The Levitical Feasts: Their Spiritual & Symbolic Meanings for Christ & The Church (Exodus 12; Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 16)

Sunday, March 19, 2006

By Richard Geer

See also:

• Day of Atonement = The Gospel / Power of Christ’s Blood
• Jesus Fulfills The Feasts

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INTRODUCTION

Definitions

Feast, Festivals defined: Hebrew Chag or Chagag: Festival or victim, a celebration the sense of moving in a circle, march in a solemn procession; reel to and fro.

Symbols

• Gold – Divinity
• Silver– Atonement, reconciliation (Ex. 30:13-16)
• Brass– Judgment (not mentioned in Levitical feasts)
• Wood—Humanity
• The Number 2—True Israel of the Natural & Wild Olive Branches (Ro. 11:16-26; Eph. 2:11-16)
• Olive Oil—the Holy Spirit
• Fine Sifted Flour—Purity of the Body of Christ before…
• Fire—Suffering Trials, Also the Word of God
• Leaven—Corruption; Also the Ability to Spread
• Wilderness—Sojourn of God’s Remnant (True Body) In this Physical World.

Common Elements & Principles of the Levitical Festivals.

All Feasts represent Spiritual Realities in the Present age of the Church in the Wilderness.

1. Sabbath Rests: Holy Convocations (Lev. 23:3,7-8, 21, 25, 31-2, 35-6, 38. Heb. 3:7-4:12). We are all called to enter Christ’s Sabbath rest through faith in His finished work as long as it is called today. Also now is the day of Salvation.
2. All Involve Wilderness Journey: Christ’s Literal Physical Body and also Christ’s Church Body (No less physical, but acting out mission here on Earth. The Spiritual Wilderness of Sin though we see the Holy City by Faith (Heb. 12:18-24) and approach Zion we are not yet there.
3. Sacrifice: 1st Christ (Heb. 10:10-12), and also the Church (Heb. 13:15-16; I Pet. 2:5) etc. We are called to be living sacrifices unto God.

THE FESTIVALS – 7 FEASTS BROKEN UP INTO 3 CONVOCATIONS BEGINS WITH THE WEEKLY SABBATH.

1ST Month- Nisan or Abib; Religious New Year

Passover: The day Christ was hanging on the Cross they were actually killing the symbolic lambs in Israel. Observed on the 14th day of the month. Lambs actually purchased on the tenth of the month. (Zech. 11:12-13, Matt. 26:14-19, John 13:1-2)

Unleavened: Bread 7 days this was to be celebrated symbolic of Daniel’s 70th week Included in Passover

First fruits: Celebrated the first day of the week after the Sabbath, after the Passover, which means that when they waved the sheaf of the first fruits Christ was being raised from the dead. (Matt. 28:1-7; John 20:1)

Fifty Days After the Celebration of the Firstfruits Symbolic of the Year of Jubilee, but for all time the Slaves have been set free (Lev. 25:1-4)

Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks: The birth of the Church—Celebrated by presenting to the Lord 2 loaves of leavened bread as firstfruits to the Lord. Christ began as the firstfruits, we become such because of His sacrifice and our identification with Him and His cross.

7th Month – Tishri (Rosh Hoshanna- lit. Head of the Year)

This is still first month of civil or secular year. But also the seventh month and considered a Sabbath month symbolizing the Church entering Christ’s Rest. (Heb. 3:7-19-4:1-12.) This is the date that Abraham is supposedly have taken Isaac to be sacrificed According to Jewish tradition.

• Feast of Trumpets: Yom T’ruah lit. Day of Blowing celebrated on the 1st of the month. A reminder, an announcement. Both Kinds of Horns Were Blown:
  • The Twin Silver Trumpets: That Were Blown Every New Moon (Symbolic of Atonement made out of one piece of hammered metal symbolizing the unity of both the Jews and the Gentiles, Nu. 10:10)
  • Shofar: The Ram’s Horn Symbolic of the Substitute Ram for Isaac, and also of the Future Substitute: Jesus Christ. (Gen. 21:9-14)
• Day of Atonement: Yom Kippur or Yom Hakipurrim lit. The Day of Covering or Concealing (Col. 3:3; Ro.5:11 etc.) Most solemn day of the year in Jewish tradition when they actually got around to observing it after the Babylon Captivity. Celebrated on the 10th of the month, same day as the purchase of the lambs in the first month. But now indicating the continual efficaciousness of the sacrifice of cross throughout the ages.
  • Scapegoat driven into the wilderness taking the sins of Israel with it
  • Sacrificial goat –slain as a sin offering for the nation of Israel
• Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) Sukkoth: Called the festival of the ingathering. This is the age of the world after the Temple veil was rent and the spirit was poured out upon all flesh. Celebrated on the Fifteenth day of the month and going on for seven days + one.
  • Symbolizing the church’s sojourn on this Earth. It was instituted in the literal Wilderness of Sin as a reminder to the Israelites that he made them dwell in booths after taking them out of Egypt. As we are taken out of Egypt spiritually we are also commanded to work in this world. (John 17:14-16)
    • Booths or tents made out of trees Symbolic of all the nations of the world use of conifer, beautiful (leafy), palm, and swampy trees. We live in tents as well until the second coming of our Lord. (II Cor. 5:1-8; Rev. 20:9)
    • Eighth day final burnt offering we will be asked to go through fire to judge all of our works (I Cor. 3:11-15)

OTHER INTERESTING DETAILS

Year of Jubilee: Every 50th year /Pentecost 50th day after First fruits on Year/day formula. Ezek 4:6 show that both are about setting the captives free and the ultimate ingathering of the harvest.

Daniel’s 70th week. Jesus actual death in both the middle of the week.

He was three days and three nights in the tomb, and if he was crucified in the middle of the Actual week as indicated. There was still 3 ½ literal days for the unleavened feast to play out after the feast of the First Fruits, and there was still 3 ½ years before the grafting in of the gentile nations was to commence. It was in the exact middle of both the day and years (The Literal, and the Prophetic).