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Israel's Holy Days in Type and Prophecy
In this concise presentation the author examines the seven annual sacred feasts of Jerusalem -- their history, present celebration, and prophetic fulfillment.
- GenresTheology
95 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1985
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November 22, 2014
THIS BOOK WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs FOR FESTIVALS and for days and years.'" - Genesis 1:14
From the very beginning, in the very account of creation, God had a plan for all of creation. These lights serve a greater purpose than telling time or providing light - they make a calendar, more specifically, a redemptive calendar, possible. Before the world was created and had succumbed to the fall, God had a plan for its redemption. And He created the lights in the sky to proclaim this truth of future redemption! What better way to highlight a plan of redemption than to use the heavens to proclaim it, and to allow the very days and months of the calendar to serve as reminders!?
So what are these festivals, and where is this calendar? Leviticus 23. It is through the festivals of this calendar that God unfolds his complete plan of redemption.
As the author argues, each festival has a past, present, and future significance for the observers. Also significantly, there are seven of these festivals: Sabbath, Pesach, Firstfruits, Shavuot, Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. (Something to consider, which is not mentioned in the book: There are also seven days given in the creation account - six to work, one for rest. Sabbath is the most important. That is, entering into God's rest is the most important thing. As the six days lead up into the seventh day of God's rest, so the six remaining festivals of Israel are God's work of redemption which lead His people into His rest. But I stray from the book...)
The author mentions how of these six festivals, the first three (Passover, Firstfruits, and Pentecost/Weeks) are in the spring, and the second three (Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot/Booths/Tabernacles) are in the fall. He also mentions how the New Testament explicitly interprets each of the three spring festivals typologically in the ministry of Jesus, fulfilled by him in the order they were given, down to the exact day of their observance! The author gives an explanation of the observance of these festivals, and then explains how Jesus typologically fulfilled them.
This first part of the book is very important, but because I already knew most of it, I found it kind of dry. However, the second half of the book I read in one sitting! Also noteworthy - the chart on page 13 is gold, and the whole book is worth it for that alone!
Between these spring feasts (ending with Pentecost) and the fall feasts (beginning with Trumpets) there is a period of time, during the months of harvest. It is at this point that the author includes a section on the "strange hiatus" of Leviticus 23:22, a verse which talks not about the festivals, but about harvesting - "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." The harvest was for Israel, but it was also for the aliens, i.e. Gentiles. Can anyone hear echoes of the Abrahamic covenant - through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed? Can anyone hear echoes of Romans 1:16 - "to the Jew first and also to the Greek"?
Historically speaking, the author notes how the book of Ruth is between the failures of Judges and the kingdom of Samuel. Kind of like the past failure of Israel in the first coming, and the future glorious establishment of his kingdom in his second? And what do we have in between? A harvest of the Gentiles!!! Which is exactly what we have in the book of Ruth - a Gentile being brought in to worship the God of Israel. This chapter on the special hiatus between the spring and fall festivals is also gold and worth the whole book for that alone!
The author makes the case that since the three spring festivals were fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus, in order, that the three fall festivals will also be fulfilled by Jesus in order in His second coming. The feast of trumpets, as the first one, signals the close of the harvest. For the author, this is the rapture. He gives a wonderful exposition on the Akedah, or the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22, the traditional text of Rosh Hashanah. And again, this section is gold and the book is worth it for this section alone. The point is that God provides a "way out" for all those who like Abraham have faith in the Lamb of sacrifice that God Himself has provided for them. Can anyone see an allusion to the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:50-52?
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, naturally for the author prefigures the Tribulation, or more specifically, the final day when all Israel will look upon the Lamb whom God laid their sins upon (Isaiah 53), and mourn for God, Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10), and thus all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26). I used to be confused about the sacrifice of Jesus in the fulfillment of Passover vs. Yom Kippur. But the key to this is the scope of the atonement. In Passover, the sacrifice saves every individual who has the blood of the sacrifice on the doorpost of their hearts; in Yom Kippur, the sacrifice saves the entire nation of Israel. The scope is individual (Passover) vs. national (Yom Kippur). Though Jesus died on Passover, His sacrifice accomplishes once for all what the priests do on Yom Kippur. However, Israel as a nation has largely not believed this message, so there still awaits for them as a nation a future day when God's FEET will stand on the Mount of Olives and Israel as a nation will look upon Him, whom they have PIERCED, who was sacrificed for them to carry their sins far away from them, and Yom Kippur will be fulfilled. (Something not included in the book, but which I can't help but wonder about - in the Six Day War of 1967, Israel captured half of Jerusalem from Jordan, and have retained control of it to this day. And in the war of 1973, the nations attacked Israel on what day? Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. Zechariah 14:2 says the nations will gather against Jerusalem, half of the city will be exiled, and then the people will look upon their God whose feet are standing on the Mount of Olives. Could it possibly be that just like in the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the nations will attack Israel on the holiest day of their year in a reversal of the 1967 Six Day War, and thus bring about the turning of the nation of Israel back to their God in fulfillment of Yom Kippur? To me, this is very likely, and this prophecy has only had the potential to be fulfilled since 1967! Even as I type, there is great controversy over Israel's building projects in East Jerusalem! So far every festival has been fulfilled to the very day. Likely the Rapture will happen on Rosh Hashanah (though we don't know which one, or the hour), and the day of Israel's repentance will happen on Yom Kippur!)
Zechariah ends with a celebration of Sukkot, following this great period of tribulation and Yom Kippur; Sukkot is likewise the last of the festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23. It is a time of celebration over the bountiful harvest that God has brought in. And it is the only one of the festivals of Leviticus that the Bible says all nations will one day celebrate (Zechariah 14:16). These are the nations who have come against Jerusalem but have survived. And it is in fulfillment of Sukkot that redemptive history comes to a close, as the long-anticipated "tabernacle of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people..." (Revelation 21:3)!
Something else I especially appreciated about this book was that it included treatments on Purim and Hanukkah. Though they are not listed in Leviticus 23, they are nevertheless named in the Bible (Esther 9:26; John 5:1; John 10:22), and were celebrated not only by Jesus, but also by Israel as a nation. Thus they hold tremendous significance for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.
I appreciated how the author interpreted the story of Esther, not as primarily about a beautiful princess who risks her own life in a heroic act of bravery, but rather about the cosmic battle between the protagonist, Mordecai "the Jew" (Esther 10:3), who represents Israel and the Jewish people, and the antagonist, Haman, "the enemy of all the Jews" (Esther 9:24), who represents - you guessed it - the enemies of the Jews (Amazing right? It means what it says!). This battle continues to rage on today and we see it every day in the news. But Israel has a God which continues to work events and circumstances in their favor, a God who is the King of kings, who does not sleep, who remembers all that the Jewish people have done in serving him, and who will elevate Israel to reign with him in the Kingdom when he has destroyed all their (and His) enemies. As the author states "The book of Esther is not only history; it is also prophecy." I could not agree more!
Though I knew the story of Hanukkah before, I never put the puzzle pieces completely together that connect Hanukkah with Daniel 11, the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24, and how Jesus uses the imagery and language of Daniel and Maccabees to prophesy about the future "man of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The author gives a fascinating explanation of Daniel 8:13-14, arguing that "The story of Hanukkah is the history of the '2,300 evenings and mornings' until the sanctuary was reconsecrated" after the desecration, the desolating abomination of Antiochus Ephiphanes, in which the people fled to the mountains, leaving the temple in Jerusalem desolate (cf. Matthew 24:15-16). The author later explains, "Antiochus began his persecution of the Jews in 171 B.C., and it was twenty-three hundred days later in December of 165 B.C. that the Temple was cleansed." I had never heard that before, but it is something I will enjoy looking into further next month when I celebrate Hanukkah!
One thing that's been bugging me - on page 89, the author says of Antiochus Epiphanes, "He said he would then erect a temple to Phallus..." I cannot help but wonder if this is an unintentional play on words, or if the author decided to stick some language in here which normally finds its setting in a locker room. Or maybe that's just the immature junior high boy in me reading into things too much. But I can't help but notice that's what it says nonetheless.
In view of all of the wonderful strengths of the book, I nevertheless thought a significant weakness of the book was its brevity. I appreciate brevity, but in this book I often felt like this happened at the expense of clarity.
If there is a book that will help you see the Bible's prophetic future for Israel and the nations, this is it! This book will BLOW YOUR MIND! I have never heard of an argument for a pre-tribulation rapture or a premillennial return of Christ that is as strong and lucid as the one made by Leviticus 23 and the prophetic and typological fulfillments of them. If I ever taught a class on Eschatology, my main text would be Leviticus 23!
I will conclude with these two verses:
Colossians 2:16-17
"Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a FESTIVAL or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the THINGS TO COME, but the SUBSTANCE belongs to CHRIST."
2 Corinthians 1:20
"For ALL the promises of God find their Yes in HIM. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory."
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs FOR FESTIVALS and for days and years.'" - Genesis 1:14
From the very beginning, in the very account of creation, God had a plan for all of creation. These lights serve a greater purpose than telling time or providing light - they make a calendar, more specifically, a redemptive calendar, possible. Before the world was created and had succumbed to the fall, God had a plan for its redemption. And He created the lights in the sky to proclaim this truth of future redemption! What better way to highlight a plan of redemption than to use the heavens to proclaim it, and to allow the very days and months of the calendar to serve as reminders!?
So what are these festivals, and where is this calendar? Leviticus 23. It is through the festivals of this calendar that God unfolds his complete plan of redemption.
As the author argues, each festival has a past, present, and future significance for the observers. Also significantly, there are seven of these festivals: Sabbath, Pesach, Firstfruits, Shavuot, Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. (Something to consider, which is not mentioned in the book: There are also seven days given in the creation account - six to work, one for rest. Sabbath is the most important. That is, entering into God's rest is the most important thing. As the six days lead up into the seventh day of God's rest, so the six remaining festivals of Israel are God's work of redemption which lead His people into His rest. But I stray from the book...)
The author mentions how of these six festivals, the first three (Passover, Firstfruits, and Pentecost/Weeks) are in the spring, and the second three (Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot/Booths/Tabernacles) are in the fall. He also mentions how the New Testament explicitly interprets each of the three spring festivals typologically in the ministry of Jesus, fulfilled by him in the order they were given, down to the exact day of their observance! The author gives an explanation of the observance of these festivals, and then explains how Jesus typologically fulfilled them.
This first part of the book is very important, but because I already knew most of it, I found it kind of dry. However, the second half of the book I read in one sitting! Also noteworthy - the chart on page 13 is gold, and the whole book is worth it for that alone!
Between these spring feasts (ending with Pentecost) and the fall feasts (beginning with Trumpets) there is a period of time, during the months of harvest. It is at this point that the author includes a section on the "strange hiatus" of Leviticus 23:22, a verse which talks not about the festivals, but about harvesting - "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." The harvest was for Israel, but it was also for the aliens, i.e. Gentiles. Can anyone hear echoes of the Abrahamic covenant - through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed? Can anyone hear echoes of Romans 1:16 - "to the Jew first and also to the Greek"?
Historically speaking, the author notes how the book of Ruth is between the failures of Judges and the kingdom of Samuel. Kind of like the past failure of Israel in the first coming, and the future glorious establishment of his kingdom in his second? And what do we have in between? A harvest of the Gentiles!!! Which is exactly what we have in the book of Ruth - a Gentile being brought in to worship the God of Israel. This chapter on the special hiatus between the spring and fall festivals is also gold and worth the whole book for that alone!
The author makes the case that since the three spring festivals were fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus, in order, that the three fall festivals will also be fulfilled by Jesus in order in His second coming. The feast of trumpets, as the first one, signals the close of the harvest. For the author, this is the rapture. He gives a wonderful exposition on the Akedah, or the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22, the traditional text of Rosh Hashanah. And again, this section is gold and the book is worth it for this section alone. The point is that God provides a "way out" for all those who like Abraham have faith in the Lamb of sacrifice that God Himself has provided for them. Can anyone see an allusion to the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:50-52?
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, naturally for the author prefigures the Tribulation, or more specifically, the final day when all Israel will look upon the Lamb whom God laid their sins upon (Isaiah 53), and mourn for God, Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10), and thus all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26). I used to be confused about the sacrifice of Jesus in the fulfillment of Passover vs. Yom Kippur. But the key to this is the scope of the atonement. In Passover, the sacrifice saves every individual who has the blood of the sacrifice on the doorpost of their hearts; in Yom Kippur, the sacrifice saves the entire nation of Israel. The scope is individual (Passover) vs. national (Yom Kippur). Though Jesus died on Passover, His sacrifice accomplishes once for all what the priests do on Yom Kippur. However, Israel as a nation has largely not believed this message, so there still awaits for them as a nation a future day when God's FEET will stand on the Mount of Olives and Israel as a nation will look upon Him, whom they have PIERCED, who was sacrificed for them to carry their sins far away from them, and Yom Kippur will be fulfilled. (Something not included in the book, but which I can't help but wonder about - in the Six Day War of 1967, Israel captured half of Jerusalem from Jordan, and have retained control of it to this day. And in the war of 1973, the nations attacked Israel on what day? Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. Zechariah 14:2 says the nations will gather against Jerusalem, half of the city will be exiled, and then the people will look upon their God whose feet are standing on the Mount of Olives. Could it possibly be that just like in the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the nations will attack Israel on the holiest day of their year in a reversal of the 1967 Six Day War, and thus bring about the turning of the nation of Israel back to their God in fulfillment of Yom Kippur? To me, this is very likely, and this prophecy has only had the potential to be fulfilled since 1967! Even as I type, there is great controversy over Israel's building projects in East Jerusalem! So far every festival has been fulfilled to the very day. Likely the Rapture will happen on Rosh Hashanah (though we don't know which one, or the hour), and the day of Israel's repentance will happen on Yom Kippur!)
Zechariah ends with a celebration of Sukkot, following this great period of tribulation and Yom Kippur; Sukkot is likewise the last of the festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23. It is a time of celebration over the bountiful harvest that God has brought in. And it is the only one of the festivals of Leviticus that the Bible says all nations will one day celebrate (Zechariah 14:16). These are the nations who have come against Jerusalem but have survived. And it is in fulfillment of Sukkot that redemptive history comes to a close, as the long-anticipated "tabernacle of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people..." (Revelation 21:3)!
Something else I especially appreciated about this book was that it included treatments on Purim and Hanukkah. Though they are not listed in Leviticus 23, they are nevertheless named in the Bible (Esther 9:26; John 5:1; John 10:22), and were celebrated not only by Jesus, but also by Israel as a nation. Thus they hold tremendous significance for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.
I appreciated how the author interpreted the story of Esther, not as primarily about a beautiful princess who risks her own life in a heroic act of bravery, but rather about the cosmic battle between the protagonist, Mordecai "the Jew" (Esther 10:3), who represents Israel and the Jewish people, and the antagonist, Haman, "the enemy of all the Jews" (Esther 9:24), who represents - you guessed it - the enemies of the Jews (Amazing right? It means what it says!). This battle continues to rage on today and we see it every day in the news. But Israel has a God which continues to work events and circumstances in their favor, a God who is the King of kings, who does not sleep, who remembers all that the Jewish people have done in serving him, and who will elevate Israel to reign with him in the Kingdom when he has destroyed all their (and His) enemies. As the author states "The book of Esther is not only history; it is also prophecy." I could not agree more!
Though I knew the story of Hanukkah before, I never put the puzzle pieces completely together that connect Hanukkah with Daniel 11, the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24, and how Jesus uses the imagery and language of Daniel and Maccabees to prophesy about the future "man of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The author gives a fascinating explanation of Daniel 8:13-14, arguing that "The story of Hanukkah is the history of the '2,300 evenings and mornings' until the sanctuary was reconsecrated" after the desecration, the desolating abomination of Antiochus Ephiphanes, in which the people fled to the mountains, leaving the temple in Jerusalem desolate (cf. Matthew 24:15-16). The author later explains, "Antiochus began his persecution of the Jews in 171 B.C., and it was twenty-three hundred days later in December of 165 B.C. that the Temple was cleansed." I had never heard that before, but it is something I will enjoy looking into further next month when I celebrate Hanukkah!
One thing that's been bugging me - on page 89, the author says of Antiochus Epiphanes, "He said he would then erect a temple to Phallus..." I cannot help but wonder if this is an unintentional play on words, or if the author decided to stick some language in here which normally finds its setting in a locker room. Or maybe that's just the immature junior high boy in me reading into things too much. But I can't help but notice that's what it says nonetheless.
In view of all of the wonderful strengths of the book, I nevertheless thought a significant weakness of the book was its brevity. I appreciate brevity, but in this book I often felt like this happened at the expense of clarity.
If there is a book that will help you see the Bible's prophetic future for Israel and the nations, this is it! This book will BLOW YOUR MIND! I have never heard of an argument for a pre-tribulation rapture or a premillennial return of Christ that is as strong and lucid as the one made by Leviticus 23 and the prophetic and typological fulfillments of them. If I ever taught a class on Eschatology, my main text would be Leviticus 23!
I will conclude with these two verses:
Colossians 2:16-17
"Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a FESTIVAL or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the THINGS TO COME, but the SUBSTANCE belongs to CHRIST."
2 Corinthians 1:20
"For ALL the promises of God find their Yes in HIM. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory."
June 18, 2024
Quick, easy read and good information, but the writing feels more like an old-fashioned sermon - the phraseology a bit stilted and outmoded.
May 17, 2013
A wonderful book which shares the meaning of the Old Testament festivals and how they have been or may be fulfilled by Christ. A great book for those who want to see more of how the Old and New Testaments work together to declare the glorious gospel of God.
November 10, 2015
This book is an excellent read regarding Israel's feast days listed in Leviticus, chapter 23 and throughout God's Word.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews