Welcome everyone to the December Blog! This month I’m posting my Teaching notes for the session Rev. Nessle invited me to teach on the 7 Hebrew Feasts, with our 2025 classes on TNT in 2025 in view. I’m very blessed and thankful to Rev. Nessle for the opportunity to teach tonight on the significance of the 7 OT Feasts and their relations to the Ministry of Christ. In the former ministry, the book Jesus Christ our Passover gave us a solid introduction to this topic, upon which we have added much to this evidence, even as we have seen recently with our updated understanding of Peter’s 6 denials. Still, many questions remain as to How does Jesus fulfill the OT Hebrew Feast Days? I’m excited to share some new information on this topic, that I believe will bless you!
The better we understand how Jesus fulfills the OT Feast and Holy days of Israel’s Calendar, so we will comprehend better the details of his earthly ministry. The Seven OT Feasts were appointed times set by God for His People to meet and fellowship with Him in His OT Tabernacle and Temple.
Fig. 1. Calendar of Hebrew Feasts. #1
These Seven Feast times are:
1. Passover; the Foundation [Leviticus 23:4-8]
2. The 7-day feast of Unleavened Bread
3. Feast of First Fruits
4. Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks
5. Feast of Trumpets
6. Day of Atonement
7. Feast of Tabernacles
Fig. 2 Spring and Fall Feasts. #2
These Seven Feasts break down into two seasonal equinox periods; of the Spring Planting and the Fall Harvest times, marked by the spring Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles in the Fall. These periods are also embodied in Jesus’ two Advents on the Earth, seen in his birth and initial ministry to Israel entailing his perfect sacrifice as the Passover, Bread of Life, and his Resurrection as first fruits from the dead. These 3 feasts occur consecutively with Passover tied to the Crucifixion on Wednesday, Unleavened bread on Saturday, lasting for a week, tied to the Resurrection with First-fruits on Sunday linked to the Ascension. We will expand on these below…
The Passover Feast recalls the final plague before Israel was released from Egyptian Bondage, as the death angel “passed over” the nation of Israel who applied the blood of the Lamb to their doors. The Israelites dipped bundles of Hyssop into the blood in the basin at the threshold of their doors’ entrance, and going up they applied it to their lintels, touching the frames two sides, [Ex. 12]. Upon inspecting this imagery the form applied in this process made the shape of a Cross. Passover began on Wednesday the 14th of Nisan, established by God on the Hebrew Calendar, when Israel left Egypt. Jesus Christ fulfilled this when John the Baptist seeing him, said Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, [Jn. 1:29]. Jesus’ perfect sacrifice paid it all for us!
These 7 Feasts correlate with 7 periods in Christ’s Ministry marked by Audible Words from Heaven.
1. 40 days of his Temptation where Jesus proved his Righteousness
2. As the Lamb of God, and Evangelist–Jesus Chose his Apostles
3. Jesus officially opened his ministry reading Isa. 61/Lk. 4 as an Apostle.
4. He was the High Priest on the Mount of Transfiguration/Tishri-30.
5. Jesus embodied the Passover Lamb in a voice from Heaven 1 week before his Crucifixion.
6. Jesus’s showed himself as First Fruits in his resurrected New Body for 40 days.
7. 10 days later Jesus Ascended his throne @ God’s Right Hand, on Pentecost.
In the NT, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, was visited by Shepherds [Lk. 2:8-11], as foretold in the star observed by the Magi. Jacob prophesied over his 12 sons in Gen. 49, especially of Judah’s lion-Leo in vs. 8-10. Verse 9 tells of the 3 stages of the lion’s growth from whelp, or lion cub, to the couching adult lion, to the old lion- who shall rouse him up? Verse 10 tells us of the scepter [king-planet Jupiter –1 of 7 Gen. titles] in the first a triple union of Jupiter-Regulus in Leo on Sept. 14th 3BC, 3 days after the birth of Christ on Sept. 11th, 3BC. [add Gen. 49 notes/w Num. 24]. Rev. 12:1-3, tells us this in “a great wonder in heaven.”
The obvious astronomical links to this text made in “a woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon at her feet,” must refer to Virgo as the only female sign on the ecliptic of 12 zodiac signs. Also, this configuration of the Sun clothing Virgo only occurs during 20 days of the year in late Summer, and the Crescent New Moon in Sept. only took place only 1 day of the year, just after sunset on Sept. 11th, in 3BC. [p. 71]#3 The clincher is which New Moon was this? The riveting answer is Tishri 1, 3BC on the Hebrew Calendar! Tishri 1 was Rosh Hashanah– Jewish New Year’s Day, a.k.a. the Day of Trumpets in the Feast of Trumpets, [Levi. 23:23-26]!
In the interim transition between these Spring and Fall seasons we have– 7 weeks leading into Pentecost- the Feast of weeks, after First Fruits. These Spring Feasts contain a powerful foreshadowing for the Fall Harvest feasts. As Jesus fulfilled the Spring festivals with the strongest and most powerful testament of laying down his life in perfect sacrifice as the Passover Lamb, not only for our redemption but also the decisive defeat of our spiritual adversary with his dark forces. So, with the same binding and endless impact that he enacted our enemy’s immutable demise, he has established our ever-lasting stand in the righteous authority of the power in his light. In a nutshell, with the same power that he fulfilled the first four feasts from Passover to Pentecost, so we can stand on this foundation in full assurance of the victory of his return, in the Autumn Feasts of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. The central theme of the Feast of Trumpets holy day is the enthronement of God and His great Kings. Judaism holds New Years Day- Rosh Hashanah not only as the Anniversary of Creation, but a renewal of it, and many other notable days coinciding in the partial list below;
The 1st month, and the 1st day of the Month not only was; New Years Day but also commemorated;
* 1st Day of Creation
* Opened the Jewish Civil Year
* Noah’s Birthday [Gen. 8:13]
* The day the waters dried from Noah’s Flood [Gen. 8:13]
* The Day Moses set up the Tabernacle [Ex. 40:2]
* Sanctification of Cleansed Temple by Hezekiah, [2 Chron. 29:17]
* Going up of Ezra, [Ezra 7:9]
* Giving up strange wives, [Ezra 10:17]
* Offering a Bullock in Ezekiel’s future Temple, [Ezek. 45:18]
* New Birth for the Earth after Noah’s flood. [Rom. 8:19-23]
* Inauguration Day of many ancient Kings & rulers of Judah. [Thiele, ppg. 28, 31, 161, 163]
* Coronation of Kings Solomon, [I Kgs. 1:34], Jehu [2 Kgs. 9:13], Jehoash [2Kgs. 11:11]
* The “Last Trump” in 7-month series always sounded on New Moon Day. [Levi. 23:24, Num. 29:1]
* Last Trump of Jesus Coronation in [Rev. 11:15].
* Christ’s Return @ the Last Trump, [I Cor. 15:52, I Thess. 4:16]
* Even the Patriarch Joseph’s rise to kingship of the Grand Vizier in Egypt appears to coincide with New Years’ Day. [New Year’s Psalm Ps. 81, Gen. 41:40, as with Jesus in Rev. 11:15] #4
The references to the Last Trump above have a direct bearing on the NT Church in reference to our Gathering Together when Jesus returns to gather and unify his Church in the air, to take us to ever be with the Lord…
As God will exalt us! Now as we expand on these OT Hebrew Feast Days…
First the feast of Unleavened Bread is part of the first three Spring Feasts of the Lord (Passover, Unleavened Bread, & 1st-fruits) occurring close together. Passover on Wednesday, Unleavened Bread takes place the next (Saturday, and lasts for a week), and First-fruits takes place on Sunday.
Passover began on a Wednesday of the 1st month (14th of Nisan) on the Jewish calendar, which was established by God because this was when the Israelites left Egypt. This was a major feast that all male Jews were required to attend in Jerusalem at the temple. With Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, the judgment we deserve is allowed to pass over us. When we accept Christ, we accept the loving gift of a second chance — because of his death on the cross, we have a clean slate!
Also, 1 Cor. 5:7 clearly states that Jesus is the Passover Lamb: Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. In summary, the Passover points to the Messiah as our Passover Lamb whose blood was shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover, at the same time that the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening.
2. Unleavened Bread Feast — [Levi. 23:6] This seven-day feast begins on the day after Passover (15th of Nisan) and lasts for a week (15th-21st of Nisan). In the haste of the Israelites to leave Egypt, there was no time to add leaven (yeast) to their bread. During this time, remembering the hardships in Egypt and how God freed them from captivity, the Jews eat nothing leavened.
Leaven often represents sin and decay in the Bible. Once incorporated, yeast becomes an inseparable part of the bread; the same is true for sin’s effect on our lives. Always the Jews sacrificed unblemished animals for a temporary atone-ment for sin.
Christ fulfills this since only the Messiah‘s the perfect, sinless sacrifice, could offer a permanent solution. The unleavened bread represents Jesus’ sinless life; he is the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. In John 6:35, Jesus boldly states that he is the bread of life. Not only does he remove our sins, He nourishes our souls! To summarize, the Unleavened Bread pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life, making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body in the grave for the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted was waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.
3. Feast of 1st Fruits [Leviticus 23:10] The Feast of First Fruits took place on the day after Unleavened Bread started (16th of Nisan), and is a harvest feast to thank & honor God for all He provided. Here the children of Israel celebrated what became a very important day. The priests sacrificed Passover lambs on the 14th day of Nisan, and the first day of Passover was the 15th. The Feast of First Fruits was celebrated the third day, the 16th of Nisan. Thus the first three feasts take place consecutively (with the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasting seven days). Passover is on Wednesday, and after 3 days and nights in the grave, the feast of Unleavened Bread started Saturday, & First-fruits on Sunday. Christ fulfills this “third-day” celebration the same day of Jesus’ resurrection from among the dead. In 1 Cor. 15:20, Paul refers to Jesus as the first fruits of the dead. He represents the first of the great harvest of souls, including us, who resurrect to eternal life because of the New Covenant in the Blood of Christ. (Lk 22:20).
In summary, the First Fruits 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 I Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead.”
4. Feast of Weeks or Pentecost — [Leviticus 23:16]
This feast takes place on the 7th day of the 3rd month, Sivan. This feast is the second of the three harvest feasts. It occurs exactly seven weeks after the Feast of First Fruits, called Pentecost, meaning “50 days.” Traditionally, people were expected to bring the first harvest of grain as an offering to the Lord, including two leavened loaves of bread. This was a major feast that all male Jews were required to attend in Jerusalem at the temple.
Christ’s fulfillment of God’s plan to save souls included more than the Jews. Through Jesus, this plan was revealed. In Matthew 9:37, Jesus tells his disciples that “the harvest is great, but the workers are few.” Then he put the plan into place: In Acts 1:4, he tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit.
That arrival was the day the Church was born — Pentecost — and the harvest began with 3,000 souls. The message spread to both Jews and Gentiles (the two leavened loaves of bread), extending the harvest to us!
In summary, the Feast of Pentecost — (Called Shavuot today), pointed to the great harvest of souls, both Jew and Gentile, that would come into the kingdom of God during the Church Age. The Church was actually established on this day when the Messiah poured out the Holy Spirit, and 3,000 souls responded to Peter’s first proclamation of the Gospel.
Interval Between Spring and Fall Festivals
The long interval of three months between Harvest and Trumpets pointed to the current Church Age, a period of time that was kept as a mystery to the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament. That leaves us with the three fall feasts, which are yet to be fulfilled in the life and work of the Messiah. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ completed and literally fulfilled the first four feasts, and did so on the actual feast days, there is no doubt the last three feasts will also be fulfilled on their actual feast/holy days. We cannot be certain how they will be fulfilled, but they most assuredly will be, according to God’s perfect timing of His plan and His foreknowledge.
Fall Festivals
Similar to the first three Spring feasts, the Fall feasts take place one right after another. The Feast of Trumpets starts on the 1st day of the 7th month, Tishri, the Day of Atonement, the 10th day of Tishri, and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) on the 15th – 22nd of Tishri.
5. Festival of Shouting (Trumpets) — [Leviticus 23:24]
This feast began on the 1st day of the 7th month, Tishri. In a beautiful notice, God commands his people to rest. In this time, all regular work is outlawed, and men and women present a food offering to God. This feast lasts 10 days & begins with trumpet blasts to signal the time to prepare for the Day of Atonement Feast. Traditionally, it’s also referred to as the “Ten Days of Awe.” Its a time to afflict your soul and engage in serious soul searching, along with a time of repentance, to get right with God.
In Leviticus 23:24, God commanded His people to gather and commemorate the decree with trumpet blasts. This is fulfilled in Christ when Jesus returns to gather together his saints, marked with the trumpet blast, for the time Jesus returns for his body & bride (1 Corinthians 15:52). Once he returns, there will be a wedding feast of celebration. Rev. 19:9 says, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” He’s preparing us to celebrate!
To summarize, the Feast of Trumpets (Called Rosh Hashana today), points to the Gathering Together when the Messiah will appear in the heavens to collect the Church of his Spiritual body of both Jews and Gentiles. This joyous union is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of trumpets, (I Thess. 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:52).
6. Day of Atonement — [Leviticus 16, 23:26-32; Num. 29] This day was actually not a feast but a day of fasting. Starting the 10th day of the 7th month, Tishri- To make “atonement” is to make restitution for wrongs committed. As a day of humility and repentance to God, it was a time for the Jews to get their hearts, consciences, and lives right before Him. This observance involved the sacrifice of animals as the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. The High Priest of the OT couldn’t offer more than an annual payment for their sins. However, hiding in plain sight was the promise of one who could atone for their sins permanently, (Hebrews 9:12).
This feast dealt with the sins of the entire nation of Israel, as a whole. Here the high priest would go inside the Holy of Holies (only once a year and on this day) to offer atonement for the sins of the entire nation. Christ embodies the animal sacrifice of the “scapegoat” who took on their sins (Leviticus 16:10). The scape-goat was burdened with all the sins of Israel and released into the wilderness.
As a result of his illegal trials, the Jewish leaders condemned Jesus, and he burdened with the sins of all mankind — was led out of the city to be crucified: “He himself is the sacrifice that atones not only for our sins, but the sins of the world,” (1 John 2:2).
The necessity of the Day of Atonement was rendered void by Jesus’ death on the cross — our debt has been paid once and for all!!
In summary, the Day Atonement (Called Yom Kippur today), 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, (Zech. 12:10 and Rom. 11:1-6, 25-36).
7. Feast of Tabernacles or Booths — [Leviticus 23:34] This feast occurs on the 15th – 22nd days of the 7th month, Tishri. Celebration always follows the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates God’s provision and protection for the people of Israel during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. During the seven days of this feast, people live in temporary structures as they did in the wilderness. The Lord himself was with the Israelites in the desert, in a tented Temple called the Tabernacle, so the feast also celebrates his presence as he tabernacles (dwells) with us.
This was a major feast that all male Jews were required to attend in Jerusalem at the Temple. Because the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement were linked to this Feast of Booths, most Jews would arrive in Jerusalem to attend these three consecutive feasts. Just as Jesus is called Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23), so the only begotten Son of God came to tabernacle with us, to dwell on this earth and offer himself as the perfect sacrifice. He was tempted like us, yet without sin, who utterly defeated our spiritual adversary, and in his return he has promised that there will be no more death or suffering, that he himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). His return is the final answer to the hope we’ve carried our entire lives. What a Day that will be!
In summary, the Feast of Tabernacles (Called Sukkot today.) Points to the Lord’s promise that He will once again tabernacle with His people when he returns to reign over all the world from Jerusalem, (Micah 4:1-7).
A final note to summarize the astronomical signs marking Tishri 1 in 3 BC, that initiated the triple crowning of the King Star Regulus in Leo, by Jupiter – the king Planet, 3 days after Christ’s Birth on Sept. 11th 3, BC. This stellar pointer signifies the future Coronation of the King of Judah, the Promised Seed-Jesus Christ. With Sept. 11th as New Moon Day, Tishri 1 on the calendar of Israel, as we have already seen the importance of this “day of Trumpets,” Tishri 1-New Years Day!
Not only the first day of Creation and the renewal of it, as seen in the first day the waters dried from the earth in Noah’s flood, signifying a new start not only for our planet, but the entire human race- seen also in the 1st day Moses set up the wilderness Tabernacle for Israel, foretelling the day when Jesus would be tabernacled with the Church of his spiritual body of Jews & Gentiles at our Gathering unto him, as he returns to fulfill the fall feasts of this calendar. His Coronation foreshadowed in the Heavens, even as in the coronations and inaugurations of the Kings of Israel like Solomon, Jehu & Jehoash, so it will be in Last Trump of Jesus’ Coronation in [Rev. 11:15]. In the Coronation Psalm 81:2-5 below; We are instructed to rejoice–
Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
3 Blow up the trumpet in the New Moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 5 This He ordained in Joseph for a testimony…
So too will we rejoice in the Lord as the trumpet of the Lord Shall sound and time shall be no more… on the Lord’s solemn feast day of trumpets in the New Moon, on the anniversary of the Birth of Christ, so Christ himself is seated at the Right Hand of the Almighty Father, as the Grand Vizier foreshadowed by Joseph in Egypt.
God’s Abundant Blessings to all this Holiday Season!
Footnotes
1. Fig. 1 picture credit [https://www.pinterest.com/pin/614811786611757734/]
2. Fig. 2 picture credit [https://dailydeclaration.org.au/2023/09/15/prepare-ye-the-way-the-jewish-high-holidays-feast-of-trumpets/]
3. Jesus Christ our Promised Seed, p, 71 American Christian Press.
4. The Star that Astonished the World, ppg. 196-199, Dr. Ernest Martin,
5. A Study from Diane Martinez on “Understanding the Old Testament Jewish Holy Days and How Jesus Fulfills Them,” was graciously provided as a key resource.