JESUS AND THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL

Jesus celebrated the religious feasts of His people throughout His life (Luke 2:41), and even during His short public ministry, He risked being taken before His time by going to Jerusalem (John 7:1-10). The feasts of Israel were extremely important to the Jews due to their legalistic views of God's Word (Leviticus 23:1-44), but they had no clue that the feasts were pictures of their Messiah. As Christians, we have the advantage of having the teachings of the New Testament, all of which were a mystery to Israel. We know that the first three feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits are pictures of Christ's first coming. Christ, the Lamb of God, is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). His death is seen in the Feast of Unleavened Bread and is commemorated today in the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). His body being without sin (leaven) was broken for us, and His blood being poured out met the requirement to eradicate sin (Hebrews 9:22). The Feast of First Fruits pictures the resurrection of Jesus Who was the first to be resurrected, never to die again (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

The last three feasts of the seven were Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles all represent Christ's Second Coming. The Feast of Trumpets suggest the gathering of Israel into the Land of Promise where they will have peace for three and a half years (Daniel 9:27). The Feast of Atonement has to do with Israel recognizing the antichrist as "the Prince that shall come," and realize that Jesus had to have been their Messiah since He was killed prior to the antichrist coming (Daniel 9:26-27). Israel will accept Christ and His death on their behalf, and be miraculously protected for the next three and a half years (Daniel 11:41; Revelation 12:6). The Feast of Tabernacles (God dwells with us) is a picture of the Millennium Reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1-7).

That leaves just one feast of the seven. It is called the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Wave Loaves, or the Feast of Pentecost. The first three feasts are celebrated in the first month of the Jewish calendar. The last three feasts are celebrated in the seventh month. I do not have to point out that there is a large gap between the two groups of feasts. The single Feast of Pentecost was celebrated by the making of two loaves of leavened bread on the fiftieth day after the Feast of First Fruits. Pentecost had nothing to do with either the First Coming or the Second Coming of Christ. It is a picture of the time between the two! The mystery of the Church Age is represented by the two loaves; one represents the Jews, and the other the Gentiles. Born again Jews and Gentiles become united to make up the Church (Galatians 3:26-29), and the fact that Christians are not sinless is pictured in the loaves being leavened.

As Christians celebrate Christ's death, burial, and resurrection this holiday season, it is my prayer that preachers all over the world will proclaim both Comings! Even the Lord's Supper tells Christians that as often as we partake of it, we "do show forth the Lord's death until He come." It is awesome that He came to die for us; it is even more awesome that He is coming back for us! Come Lord Jesus!