The Red Thread: Part 7
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
The Tabernacle: Part 3
God’s prophetic calendar: A study of the feasts.
What God initially set up as the feasts is one thing. What tradition says is another thing. How people think about them today is yet another thing. You have to go back to the simplicity of what is written in God’s Word to distinguish between tradition and what God intended.
Leviticus 23:4 KJV:
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
The King James translation is unclear. The words “feasts” and “seasons” are from the same Hebrew word, which means “appointed time.”
Leviticus 23:4 (NET)1:
These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time.
The feasts are appointed times when God calls the people together for a sacred assembly.
Three of the feasts were mandatory for every male over the age of 18: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. When you came for those, you might as well stay for the next.
All the feasts are shadows. They’re not the reality but foreshadow what is to come. The feasts are God’s prophetic calendar.
The details of the Tabernacle foreshadowed things about the Messiah. The feasts foreshadow how things regarding Christ will unfold. They foreshadow how things will unfold in the Messiah’s life.
Oracles
In biblical terms, oracles have nothing to do with the future. Oracles are about words.
Romans 3:1–2 KJV:
1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Acts 7:38 KJV:
This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him [Moses] in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Acts 7:38 (ISR)2:
This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the Messenger who spoke to him [Moses] on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living Words to give to us,
Acts 7:38 (AMP)3:
This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the Angel who spoke to him [Moses] on Mount Sinai,and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles [divine words that still live] to be handed down to you.
The word for “oracle” comes from a similar root as the word for “word.”
The phrase “living words” is a Hebrew idiom meaning “excellent words.”
Another name for the mercy seat area on the arc of the testimony in the holy of holies was “the Oracle.”
The holy of holies contained the arc of the testimony that contained the tablets, the living words, the excellent words, beneath the mercy seat.
Psalm 28:2 KJV:
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
Psalm 28:2 (NRSV)4:
Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
Hebrews 5:10 KJV:
[Jesus Christ] Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Melchisedec was both a king and a priest. His name means “king of righteousness.”
Hebrews 5:11–12a KJV:
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God
The first principles of the oracles of God are what we are going to be talking about in this session.
The first principles are the oracles of God are the things foreshadowed by the feasts and the Tabernacle. Israel was supposed to herald these things to the world, though they didn’t.
The Spring Feasts
Feast of Passover
The feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread are both mentioned in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 5:7–8 KJV:
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 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.
The day after the feast of Passover began the seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread.
Jesus Christ (our Passover lamb) was crucified on Wednesday, Nisan 14, the day of the feast of Passover. Jesus Christ died on the cross at the same that the Passover lambs were being killed. This was about 3:00 PM (literally “between the evenings,” meaning between 3:00 and 6:00 PM).
When was the lamb chosen? On the 10th of Nissan. That was when Jesus entered Jerusalem in the triumphal procession. The lamb would be tied up in a conspicuous place so that it could be examined to ensure that it was without spot or blemish. During the next few days, the Sadducees, the Herodians, and the Pharisees all came and questioned Jesus. That unjust trial corresponded to examining the lamb to ensure it was without spot or blemish.
The 15th of Nissan began at sunset on Wednesday; we can say 6:00 PM for convenience, though it was at whatever time the sun set on that day.
Modern Passover, Seder has traditions like setting aside a chair and wine for Elijah. The modern Passover traditions came about and were formalized in Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. But other things were added after the time of Leviticus. The tradition of examining the lamb over a three-day period was a first-century addition. Initially, it was a simple examination procedure.
1 Peter 1:18–20 KJV:
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Feast of Unleavened Bread
The 15th, a high day or a holy day, was the beginning of the feast of Unleaved Bread—a special Sabbath day.
The unleavened bread reminded them of their journey out of Egypt. It was during the time of the first fruits of the barley harvest.
We know that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, Nissan 14, and was placed in the tomb. He was dead for three days before he arose on Saturday afternoon, Nissan 17 (he was already up on Sunday morning when the women went looking for him at the tomb).
1 Corinthians 15:20 KJV:
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
There are several first fruits in Scripture. Christ’s resurrection from the dead represents the first fruits of those who have died.
The first fruits of the barley harvest would be on the first day after the Sabbath, which was on Saturday. So the first fruits offering would be on what we call Resurrection Sunday.
Leviticus 23:14 KJV:
And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The sheaf of barley would be presented in the Temple on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath.
Leviticus 23:11 KJV:
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.
This was called the wave offering.
Feast of Pentecost
Pentecost was 50 days after the wave offering.
Leviticus 23:15 KJV:
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: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat [remember, in Kings James, this means no meat, it was meal] offering unto the LORD.
The name Pentecost comes from the fifty days (“Penta” is 50). Again, modern traditions start the numbering of the days incorrectly and end up with the wrong day. Pentecost, of course, is when the Spirit was poured out.
Israel went through the motions, but they never really understood what Pentecost foreshadowed.
There were two wave offerings. The feast of Unleaved Bread had the first fruits of the barley harvest. Fifty days later, on Pentecost, they had to bring the first fruits of the wheat harvest. This time, they were to make two loaves from the wheat harvest and wave both loaves over the altar. Then was also the grain or meal offering. That’s what they didn’t understand; they didn’t get what the two loaves were about. Why two loaves? And why were they leavened?
Remember, they did not know the mystery—that the Jews and Gentiles would become one. But the Old Testament did foretell that the Gentiles would be blessed.
This was a time of freedom, of joy, and the ingathering of the harvest, the first fruits of the wheat harvest.
Romans 8: KJV:
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
People are the first fruits of the Spirit. The day of Pentecost was the day of the giving of Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given at the time of the waving of the two loaves, the first fruits of the wheat harvest.
Romans 10:12 KJV:
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek [Gentile]: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Galatians 3:28 KJV:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
By about 140 AD, the Rabbis decided that since know one knew what Pentecost (Sabaoth) was supposed to be about anyway, they would make it about the giving of the law. But seeing Pentecost as the day when the law was given was never part of God’s intention. Pentecost was supposed to be about liberty, freedom, and about the Jews and Gentiles being blessed—not about the law.
During Pentecost, the Jews read from the Book of Ruth. The Book of Ruth is about a Gentile woman (a Moabite) coming into the Christ line.
First, was Passover. Then Unleaved Bread, which was about resurrection. And then Pentecost, about the Spirit and about the Gentiles getting blessed.
So, treating Pentecost as a celebration of the giving of the law did not start until about 140 AD.
Break between Feasts
There’s a break, a blank time between the feasts in the springtime and the feasts in the fall or autumn. We’ll talk about that at the end.
The Fall (Autumn) Feasts
Feast of Trumpets
Leviticus 23:23–24 KJV:
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 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 [holy assembly].
This was a memorial, but what were they to remember?
Numbers 10:10 KJV:
Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.
It’s difficult to understand in the King James translation.
Numbers 10:10 (NET):
Also, in the time when you rejoice, such as on your appointed festivals or at the beginnings of your months, you must blow with your trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, so that they may become a memorial for you before your God: I am the LORD your God.
Numbers 10:10 (NRSV):
Also on your days of rejoicing, at your appointed festivals, and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your sacrifices of well-being; they shall serve as a reminder on your behalf before the LORD your God: I am the LORD your God.
They were supposed to blow the trumpets (shofar) at the beginning of every month. But at the beginning of the new year, they blew the trumpets all day long.
You can see what the trumpets were a reminder of in all three translations following the colon. “[that] I am the Lord [Yahweh] your God[Elohim].”
Here, we have the two main names of God. יהוה or YHVH (Yahweh) means protector, provider, God in relationship to His people. Elohim means the God the Creator.
The trumpets were to remind them of who their God was.
Psalm 98:6–9 KJV:
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together 9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
The feasts were God’s prophetic calendar.
Many people try to associate the Feast of Trumpets with the gathering together. But the gathering together is part of the Mystery, which was hidden and not foretold or foreshadowed in the Old Testament. So, the Feast of Trumpets is not about the gathering together.
The gathering together is part of the Mystery, which was hidden and not foretold or foreshadowed in the Old Testament.
These trumpets usher in the Day of the Lord, which is the day of judgment. The Feast of Trumpets foreshadows when God will come to judge the earth.
Joel 2:1–2 KJV:
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; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
The Day of Trumpets ushers in the Day of the Lord.
Feast of Atonement
The Day of Atonement is the one day of the year when the high priest would enter into the holy of holies with the blood of the sin offering (goat and bullock). After the high priest came out, he would place his hand on the scapegoat (the other goat) and send it out into the wilderness.
The Day of Atonement was about covering. Sins were covered!
Psalm 32:1–2 KJV:
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Our sins were cleansed; theirs were covered.
Feast of Tabernacles
The feast of Tabernacles starts on the 15th of Tishri.
Hebrews 4:9 KJV:
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
The “rest” time is when Jesus Christ will be reigning on earth for the thousand years.
The feast of Tabernacles reminds them that, even though they are scattered all over the earth, there is a time coming when they will all come together again. They, and all the nations, will gather at the time of the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. It will be a mandatory feast that all must attend.
Psalm 132:7–8 KJV:
7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. 8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
Remember what Jesus said in the temple during the time of the feast of Tabernacles?
John 7:37–39 KJV:
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
There was a later tradition that took place at the end of Tabernacles where they would go to the pool of Siloam, fill a vessel with water, and bring it into the temple. Jesus may have said this just as they were bringing the water from the pool of Siloam into the temple.
Isaiah 44:2–4 KJV:
2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: 4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
Going through God’s prophetic calendar, Passover foreshadowed Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, Unleavened Bread foreshadowed his resurrection, Pentecost foreshadowed the giving of the spirit and the blessing of the Gentiles, Trumpets foreshadowed the Day of the Lord, Atonement foreshadowed the covering of the sins of Israel, and Tabernacles foreshadows the millennial reign of Christ.
Where is God’s habitation today?
Ephesians 2:19–22 KJV:
19 Now therefore ye [Gentiles] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom [Christ] ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Break between Feasts
Remember, there was a break, a blank time between the feasts in the spring and those in the fall. That’s the time of the Mystery. We are living in that blank time.
What the springtime feasts foreshadowed has been fulfilled. We are living in the blank time between the feasts. What the fall or autumn feasts foreshadowed is yet to come.
See Also:
Jesus Christ Our Passover Lamb
Footnotes:
- Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NET Bible® Copyright © 1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.netbible.com. All rights reserved. ↩︎
- Scripture quotations marked (ISR) taken from The Scriptures. 3rd Edition, Copyright 1993, 1998, 2009, 2016 by Institute for Scripture Research, South Africa. All rights reserved. Used by permission. ↩︎
- Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the AMPLIFIED Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987, 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) ↩︎
- Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ↩︎
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