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

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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.

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. 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 (Yom Kippur), the High Priest would enter the Holiest of Holies and sprinkle blood on the ark to atone for Israel’s sins. Three times, the verses discuss Israel afflicting themselves. It’s pretty odd to see this discussion of affliction on a day that’s supposed to be a celebration. But it’s perfectly fitting because the Day of Atonement looks forward to the Tribulation when a Christ-rejecting world is afflicted.

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 (many translations say Tabernacles) to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation (or Sabbath); 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 (or another Sabbath) 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 (referring to Sabbaths), 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 (another Sabbath).

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.

Tabernacles emphasized Sabbaths (mentioned six times in the verses) or rest. So, there was a dramatic change between the 6th and 7th feasts:

• 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.

The Israelites would make their tents, or booths, out of palm branches. What event in Scripture comes to mind when you think of palm branches? The Triumphal Entry. I want to establish the connection between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Millennial Kingdom:

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

This is Palm Sunday. Jesus makes His Triumphal Entry and is crucified in five days. But the Jews think Jesus is about to establish His kingdom. Because they think He’s setting up His kingdom when He enters Jerusalem:

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!”

There was no command for the Jews to put palm branches down, so some people used clothing instead. Some Jews used palm branches because they associated the Feast of Tabernacles with the Messiah’s Kingdom.

Leviticus 23:41 says celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles “is a statue forever throughout [the] generations.” Tabernacles is supposed to be celebrated forever. I want to share some verses from Zechariah about this, but first, let me give you an idea of what’s going on:

• 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.

Notice two things. First, if people don’t celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, they will be punished. Second, the Feast of Tabernacles is so closely associated with the Millennial Kingdom that it will be celebrated during the Millennium. We don’t have time to look at the verses, but Micah 4:1-7 and Isaiah 2:3-4 prophesy of this. We will be celebrating having Christ in our midst, tabernacling among us.

Did the Feast of Trumpets Look Back on Christ Dwelling with Israel in the Wilderness?

The Feast of Trumpets looked forward to Christ gathering His people, the church. The Day of Atonement looked forward to Christ atoning for our sins. Is there some way, or ways, the Feast of Trumpets looked forward to Christ dwelling or tabernacling among us? Or here’s a better way to word this question: the Feast of Tabernacles celebrates Israel’s time in the wilderness. Are there some ways we see Christ dwelling with the Israelites when they were in the wilderness? Absolutely!

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 “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, My Father gives you the true bread from heaven (referring to Himself). 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives 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 provided Israel with a cloud that protected them from the sun’s heat during the day and a pillar of fire that protected them from the cold at night. Listen to the way it’s described:

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 was in the cloud and fire, and in the next chapter, we learn it was Jesus:

Exodus 14:19 Then THE ANGEL OF GOD was going before the host of Israel moved and…THE PILLAR OF CLOUD MOVED FROM BEFORE THEM AND STOOD BEHIND THEM.

The Angel of the Lord was in the cloud and pillar of fire; this Angel is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. The cloud is associated with God’s 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 BEHELD HIS GLORY, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

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

Christ didn’t physically dwell with His people in the wilderness, but these were all dramatic ways He spiritually dwelt with them, looking forward to the Millennium when He physically dwells or tabernacles among us. Similarly, the Feast of Trumpets didn’t really gather God’s people to Him. It only looked forward to the Rapture, when God will truly gather His people to Himself.

Did the Day of Atonement truly forgive people’s sins? No. If it did, God would not have sent His Son. Atone means cover. The Day of Atonement only covered people’s sins while looking forward to Christ coming as our Great High Priest to enter the true and greater Holy of Holies, heaven itself, and remove our sins:

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.