I want to share with you why I believe these are exciting times. They are exciting to me because of how precise the Bible is. One of the first things that happened to me after I became a Christian was that the Bible came alive to me and I began to see things I never saw before in my unspiritual state. To this day, the more I grasp, the more in awe I am of the living Word of God, which in turn deepens my relationship with its Author. And it never gets old or boring! I admit I used to think the Old Testament was a bit dry, but listening to sermons by good pastors or teachers who really know the Word helps me to understand how it all fits together.
I’ve begun to see how the Old Testament is really the story of God’s plan to redeem mankind and restore all things as He originally intended them to be. In the beginning, after Creation when God spoke everything into existence, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Up until the point when they disobeyed and sinned against God after being deceived into doubting what God really said (nothing’s changed–Satan still uses the same tactic today), they lived in a perfect environment and enjoyed sweet communion with their Creator. I mentioned in my post He’s Talking that God has been calling out to us ever since the Fall. The Old Testament is full of all types of pictures–or foreshadowings–of what Jesus Christ would accomplish for us on the cross–something we would never be able to accomplish ourselves.
In order for God to teach us about the need for a Savior, He needed us–and I say “us” because Jew and Gentile alike need the Savior–to fully recognize our need before we could ever come to understand, and then accept by faith, what Christ accomplished for us. One way He revealed His plan was through the Jewish feasts we hear about and see marked on our calendars every year. I never thought these feasts would have any relevance to me since I’m not Jewish. But I have learned that God said these are in actuality His feasts: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts”’” (Leviticus 23:1-2). In Hebrew, feast means “a divine appointment” and “a signal, appointed beforehand.” Convocation in Hebrew means “a public meeting or [dress] rehearsal.” In learning about the feasts, I’ve come to see yet another way that God has perfectly revealed in advance His plan of salvation and redemption. “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). It proves that He alone is God and strengthens our faith when we see what He said come to pass.
There are seven feasts in all, four in the spring (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost) and three in the fall (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles), all set according to the Jewish calendar. Collectively, they tell a story, and these solemn, holy “dress rehearsals” were practiced year after year after year as foreshadows pointing to the time they would be acted out and fulfilled by Christ himself. “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).
The spring feasts were fulfilled perfectly by Jesus Christ when he came the first time (his death, burial and resurrection), and the fall feasts foreshadow Christ’s second coming. The biblical and traditional details of the feasts reveal God’s plan for the ages in remarkable detail. Here is a summary of the feasts described by Bible teacher Dr. David R. Reagan:
What the Jewish people did not seem to realize is that all of the feasts were also symbolic types. In other words, they were prophetic in nature, each one pointing in a unique way to some aspect of the life and work of the promised Messiah.
Passover—Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover Lamb whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover, at the [exact] same time that the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening.
Unleavened Bread—Pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life [leaven represents sin], making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.
First Fruits—Pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in I Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead.”
Harvest or Pentecost—(called Shavuot today.) Pointed to the great harvest of souls, both Jew and Gentile, that would come into the kingdom of God during the Church Age. The Church was actually established on this day when the Messiah poured out the Holy Spirit and 3,000 souls responded to Peter’s first proclamation of the Gospel.
The long interval of three months between Harvest and Trumpets pointed to the current Church Age, a period of time that was kept as a mystery to the Hebrew prophets in Old Testament times.
Trumpets—(called Rosh Hashanah today.) Points to the Rapture when the Messiah will appear in the heavens as a Bridegroom coming for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:52).
Atonement—(Called Yom Kippur today.) Points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they “look upon Him whom they have pierced,” repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36).
Tabernacles—(Called Sukkot today.) Points to the Lord’s promise that He will once again tabernacle with His people when He returns to reign over all the world from Jerusalem (Micah 4:1-7).[1]
Since the spring feasts were fulfilled perfectly by Jesus Christ, I am assured that the fall feasts will also be fulfilled perfectly at some point in the future. We’re now living in the Church age and the next feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets! I personally believe that the rapture will occur during the season of the fall feasts, or even on the Feast of Trumpets, which is the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah (or the Feast of Trumpets) is the only feast that starts on a new moon.
Why is that important? Because, according to the Talmud, the members of the Sanhedrin watched for the appearance of the new moon, because no one knew the day or hour when it would appear! Even today, Jews observe the feast for two days to make sure that they celebrate the feast on the exact day of the new moon, whichever day it would appear.[2]
I don’t know about you, but it sure seems to me that God is trying to get our attention and wake us up to the reality of the unprecedented convergence of signs occurring all around us. You can read the news and read the Bible side by side to see this. As said many times on this blog, Jesus himself said we would recognize the season of His return.
I can’t close without mentioning the rare astronomical phenomenon that is occurring tonight – a super blood moon. At Creation God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth” (Genesis 1:14-15). Tonight’s super blood moon will appear larger due to its proximity to the earth and it will also occur at an earlier time in the evening than most lunar eclipses. This is the fourth blood moon of the tetrad of blood moons that occurred on Passover 2014, Sukkot 2014, Passover 2015, and finally Sukkot 2015, which begins at sundown tonight.
For me, the recognition of the times we’re living in is exciting, yet sobering. Many do not see or recognize what’s happening, and many don’t know or care to know what the Bible has to say about them. It’s all there in black and white for anyone with a seeking heart. God wants us to know. He wants us to be prepared. When the curtains are pulled back and Jesus Christ is revealed in all of His glory, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (see Philippians 2:10). That means you, and that means me. Will it be a time of weeping and regret because you didn’t accept His free offer of salvation, or will it be a time of rejoicing when you finally get to see your Savior face to face?
Holding fast,
Lisa
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
[1] See more at: http://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-feasts-of-israel/#sthash.QvNK7vBI.dpuf
[2] Norten, Michael (2015-03-10). Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts: The Prophecies in the Feasts of Leviticus (p. 74). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.