Those who love Israel and Israel’s Messiah often look to the feasts of Israel to gain insight into Israel’s past and future, and the significance of the Jewish roots of our own Christian faith.  Each of the 7 feasts is described in Leviticus 23, and God’s Word reveals that each of the 7 feasts find their fulfillment in the Messiah.  In the springtime, Jews remember Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits as God’s redemption of them from Egyptian exile.  In late spring, Shavuot was the giving of the law at Mt Sinai.  All are critical to Jewish faith.

But God’s Word shows us that each of those feasts was fulfilled by Jesus (the Messiah) at His first coming. Jesus came as the Passover Lamb who was sacrificed for our salvation. Jesus also fulfilled the Feasts of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits when He took our sins upon Himself, was striped, bruised, and pierced (illustrated by the matzos), and rose from the dead. He was first to rise, so that we might also rise to live with Him for eternity!  We know Shavuot as Pentecost when, following Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit was given and the church was born.

Those are the first 4 of 7 feasts ordained by God for Israel, and Jesus came to fulfill each one. But what about the final 3?  Will Jesus fulfill those as well?  They occur in the fall and, similar to the first 3, the final 3 happen in quick succession.  More importantly, the final 3 feasts will indeed find their prophetic fulfillment in Jesus’ second coming!  Those feast days are upon us, so welcome to a Bible study series on Zechariah 12-14 entitled Zechariah’s Prophecy: The Coming Messiah.

First up is the Feast of Trumpets which commences at sundown tonight. Commemorated by the Jews as a memorial day of God’s deliverance, it is a reminder of His provision during their journey in the wilderness.  Will Jesus the Messiah fulfill this feast?  Yes! Jesus will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets when He returns to earth following the tribulation. Zechariah 14:4 says His feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives, and it will usher in the time when Israel will recognize Him as their Messiah!

In a little over a week, Israel will enter into their holiest day of the year: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). It is a day of introspection and “afflicting of soul” to bring about humility and forgiveness before God. It is the hope of redemption that is possible only through Jesus the Messiah.  From our Christian perspective, we long for the day Jesus comes to fulfill this feast…a day when all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26).

Then, a mighty celebration follows! At the end of this month, Israel will celebrate Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).  It is a weeklong celebration in which families and friends gather in temporary shelters (sukkot, loosely translated “shelters” or “tents”) to commemorate God’s goodness in providing for their time in the wilderness. It is also a celebration of ingathering or harvest.  And yes, in the end, Jesus will fulfill this feast! Following the tribulation, Jesus’ return to earth, and the salvation of Israel, all nations will gather to worship and celebrate the Kingdom of God!  There will be one big ingathering of Jews and Gentiles who know their Messiah and will gather as one in worship!

Make note of these three feasts (Trumpets, Yom Kippur and Tabernacles) as we are heading into them! I hope you will stop occasionally to realize just how deep our Christian faith is rooted in the Messiah of Israel!  As followers of Jesus, we cannot disconnect from the land and the people through whom our Messiah came. 

The prophet Zechariah prophesied of these days, and intermittently over the next couple weeks we will focus on Zechariah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah!  Keep an eye out for those posts and soak in the faithfulness of God to fulfill every single feast through His Son, Jesus Christ!