Unlocking the Meaning of the Three Fall Feasts of the Lord (Leviticus 23:23-44)

The four spring feasts point to Jesus's first coming and are covered in this post. The three fall feasts, described in Leviticus 23:23-44, look forward to His Second Coming. This video explores the profound significance of these three feasts. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) symbolizes the Rapture, where Jesus gathers His church; the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) looks ahead to the Tribulation and "the Wrath of the Lamb"; and the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Succoth) signifies the Millennium when Jesus will "tabernacle" among us. https://youtu.be/syg27sqJXP0 Table of contentsThe Spring Feasts Reveal the Lamb of God, and the Fall Feasts Reveal the Lion of the Tribe of JudahThe Six-Month “Gap” Between the Spring and Fall Feasts Represents the Church AgeThe First Fall Feast of the Lord, Trumpets, Looks Forward to the Rapture When Jesus Gathers His ChurchDoes the Feast of Trumpets Give Us the Date of the Rapture?The Second Fall Feast of the Lord, the Day of Atonement, Looks Forward to the Tribulation and “Wrath of the Lamb”The Third Fall Feast of the Lord, Tabernacles, Looks Forward to the Millennium When Jesus “Tabernacles” Among UsThe Connection Between the Feast of Tabernacles and the MillenniumDid the Feast of Trumpets Look Back on Christ Dwelling with Israel in the Wilderness?The Fall Feasts of the Lord Demonstrate God's Love My last post examined the first four spring feasts, and in this post, I will examine the last three fall feasts. I want to capture the transition between the spring and fall feasts. The Spring Feasts Reveal the Lamb of God, and the Fall Feasts Reveal the Lion of the Tribe of Judah If I worded this heading differently, it would be, “The spring feasts reveal the Suffering Servant, and the fall feasts reveal the Coming King.” God often uses animals to picture kingdoms. For example: In Jeremiah 5 and 49, a lion and eagle represent Babylon. In Ezekiel 17 and 19, an eagle and crocodile represent Egypt. Probably most famously, in Daniel 7: A lion represents Babylon A bear represents Medo-Persia A leopard represents Greece And a fourth, monstrous beast represents Rome God also uses animals two animals to represent Christ’s Kingdom, and we see them in the seven feasts: The four spring feasts looked forward to Jesus’s First Coming as the Lamb of God. The three fall feasts look forward to Jesus’s Second Coming as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Just as the first four feasts go together and looked forward to Jesus’s First Coming, the three fall feasts go together and look forward to Jesus’s Second Coming. They all occur within about 20 days of each other: Tishri 1 to Tishri 21 or September 21 to October 11. The Six-Month “Gap” Between the Spring and Fall Feasts Represents the Church Age Leviticus 23:5 IN THE FIRST MONTH, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord's Passover. Passover occurred in the first month. Leviticus 23:23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, IN THE SEVENTH MONTH, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. This is the fifth feast, Trumpets, which occurred “in the seventh month.” So, there is a six-month gap between the spring and fall feasts of the Lord. They are separated by as much time as possible. If the feasts were any further apart, they would be closer together on the other end of the calendar. This six-month gap represents the church age or “gap” between Jesus’s two comings. I use the word “gap” because if you’re familiar with Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, this gap should make you think of the “gap” between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks. The First Fall Feast of the Lord, Trumpets, Looks Forward to the Rapture When Jesus Gathers His Church Leviticus 23:23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.” Briefly consider the “gap” or the Church Age between the fourth and fifth feasts. Last post I wrote that the third feast, Firstfruits, looked forward to a great harvest. That harvest began at Pentecost and continued throughout the Church Age, or “gap” between the fourth and fifth feasts: Acts 2:41 Those who received [Peter’s] word (following his great speech) were baptized, and there were added that day ABOUT THREE THOUSAND SOULS. Then, a little while later: Acts 4:4 many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND. In a matter of a few days, 8,000 Jews were saved. That’s a great harvest! In the Old Testament, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) commemorated the end of the physical harvest. In the future, it will commemorate the end of the spiritual harvest or Church Age. Additionally, throughout the Old Testament, trumpets were used to gather people. Here are a few examples: Exodus 19:13 When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain. Numbers 10:2 Make two silver trumpets…use them for summoning the congregation. Nehemiah 4:20 When you hear the trumpet, rally to us there. Jeremiah 4:5 Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, “Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!” So, trumpets were used to gather people throughout the Old Testament, and it looked forward to the Rapture when the Lord gathers His people, the Church: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET OF GOD. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at THE LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. Leviticus 23:24 says "blast of trumpets" plural. There was a long break between the spring feasts and the fall feasts of the Lord, and the Feast of Trumpets served to wake up everyone. This looks to one of the themes in the New Testament that we must be alert and ready for Jesus’s imminent return for His church. We are to live as though Christ could come for us at any moment because He could. Think of Jesus’s teaching on this subject: Matthew 24:42 Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…44 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is primarily about preparing for Christ to come for His bride. We don’t know when that will happen, so the bridegroom comes, the foolish virgins aren’t ready, and Jesus ends the parable this way: Matthew 25:11 [The foolish] virgins [said], “Lord, lord, open to us.” 12 But he answered, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. This is why Jesus’s return for His church is regularly compared with the way a thief breaks in unexpectedly: 1 Thessalonians 5:2 The day of the Lord will come LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT…4 You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you LIKE A THIEF. 2 Peter 3:10 The day of the Lord will come LIKE A THIEF… Revelation 3:3 I will come LIKE A THIEF, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Revelation 16:15 (“Behold, I am coming LIKE A THIEF! Blessed is the one who stays awake. We don’t know when a thief will strike, but we will be prepared if we know he will. Similarly, we don’t know WHEN Jesus will return for His church, but if we believe He will, we will be prepared. Does the Feast of Trumpets Give Us the Date of the Rapture? I just shared that Jesus will come for His church like a thief in the night, and nobody knows the day or hour. But you probably also know some verses encourage us to watch the times and seasons to know when the end is near: Matthew 24:33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Luke 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. We don’t know, but we should watch and have some idea. So I’m not going to declare a day and hour, but if I was forced to choose, here’s what I’d say: Because all four spring feasts were fulfilled when the feasts were celebrated (Passover was fulfilled on Passover, Unleavened Bread was fulfilled on Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits was fulfilled on Firstfruits, Pentecost was fulfilled on Pentecost) it is reasonable to expect the fall feasts of the lord to be fulfilled when they are celebrated. If I had to choose a day for the Rapture, it would be when the Feast of Trumpets is celebrated: Tishri 1 or close to September 21st. The Second Fall Feast of the Lord, the Day of Atonement, Looks Forward to the Tribulation and “Wrath of the Lamb” Leviticus 23:26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and YOU SHALL AFFLICT YOURSELVES and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For WHOEVER IS NOT AFFLICTED on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.