God gave seven biblical holidays to remind Israel of His faithfulness. And Christians have a lot to learn from them too. These Jewish holy days are a foreshadowing of God’s plans for the future. They reveal the Messiah’s sacrifice and foretell of His reign. Let’s explore the biblical feasts of Israel.
Passover (Pesach)
“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover.” (Leviticus 23:5)
“Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old…” (Exodus 12:5)
The first feast is the Passover, during which an unblemished male lamb is sacrificed. The blood of the lamb symbolizes Israelites’ deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It was by the blood on their doorposts that they were delivered from the plague of death. Today, the blood of the Lamb of God delivers anyone who believes in the Messiah from slavery to sin and spiritual death.
Jesus introduced the Communion as part of the Passover with His disciples (Luke 22:14-23). So the Christian Communion is actually a mini-version of the Jewish Passover.[1] Jesus said: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…” (Luke 22:15).
“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.'” (Luke 22:19-20)
It was during the Passover that Jesus died for us (Luke 22-23).
Watch how the Passover foreshadows the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the Messiah, in the following Passover celebration by Jewish Messianic believer Zola Levitt.
Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot)
“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.” (Leviticus 23:6)
The next feast is the Feast of Unleavened bread. For one week following Passover, Jewish people eat only pure unleavened bread (bread made without yeast). Leaven or yeast symbolizes sin in the Bible; unleavened bread symbolizes purity. It is interesting that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means “House of Bread”. If we look at a piece of Jewish matzah, we see that it is striped and pierced.
“But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
The Jewish unleavened bread symbolizes the sinless Messiah who was “pierced through for our transgressions”, and “by His scourging we are healed”. Furthermore, during the Passover ceremony, there are three pieces of unleavened bread. The custom is to break and hide (or bury) the middle piece, and later find (or resurrect) it. The three pieces of bread symbolize God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It was Jesus, the Son of God, who was broken for us.[2] We partake of His body in remembrance of Him.
It was after Passover, on the next night as the feast of Unleavened Bread began, that Jesus was buried.
First Fruits (Reishit)
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.'” (Leviticus 23:9-11)
The Feast of First Fruits occurs on a Sunday during the week of Unleavened Bread. First Fruits represents the early crops of spring. It is a day of celebration to God for His provisions. It is on this day that the Messiah resurrected. He was the First Fruit who was presented to God as an offering.
“Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week… the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.'” (Matthew 28:1, 5-6)
Christians gave the name Easter to First Fruits. But the word Easter is not from the Bible. The name of this holiday is First Fruits.[3] Just as the priest “shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted”, so Jesus was offered to God in order that we may be accepted.
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-24)
So everyone in Christ will be made alive (and have a new glorious body) just as Christ was made alive after His death. While Christ was the First Fruit, He will also choose 144,000 from the nation Israel to be first fruits as well (12,000 from each tribe).
“And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel…” (Revelation 7:4).
“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads… These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” (Revelation 14:1,4-5)
Harvest or Weeks (Shavuot)
“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:15-17)
The fourth festival is the Feast of Harvest. It is celebrated fifty days after First Fruits and represents a greater harvest than the spring-time harvest of first fruits. During the Feast of Harvest, an offering of two leavened loaves of bread are presented to God. This represents two groups of sinful people, Jews and Gentiles, who are redeemed from their sins and offered to God.[4]
The Feast of Harvest occurs on the same day as Pentecost in the New Testament Bible.[5] It was during this feast that the Holy Spirit came upon the church, and He gathered a harvest of three thousand souls (most of them Jewish) who accepted the Messiah (Acts 2:41).
“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit….
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.” (Acts 2:1-6)
God is still gathering His harvest today of both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus said, “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11).
Day of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah)
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.'” (Leviticus 23:23-25)
While the first three holidays occur during springtime and the Feast of Harvest occurs in early summer, the Day of Trumpets is celebrated in autumn. The blowing of trumpets signify a gathering of people and an announcement of a great event. Often, trumpets were used to announce a new king in Israel (e.g. 2 Kings 9:13, 2 Kings 11:14, 2 Chronicles 23:13).
For example, a trumpet was blown when Solomon became king. “Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ‘Long live King Solomon!'” (1 Kings 1:39)
Hence, the Day of Trumpets represents an announcement of the coming Kingdom of God and a new King to reign on earth, the Messiah.
This holiday is also known as the Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashanah, meaning “Head of the Year”. Even though the Day of Trumpets occurs in the seventh month of the biblical calendar, today the Jewish New Year starts on the Day of Trumpets. In a way, this signifies the beginning of something new, and brings to mind a new kingdom made without hands, spoken of by Daniel the prophet:
“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44)
It is very likely on the Day of Trumpets, God’s kingdom will take over the world. Jesus the Messiah will be the new King in Israel, and begin His reign over all the earth (Revelation 20:4).
“How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” (Isaiah 52:7)
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
“Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:27-28)
While the Day of Trumpets heralds God’s reign on earth, the Day of Atonement reminds us to be prepared for His coming. Jewish people were commanded to afflict their souls or confess their sins for 24 hours every year on the Day of Atonement.[6] Jesus taught His disciples to confess their sins daily in prayer to God:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:9-12)
When Jesus, the Messiah, comes to reign on earth, those who pierced Him will mourn and afflict their souls. Zechariah prophesied:
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.” (Zechariah 12:10-11)
In the future, people will repent on a Day of Atonement and the Bible says, “all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26).
Tabernacles or Booths (Sukkot)
“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord….You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.'” (Leviticus 23:34, 42-43)
The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths reminds the Israelites how God had provided shelter for them in the wilderness when they came out of Egypt. On this holiday in autumn, devout Jewish people still build shelters for themselves outside their homes and worship in them for seven days.
Looking forward, the Feast of Tabernacles represents God’s shelter to come when the Messiah reigns on earth.[7]
“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.” (Zechariah 14:16)
“I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” (Ezekiel 37:26-28)
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.'” (Revelation 21:3-5)
From the seven feasts of Israel, we see God’s great faithfulness and His plans for the future. What a wonderful gift He has given to the Jewish people and to all of us!
In summary, Jesus was crucified on Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised on First Fruits, and sent the Holy Spirit on Harvest (Pentecost). In the future, Christ may start His reign on earth on the Day of Trumpets, people will repent of their sins globally on the Day of Atonement, and God’s tabernacle will be on earth forever!
May the Messiah come again quickly and let’s all say together: “L’shanah haba’ah b’yrushalayim (Next year in Jerusalem)”!
To learn more, see Prophesied Messiah and a Jewish Love Story.
See a Jewish person’s testimony on how she came to believe in the Messiah.
Credits to Our Jewish Roots and Zola Levitt Ministries.
[1] Levitt, Zola. The Miracle of Passover (Dallas, Texas: Zola Levitt Ministries, 1977), p.21.
[2] Levitt, Zola. The Seven Feasts of Israel (Dallas, Texas: Zola Levitt Ministries, 1979), p.5.
[3] Levitt, The Seven Feasts of Israel, pp.6-7.
[4] Levitt, The Seven Feasts of Israel, pp.8-10.
[5] Levitt, The Seven Feasts of Israel, pp.10-11.
[6] Levitt, The Seven Feasts of Israel, p.16.
[7] Levitt, The Seven Feasts of Israel, pp.18-19.