The Feasts of Israel commemorated what the Lord had done for them in their history, and anticipated what He was going to do for them in the future. New Testament believers may feel these feasts are irrelevant to Christian life. However, these feasts are teeming with spiritual truths that are relevant for the modern Christian.
The Passover. The Passover commemorated God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. This feast comes first because its representative of that which comes first in redemption – the Lamb slain for sinners.
The Feast of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks). Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after the Passover. The word “pente” in the Greek means fifty. This feast observes the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, and the celebration of the firstfruits of harvest. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The apostle Paul said that we have been given the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:23).
The Feast of Trumpets. This feast took place on Israel’s New Year’s day. The sound of the trumpets was a call for Israel to regather to celebrate the two following feasts, The Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. One of these days, the trump will sound, and the Church will be gathered together to Him (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Thess. 2:1).
The Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement was one of the most important feasts for Israel. This was the one day of the year the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle or Temple and sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. This was for the atonement of sins. For the Christian, Jesus Christ offered His own blood for the forgiveness of sins.
The Feast of Tabernacles. This fruit harvest festival was the most joyous celebration of the year. It reminded Israel of God’s blessings in the wilderness, and looked forward to the blessings in the Promised Land. As Christians, we are blessed while here in the world. But there is a day coming when we will be with the Lord and enjoy Him forever.