It should come as no surprise to us that the Biblical Feasts were centered around the growing seasons given that Israel was an agricultural-based society.
The first 3 spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits were based on the FIRST of the grain harvests while the 3 fall feasts were based on the LAST of the grain harvests.
The final fall feasts were all about the final ingathering of the field crops before winter arrived and the land became lifeless.
This is also why the writers of the New Testament so often used agricultural motifs to teach on spiritual matters.
While commemorating earthly history and serving immediate practical purposes, at the same time every one of the Biblical Feasts illustrated and foreshadowed prophetic events.
I would say there is no greater example of the AS-IN-HEAVEN-SO-ON-PRINCIPLE than the 7 Biblical Feasts.
Let’s take a look at both the physical and spiritual sides of the feasts we’ve studied so far.
PASSOVER
PHYSICAL SIDE:
Passover commemorated Israel’s release from captivity in Egypt when YHVH killed all the firstborn in Egypt who did NOT obey His instructions through Moses by painting the blood of a young Ram on the doorposts of their homes.
SPIRITUAL SIDE:
THis day foreshadows the execution of Yeshua who was killed on Passover Day. Thus, just as the blood of the Passover lamb marked out believers to be spared judgment, so did Yeshua’s death for us mark us as being exempt from judgement.
Since I’ve been getting so much flack from a post I did a couple of days ago titled “Did Paul REALLY SAY Yeshua was our Passover lamb crucified for our sins?”, I believe a little further clarification is needed here.
Understand that the Passover lamb was NOT a sin offering. The lamb for the original passover was NOT even a sacrifice. The lamb was offered as a SUBSTITUTE, not as a “sacrifice“. Likewise, Yeshua was our substitute. This is where Christianity misses the point, and makes Yeshua’s death on the cross to be some bizarre human sacrifice, when his death wasn’t even a sacrifice. It was a public execution. And God allowed it to happen for atoning purposes.
The following quote should add some clarity to this point:
“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.”-RAMCHAL
FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
PHYSICAL SIDE:
Commemorates the day that Israel made bread without leavening so they could hightail it out of the land of Goshen lightning speed.
SPIRITUAL SIDE:
Commemorates Yeshua’s body being hurriedly put into the tomb because the Sabbath was coming. And just like the Matza, Yeshua’s body was also considered “unleavened” since he had led a sinless life.
FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS
PHYSICAL SIDE:
This festival celebrated the very first fruits of the New Year’s field harvest.
SPIRITUAL SIDE:
Yeshua arose from the tomb on Firstfruits as the first person to be resurrected from the dead.
SHAVUOT (Pentecost)
SPIRITUAL SIDE:
This feast was timed to begin exactly 50 days after First-fruits and was considered the second harvest of the fields.
PHYSICAL SIDE:
This was the day in the upper room when the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) manifested itself in power representing the second harvest when men were gathered into the Kingdom of God.
Next time we will begin taking a look at the FINAL Biblical Feast, the Feast of Tabernacles.
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