There has been much debate in the print and electronic media recently about whether or not the Feasts of the Lord as mentioned in Leviticus 23 ought to be observed literally as they were in Old Testament times. Some Christians advocate that such an observance should be perpetual among Christians. Some have contended with the Seventh-day Adventist Church for not observing these feasts (ceremonial Sabbaths) while at the same time observing the seventh-day Sabbath. What is the difference they ask? Did God not ordain that both types of Sabbaths should be kept holy? What is the rationale for keeping one strictly and ignoring the others?

This article is not intended to be a rebuttal to the stance taken by various Christian groups on the observance of the feasts. It is instead an attempt to give a clearer insight to our readers as to the reason behind the giving of the Feast days to Israel. It is also not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject. The main point that we should keep in mind is that they were object lessons of the plan of salvation to be accomplished in Christ. That is why they are referred to as the Feasts of the LORD and not the ‘Feasts of Israel’ or the ‘Feasts of the Jews’ as some theologians refer to them. These were Old Covenant shadows pointing to New Covenant realities in the life of Christ and His Church. As such we see the principles of the feasts running through the book of Revelation which itself covers the history of the Christian church. We can safely say therefore, that the Feasts of the LORD are Christological, Ecclesiological, and Eschatological in nature.

The first feast mentioned in Leviticus 23 is the seventh-day Sabbath. Since the Sabbath is not ceremonial in nature, why should God equate it with the other ceremonial holy days? What is really the difference between the seventh-day Sabbath and the ceremonial Sabbath? Let us explore these issues.

In addition to being the memorial of creation, the Sabbath was given added significance after God brought His chosen nation out of Egyptian captivity. The Sabbath came to commemorate redemption from the slavery/captivity of sin. Israel was commanded by God “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” Exodus 31:13.

The Sabbath forms a part of the Plan of Salvation. It commemorates both creation and re-creation (redemption), and as such, all born-again Christians are required to observe the Sabbath. That accounts for it being grouped with the ceremonial feasts. Both the weekly Sabbath and the yearly sabbaths taught lessons of salvation. It is different from the ceremonial sabbaths because it is an institution of creation while the feast days were appointed holy days. The Sabbath is a fixed, unchangeable part of the weekly cycle; the feast days were celebrated on designated dates that could fall on any day of the week.

The apostle John “was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (Rev.1:10), when he got the vision of the Apocalypse. This suggests that he was observing the Sabbath while on the island-prison of Patmos. Many Christian see in this ‘Lord’s Day’ expression an allusion to Sunday. However, if we are to be strictly Biblical in our exposition of truth, then the Sunday being the Lord’s Day is untenable. The Scriptures state clearly that the only day designated as the Lord’s is the seventh-day Sabbath. See Exodus 31:13; 20:10; Isaiah 58:13; Mark 2:27, 28. An explanation of how Sunday came to be known as the Lord’s Day is outside the purview of this paper. John was having a spiritual encounter with the Saviour on the Sabbath. This is the purpose of the Sabbath - for humanity to come into the ‘rest’ of the Lord.  

It is interesting to note that order of the observance of the Feasts of the LORD as given in Leviticus is followed throughout the book of Revelation. As we continue our study of the Feasts we will see how they all met their spiritual fulfillment in the life and ministry of Christ and His Church. 

2.       The Passover and Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:4-8).  

The second of the Lord’s Feast Days that must be examined is the Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread. The occasion of the institution of the Passover is well known by readers of the Bible. It is interesting to note that it is called the “LORD’S Passover”. Exodus 12:11. This indicates that it is something that the Lord does for the salvation of His people.

The record of the institution of the Passover is found in Exodus 12. Sometime early in what would become the first month of the Israelite year, God commanded that each household should obtain, on the tenth day of the month, a lamb ‘without blemish’, and that they should keep it until the fourteenth day of the month. At twilight the entire congregation of Israel was to kill the Passover lamb and use the blood to daub the two door posts and the lintel of their houses. This was to be done for the LORD would pass through Egypt that night and would kill all the firstborn of the Egyptians. The blood on the doorposts and lintel would account for the salvation of that particular household; “And when I see the blood I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt”. Exodus 12:13.  The Passover was to be a perpetual observance among the Israelites – until type should meet antitype.

As the Lord delivered His people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, so He intended to deliver them from the bondage of sin. The Passover was to be a constant reminder to Israel of the miracle that God wrought in their deliverance from slavery. They were also to see it as an object lesson of their deliverance from sin through the One whom the spotless lamb represented, Messiah. Through the prophet Isaiah the people of God were informed about the work and suffering of Messiah. See Isaiah 53. He was to be the True Passover; the One who would atone for their sin, but not theirs only, but the sin of the entire world.

The apostle Paul tells us that in the fullness of time “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons”. Galatians 4:4, 5. Christ came to die for the sin of the world, “not for Himself.” Daniel 9:26. He came as the sacrificial Lamb, the True Passover, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” 1Corinthians 5:7. The apostle goes on to instruct us on how we, as Spiritual Israel, should celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”. 1Corithians 5:8. Christ had earlier instituted a service that should replace the Old Covenant Passover festival. Paul describes it as the Lord’s Supper, 1Corithians 11:20. “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body’. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’”  Matthew 26:26-28. Christ has inaugurated a new covenant with new services; a spiritual covenant, with a spiritual service, for Spiritual Israel.

In the book of Revelation we see Christ depicted as the Passover Lamb while being inaugurated as the High Priest of heaven. Rev. 5:6. This is one of the many paradoxes of the life and ministry of Christ that is presented in Revelation. He is the Lamb as well as the Priest; He is the Lamb as well as Lion; He is the Servant of servants as well as the King of kings, etc.

The Passover festival pointed to the work of Messiah for salvation. That was the Christological element. The Christian Church celebrates the Lord’s Supper as an act of commemorating the death of Messiah, our Passover, who has given salvation through His blood. That is the ecclesiological element. There will a grand celebration of Lord’s Supper in the form of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb when all the saints of all ages will be with Christ in heaven. (Revelation 19:9). That is the eschatological element.

3. The Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:9-14).

The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated on the first day after the Passover Sabbath. This Sabbath was not the Passover day itself (since that day was also a ‘sabbath’), but the seventh-day Sabbath. On this day the priest would take a sheaf of the harvest (wheat or barley) into the temple and wave it before the Lord, “to be accepted on your [the people’s] behalf”, vs.11. The firstfruits were the first mature grains that were reaped before the general harvest came. This was waved before the Lord as a token of the greater harvest which was anticipated. It was an act of thanksgiving and celebration for that which was certain, according to the consistency of God’s providence.

The antitypical fulfillment of this feast came on the day Christ was raised from the dead. On the day after the Sabbath, the first day of the week, Jesus rose from the grave and with Him, many “of the saints who had fallen asleep”. Matthew 27:52. After His resurrection, He ascended to heaven with the saints who were raised with Him as a token of His victory over death, and as a guarantee of the coming great harvest of the souls that will be raised at His second advent. “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives,…” Ephesians 4:8. RSV. The twenty four elders that John saw ministering with Christ in heavenly sanctuary seem to be the ones that were raised with Christ, and who were taken with Him to heaven. The term ‘elder’ is an ecclesiological term used for servant leaders of the church on earth. The apostles Paul and Peter used the term a lot in their letters to the various Christian congregations. Also, the fact that these ‘elders’ declared in their song of adoration to the Lamb that, “…you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth”, (Revelation 5:9,10), seems to suggest that these were the ones taken with Christ at His ascension.

Another important fact to note is that Christ is referred to as the ‘firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.’ 1Corinthians 15:20. The 144,000 saints who will be ‘redeemed from among men’, are also referred to as ‘firstfruits to God and to Lamb’. Revelation 14:4. The term is used frequently in the Scriptures in a figurative sense. In referring to Christ’s resurrection, it can be seen as having been used literally as well as figuratively. Literally, because Christ was indeed the first person to have tasted death and return to life through His own power. “…I lay down My life that I may take it again”. John 10:17b. In a figurative sense, Christ is the preeminent, or most honored of those who have died. In like manner, the 144,000 saints are designated the ‘firstfruits’ because of their honored status as those who would have gone through the greatest time of trouble the world would have ever seen.

How do Christians celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits today? Evidently, if we are required to celebrate this feast we would of necessity have to have a temple and a priestly system. We know that the only temple service that is valid in its operations today is that which is in heaven. Jesus Christ, the ‘firstfruits’ from the dead is our guarantee of eternal life. Through His death, resurrection, and High Priestly ministry in the Sanctuary above, we have the assurance of salvation.

4. The Feast of Weeks (Lev. 23:15-22).

The Feast of  Weeks, which in the Greek dispensation came to be known as the Feast of Pentecost, was celebrated by the Israelites on the fiftieth day after the Feast of Firstfruits. This was the period of harvest of the crops of the field. This was a time of joyous celebration for the great and bountiful blessings of God, of which the firstfruits was a pledge. The harvesting was done by the people who would then bring the stipulated offerings to the temple where the priest would present them to God on behalf of the nation.

How did this feast meet its antitypical fulfillment in the life of Christ and His Church? After Jesus rose from the grave He was seen by His disciples for forty days before He ascended to heaven. Acts 1:3. On the day of His ascent He gathered His disciples to Him and instructed them on their mission to the world. He then told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endowed with power from on high; power that would enable them to accomplish the mission that they were assigned. Acts 1:8. Ten days later, “when the Day of  Pentecost had fully come,” “they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1,4.  The subject of their preaching was salvation through Jesus, the Messiah who had been crucified by their leaders and who rose again according to the prophecies. The account goes on to state that on that day “about three thousand souls were added to them”, 3:41. In a spiritual sense, Pentecost in 31AD witnessed the birth of the Christian Church. On that day a great harvesting of souls took place. Jesus had sowed the seed of the kingdom for three and a half years and now the time of reaping had begun. Ever since that Pentecostal experience the Christian Church has been reaping souls for the kingdom of God. This activity is depicted in the book of Revelation as the Church going forward “conquering and to conquer.” Revelation 6: 2.  The Church preached Christ and thousands of souls were converted as a result. Christ is the focus of the Scriptures for salvation. It is through the name of Christ that souls are born into the kingdom of God, “…for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”. Acts 4:12.  This is both the Christological and ecclesiological elements of Pentecost.

The eschatological significance of Pentecost is that at the coming of Christ second advent with the clouds of heaven, there will be a final gathering in, or harvest, of the saints, both from among the dead as well as from among the living. “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”. Matthew 24:31.

5. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), Lev. 23:23-25.

The Feast of Trumpets was the first of the autumn feasts. It was observed from the first day of the seventh Jewish month, Tishri, to the ninth day at sunset. The blowing of the ram’s horn, the shofar, was a call to the nation to prepare for the great day judgment which was coming. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, was observed on the tenth day of the said month and Rosh Hashanah was seen as a period of preparation for this most solemn event. During the days of preparation leading up to Yom Kippur, individuals would ensure that sins were confessed, all wrongs were made right, and that their souls were right with God. The trumpets were seen as warning judgments to the apostates in Israel. Herein is shown the mercy and grace of Yahweh. Before He brings judgment He sends warning, for He does not desire that any should perish in their sin. See Ezekiel 18:23.

The principle of the Feast of Trumpets runs throughout the history of the Christian Church. The seven trumpets of Revelation constitute the antitypical fulfillment of the Rosh Hashanah of the Old Testament. A study of the trumpets of Revelation will reveal that throughout the history of God’s church, whenever they apostatized, the Lord sent warnings and calls to repentance. Whenever they refused to repent He would send ‘corrective’ or ‘disciplinary’ judgments upon them. The purpose of these judgments is clearly implied in the statement of John at the end of his descriptions of events under the sixth trumpet; “But  the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts”. Revelation 9:20, 21.  

In the typical service of Rosh Hashanah, the blowing of the final trumpet at sunset on the ninth day of Tishri, would indicate both the end of the Feast of Trumpets and the beginning of Yom Kippur, since each day begins at sunset and ends at sunset the following day. In like manner, the sounding of the seventh, and final trumpet in Revelation, declared the beginning of the ‘Great Day of Judgment’ in the Sanctuary in heaven. This is the judgment that is referred to as the Pre-advent Judgment in Adventist theology. Revelation 11:15-19.

It is to be noted that the principle of judgment on unrepentant sinners continues to be a reality. Nations and individuals continue to experience God’s judgment calls to repent. When in their obstinacy they continue in rebellion the punishment becomes more severe until finally the ultimate action is taken to get rid of sinners. When we see disasters through natural or man-made causes we need to consider whether these are judgments of God, and ensure that we who are spared take heed to the trumpet call.

6. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Lev. 23:26-32.

The Day of Atonement was the most solemn day in the religious calendar of Israel. It was seen as the day when God came to the most holy place of the sanctuary to make final atonement for the sins of the nation. On this day the high priest went into the most holy place with the blood of an animal and with incense to make atonement before God for the sin of the nation committed during the year. This service was also known as the Cleansing of the Sanctuary. The full account of the order of the service is given in Leviticus 16. On this Day of Judgment while the high priest ministered in the most holy place, the congregation of Israel would be in ‘affliction of soul’ as they earnestly prayed that God would accept their token of repentance. Upon the completion of his work in the most holy place, the high priest would then come out to the people and pronounce the blessing of God upon them. If anyone was found who had not confessed his sin, he would be ‘cut off’ from the nation. 23:29.

The Bible is replete with the theme of the final judgment. The Yom Kippur observance was given as an object lesson of the final Judgment before the Lord appears the second time. This Judgment is of such great importance to all humanity that it forms a part of the everlasting Gospel to be preached to the world. Revelation 14:6,7. God is so unwilling for anyone to die in sin that He has given a specific date for the Judgment to begin. He expects that persons should take heed to the warning and prepare their soul for that inevitable moment.

The purpose of this paper is not to give a detailed account of the doctrine of the pre-advent Judgment. A more detailed exposition can be found in the book Seventh-day Adventists Believe…27: A Biblical Exposition of Fundamental Doctrines. Review and Herald Publishing Association. A list of references is also given at the end of the chapter that deals with the ministry of Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary.

The antitype to the Yom Kippur festival is the subject of Daniel 7:9-14; 8:14, and Revelation 11: 15-19; 14:7. The sounding of the seventh trumpet of Revelation introduces us to the final Judgment in the Sanctuary in Heaven. In Revelation 11:18,19 the twenty four elders declare “The nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should reward your servants the prophets and the saints, and all those who fear your name, both small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.” Then John observed that “…the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.”  This passage declares three fundamental truths about the Judgment:

a)       Judgment begins with the dead. Hebrews 9:27.

b)       Judgment begins at the house of God first. 1Peter 4:17; Ezekiel 9:6.

c)       Judgment takes place in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary. Daniel 7:9,10.

The prophecy of Daniel 8:14 ‘…”For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed” has been accepted by many theologians throughout the history of Christianity as meaning that after two thousand three hundred years, the Judgment would take place. This is the position taken by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We see this longest time prophecy in the Bible as having its beginning in the autumn of 457 BC, (according to Daniel 9:25), and terminating on October 22, 1844. The yearly Day of Atonement or Cleansing of the sanctuary, in Old Testament times, was always on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. The equivalent date on the Christian calendar in 1844, was October 22. Therefore, since 1844 the Judgment in heaven has been in progress.  The dead in Christ are judged first, according to the passages quoted above. The outcome of this judgment will be that “…the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High”. Daniel 7:27.

The judgment theme of the Bible seems to indicate that the righteous are aware that the judgment is for their vindication and that it is an event that they eagerly anticipate. The Christian martyrs are presented in the Revelation as crying out to God for judgment and vindication when they cry, “How long, O lord, Holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Revelation 6:10. David declares that the judgment of the righteous is separate from that of the wicked and that they will not partake of the blessings of the righteous. “Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous”. Psalm 1:5.

While we await the appearance of our Great High Priest, we should be in state of constant readiness, living a holy and pure life. We should now yield our soul to our Savior for Him to do the necessary work of cleansing by the Holy Spirit, to fit us for translation at His coming. The Lord has graciously revealed to us the time of the Judgment so that no one should be caught unaware. “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets”. Amos 3:7. 

7. The Feast of Tabernacles/ Feast of Ingathering. Lev. 23:33-44; Exodus23:16; 34:22.

The Feast of Tabernacles was the last of yearly feasts celebrated by Israel. It was one of the three feasts that were celebrated in the seventh month, and was observed for seven days, from the 15^th to 22^nd of Tishri. The celebration came after they had “gathered in the fruit of the land…” Leviticus 23:39.  This statement will become significant when we examine the antitype of this feast. The Feast of Tabernacles was to be celebrated by the Israelites when they should have entered the Promised Land. It commemorated their journey through the wilderness when they had to dwell in booths or tabernacles.  Throughout their journeys the LORD Himself tabernacled with them, provided for their needs, protected them, was a source of comfort to them.

Upon entering the Promised Land they would be able to build their permanent houses and dwell in them safely. However, they were not to forget how the Lord had led them and the wonderful manifestations of His providence. They were also to see this as an object lesson of their spiritual journey to the Heavenly Homeland. However, as the history of Israel shows, they missed the spiritual lesson. We must ensure that we do not fall into the same rut.

The antitypical fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles is yet future. Christians today who constitute Spiritual Israel are likewise passing through a wilderness – the wilderness of sin – on our way to the Heavenly Land. The Church is now on the borders of Canaan, about to enter in. As we traverse this wilderness, our tabernacle of dwelling is not the house in which we live, but this sin-worn body. The apostle Paul uses the tabernacle metaphor to describe our mortal state while contrasting it with the immortal state: “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life”. 2Corinthians 5:1-4.

When at the second advent of Jesus Christ ‘this mortal puts on immortality and this corruptible puts on incorruption’,  then will the saints have laid off their temporary tabernacles and moved into their permanent habitation – forever. Then will the purpose of the first tabernacle which was erected for the dwelling place of God, meet its antitypical fulfillment. Not only will the saints be in their eternal habitation, but the Lord Himself will tabernacle or dwell with His people forever. The Revelator says it this way: “And I heard aloud voice from heaven saying, ‘the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and He Himself will be with them be their God’”. Revelation 21:3.

As the Feast was celebrated in old times only after the people had gathered in the ‘fruit of the land’, thus will it be in the antitypical celebration. When all of God’s children of all ages shall have been gathered into His kingdom, then we will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles/Ingathering. Zechariah 14:16.

Summary.

By: Robert Wright, Lecturer School of Religion and Theology