The Feasts of the Lord
Updated: May 5, 2022
In Leviticus 23, God established seven feasts and told His people to observe them every year. The translated word for feasts is Strong's H4150 – mow`ed, which means several things:
An appointed time
An appointed sign or signal
A meeting place
These appointed times are prophetic in nature, as God's redemptive events are set to happen on those exact days. In fact, God describes these times as “holy convocations.” The word for convocation comes from Strong's H4744 – miqra', which means a dress rehearsal. It's as if God is directing a massively huge play and wants us to practice and prepare for opening night! Through the Feasts of the Lord it's possible to know the season when God has intersected, and will intersect, with human history to bring about His redemptive work. So far, four out of seven appointed times have been fulfilled – to the day!
The fulfilled feasts are all celebrated in the spring. They are:
Passover
Unleavened Bread
First Fruits
Pentecost
How were those feasts fulfilled?
On Passover, Jesus became the Passover lamb and was nailed to the cross. He died to atone for the sins of the world. Immediately afterward, Jesus was taken down from the cross and buried by evening, which was when the Feast of Unleavened bread started. Jesus called Himself the bread of life and He, like the bread in the feast, was unleavened (leaven represents sin in the Bible). He rose again three days later on the Feast of First Fruits. He did this to show that He was the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead (that will be Christians when we join Him in Heaven!). Fifty days after Passover, on the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out and the church began. Most people don't realize that these pivotal events happened on days God had appointed hundreds of years in advance, but they did.
Now we're watching for, and eagerly anticipating, the fulfillment of the remaining three feasts, celebrated in the fall:
Trumpets
Atonement
Tabernacles
A very important detail to notice is that these appointed times were fulfilled in order. Jesus could not resurrect without first being buried, and He couldn't be buried without first dying. Since the first four feast days were fulfilled in order, it's reasonable to expect that the remaining feast days will also be fulfilled in order.
It's generally agreed upon that Atonement foreshadows Jesus' second coming to the earth immediately after the Tribulation period, as well as Tabernacles being for when He begins to rule on earth for one thousand years. But what does the Feast of Trumpets represent?
The Feast of Trumpets
Something in God's redemptive plan happens before Jesus' return after the Tribulation. What is it?
Many believe (myself included) that Trumpets is the season when He will snatch His bride (all Christians) out of the earth in an event popularly known as the rapture of the Church.
This is the central Bible passage which deals with the rapture:
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” ~1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
How do we know that this “trumpet of God” is connected to the Feast of Trumpets? We know because of the following passage, which also focuses on the rapture event. It makes mention of something called “the last trumpet.”
“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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 shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” ~1 Corinthians 15:51-53
The last trumpet is a specific name of the last trumpet blast sounded during the Feast of Trumpets. In the Jewish mind, the connection is obvious. It's like saying “bottom of the ninth” to someone who's a fan of baseball; they immediately recognize the term is talking about a baseball game!
The biggest objection that is raised against the feasts of the Lord, and especially the Feast of Trumpets, is that “no one knows the day and hour” of Jesus' coming, so we shouldn't look for it. Actually, once you study all the instances where anyone is told that they will not know the day and hour of the Lord's coming, you'll find that the audience being addressed are foolish virgins (Matthew 25:13), unwise servants (Matthew 24:50), and spiritually dead and sleeping churches (Revelation 3:3). However, true believers in Christ are to be aware and watchful:
“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
A quick word study of “Seasons” in verse 1 is talking about a fixed or definite point in time, and is also translated as an opportunity for something to happen. He's talking about the feast days!
The video below has much more information than I can possibly share here. It's clear, concise, and full of the Bible, not just a guy talking about his own opinions. I encourage everyone to watch it at least once. :)
The Feast of Trumpets is going to be fulfilled very soon!
Make sure you're ready!
Eagerly waiting for Him,
-Daniel
Feast of Trumpets names:
Yom Harat Olam: “The Birthday of the World”
Yom Hadin: "The Day of Judgment." -The beginning of Jacob's Trouble/the Tribulation period (Zephaniah 1:14-16)
Ha Kiddushin: The Wedding of the Messiah (Joel 2:15-16)
Ha Melech: Coronation of the Messiah (Psalm 47:5-9)
Yom HaKeseh: The “Hidden Day” -“The Feast in which no one knows the day or the hour” (Zephaniah 2:3, Psalm 27:5)
“Opening of the Gates/Doors” (Psalm 24:7-10, Revelation 4:1-2)
“Day of the Awakening Blast” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:52)
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