Feasts (Part II)

Lesson Content

3. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev.23:6-8) This feast signifies sanctification. In our lives we observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread after salvation. For this we have to separate ourselves from sin and sinners. St. Paul says, “... let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (I Cor.5:8). Sincerity and truth must be seen i n our lives and the leaven of malice and wickedness should be got rid of. We should not even mingle with those who have these natures in them. St. Paul writes clearly about this in I Corinthians 5:9,11. We must separate

ourselves from such people. In the first century, when people were saved, they lived with one accord among themselves, separate from sinners. After we have been saved, we should join those who are sincere and true and be separate from others. We should not mingle with those who have leaven in them, that is, those who teach wrong doctrines (Matt.16:11,12). If we give up our life of separation, we will lose our sincerity and truth. This feast was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month. For seven days the children of Israel had to eat unleavened bread and offer unto the Lord an offering made by fire. On the first and the seventh day they had a holy convocation unto the Lord and were to do no servile work in them.

4. The Feast of Harvest or Feast of Pentecost (Lev.23:9-22): This feast was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the sheaf of the firstfruits was waved. Pentecost means “fifty”. On that day two loaves of two tenth deals of fine flour were baked alike and waved (Lev.23:17). We see that on the day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Jesus, about one hundred and twenty people had gathered in the upper chamber in Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit, was poured forth upon all of them (Acts 2:1-4). On that day, two groups of people were formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, namely, the believers and the consecrated servants of God. They will be caught up together as the firstfruits when Jesus comes. We celebrate this feast in our lives for the first time when we receive the Holy Spirit. Thereafter we continue celebrating it by getting filled in the Spirit again and again.

5. The Feast of Trumpets (Lev.23:23-25): This feast was celebrated on the first day of the seventh month. It was a memorial of blowing of trumpets and a holy convocation to the Lord. They were to do no servile work in it but offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. This feast spiritually signifies the rapture of the Church at the coming of the Lord. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thess.4:16, 17). If we celebrate the Feasts of the Sabbath, the Passover, Unleavened Bread and Pentecost in the proper way, observing all the rules, surely we will be able to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets with great joy. We should wait ardently to celebrate this Feast of Trumpets. Otherwise our having celebrated the other feasts earlier will be in vain.

6. The Feast of Atonement for Sin (Lev.23:26-32): This feast started on the evening of the ninth day of the seventh month and was celebrated till the evening of the next day, that is, the tenth day. It was to be for thema day of atonement and a holy convocation unto the Lord on which they were to afflict their souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. They were to do no work on that day. Those who did any work on that day or did not afflict their souls were to be cut off from among their people. This feast signifies an event which takes place after the Lord has gathered the Bridal Church to Himself at His coming. After the saints who are

overcomers, called the firstfruits of the earth are caught up, the rest of the Church will be left behind. They are left behind because they were not perfected. Nevertheless, if they die as martyrs in the 3 ½ years of tribulation that follows the secret advent of the Lord, they will partake of the First Resurrection. By not taking upon themselves the name or the mark of the beast, and by enduring all the tribulation and finally dying as martyrs they celebrate their Feast of Atonement for Sin.

7. The Feast of Tabernacles: (Lev.23:33-43): This feast was celebrated for seven days from the fifteenth day of the seventh month. For seven days they were to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord and do no servile work in it. They were to take boughs of goodly trees, branche s of palm trees, boughs of thick trees and willows of the brook and dwell in booths for seven days and rejoice before the Lord their God. All who were born as Israelites were to dwell in booths so that the generation to come might know that the Lord made the children of Israel dwell in booths when He brought them out of Egypt. Seven shows perfection. This feast is a shadow of the Millennial Reign which is the reality where we will reign and rejoice with the Lord for a thousand years. These seven feasts which were observed in the Old Testament period, speak of seven different spiritual experiences. The children of God who are to be caught up at the coming of the Lord should have attained the spiritual experiences as signified by the first four feasts. Those who observe the Feast of Trumpets (those who are caught up at the coming of the Lord) and those who observe the Feast of Atonement for Sin (those who are left behind at the coming of the Lord and later die as martyrs) will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (will take part in the Millennial Reign).

Moral

All the feasts were ordained by the Lord with great spiritual significance for the New Testament period, so that the children of God might prepare themselves to live blissfully with Jesus for ever and ever. To observe them spiritually we must receive the Holy Spirit and wholly submit ourselves to always obey Him.