There is a lot of confusion around so-called "Jewish" Feasts. Here is some clarity.

Cadence for the Year

The change in weather is bringing with it the biblical feasts. I say biblical feasts, but what they really are, are YHWH's feasts.

He says in Leviticus 23:1-2:

And in Leviticus 23:4:

These feasts and appointed times follow the harvest seasons. During the spring feasts, the barley is being harvested. During the summer feast, the wheat. And during the fall feasts, the grapes are ready for harvesting.

The fall feasts are upon us, and it will be time to start celebrating them.

What Are YHWH's Feasts?

YHWH's feasts are real life illustrations of how Yehushua the Messiah, became and did the redemptive work for humanity. YHWH (Almighty God) instituted these yearly events that were to be remembered and celebrated with time and resources. Over hundreds of years, the people who obeyed our Heavenly Father celebrated these appointed times. Most thought that the celebrating was only to remember what YHWH had done for His people. What they didn't realize is that they were pointing to something greater, namely, the coming of Messiah and the work He would do in obedience to His Father.

For example:
Passover was thought to only remember and celebrate how YHWH brought Israel out of Egypt and out of slavery. But that was only part of the story. The more substantial reason is that Messiah would come to earth, be born as a baby, born of a virgin, live a sinless life, and be the Lamb of God.

Why Lamb of God? Because only a spotless lamb would qualify to be sacrificed on Passover.

So these feasts are instituted so YHWH's people, as they continue to remember and celebrate, would be able to recognize when the more important reason comes on the scene.

Feast of Weeks is the same. First remembered as YHWH (Almighty God) giving the covenant on Mt. Sinai. But the more substantial event was the giving of the New Covenant and the Holy Spirit that we read about in Acts 2.

These events happened on the same day of the year. Like Passover in Egypt and a later Passover when Messiah was crucified. These happened on the same day of the year.

What's incredible is that YHWH had this planned all along. He set aside dates and times with three in the spring: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits. All of these feasts have a corresponding answer or fulfillment from Messiah. Meaning, He, the Messiah, was the embodiment of these celebrations, and the feasts were there as a picture of Him, drawn beforehand.

The three spring feasts

• Passover – He was the Passover Lamb.

• Unleavened Bread – His body was bruised. Unleavened bread is discolored in the baking process, with darker spots where it is baked more. Unleavened bread is pierced, just like His body. Unleavened bread has no yeast. And with yeast being compared to sin in Scripture, this reflects His body and life that contained no sin.

• Firstfruits – Firstfruits are the fruits that are harvested first from the ground. These are given to God. Paul writes about the process of a seed, and how it must go into the ground and be buried. It must die so that it can then be awakened to germinate and produce another fruit tree.

Yehushua died, was placed in the ground, and was awakened to be the first resurrected unto eternal life. His resurrection to eternal life reflects this. He is the first fruit from the ground.

So what becomes very apparent is that Yehushua has fulfilled these three spring feasts.

The fourth feast is in the summer, Feast of Weeks.

This gets its fulfillment from the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. What happens in Acts 2 is the event that the Feast of Weeks was pointing to. Instead of YHWH's instruction written on stone tablets, it is written on our hearts and minds, as Jeremiah tells us the New Covenant will be administered in Jeremiah 31.

31 Behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith YHWH. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith YHWH: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know YHWH; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith YHWH: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

When I realized there were a total of seven feasts for the year, and that only four of them had been fulfilled in real time, it made me curious about the rest.

The Fall Feasts

• Trumpets

• Tabernacles

• The Last Great Day

These feasts, these appointed times, don't have a real life counterpart. In essence, they have not been fulfilled. They remain unfulfilled as I write this.

For me this is super exciting. As I remember these year after year, and I teach my family to celebrate these year after year, the possibility of seeing their fulfillment becomes greater. Of course, just like those who walked with Messiah were unaware that He was making history, they were simply obedient, and history crossed their path.

Today, I celebrate, looking forward to what YHWH might do on this day sometime in the future. But who knows, it may be that some of my offspring, many years from now, will see these appointed times fulfilled in real life.

Because I don't know what the fulfillment of these feasts will actually look like, I will give a brief description of each.

• Trumpets – The first day of the seventh month. Celebrated when you see the seventh new moon of the year (the first new moon starts the calendar and is in the spring when the wild barley is ripe for harvest).

  • What are you supposed to do? Blow the trumpets and have a Sabbath.

• Tabernacles – The 15th day through the 22nd day of the seventh moon. Live outdoors in temporary dwellings. Have a feast and celebrate before YHWH with your family. Have a Sabbath on the 1^st day and on the 8^th day. (the Last Great Day)

  • Why Celebrate – To remember that Israel lived in booths, temporary shelters, while traveling in the desert.

  • Possible Fulfillment – Remembering our temporary life in these bodies ("tents" — 2 Corinthians 5:1-10) that we live in now as compared to the eternal life we will live.

  • Also to look forward to the Millennium when we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with Messiah. Also to remember Messiah, who is called the Tabernacle of God who is with men, (Revelation 21:3).

• The Last Great Day – Celebrated immediately after Tabernacles. In the past it was celebrated with the high priest getting water from the pool of Siloam. Yehushua interrupted this ceremony and said, “If anyone thirsts, come to Me and drink…” (John 7:37-39)

  • Possible Fulfillment – There are many references to the Last Great Day, and it seems that it is fully connected to resurrection. For example, it may be fulfilled at the first resurrection and the second resurrection before the day of judgment.