The Feasts of Israel and the Messiah

The seven feasts of Israel, given by God to Moses, are a significant and often misunderstood part of the Old Testament. They remembered past events, and pointed to the future,  foreshadowing events to be fulfilled in the person and work of the Messiah.

One thing to understand is that Jesus fulfilled the first four of these feasts, literally and precisely, during His first coming. The final three feasts are yet to be fulfilled and correspond to the events of His second coming. This is important because if Jesus fulfilled the first feasts in their entirety, He must also fulfil the latter ones when He comes again.

The feasts of Israel are celebrated in this order: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost (Weeks), Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Christ has fulfilled the first four; the final three await their fulfilment.

Jesus’ Observance of the Feasts

Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus lived as a devout Jew in obedience to the Law of Moses. This included participation in the appointed feasts, which were central to Jewish life. The Gospels record Him travelling to Jerusalem for these holy days.

His attendance was a public statement of His identity as a son of Israel. From a young age, He was taken to Jerusalem for the Passover (Luke 2:41-42). During His ministry, His presence at the feasts provided a stage for His teachings. He used the symbolism of these occasions to reveal His nature and purpose. At the Feast of Tabernacles, a celebration involving a water-drawing ceremony, Jesus stood and declared, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn 7:37), identifying Himself as the source of living water.

Most significantly, at His final Passover, He reinterpreted the meal around Himself. He took the unleavened bread and the wine (the core elements of the Passover Seder) and presented them as symbols of His body and blood, instituting the New Covenant (Luke 22:19-20). He stepped into these prophetic events that had been remembered through these feasts for centuries and declared Himself to be the reality to which they had always pointed.

The Fulfilled Spring Feasts

The first three feasts, often called the spring feasts, are connected. Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits occur in succession during the first month of the Jewish calendar, Nisan. This creates an extended period of observance where the events and themes of each feast overlap. The Passover meal on the 14th of Nisan leads into the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which begins on the 15th. During this week, the Feast of First Fruits is celebrated on the day after the Sabbath. The book of Leviticus outlines their timing:

‘These are the appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread… you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it… You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.’ (Lev. 23:4-6, 10-11, 15-16, NASB 1995)

This period aligns with the final events of Christ’s life on earth.

Passover: The Lamb of God

The Feast of Passover has its origins in the Israelite captivity in Egypt. In judgement, God sent ten plagues against the Egyptians for Pharoah’s refusal to release the Israelites from slavery. It is in response to the tenth and final plague that this feast first occurred.

God commanded each Israelite household to select a year-old male lamb without defect, sacrifice it, and apply its blood to the top and sides of their doorframes. That night, the angel of death passed through Egypt, killing the firstborn in every house. When the angel saw the blood on the doorposts of the Israelite homes, he “passed over” them, and the inhabitants were spared. This act of faith and obedience saved them from death and led to their liberation. God then commanded that Passover be observed as a perpetual ordinance, a memorial for all generations.

Jesus is the fulfilment of this picture. The New Testament epistles explicitly identify Him in this role. The Apostle Paul states, “For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). John the Baptist identified Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). The timing of His final days aligns with the Passover commands. The lambs were selected on the tenth day of the month; Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the tenth of Nisan, presenting Himself to the nation. The lambs were sacrificed on the fourteenth day, “at twilight.” Jesus was crucified on the fourteenth day and died at the ninth hour (3 p.m.) the time the high priest was sacrificing the Passover lamb in the Temple.

The requirement for the lamb to be without blemish pointed to Christ’s sinless nature. This was confirmed when He was examined by Pontius Pilate, who declared, “I find no guilt in this man.” The Apostle Peter echoes this theme, writing that believers are redeemed “with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:19). The command in Exodus 12:46 that “you shall not break any of its bones” was also fulfilled. When the Roman soldiers came to hasten the deaths of those crucified, they broke the legs of the two criminals, but seeing Jesus was already dead, they did not break His legs (John 19:33-36). Jesus was the perfect sacrifice whose blood provides salvation from death for all who believe.

Unleavened Bread: The Sinless Sacrifice

Immediately following the Passover sacrifice, the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread began. The command for this feast was the removal of all leaven (yeast) from Israelite homes. This act carried spiritual meaning. In scripture, leaven symbolises sin and corruption. It is an agent that permeates and puffs up dough, just as sin can corrupt a person or a community. Jesus used this metaphor when He warned His disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” referring to their teaching and hypocrisy (Matt. 16:6).

Jesus is the fulfilment of this feast. The Passover Lamb had to be without blemish, and the offering of Unleavened Bread had to be without leaven. Jesus, the “bread of life” (Jn 6:35), was without sin. His body was laid in the tomb as the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. His burial during this feast symbolised a sinless offering given to God. His body did not see decay in the grave (Acts 2:27).

The application for believers is made explicit by the Apostle Paul. He connects Christ’s sacrifice to the believer’s call to holiness, using the imagery of this feast: “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7-8). Christ’s sacrifice makes believers pure, and they are called to live out that reality by removing the “leaven” of sin from their lives.

First Fruits: The Resurrection and the Life

The Feast of First Fruits was celebrated on “the day after the Sabbath” during the week of Unleavened Bread. On this day, the high priest would take a sheaf of barley from the harvest and wave it before the Lord in the Temple. This act acknowledged that the harvest belonged to God and served as a promise that the full harvest was coming.

The timing of Jesus’ resurrection aligns with this feast. He was crucified on Passover, remained in the tomb during the Sabbath, and rose from the grave on the first day of the week—the day the priest was waving the sheaf of first fruits in the Temple. His resurrection was the fulfilment of this feast.

The Apostle Paul provides the theological explanation of this event. He writes, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). The term “first fruits” signifies that His resurrection is the pattern for, and guarantee of, the resurrection of all believers. The quality of the first fruit sheaf indicated the character of the harvest to come. In the same way, Christ’s resurrected body is the prototype for the bodies believers will receive. Paul continues: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor. 15:22-23). His resurrection secures the promise that those in Him will also conquer death.

Pentecost: The Harvest

Also known as the Feast of Weeks, Pentecost was celebrated fifty days after the Feast of First Fruits. It marked the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. The offering for this feast was unique: two loaves of bread baked with leaven were waved before the Lord. This prophetically pointed to the harvest of souls that would begin after Christ’s resurrection.

The inclusion of leaven is significant. While leaven symbolised sin during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, pointing to Christ’s purity, its inclusion here points to the reality of the Church. The two loaves are often understood to represent two groups—Jew and Gentile—brought together into one body through the gospel. The leaven signifies that this new body, the Church, while redeemed, is comprised of human beings who still contend with sin.

Fifty days after Christ’s resurrection, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers in Jerusalem. A sound like a wind came, tongues of fire rested on them, and they began to speak in other languages. The Church was born in that moment. When Peter preached the gospel, three thousand people believed, were baptised, and were added to the Church that day. These believers were the “first fruits” of the new covenant harvest, as James writes, “He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures” (Jas 1:18).

A parallel exists between the Old and New Covenants concerning this day. Jewish tradition holds that the Feast of Weeks is the anniversary of the day the Law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. On that day, in response to the sin of the golden calf, three thousand people were killed (Exod. 32:28). In contrast, on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given, three thousand souls were saved. This illustrates the truth declared by Paul: “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). The Law could only reveal sin and bring condemnation. The Spirit, however, writes the law on human hearts, empowering believers to live in a new relationship with God.

The Unfulfilled Autumn Feasts

The final three feasts—Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles—are interrelated and point to the events of the end times.

The Feast of Trumpets

This feast, also known as Rosh Hashanah, marks the start of the Jewish civil new year. In the Old Testament, it was called Yom Teruah, the “day of blowing.”

‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.’ (Lev. 23:24, NASB 1995)

The blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn) was a summons for Israel. It could signal an assembly, a warning of war, or the announcement of an event. This feast initiated a ten-day period of repentance and self-examination, known as the Days of Awe, which culminated on the Day of Atonement. It was a time to prepare for judgment.

Its prophetic significance points to the return of Christ. The New Testament uses the imagery of a trumpet blast to announce the second coming and the resurrection of believers. Jesus identified a trumpet as the signal for the gathering of His people:

‘And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.’ (Matt. 24:31, NASB 1995)

The Apostle Paul expands on this, connecting the trumpet sound to the moment believers are resurrected.

‘For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.’ (1 Thess. 4:16, NASB 1995)

‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.’ (1 Cor. 15:52, NASB 1995)

The fulfilment of the Feast of Trumpets will be the ultimate divine summons. The sound of God’s trumpet will signal the end of the age, the resurrection of the dead in Christ, and the gathering of all believers to meet the Lord.

The Day of Atonement

In the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, was the most solemn day of the year. It was the one day the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the nation. The ritual, detailed in Leviticus 16, involved two goats. The first was sacrificed, and the High Priest would carry its blood behind the veil and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. This act atoned for the sins of the people. For the second goat, the “scapegoat,” the priest would lay his hands on its head and confess the iniquities of Israel over it. This goat was then led into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away the nation’s sins.

Christ’s death was the fulfilment of this picture. He was both the sacrifice and the High Priest. The book of Hebrews explains that He entered the true Holy of Holies, heaven itself, “not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). His sacrifice was a “once for all” event that cleansed sin (Heb. 9:26). He also fulfilled the role of the scapegoat, who “bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24), removing them.

This raises a question: if Christ has made atonement, how is this feast unfulfilled? The distinction lies between the act of atonement and its appropriation. Christ’s death was sufficient for all sin, but its benefits are applied to those who believe. The feast’s future fulfilment involves a national turning of Israel to their Messiah.

The Apostle Paul spoke of a “partial hardening” that has happened to Israel, which has opened the door for the salvation of the Gentiles. This hardening is not permanent.

‘and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”’ (Rom. 11:26, NASB 1995)

This national repentance at His second coming was also prophesied by Zechariah:

‘so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son…’ (Zech. 12:10, NASB 1995)

The fulfilment of the Day of Atonement will occur when the nation of Israel, at the return of Christ, recognises Him as the Messiah. On that day, they will mourn and repent, and the benefits of His atoning work will be applied to the nation. This will mark the completion of the purpose prophesied in Daniel’s vision for his people: “to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, [and] to bring in everlasting righteousness” (Dan. 9:24).

The Feast of Tabernacles

This final feast, also called the Feast of Booths or Sukkot, was a joyful, week-long celebration commanded by God to commemorate the 40 years Israel wandered in the wilderness.

‘You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ (Lev. 23:42-43, NASB 1995)

During this time, the people would live in temporary shelters made of branches, reminding them of their dependence on God. It was a celebration of His provision and His presence with them in the Tabernacle. It was the final harvest festival of the year, a time of rejoicing known as “the season of our joy.”

Its future fulfilment points to the dwelling of Christ on earth during His millennial kingdom. The central theme of the feast is God “tabernacling” or dwelling with His people. This was foreshadowed when Jesus first came. The Gospel of John says the Word “became flesh, and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). The Greek word for “dwelt” is skenoó, which means “to pitch a tent” or “to tabernacle.” Christ’s incarnation was a step in God once again dwelling with humanity.

The ultimate fulfilment of this feast will occur after Christ’s second coming, when He establishes His kingdom on earth. This is the final “ingathering,” where He will gather His people to live in peace under His rule. The prophet Zechariah makes this connection explicit, stating that after the Lord returns, the survivors of the nations will celebrate this feast.

‘Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.’ (Zech. 14:16, NASB 1995)

The Feast of Tabernacles represents the goal of God’s redemptive plan: the joy of dwelling in the presence of the King. Just as the Israelites rejoiced in their shelters looking back at God’s faithfulness, the redeemed will rejoice in the reality of Christ’s reign, looking upon the King who tabernacles with them.

Conclusion

The feasts of Israel foreshadow God’s redemptive plan. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the spring feasts. To be the Messiah of scripture, He must be both the suffering servant of His first coming and the conquering king of His second. Therefore, we have reason to believe He will fulfil the autumn feasts in the same way. Any interpretation that dismisses the literal nature of His return ignores the pattern God has established and neglects the scriptural testimony concerning Israel and the Church.