The Feasts Of Israel
This material draws heavily from “Armageddon: Appointment With Destiny” by Grant R. Jeffrey, 1988, Frontier Research Publications, Toronto, Ontario. Some of the information is different from Jeffrey’s treatment. It should not be assumed that he would agree to every item listed below. See his book for Scriptures and detailed explanations. Footnotes indicate other sources. Footnote references to “Missler” indicate information from Chuck Missler’s Briefing Packages or Personal Update, his monthly newsletter
NAMES IN ALL CAPS INDICATE THE SEVEN PRESCRIBED FEASTS OF MOSES.
The three that have three asterisks (***) in front of them are the ones which every able male was expected to attend.
Note that of the seven prescribed feasts of Moses, the first three all have to do with the First Coming of Christ, the last three have to do with the Second Coming, and the one in the middle, Pentecost, is the birth date of the Church.
According to Colossians 2:16-17, holy days are a shadow of things to come.
Leviticus 23 -is the key passage which describes the seven feasts.
The feasts were figures of things to come. It is very surprising how many of the most important events in Jewish and Christian history have occurred on one of these dates, especially when one notices the correlation between the events and what the corresponding feast originally signified.
The Jewish people had an old civil calendar that started in the month of Tishri, but when Passover was instituted, the month of Nissan became the first month of their religious calendar.
CALENDAR OF FEASTS AND FASTS
Nisan – First month of the new (religious) calendar (Seventh month of the ancient (civil) calendar)
(March/April) First of Nisan – New Year
• Dedication of the Tabernacle Exodus 40:17
• Cleansing of the Temple by Hezekiah 2 Chronicles 29:2,3,17
• Ezra and the exiles began their return from Babylon Ezra 7:9
• Decree for Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem Nehemiah 2:1-8 Tenth of Nisan
• Sanctification of the Passover Lamb Exodus 12:3-6
• Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land Joshua 3:5; 4:19
• Christ was “Cut Off” on Palm Sunday Daniel 9:26
According to calculations by Sir Robert Anderson in his book The Coming Prince, sixty-nine “weeks” of years (prophetic years of lunar months = 360 days) occurred from March 14, 445 BC. in the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus, until April 6, AD. 32. 1 Kings 8:2,65; Nehemiah 8:14-18. See Anderson, Sir Robert
• Possible date for the Millennial Temple Ezekiel 40:1-2
Fourteenth of Nisan
*** THE PASSOVER SUPPER
Leviticus 23:4-5
• God’s covenant with Abraham- The Promised Land – Genesis 15:18
• Passover Supper eaten in preparing for the Exodus – Exodus 12:41
• First Passover in Canaan – Covenant renewed Joshua 5:11-12
• The Book of the Law found/reaffirmed (Josiah) 2 Chronicles 34:2-3, 14, 31ff
• Dedication of the Second Temple Ezra 6:16-19
• The Last Supper – New Covenant Luke 22:19-20
• The Crucifixion – John 12:23-24,27-28 later the same Jewish day (Not suggested by Jeffrey)
Fifteenth of Nisan
THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
Leviticus 23:6-8
• Exodus journey from bondage of Egypt began Exodus 12:41
• Purification of Disciples
(Grant Jeffrey suggests the Crucifixion took place on this date.)
• Final fall of Jewish resistance at Massada
(Josephus)
Seventeenth of Nisan
FIRSTFRUITS
Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:9-14 • . Noah’s Ark rested on Mount Ararat Genesis 8:4
• Israel Miraculously crossed over the Red Sea Exodus 14
• Israel ate the firstfruits of the promised Land Joshua 5:10-12
(Passover – 14th- Old corn – 15th, Last time Manna given – 16th, New fruit – 17th)
• The Resurrection of Jesus Christ 1 Corinthians 15:20; Matthew 27:52-53
Sivan – Third Month
(May/June) Sixth of Sivan (50 Days after Feast of Firstfruits)
***THE FEAST OF WEEKS
Leviticus 23:16,21
(Pentecost – 50 days) (Feast of Harvest)
• The Law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai Exodus 19 and Rabbinical teachings
• Death of David
(Missler, Personal Update, May 1994, pp. 10-11.)
• Birthday and date of Elijah’s translation
(tradition)
(Ibid. – Missler says there were three groups of people facing the judgment of the flood of Noah:
1- Those that perished in the flood.
2. Those that were preserved through the flood (in the Ark)
3- Those that were removed prior to the judgment – Enoch
Missler also feels this could be the date for The Rapture. He shows this is the only feast which allowed leavened bread (Gentile flavor), and that this is also known as the Feast of Harvest, and that Jesus used “the harvest” as an idiom to refer to the ingathering of believers.)
• Giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church Acts 2:1-4
Tammuz – Fourth Month
(June/July)
Seventeenth Day of Tammuz – Zechariah 8:19
The Fast of Mourning
(Begins 3 weeks of mourning until 9th of Av)
• Moses broke the tablets of Law Exodus 19:18
• Babylonian army broke through walls of Jerusalem and caused the daily sacrifice to cease (Jewish commentators)
• Roman armies attacked the Temple Mount and forced the priests to stop the daily sacrifice (Josephus)
Av – Fifth Month
(July/August)
Ninth of Av
The Fast of Tisha Be-Av – Zechariah 7:5
• The twelve spies returned with their report.
• Solomon’s Temple destroyed by Babylonians (587 BC.) Lamentations 2:7; Zechariah 8:9
• Destruction of the Second Temple by Romans
(70 AD.)
• England expelled all Jews (1290 AD.) (Until Lord Cromwell, 1657 Right of Jewish Settlement)
• Spain expelled all Jews (1492 AD.)
• World War I declared (1914)- Russian persecution of Jews
Tishri – Seventh Month (First month of the ancient (civil) calendar)
(September/October)
First of Tishri
ROSH HASHANAH
Ancient New Year’s Day (Civil)
(The Feast of Trumpets)
Leviticus 23:23-24
• Joshua brought first offering to the rebuilt altar Ezra 3:6
• . Ezra read the Law to the returned exiles Nehemiah 8
• . Possible date for Rapture
(Not included in Jeffrey’s’ list. Any day is possible for The Rapture. We can not know the day or the hour, but this is a distinct possibility.)
• Possible date for Battle of Armageddon
• Missler thinks this is possible date of Birth of Christ (Sept. 29 2 BC.). (Missler, Personal Update, September, 1995, p. 14 and December, 1995, pp. 9-10.) We prefer to think the Feast of Tabernacles, just two weeks later the same year is even better.
Third of Tishri
Fast of Gedaliah
Not included by Jeffrey. Missler says, “While this is not a ‘Feast of Moses,’ it is observed by many Jews in memory of the slaying of Gedaliah, appointed by the Babylonians as governor of Judah after the capture of Jerusalem in 586 BC.” (Missler, Personal Update, September, 1994, p. 14.)
Tenth of Tishri
YOM KIPPUR
The Day of Atonement
Leviticus 23:26-32
• Aaron, the first High Priest, made atonement for Israel
Leviticus 16
• Israel saved from annihilation when the Arabs overran their defenses in the Yom Kippur War (October, 1973)
• Possible date when Israel will mourn when they see their Messiah whom they have pierced.
Fifteenth of Tishri
*** THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Leviticus 23:33-34, 42-43
• Dedication of Solomon’s Temple 2 Chronicles 5:2-3
• Dedication of the Second Temple (rebuilt) Nehemiah 8:14-18
• Possible date of the Birth of Christ
(Not included by Jeffrey, but the theme of the feast and the time of year fits.)
• Possible ushering in of the Kingdom Age
Chisleu – Ninth Month
(November/December)
Twenty-Fourth of Chisleu(Kislev)
Day before Hanukkah
• Foundation of the Second Temple laid (520 BC.) Haggai 2:18-19
• Abolition of temple sacrifice by Antiochus IV (168 BC.)
• Recapture of the Temple and cleansing of Sanctuary (165 BC.)
• Jerusalem freed from Turkish rule (1917)
• Possible date of defeat of Russian invasion of Israel Ezekiel 38 and 39
Twenty-Fifth of Chisleu
Hanukkah
(Not included directly by Jeffrey, but included in previous date, 24th of Chisleu.)
(Feast of Lights, Feast of Dedication)
• Possible date of the conception of Christ
• Possible date of the visit of the Magi (one year later)
Adar – Twelfth Month
(December/January)
Fourteenth and Fifteenth of Adar
Feast of Purim Book of Esther
• Jews delivered in Queen Esther’s time
• Israel spared – Saddam Hussein’s Gulf War, 1991
(The last day of the war just “happened” to be the Feast of Purim. God delivered His people again!)