In Leviticus 23:2 Yehovah tells us, “These are My Appointed Times (Festivals), the holy days of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.” Yehovah’s holy days are available to all His followers. Most holy days carry spiritual symbolism and prophetic messages. They are a time of joy, worship, thanksgiving and celebration that usually includes a feast of delicious foods.
Passover / Pesach
Yeshua's Crucifixion
14th of Nisan evening
(March-April)
Jesus is crucified, dies around 3pm and buried in the tomb before sunset.
Old and New Testament
Ex, 12:1-14; Ex 19:5-6 Lev, 23:5; Num. 28:16; Deut. 16:1; Heb. 11:28, Luke 22:7-14.
Although Passover is a one night observance; the Passover Season begins and includes the 7 days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Biblical Reference
Physical Deliverance: Moses led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt to create a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for God.
Spiritual Delivereance: Yeshua (Jesus) eats the Passover meal (seder), is crucified in Jerusalem, and raised from the dead to provide salvation from sin to all people in the Kingdom of God.
Feast Unleavened Bread
7 Days
15th-21st of Nisan
(March-April)
“This is my body (unleavened bread), which is being broken for you; do this in memory of me.” Luke 22:19
Isaiah 53:5
The seven-day Feast is a week of sanctification set apart for God. You are to eat bread made without yeast and no yeast is to be found in your houses for 7 days. It is a time for putting leaven (sin) out of our lives and remembering God’s deliverance.
A reminder of the unleavened bread the Israelites ate when freed from bondage in Egypt. They had to flee so quickly there was no time to let their bread rise.
Yeshua broke unleavened bread with His disciples at his last Passover Seder meal, saying it was his body, broken for us, and in Luke 19 He said, “This is my body (unleavened bread), which is being given for you; do this in memory of me.” Unleavened bread is striped, pierced and broken, a physical reminder of Yeshua’s death.
Counting of the Omer
The Risen Savior walked the earth 40 Days
16th of Nisan
(March-April)
The Resurrected Savior walked the earth for 40 days during the Counting of the Omer.
Leviticus 23:15-21
The Counting of the Omer is the 49 Days from Passover to Shavuot (Pentecost). The sheaf (grain stalks) were waved in the Temple on the 50 day. The Counting of the Omer begins on the evening of the second night of Passover (Pesach, corresponding to the 16th of Nisan. The counting ends on the 49th day on the night before Shavuot (Pentecost) the 50th day which about the 5th of Sivan (Third Month of the Biblical Calendar).
After Yeshua/Jesus rose from the grave, on 17th day of Nisan, at the beginning of the Counting of the Omer; scripture tells us He walked the earth for 40 days.
This means the Resurrected Savior taught about the Kingdom for 40 days and acended to Heaven on the 40th day; all during the Counting of the Omer.
Just before being taking up to heaven Jesus he directed his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit which fell on the 50th day!
First Fruits
Yeshua's Resurrection
17th of Nisan
(March-April)
The Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Lev. 23:9-14, Luke 24:13-35, 1 Cor. 15:20-23, John 11:25, Matthew 28:6 +16:21, Isaiah 53:3-11, Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:27
The Feast of First Fruits was the day of Yeshua’s (Jesus) resurrection. He rose from the dead on that very day. The Apostle Paul explains the risen Messiah as “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20 – 23)
Historically, First Fruits was a feast in which the people of Israel brought an offering to the Lord of the first produce of their spring harvest. The crops were delivered to the Temple. First Fruits begins the season of the Counting of the Omer, marking the 49 days until Shavuot the next feast and grain harvest offering. A time of expectancy and anticipation for a future harvest.
“Giving Your First” is still an accepted custom. Including the first ten percent of your income, your time and your talent.
Pentecost /Shavuot
God's Word & Holy Spirit
(50th Day /Feast of Weeks)
6th-7th of Sivan
(May- June)
Ten Commandments given to Moses
The Holy Spirit given to the Disciples
Lev. 23:16; Ex. 23:15-19; Acts 2
Shavuot (Weeks) celebrated on the 50th Day after Passover. It is a thanksgiving celebration for God’s Word; the Ten Commandments (Torah) that were given to Moses on Mount Sinai on the 50th day! It also a time to thank God for His provision in the fruitful harvest of the land.
Pentecost, occurs on the same day, celebrated on the 50th Day after Passover in the book of Acts. It celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the disciples of Yeshua in the Upper Room on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
Moses received the 10 Commandments on Pentecost on Mount Sinai, exactly fifty days after Passover exodus from Egypt. The story begins in Exodus 19; On the first day of the Third Month (Sivan) after the Israelites left Egypt …
“The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost. It fell upon the disciples in the Upper Room. We find it Acts 2:1-4 (CJB)
The festival of Shavu‘ot arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. They were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.. This took place fifty days after the resurrection of Yeshua.
Feast of Trumpets
Yom Teruah
1st of Tishrei (7th Month)
(September-October)
Leviticus 23:23-25
Numbers 29:1-6.
A sabbath, observed with blasts from a shofar horn (trumpet) made from the horn of a ram. It is a call to repentance, alarm and convocation.
For the followers of Messiah, the Feast of Trumpets points to a time in the future when Yeshua (Jesus) will return with a great trumpet blast, the dead in Christ will rise and be reunited with alive believers on that great day.
Yom Teruah, is also known as the Feast of Trumpets and is commanded in scripture. The command is to observe this Holy Day, to rest, have a holy convocation, sound the shofar and give an offering. (Teruah means shout, either by a crowd or by a shofar horn. Like the shout at the walls of Jericho.
1 Corinthians 15:52 CJB
It will take but a moment, the blink of an eye, at the final shofar (trumpet). For the shofar (trumpet) will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever, and we too will be changed.
Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur
10th of Tishrei (7th Month)
(September-October)
Lev. 23:26-32; Num.29:7-11;
Heb. 9:11-28; Heb. 10:1-22
Before the gift of salvation that we have received in the shed blood of Yeshua; the Day of Atonement’s ceremonies were a symbolic, annual ritual to repent and ask for forgiveness for the sins of the people of Israel.
A key part of Yom Kippur, as described in the Torah, is the ritual slaughter of two goats; one for the Lord, and the other is designated “for Azazel”. Jewish tradition takes “Azazel” as the scapegoat, a goat who took on the sins of the Israelites and it would be thrown off a cliff. Thereby taking with it the sins of the community. The Day of Atonement was a day for holy convocation, fasting, prayer and making offerings to the Lord.
However, like the symbolic scapegoat that was used on on Yom Kippur, Yeshua was led outside the walls of Jerusalem, nailed to a cross, to take away the sins of world. .
(Hebrews 10:3-4) No, it is quite the contrary — in these sacrifices is a reminder of sins, year after year. 4 For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.
So God sent His one and only begotton son, Yeshua the Messiah to provide the ultimate sacrifice: himself
(Hebrews 9:12). 12 He entered the Holiest Place once and for all. And he entered not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus setting people free forever.
Yeshua was sentenced to death by the Roman authorities at the urging of Jewish leaders; and even the High Priest of Israel said, prophetically,
(John 11:50). You don’t see that it’s better for you if one man dies on behalf of the people, so that the whole nation won’t be destroyed.”
Feast of Tabernacles
Sukkot
15th-21st of Tishrei (7th Month)
(September-October)
Deuteronomy 16:13-15 “You are to keep the festival of Sukkot for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing-floor and winepress. 14 Rejoice at your festival — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, the L’vi’im, and the foreigners, orphans and widows living among you. 15 Seven days you are to keep the festival for Adonai your God in the place Adonai your God will choose, because Adonai your God will bless you in all your crops and in all your work, so you are to be full of joy!
Lev. 23:33-43;
Num. 29:12-34;
Deut. 16:13-15;
Zech. 14:16-19;
John 7:2-5
John 7:37-39
This is the only feast in which the Israelites were instructed by God to rejoice and celebrate the final harvest of the year and God’s great provision for His people. Israelites required to leave the comfort of their homes and live in booths—three-sided temporary structures with leafy roofs—through which the stars could be seen. In this way they would remember how their ancestors had lived in booths when they were freed from slavery when they came out of Egypt.
Today my congregation celebrates at campgrounds with tents and RVs, some people take a cruise, others go to resorts. Most have daily worship meetings and spend time studying the scriptures and admiring God’s creation.
In New Testament times, Sukkot was a major celebration, often referred to simply as the “Feast”. At the Temple the priests incorporated elaborate ceremonies of water and light. Yeshua made his timeless proclamation in the Temple during Sukkot.
(John 7:37-38).Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking. Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!
“Hoshana Rabbah” (a request for great salvation) is on the seventh day, the last of the seven days of Sukkot. After specifying a seven-day week of celebrations, God commands an eighth day of celebrations! The week is followed by “Shemini Atzeret” (eighth day of the assembly) and “Simchat Torah” (Joy of the Torah) on the eighth day. Yeshua went to celebrate the feast of Sukkot in Jerusalem, and John chapter 7 describes what Yeshua said and did at this climactic time, two millennia ago.
