The Feasts of Israel

Timelines and Charts

The appointed feasts of Leviticus 23 — God’s calendar, preached in advance: the spring feasts fulfilled at Christ’s first coming, the autumn feasts awaiting His second. Every feast also pictured a season of the harvest year.

← All Timelines and Charts

Passover

14 Nisan (spring)

The lamb slain and its blood on the doorposts; Israel walks out of Egypt in the night. The feast of redemption out of bondage.

Christ our passover is sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7) — crucified at Passover, the Lamb of God.

Unleavened Bread

15 – 21 Nisan

Seven days without leaven: the haste of the Exodus, and sin put away from the house.

Christ buried — the sinless Bread; and His people purge out the old leaven of malice and wickedness (1 Corinthians 5:8).

Firstfruits

The day after the Sabbath within the feast

The first sheaf of the barley harvest waved before the LORD, before any man eats of the crop.

Christ the firstfruits of them that slept — risen on this very day, the pledge of the whole harvest to come (1 Corinthians 15:20 – 23).

Weeks — Pentecost

Fifty days after Firstfruits

Two leavened loaves of the wheat harvest waved before the LORD; Israel’s feast of harvest thanksgiving.

The Holy Ghost given at Pentecost; three thousand harvested in a day — the church-age harvest begins (Acts 2).

Trumpets

1 Tishri (autumn)

A memorial of blowing of trumpets; a holy convocation opening the seventh month.

Points forward: Israel regathered at the trumpet, and the last trump at Christ’s appearing (Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52).

Day of Atonement

10 Tishri

The high priest alone enters the Most Holy with blood; the scapegoat bears the sins away; the nation is cleansed — a day of fasting and affliction of soul.

Christ our great High Priest entered heaven itself with His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11 – 14); Israel’s national cleansing yet to come (Zechariah 12:10 – 13:1).

Tabernacles

15 – 21 Tishri

Israel dwells in booths for seven days of rejoicing after the harvest, remembering the wilderness dwellings — the feast of ingathering.

The kingdom rest prefigured — all nations going up to keep the feast in the reign of Christ (Zechariah 14:16); God tabernacling with men for ever (Revelation 21:3).