Do The Jewish Festivals Reveal A Timeline For The Return Of Jesus?

Since the early 1800s, when replacement theology found a foothold in the Church, some believe that once a person ‘grasps’ the meaning of the ‘festivals in the Bible,’ they will begin to understand the prophetic future of Jesus’ return with perfect clarity, and specifically a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Some say that there is no understanding of Bible prophecy without understanding the festivals and their typology and patterns. The Bible does reveal that Jesus is:

- the "Passover" Lamb whose shed blood cleanses us from "all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

- the "Unleavened Bread." He never sinned and was spotless. (John 6:53-58)

- the "First fruits" via His resurrection for all Born-Again Christians when they die and all things to come. (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

In the Old Testament, the Jewish prophet Amos wrote that God declared He would not do anything without first revealing it to His servants, the prophets.

“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7 NIV).

From Genesis to Revelation, God provides a continuous picture of His entire plan for humanity. One of the most profound prophetic pictures is outlined in the Jewish festivals, also known as feasts (Heb: ‘moed’ — meaning appointed time, meetings, assembly, holy convocation, or festival).

“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.” (Leviticus 23:2 NIV)

“The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month, the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days, you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days present a food offering to the Lord. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.” (Leviticus 23:4-8 NIV)

The seven annual festivals of Israel are still celebrated at set times over a seven-month period because they demonstrate the work of redemption through the promised Messiah. The Priests sacrificed Passover lambs on the 14th day of Nisan, and the first day of Passover was the 15th. The Festival of First Fruits was celebrated on the third day, which is the 16th of Nisan and the same day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead!

1. Festival of the Sabbath (Shabbat)

“There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:3 NIV)

All of the Festivals began and ended with a “Sabbath rest,” and the Jews were commanded not to do any customary work on those days. The weekly Sabbaths and the special Sabbaths that were to be observed as part of the Jewish feasts point to the ultimate Sabbath rest, found only in Jesus through faith in His sacrificial work on the Cross.

2. Festival of Passover (Pesach) and Unleavened / Leavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi)

The Passover Festival commemorates the last plague in Egypt when the Angel of Death “passed over” the children of Israel. They took a bundle of hyssop, dipped it into the blood in the basin at the threshold, and applied the blood of the lamb to their door lintels from bottom to top, then the two sides of the frame (Exodus 12). This motion formed a cross.

The Passover Festival points to the Messiah as the Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), whose blood would be shed for the sins of all humanity. Jesus was crucified during the time of the Passover observance (Mark 14:12). He is described as a “lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19 NIV) because His life was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Just as the first Passover marked the Hebrews’ release from Egyptian slavery, the death of Jesus marks the release from the slavery of sin (Romans 8:2).

When John the Baptist said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NIV), he understood the Old Testament reference. In the New Testament, Jesus was born in a lowly stable, visited by Shepherds, and ultimately led to being sacrificed because He was the sacrificial lamb sent for us. His death allows the judgment every person deserves to pass over them.

“On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.” (Leviticus 23:6 NIV)

This seven-day Festival begins on the day following the start of Passover. When the Israelites left Egypt, they had no time to add leaven (yeast) to their bread. It is during this time of year that they reflect on the hardships in Egypt and how God freed them from captivity by eating nothing that was leavened, as it represents sin and decay in the Bible that similarly affects our lives. Just as yeast is added, it becomes part of the bread.