Thursday, June 8, 2017

THE SEVEN FEASTS OF THE LORD

The first three Feasts of the Lord were known as the Spring Feasts, and they symbolized the Gospel events which constitute the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  Notice that in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, the Gospel emphasizes the prophetic nature of the Scriptures being fulfilled: 


"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand...For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."  Here are the Scriptures to which Paul referred:


*  Leviticus 23:1-2 -  "And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the Feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My Feasts."  ["holy convocations" = sacred assemblies]


THE LORD'S PASSOVER

*  Leviticus 23:5 - "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's Passover."
       - John 1:29 - "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sin of the world."
       - 1 Corinthians 5:7 - "....For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us."

THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

*  Leviticus 23:6 - "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread."  ["leaven" symbolizes sin]
       - John 6:35 - "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life...."
       - Hebrews 4:15 - "For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
      
THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS
*  Leviticus 23:10 - "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."
       - Matthew 27:52-53 - "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection...."
       - 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."

The middle feast, the Feast of Pentecost, is unique in that it is not considered a Spring Feast or a Fall Feast.  In fact, it occurs in the large gap between them, just as it represents the Church Age, which is the large gap in time between Christ's First Advent, and it will be followed by the events of His Second Advent:
*  [the Feast of Trumpets - plural - perhaps the Rapture of the Church to end the Church Age (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:50-54; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Rev. 4:1 - AND the reassembling of Israel into their land - Lev. 23:24-25; Ezek. 37; Dan. 9:24-27)]
*  [the Feast of the Atonement (Lev. 23:27-32; Israel's Tribulation - Christ atoned for the Church - Rom. 5:11)]
*  [the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:34-43); Christ's Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 19:11-20:15)]

THE FEAST OF PENTECOST
*  Leviticus 23:15-17 - "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 fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven...."
       - Ephesians 2:11-22 - The two loaves represent saved Jews and saved Gentiles who together, make up the Body of Christ.
       - 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 - Bread = the Body of Christ. 
       - Romans 7:15-25 - Leaven shows that Christians still sin.  Also see 1 John 1:8-10.


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