Panorama
of the Biblical
Feasts and Holy Days
See the article
Times of Refreshing for an overview of
the institution and purpose of the annual biblical Feasts and
Holy Days.
This Panorama article gives a brief,
sweeping summary
of how all of these observances fit into a pattern
pointing to
God's great Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
The "Appointed
Times"
The Bible clarifies
that God has set aside or appointed specific times for people to
"appear before Him" in worship and celebration. These times are
referred to in Hebrew as moedim (singular:
moed).
One type of moed
is referred to in Hebrew as Chag, a festival.
Such a festival may last one day or more. Such Feasts were
characterized in Bible times by being:
-
Times of
commanded pilgrimage, when all who could, traveled from
Jerusalem from all over the nation of Israel
-
Times of
commanded worship, when special religious ceremonies
were performed daily at the Temple
-
Times of
commanded rejoicing and celebration
Another type of
moed is the singular Holy Day, referred to in Hebrew
as Yom Tov (Yom=Day, Tov=Good). Such
Holy Days were characterized in Bible times by being:
-
Days of
commanded assembly, when all gathered at the Temple if
possible to watch the prescribed ceremonies
-
Days of
commanded rest from regular work
A Holy Day may be
part of a longer Feast, or may stand alone by itself.
There are three
such annual Feasts,
and seven annual Holy Days that are
associated with them.
The Three Feasts
There were three
times a year, referred to as "Feasts" in English, in ancient
Israel when all adult males (and all of the members of their
families and households--including
servants--if possible) were to attend religious observances at
the central national worship site. From the time of King Solomon
(c. 950 BC) until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans
(except during the time of the exile of the Jews in Babylon in
the sixth century BC) these observances would have centered
around the Temple in Jerusalem.
-
The
7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hebrew: Chag
HaMatzot) in spring
-
The
1-day Feast of Pentecost (Hebrew: Chag
Shavuot) in summer
-
The
7-day Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew: Chag
Sukkot) in autumn
The Seven Holy Days
There were seven annual Holy
Days on which special rites were held at the Temple, with
sacrifices and rituals performed by priests. On each of these
special days, all Israelites were to refrain from any regular
work, and to assemble if possible to observe the rituals at
the Temple.
The Seven Annual
Holy Days
- First Day of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread
- Last Day of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread
- Feast of Pentecost
- Day of Trumpets
- Day of Atonement
- First Day of the
Feast of Tabernacles
- Eighth Day Assembly,
immediately after the 7-day Feast of Tabernacles
The Temple in Jerusalem was
destroyed in 70 AD, and all special rituals involving priests
were ended. Most of the Jews in Israel were driven out, and
emigrated to other parts of the world. Wherever they went, they
had to create new ways to observe these annual times of
celebration and worship. The section on
Jewish Feast and Holy Day Customs on this Times of
Refreshing website provides an overview of the Feast and
Holy Day customs of ancient and modern Jews.
In modern
times, many Christians have come to the conviction that
these special times were not just reserved by God to be observed
by Jews.
They have deep and profound
spiritual significance to Christians also. Thus many Christians
have begun observing these days as times of spiritual worship
and special celebrations. They also have created new ways to
observe these three annual Feasts and seven annual Holy Days.
The section of
this website titled The 3 Rs: Rest,
Refreshment, Rejoicing
provides an overview of the variety of ways in which
Christians worship and celebrate on these days.
See
What is a biblical "Feast"? and
What is a biblical "Holy Day"?
for more detailed explanations of these terms.
Panorama Chart
The rest of this article provides
a very brief overview of each of the Feasts and Holy Days, and
their significance to Christians. A succinct summary of this
information is provided on a large chart that you can see by
clicking on the chart icon below. (The icon only shows a
small portion of the chart.)
Chart of the Christian Celebration of the
Annual Biblical Feasts and Holy Days
Each Feast and/or Holy Day is
represented on the chart by a symbolic photograph. The summary
below clarifies what each symbol is and what it represents.
Chart Symbols Representing the
Feasts and Holy Days
The Feast of
Unleavened Bread
The 7-day Feast of
Unleavened Bread occurs in the spring, in the month of Abib,
the first month of the ancient Hebrew calendar. (The month is
sometimes referred to by Jews as Nisan, the Babylonian
version of the month.) The first day and last day of this Feast
are annual Holy Days, days of commanded rest and assembly.
The Feast of
Unleavened Bread has two symbols on the chart. This Feast began
in ancient Israel with the eating of a Passover lamb, which was
killed on the afternoon just before the Feast was to begin. A
"day" in biblical usage refers to a time period beginning right
after sunset, and continuing to the following sunset. In the
time of Christ, the lambs were killed in the afternoon of the
14th day of the first month of the ancient calendar, and the
lambs were eaten in a meal with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs later that evening, after the 15th day of the month began,
the day which starts the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
So the
first symbol on the chart is a lamb, to represent the
Passover lambs of this meal.
Passover
Hebrew: Pesach
When the Israelites were still in
Egypt, at the time of the original Passover, they brushed some
of the blood of the Passover lambs over the doorposts of each
Israelite home, indicating to God to pass over that home during
the plague sent on Egypt. In any home without the blood, death
came that night to anyone in the house who was a firstborn.
To the
Christian, the lamb in the picture represents Jesus,
whom Paul referred to as "our Passover Lamb"
when writing to Christians in Corinth.
It is His blood over "the doorposts of our hearts"
that redeems us from a destiny of eternal death.
By the time of Christ, Jewish custom
had attached the name "Passover" to the full seven-day Feast of
Unleavened Bread. Technically, the two are distinct. The
Passover was a designation in the Old
Testament for the day before the beginning of the Feast,
the day on which the Passover lambs were killed. Since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD,
there have been no Passover sacrifices, and thus the name has
been shifted among Jews to refer only to the Feast week
itself. The day of the ancient Passover sacrifice of the lambs
has no particular customs associated with it among Jews, other than the
physical preparations for assuring that all leaven is out of the
house, and the preparations of cooking the Passover meal.
Many Christians and Messianics,
on the other hand, consider the day of the ancient Passover
sacrifices to have been the day on which Jesus was crucified,
and that gives it a profound significance. Therefore, when they
use the term Passover, they may be referring to that day, rather
than to the period that starts with the first Holy Day of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread. When referring to this definition of
Passover, it is not a Holy Day, that is, not a commanded
day of rest and assembly. It is, in essence, a "preparation" day
that comes right before the beginning of the Feast. And among
some Christians and Messianics, it may be a day for reflecting
on a memorial of the crucifixion.
If you see the term "First Day of
Passover" on a modern commercial calendar, it is referring to
the common modern Jewish usage of the term. In other
words, if that label is on a Monday on the calendar, it means
that that Monday is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. Because biblical days begin the evening before a given
date, that means that the seven days of the Feast begin the
evening before, at sundown on Sunday. And it means that a Jewish
family in Jerusalem would hold their Passover seder meal
on that Sunday night, beginning the week of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread.
The Passover meal begins seven
days of eating baked goods made without leaven. In the original
command for this observance, God emphasized that this was to
remind the Israelites that they had left Egypt in great haste
when He had set them free from their bondage to the Egyptians.
But the symbolism of unleavened bread in both Jewish and
Christian circles has come to mean much more than that. Teachers
and commentators among both groups (including the Apostle Paul
in I Corinthians) have noted that leaven "puffs up" bread,
and that by eating unleavened bread during this Feast believers
are emphasizing the fact that people need to be "not puffed up"
with such sins as vanity in their own lives and hearts. In
addition, Christians believe that unleavened bread symbolizes
Jesus Christ, the only one who ever walked the Earth who was not
tainted by sin. Jesus said the He is the "bread from Heaven." By
eating such bread daily for seven days, we are reminded by that
symbolism to daily "take in" Christ and allow His nature to
replace our own carnal, sinful nature.
So the
second symbol on the chart is a stack of unleavened Matzos,
to represent the unleavened bread that characterizes this
Feast.
Feast of Unleavened Bread
Hebrew: Chag HaMatzot
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a
festival that lasts for seven days, during which no food items
baked with leaven, such as bread and rolls, are eaten. (See the
article What is "Leaven"? for more
details on this topic.) The
Hebrew term Matzot means unleavened
bread, and Chag means festival. Thus Chag HaMatzot
means Festival or Feast of Unleavened Bread. Although Jews do
recognize Chag HaMatzot as the biblical name for this Feast, and
use it occasionally, it is more common to hear the whole seven
days referred to as "Passover" (or Hebrew Pesach)
in Jewish communities. The first day and the last day of this
seven-day period are both Holy Days, days of rest and assembly.
To the
Christian, the matzo in the picture represents Jesus,
the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
For more
information about Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
see the article
Let My People Go!
The Feast of
Pentecost occurs in early summer. It is a 1-day Feast, and is
also an annual Holy Day, a day of commanded rest and assembly.
It commemorates two events: The giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai
after the Israelites were set free from Egypt, as described in
Exodus 20; and the giving of the Holy Spirit on that day seven
weeks after the resurrection of Jesus, as described in Acts 2.
So the
third symbol on the chart is a dove,
representing the Holy Spirit,
hovering over a Torah scroll,
representing the Law of God.
Pentecost
Hebrew: Shavuot
The count to establish the date
for Pentecost starts during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. From
the day the count starts, seven full weeks are counted off, and
then Pentecost is the next day ... the fiftieth day. (Pentecost
means "fiftieth.") The Hebrew term for this Feast is
Shavuot,
which means "weeks," referring to the seven weeks of counting.
Although the Old Testament doesn't pin-point the exact date that
the Ten Commandments were spoken by God at Mt. Sinai, the
chronology given in the book of Exodus makes it obvious that it
was either on or very close to the date of Pentecost. Thus the
Jews have traditionally observed this day as a commemoration of
that event. The New Testament,
however, does specifically pin-point the date of the first
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Jesus' Apostles and disciples
as being on the precise day of Pentecost.
To the
Christian, the dove in the picture represents the Holy
Spirit
that was promised by Jesus to all who accept Him as Lord and
Savior,
and the scroll represents the written word of God,
both Old and New Testaments,
including His commandments,
inspired and preserved by God for our edification and
blessing.
For more
information about the Feast of Pentecost, see the article
On Fire!
The Day of Trumpets is a Holy
Day, a day of rest and assembly, but not a Feast in the same
sense that the three annual Feasts are. It occurs in autumn on
the first day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew
calendar, two weeks before the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Hebrew term for the
day, Yom Teruah, literally means "Day of Loud Noises" or "Day
of Tumult," with no
actual mention of any specific item that makes that noise. But
the assumption by Jewish scholars from very ancient times has
been that the source of this noise is to be the shofar,
the type of ram's horn described in the Old Testament as being
used for many purposes, including calling assemblies, warning of
danger, signaling troops in war, and heralding important events and personages.
So the
fourth symbol on the chart is a man blowing a shofar,
representing the "sounding of trumpets" that characterize
this day.
The Day of Trumpets
Hebrew: Yom Teruah
Traditional Jewish title for the day: Rosh Hashanah
Although
Jews sometime use the Hebrew biblical term for the day, Yom
Teruah, they more typically refer to the day by its
more secular name, Rosh Hashanah, which means "head of
the year," implying "New Year's Day." The "sacred year" by which
the annual Jewish religious observances are scheduled actually
begins in the spring, with the month in which Passover falls.
But there are several other types of "years" recognized within
Judaism, including agricultural years, which begin with the new
planting in the fall for crops which will be harvested in the
spring.
A traditional Jewish explanation
of the significance of the day is that it is a "call to
repentance and self-examination," in preparation for the Day of
Atonement that comes nine days later. Many Christians also
believe that it may prophetically point forward to the time of
the Return of Christ, with the trumpets symbolically warning the
world of impending disaster and a need to turn to Christ before
it is too late. A "final trumpet" is mentioned in Revelation as
heralding Christ's Return, and in I Corinthians 1:52 as
announcing the resurrection of the Saints.
To the
Christian, the man blowing the shofar in the picture
represents the constant need to remain
spiritually awake and vigilant as
believers,
to be ready to "meet the Lord,"
whether He returns in our lifetime,
or we die and meet Him in the resurrection.
For more
about the Day of Trumpets, see the article
Reveille!
The Day of Atonement is a Holy
Day, a day of rest and assembly, but not a Feast in the same
sense that the three annual Feasts are. It occurs in the autumn,
on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.
The word "atonement" means "reconciliation," to "bring back into
fellowship two parties that have been estranged."
In ancient Israel a special
annual ceremony was held on this day, involving two goats. (See
the article Together Again for
details regarding this ceremony.) Its purpose was to "reconcile"
the nation to God.
So the
fifth symbol on the chart is a goat,
representing the ancient atonement Temple ceremony of the
two goats,
in which the nation was yearly reconciled to God
through the shedding of the blood of one goat
and the confession of sins over the other, which was sent
away.
Day of Atonement
Hebrew: Yom Kippur
The Day of Atonement is the only annual
biblical Holy Day that is a "fast day," on which no food or
drink is consumed. Yom Kippur, the Hebrew term for the
day literally means "Day of Covering," with the implication that
the blood of the sacrificial animals would "cover" the sins of
the people, that separated them from God, to appease the justice
of God, and make them acceptable once again to be in fellowship
with Him. In metaphor, He would look at them and not see the
sinfulness, but only the blood of the sacrifice.
To the
Christian, the goat in the picture
represents Jesus, who "provided the atonement"
which reconciled us to God through His own blood.
In metaphor, God looks at the Christian,
and does not see his sinful nature,
but only the blood of Jesus, the one Perfect Sacrifice.
For more about the
Day of Atonement, see the article
Together Again.
The Feast of Tabernacles, also
called the Feast of Booths, is a 7-day festival that occurs in
autumn. It begins on the fifteenth day of Tishri, the seventh
month of the Hebrew calendar. During these seven days, each ancient Israelite
family lived in a simple hut called a sukkah (plural:
sukkot), and
often called in English a "tabernacle,"
that they made just for the purpose. (See the article
What Are "Tabernacles"? for more
information on this topic.) God commanded them to do so as an
annual memorial of the time of the Exodus.
So the
sixth symbol on the chart is a sukkah, a hut or
temporary dwelling,
representing the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites
lived during their wanderings in the wilderness before they
reached the Promised Land.
During that time God protected them from the elements
and provided for their physical needs.
Feast of Tabernacles
Hebrew: Sukkot
The first day of the seven days
is a Holy Day, a day of rest and assembly. Modern Jews build sukkahs, often on a patio or in a back
yard, in which they eat their meals and study and discuss
scripture throughout the seven days, although most do not sleep
in them over night.
To the
Christian, the sukkah in the picture
represents the fact that we are all living temporary lives
on Earth,
in perishable bodies,
waiting for the day when we have
a permanent home in Eternity in the Family of God.
And while we wait, God is our protector and provider.
For more about the
Feast of Tabernacles, see the article
Roughing It.
The Eighth Day
Assembly takes its name from the fact that it comes eight days
after the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles, on the 22nd day
of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. It
is not technically a part of that Feast at all, but a totally
separate Holy Day, a day of rest and assembly, with its
own symbolism and traditions.
Anciently the Israelites
took down their huts (tabernacles) that they had lived in during
the Feast of Tabernacles before this Holy Day began. The Hebrew
term for this day, Shemini Atzeret, is said by some
Jewish commentators to imply the "Eighth Day
Concluding Assembly," perhaps in part because it "concludes"
the season of the Fall Feast and Holy Days, as well as the
yearly cycle of biblical Feasts and Holy Days.
Many Christians who observe this
day believe it symbolically represents a time in the future when
all the children of God are no longer "dwelling" in a temporary
life on a purely physical Earth, but have inherited eternal life
in the resurrection as part of the eternal Family of God,
dwelling in the permanent Kingdom of God.
So the
seventh symbol on the chart is a picture of "the heavens"
and a "heavenly light,"
representing the eternal Kingdom of God that is coming,
expected by both Jews and Christians.
The Eighth Day Assembly
Hebrew:
Shemini Atzeret
To the
Christian, the "heavens" and the "heavenly light"
in the picture
represent that time when the Family of God
will all be part of the eternal heavenly Kingdom of God--
where "there is no night there" because the Lamb is the
Light!
For more about
the Eighth Day Assembly, see the article
Edge of Eternity.
Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27
Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and there was no longer
any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now
the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live
with them. They will be his people, and God himself
will be with them and be their God. He will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old
order of things has passed away."
I did not
see a temple in the city, because the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
The city does not need the sun or the moon
to shine on it, for the glory of God
gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
The nations will walk by its light, and the
kings of the earth will bring their splendor
into it. On no day will its gates ever be
shut, for there will be no night there.
The glory and honor of the nations will be
brought into it. Nothing impure will ever
enter it, nor will anyone who does what is
shameful or deceitful, but only those whose
names are written in the Lamb's book of
life.
Review the basic
points of the material above by clicking on the chart icon
below.
Chart of the Christian Celebration of the
Annual Biblical Feasts and Holy Days
Email the Times of
Refreshing WebAuthor
All of the articles on this Times
of Refreshing website were written by Pam Dewey, with
the support and sponsorship of Common Ground Christian
Ministries. For more of Pam's inspirational and educational
writings, visit The Oasis website at
www.youall.com/oasis
All website content
© 2006, Pam
Dewey and Common Ground Christian Ministries
All rights reserved. Material may
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