Bible is the Word of God

Bible is the Word of God. It is an attempt of God to communicate with man. Just like phonetic sounds and written words, God employed other communication meadia. The rituals and festivals were as much symbolic expressions of God as the spoken word and the written word. They contain the revelations of God to mankind. In giving a calendar of seasons and festivals God still speaks to his people. In these articles, we are trying to understand this.

Eph.1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Basically the festival calendar is given in Leviticus 23. This chapter describes eight festivals.

Leviticus 23

1 The LORD said to Moses,

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
0 - Seventh Day Sabbath
"'There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.
"'These are the Lord's appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:
1 - Lord's Passover
The Lord's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2 - Feast of the Unleavened Bread

6 On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.

7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.

8 For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'"

The LORD said to Moses,

3 - Feast of the First Fruits

10 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.

11 He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect,

13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil--an offering made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma--and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine.

You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

4 - Feast of the Pentecost

15 "'From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks.

16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.

17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD.

18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings--an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering.

20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest.

21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

22 "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"

The LORD said to Moses,

5 - Feast of the Trumpets

24 "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.

25 Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.'"

6 - Day of Atonement

26 The LORD said to Moses,

27 "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire.

28 Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God.

29 Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people.

30 I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day.

31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

32 It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath."

7 - Feast of the Tabernacles

33 The LORD said to Moses,

34 "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days.

35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work.

36 For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.

37 ("'These are the Lord's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day.

38 These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.)

39 "'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest.

40 On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.

41 Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths

43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'"

44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.

	1. NISSAN 10= Selection of lamb 14 eve Paschal Sacrifice 15 Seder Meal 15-21 = Feast of Unleavened Bread (April/May)	2. ZIV (May/June)	3. SIVAN Wheat Harvest 6=Pentecost (June/July)	4 TAMMUZ (July/Aug)
12. ADAR (Mar/Apr)	Lord's Festivals				5. AB Vine Tending (Aug/Sept)
11. SHEBAT Almond Blossom (Feb/Mar)					6. ELUL Vine Harvest Olive Harvest (Sept/Oct)
	10 THEBETH Winter (Jan/Feb)	9. KISLEV (Dec/Jan)	8. BUL Ploughing Season (Nov/Dec)	7. TISHRI 1= Day of Trumpets 1-7 = Feast of Booths 7= Day of Atonement 8. Last Great Day (Oct/Nov)

Although there are a total of seven feasts (the divine number for perfection or completeness in the Bible), God divided the seven festivals into three major festival seasons. Every male was to present themselves before the Lord three times in a year in each festival group. The Three Pilgrim Festivals (Shalosh Regalim), the main "Leg" Festivals are : Passover (Pesach), the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) (Sukkot). Others are centered around these basic themes.The name "Leg" Festival comes from the fact that at these festivals people used to make pilgrimages to the Temple in Jerusalem according to the cammandment.

The First festival group:Pesach
The feasts of Passover (Pesach),
The feasts of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah),
and The feasts of First Fruits (Bikkurim)
These falls in the month of Nisan, which is the first month of religious calendar in the spring of the year.

The second festival: The Feast of the Weeks
The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), or Pentecost, is a week long festival observed in the third religious month of Sivan.

The third festival group: The Feast of the Tabernacles.
The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah),
The feasts of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and
The feasts of Tabernacles (Sukkot)
These fall in the seventh month of Tishrei, which is in the fall of the year (Exodus 23:14-17; 34:22-23: Deuteronomy 16:16-17).

Three is the number of completeness. Three is the number of persons in the Trinity. Three is the number of perfect testimony and witness which is the assurance of things. (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Matthew 18:19-20; Luke 24:44-45; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; 1 John 5:8). Seven is the number of Spirits in the Holy Spirit. Seven again is the total possible ways of interaction between three persons including self interaction. 3! + 1 =7 the relational structure is 3+1+3

The festivals are a witness or testimony to mankind regarding the complete plan of redemption. As the students of Old Testment understands all rituals and sacrfices and plans were an attempt on the part of god to communicate to man his plan of redemption.

The first thing we notice here is that the whole festival calendar is based on agriculture and not based on animal husbandry. However the feasts were ordained and given to the Israel while they were still nomads in the desert relying on sheeps. That was their profession.

Gen 47:3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were."

Num 14: 28 So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say:

29 In this desert your bodies will fall--every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.

30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.

33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.

34 For forty years--one year for each of the forty days you explored the land--you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.'

Gen 4: 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

Looking forward to a settled agricultural life has always been the ideal of man.

Heb 11: 9 By faith he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

So the accomplishment of the promise of salvation cannot be attained execept with the killing of the lamb. This is the payment of sin. That is why Passover has to be the first of the month in the process of redemption. Then comes the barley harvest giving the foretaste of the new life celebated in the waving of the sheaf before the Lord.

The first real taste of the new life comes with the wheat harvest - the pentecost. Now the agricultural culture has come to stay. The remaining festivals are based on the fruit of the vine - it is the final celebratin of life,

Ps. 104: 14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate-- bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

Those who have studied Prophecy will realized that every prophecy has three levels of meanings. The first level is the basic immediate meaning with a historical material realization. Then there is a mental level with a higher intellectual meaning. Finally there is a spiritual and final fulfillment. There are other levels of fulfillment progressively going from individual to families to communities to the nation to mankind as a whole. When we study the meaning of festivals we probably should look into all these aspects. We may not be able to take up all these levels. But they are all involved simultaneously. However we will restrict our study to three basic levels Thus we have in essence a five dimensional significance for the festivals.

The first festival described is the sabath day which is the celebration of the creation of man according to God's day. The whole purpose of history is centered around God's purposes for man. It is this God works out through history. The structure of the Leviticus 23 indicates that though it is an on going celebration it is probably not part of the seasonal festivals. It is a festival that runs through the entire seasons giving the purpose for those festivals. Sabath is a constant celebration of life. It is the covenant symbol between Yahvh and Israel (Ex. 31:15-17)

FEAST	Historical meaning to Israel (Basic material level)	Meaning to New Israel Church (Spiritual Level)	As applied to Individual (Personal Level)	References
Shabat Seventh day This is the beginning. It is and it is not a festival Symbol: REST FROM ALL LABOR	Creation of Man	Creation of New Man	Conviction of person	Gen 2.2-3 Ex.20:10-11 Ex. 31:15-17
Passover Pesach Symbol: BLOOD	Israel’s deliverance from the bondage of Pharoah(Egypt) through the blood of passover lamb	Believer's deliverance from the bondage of Sin through the blood of Jesus.	Personal Salvation through the acceptance of Jesus	Leviticus 23:4-8 Exodus 12:1-17, 24, 26-27 Exodus 2:23-24; 6:5-8; 13:3,14 1 Cor 5:6-7 John 8:34 John 1:29 1 Peter 2:5 Galatians 4:3-5,9; 5:1; 2 Peter 2:19 Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5 Hebrews 10:1-10 John 1:36 John 13:1-16 Luke 22:13-20
Unleavened Bread Matzoh symbol: matzoh BREAD	Hurried travel from Egypt for escape to liberty	Churches purification through holiness to be ready as the bride of Jesus	Believer's purging of "the sin that so easily besets us."	Exodus 12:15-20 1 Cor 5:7-8 Leviticus 23:4,6-14
FirstFruits B’Korrim symbol: a sheaf of the first harvest.	Crossing Red Sea - the first taste of freedom.	Jesus rose as guarantee of resurrection to the church	Believer's assurance of resurrection through the resurrection of Jesus	Leviticus 23:7-14
Weeks/Pentecost Shavu’ot	Giving of the law on the stone.	Giving of the Holy Spirit - the law in their heart	Personal experiecne of the Holy Spirit's power or rejuvenation.	Leviticus 23:9-22 Deut 16:9-12

Summertime: Time to labor; there are no feasts until the Fall .
This represents the Church Age. And the struggle of the individual believer into santification.

Abel started with the sacrifice by bringing a lamb while Cain started with the agricultural offering. It did make a difference. Cain was announcing that he do not need a redemption, and he himself is his own redeemer.

As we have mentioned, the Sabbath is not included in the cycle of seven festivals but runs through the year. It is the unifying underlying feature of the plan of God. The Scripture indicates that there is a cycle of 7 portrayed all through as is shown in the table below:

Extending this concept of Sevens, Rabbis deducted that human history will extend over 7 milleniums when everything will be restored and a new and higher dimensional cycle of sevens will start. This will contain 6 millenium of toil and struggle culminating in the sabbath millenium of rest for mankind in the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Messiah would reign in person over all the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 24:21-23). Christian Eschatological understanding based on the revelation given to John corroborates this. However the inclusion of the new Israel brings in a new seven cycle within the history. The final age for the church is the raptured church which becomes the wife of the lamb. The Church age goes through seven periods within the seven ages of the gentile period and culminates in the rapture of the church.

There are various harvests that are represented in the festival. The first festival season of Nissan is related to the barley harvest. Barley is an emergency food and not the everyday food which is wheat. Wheat harvest is connected with the pentecost. However the season of trumpets, festival of lights and of taberancle is closely related to wine harvest and olive harvest. While wheat harvest is important as it is the major food component, wine and olives are special that they represent joy and exuberance and excellency. As the barley harvest represents the Israel, the wheat harvest represents the Church, there is a final harvest which is more excellent that these at the end times when the trumpet calls. Win represent both life and judgement because of the color.

SEASON	FESTIVALS
Spring Latter rains Barley Harvest	Passover Unleavened Bread (a seven day festival) First Fruits (Waving of the first sheafs of Barley)
Planting of vines.
Early Summer Wine tending Wheat Harvest	Pentecost
Summer Dry season begins
Grapes havest Festival of Wine.
Fall Early rains	Trumpets Atonement Tabernacles (a seven day festival)
Ploughing Season Wheat and barley sowing
Winter
Rain
Latter rain

Trumpets Rosh HaShannah Celebrates creation of the world	The creation of Jews as a nation under God	The call of the church into heaven. Rapture.	Call of individual into heaven. Rapture	Leviticus 23:23-25
Day of Atonement Yom Kippur	Awesome Day of the Lord. Judgemetn of the Nations.	Church made perfect.	Bema - Judgement of the beleivers for rewards and crowns.	Lev. 16:1-34 23:26-32 Isaiah 34:5-6
Tabernacles Sukkot Rememberance of 40 years of wandering	Redemption of Israel	God with us	With Jesus in glory!	Leviticus 23:33-44 Neh 8 Zechariah 14:16-19 Zechariah 14:1-4, 9

The Week	Length	Description	Scripture
1) Week of Days	7 days	God's basic pattern. Six days of toil followed by a Sabbath day of rest.	Genesis 1:31 - 2:3 Exodus 31:12-17
2) Week of Weeks	49 days	Seven weeks from the feast of First Fruits to the feast of Pentecost.	Deuteronomy 16:9-12 Leviticus 23:15-16
3) Week of Months	7 months	The seven months of the Hebrew religious calender wher all seven of the Jewish feasts falls every year.	Deuteronomy 16 Leviticus 23
4) Week Years	7 years	The Sabbath for the land. The land has to rest every seventh year.	Leviticus 25:1-7
5) Week of Weeks of Years	49 years	Year of Jubilee when every man returns to their own heritage totally redeemed from all bondages.	Leviticus 28:8-17
7) Week of Weeks of Daniel	490 years	God redeems Israel	Daniel 9:24-27
8)Week of Milleniums	7000 Years	History of Mankind from creation to Christ's Millenium Rule	Genesis 3 - Revelation
9) Week of Church Age	Seven Ages	From Pentecost to Rapture	Rev. 2-3