Here are God’s priorities and the seven feasts that typify them, which are found in Leviticus 23:
The Passover of the Lord
1. Priority: The Blood of Jesus
Festival: The Passover of the Lord
Moses wrote in the Torah, 'These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover." (Lev 23:4-5)
"And when your children say to you, 'What does this rite mean to you?' you shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.'" And the people bowed low and worshiped." (Exo 12:26-27)
Jesus has become our Passover Lamb, when He gave his life on the cross for us. In fact, He was crucified on during the Passover Feast.
When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion." (Mat 26:1-2). On the night he was betrayed, He celebrated the Passover with His disciples. "While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.'" (Mat 26:26-28)
"And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.'" (Luk 22:19-20)
When we put our faith in Jesus, His precious blood is applied to our hearts and our sins are washed away. Since He was the spotless Lamb of God, His blood applied to the hearts of those who put their trust in Him saves them just as the blood of the Passover lamb saved the Israelites in Egypt.
The apostle Peter wrote: "...knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1Pe 1:18-19)
The apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb 9:13-14) "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus." (Heb 10:19)
The apostle John wrote: "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1Jo 1:7)
The Festival of Unleavened Bread
2. Priority: Fellowship and Communion with God
Festival: The Festival of Matzah (Unleavened Bread)
'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread." (Lev 23:6)
The leven or yeast represents sin. So this feast was meant to typify the removal of all sin from our lives. Unleavened bread is a metaphor for holiness and purity.
"Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, [Jesus] began saying to His disciples first of all, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.'" (Luk 12:1)
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?" And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'" The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. (Mat 26:17-19)
The apostle Paul wrote: "Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1Co 5:7-8)
God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us, and fellowship with us daily just as He did with Adam in the garden. But sin separates us from God. So God made a way for us in Christ to be made holy, so that we might enjoy sweet fellowship with Him.
Jesus Is Alive!
3. Priority: Jesus Is Alive!
Festival: Reshit Katzir ("The Festival of First Fruits")
"Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.'" (Lev 23:9-10)
This was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the First Fruit.
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Cor 15:20)
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
4. Priority: The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Festival: The Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost)
'You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 'You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.'" (Lev 23:15-16)
Shavuot (Hebrew) means "weeks." This is why it's called the Feast of Weeks. The term "Pentecost" comes the Greek penteconta "fifty".
The disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language." (Act 2:1-6)
Go Tell The World
5. Priority: Go Tell The World
Festival: The Festival of Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets)
Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. (Lev 23:23-24)
During this feast, the shofar is blown to commemorate the ram that God provided to Abraham in place of Isaac.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mat 28:18-20)
This festival corresponds with going and telling the world that Jesus Himself has become that ram and died in our place.
Atonement of Jesus is Everlasting
6. Priority: Atonement of Jesus is Everlasting
Festival: Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement)
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD. (Lev 23:26-27)
The day of atonement was the only day of the year when the High Priest was allowed to enter into the Most Holy Place in the Temple. On this day he would sprinkle blood on the ark of the covenant. Each time he did so, it would atone for the sins of Israel for another year. But it had to be repeated every year. This is a very solemn day of the year, when Jewish people abstain from all enjoyment, fast and pray and ask for forgiveness.
Jesus has made atonement for us at the cross. "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of Gpd for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own." (Heb 9:24-25). If you want to understand this more fully, read the book of Hebrews 9.
"For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate." (Heb 13:11-12)
However, Jesus doesn't just cover your sin. He washes it away! He makes us holy when we trust in Him and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. And that atonement is not just for one year, but it is everlasting.
The Return of Jesus
7. Priority: The Return of Jesus
Festival: Sukkot (The Festival of Tabernacles)
Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. (Lev 23:33-34). This feast was a celebration of the exodus from Egypt when the children of Israel lived in tents for forty years in the wilderness.
This feast anticipates the eternal dwelling places that Jesus Christ has prepared for us.
"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." (1Th 4:15-17)
Our journey here on earth is a brief one. We live in these tents of clay that we call our mortal bodies. When Christ comes back for His people, He will give to His people glorified bodies like His own, and then we shall always be with the Lord. We shall dwell with Him in glory forever in His eternal kingdom. This is the only feast of the seven that has not yet been fulfilled. But it will be fulfilled VERY soon.
Closing Words
Through the Scriptures, we have learned that the seven Jewish festivals all types of things to come, the realities of which are found in Christ. The Passover Lamb is a type of Christ, and its blood a type of His blood, as I explained in detail in my article on that. The Festival of Unleavened Bread (Matzah) is a type of fellowship and communion with God. The Festival of First Fruits (Reshit Katzir) is a type of Christ's resurrection. The Festival Pentecost (Shavuot) is a type of the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) signifies that God wants us to go tell the world the Good News! The Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur, is a type of Christ's atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is a type of Christ's Return. These feasts were so important to God that he had Israel rehearse them every Year.
Through our study of this subject, we can learn many truths that strengthen our faith in Christ. I trust this has helped to accomplish that objective in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image taken from My Savior's Perfect Will blog.
Author's Note: Also see The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, and The Mysteries of the Faith. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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