The 7 Feasts and God's Prophetic Calendar
Leviticus 23:4 - These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:’” (Leviticus 23:2).
Colossians 2:17 - Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
This chart reveals the seven feasts of the LORD and their prophetic fulfillment in the calendar of God's redemptive work through the Jewish Messiah. The feasts were never referred to as feasts of Israel but were actually "appointed times" with the LORD, and they were not only historical in Israel's history but they are prophetic and speak of the redemptive work through Yeshua the Messiah. Although there were other holidays that were observed by the Israelites (for example: Purim and cHanukkah), only seven were prescribed by the LORD. According to Leviticus 23 they were: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot/Pentecost, Yom Teruah/Trumpets, Yom Kippur/Atonement, and Sukkot/Tabernacles. Notice that in Lev. 23:4 it says that the feasts would happen "in their seasons." There were only two seasons in ancient Israel (warmer months and rainy months). The first four feasts took place at the beginning of the warmer months (April), and the last three feasts took place at the beginning of the rainy months (October). The prophetic message that is taught in the New Testament is that the first 4 feasts speak of the death (Feast of Passover), burial (Feast of Unleavened Bread), and resurrection (Feast of First Fruits) of Yeshua, and the birth of the Church 50 days later (Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost). Then there was a long interval which is the Church Age. After that the last 3 feasts took place which speak of the end of the church age and the regathering of Israel (Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets), and then the Time of Jacob's Trouble, also referred to as the Great Tribulation (Yom Kippur/Feast of Atonement). The last feast speaks of the Kingdom of the Messiah (Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles) which will never pass away.
Leviticus 23 reveals the seven feasts of the LORD and not only do they teach that God is in control of the times and seasons, but according to the New Testament they also present a prophetic picture of the calendar of events from the cross of Yeshua to his millennial kingdom which will never pass away.
1 Corinthians 10:11 - Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Below is a list of the 7 Feasts in the Old Testament with Prophecy Calendar and Scriptures.
List of the Seven Feasts of the LORD and God's Calendar
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Feasts and Festivals
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God's Prophetic Calendar
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New Testament Scriptures
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Feast of Passover
(Heb. Pesakh)
Ex 12:13 - "when I see the blood, I will pass over you"
God passed over the Hebrews when he saw the blood of the lamb. God also passes over our sins when he sees the the blood of Christ.
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The Death of Yeshua
Yeshua was the sinless Lamb of God who came and gave his life so that we could have eternal life.
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Feast of Unleavened Bread
(Heb. Matsoth)
Ex 13:7 - Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
Just as the Hebrews ate bread with no leaven, and also removed all leaven from their dwellings, so is all sin removed from the believer in Yeshua...past, present, and future.
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The Burial of Yeshua and our Sin
Yeshua takes the sin away. John 1:29 "The next day he saw Yeshua coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" As the ceremony of Baptism implies, we were buried with Yeshua and our sins were buried with him. When he rose, we also rose with him. Matt 28:19 "Go and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Teaching them to OBEY all things that I have commanded you. and lo I am with you always, even until the completion of the age. Amen" |
Romans 6:4 - Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
1 Cor 5:8 - Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
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Feast of First Fruits
(Heb. Yom Havikurim)
Leviticus 23:10, 11 - Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
The children of Israel were commanded to bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of the barley harvest on the first day of the week (the day of resurrection) and wave it before the LORD. Not one ear but a sheaf, and this first sheaf represented the entire harvest.
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The Resurrection of Yeshua
In Old Testament times the promised land was a picture of the kingdom of the Messiah. Yeshua was the first to rise from the dead, and after him all that are Christ's. The resurrection of the believer in Yeshua is God's promise.
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1 Corinthians 15:20-23 - But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1 Corinthians 12:27 - Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
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Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)
(Heb. Shavuot)
Leviticus 23:15-16 - And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number the fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
The children of Israel were to count 50 days (Counting of the Omar) after the first fruits sheaf of barley was waved. Then they were to offer a new wheat offering: 2 loaves of fine flour from the new harvest of wheat, baked with leaven and waved by the priest.
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The Birth of the Church
50 days after Yeshua rose from the dead, on the Day of Pentecost/Shavuot, the Holy Spirit came. Some say the Church was born. This marked the end of the "Jewish Era" and the beginning of the "Church Age" where both Jews and gentiles (2 loaves) could confess Yeshua as LORD and be saved.
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Acts 2:1-4 - And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 - For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.
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Long Period of Time
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The Church Age
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The first four feasts happened in Nissan (April and May) and then there was a long period of time before the last three feasts which took place in Tishri (September and October according to our calendar). The middle interim is known in God's calendar as the "Church Age" when both Jews and Gentiles will confess Jesus as LORD. During this time the Jewish nation will have blinders on their eyes (Romans 11:10) until God removes the blinders through great tribulation. Once the Church Age ends the prophecy of the last three feasts begins.
Romans 11:25 - "I don't desire you to be ignorant brothers of this mystery... that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in"
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According to Daniel 9 the Jewish Messiah would be "cut off" and die, and then there would be a long period of time before the 70th Week also known as the "tribulation" would begin. This would be the last "7 year period" and in that time God will pour out his wrath and purge Israel of their unbelief. After this Jesus will return and set up his kingdom which will never be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14).
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Hebrews 3:15 - Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Matthew 24:21 - For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 13:37 - He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
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Feast of Trumpets
(Heb. Yom Tiruah)
Leviticus 23:24 - Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Trumpets were used to call the children of Israel to assemble together for a meeting with the LORD. The prophecy is about Israel being gathered into their land and after they are purged of their unbelief, after great tribulation Yeshua their LORD will come again and they will receive Him, and mourn over his death.
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The Announcement of Yeshua's Return
Joel 2:1 - Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand;
The Feast of Trumpets speaks of a time when the trumpet of the LORD will sound and all who are in Christ will rise to heaven. Israel will be gathered into their land and there will be great tribulation as never before in the world. Then the LORD Yeshua will return to receive his bride.
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Matthew 24:31 - And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 - For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Corinthians 15:52 - In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Before the invention of the brass trumpet, God had Moses make two silver Trumpets (Numbers 10:2), but the traditional sacred horn of the ancient Hebrews was the shofar made from a ram's horn. The shofar had been used since Moses' day (Exodus 19:13) to attract the attention of the Israelites, issue a signal, or to prelude an announcement and/or warning from God. Joshua had 7 priests carry seven horns for seven days and encircle Jericho seven times, then the priest sounded the horns, the people shouted and the walls came down (Joshua 6:4). In Paul's letter of I Thessalonians 4:16, "the trumpet of God" heralds the Second Coming of Christ.
In the Book of Revelation, seven trumpets are sounded, one at a time, to cue apocalyptic events seen by John of Patmos (Revelation 1:9)
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Feast of Atonement
(Heb. Yom Kippur)
Leviticus 23:27 - Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
This feast they were to afflict their souls (most fast), and when the high priest sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat the sins of Israel were covered for another year. This was Israel's greatest day of the year, but its true significance was pointing to the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua who would die on the cross for all mankind.
Afflicting their Souls speaks about the day when there will be great mourning over piercing their Messiah:
Zechariah 12:10 - and they will look to Me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.
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The Purging of Israel's Unbelief
Jeremiah 30:7 - Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's trouble.
The rulers of Israel did not recognize the LORD when he came, as was predicted by all the prophets, and in their rejection of their Messiah the "Day of Atonement" was pointing to a future day of purging, called by Jeremiah "the time of Jacob's trouble" when they would learn by "great tribulation" to say "blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD." This is also referred to as the 70th Week of Daniel. After they "afflict their souls" he will save them.
Matthew 24:30 - and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
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Matthew 24:21 - For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 23:39 - For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hebrews 9:11-12 - But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption.
Genesis 32:22-32 Jacob wrestled with the angel. |
Feast of Tabernacles (Booths)
(Heb. Sukkoth)
Leviticus 23:34 - Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
The Feast of Tabernacles was the last of the LORD's feasts and it commemorates the ingathering of the harvest at the years end. It was a season of great joy and rejoicing over God's abundance. The prophetic fulfillment of this feast is the Millennium, the one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.
Deuteronomy 16:13-15 - Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that [are] within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
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The Coming of Jesus and his Kingdom
The Feast of Tabernacles speaks of a time when Jesus will return and set up his kingdom on the earth. He will reign in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. Satan will be bound and the joy of the LORD will fill the whole earth.
It is the wedding supper of the Lamb. Research a traditional Jewish Wedding. |
Matthew 24:30 - And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 16:27 - For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.
Matthew 24:44 - Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come.
Matthew 24:27 - For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 25:23 - "Enter into the joy of your lord.'
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For a more precise timeline go here:
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