Spring festivals:
When the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years after their exodus from Egypt God spoke to the people through Moses and established feasts to honor the Lord. Each festival was to commemorate a major event in the life of the Hebrews. There were to be seven festivals each year, three in the spring, one in the summer, and three more in the fall. In this blog we’ll only address the three festivals held in the spring, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and Feast of First Fruits. While these are Jewish festivals they also have prophetic significance for Christians because they mirror God’s salvation plan for mankind. During the millennial reign of Jesus these festivals will be celebrated in Jerusalem every year and in heaven forever. All these festivals point to Christ and all Christians should celebrate these festivals alongside the Jewish people.
We all know the story of Pharaoh refusing to let the Hebrew slaves leave Egypt until finally God sent His death angel to kill all the first born of Egypt. To protect the Hebrews from the same fate they were instructed to kill an unblemished lamb and place its blood on the two posts and lintel of their doors so the death angel would “pass over” their house. The slain lamb was to be roasted and eaten. In a prophetic parallel, the Passover lamb was later fulfilled in Christ, who was called in John 1:20, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” The three crosses were part of the crucifixion narrative, reminding us that three marks of blood were on each Hebrew door post in Egypt. The blood of Christ was required to seal the redemption of those who believe in Him. The stripes Jesus carried through his scourging became the stripes of healing for those who could believe.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the day after Passover and commemorates the Hebrews leaving Egypt so fast they didn’t have time to bake any bread properly so they ate it unleavened. Pharaoh freed the Hebrews and they left Egypt the day after the death angel passed over. In the New Testament, leaven is considered a picture of a sinful lifestyle and bread without leaven represents a life without sin. The yearly commemoration of Unleavened Bread is the picture of Christ dying as a sinless sacrifice. Immediately following Unleavened Bread is the Feast of First Fruits, which marks the beginning of the barley harvest. Christ fulfilled this imagery as He rose from the dead on the morning of First Fruits. I always thought it odd the Jews had three festivals so close together (back to back) but now it makes sense. God has appointed these three spring festivals to represent the death, redemption and resurrection of Jesus Christ which happened over a three day period.
Witnessing for Christ