Feasts of the old covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Yeshua Hamashiach)

Sunset today is the start of Pesach (Passover) and Matzah (Unleavened Bread) which goes until nightfall next Thursday.  So this is a great opportunity to have a look at the feasts of God in the old testament.

There are seven main feasts in the old testament and three of these have a requirement to go up to Jerusalem. Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot are the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the entire population of the kingdom of Judah made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Moedim (Appointed Times) of the Lord are often called the “Jewish Feasts,” but they are not solely for Israel. There are instructions for the “sojourner among you” to be able to participate along with Israel in the Feasts of God. Any follower of the Lord is eligible (but not obligated) to participate. We all will participate in the Olam Haba (the Age to come); see Isaiah 66 and Zechariah 14 when all of these feast are fulfillied in Christ.

The Moedim are divided by season. Those which start the Biblical year, i.e. the Spring Feasts, were brought to fullness during Messiah’s first coming, and those which start the Civil year i.e. the Autumn Feasts and Fasts, look forward to the Messiah’s return, when He shall come to permanently “tabernacle” among us.

This article is a simple comparison of the feasts and a brief explanation their fulfilment in Yeshua in the new covenant.

1. Pesach (Passover) (Leviticus 23:5) – Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover at the same hour that the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening (John 19:14).
2. Matzah (Unleavened Bread) (Leviticus 23:6) – Pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a feast that is generally mistaken for Passover. Passover however is only one 24 hour period while Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for seven days.
3. HaBikkurim (First Fruits) (Leviticus 23:10) – Pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in 1 Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead.”
4. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks aka Pentecost) (Leviticus 23:16) – Occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2).
   The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter’s great sermon and his first proclamation of the gospel.
5. Yom Teruah (Trumpets) (Leviticus 23:24) – The first of the fall/autumn feasts. Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when the Messiah Jesus will appear in the heavens as He comes for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet
   (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:52).
6. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) (Leviticus 23:27) – Many believe this prophetically points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they “look upon Him whom they have pierced,” repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36). This is also fulfilled in as much as we no longer need to offer annual sacrifices because Jesus is sacrificed once and for all. (Hebrews 10:10)
7. Sukkot (Tabernacles or Booths) (Leviticus 23:34) – This feast day points to the Lord’s promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world (Micah 4:1-7).  This feast is also fulfilled immediately for believers by the infilling (indwelling) of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4)

As we can see each of the feasts are already fulfilled, or will be soon fulfilled  (i.e. Trumpets). There is no obligation to observe the feasts for new covenant believers (refer Acts 15).  We do, on the other hand, learn from them and recognise the prophetic significance that all of these feasts point to the Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach

We learn from the feasts, we also enjoy the freedom we have in the Lord. The fulfilment of these obligations is a message of freedom to the Jewish people.

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
(Colossians 2:16-17 )