Feastdays?

Part 8 of 10

The feasts of Israel have been celebrated for thousands of years, and each one has great natural significance. But for the New Testament Christian, have these significances changed with the emergence of the New Covenant? Yes, they have. What was a natural feast and celebration for the natural Jew has now become a spiritual truth and celebration for the spiritual Jew, the "Israel of God" (Gal 6:16). The feasts of Israel have been elevated to a higher, greater and spiritual plane.

Old Covenant Feastdays?

To the natural Jew, the feastdays were very, very significant. There were three major feasts that were celebrated each year: the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Passover celebrated the deliverance from Egypt (Exod 12). Each house was to take a lamb, sprinkle it's blood upon their doorposts and the upper lintel of the house, and then feast upon the roast lamb inside. At midnight, when the angel of the Lord came to smite the firstborn of man and beast, he would pass over the houses with spilt blood. After this event, Israel was miraculously taken out of Egypt by their crossing of the Red Sea, guided by the glory-cloud. The Feast of Passover also included unleavened bread and the sheaf of firstfruits. The flesh of the Lamb had to be eaten with unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. When they arrived in the land, they were to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of their harvest to the priest, and wave it before the Lord (Lev 23:10). This feast was held in the first month of Israel's sacred year.

The Feast of Pentecost celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This feast was also known as the Feast of Weeks. It was the feast of the fiftieth day ("Pentecost" means, "fifty"). It was after the seven weeks journey from Egypt (on the fiftieth day) that Moses received the two tablets of stone (the Ten Commandments). This great feast took place in the third month.

The Feast of Tabernacles was the most solemn feast. It took place in the seventh month, the close of Israel's sacred year. This feast celebrated the great Day of Atonement, when the high priest would (once a year) enter into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the Mercy Seat with sacrificial blood, making atonement for his sins and the sins of the people. After this event, the people would leave their homes and dwell in booths (tabernacles). This was to celebrate the ingathering of the final harvest, and their continued deliverance from Egypt. This feast is also associated with the blowing of trumpets (to call forth the people to prepare their hearts for the great Day of Atonement).

Not surprisingly, New Testament writers expound and interpret these feasts for us, as to their New Covenant application... each of these feasts are fulfilled in Christ and His church.

New Covenant Feastdays?

There are Christians today who make "pilgrimages" to Jerusalem, and sometimes during one of these three noted feasts. I do not believe this is at all necessary. We will see tomorrow that Jerusalem is from "above" - it is no longer earthly (Gal 4:26). Of course the geographical place still exists, but the spiritually significant Jerusalem is a heavenly truth. Friends, travelling to literal Jerusalem does not make one spiritual.

These three major feasts have been elevated to a spiritual plane, in which they are experienced in a spiritual manner, by spiritual Israel.

The Feast of Passover simply represents justification by faith in the blood of the Lamb of God, slain for our deliverance: "...when I (the angel of death) see the blood, I will pass over you..." (Exod 12:13). Paul interpreted these events for us when he said, "...Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor 5:7). The Gospels also present Jesus as the eternal Passover Lamb. In fact, He was actually crucified during the natural feast of Passover. Furthermore, Jesus is said to be our unleavened bread (1 Cor 5:7-8): He is our separation from sin unto God (baptism, Red Sea, burial, death of the old man). He is also our sheaf of firstfruits - giving us resurrection, birth of the new man, and newness of life (1 Cor 15:20-23; 2 Cor 5:17-18).

The Feast of Pentecost represents the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the establishment of the church of God (Acts 7:38; 2:41). New Covenant Pentecost is the coming of the Holy Spirit to baptize the believer, and write the spiritual law upon our hearts and minds (Rom 7:1-6). This event actually occurred fifty days after the sheaf of firstfruits - the resurrection of King Jesus. Each time someone receives this baptism, they are moving in the spiritual Feast of Pentecost (2 Cor 3)! Why would Christians continue to celebrate the coming of the law when Paul clearly instructs us that our New Testament Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Spirit? "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2 Cor 3:6). Sadly, there are entire denominations of believers who have forsaken this great feast. How can we expect to progress towards Tabernacles (the culmination of these feasts) if we haven't yet properly appropriated Pentecost? We cannot!

The Feast of Tabernacles is the only feast that has yet to be fully experienced by the body of Christ. As I mentioned earlier, this feast is also related to the Blowing of Trumpets (occurred on the first day of the feast - to prepare for atonement), the great Day of Atonement (occurred on the tenth day of the feast), the ingathered harvest, and the Feast of Booths (occurred for seven days after their atonement).

New Testament writers explain the fulfillment of the Blowing of the Trumpet as the prophetic call that sounds forth - prepare ye the way of the Lord - prepare your hearts to receive God's mercy and forgiveness (1 Cor 11:28-32)! Trumpets, in Scripture represent the prophetic voice: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isa 58:1)... "Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law" (Hos 8:1). This "trumpet", as related to the Feast of Tabernacles, was to call the nation to cleansing, in preparation for the great Day of Atonement. This trumpet call is the call of the bride (Song 2:10)!

The New Testament writers also describe for us the significance of the New Covenant great Day of Atonement, for spiritual Israel. Jesus is our great High Priest (Heb 2:17; 3:1; etc.), and He has entered within the veil once and for all with His own blood (Heb 10:14). There is absolutely no doubt that the Lord Jesus has made full and complete atonement on His cross. But there is also no doubt that the church, His body, has failed to enter into and fully appropriate this atonement. In other words, there is a coming day when spiritual Israel will appropriate all that Calvary's cross has provided. It will not be a new day of atonement, rather, it will be the appropriation and futuristic fulfillment that is founded upon the work of Calvary past. I believe the prophet Zechariah speaks of this event when he says, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness" (13:1). And again in 3:9: "I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day". I believe this will occur in spiritual Zion, "in that day", "in one day" - the day of the Lord: "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov 4:18). We're on "a path" towards the Most Holy Place, waiting to enter in, just like Jesus - the pattern Son (Heb 6:19-20; 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Pet 1:19; ). The experiential day of Atonement for the church will be fullest manifestation of the power of the blood of Jesus - it will bring us to perfection (Heb 6:1)! We will move from "judicial truth" into "experiential truth"! Hallelujah!

The final facet of Tabernacles is also yet to be experienced: This includes the dwelling in booths (tabernacles), and the final harvest of the year (Exod 34:22). The dwelling in booths is simply commemorative of our wilderness wanderings, and ultimately points to the great glory that will be revealed in us once these pilgrims and strangers find their rightful places in the glory-realm (Heb 11:10-16; 1 Pet 1:17), as the dwelling of God: "And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches" (Prov 24:4). A people (a bride) will become the full habitation of God. He will dwell in every chamber (Mk 5:9)!

The final harvest will occur when God's people (His remnant) attain to His pattern, and enter in within the veil themselves! In other words, when they experientially appropriate the atonement and fullness just mentioned. Hebrews 6:19-20 tells us that "the forerunner" has entered in already - He has paved the way for us to follow. Will we die daily, and enter in to His rest? When this happens (in the spiritual 7th month - the month of fullness), the early and latter rains will fall together: "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month" (Joel 2:23). In other words, there will be a double portion of rain (symbolic of the Spirit and Word of God: Duet 32:1-3; Isa 55:8-12) in order to usher in a great harvest: "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain" (Jas 5:7). Rains are to ripen the harvest; rains and harvests are simply inseparable.

But friends, this won't happen willy-nilly. God has always utilized a human vehicle to move in and through. The fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles will be no different. This great move will occur via the manifestation of the sons of God - those believers who have likewise entered within the final veil, following King Jesus, and attaining to the order and rank of Melchizedek (Rom 8:18-20). As we said a couple days ago, this priesthood will minister the bread and the wine (the resurrection life and power of God) to a broken and weeping creation, even as Melchizedek ministered these elements to Abraham, the father of many nations (Gen 14). This spiritual feast will usher in the final reconciliation of mankind (2 Cor 5:20-21).. Hallelujah! Come Lord Jesus!

There are many, many more vital aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles to be discussed. But that will have to wait. In our final observance, I want to see the New Covenant identity of Israel. You just may be surprised what we discover!

To be continued...