The biblical feasts help us understand Jesus and the Bible in their Jewish cultural context. Feasts in Hebrew is “moadim” which means “appointed times” and each one demonstrates the redemptive work of Yeshua the Messiah. They are holy convocations that God calls “my feasts” (Lev. 23:2). Every believer grafted into the Olive Tree is invited to participate. 

God instituted seven special dates that all point to His plan of salvation in Yeshua the Messiah.

1. Shabbat (Sabbath, Day of Rest): the weekly holiday that begins on Friday at sundown through Saturday at sundown to commemorate God’s creation and receive rest, healing, and restoration of spirit, soul, and body.

2. Pesach (Passover): the first feast of spring, commemorates Israel’s exodus from Egypt. It was fulfilled through Messiah Yeshua, the Passover Lamb of the New Covenant.

3. Feast of Matzah (Unleavened Bread): a seven-day feast that begins the day after Passover when only unleavened bread is consumed. The bread represents Jesus’ body given for our salvation.

4. Bikkurim (First Fruits): a feast of consecration commemorating the first harvest of the season (barley harvest). It was fulfilled with the resurrection of Jesus as the first fruits from the dead.

5. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost): celebrates the giving of the commandments (The Torah). Fulfilled by the inauguration of the New Covenant with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

6. Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets): the first feast of the fall commemorated by the blowing of the shofar, which later became the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Kicks off the Ten Days of Awe, a time of reflection and forgiveness. Some believe that Jesus will return around this day.

7. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement): a day of fasting, prayer, and repentance. It is the one time per year when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of Israel. Jesus fulfilled this by giving His own blood for the forgiveness of sin of all mankind.

8. Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles): a seven-day feast that remembers the dwelling of the Israelites in booths in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. Prophetically it points to the millennial reign. It will be fulfilled when Yeshua returns to Earth.