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God established 7 annual holy days in the Old Covenant. These were days
of commanded rest.
It is hardly surprising that when the shadow meaning of these days is
considered that we gain an overall perspective into the plan of God.
First Month
1) 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread - Departure from Egypt
2) 7th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread - Old Covenant Established
Third Month
3) Feast of Weeks - Giving of the Holy Spirit
Seventh Month
4) Day of Trumpets - Spiritual Witness
5) Day of Atonement - Satan thrown out of Heaven
6) 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles - Departure from 'Jerusalem'
7) Last Day - Kingdom of God
1ST DAY OF THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
The first holy day, on this Jewish calendar, was observed on the 15th day
of the first month. This being the first day of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread.
Lev 23:5 On the fourteenth day of the first month ...
:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is
the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven
days you must eat unleavened bread.
:7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation
(assembly); you shall do no customary work on it.
On this day the congregation of the children of Israel began their
departure from Egypt.
Num 33:2 Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their
journeys ...
:3 They departed from Rameses in the first month,
on the fifteenth day of the first month; ...
the children of Israel went out with boldness
in the sight of all the Egyptians.
This day memorialized the start of the Exodus of the children of Israel
from Egypt. It was observed on the same date that they began their journey
out of Egypt.
[ NB: The Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, particularly
the Red Sea crossing, was in effect the event which marked the
birth of the nation of Israel. God describes this nation as
"My son, My firstborn", Exodus 4:22.
With the birth of this 'firstborn', the plan of God began to
unfold. ]
7TH DAY OF THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
The second holy day is the 7th, and last, day of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread.
Exod 12:15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. ...
:16 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation,
and on the seventh day there shall be a holy
convocation for you. No manner of work shall be
done on them; but that which everyone must eat; ...
This yearly holy day was apparently the last of seven days in which the
Israelites ate unleavened bread.
Exod 12:39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which
they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not
leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt ...
13:7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. ...
:8 And you shall tell your son in that day, saying,
"This is done because of what the LORD did for me
when I came up from Egypt".
This day was also the day the children of Israel celebrated a feast to God.
Exod 3:18 The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and
now, please, let us go three days' journey into the
wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our
God.
The Israelites had travelled three days from Rameses (Num 33:3-7), walked
through the Red Sea (Num 33:8) apparently on the third night and then
travelled three further days into the wilderness (Num 33:8). On the 7th
day they rested and held a feast to God, as Moses had been previously
instructed.
Although the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted only seven days it was also
representative of the entire 40 years of travel from Egypt to the Promised
Land.
Toward the end of the 40 years the reproach of Egypt was removed.
Josh 5:8 So it was, when they had finished circumcising all
the people, ...
:9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled
away the reproach of Egypt from you." Therefore the
name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.
During the 40 years the covenants were also established.
Deut 29:1 These are the words of the covenant which the LORD
commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel
in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He
made with them in Horeb.
FEAST OF WEEKS
Also known in the New Testament as 'Pentecost'. This particular feast
was observed on the 50th day from a particular day during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread.
[ NB: The 50th day was calculated from the day the sheaf of barley
was waved. For a detailed discussion on how this wave sheaf
day was to be determined refer, TIMING - WAVE SHEAF DAY ]
This calculation meant that the third holy day would always fall within
the first half of the third month.
Pentecost was the very day the Holy Spirit was poured out.
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place.
:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as
of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole
house where they were sitting.
:3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as
of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit
gave them utterance.
This was the day the New Covenant was established.
[ NB: The initial rendering of the 10 Commandments is generally
thought to have also occurred on Pentecost. Chronological
studies indicate the gap between these two events is the
equivalent of thirty sets of fifty years, ie 1,500 years. ]
DAY OF TRUMPETS
This holy day was observed on the first day of the seventh month. It was
a day observed with the blowing of trumpets.
Lev 23:24 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the
seventh month, on the first day of the month, you
shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing
of trumpets, a holy convocation.
:25 You shall do no customary work on it; ...
Num 29:1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the
month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall
do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing
the trumpets.
The blowing of trumpets is a reference to the blowing of the two silver
trumpets used for calling an assembly and directing the movement of the
tribes.
Num 10:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
:2 'Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall
make them of hammered work; you shall use them for
calling the congregation and for directing the
movement of the camps.'
The trumpets were also to be sounded when the Israelites went to war.
Num 10:9 When you go to war in your land against the enemy
who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm
with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before
the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your
enemies.
The trumpets were to be blown only by the priesthood.
Num 10:8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the
trumpets; ...
As the first holy day of the seventh month, this day is the first major
prophetic event in the end-time. This is the arrival of the Elijah who
would arise just prior to the great and dreadful day of the LORD. (The
Malachi text is not a reference to Jesus Christ.)
Mal 3:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
LORD.
Matt 17:11 Jesus answered and said to them,
'Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore
all things'.
(John the Baptist was a type of the greater end-time
'Elijah' which would come.)
The arrival of this 'Elijah' work, and its teaching, creates an upheaval
in the end-time Jewish and Christian scenes. (Just as the arrival of Jesus
Christ created an upheaval in the Jewish scene in His time.) It is a time
of great spiritual warfare in the upper echelons.
Rev 12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels
fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his
angels fought,
The Day of Trumpets was the first day of a prophetic period which would
extend to the next holy day.
DAY OF ATONEMENT
The next holy day was the 10th day of the seventh month.
Lev 23:27 Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall
be the Day of Atonement. ...
:28 And you shall do no work on that same day, ...
This day, was a day of commanded fasting.
Lev 23:27 ... you shall afflict your souls, ...
:29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on
that same day shall be cut off from his people.
Every fiftieth year this day would initiate a Jubilee year, a year of
release of debt.
Lev 25:9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee
to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month;
on the Day of Atonement you shall make the
trumpet to sound throughout all your land.
:10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and
proclaim liberty throughout all the land ...
The 16th chapter of Leviticus describes a ceremony which was conducted
once a year on the Day of Atonement (verse 29). This ceremony involved
two goats,
- one which was killed and had its blood sprinkled on the
mercy seat (which was inside the veil) to atone for the
sins of the children of Israel
- one upon which all the sins of the children of Israel
were confessed, before the goat was led into the
wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.
The meaning of this goat ceremony is extremely important in identifying
the prophetic meaning of this holy day. It helps us understand the day
represents the time when the teachings of the future Elijah will have
been fully poured out and the dragon influence (the other goat) will
have entered into the wilderness where it would eventually die.
This is the time when the judgement of God will fall upon rebellious
Israel. It will strike both the houses of Israel and Judah.
Hos 5:14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like
a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I,
will tear them and go away; I will take them
away, and no one shall rescue.
It will be a time of religious judgement.
2Thes 2:10 ... because they did not receive the love of
the truth, that they might be saved.
:11 And for this reason God will send them strong
delusion, that they should believe the lie,
:12 that they all may be condemned who did not
believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
NB: The Day of Atonement differed from the other six annual assembly
days:
- It was the only day which required fasting,
- It represented a stricter sabbath than the other
annual days,
- It is the only annual assembly described in Leviticus
chapter 23 as being a 'sabbath', using the same Hebrew
word used for the weekly sabbath (Strong's 7676).
This day also represents an annual symbolic day which could be removed
from this list without altering the overall outline of the plan of God.
(The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the following six days
of this feast also document the same period.)
1ST DAY OF THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
The 15th day of this month is the first day of the seven day Feast of
Tabernacles (or 'Booths', ie a temporary dwelling place).
Lev 23:34 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The
fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the
Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.
:35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation.
You shall do no customary work on it.'
[ NB: This feast is also known by the name 'Feast of Ingathering'.]
The Feast of Tabernacles is a seventh month mirror image of the seven day
Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Lev 23:41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for
seven days in the year ... You shall celebrate
it in the seventh month.
:42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All
who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths,
:43 that your generations may know that I made the
children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought
them out of the land of Egypt: ...
The seven day period represents the period of sojourn of the end-time
Jews in the land of Christianity. Those Jews which were wise enough to
heed the warning to depart the Jewish faith before the unleashing of
the Great Tribulation.
Matt 24:15 Therefore when you see the 'abomination of
desolation,' ...
:16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains.
:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such
as has not been since the beginning of the world
until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
"Come out of her, my people, lest you share in
her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues".
LAST DAY
Following the seven day Feast of Tabernacles was another holy day.
Lev 23:39 Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,
when you have gathered in the fruit of the land,
you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days;
on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and
on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.
This day of rest therefore fell on the 22nd of the seventh month. This
day was commonly referred to as simply the 'last day'.
John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that
everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may
have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at
the last day.
7:2 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink".
11:23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
:24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again
in the resurrection at the last day".
12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words,
has that which judges him; the word that I have
spoken will judge him in the last day.
This day represents the time when the spiritually dead would be raised
and judged, judged according to the word of Scripture. Some will be
raised and esteemed, while others will be raised and have to 'wear'
their shame.
Dan 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life,
some to shame and everlasting contempt.
The notion of resurrection presented in the description of the Last Day
is also connected with the blowing of the 7th and last trumpet.
1Cor 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
PROPHETIC SUMMARY
In conclusion the last 4 holy days are predicting the following arrangement.
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