THE MEANING OF
PASSOVER
Salvation comes by
the atoning blood of Israel's promised Sacrifice Lamb
“God will provide Himself, a Lamb". (Gen.22:8)
On the 14th day of Nisan
The sacrifice lamb is slain. The blood of atonement upon the
door brings salvation as the death angel passes overhead. It is the eve of the
Passover. The epic Exodus that follows sees God's covenant people delivered
from the bondage of Egypt.
This was the Old Covenant fulfillment of Passover for
national salvation.
On the 14th day of Nisan
In 33 A.D., on the eve of Passover, Yeshua is crucified. The
blood of the promised Sacrifice Lamb is shed. This is the redemption God has
provided. It brings salvation to His covenant people, delivering them from the
bondage of sin and death.
This is the New Covenant fulfillment of Passover for
personal salvation.
THE MEANING OF THE
FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
The unleavened "Bread of Heaven" is the sinless
and accepted sacrifice.
Leaven, a type of sin, was removed from the dwellings. Then
at twilight, as the 14th day of Nisan was ending, the Passover lambs were
slain. Sunset initiated the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Nisan
15 was a "high day", a non-Saturday Sabbath. Bread baked without
yeast was eaten during the seven days of the feast.
Sunset began the 15th day of Nisan. Jesus was buried, just
in time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But in the grave His body did not
decay or see corruption. That Passover the sinless unleavened 'Bread of Heaven'
was revealed as that long awaited perfect sacrifice for sin. Thus He fulfilled the
Feast of Unleavened Bread.
THE MEANING OF THE
FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS
After a cold barren
winter new life breaks forth. On the 17th day of the Nisan moon the first fruits
of the barley harvest was gathered and waved before the Lord in celebration.
On the 17th day of Nisan in 33 A.D. Jesus rises up from the
grave. He is the first fruits from the dead. On that very day He fulfilled the
feast.
THE MEANING OF THE
FEAST OF PENTECOST
50 days counted out
from First fruits is Shavuot or Pentecost. God comes down to His covenant
people in an earthshaking day of visitation. It is a betrothal leading into
magnificent future glories.
Old Testament Fulfillment
50 days from the day the First fruits of the barley harvest
was waved before the Lord, (50 days from the morrow after the Sabbath after
Passover), is Shavuot or the Day of Pentecost. Rabbinic scholars believe that
it was on this day that God visited His people after their exodus from Egypt
and through Moses, brought the Law down from Mount Sinai. This earthshaking day
of visitation, trembling, and betrothal is the birthday of the nation of
Israel. Moses brings down the Torah or Law for the nation. Because of sin 3,000
die under the Law that day. The Old Covenant is a national covenant between
YHVH-God and His covenant people. And so the nation of Israel was established.
They agree to follow Him in devotion and obedience. In spite of past failures
the nation of Israel will indeed be restored. The Jewish House of Judah will be
saved and the throne of David in Judah will be established upon this earth
under Messiah. But that is not all. The lost sheep of the House of Israel, the
lost ten tribes of Israel, will be found and brought back home to Israel again.
(See Ezek.37). The nation and Kingdom of Israel along with Messiah's Melchizedek Priesthood will be fully restored
as a single Elect and Chosen people. The Old Covenant and the Law has not been
"done away with" as we have been told. Both estranged houses of
Israel will embrace Messiah. Then with their partial blindness healed they will
rediscover each other at the end of this age to restore the Union in both
Righteousness, (the royal national burden of the Jews), and in Grace, (the holy
priestly burden of the Church). Both Houses of Israel are being sifted through
the nations. Those being saved are bringing many companions home to Israel with
them. (See Ezekiel 37:15-28) The nation
will be reunited and regathered as that Commonwealth of Israel spoken of by our
Apostle Paul. (See Eph. 2:12-13). Restored Israel is destined to be
cross-linked together as that "royal priesthood and holy nation spoken of
by both Moses and by the Apostle Peter. (See
Exod. 19:6, and 1Pet.2:9). The
Old Covenant God made with the nation of Israel and the righteous rule of
Israel’s Messiah upon this earth is in the heart of the Jewish House of Judah.
YHVH-God's righteous rule will surely come and the nation of Israel will be
restored, but only under Messiah and not by might or by power. The restoration
will not come by a seducing religious humanism or by the military might of a
crusading Church Dominionism). It will come by God's Holy Spirit. (See
Zechariah 4). The New Covenant is established soul by soul and silently in the
gentle bonds of love and devotion as Messiah is received into human lives. It
is by YHVH's Grace through faith that His Law is written into the hearts. The
prophet Jeremiah spoke of this mystery. See Jer. 31:31. See also Hebrews
8:8-12. The prophet Zechariah saw the Jewish House of Judah in Israel repenting
and receiving Messiah rather late, even as Jerusalem was surrounded by armies
at the close of this age. See Zechariah 12:7-13:1.
New Testament Fulfillment
50 days from the day the First fruits of the barley harvest
was waved before the Lord, (that is 50 days from the morrow after the weekly
(Saturday) Sabbath after Passover), in the summer of the year of Yeshua's
passion, YHVH-God visits His people by His Holy Spirit. This is another
earthshaking day of visitation and betrothal. But on this occasion God's
Presence is not as unapproachable as on the former visitation back at Sinai.
Moses had ordered 12 boundary markers placed around the foot of the mountain to
hold back the people lest the fire of God flash out upon them. Amidst the
thundering and lightning God came down as a consuming fire and blackened the
entire summit. Only Moses could stand in God's Presence. Mount Sinai has
recently been discovered east of the Gulf of Aquaba in the former land of
Midian, (now Saudi Arabia). The real
Mount Sinai with many accompanying archaeological proofs of its authenticity is
Jabal el Lawz, now hidden from the world behind security fences and armed
guards of the Saudi military forces. Back at Sinai it was a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God. But this next Pentecostal visitation was
quite different. Tongues of fire descended from heaven to rest upon consecrated
individuals gathered to wait upon God. All of them had received Messiah and had
come to know Him in a personal way in the New Covenant. And just as Moses had
seen the burning bush that was not consumed by the fire now came down and
rested upon the 120 in the upper room, not to consume them but to fill them
with the Holy Spirit and bathe them in the glory of God. This day of wonder
sees the Holy Spirit descend in a splendid flooding wave. This was the
beginning of the Holy Spirit outpouring. And Joel saw this coming to a peak at
the 6th seal at the very end of the latter days. See Joel 2:28-32. The revival
spreads out from the Jerusalem epicenter as the disciples go out into the
streets of the city proclaiming the Good News of salvation. Whereas 3,000 had
died under the Law on the previous visitation 3,000 are now saved by Grace as
the Apostle Peter preaches to the crowds coming up to the Feast. And so on this
awesome day in holy history, the 7th day of Sivan on the Hebrew calendar, the
Feast of Pentecost comes to its appointed New Covenant fulfillment. The Feast
of Pentecost, the fourth of the Seven Feasts of Israel is taken up to the next
level. It becomes the birthday of the Church. The Holy Spirit revival spreads
out from Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria, and thence onward to the utmost parts
of the world. This was that promised Light to the Gentiles Isaiah spoke about (See Isaiah 49:6). The ensuing 2,000 years sees
Israel's Messiah continuing to 'call out' His 'ekklesia', His Congregation, by
His Holy Spirit. The Good News of the Gospel overflows Israel and spreads out
into the gentile nations and YHVH-God's Covenant people expand out of Israel to
become a global Congregation (or "Church"), even as Israel's Jordan
river overflows its banks all the days of the harvest.
THE MEANING OF THE
FEAST OF TRUMPETS (The very next feast due to be fulfilled)
The annual religious celebration, the shofar (rams horn) is
blown at the western wall on the new moon of Tishrei to celebrate Rosh
Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets.
In the autumn of the year and on the first day of the
Tishrei moon trumpets are blown to announce the Hebrew holiday of Rosh
Hashanah. Biblical Christians refer to it as the Feast of Trumpets. It is the 5th
of the Seven Feasts of Israel. The ultimate New Covenant fulfillment of this
future Jewish New Year, (Tishrei 1 on the Hebrew calendar), will be spectacular
beyond words. The feast will explode into holy history. And it will be a
blockbuster. Moses declared and prophesied that it would become a
"memorial of blowing of trumpets" (Lev. 23:24,25) It seems that many
faithful saints will suffer at the hands of the powers when they blow the
trumpet of alarm on Yom Teruah, that awesome future Rosh Hashanah. (Ezek.33) That epic coming feast day will see
the faithful watchmen of Israel faithful to the call. And "they will not
be silent". This 5th feast was instituted by Moses at Sinai approximately
3,500 years ago. It marks the first day of the Hebrew (civil) new year. 'Rosh
Hashanah' means 'head of the year'. The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the
three, yet to be fulfilled, Fall Feasts of Israel. These Autumn Feasts relate
to Kingdom/political issues rather than the High Priestly/religious matters
that we saw Messiah address in the spring feasts during His first coming 2,000
years ago. Back then we saw Him ride into Jerusalem on a donkey as the
'Suffering Servant'. But when Messiah returns this next time He will come as the
Conquering King. After Trumpets on
Tishrei 1 comes the "Ten days of awe" which lead on to Yom Kippur on
Tishrei 10 which is the Day of
Atonement. This is the most solemn day of the year. On this awesome Day of
Reckoning all accounts between YHVH-God and all His covenant people are settled.
The Jubilee Year is also announced on this same tenth day of Tishri. Trumpets
are also blown during special times of national crisis. God's covenant people
are summoned to gather themselves together in a solemn assembly before the God
of Israel. Trumpets are sounded during battle in times of warfare. Trumpets
also announce the approach and soon arrival of a king.
On a future Rosh Hoshanah, on the new moon of Tishrei, the
shofars will begin to sound on a day like no other. The ultimate epic future
Feast of Trumpets will burst onto the world stage and into holy history. This
will be an awesome day of mixed celebration and alarm. YHVH-God's determined
times for Daniel's Prophecy of the 70 Weeks will resume in earnest. All of
God's covenant people from both houses
of Israel will be "called out", summoned to solemn assembly at
YHVH-God's new and revamped 'ekklesia', His new 'congregation', 'synagogue', or
'church' of the 70th Week". The
saints will be crying out to God and this will spark the climactic End-Time
Revival that Joel saw, (Joel 2:28,29,30,31,32).We now have very strong evidence that this future Rosh
Hashanah will mark the terminus of the "Roadmap to Peace". This will
be the day when Israel signs the seven year peace covenant written about in Daniel
9:27. Israel will agree to divide and sell the Holy Land and their national
sovereignty for a pocketful of promises of "peace and safety". Moses spoke of this final dalliance of Israel
and predicted the ensuing Great Tribulation. Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach,
said that they would reject Him who came in His Father's Name and said that His
covenant people would consort with a
false messiah, a man who came "in his own name" (John 5:43). Seven momentous years will then bring in the
end-time witness. Then comes the final awesome Day of Atonement. Trumpets of
Jubilee will herald the opening of the Day of the Lord which opens on the very
next day. Angels of wrath will pluck up the wicked as tares for the fires.
(Mat.13:30) At some unknown time in those ensuing days before the Feast of
Tabernacles comes into its fulfillment the last trumpet will sound and all of God's
Elect, (singular), will be gathered. The climactic future Resurrection will see
Messiah gather His Chosen from the nation of Israel and from among the heathen
gentiles. All the saints, the quick and the dead, from every nation, race, and
tribe, from both sides of Calvary will be there. And they will all enter the
glory together. (Isa. 49:6 and 1Thes. 4:15, 16, 17).
In Conclusion
The Feasts and Holy Days of Israel and the
Jewish people are a direct and clear picture of the Salvation God has promised
the believers in the atoning Blood of His Sacrificial Lamb. If this is a direct
and clear picture of the promise then the words the His Prophets have given us
are also meant has clear and direct information to us for growth and knowledge.
To understand the Scriptures you simply must read them with a perspective that
they are truly relevant and great impact on your understanding. The signs in
the heavens all make sense if you remove yourself from man’s understanding and
accept that man’s understanding is very limited and leaves in a state of
confusion and leads most people to give up trying, you just cannot mix oil and
water and see clearly. There are only two points of view, God’s view and man’s
view, I trust God to tell me the Truth.
