So the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a 7 day feast where all the leaven (sin) is swept out of the house (our spirit, now indwelt by the Holy Spirit). This is a picture of the believer, after salvation, dying to sin day by day, and being formed into the “measure of the stature of the fullness in Christ”. On the 8th day we see unleavened bread baked and offered to the Lord. This is a picture of the sanctifying work that He does in the heart AFTER salvation.
The next Feast is the Feast of Weeks, Shavout or Pentecost…goes by all names. Israel was to count off 7 weeks after the last Feast, which would be 49 days (7×7=49), then on the morrow after that, on the 50th day (pentecost=50), they were to hold another feast…the Feast of weeks, or Pentecost.
Jesus stayed with the disciples and taught for 40 days after He was resurrected, then on the 50th day, on the very Feast of Pentecost, He sent the Helper to all who had believed. That Helper being the Holy Spirit, to now indwell anyone who had come to Christ and received forgiveness of sin.
Now all of these Spring Feasts have been fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming, on the very day with the precise spiritual meaning. The last 3 will also be fulfilled at His second coming. Fascinating.
The next Feast on the Jewish calendar (how God reckons time) is The Feast of Trumpets. Fascinatingly, the particulars could describe the catching up of believers described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and 1 Corinthians 15:52. At the trumpet blast… This trumpet has nothing to do with the 7 trumpets in Revelation…totally different.
I looked at the particulars given by Paul of this event and two aspects popped out to me, so I looked back to the original events in the Bible of trumpets to see if anything jumped out at me and it did. Here it is and take it for what it is. Interesting stuff but nothing to be dogmatic about…yet.
My first thought is this: the first 4 feasts were spiritually fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming, so how could it not continue that the remaining feasts would also be fulfilled at the second coming and on the very day of the feasts? God is very consistent and the feasts are clearly historical events with prophetic fulfillments. Chuck Missler at KHOUSE.org is the best commentator on this topic and the link is on the home page of this blog.
My second thought was “let’s not get complicated, but look for patterns in wording”. This is how God works. Revelation, for example, is just a culmination of all prophecy already revealed in the Old Testament (Missler). If you want to understand Revelation, first study and know your whole Bible very, very well. This is why so few know Revelation. They are too lazy (I’m sorry, but it’s true) to make themselves KNOW what God has said. They basically don’t care…not really. He reveals truth to the honest and fervent searcher.
So, this Feast of Trumpets involves the blowing of a trumpet. The main thrust of this feast for Israel was to announce the wheat harvest. Of course, believers (both Jew and Gentile) are considered to be wheat. Its a time of gathering up the wheat. So I am hearing, “gathering up of believers for something”.
The next thought is that there is a shout along with the blast of the trumpet. So where do we see this in the Old Testament and to what is it related. Are there any patterns here. Everything mentioned in the New Testament was already mentioned in the Old…even though it might have been hidden…no, was hidden. Paul calls this a mystery.
In Joshua 6:1-27 we see the account of the last trump being blown at Jericho, and the shout of all the people, then the walls fell down, giving them the city …part of the promised Land. They entered in. And listen to this last little treasure: “and the people shall ascend up…” I do believe this is a reference to, and parallel with, “we shall be caught up in the air with Him”.
Also, we know that Elijah being taken up to Heaven by God’s chariot, is a parallel or picture of the rapture of the church. Guess where he was taken up? Right near Jericho. Interesting.
So I am thinking of the truth that it is God’s pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Remember God’s patterns. Israel is a microcosm of what it is like to be God’s people and they are a picture of our path. The church, made up of both believing Jew and Gentile, are God’s people. We ultimately, after the refining of Israel during the 7 last years of Jacob’s trouble, take the same path; when it’s all said and done. God’s people are God’s people. They are two flocks at first, then in the very end, one flock.
The Feast of Trumpets, also called Rosh Hashana, is a two day event. They never knew on which day it began until they saw the moon. Today we have the technology to know that in advance, but Israel did not. They had to watch and be ready. They knew the nearness however.
The church knows not the day nor the hour we will be caught up so we are to be ready (Matthew 25)…watching, because we know the nearness. Revelation 3:3 says this and is overlooked: Those who aren’t watching, won’t know the hour. This strongly implies that those who are watching (they are ready in Spirit) WILL know. Jesus’ statement is clear. Only those who aren’t watching, or ready, won’t know.
This two day window allows what Jesus said to be true with no contradiction: No one knows the day nor hour. It’s a two day Feast. We don’t know on which day at which hour in those two days. A lot of this revelation came from a terrific book by a messianic Jew, Rosenthal, called The Feasts of the LORD. I highly recommend it. Here is the link: https://www.christianbook.com/the-feasts-of-the-lord/kevin-howard/9780785275183/pd/71007
Now we know Jesus said to watch and be ready. We also know He said that its an hour we think not, to not be surprised as we are by a thief. That if we are watching, we won’t be surprised. He told us prophetic signs to look for so we can have a heads up, so to speak, as to anticipate.
Could it be? Very, very intriguing to me.
The last 2 feasts are Atonement and Tabernacles. I won’t go much into these Feasts for this reason: They pertain strictly to the nation Israel who will be unblinded during God’s wrath after the church is gone.
The Day of Atonement is the day Israel would confess sin, receive forgiveness. The event on the gospel calendar after the church is raptured is a day of Atonement for Nation Israel. She will see her Messiah at last and repent and be saved…sin atoned for by the only one who ever could…Jesus Christ. It’ll happen as she is tried by fire through the tribulation which is the last 3.5 years of the last 7 years of Jacob’s trouble mentioned by Daniel. The first half is marked by a false peace made with anti- christ, who only reveals himself at the 3.5 year mark. He is in disguise until then.
The last Feast is Tabernacles which pictures the completion of all things and the ushering in of the earthly reign of Jesus Christ on this earth for 1000 years. This Feast pictures God dwelling among His people in bodily form…Jesus Christ ruling and reigning.
Only after the 1000 reign where Satan is thrown into the lake of fire for eternity does the eternal state come in with the New Heaven and the New Earth.
Glory to God in the highest! At last, peace on earth for whom it was intended (that is, anyone at all who will CHOOSE to believe and be saved)! Praise His holy name forever!