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

The three fall feasts of the Lord are Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles (Booths). Leviticus 23:23–44 places them in the seventh month of Israel’s calendar, called Tishri: Trumpets on the first day, Atonement on the tenth, and Tabernacles beginning on the fifteenth. Their September or October dates vary from year to year.

I understand these feasts as pictures of Christ’s future work: gathering His church, judging the world, and dwelling with His people in the millennial kingdom. This study explains those prophetic connections while distinguishing them from the commands given to Israel. For the earlier feasts, see how Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts.

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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:

• Ezekiel 17 uses two eagles in a picture involving the kings of Babylon and Egypt.
• Ezekiel 29:3 portrays Pharaoh as a great dragon in his streams.

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

Scripture also presents Christ as the Lamb of God and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. I see these descriptions reflected in the two groups of 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.

The first four feasts point to Christ’s first coming, and I understand the fall feasts as pointing to His return. The three fall observances occur in the same Hebrew month, from Tishri 1 through the closing assembly on Tishri 22. Those dates do not correspond to fixed September and October dates.

The Interval Between the Spring and Fall Feasts Pictures 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.

Trumpets occurs in the seventh month, while Passover begins the cycle in the first. That is roughly six months between the beginnings of the two groups, not a six-month break after Pentecost. Pentecost occurs later in the spring sequence. I understand the interval between the groups as a picture of the church age between Christ’s two comings; Leviticus itself does not name that prophetic interval.

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.

Acts 4:4 says the number of believing men reached about 5,000; it does not describe 5,000 additional converts to add to the 3,000 at Pentecost. The growing church was a great spiritual harvest. I connect the Feast of Trumpets with Christ gathering His church when this age reaches its conclusion.

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 calls for a memorial marked by trumpet blasts. I see an application to the New Testament’s call to be alert and ready for Christ’s return. We are to live as though He could come for His church at any moment. Consider Jesus’s teaching:

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.

The pattern of the spring feasts leads me to see a possible connection between Christ’s return and the Feast of Trumpets. If I had to choose a feast associated with the Rapture, it would be Trumpets, on Tishri 1. That is a prophetic interpretation, not a date revealed in Scripture. Tishri 1 moves within our September–October calendar, so it should not be equated with September 21. Jesus’ command in Matthew 24:36–44 is to stay ready, not to claim knowledge of the day or hour.

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. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and YOU SHALL AFFLICT YOURSELVES. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.”

On the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place and sprinkled sacrificial blood on and before the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:14–16). Israel was commanded to humble themselves and refrain from work. This was a solemn observance centered on atonement, not an ordinary festive celebration. I see its emphasis on affliction as a picture of the coming Tribulation, while its sacrifices point to Christ’s completed work for sin.

The Third Fall Feast of the Lord, Tabernacles, Looks Forward to the Millennium When Jesus “Tabernacles” Among Us

Leviticus 23:33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work. 37 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, 38 besides the Lord’s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord. 39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest (or Sabbath), and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.

God provided for Israel in such incredible ways when they were in the wilderness, He established the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth) to celebrate it. The Israelites would live in tents or temporary shelters called booths for seven days, which is why the Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of Booths.

Leviticus 23 specifies rest and sacred gatherings at the beginning and close of the observance. It also emphasizes rejoicing before the Lord. This gives us a contrast with the self-affliction commanded on the Day of Atonement:

• The Day of Atonement was about affliction.
• Tabernacles was about rest and rejuvenation.

This pictured the dramatic change between the Tribulation and the Millennium.

The Connection Between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Millennium

Leviticus 23:40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees (keep the palm branches in mind) and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” 44 Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord.

Leviticus 23 mentions palm branches along with other branches used in the celebration. Palm branches also appear at Jesus’s triumphal entry. That connection helps illustrate the kingdom theme, although the Gospels do not say everyone in the crowd was consciously connecting that event to Tabernacles.

Luke 19:11 [Jesus] was near to Jerusalem, and [the Jews] supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

Luke 19:11 describes the expectation of those hearing Jesus as He approached Jerusalem. Later in the chapter He makes His triumphal entry. The crowd’s words in Mark’s account express their hope for the kingdom:

Mark 11:8 Many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches…9 [They] were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 BLESSED IS THE COMING KINGDOM of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

The crowd honored Jesus with cloaks and branches. Their proclamation about David’s kingdom makes the royal significance clear. Connecting their use of branches specifically to Tabernacles is an interpretation, rather than a motive the text explicitly assigns to them.

Leviticus 23:41 calls the observance a lasting statute for Israel’s generations. Zechariah 14 also describes the nations keeping the Feast of Booths when the Lord reigns. I understand that scene as part of Christ’s future millennial kingdom. Here is the sequence as I understand it:

• The Second Coming occurs.
• The armies of the earth fight against Jerusalem.
• Jesus destroys these enemies at the Battle of Armageddon.
• Then, He establishes His Millennial Kingdom.
• People who survived the battle enter the Kingdom.

We’re going to pick up at the description of the Battle of Armageddon:

Zechariah 14:12 This shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths…16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles). 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King (which is to say they don’t observe Tabernacles)…there will be no rain on them. 18 [This] shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

Zechariah 14:16–19 explicitly connects worship of the King with keeping the Feast of Booths and describes judgment on nations that refuse. I understand this as a picture of the millennial kingdom. Micah 4:1–7 and Isaiah 2:2–4 also describe the nations coming to the Lord and peace under His rule, but they do not specifically mention the Feast of Booths.

How Does Tabernacles Point to Christ Dwelling with His People?

The Feast of Tabernacles remembered Israel’s life in temporary shelters after the exodus. How does that history help us see Christ dwelling with His people? Scripture gives several connections between His provision for Israel in the wilderness and His provision for believers.

You could argue that the one time in the Old Testament you MOST see Christ with His people is when they were in the wilderness! Here are some examples. God provided Israel with manna, and Jesus said He’s the true and greater bread from heaven:

John 6:32–33 (summary): Jesus explains that His Father gives the true bread from heaven, which brings life to the world.

The manna, or bread from heaven, pictured Christ, the true and greater Bread from Heaven. The way the manna physically nourished the people looked to the way Christ spiritually nourishes us.

God led Israel with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Exodus emphasizes His guidance and the light He gave them for their journey:

Exodus 13:21 THE LORD WENT BEFORE THEM by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.

The Lord’s presence accompanied His people. The next chapter also describes the angel of God moving with the cloud:

Exodus 14:19: “Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them.”

I understand the angel of God here as the pre-incarnate Christ. The passage describes God protecting Israel, and the cloud is also associated with His glory:

Exodus 16:10 [Israel] looked toward the wilderness, and behold, THE GLORY OF THE LORD APPEARED IN THE CLOUD.

The cloud was the glory of God, a visible representation of God’s presence with them. It looked forward to the way God would reveal His glory and be visibly present with His people at the Incarnation:

John 1:14: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and “we have seen his glory.”

The point is the cloud in the wilderness was a dramatic picture of Christ being with His people. Paul ties all this together and identifies another way Christ was with Israel in the wilderness:

1 Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual ROCK THAT FOLLOWED THEM, and THE ROCK WAS CHRIST.

In a few verses, Paul associated Christ with the cloud, manna, and rock that gave them water. The words “followed them” make it sound like Jesus was with them. How does a Rock follow people?

The key is the word spiritual: “all ate the same SPIRITUAL food, and all drank the same SPIRITUAL drink.” It doesn’t mean Jesus literally or physically was the manna or rock, but it does mean Jesus spiritually provided for Israel in the wilderness, like He spiritually provides for us, the church, in the New Testament.

Jesus compared Himself with the bronze serpent that saved the Israelites from the fiery serpents that were killing them, like Jesus saves us from the spiritual serpent or Satan, that kills us:

John 3:14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

Israel camped around the ark, which represented the presence of the LORD, making them feel like the Lord dwelt with them. Every sacrifice was a picture of Christ.

The Fall Feasts of the Lord Demonstrate God’s Love

God’s provision in the wilderness shows His presence and care for Israel and points us to Christ. I see a further fulfillment in the Millennium, when Christ dwells among His people. Likewise, Trumpets was a real sacred gathering for Israel, while also picturing, in this study’s interpretation, the future gathering of the church to Christ.

Could the animal sacrifices provide the final answer to sin? Leviticus 16:30 speaks of atonement and cleansing, but Hebrews 10:1–14 explains that animal blood could not finally take away sins. The repeated sacrifices pointed forward to the complete, once-for-all sacrifice of Christ. Our confidence rests in Him, our great High Priest:

Hebrews 9:24 Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

All these feasts reveal Christ. They are God’s loving ways of reaching out to draw us to His Son. Don’t ignore what God has done for you. If you’ve never repented and put your faith in Christ, let today be your day of salvation.