HOW DO THE JEWISH FALL FESTIVALS RELATE TO JESUS?
How do the Jewish Fall Festivals relate to Jesus?
In Leviticus 23, seven Jewish Festivals/holidays are prescribed as the people of Israel are preparing to inherit the land that God will give them and become a great nation. We’ve already looked at 4 of those holidays in previous articles. The holidays of Passover, Festival of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Pentecost, all were held in the Spring. The last three: Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and Festival of Tabernacles all occur in the fall. This article looks at these last three festivals to see what they are and how they relate to Christ.
Festival of Trumpets
There aren’t a lot of references to the Festival of Trumpets in the Old Testament. It is only referenced twice.
The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the LORD.’” –Leviticus 23:23-25
It is also mentioned in Numbers 29:1-6. The Festival of Trumpets was a time when literally a horn, a shofar (ram’s horn), was blown. In ancient Israel, the shofar was blown for several occasions including: a call to war, announcing victory, coronations of kings, to usher in the jubilee year, when the walls of Jericho collapsed, and when Moses spoke with God at Mt. Sinai, among others. Rosh Hashanah, as this holiday is referred to in the Hebrew, is also the start of the Jewish New Year and is typically celebrated together with Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. When the shofar is blown, it symbolizes God’s coming judgement and calls the Jewish people to 10 days of repentance culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Day of Atonement
The Day of Atonement is described in detail in Leviticus 16. This holiday is briefly described again in Leviticus 23.
“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement…Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God…You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” –Leviticus 23:27-31
The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur in the Hebrew) is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It lasts for twenty-five hours and it is a day for the Jewish people to ask God for forgiveness for their sins so their name can be preserved in the book of life. It falls 10 days after the Festival of Trumpets. During this time, one should not eat, drink (absolute fast), work, or drive, among other restrictions. These restrictions are intended to help one reflect on and repent from one’s sins.
By God’s commandment in Leviticus 16, the high priest had to follow a very specific protocol on the Day of Atonement. He bathed and then dressed in sacred linen garments as an act of purification before entering the Holy of Holies (first in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple). There, the high priest made three sin offerings: a bull for himself & his household and two goats for the people. The bull and first goat were slaughtered, but the 2nd goat had the sins of the people laid on its head (scapegoat) and it was let go into the wilderness. Through following all these specifics, Leviticus 16:16 says, “In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been.”
The Festival of Tabernacles
The Festival of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Booths, is celebrated 5 days after Yom Kippur.
The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days…Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’” —Leviticus 23:33-34, 42-43
The Ancient Israelite’s lived in temporary shelters (booths) during their wandering in the wilderness and by God’s grace they survived. Jewish people today who still celebrate this holiday build frail huts and live in them for 7 days to remind them of their ancestors’ time spent in the wilderness and God’s provision for them. There were other requirements too such as food offerings and taking tree branches & rejoicing before the LORD for seven days. There were additional celebrations that became custom during this holiday—the ‘water libation’ and ‘illumination’ ceremonies, which we’ll discuss.
Jesus and the Festival of Trumpets
We see that the trumpet was blown on many different occasions in the Old Testament, for example as we saw: a call to war, announcing victory and coronations of kings. Where do we read about a trumpet blow in the New Testament?
“According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” —1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” —1 Corinthians 15:51-52
I encourage you to read these entire chapters to get a full understanding of what is happening in these verses. The above verses discuss the Rapture. The words “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is where ‘Rapture’ comes from. The Rapture (Latin word Rapturo meaning ‘seizing and carrying away’) is when Jesus comes to ‘snatch up’ His bride, the church, so that believers will be with Him in Heaven. You can see in both verses, those who have fallen asleep (died) in the Lord will be ‘caught up’ first, followed by those believers alive at the time of the Rapture. There are many other trumpet blasts in the New Testament as well and many of those relate to Christ’s 2nd Coming when he comes in Glory, to judge sin, and to setup is earthly reign. Thus, we see the trumpet blow in the New Testament affiliated with a call to war, announcing victory, coronations of kings and judgement, etc. just like in the old.
Jesus and the Day of Atonement
Parts of the book Hebrews are a commentary on the Day of Atonement. The book describes and reminds us of what the blood of Jesus did. Jesus is the “great high priest” (Hebrews 4:14-15), who doesn’t need to sacrifice animals constantly year after year.
“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins...Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”—Hebrews 10:1-4, 11-14
Jesus’ blood provided absolute forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Yom Kippur was simply a foreshadowing of what Christ’s blood did for us on the cross.
Jesus and the Festival of Tabernacles
In the famous verses of John chapter 1, it says this in verse 14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The meaning of the word ‘dwelling’ in the Greek means to “dwell as in a tent, encamp, tabernacle.” Jesus was God, in an earthly body. When Christ was born, God became a man. He was completely human and completely divine (Colossians 2:9). Two of the most common errors people make about Jesus are to minimize his humanity or to minimize his divinity. Jesus is both God and man. He came to dwell with us in a temporary home, his human body. Jesus is what the Festival of Tabernacles looked to. Jesus took the opportunity of this festival to also reveal his messianic identity.
During ‘The Festival’ as the Festival of Tabernacles was called, there were several ceremonies that were practiced—the ‘water libation’ and ‘illumination’ ceremonies. During the water libation ceremony, the priests would gather a pitcher of water and pour it out on the altar inside the Temple. This was to express Israel’s hope for future rains to produce an abundant harvest. But the pouring of water also symbolized Israel’s desperate cry that God would pour out his spirit and rescue an enslaved Israel from Roman rule. This is what Jesus said in the middle of this ceremony.
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” —John 7:37-38
Jesus was telling them that the solution to touching God, rescue, reconciliation, and true life, is found in Him alone. Verses 40 and 41 then say, “On hearing his words, some of the people said, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘He is the Messiah.’”
The ‘illumination of the temple’ was another important ceremony during the feast. At night during this feast, there were four 75 ft. lamps that were lit in the Temple to remind Israel of the pillar of fire that led them in the wilderness. The light was said to illuminate the entire city. It was against this backdrop that Jesus spoke these words:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” —John 8:12
Jesus was stating that he wasn’t just a wise man, a prophet, or a good teacher, but the light of God. The Presence of God himself!
Conclusion
Every Jewish festival prescribed in the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ. Six of these festivals have already been fulfilled in Jesus’ coming the first time. He will fulfill the Festival of Trumpets when he comes back at the Rapture. Christians are not prescribed to celebrate these holidays the way the Jewish people were in the Old Testament. However, researching, understanding, and reflecting upon these holidays, strengthens one’s faith in Jesus.