God’s Appointed Feasts: Understanding the Biblical Holy Days
The Bible outlines specific appointed feasts (moedim) that are holy convocations established by God. These feasts are not merely Jewish traditions but divine appointments that hold prophetic significance. They foretell God’s redemptive plan through Jesus Christ and offer deep spiritual lessons for believers today.
📖 Leviticus 23:1-2 – “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.”
The seven feasts of the Lord are divided into Spring Feasts (fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming) and Fall Feasts (foreshadowing His second coming). Understanding and observing these feasts deepens our appreciation of God’s prophetic timeline.
Passover (Pesach) – Jesus Our Sacrificial Lamb
📖 Leviticus 23:5 – “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover.”
🔹 Represents the Exodus, where the blood of the lamb spared Israel from judgment (Exodus 12).
🔹 Jesus was crucified on Passover, fulfilling His role as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).
🔹 Observe by reading Exodus 12 & the Gospels, taking unleavened bread & grape juice/wine in remembrance (Luke 22:19-20).
Feast of Unleavened Bread – Purging Sin
📖 Leviticus 23:6-8 – “Seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.”
🔹 Symbolizes Israel’s exodus and eating unleavened bread (Exodus 12:39).
🔹 Jesus’ sinless body was buried, fulfilling this feast.
🔹 Observe by removing leaven (sin) from your home (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) and focusing on holiness for 7 days.
Feast of Firstfruits – Jesus’ Resurrection
📖 Leviticus 23:10-11 – “Ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest.”
🔹 Israel presented the first of their harvest to God in thanksgiving.
🔹 Jesus rose on Firstfruits, fulfilling this as the firstborn of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20).
🔹 Observe by thanking God for Jesus’ resurrection, reading 1 Corinthians 15, and offering the firstfruits of your time and devotion.
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost/Shavuot) – The Holy Spirit Given
📖 Leviticus 23:15-16 – “Fifty days after the seventh sabbath, bring an offering unto the Lord.”
🔹 Commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19).
🔹 Fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost (Acts 2).
🔹 Observe by reading Exodus 19 & Acts 2, praying for the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, and thanking God for His guidance.
Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) – The Coming King
📖 Leviticus 23:24 – “In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, ye shall have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets.”
🔹 Trumpets signaled warnings, war, and the coming of the King.
🔹 Prophetically points to Jesus’ return with the sound of a trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
🔹 Observe by listening to the sound of the shofar, repenting, and studying prophecy (Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, Revelation 19).
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) – Judgment & Mercy
📖 Leviticus 23:27 – “On the tenth day of this seventh month shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls.”
🔹 A day of repentance, fasting, and seeking forgiveness.
🔹 Prophetically represents the final judgment (Revelation 20).
🔹 Observe by fasting, praying, and meditating on Hebrews 9 & Revelation 20.
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) – God Dwelling with Us
📖 Leviticus 23:34 – “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days.”
🔹 Israel dwelt in tents, remembering God’s provision in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:42-43).
🔹 Prophetically points to Jesus’ Millennial Reign & the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21).
🔹 Observe by:
🔹 Building a temporary tent or booth outside and eating in it.
🔹 Giving thanks for God’s provision and looking forward to the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21).
🔹 Rejoicing! This is a time of joy, celebration, and God’s presence!
The Lord’s Supper – A Continuation of God’s Plan
🔹 Jesus established the Lord’s Supper during Passover (Luke 22:19-20).
🔹 It fulfills and enhances Passover—instead of sacrificing a lamb, we partake of bread and wine, representing Christ’s body and blood.
🔹 The Feasts of the Lord still hold prophetic significance, pointing to Christ’s second coming.
📖 Luke 22:19-20
“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Why Keep These Feasts?
1️⃣ The Feasts Are God’s Appointed Times (Not Just for Israel)
Many assume the feasts were only Old Testament Jewish traditions, but Scripture calls them “Feasts of the Lord”—not feasts of Israel.
📖 Leviticus 23:1-2 – “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.”
🔹 These are God’s feasts, not man’s traditions.
🔹 They pre-existed the Law—Passover was instituted before the Law was given (Exodus 12).
🔹 They were not abolished by Jesus but fulfilled in deeper meaning.
2️⃣ Jesus & The Apostles Kept the Feasts
Even after Christ’s resurrection, the New Testament believers continued to observe the feasts—but now with a greater understanding in Jesus.
🔹 Jesus kept the Feasts:
📖 Luke 22:15-16 – “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
- Jesus affirms that Passover will still be kept in the Kingdom!
🔹 The Apostles kept the Feasts after the Resurrection:
📖 Acts 2:1 – Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) was when the Holy Spirit was given.
📖 Acts 18:21 – Paul insists on keeping a feast (likely Tabernacles or Passover).
📖 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 – Paul tells believers to “keep the feast” (Passover & Unleavened Bread).
Why would the Apostles still observe the feasts if they were abolished?
3️⃣ The Feasts Are Shadow Prophecies of Jesus
Paul teaches that the Feasts are shadows of future events fulfilled in Christ.
📖 Colossians 2:16-17 – “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.“
🔹 The Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost) were fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming.
🔹 The Fall Feasts (Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles) still await fulfillment in His second coming!
If the feasts were abolished, how could Paul say they are shadows of things to come?
4️⃣ The Feasts Will Be Kept in the Millennial Kingdom
📖 Zechariah 14:16-19 – “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.”
🔹 This prophecy is after Jesus’ return, proving that feasts are still observed in the Kingdom.
🔹 Those who refuse to keep the Feast of Tabernacles will be punished!
📖 Ezekiel 45:21-25 describes the observance of Passover and Tabernacles during Jesus’ reign on earth.
If these feasts were abolished, why will they be kept in the future Kingdom?
5️⃣ Did Jesus Abolish the Feasts?
No. Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system, but not the appointed times themselves.
📖 Matthew 5:17-18 – “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
🔹 The sacrificial aspect of the feasts (animal sacrifices) was fulfilled in Jesus’ death.
🔹 But the appointed times themselves still hold spiritual and prophetic significance.
Jesus never said, “Stop keeping the Feasts.” He fulfilled their deeper meaning and left them as a testimony of His redemptive work.
6️⃣ What Should Believers Do Today?
🔹 The Lord’s Supper commemorates Christ’s death, but does not replace the Feasts.
🔹 The Feasts still teach us about Jesus and His second coming.
🔹 They are not required for salvation, but they help us understand God’s prophetic calendar.
📖 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 – “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast…”
🔹 Paul commands New Testament believers to keep the feasts, showing they were never abolished.
Conclusion: The Feasts Still Matter!
🔹 The Feasts of the Lord are not void after Christ—they are fulfilled in Him.
🔹 They are still observed in prophecy (Zechariah 14, Ezekiel 45).
🔹 The Apostles continued keeping them after Jesus’ resurrection.
🔹 The Feasts will be kept in the Millennial Kingdom.
They are not legalistic burdens, but divine appointments pointing to Jesus!
Shall we explore how to observe them today as believers in Christ?
Spring Feasts (Fulfilled in Jesus’ First Coming)
Fall Feasts (Prophetic of Jesus’ Second Coming)
Extra-Biblical Observances
📖 Notes on the Calendar System
- The Hebrew calendar is lunar-based, meaning the feasts shift each year according to the sighting of the new moon.
- The Biblical day starts at sunset, so feasts begin the evening before the Gregorian date.
- Many modern Jewish communities follow a rabbinic calculation system rather than the Biblical sighted moon method.
Calculating the Feast Dates Using Biblical Methods
The Biblical (Hebrew) calendar is lunar-based and differs from the modern Jewish (rabbinic) calendar used today. To determine the correct Feast Days using Biblical methods, we must return to how God commanded time to be reckoned:
📖 Genesis 1:14 – “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
Here, the word “seasons” is moedim (מועדים), meaning appointed times, referring to the feasts! The moon determines the feasts, not human calculations.
Step 1: Identify the Biblical New Year (Rosh Chodesh)
The first month of the Biblical year is called Abib (Nisan).
📖 Exodus 12:2 – “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”
🔹 The new year begins with the first sighted new moon after the barley is “Abib” (ripened) in Israel.
🔹 This means that the Hebrew year does not begin on January 1st, but in the spring (March-April).
🔹 If barley is not yet Abib, the year is delayed by one month (intercalation).
Step 2: Identify the Feast Days Based on the First New Moon
Once the first new moon of the year is sighted, we can count to determine the Feasts of the Lord.
Step 3: Using the Sighted Moon, Not the Jewish Calendar
Many Jewish communities today use a fixed, pre-calculated calendar (Hillel II Calendar), but this is not the Biblical way.
📖 Psalm 104:19 – “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.”
The rabbinic calendar does not wait for barley ripeness or the new moon sightings, meaning it can be one month off from the Biblical method.
✅ Biblical method → Uses new moon sightings & barley ripeness.
❌ Rabbinic method → Uses pre-calculated dates, sometimes incorrect.
Step 4: Confirming the Dates Each Year
Since the Biblical calendar depends on observable events, the exact Gregorian dates of the Feasts change yearly.
🔹 Check the barley in Israel – If it is Abib, the next new moon begins the year.
🔹 Watch for the first crescent moon – This starts each Biblical month.
🔹 Count the feast days accordingly – Using the table above.
Why Is This Important?
Many prophetic events align with the Feasts of the Lord, meaning accurate dating matters!
🔹 Passover – Jesus was crucified exactly on this day.
🔹 Firstfruits – Jesus rose on this feast.
🔹 Pentecost – The Holy Spirit came on this feast.
🔹 Trumpets – May signal Jesus’ second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
🔹 Atonement – May signal judgment day (Revelation 20:11-15).
🔹 Tabernacles – May signal God’s kingdom on earth (Revelation 21:3).
📖 Conclusion: Observing Feasts the Right Way
To correctly keep the Feasts, one must:
🔹 Look for the first ripened barley in Israel.
🔹 Observe the first visible crescent moon to start the new year.
🔹 Count days from there to each Feast rather than using pre-set dates.
This method restores Biblical accuracy and helps believers prepare for prophetic fulfillment in God’s calendar.
Based on current agricultural and astronomical data, here are the projected dates for the 2025 Biblical Feasts:
Spring Feasts
1. Passover (Pesach)
Date: Evening of April 13 to evening of April 14, 2025aroodawakening.tv
Significance: Commemorates Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and symbolizes Jesus as our Passover Lamb.
Reference: Leviticus 23:5
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot)
Dates: April 14 to April 21, 2025
Significance: A seven-day feast symbolizing the removal of sin (leaven) and living a sanctified life.
Reference: Leviticus 23:6-8
3. Feast of Firstfruits (Yom HaBikkurim)
Date: April 20, 2025
Significance: Offering the first harvested barley sheaf, symbolizing Jesus’ resurrection as the firstfruits of those risen from the dead.
Reference: Leviticus 23:9-14
4. Feast of Weeks (Shavuot/Pentecost)
Date: June 7 to June 8, 2025aroodawakening.tv
Significance: Celebrates the wheat harvest and the giving of the Torah; in the New Testament, it marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Reference: Leviticus 23:15-21
Fall Feasts
5. Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah)
Date: September 24 to September 25, 2025
Significance: A day of sounding the shofar (trumpet), calling for repentance and heralding the coming judgment.
Reference: Leviticus 23:23-25
6. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Date: October 3 to October 4, 2025
Significance: A solemn day of fasting and repentance, seeking atonement for sins.
Reference: Leviticus 23:26-32
7. Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)
Dates: October 8 to October 15, 2025
Significance: Celebrates God’s provision during the wilderness journey and looks forward to His dwelling with us in the future.
Reference: Leviticus 23:33-43
8. The Eighth Day (Shemini Atzeret)
Date: October 15 to October 16, 2025
Significance: A concluding assembly marking the end of the festival season.
Reference: Leviticus 23:36