Alrighty, I’ve got some exciting stuff for you today.
Let’s close out this section of Deuteronomy 16 by seeing how Yeshua and his prophetic ministry parallels the Biblical feasts.
PESACH (Passover)
Of course, Passover represents Yeshua’s substitutionary and ATONING death. Remember, he was crucified on Passover day and we are told that if we have faith in his shed blood and have faith in him, we will be saved from eternal death.
For a traditional Jewish understanding of this concept, I again share this quote from a book titled “The Way of God” written by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato otherwise known as RAMCHAL.
“As a result of this principle, suffering and pain may be imposed on a tzaddik (righteous person) as an atonement for his entire generation. This tzaddik must then accept the suffering with love for the benefit of his generation, just as he accepts the suffering imposed upon him for his own sake. In doing so, he benefits his generation by atoning for it, and at the same time is himself elevated to a very great degree. For a tzaddik such as this is made into one of the leaders in the Community of the Future World, as discussed earlier.”
The quote then goes on to say…
“The world and everything in it are in a degraded evil state, and require that God’s unfathomable wisdom bring about the numerous chains of events to achieve their rectification. Among the more important elements of this sequence is the requirement that man must be punished for his wickedness until the Attribute of Justice is satisfied. God arranged matters, however, so that select perfect individuals could rectify things for others, as discussed earlier. The Attribute of Justice therefore relates to them rather than to the rest of the world in general.”
The above is indeed a quote the anti-missionaries do NOT want you to ever see.
Another point I feel compelled to mention is that the lamb sacrificed on Passover is NOT part of Levitical sacrificial system, so to say that Yeshua’s death did away with the Law is as nonsensical as you can get.
MATZAH (Feast of Unleavened Bread)
The first day Feast of MATZAH is the day when Yeshua went into the tomb. And just as Matzah does not decay because it has no leaven, Yeshua’s body did not decay because he knew no sin.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”-2 Corinthians 5:21
“You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in him there is no sin.”-1 John 3:5
“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”-Hebrews 4:15
BIKKURIM (FirstFruits)
Recall that Firstfruits represents the day when the very first of what would be harvested in the near future is lifted up and waved before the HASHEM. It is a day filled with anxiety and anticipation. In other words, that green sheaf of Barley that was cut from the field symbolizes hope and the resurrection harvest of all believers in the future…because Yeshua as our Messiah arose on FirstFruits!!!
However, Yeshua’s rising up was NOT the first of the actual harvest.
It was a precursor of the Harvest to come!
“But Yeshua has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”-1 Corinthians 15:20
Yeshua said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die“.-John 11:25
The first three feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and FirstFruits ought to have goosebumps doing sprints up and down our spinal cord!
For in them, the whole sequence of Yeshua’s death, burial and resurrection are demonstrated!
Next up we have…
SHAVUOT (Feast of Weeks or Pentecost)
Shavuot occurred 50 days after FirstFruits and represents the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon a whole group of Jewish Yeshua believers from every corner of the world in great power. From the perspective of Shavuot, we can say the Lord harvested His believers on that day. God put those away who are His for safekeeping and no one can ever take their salvation away from them.
ROSH HASHANAH (Feast of Trumpets)
This feast represents the second coming of Yeshua as he descends from the clouds as Messiah Ben David, Israel’s mighty warrior and King. When the trumpet blasts for the Feast of Trumpets go off, this will also be the call for all of God’s chosen ones to assemble!
YOM KIPPUR (Day of Atonement)
On this somber day, the Israelites either lived or died. The High Priest of Israel entered the Holy of Holies to make a sacrifice on behalf of himself and Israel. Obviously, this day represents the ultimate atoning work of Messiah. Yom Kippur also seems to go hand-in-hand with Yeshua’s second coming as expressed in Zechariah 12:10.
“and I will pour out on the house of David
and on those living in Yerushalayim
a spirit of grace and prayer;
and they will look to me, whom they pierced.”
They will mourn for him
as one mourns for an only son;
they will be in bitterness on his behalf
like the bitterness for a firstborn son.”
-Zechariah 12:10
We shall continue the next we meet.
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