has been available to everyone who repents and accepts Jesus as one's personal Savior. Receiving the Holy Spirit engenders a person with the nature of God. He or she is no longer alone, but is in union with Jesus Christ. From then on that person is not attempting to obey God on his own. With Jesus Christ living in that person, the task of overcoming sin is made vastly easier. More than just being a help in this life, the Spirit of God represents a down payment on eternal life and the assurance of the resurrection from the dead (Ephesians l: 13-14).
There are four parallels between the day of the offering of the omer and the Feast of the First Fruits, or Pentecost. First, they both represent harvests. Just as an offering of an omer of grain was to be waved before God on the first, a wave (or lift) offering of two loaves of bread was presented on Pentecost. The offerings are to be holy to the Lord. (Leviticus 23: 17, 20). However this second offering of the fruits of the harvest was different in several respects. First, there were two loaves representing two different groups. Some have suggested that these two groups are the Old and New Testament saints. This is unlikely, as eternal life was not generally available before Jesus came. A small group of Old Testament saints looked forward to Jesus for salvation, and are therefore included with the New Testament saints. Most identify these two groups as Jewish and gentile believers. Second, the offering of the two loaves on Pentecost was not made of separate grains, but finely ground meal baked into loaves. This may indicate the oneness of the church in Jesus, united in the bond of the Holy Spirit. Third, the loaves were made with leaven, representative of sin at the time of the Passover. Not only the omer offering, but the bread used in the Passover and the Lord's Supper representing Jesus who was without sin, were unleavened. Some suggest that it is appropriate that the Pentecost loaves be leavened as they represent the New Testament saints who are still physical and therefore not without sin.
A second parallel links these two days. The omer offering day begins the seven-week period of the Spring harvest and Pentecost ends it. Pentecost is considered by Jewish authorities as the closing festival, or the closing season of the Passover.
Third, both days are not set calendar days. The dates of the month vary from year to year.
Fourth, the number "eight" is associated with both days. Both the day of the omer offering and Pentecost occur on the first day of the week, the day after the seventh day. As such the first day of the week can be called an "eighth" day. In addition Pentecost is counted seven weeks from the omer offering. It occurs on the first day of the eighth week. The eighth day is the first day of a new cycle and therefore signifies a new beginning, or a renewal. Appropriately enough the receiving of the Holy Spirit constitutes the beginning of a new life in Jesus Christ. And a resurrection from the dead is the ultimate new beginning! Or as one writer put it, it is the ultimate makeover! Pentecost seems to also represent the resurrection of the dead for the New Testament saints, and as will be discussed later, may be the actual day that the saints will be resurrected.
As previously mentioned, some believe the omer was offered on the day after the first Day of Unleavened Bread, an annual Sabbath, the first of the seven feast days. Modern Judaism also holds to this belief. Leviticus 23: 11 specifies that the omer of grain was to be waved before the Lord on the day after the Sabbath. English translations of the Scripture do not indicate whether this is the weekly or the annual Sabbath. For several reasons, however, I believe that the omer was offered on the day after the weekly Sabbath. First, if the 50 days to Pentecost were counted from Nisan 15, it would always be on the same calendar date. The day of Pentecost would not have to be counted as specified (Leviticus 23: 15), rendering this part of the scripture meaningless. Second, not being on the “eighth" day, the numerical symbolism of a "new beginning", “renewal", or "resurrection" would be lost. In addition the Hebrew word for "sabbath" in Leviticus 23: 11 may restrict its meaning to the weekly Sabbath. It is my belief that the "eighth" day, the first day of the week, the first day of the succeeding cycle of seven, a new beginning, is indeed the proper day for Pentecost.
It is interesting to note that just as it is today, there were different opinions among the various sects in Jesus’ time as to the correct date of Pentecost. The Pharisees observed one day, the Sadducees recognized another, and the Essenes, a third. All were based on differences of opinion as to which Sabbath was to be starting point from which to count Pentecost. Jesus surely knew of these differences of opinion among these sects, but he wasted no time in trying to straighten them out. How easy it would have been to settle the matter once and for all! Apparently the issue was not important to Jesus. Should we then make a big thing about such matters? Perhaps the “proper” date is a tempest in a teapot. The important thing is the significance of Pentecost and the other feast days to Christians and what they reveal about God’s plan of salvation for mankind!
According to Jewish tradition, God gave the law at Mt. Sinai through Moses to the children of Israel on this day. Though not definitive, the chronology recorded in Numbers 33 supports this conclusion. Therefore Pentecost is likely the date on which the Old Covenant was proposed by God for the house of Israel. This day is also considered the birthday of Judaism. As the date the Holy Spirit was given, it is also considered the birthday of the Christian church. Pentecost is also the date that the prophesied New Covenant (Jeremiah 31: 31, 32) was made with the people of God by imbuing them with His Spirit. See also Hebrews 8: 8-13. Some Christians also consider this date, which represents their spiritual regeneration, as their spiritual birthday. If tradition is correct, the letter of the law was received on the first Pentecost following the Exodus, and the Holy Spirit and the spirit of the law was received on the first Pentecost following the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Both events have a common purpose. They give direction to mankind as to how to live life according to God's will, convict mankind of sin and guilt, and to keep their minds on God. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant; the physical and the spiritual: Again we see the shadow and the reality of redemption through Jesus.
Jewish writers consider the giving of the law on Mount Sinai the “espousal of Israel to God". Likewise Paul describes the relationship between Christ and church as an espousal (II Corinthians 11: 2). In the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13). Jesus compares Himself to a Bridegroom espoused to the church (the ten virgins). Therefore, Pentecost, as the time of the coming of the Holy Spirit, is the day that marks the espousal of the saints to Jesus Christ.
God specified a period of fifty days (seven weeks plus one day) beginning with the day of the wave offering until Pentecost. This period has been described as a period of waiting; waiting on the Lord until the promise of implanting the divine nature through the Holy Spirit was actually received. Anticipating Pentecost, Jesus said to "wait for the promise of the Father" (Acts 1: 4). If, as suggested above, Pentecost represents the time of the first resurrection, this period of time also represents the time period from Christ's resurrection to the resurrection of the saints. Like the seven Days of Unleavened Bread, this seven week period would then represent the life of the Christian and the entire church age. In the parable in Matthew 25, the bridegroom leaves to later return and find half of the church asleep and not ready for marriage to Christ. (The marriage supper is described in Revelation 19: 6-10). The Parable indicates that the time that Christ returns for the church may be deliberately obscured so that the church will always be prepared. See also the parables in Luke 12: 35-40 and Matthew 24: 36-44.
Pentecost does indeed represent new beginnings. Although beyond the scope of this paper, secular history and Scripture both record other possible new beginnings for both Israel and the church commencing at Pentecost. THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS
The fourth of God’s annual feasts occurs on the first day of the month of Tishri, the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year. Scripture itself tells us very little about this day. It is designated as a sabbath and holy convocation and it is called a memorial of blowing (of trumpets) (Leviticus 23: 24), hence the popularized name, the Feast of Trumpets. Not mentioned in the New Testament, there is no direct allusion to any Christian symbolism or activity. The day is not tied to the history of Israel in the Old Testament as is the case with most of the other feast days. There is no obvious shadow, so the reality is difficult to see. Discerning the meaning of this day is necessarily somewhat speculative. It may be that God deliberately clouded the meaning of this day.
The Feast of Trumpets comes between the second and third harvest seasons. If my model is correct, it separates the first three feast days with their symbolism regarding the salvation of individuals in this present “church age” from the messianic age depicted by the last three feast days, especially the Feast of Tabernacles. What event separates these two ages?
Its designation as a memorial of blowing (of trumpets) provides our first clue. Paul connects the blowing of a trumpet with the return of Jesus Christ; he describes Jesus return accompanied by the “trump (trumpet) of God” (I Thessalonians 4: 16). Zachariah 9:14-16 also shows that the Lord will blow the trumpet heralding His return. The sounding of a trumpet can mean many other things including a call to battle (Judges 3: 27-30). Indeed Jesus will do battle with the nations at His return (Revelation 19: 11-21).
A second clue comes from the designation by tradition of the first of Tishri is as the first day of the civil year. In Hebrew this feast day is called today Rosh Hashanah, meaning the beginning of the year. The practice of the reckoning of the commencement of the reigns of the Kings of Israel had become customary on this date. As such the day symbolized the appearance of a new king. Though a new king could assume the throne on any date, the official date was commonly dated back or forward to nearest First of Tishri. Trumpets were indeed used to announce the coronation of a new king ( I Kings 1: 34 and II Kings 11: 12-14). Likewise Jesus Christ could return at on any date to begin His reign as King of Kings, but I believe that this date could appropriately depict this momentous event. Furthermore scripture tells us that Jesus was to be a king at His first coming. The angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive and bear a son named Jesus who would become a king (Luke 1: 26-33). Jesus Himself told Pilate that He was a king (John 18: 36-37). Most scholars agree that Jesus was born in the Fall, and the Feast of Trumpets may be the actual day for His birth as well. Jesus fulfilled the Spring festivals according to the timetable of the feast days. The Feast of Trumpets may well be time of Jesus' birth as well as the symbolic time and perhaps the actual time of His return. We can not, however be sure. Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows the time of His return (Matthew 24: 36). Paul stated that it here is no need for us to know these things (I Thessalonians 5: 1-2).
As discussed herein other feast days represent practices and events in the past and prophesy one or more future fulfillments. Though speculative, the same may be true for this Feast. It is my view that the Feast of Trumpets, central among God’s feasts represents Jesus Christ in both His comings, the central theme of God’s plan. As such it could be called the fulcrum of the plan of God. One writer expressed it very well: “It is summing up and the focal point of all human history - its creation, its redemption and its new creation in the crucified and risen Christ!” Jesus’ first coming was glorious in that in Him and Him alone we are reconciled to the Father and given eternal life. Jesus’ second coming is to be even more glorious. It will make available to all the world what we as individuals have now. It is that momentous event that separates the spiritual kingdom age from the age of the physical kingdom when God rules directly on earth through Jesus Christ!
The very spacing of God's feast days throughout the year enhances our understanding of His plan of redemption. Several days separate the times representing Jesus' death and resurrection, the first part of God's plan. Then a pause of seven weeks awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. After Pentecost, there was an extended pause of nearly four months with no feast days until the Feast of Trumpets. Perhaps it represents the lengthy period of the church age, about 2,000 years so far, during which the early harvest represented by Pentecost continues. One feature of this period is noteworthy. Unlike the intervals between most of the Feast Days, the number of days in this interval varies from year to year. Some have speculated that shows God’s concealment of the date of Jesus’ return. The Feast of Trumpets occurs at the beginning of the seventh month of God's year, and marks the beginning of God's direct intervention in world affairs. In the weekly cycle there are six days for man's activities and one for rest and activities directed toward God. Biblical chronology indicates an approximate period of 6000 years which God allotted for man's dominion on earth, to be followed by a prophesied 1,000 years of God's rule on earth under the kingship of Jesus Christ (Revelation 20: 1-10). The pattern is repeated with the six months of observances symbolic of events during the time for man, and one month of observances representing God's rule.
We have seen that the three harvest or festival seasons are analogues of three spiritual harvests, or resurrections, the means by which God transforms mortal human beings into immortal spirit beings. Revelation 20: 5-6 prophesies the resurrection of the saints followed by their millennial reign with Christ, calling it the "first" resurrection. This "first resurrection" is the first for the saints. Christ's resurrection was the actual first. Paul states that this resurrection of the saints occurs right after the return of Christ: “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout…and with the trump of God”. The resurrection of the saints follows this trumpet. (I Thessalonians 4: 16-17). Jesus referred to this same event: “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” (Matthew 24:30-31). Furthermore Paul described this resurrection as being accompanied by the last trump (trumpet) I Corinthians 15: 51-57). Many assume that this last trumpet occurs on this day which is also known as a "memorial of the blowing of trumpets". While this certainly a possibility, we can not rule out a Pentecost resurrection. While the Jewish ritual on this day includes much blowing of trumpets, and perhaps a last trumpet, this is by no means the last sounding of a trumpet during the ecclesiastical year. The trumpets associated with the Feast of Trumpets are blown by men, and are not likely the same as the trumpet of God. The Bible records one and only one time when a trumpet was sounded apart from the agency of man. That was at the time the law was given at Sinai (Exodus 19: 13, 16, 19). As we have seen, the law is likely to have been given on Pentecost. Hence we have a past example of a "trumpet of God" on Pentecost. A future trumpet of God is to be blown at the time of the return of Christ (Zechariah 9: 9-14). This is likely the "trump of God" referred to by Paul; verse 14 shows that God Himself will blow this trumpet. Will this trumpet of God also be sounded on Pentecost? Does Pentecost represent the resurrection of the saints? A series of seven trumpets sounded by seven angels are prophesied in the Book of Revelation. These trumpets heralding the day of God's wrath mark various signs and events which precede the second coming of Christ (Revelation 8 through 11). It may be that the last of these trumpets is the same trumpet of God accompanying the first resurrection. Though this last angelic trumpet signals the start of the millennial reign of Christ, it encompasses a period of time. It consists of seven plagues (Revelation 16), followed by Christ's return, described in Revelation 19. It is therefore possible that the last trumpet, the trump of God, could be sounded at the time of a Pentecost resurrection and yet include the second coming of Christ on the Feast of Trumpets. The symbolism of the offering of the two loaves on Pentecost certainly fits the concept of the first resurrection at that time much better than any rituals on the Feast of Trumpets, which is not even a harvest festival.
Different ideas have been proposed to reconcile these seemingly contradictory elements concerning the timing of the resurrection of the saints with respect to the feast days. One, described above, holds to an extended period of time between the resurrection of the saints and the second coming of Christ. The most common idea holds that the feast days merely represent some future events, and do not predict the actual days. A more exotic idea involves a concept asserted in the "rapture" theory. The word "rapture", not found in Scripture, is substituted for "resurrection" in this scenario which proposes a "split" second coming with two events: one in which Jesus comes for His saints and returns to Heaven with them, and afterward a second event in which He returns to earth with His saints. Aspects of this “rapture” scenario with a time separation between these two events derive support from the meanings of these two feast days and the interval between them. However we need not be overly concerned with the merits of these scenarios. Just as God seems to have deliberately clouded the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets, He also seems to have obscured the timing of the resurrection of the saints to keep us on our toes so that we will always be ready for Jesus' coming! Keep in mind Jesus' parable of the ten virgins!
I have presented some circumstantial evidence about the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets. God has hidden the day of Jesus’ birth. He does not want us to know the day of Jesus’ return (Matthew 24: 36). For this reason God may want to conceal the meaning of this day.
All but one of the feast days are identified as days of rejoicing and feasting. The one exception is the Day of Atonement which takes place on the tenth day of the seventh month. It is the only one of the seven feast days that is designated as a day of fasting. This day is the second memorial of the ecclesiastical year representing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We have a clear contrast here between the shadow and the reality. The rituals performed on this day point to His atoning sacrifice, not only for the nation of Israel but the entire world. More of the New Testament is descriptive of this day than any other of the feast days. The Book of Hebrews details the meaning of the rituals performed on this day, relating them to the Jesus' sacrifice.
Every day animals were sacrificed as sin offerings on the altar in the Temple. However the Day of Atonement was the only day during the year that the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies (representing the throne of God), and then only after elaborate ceremonial washings, offerings and associated rituals. He entered into the Holy of Holies with the blood of a sacrificed goat which he sprinkled on the mercy seat (symbolic of God’s throne) and the horns of the altar, first for his own sins and also for the sins of the people. This is described in detail in the ninth chapter of Hebrews showing how the ritual was fulfilled by the Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. The children of Israel never had access to God’s throne. Only the High Priest could gain access past the second veil into the Holy of Holies and then only once a year (Hebrews 9: 3, 7-9). The first veil separated the Holy Place from the people. When Jesus died on the cross this veil was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15: 37-39). This was a sign that from then on all humanity could have direct access to the very throne of the Creator! Just as the High Priest made yearly offerings for his sins and the people's sins (Hebrews 7: 26-27; 9: 24-28), Jesus Christ offered himself once for all of mankind! In citing the Book of Hebrews in this respect, it is difficult to know where to stop; the whole epistle is a marvelous explanation of the meaning of the rituals and the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the coming Messiah.
Leviticus 16 describes in detail the rituals to be carried out on this day. Two identical unblemished goats were chosen (verse 5). Lots were cast to determine their fate, indicating that the choice was up to God (verses 8-10). One was sacrificed, becoming the sin offering. Its blood was sprinkled by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies (verses 11- 19). The other is called the Azazel (this Hebrew word, often translated "scapegoat", means simply "goat of departure"). The High Priest laid his hands on the head of the Azazel, confessed on it the sins of the people, after which it was to be led away into the wilderness (verses 20-22). Some believe the Azazel represents the Devil, with our sins placed upon him as the one responsible for them. However it is difficult to understand how one of two identical goats without blemish could represent Christ, and the other represent Satan. I believe both goats represent Jesus Christ in different aspects of His role as our Savior. One in dying for our sins, and the other in bearing them away to be remembered no longer. This was fulfilled by Jesus "who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (I Peter 2: 24). The sins were borne into wilderness (a land not inhabited). This fits with the psalmist's description: "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalms 103: 12). Our sins are removed infinitely far away from us: “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10: 17). God not only forgives. He forgets! I believe both goats were shadows of the reality that is Jesus Christ! What a wonderful Savior we have!
The offering of the two goats on the Day of Atonement is not the only example of a “dual” offering in which one animal is sacrificed and the other released. God specified other such offerings in the Book of Leviticus. In both cases there were two identical birds; one was sacrificed and the other was set free (Leviticus 14: 4-7; 49-53). These offerings were for the cleansing of lepers and no one would ever assert that the bird that was set free represented Satan.
One might speculate that the Azazel goat represented yet another aspect of Jesus role as Savior. Of the two goats, one was sacrificed, and the other lived. Could the Azazel have hinted at the resurrection of Jesus? If this be the case, the Day of Atonement combines the meanings of both the Passover and the ritual of the omer of grain offering.
God specified that every seventh year was to be a Sabbath rest for the land, in which no crops were planted, and no harvesting was to be done (Leviticus 25: 1-7). In addition, debts were to be forgiven at the end of this seventh year (Deuteronomy 15: 1, 2). After a cycle of seven of these land Sabbaths, a Jubilee Year was to be proclaimed. The Jubilee Year command and practices are described in Leviticus 25: 8-34. The Jubilee trumpet was to sound on the 10th day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement (verse 9). Israel was to observe the Jubilee year as a year of redemption for all land. Liberty was to be proclaimed throughout the land and its inhabitants, everyone's possessions were to be returned, and every person was to be returned to his family (verse 10). Slaves were to be freed on this day. The theme of redemption is central to the meaning of the Day of Atonement. On this great day of the Jubilee, all burdens were to be lifted from the people. The restoration of the land to those who lost it through misfortune or mismanagement insured the economic stability and survival of the nation. The Jubilee can not be celebrated apart from the Day of Atonement. It may be that today's economic cycle with recessions approximately every fifty years result from our ignoring the Day of Atonement and the Jubilee. The 50th year Jubilee is reminiscent of Pentecost as the 50th day. Both were days of redemption and new beginnings. In both Pentecost and the Jubilee we have shadow and reality!
As do the rituals of the two goats, the Jubilee focuses on the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Jubilee proclaimed a physical redemption just as Christ proclaimed spiritual redemption. The Jubilee Year is another physical analogue of the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The Passover sacrifice for sin was carried out by each family. The sin sacrifice on the Day of Atonement was made by the High Priest for all the nation. This supports my model in the section entitled “ GENERAL OBSERVATIONS" that the Spring feast days represent aspects of salvation for the individual, and the last three Fall feast days salvation for everyone. The Passover represents individual salvation for us during the age of the New Testament Church, while the Day of Atonement, future salvation for all the world! In “A Prophetic Overview of the Feasts of Israel” David Allen Rivera expressed this same concept: “The Day of Atonement represents national redemption, while Passover represents personal redemption”.
The Feast of Tabernacles follows the Day of Atonement by five days on the 15th day of the seventh month. Described in Leviticus 23: 34-44 it is a seven day period of which the first day, the sixth of the seven feast days, is a Sabbath and a holy convocation. The seven day period of the Feast of Tabernacles is followed by another feast day and holy convocation. This day, the Eighth Day, is discussed in the next section. I believe that this last feast day is included with the Feast of Tabernacles in the third harvest season of Exodus 23: 14-16. Verse 16 says of this third harvest season: "the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors out of the field." Verse 17 states that during these three festival seasons that "all your males shall appear before the Lord God". As a practical matter it would make little sense for the Israelites assembled for the Feast of Tabernacles not to remain assembled for the last feast day. In addition Leviticus 23: 39 indicates that the Eighth Day is included in the third harvest season.
As with most of the feast days, the Feast of Tabernacles is a memorial of past events as well as prefiguring the future. Israel was to live in booths (temporary dwelling places) during this seven day period (Leviticus 23: 40-44) as a reminder of their living in booths in the wilderness during the 40 years following the exodus from Egypt. After leading them to the promised land, God wanted them to remember how He cared for them in the inhospitable and harsh environment of the desert. The word "tabernacle" as commonly used for the name of this festival simply means "tent" or "temporary dwelling". It is also a reminder to those observing this Feast today that like the children of Israel we are like strangers and pilgrims in a land that is not ours (I Peter 2: 11). Concerning our own “promised land” Paul reminds us that we are “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2: 19), and that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3: 20).
The Feast of Tabernacles also looks forward to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. It is a part of a harvest festival. When the fruit of the land was gathered in, God commanded the Israelites to eat, drink and rejoice before the Lord for the seven days of the feast (Deuteronomy 16: 13-15 and Leviticus 23: 39-41). Leviticus 23: 39 refers to the Eighth Day as part of this harvest festival, the third of the three harvest or festival seasons of Exodus 23: 24-17. The Fall harvest is much larger than the Spring harvest, and includes, in addition to grain, fruit, wine and olive oil. Just as the first two harvest seasons prefigure resurrections, this Feast of Ingathering depicts a future time of resurrections of sons and daughters to glory during and beyond the 1000 years of Jesus' rule on earth.
The Feast of Tabernacles with its symbolism of how God dwelled among (Exodus 25: 8) and cared for His people in the wilderness is a type of how God will care for His people during the Millennium. The spiritual meaning of God’s covering and caring for His people is prophesied in Revelation 7 which describes a large group of resurrected saints. Verse 15 describes them before the throne of God in His temple, with God dwelling among them. The Greek word here can be rendered “tabernacle over them” as in the Ivan Panin translation. God provided all the needs of the Israelites in the wilderness. He gave them food, water, shelter, and saw to it that clothes did not wear out. God will also provide for the needs of His resurrected sons and daughters during the Millennium. Revelation 7: 16-17 describes spiritual fulfillment of these aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles: “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more…for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and lead them into living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes.” The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the best God has for His people in the Kingdom of God under the rule of Jesus Christ.
The message of the Feast of Tabernacles for the world is peace, prosperity and the fulfillment of the true purpose of mankind, which can be achieved only under the government of God under the Kingship of Jesus Christ. Prophecies of this period punctuate the Bible from one end to the other. One such prophecy is Isaiah 11: 2-9 which ends, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”. The Book of Revelation has this to say of the resurrected saints during this time: "And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years...this is the first resurrection, ...they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years (Chapter 20: 5-6). The seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles denote completion and perfection, an apt representation of the Millennium.
The prophet Zechariah has provided us added insight into Jesus' millennial rule. Zechariah 14: 4 described the return of Jesus Christ, and verse 8 speaks of living waters flowing out from Jerusalem into the Mediterranean Sea and through the Dead Sea into the Red Sea. These waters are literal, signifying the healing of a devastated world, as well as spiritual, symbolic of the Holy Spirit bringing salvation to the world. During the Millennium all the nations will be required to come to Jerusalem to worship the King and keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14: 16). Nations that refuse to come will be punished by plague and the withholding of rain (verses 17-19). The Feast of Tabernacles does indeed represent the bringing of salvation to all the world during the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ.
Another indication that the Feast of Tabernacles is tied with salvation for the world is found in the number of animals sacrificed during this period. Numbers 29: 12-34 describes the various animal sacrifices prescribed for each of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. On the first day, 13 bulls were to be sacrificed. On each successive day, the number of bulls was to be reduced by one, until the seventh day when 7 were to be sacrificed. A total of 70 bulls were sacrificed during these seven days. According to Jewish tradition, this figure represents the number of nations in the world. These 70 nations are listed in Genesis 10. The seventy bulls were therefore sacrificed for all the nations in the world. The figure 70 is a multiple of 7, the number of completeness and perfection, pointing to ultimate spiritual completion and perfection among all the nations in the world. Isaiah 2: 2 tells us that “in the last days that the fountain of the Lord’s house shall be established…and all nations shall flow to it.” See also verses 3 and 4.
There are several parallels between the two seven day festivals, the Days of Unleavened Bread in the Spring and the Feast of Tabernacles in the Fall. Overall, one represents salvation for the individual, and the other salvation for the world. Both seven day periods represent completeness and perfection.
An ancient temple tradition also connects these two seven day periods. During the first six days of the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests would make one procession around the altar in the Temple. On the seventh day the priests would make seven circuits around the altar. This was a repeat of pattern when the Israelites circled the city of Jericho for seven days after entering the promised land. On the seventh day the Israelites circled Jericho seven times. At a blast of their trumpets, God caused the city walls to fall and Jericho was delivered to the Israelites. Chronology indicates that this event took place during the seven Days of Unleavened Bread.
The Feast of Tabernacles, like the other Feasts has multiple levels of meanings. As discussed above it looks back to past events and prefigures future events. This next parallel between these seven day festivals relates to the Feast of Tabernacles a memorial of past events. Both the Days of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles include symbolism of how God imparts holiness to His people. As described above one of the themes of the Feast of Tabernacles is how God cared for His people during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. The Bible recounts many instances of how God dwelled among His people and the glory of the Lord surrounding them during this period. (Examples include Exodus 40: 31, Leviticus 9: 23 and Numbers 20: 6.) The Feast of Tabernacles reminds us that God dwelled among his people in the wilderness encompassing them with His glory. Holiness was imparted externally. In contrast the Days of Unleavened Bread includes the ritual of being unleavened. Let us recall that Paul referred to the Corinthian Christians as being unleavened (I Corinthians 5: 7-8). The New Testament meaning is that God’s people are unleavened spiritually, at all times completely forgiven of sin and living in a state of sanctification and holiness through the Spirit of God dwelling in them. Holiness under the Old Covenant was temporary, and under the New Covenant it is permanent. Under the Old Covenant, God dwelled among His people and in the New Covenant He dwells in them! Living in Christ during ones physical life followed by transformation to a spirit being by a resurrection!.
The Feast of Tabernacles comprises, as we have seen, the major portion of the Feast of Ingathering, the third harvest or festival season of Exodus 23. A harvest festival, it represents a future harvest of souls by resurrection. The Bible supplies us only limited insights into many details of the Millennium. It is silent on when these resurrections to immortality will occur. We do not know whether these resurrections will all occur at one time or at various times on an individual by individual basis. It is interesting that, unlike for the ritual of the offering of the omer of grain and on Pentecost when certain specific and unique grain offerings represented their respective spiritual harvests, no unique offering was specified to represent a spiritual harvest during the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be discussed further in the next section, as well as some other aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Among other things the Feast of Tabernacles was a memorial for the children of Israel in the promised land of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. The book of Hebrews (3: 16-19) speaks of this promised land as God’s “rest”. The next chapter (4: 1-11, especially 8-11) speaks of another “rest” for the people of God. That “rest” is generally believed to be the Millennium. The allusion to this rest being analogous to God’s resting on the seventh day (Hebrews 4: 4, 10) supports this idea. The pattern of the week (six work days plus the Sabbath) may reflect the concept of 6000 years of man’s rule according to biblical chronology followed by the 1000 years of God’s rule. The Feast of Tabernacles may well be a picture of this rest of God for 1000 years. Again, we see the seven days of the Feast living in booths as the shadow, and the reality as the Millennium. The practice of living in temporary dwellings during the Feast of Tabernacles points to the Millennium itself as being temporary, ending after 1000 years. There is one more feast day to come. This brings us to the seventh and final feast day, the Eighth Day.
Included within the third of the three festival seasons, is the last of the seven feast days, the Eighth Day, as it is called in Leviticus 23: 36, 39 and Numbers 29: 35. This third festival season is called the Feast of Ingathering in Exodus 23: 16 and 34: 22. It is interesting that in the third biblical reference to the third festival season (Deuteronomy 16: 16), it is called the Feast of Tabernacles, a term used elsewhere in the law for the seven day period.
References to the Eighth Day are found in only a few places in the Old Testament including Leviticus 23: 36, 39, Numbers 29: 35, and Nehemiah 8: 18. Scripture has very little to say about this day compared to the other feast days. We are told is that it is associated with the Fall harvest and the third festival season, and like other feast days, is a Sabbath and an assembly. Otherwise only the offerings for this day are listed in Numbers 29, verses 36-38. Almost all Christians writing about the feast days totally ignore it, even, strangely enough, some Jewish Christians. One might get the impression that the day is not important. The Bible does not tie the day to historical events of the Old Testament, nor is much attention given to it in Jewish literature. There is no obvious shadow other than that it part of a harvest festival, so again the reality is difficult to see. Even though God revealed little about this feast day though Moses, the day is, as we will see, extremely important in terms of the overall plan of God. God has a purpose for everything He does!
The seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles were a memorial of Israel's wandering in the wilderness for forty years. The Israelites were to live in booths or temporary dwelling places during this time to remind them of this time when they were wayfarers and pilgrims in a land that was not theirs. They were not required to live in temporary dwellings on the Eighth Day which prefigures their living in permanent houses in the promised land. During the seven days a procession of priests with golden pitchers drew water from the pool of Siloam and carried it into the Temple where it was poured out. Some writers speculate that this practice, although not specified in Scripture seems to commemorate the water supplied by God to them in the desert through His servant Moses. Though there is some disagreement on this, it is likely that on the Eighth Day no water was poured out. The probable absence of the water libations on the Eighth Day seems to signify the enjoyment of the abundance of water in the promised land. As is the case in most rituals, water has a spiritual as well as a physical meaning. One of the many Old Testament comparisons of water to the Holy Spirit is found in Isaiah 44: 3.
Many believe that this is the day referred to in the Gospel of John as "the last day, the great day of the feast" (John 7: 37). Because of this scripture many refer to this day as “The Last Great Day”. Others believe this day John wrote of is the seventh and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Eighth Day is sometimes thought of as part of the seven day Feast of Tabernacles even though it is a separate feast according to both scripture and Jewish authorities. It is unclear from the text whether, "the last day, the great day of the feast" recorded in John 7: 37 refers to the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, or the last day of the eight day period of the Feast of Ingathering.
Jesus gave us a key to its timing and meaning when He said on this day, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7: 37-38) Some writers propose the following scenario: Jesus had come to the Temple in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles (verse 14), no doubt observing water being poured out of the small vessels. In contrast to this small amount of water, He spoke on this day of "rivers of living water". Verse 39 explains that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit which was received by those who believe in Him. The expression "rivers of living water" implies a much larger outpouring of the Holy Spirit than that which is represented by Pentecost. Several of the Old Testament prophets speak of the Holy Spirit being poured out upon the people of Israel. Zechariah prophesied that in the time of the end, there would be a glorious day when the whole nation would look upon the pierced Messiah and repent of their rejection of Him. The Spirit of God would then be poured out upon them (Zechariah 12: 10). The same prophet spoke of a future day when living waters would flow out of Jerusalem, and the Lord would be King over the earth (Zechariah 14: 8-9).
The next key as to the meaning of this day is its position in the sequence of feast days. Following the Feast of Tabernacles it can only refer to events after the Millennium. These events include the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and an even more glorious promised land, the New Jerusalem! This huge "city" is described in Revelation 21: 9 through 22: 5. There will be no more death nor sin there, as it will be the abode of resurrected and glorified spirit beings. It is interesting that in the New Jerusalem there will be a "pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb"! (Revelation 22: 1) This is the ultimate promised land and perhaps “God’s rest” as well for the people of God! Everything up to this point is temporary. The Eighth Day signifies that which is permanent!
It appears to me that Jesus’ statement on the “last day…of the feast” concerning the outpouring of living waters satisfying thirst fits better the Eighth Day rather than the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
The most important key to the meaning of the Eighth Day is the fact that it is a part of the Feast of Ingathering, the third festival season signifying God’s third and last harvest. The New Testament saints are to be resurrected at the time of Christ's return. After the end of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ there is another resurrection (Revelation 20: 5, 11-15) often called the Great White Throne judgment. At this time, the rest of the dead are brought back to life and judged. Many consider this to be a resurrection to condemnation only, with no one receiving eternal life at this time. The following scriptures indicate that this Great White Throne resurrection will also include those rising to eternal life.
First, note that the "book of life" (Revelation 20: 12) is also opened. This book includes the names of the saints (Philippians 4: 3), and excludes apostates and those who worship Satan (Revelation 13: 8 and 17: 8). There would be no need to open this book if the names of none in this resurrection were written therein. Note especially verse 15 of Revelation 12: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” The language implies that the names of some were written in the book of life. It does not say that all were cast into the lake of fire.
Second, we are told that the resurrection of the saints is the first resurrection (Revelation 20: 4-6). Doesn’t this imply a second resurrection? Those in the first resurrection are to be given a special position of favor and honor. However in no way does that preclude a second resurrection to eternal life.
Third, another reference to this resurrection is possibly found in the “resurrection chapter" of I Corinthians 15. The resurrections are listed in verses 23 and 24: (1) “Christ the first fruits.” (2) “Afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.” (3) “Then (cometh) the end, when He shall have delivered the kingdom to God”. In the King James version the word "cometh" is in italics, because it was supplied by the translators in attempting to interpret the meaning of the passage. I believe that this statement would be clearer if the translators had placed a different phrase therein. Paul is speaking of resurrections. I suggest that this part of verse 24 world be more clearly interpreted as follows: "Then (the resurrection at) the end, when He shall have delivered the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power." Resurrection is the subject of the entirety of the chapter and Paul continues to speak of resurrection throughout the remainder of the chapter (verses 25 through 58). In this chapter Paul is speaking only of resurrections to eternal life and glory. Note especially verse 22: “…in Christ all shall be made alive”. The prophet Ezekiel also prophesies a resurrection to eternal life (Ezekiel 37: 1-14). Note verse 14: “I shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live”.
Fourth, the Feast of Ingathering is a harvest festival, typifying resurrection to eternal life, not resurrection to judgment. We are referring to God’s harvest festivals! Jesus Christ was resurrected: God’s first harvest season was a stunning success! And because of His Resurrection we have received the Holy Spirit and have the assurance that the resurrection of the saints will take place at God’s timing (Ephesians 1: 13-14). Are we to expect then that God’s third harvest will result in a total crop failure?
Jewish authorities call this feast "Shemini Atzereth", meaning ”the eighth day of assembly”. The meaning according to the Jewish Encyclopedia is "the eighth day, the festival of conclusion". It points out that just as Pentecost is also called the Festival of Conclusion of Passover, this day is called the Festival of Conclusion of Tabernacles. Pentecost comes at the end of a period of seven weeks, and the Eighth Day follows a seven day period. The number eight is associated with both. On the first day of the week, Pentecost, is an eighth day as is the Eighth Day. Just as there are parallels between the day of the omer offering and Pentecost, there are parallels between Pentecost and the Eighth Day. All three are associated with the number eight, the number of new beginnings, regeneration and resurrection. Why would the number eight, a number of new beginnings, renewal and regeneration be associated with this Eighth Day if none among the "rest of the dead" in the Great White Throne resurrection were to be granted eternal life?
It appears that post-apostolic Christianity, having lost sight of these invaluable insights into God's plan has determined that this part if not all of the great fall harvest is to result in a crop failure! God wants “all men to be saved” (I Timothy 2:4). He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). God’s wonderful plan provides a time for all to come to repentance and receive salvation.
Such a resurrection would solve the problem of those who throughout the ages died without ever having the chance to accept Christ as their personal Savior. The scriptures reveal little about this time, but it is possible that a period of time will be allotted for them to come to a saving faith. In the early days of his ministry, Billy Graham was asked by Madam Chiang Kai-shek, whose husband led China during World War II, a question that has plagued theologians for centuries. "What about people who have never heard of Christ? When they die will they go to hell?" As I recall, he replied that he believed that God must have made some provision made for them. Yes, God has made that provision, and it is found in the Eighth Day. Both Pentecost and the Eighth Day represent the receiving of the Holy Spirit and resurrection to eternal life. Again we have one fulfillment for those called in this age, and a second bringing salvation to the rest of the world.
There is one additional parallel between the day of the omer offering ritual, Pentecost and the Eighth Day: Each is associated with one of the three harvest or festival seasons. As we have seen, the three harvest seasons are analogues of God's three spiritual harvests, or resurrections. On the first an omer of grain was offered, and two loaves were offered on Pentecost. These representatives of the physical harvest of the land represent God's spiritual harvest of bringing sons and daughters into glory. Was there an offering of the harvests of the land on the Eighth Day that might represent a spiritual harvest? The answer is, "yes" and "no". Among the various offerings on this day were 11 offerings of meal mixed with oil, called meat offerings, and 11 drink offerings of wine. However these offerings were not unique to this day, as were the offerings of the omer of grain and the two loaves. Eleven of these offerings were specified for the new moons on the first day of each month and for all the other feast days except for the Feast of Tabernacles. Two of these meat and drink offerings were offered on every other day of the year. A total of 196 (a multiple of 7 times 7) meat and drink offerings were made during the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, a greater number than for any other period in the year! (See Numbers 28 and 29 for a description of the offerings specified for various days of the year.) The harvest celebrated in connection with the Feast of Tabernacles was fruit, wine, and oil as well as grain. These meat and drink offerings were therefore representative of all the harvests during the year. There were no unique offerings during the Feast of Tabernacles nor on the Eighth Day which were exclusively representative of the Fall harvest. There were, however as we have seen, an extraordinary number of meat and drink offerings during the Feast of Tabernacles. This number may imbue the meat and drink offerings during this feast with some special significance. While puzzling, we can rest assured that God knew what He was doing when He inspired the Bible and gave instructions for the feast days. Perhaps the spiritual fulfillments of these days was too far in the future at Moses' time to ordain any specific or unique offerings. Or perhaps God just saw fit not to even hint at these things at the time He inspired the books of Moses. However the Eighth Day is, as I have shown, a part of the third of the three festival or harvest seasons, the Feast of Ingathering (Leviticus 23:39). I believe that this day does indeed represent an important part of God's spiritual harvest of the world.
Unlike the Feast of Tabernacles which reflects past events as well as looking to the future, the Eighth Day prefigures only future events.
As mentioned above, the inclusion of this day in the third harvest festival season indicates that it is associated with a future spiritual harvest. The position of the day in the sequence of the feast days is a sign that it prefigures future events after the Millennium. Its association with the number eight points to a new beginning, including the ultimate new beginning, a resurrection to eternal life. Dr. David L. Antion7 pointed out another very compelling indication of the meaning of this Eighth Day by a study ofother “eighth” days.
“There is something unusual about what the Bible calls the eighth day (Leviticus 23: 36, 39; Numbers 29:35; I Kings 8:65-66). No other festival has an eighth day. Unleavened Bread has only seven days: The first is a high day and the last is a high day. But the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not a high day. Rather the Bible specifies a separate festival called the Eighth Day.”
“The eighth day is unusual in other ways. Although God commanded the Israelites to stay in tents (booths, or tabernacles) for seven days, He gave no command for the people to do so on the eighth day. Further, the sacrifices commanded on the Eighth Day were greatly reduced from that done on any of the previous seven days.”
“The Bible uses nearly identical wording when it refers to doing something for seven days and something else on the eighth day.... Now note this pattern: Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen and thine sheep: seven days it shall be with its dam (mother); on the eighth day you will give it to me (Exodus 22:30). A lamb is to be with its mother for seven days before it can be given to God on the eighth day. It becomes God’s possession on the eighth day.”
“The same pattern follows for the circumcision command, the cleansing of lepers, the cleansing from human male or female discharges, and the cleansing of a Nazarite who became unclean because someone unexpectedly died in his presence. (See Leviticus 14:3-23; 15:13-29; Numbers 6: 9-10)”
“We see a definite, strong pattern that on the eighth day a person could come into God’s presence, or God or a thing could become God’s possession.”
“This pattern is again stated powerfully in Ezekiel. In cleansing the altar and accepting priests, God instructs them to prepare a goat offering each day for seven days. During these seven days they were to cleanse the altar, purify it and consecrate themselves. But when the seven days were over and onward, ‘the priests shall make your burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, saith the Lord God’ (Ezekiel 43:25-27).”
[This Eighth Day festival is part of the third harvest festival season. Though a little different, this pattern is also found as well in both the first and second of the harvest or pilgrimage festivals as discussed above. On the day after the weekly Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened bread (an eighth day) the priest lifted the omer before the Lord “that you may find acceptance” (NSRV) (Leviticus 23:11). And “unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath (Pentecost, another eighth day)…ye shall bring two wave loaves…the firstfruits unto the Lord…and the priest shall wave (the animal sacrifices) with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering for the Lord…they shall be holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 23: 16-20). “The bread of the first fruits” representing a group of saints that is to be resurrected is thereby made “holy to the Lord”. Here are two additional rituals performed on an eighth day symbolizing the sanctification of the people of God, and a resurrection. The number “eight” is indeed symbolic of new beginnings!]
“We see a pattern in the Bible: a period of seven days followed by an eighth day that brings us into the presence of God or something owned by God, approved by God, or sanctified by God.”
“We have a seven day period called the Feast of Tents or Tabernacles. Then comes the Eighth Day, which I believe pictures our being a part of the Marriage of the Lamb in God’s presence forever in the New Jerusalem, part of the New Heavens and the New Earth.”
The Bible records many other examples of new beginnings represented by “eighth” days. Dean C. Wheelock9 expands on these concepts found in the meaning of some of these and other “eighth” days (as well as “eighth” years). A newborn male baby is allowed to stay in its natural state for seven days. On the eighth day he is circumcised and considered acceptable to God (Leviticus 14:3). Leviticus 14: 10, 23; 15: 8, 20 describe the purification rituals for men and women who are ritualistically unclean. On the eighth day they are accounted clean and acceptable to God.
“The land was worked for six years. On the seventh year it was rested. On the eighth year the farmer again began to raise crops on it. (Leviticus 25:22) When a person took a Nazarite vow he separated himself to God for a period of time. When the time was up, he was required to offer sacrifices over a period of seven days. On the eighth day he was released from his vow. (Numbers 6:10)”
“It becomes apparent from reading the above list, that the eighth day was the day on which a person started over. Whether it was being cleansed, or being released from a vow, the eighth day was significant as a new beginning.”
He then lists the cleansing events at the end of the Millennium including the casting of Satan into the lake of fire, and the casting into the Lake of Fire all those whose names are not listed in the Book of Life. (Revelation 20:10-15).
“Once the great cleansing ritual has been completed, we are ready for our permanent home. The Groom (Yeshua) and His Bride (the Chruch) are fully married (that took place at the beginning of the Millennium) and they have completed their thousand year wedding, as pictured by Sukkot. What is left is to move into our new home.”
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passing away: and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall be any more pain for the former things are passed away.
“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new…And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; I will be his God and he shall be my son.” (Revelation 21:1-7)
“The purification is now complete; all of the wicked and unclean have either been destroyed or cleansed.”
In the New Heavens and New Earth as pictured by the Eighth Day, all will be spirit beings, approved, sanctified and owned by God, and in His presence! The number eight does indeed represent new beginnings!
The Eighth Day which I sometimes call the “Forgotten Eighth Day” represents renewal and resurrection for all the billions of people who never had a chance for eternal life in this life. The hope offered by the knowledge of the meaning of this day should be a comfort to all. Friends and loved ones who never accepted Christ as their personal Savior during their lifetimes may not be, and are probably not lost for all eternity. No one will be offered a second chance, but for most this Forgotten Eighth Day represents a first chance. The lack of knowledge of this one feast day alone has led to untold pain and anguish during the entire history of the Christian church. Praise be to our Creator that He is infinitely more merciful than most theologians give Him credit!
CONCLUSION
Much more could be said but this should provide an outline and sufficient facts demonstrating the point that a better understanding of God's Word and His plan is made possible with an acquaintance with His feast days. A person can have saving faith with only a rudimentary understanding of God's Word. The determining factor in one's salvation is the reality that one lives in Christ, and Christ in him. However, a deeper study of the Bible including these days, and even more, an active participation in the observance of these days can provide an infinitely greater appreciation of the glorious things that God has in mind for mankind.
Because the church decided early in its history to sever all ties to its Jewish roots, it cut itself off from this source of knowledge and understanding. If Christians through the ages had paid more attention to God's feast days, we could have avoided many errors perpetuated by organized Christianity. A case in point: Post-apostolic Christianity generally holds that this is the only day of salvation. The often quoted "Now is the day of salvation" in II Corinthians 6: 2, should be translated "Now is a day of salvation". The definite article is not used in the original Greek text. Furthermore Paul quoted this scripture generally from Isaiah 49: 8, where it is correctly translated, "a day of salvation" in the King James version. Neither does the original Hebrew utilize the definite article here. An understanding of the “Forgotten” Eighth Day alone could have avoided much of the mental anguish and pain over the misunderstanding that friends and loved ones were lost for all eternity. It, along with the knowledge that eternal life is attained by a resurrection, would have nullified the perceived need for the invention by theologians of non-scriptural compartments for various classes of those who died "unsaved" such as "limbus infantum", a place for infants who die before baptism.
The knowledge of God's feast days provides a marvelous advance in understanding the elegance and the magnificence of His plan. With their deep meaning and rich symbolism, they are instructional aids to help us learn the deeper truths of God and His plan. The observance of days and associated rituals seems to me an inborn need of man. Why not observe these days instead of days of human invention? Much of this knowledge of the plan of God, obscured by the substitution of other days largely of pagan origin has been lost for more than a thousand years and is now being revealed to mankind. Christmas, New Year's Day, Good Friday and Easter reflect little if anything of justification and sanctification, and nothing of the receiving of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the saints, the second coming of Christ and other end-time events. Unlike God’s Feast Days, these days fall far short in revealing the progressive fulfillment of God’s plan for mankind. No wonder D.A. Miller titled his book on God's feast days Forbidden Knowledge-Or Is It…8!
The number seven is indelibly imprinted on God's creation and His revelation of Himself to mankind. Seven is the number of completion and perfection. The number is indeed one of the fingerprints of the Eternal! The seven feast days reveal the perfection and completeness of His plan of redemption for all mankind in bringing untold numbers of saints into an eternal relationship with Him as His sons and daughters! The three festival or harvest seasons represent the sequence of resurrections by which God accomplishes this glorious spiritual harvest!
Messianic Rabbi Dr. Lawrence Duff-Forbes10 colorfully sums up the messages contained within God's feast days and festival seasons:
"These are pageants that prophesy; these are festivals that foretell."
"God, out of His inexhaustible workbasket of Time and Space, took in His mighty hands the seasons of the year and He stretched them out taut and tight over the Promised Land of Israel to make a colorful basic mesh-material tinted with all the tender tones of Spring, the strong hues of Summer and the flamboyant complexion of the Fall.
Then, summoning His chosen people Israel together - equally colorful in all their varieties of temperament and disposition - He interwove their national religious movements through the meshes of Spring, Summer, and Fall in a colorful symbolic and prophetic pageantry as eloquent and significant in its INTERVALS as in its ACTIVITY."
"For here is a clear, graphic, picturesque, panoramic presentation and prophecy of God's redemptive purpose and provision for all mankind individually and for Israel nationally, a corporate personation of redemption quite breathtaking in its meaningfulness, its magnitude and its magnificence."
This paper is dedicated to my children, their
spouses and their children, with special thanks to my wife, Peggy and son,
Tyson, who have, for many years, urged me to write this statement of some of our
beliefs.
September 2006
Robert Macdonald
ulcinc@yahoo.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 Jones, Stephen E.; Creation’s Jubilee, God’s Kingdom Ministries, Selma, Alabama, 1991.
2 Wheelock, Dean, E.; Cirlcle Dancing, 8p., Hebrew Roots, Lakewood, Wisconsin, 1998.
3 Briggs, Lawson C.;The Wavesheaf Ritual – Proof of Christ and the Bible, Good News, Worldwide Church of God, Pasadena, California, June 1975.
4 Levitt, Zola; The Seven Feasts of Israel, 31p., Zola Levitt Ministries, Dallas, Texas, 1979.
5 Lane, Jack, M., The Wave Sheaf Offering – The Forgotten Holy Day?, www.thelivingway.org/wave2.html, 2004.
6 Talbot, Louis T.; The Feasts of Jehovah: Forshadowing God’s Plan of the Ages from the Past Eternity to the Future Eternity, 60p., Church of the Open Door, Glendora, California, circa 1940.
7 Antion, David L.; Essay: Eighth Day Pictures New Jerusalem and Marriage of the Lamb; The Journal: News of the Churches of God: JMC Associates, Big Sandy, Texas, Issue No. 55, v. V, No.5, 2001.
8 Miller, D. A.; Forbidden Knowledge-Or Is It…, 253p., Joy Publishing, California.
9 Wheelock, Dean, E.; Shemini Atzeret, Hebrew Roots, v.1, No.3, Hebrew Roots, Lakewood, Wisconsin, Sept.-Oct. 2006
10 Duff-Forbes, Lawrence; Pageants that Prophesy, 84p,. Congregation of the Messiah within Isarael, 1966.
Unless otherwise indicated all biblical citations are from the King James Version