Overview of the Feasts of the Lord

God's Timeline to Completion

Are you a “big picture” person? Do you comprehend the meaning of symbols rather easily? If so, no doubt you love studying the Old Testament feasts and ceremonies.

Leviticus 23 is the single chapter in the Bible that sums everything up for us. God’s eternal plan—from chaos to completion—is ingeniously revealed through the character and timing of the seven annual Feasts of the Lord.

While we are no longer required to observe the feasts as Christians
(Col 2:16-17), we still can learn a great deal through their study. If we look at human history and how it intersects with these seven feasts, we can accurately determine where we are on God’s timeline to eternity.

God Shows Moses the Right Way to Throw a Party

On Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the dates and observances of seven special annual feasts. Sacrifices and offerings were a major feature of the feasts, and they were to be strictly observed by the Jews. Even Jesus was careful to celebrate the Passover just before his crucifixion.

If you imagine the Tabernacle’s seven branched lamp stand, you notice that there are two groups of three lamps on either side of a central dividing lamp. The feasts are arranged similarly on the Hebrew calendar. There are three feasts in the spring (March and April) and three in the fall in (September and October). The seventh feast of Pentecost or "Weeks" falls in May between the two groups of feasts in the spring and fall.

Names of the Feasts

1. Passover or Pesach
2. Unleavened Bread or Chag Hamotzi
3. First Fruits or Yom Habikkurim
4. Pentecost (Weeks) or Shavuot
5. Trumpets or Rosh Hashana
6. Atonement or Yom Kippur
7. Tabernacles or Sukkot

Spring Feasts

1. Passover: This is the Feast of Salvation in both the Old and New Testaments. The blood of lambs delivered the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, and it delivers Christians from slavery to sin. It’s no coincidence that Jesus was crucified at Passover, just as the Hebrews were instructed to sacrifice a lamb so the angel of death would pass over their homes before they left Egypt.

2. Feast of Unleavened Bread: Leaven (yeast) symbolizes sin or evil in the Bible. The Hebrews were instructed to eat unleavened bread (matzah) for seven days to symbolize a pure walk with God. In the New Testament, Jesus himself is called the “Bread of Life” and believers are considered pure by walking in relationship with Him.

3. First Fruits: Celebration of the Barley Harvest. On this day, the Israelites were to celebrate the fertility of the land that God had given them. This was the time of harvest for their early planting of barley, and they were to “wave a sheaf before the Lord.” The modern church calls this celebration Easter after Ishtar, the pagan goddess of fertility. However, the deeper meaning of Easter for true believers is a celebration of the risen Christ, who is the “first fruit” of all the souls who will be resurrected after Him.

Pentecost

4. Celebration of the Summer Wheat Harvest. Fifty days were carefully counted out and on the appointed day, two loaves of bread baked with leaven were waved aloft as an offering to the Lord. This is symbolic of the church being comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. On the day of Pentecost directly following Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit was poured out on a large group of Jewish believers so that they would have the power to witness "to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Fall Feasts

5. The Feast of Trumpets takes place during the fruit (grape and olive) harvest in September. The call of the trumpet was to alert the field workers to immediately stop their work, and assemble at the Temple for worship. Many Bible scholars believe this feast represents the Rapture of the Church which will take place just before the Great Tribulation begins.

6. Atonement or Yom Kippur is the day of confession, and the highest of holy days for the Jews. This somber holiday does not have any Christian meaning, since Christ has already provided atonement for our sins.

7. The Feast of Tabernacles is a concrete reminder that God provided shelter for the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness. Each year, observant Jews build “booths” or temporary structures outside their homes for worship, eating, and sleeping. For the Christian, this joyous feast celebrates God’s desire for union with mankind, and his plan to dwell permanently among believers for all eternity.

Are We There Yet?

A review of the first four feasts reveals that Christ was crucified at Passover, buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and he rose on the Feast of First Fruits. The Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost to empower believers to witness to others and to live holy lives. We have not yet seen the fulfillment of Feast number five, Trumpets. Therefore, there are still some exciting things yet to come on God’s eternal timeline.

I’m indebted to Hebrew4Christians for the information above. Note that the feasts of Hanukkah and Purim are not Levitical Feasts appointed by God. They were added to the Jewish calendar by the Rabbis in order to commemorate two important historical events in the life of Israel.

Recommended Resource

For further information, do consider this book, The Feasts of the Lord recommended by Beth Moore in her excellent Bible study “Stepping Up." I bought a used copy for my library; it’s well-worth your denarii.

Related: Ready for some more thought-provoking posts? You’ll find them at the Christian Carnival ii here.

Photos: maxnathan, HaleyHyatt, kmoney & Fonzi's Cousin (Flickr)


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What aspect of these seven feasts impresses you
the most?