Remembering the Ransom – Celebrating the Resurrection

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Short Summary
The discourse emphasizes the importance of remembering and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and the sacrifices he made, highlighting that while memorial observances are solemn, the resurrection is a true cause for joy. It explores the seven feasts of Israel as symbolic representations of God’s plan for deliverance and salvation across two ages—the Gospel age and the future kingdom—illustrating themes of redemption, sanctification, and the eventual full restoration of mankind. The speaker underscores the ongoing significance of these observances as reminders to remain faithful, grateful, and watchful for the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Long Summary
Introduction and Context of Memorial Observance:
– The discourse opens by reflecting on the memorial service for Jesus Christ, emphasizing that while commonly called a celebration, the memorial is in fact a solemn, quiet, and respectful remembrance of Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice.
– The memorial recalls Jesus’ broken flesh and spilled blood, his perfect life, and the great risk he took sacrificing his life and his place next to God the Father.
– The speaker distinguishes between the word “celebrate” used for Jesus’ sacrifice (in an accommodated, solemn sense) and the true joyful celebration of His resurrection, which brings genuine reason to rejoice.

The Central Message: Never Forget What the Lord Has Done:
– God gave Israel multiple feasts as continual reminders not to forget His deliverance and blessings.
– These feasts symbolize deliverance from sin and death—the key reason for celebration.
– The feasts also represent two ages of salvation: the Gospel Age (early harvest) and the Millennial Kingdom Age (latter harvest).
– James 5:7 (NIV) is quoted: “Wait patiently, therefore, brethren, till the coming of the Lord… till he receive the early and latter harvest,” representing the precious fruit of these two ages.
– The results of these ages will be valuable lessons for future creations, showcasing God’s plan.

Overview of Israel’s Seven Feasts (Leviticus 23):
– There were seven holy feasts annually: 3 in spring and 4 in the fall.
– Spring Feasts:
Passover (14th of Nisan): The Passover lamb was slain, symbolizing Jesus’ death on the exact date in AD 33.
Feast of Unleavened Bread (15th–21st of Nisan): A seven-day period representing deliverance and sanctification, with offerings of barley first fruits.
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost): Occurring 50 days after Passover, involving waving two loaves of wheat bread baked with leaven.
– Fall Feasts:
Feast of Trumpets (1st of the 7th month): The civil new year and a time of trumpet blasts, symbolizing the Lord’s return and a call to watchfulness.
Day of Atonement (10th of the 7th month): A solemn day of atonement with significant application of blood for sin, representing the application of Christ’s sacrifice for the world.
Feast of Tabernacles (15th–21st of the 7th month): A seven-day feast celebrating Israel’s wilderness deliverance, involving living in booths and many sacrifices.
The Eighth Day (22nd of the 7th month): A sacred assembly marking the conclusion of the feasts and symbolizing mankind’s final rest.

Significance of the Spring Feasts and Jesus’ Resurrection:
– Jesus’ death on Passover (14th Nisan) fulfilled the type of the Passover lamb.
– The barley sheaf waved on the 16th of Nisan represents Jesus’ resurrection as the “first fruits” of the harvest (Leviticus 23:10-11).
– The barley was offered uncooked and unleavened, symbolizing Jesus’ sinless perfection.
– Alongside the barley, a one-year-old lamb was offered as a burnt offering, indicating Jesus’ willing sacrifice was a “sweet savor” to God, not just a legal requirement.
– A meal offering of fine flour mixed with oil (representing the Holy Spirit) was also burned, showing Jesus’ resurrection not only redeems but sustains and sanctifies life.
– Romans 5:9-10 is referenced to illustrate salvation both by Jesus’ death and by His life:
*“Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him… for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”*

Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Giving of the Holy Spirit:
– The 50-day count from the barley offering leads to Pentecost, when two loaves of leavened wheat bread were waved (Leviticus 23:15-17).
– The wheat loaves, baked with leaven, symbolize the church and “great company” who still have sin but are accepted due to Jesus’ sacrifice.
– Acts 2 describes the giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost in AD 33, marking the acceptance and empowerment of the early disciples.
– The 10-day gap between Jesus’ resurrection and Pentecost possibly represents a heavenly celebration and Jesus’ ascension and coronation beside the Father.
– Luke 19:12 is cited about Jesus receiving royal dignity before returning.

Fall Feasts and Their Antitypical Significance:
Feast of Trumpets: Marks the civil new year; symbolizes the Lord’s return with trumpet blasts as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16:
*“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.”*
– The feast emphasizes watchfulness and readiness (cf. Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins).
Day of Atonement: Symbolizes the application of atoning blood for the world, a necessary step before blessings can flow.
– The Jubilee trumpet is sounded on this day (Leviticus 25:9), linking the atonement to the release and restoration of mankind.
Feast of Tabernacles: Commemorates Israel’s wilderness wanderings and deliverance, symbolizing mankind’s ultimate deliverance from sin and death during the millennium.
– All Israelites, rich and poor, live in booths equally, representing the leveling and equality of the kingdom.
– Daily sacrifices during Tabernacles included one sin offering goat and 14 lambs and 2 rams burnt offerings; 70 bulls were offered over the week, possibly representing the 70 nations from Genesis 10.
– This shows the inclusion of all nations in God’s kingdom and their willing consecration.
– Zechariah 14:16 supports this global worship:
*“Everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King.”*
– The diminishing number of bulls offered daily may illustrate fewer new consecrations as the kingdom progresses.

The Eighth Day – The Conclusion:
– The day after Tabernacles is a holy convocation with no work, marking the end of the feasts and symbolizing mankind’s full rest and independence from mediatorship after the millennium.
– It celebrates the completion of God’s plan and the permanent eradication of sin and death.

Summary of the Feasts as a Whole:
– The three spring feasts correspond to the Gospel Age blessings: Jesus’ sacrifice, resurrection, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
– The four fall feasts picture the kingdom age: the Lord’s return, application of atonement for mankind, mankind’s deliverance, and their final rest.
– Together, the feasts teach the continual message: “Never forget what the Lord has done for you.”
– They reveal the progression of God’s plan for deliverance and salvation for all creation.

Closing Scripture Encouragement:
– Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) is quoted to encourage faith and hope in God’s plan:
*“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you… You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”*

Practical Application:
– The memorial and feast observances help believers keep God’s plan in their hearts, maintaining gratitude and faithfulness.
– A laminated chart summarizing the feasts is made available for study and remembrance.

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Key Bible Verses Referenced:

– James 5:7 (NIV):
*“Wait patiently, therefore, brethren, till the coming of the Lord… till he receive the early and latter harvest.”*

– Leviticus 23:10-11 (Regarding first fruits offering):
*“When you enter the land… bring in the sheaf of the firstfruits… the day after the Sabbath… the priest shall wave it before the Lord.”*

– Romans 5:9-10 (Salvation by death and life of Jesus):
*“Being now justified by His blood… if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more… by His life.”*

– Acts 2 (Day of Pentecost, giving of the Holy Spirit).

– Luke 19:12 (Jesus receiving royal dignity):
*“A certain man… went into a country distant to receive for himself royal dignity and to return.”*

– 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (Lord’s return with trumpet):
*“For the Lord himself shall descend… with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.”*

– Leviticus 25:9 (Jubilee trumpet on Day of Atonement):
*“You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the 10th day of the seventh month on the day of atonement.”*

– Zechariah 14:16 (Nations worship at Feast of Tabernacles):
*“Everyone… shall go up from year to year to worship the King.”*

– Jeremiah 29:11-13 (God’s plans for hope and future):
*“For I know the plans I have for you… You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”*

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This detailed summary presents the discourse’s comprehensive exploration of Israel’s feasts, their symbolism, and their fulfillment in Christ’s sacrifice, resurrection, and future kingdom blessings, all emphasizing the vital message of remembrance and celebration of God’s deliverance.

Transcript

Good morning, brethren. It’s good to see you today. I appreciate what Brother Peter said in his prayer about we celebrate the resurrection. You know, at memorial time. We often say we celebrate the memorial.

But our memorial services certainly do not sound like a celebration, do they? They’re quiet, they’re somber, they’re respectful, as they should be, and so when we sit there quietly, we genuinely recall the suffering that accompanied our Lord’s sacrifice. That was no reason to celebrate. We remember the abuse that was heaped on our Lord even while he hung on the cross.

We don’t celebrate that when we partake of the bread and the juice. We remember his flesh broken and his blood spilled. Our silence conveys appreciation for what he was willing to do or what he was willing to do and what he was willing to risk. Because we know had he been unable to remain perfect throughout his life, he would not have been resurrected. So he was not only sacrificing his human life, but he was also risking his place next to the Heavenly Father.

So we remember the sacrifices he was willing to make in providing the ransom and his offering for sin, and so in this case, when we celebrate his sacrifice, we use that word in an accommodated sense. We celebrate the devotion and the love that was willing to do what he did. But when we use the word celebrate the way Brother Peter did in connection with his resurrection, there is no accommodated sense there. There is something to cheer about, to sing about that makes us rejoice.

Because we know now all God’s plans could be fulfilled. We understand the benefits that the world will enjoy now that Jesus is alive and and honored by all the hosts of heaven, and we anxiously anticipate the plans that God has designed for our risen, for our race, and that our risen Lord will accomplish, and for those things we truly celebrate now in connection with the benefits that Jesus has made possible, we’re going to look at the various feasts that Israel celebrated and that Israel was instructed to observe, and as I studied this, I thought about why would God give them so many things to remember?

And I thought that there’s a simple message in there, and that message is, never forget what the Lord has done for you. Now, people tend to forget, don’t they? But the monumental things that God did for Israel should be remembered for all time, and that means that reminders were important.

And when we study the antitype of Israel’s feasts, we see that God is sending the same message to you and me. Never forget what the Lord has done for you and what he will yet do if we Remain faithful with hearts filled with gratitude. If we had to choose one word to summarize the reason to remember, I would choose the word deliverance from sin and death. That’s the reason to celebrate. Now, I think that’s a simple yet eloquent message that God is conveying in the observations that God gave to Israel.

Because, as we will see, they represent the two ages of deliverance, the two ages of salvation. James describes the end of those two ages as the early and latter harvests. He says this. Wait patiently, therefore, brethren, till the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman expects the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it till he receive the early and latter harvest.

Now, we can take that one verse and just drop it onto the chart of the ages, can’t we? He calls the results of the two ages of salvation the precious fruit of the earth, and he says that he’s waiting patiently for the winter experience with sin and death to have its profound effect on all of us. James is describing two classes. The early harvest is the fruitage of the gospel age, while the latter harvest is the harvesting of mankind in the kingdom.

You know, farmers plant seed with a plan to someday reap something of great value, and that’s also God’s plan. The results of both harvests will be useful and enriching in what I believe for future creations. They will look back on the earth and see this precious experience that this humanity has had, and they will learn from it. Now we get an even better view of the ages when we study the feasts that God instructed Israel to observe. In Leviticus 23, there were seven holy feasts during the year.

Five were one day observances, and two lasted for seven days. Each feast portrays a different aspect of the great work that God’s been doing, first with the church during this age, and then what he will yet accomplish with mankind in the kingdom. Now, the way the feasts were grouped together is interesting and I think significant. Three were in the spring and the other four were in the fall of the year. Of course, we’re all acquainted with the first feast, the Passover, recorded on the 14th of Nisin, when the Passover lamb was slain.

And so the month Nisin was the first month of the religious year, and we’re going to see a distinction between the religious year and the civil year, and this was followed immediately by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called the Feast of Passover, began on the 15th of Nisan and went for seven days, and during this week there was an offering of the first fruits of the barley harvest, and was waved before the lord. Then, counting 50 days from the day after the Passover Sabbath, brought them to the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, as it was later called.

And on this day, two loaves of wheat bread were waved before the Lord as the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and then we go to the fall. On the first day of the seventh month was the Feast of Trumpets, which announced the civil New year. On the 10th day of that seventh month was the Day of Atonement, when you remember the atoning sacrifices were presented for the coming year for Israel, and then on the 15th day of the seventh month was the Feast of Tabernacles.

It celebrated the larger fall harvest like the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the spring. This one lasted for seven days as well, and then on the eighth day, the day after the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, there was another holy gathering where no work was done. It was called a sacred assembly, and so the seventh month was a very busy time for Israel, and I believe a very important, significant one in the time for rejoicing.

And again, God went to all this effort for the simple reason I mentioned earlier. He was saying, never forget what the Lord has done for you. Freedom from oppressive slavery, deliverance of their firstborn sons, atonement for their ongoing sins and bountiful harvests once they entered the land, those blessings were to be acknowledged and always remembered with a deep sense of gratitude. God instructed them to remember these things not just because he wanted them to worship him, but because observing these things would remind them of what is right and what is good and who is the only true source of happiness and joy, and brethren, that’s the same lesson that will someday be conveyed to the world of mankind.

God gave these seven feasts to illustrate his plan for blessing the entire world. He is preparing mankind to be useful and productive in all the ages to come. Now we know that in order for God’s blessings to come in all their fullness, justice must first be satisfied, and that’s why this picture begins with the death of the Passover lamb on the 14th of Nisan, and why Jesus died on that very day in AD 33 in fulfillment of this type. This was establishing the fact that no blessings could come until justice is satisfied.

The 15th of Dyson. Then began the Feast of Passover, also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and on the 15th day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord. Seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. This is what Brother Russell says about that week.

The feast of the Passover, celebrated in a general way, the deliverance of the people of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, but particularly the passing over or sparing alive of the firstborn of that nation during the plague of death, became the precursor of the liberation of the whole nation of Israel and their passing in safety over the Red Sea into freedom from the bondage of Egypt, and so, brethren, we believe the seven day celebration pictures the seven stages of the Gospel age and the real reason that you and I have to celebrate. We are now under the blood, ahead of the time when the world will see that benefit, and for the firstborn class, it’s a time for cleansing the heart and life and sinful practices and thoughts as best we can in feeding on the unleavened bread of truth. As for those of us who really understand our own personal liberation from sin, we do have a reason to celebrate.

Someday the world will have that same reason, but for us, it’s already begun. We’re free from condemnation. We’re guided by God’s spirit and were supervised by the resurrected Lord and his angels. You know, brethren, if our natural eyes could see all that just for a moment, I think we would be amazed. Sometimes when life’s trials are difficult or uncertain, it’s hard to remember all that we have working for us.

So just as Israel needed to be reminded, God told us to observe the memorial, a reminder of what he has provided for us, and it tells you and me, never forget the memorial season. Brethren, really should take us back to our roots. Now, there’s one important detail that occurred on the 16th of NICEN that pictured the resurrection of Jesus. This is Leviticus 23, 10 and 11.

When you enter the land which I am going to give you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it. Okay, that’s complicated. Here’s how that works.

The Sabbath being referred to was on the 15th of Nisan, the day after the Passover. So the day after this sabbath was the 16th was the first part of the barley harvest was to be offered to the Lord. Now, barley was the first grain that Israel harvested in the spring, and we know that Jesus died on the 14th and was raised from the dead on the 16th, and so we believe that he was pictured by the first Fruits, the spring harvest offered to God.

The barley was offered uncooked, and so naturally it was without leaven, you know, leaven pictures, sin. So it’s a picture of Jesus being perfect, unblemished, without sin. Verse 11 said that the barley was to be accepted for you, that is for the people of Israel, and so too the resurrection of Jesus is for the blessing of the world, beginning with the saints of the gospel age.

Now, I found some other details associated with this offering that I found very interesting. In addition to the stalks of barley, a one year old lamb was offered. Now, this was on the 16th of Nice, and so this was not the Passover lamb, it was the second lamb, and I’ll admit the last time I gave this discourse, a number of years ago, I skipped that little detail because I wasn’t sure why another lamb would be offered.

But after looking at the various tabernacle sacrifices a little more closely, I see a possible reason. It says that this unblemished lamb was a burnt offering. Burnt offerings were called a sweet savor to God because they were free will offerings. Sin offerings, on the other hand, were never called a sweet savor because they were required by justice. They were viewing the sacrifice from a legal standpoint and they were not meant to depict the attitude of the one giving it.

So by presenting a burnt offering on the 16th means that God saw Jesus sacrifice that ended on the 14th as something sweet because it was done from a willing heart. So it wasn’t only that he satisfied justice, but it was how he did it that made it precious to God, and then along with this lamb, a portion of fine flour mixed with oil was also burned. Now, it’s interesting that this meal offering was also called a sweet savor to the Lord. Now, I had thought only certain animal sacrifices were a sweet savor, but not so.

Here is a meal offering that was a sweet savor to God. Brother Fry suggests that this was included because as a grain, it was a sustainer of life. It was food, and so this suggests that the Passover lamb was meant to not only provide life initially through the ransom, but it was also meant to sustain the life when it was brought back. We know that Jesus ended his sacrifice on the 14th that guaranteed our resurrection.

He was resurrected on the 16th so that he could be a sustainer of life for those brought back from the grave. Brethren, it’s a wonderful combined picture that shows redemption from original sin and the work of cleansing sin from the heart of man. Remember, Jesus said, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and Die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it beareth much fruit. That fruit will not only be the resurrected world, but it will be the perfected world, where their hearts are cleansed from sin and their attitudes are pure and right and good.

We saw that the grain was also mixed with oil, which we know represents the Holy Spirit. Thus this combination of of meal and oil tells us that the willing sacrifice of the Lamb will also have a sanctifying influence. The meal offering then pictures more than life sustaining nourishment. It’s life under a holy influence. I love that combination of those two ingredients.

So when we look at the 14th, 15th and 16th together, we see a broad picture of what our Lord provided. The satisfaction of justice through the ransom done with a willing heart, having a life sustaining and sanctifying effect through the resurrected Lord. Paul says this very thing. If you put these together in Romans 5, he says, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

There is a sustaining quality there, more than the ransom. It’s the combined work of salvation. That’s the message these three days taken together are conveying. It’s really a more complete picture of what God has provided to our Lord.

Well, from the feast of unleavened Bread, we come to the next spring feast, the feast of weeks, and it covered seven days and seven weeks and one day. The 50 days begin counting from the 16th of Nisan, on the 50th day, the people would present to the Lord an offering of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, which was the second spring harvest after the barley. Let’s read about that in Leviticus 23 says, you shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the barley wave offering, there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. You shall count 50 days to the day after the seventh.

Then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering made of two tenths of an ephah. It shall be a fine flour baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. Interesting. Unlike the barley first fruits, this was not raw grain.

It was wheat baked into two loaves with leaven, and of course the antitype is obvious. The feast of weeks was later called pentecost, which means 50th, and we know what happened on the day of Pentecost. We won’t take time to read the account you remember.

In Acts the second chapter. On the day of Pentecost in AD 33, the Holy Spirit was first given to the first disciples, and so here is the second offering of first fruits presented to the lord. But now, 50 days after the barley was offered, the early disciples received the Holy Spirit as a sign that they were now accepted, despite the fact that the wheat was baked with leaven. Now, like the barley, the two loaves of leavened wheat bread were waved before the Lord and given to the priest for his use.

And this giving them to the priest tells us that these two loaves contributed to the building and strengthening of of the antitypical priesthood. The barley was unleavened and so Jesus was perfect. These two loaves of wheat were leavened, showing that the church and great company still have sin in them. But nevertheless they are waived and accepted before the Lord because of Jesus blood. Now there’s also an interesting possibility regarding the 50 day interval between the time that Jesus was raised on the 16th and giving of the Holy Spirit 50 days later.

You remember that after his resurrection, Jesus was on earth teaching and encouraging the disciples for 40 days. These appearances were important to establish their faith in the resurrection and that Jesus death wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t confusing, but it was an essential part of God’s plan. But then I wonder, what about those 10 days? Why was Pentecost 50 days after his resurrection when we can only account for 40?

Well, I’m going to speculate because that’s all we can do. We’re not told, and you can dismiss my speculation if you want, but as I mentioned, Jesus resurrected on the 16th was certainly something to celebrate, and I wonder if there may have been an even grander celebration in heaven when he came home. In his previous experience as the archangel, he must certainly have been very close to the other angels.

And of course he was God’s cherished son, firstborn of all creation. He left the courts of heaven 33 and a half years earlier, but now he was home again. Can you imagine the joy that every angel must have felt first in seeing Jesus raised on the 16th, but now in sharing his homecoming? You know, we often see these wonderful pictures of reunions when soldiers come home from war and how their families greet them with open arms and great joy, and I look at that picture and I doubt that that father could embrace his son anymore.

Heaven would not be any less joyful, and seeing their Lord and friend return after such a great Victory. It must truly have been the return of a hero who had been faithful in everything that he did. What an example he was of love in action and faith under extreme adversity. So maybe those 10 days were reserved for Jesus to spend personal, quiet time with his heavenly family, reviewing maybe the past 33 years and singing praises at every victory for a brief time, no other obligations, no other duties to carry out.

A time reserved for personal fellowship and intimate moments with the Father, and maybe sometime during those 10 days there was a more formal ceremony to welcome him to his rightful place beside the Father. In Luke 19, Jesus had mentioned his formal crowning as a new king. When he gave the parable of the nobleman, he said, there a certain man, well born, went into a country distant to receive for himself royal dignity and to return. Now for his disciples he was saying that he had to leave and that someday he would return.

But he also said that he went to receive rohil dignity. How deserving and how thankful we are that he will always exercise his well earned authority with justice and love. There will never be a mistake in administering justice. There will never be a shorthand in showing love. From our studies we have seen that God uses and appreciates certain formalities and ceremonies.

So, brethren, it would not surprise me in the least that these 10 days between his ascension to heaven and Pentecost were used to celebrate the greatest created life ever lived and to give the angels an opportunity to fall down before him as he was given the great honor of being seated next to his Heavenly Father.

Well, from here we move to the fall of the year, to the Feast of Trumpets. Now, there’s not a lot of detail said about this particular feast. It’s just briefly mentioned with the others. In Leviticus 23, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, on the first of the month, you shall have a rest. A reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation, you shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.

It was to be a reminder by blowing of trumpets. Now, as I said, the first day of the seventh month was the beginning of the civil new year. Before leaving Egypt, there was no religious year. So the new year was always in the fall, in the month Tishri, and today the feast of trumpets is called Rosh Hashanah, which literally means head of the year.

And so Jews celebrate the new civil year in the fall and the new religious year in the spring. But the natural question is, why would the Lord add another new Year, observation in the spring. You know, he doesn’t do anything without a purpose. There’s a purpose in everything he does, and so I believe he was saying that we should mark time from the most important event in human history, the giving of the ransom at Passover.

You know, in the fall, things are going dormant, but spring is a time of new life and rebirth. Trees are flowering, grass is greening, and so the death of Jesus marked a new beginning for the world. As the apostle Paul says, life and immortality has been brought to light through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The world hasn’t seen it yet, but we have, and soon they will too.

And so the Lord marked out a new beginning for mankind by starting the new year at Passover and the ransom. But the civil year was still important because there were other reasons for Israel to celebrate, and in them we see God painting the antitype of the two ages of salvation. The Jews call the seventh month observances the high holy days. Following ten days after the Feast of Trumpets is the day of Atonement, which is followed five days later by the feast of Tabernacles.

Again, there is significance in this timing of the feasts. When we looked at the spring festivals, we saw that the antitype to those events occurred during the Gospel age. Now, after the summer months of the Gospel age pass, the Feast of Trumpets begins. The high holy days of the fall observances. So here again is a lovely picture of the two ages.

The spring begins, the Gospel age and the fall begins corresponds to the second address of Christ when he began his work of preparing the world for the kingdom. The trumpets blew on the first day of the civil year, and that corresponds, I believe, to what Paul described in Thessalonians. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

There’s the antitypical trumpet blowing at the start of the civil new year, now being the first day of the month, mean that there was a new moon. A new moon is just a sliver of white, and so watchfulness was important part of that feast. If there was a cloud cover, it could be easily missed, and in fact, this was such an important point that Jews later added a second date to this feast just.

Just to ensure that they didn’t miss the new moon, and so this idea of watchfulness is closely tied into the Lord’s return. Remember, Jesus said, watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. It also reminds us of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, which is a parable about watching for the Lord’s return.

Only those watching and prepared have seen it. He’s come to begin the work of restoring life to this dying world. But before he could do that, another important work must be done, and that’s shown in the next feast following. Ten days after the feast of Trumpets was the Day of Atonement.

In our tabernacle studies, we see that the Day of Atonement really pictures the whole Gospel age, because the Church’s share in the sin offering takes the whole Gospel age. In this picture, however, there’s a little different perspective because of the sequential order of the feasts. The Day of Atonement, I believe, pictures a time when the blood will actually be applied on behalf of the world, of mankind. After all, that’s the whole point of the atonement, right for the benefit of the world, and so the sequence here is important and different in our tabernacle application.

It’s also interesting to note when the trumpet was sounded in the Jubilee year. This is Leviticus 25, verse 9, the Jubilee chapter. It says, you shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the 10th day of the seventh month on the day of atonement. You shall sound a horn all through your land. This is now the second trumpet blast in the fall.

The first announced the civil new year in corresponds to our Lord’s return, and now the jubilee trumpet is blown on the day of atonement and the application of blood. These two trumpets describe the progressive work of restitution. It began at our Lord’s return as he prepares the world for the kingdom. The followed by the raising of the dead after the atoning blood is applied.

This leads to the feast of tabernacles on the 15th day of the seventh month, five days after the day of atonement. Here’s the Lord’s command regarding the feast of Tabernacles, or Booths as it’s translated. You shall live in booths for seven days. All the native born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

And so here’s the same message we’ve been repeating. Never forget what the Lord has done for you. This feast commemorates Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage and their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. For seven days, the Israelites were required to live in small booths that they erected in the courts of their houses on Rooftops, in public squares, even in the court of the temple. Everyone, both rich and poor, were required to do this.

In God’s eyes, everyone was the same, which certainly depicts the great leveling work of the kingdom. In addition to this important reminder, they were required to offer various animal sacrifices. These are listed in Numbers, chapter 29. On each day of this seven day celebration, they were to bring one goat for a sin offering and 14 lambs and two rams as burnt offerings. Let’s look at those sacrifices for a minute.

The one sin offering, Ghot, suggests that the world will still be under the Mediator, still needing the covering offered by the Gospel age. Sin offerings. The 14 lambs and two rams were burnt offerings, and as I mentioned earlier, burnt offerings were freewill offerings. Now, if these offerings followed the general rule of burnt offerings as described in Leviticus 1, then we see that the individual bringing the animal was actually involved in the sacrifice.

According to Leviticus 1, the individual would lay his hands on the animal’s head and kill it beside the altar. He would then skin it and cut it in pieces, and then the priest enters a picture. The priest sprinkles the blood on the altar, he washes certain parts and he lays them on the altar, and so in this picture we see a cooperative effort between the individual and the priest.

Brethren, it’s a beautiful picture of the freewill offerings that mankind will initially bring during the kingdom with the help and cooperation of the priesthood. How awesome will it be to see the world begin to open their hearts to God like this, to freely offer expressions of thanksgiving and appreciation, and then, in addition to these smaller sacrifices, a larger number of bulls were also offered. But what’s interesting is that the number of bulls offered each day diminished by one. There was a total of 70 bulls offered during the week, and these were also burnt offerings.

And what’s unusual is this diminishing number of bulls, and then we ask, why 70?

Here’s one possibility. In Genesis chapter 10. I’m sorry, we’re given the table of nations that descended from Noah after the flood, and there happen to be 70 nations in languages enumerated there. 70. Frederick Farrar makes an interesting statement when discussing the feast of tabernacles and these 70 bulls.

He says, during the week of festivities, all the courses of the priests were employed. In turn, 70 bullocks were offered in sacrifice for the 70 nations of the world. The law was read daily, and on each day the temple trumpets sounded 21 times, an inspiring and triumphant blast. 70 bulls offered for the 70 nations in existence. At the time, it shows us one thing, that the nations of the world will be part of the kingdom arrangement.

They will offer themselves in consecration to God on the altar that was previously cleansed by the Atonement Day sacrifices. Notice in Zechariah how the Feast of Tabernacles will be part of mankind’s worship. It says it shall come to pass that everyone 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. Brethren, that’s the appropriate feast for mankind to observe. Because the Feast of Tabernacles was originally given to celebrate Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and the perils of their 40 year journey in the wilderness.

Now, in this whole picture we saw that there were two seven day celebrations. Back in the spring, the firstborn celebrated their deliverance for seven days during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, an acknowledgment of the seven stages of the Gospel age. So now in the fall, the Feast of Tabernacles celebrates mankind’s deliverance and acknowledges the 7,000 years that it will take to eradicate sin and death, and brethren, mankind will finally never forget. The Feast of Tabernacles also demonstrated a great leveling process.

No more rich versus poor, privileged versus unprivileged. In God’s eyes, all people will be the same, and no one will have an advantage over another. No one will be lowered over others. But then why the descending number of bulls?

13 to 12, 11 and so forth, and brethren, if you have a thought on this, I would love to hear it. But maybe it shows that at the beginning of the kingdom there will be greater number of people who will consecrate. Now they begin showing their appreciation that might be pictured in those smaller burnt offerings, the lambs and the rams. But now we see the bulls as a picture of full consecrations.

As the number of consecrations a mankind grows, the number of new ones will naturally diminish, and so the descending numbers do not show less devotion as time passes. It simply illustrates fewer new consecrations as the kingdom progresses, and that’s really the point of God’s plan, to bring everyone to full and complete devotion to God and godly principles. That’s just a thought.

Let me know if you have any other suggestions. But God planted these things for us to investigate and learn from, and then he’s given us the divine plan to see how all this fits into it. The Feast of Tabernacles was also called the feast of Ingathering because it also celebrated the fall harvest when the grapes and olives and fruit trees were harvested.

Exodus 23:16 says this also. You shall observe the feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. Celebrating the fall harvest then pictures mankind as the final harvest of this earth. So in this picture of the feasts of Israel, we actually see three the spring harvest of the barley 50 days later, the wheat and then the large multi crop harvest in the fall. Here’s Jesus, the church in great company and mankind the amazing fruitage of the plan of God.

There’s one more piece to this story. The day following the seven day feast of Tabernacles was a holy convocation. It was simply called the eighth day. It was the last celebration given by God. Leviticus 23:36 says, on the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord.

It is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. The Israelites could now leave their booths that they occupied for seven days during the feast of Tabernacles, and so this was a day of celebrating the end of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness in our Lord’s day. The eighth day was called the great day of the feast.

And so it’s a fitting picture of the ending of the millennium. Mankind will finally be standing on their own feet without the need of a mediator. The threat of death will be gone and each individual will fully enter into God’s rest. But memories of the past will never be forgotten. A tribute to the wisdom of God’s permission of evil.

I’ll close with Jeremiah 29:11 13 from the NIV. It says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. That’s the goal of God’s plan, brethren. May we always keep his plan not just in our heads, but more importantly in our hearts. Because if we keep them there, we will never forget and get lost in the distractions of this life. Now, if anyone would like a quick reminder of these feasts, I know there’s a lot of material here.

There’s a laminated chart that is really this last slide, and they’ll be on the distribution table. But you’re welcome to have those. May the Lord add his blessing and remember all that each of us have to be thankful for.

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