Israel of the Old Testament had two calendars annually used – one religious beginning in March of the year and the other a civil calendar beginning seven months later. The first was about the Lamb and the second was about a King – and both were about Jesus! The first calendar was about the first Advent of Jesus – His birth, death and resurrection and the second was about His second advent – His bodily return to earth to conquer and reign.
The two ideas are found in one sentence in Isaiah 61 which Jesus highlighted in a message He gave in the synagogue of His home town which caused much stir (Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:16-30).
The two calendars of Israel are critical to understanding the 7 Feasts of Leviticus 23.
The first calendar is about the first 4 Feasts and the second calendar is about the last 3 Feasts. First, the two calendars.
The first calendar: Exodus 12:1-2, Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.”
This set up the annual spring feasts featuring the death of a perfect male lamb and the salvation God brought when He saw the blood applied. Read all of Exodus 12. Clearly pointing to Jesus.
The second calendar which began on the seventh month of the first calendar is not so evident: Exodus 34:22, “And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end.”
NIV – and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
NASB – and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
The second calendar was about the end of the harvest – a celebration of the last harvest being brought in. This points to Jesus coming to reap His harvest (John 6:12, 39).
Ezekiel 40:1, In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured.
Barnes Notes: In the first and twentieth year – This was the fiftieth year from the 18th of Josiah, the year of his memorable Passover (II Kgs 23:22). If that was a jubilee year, which is highly probable, this vision also falls in a jubilee year, which seems appropriate. The jubilee year began with the month of Tishri, a sufficient reason for speaking of the time as “the beginning of the year.” The tenth day of this month was the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-30).
The tenth day mentioned in Ezekiel 40 is the 6th Feast and falls at the beginning of the civil calendar.
So, there were two calendars used by Old Testament Israel and I believe the two calendar-truth gives an understanding of the two clusters of Feasts found in Leviticus 23.
The first 4 feasts of Leviticus 23 were all fulfilled in the very same year – the year Jesus died. They were fulfilled when Jesus died (the Passover Lamb slain the 14th day at twilight – at 3 PM, Lev. 23:5), was buried (the first day of Unleavened bread – the 15th) and rose from the grave on the day after the Sabbath of that week (on Sunday, Lev. 23:11) and then seven weeks and a day later, the Comforter promised by Jesus came (Lev. 23:16). These are all tied together on the first calendar.
The last 3 Feasts of Leviticus 23 are of the second calendar and yet to be fulfilled: Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. As the first 4 Feasts were all fulfilled in one year, there is reason to believe the last 3 Feasts will also all happen in the same year but of the second calendar.
The first 4 Feasts were BIG, BIG God events – BIG! Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit came to indwell the followers! As God did Big things on the first four, we can believe that the last three will also be God doing BIG things!
So how might the last 3 Feasts be fulfilled? I suggest:
The Feast of Trumpets will announce a New Year and happen on the first day of the second calendar. It will be Heaven’s announcement of Jesus’ return and with that He will appear!
Ten literal days later, on the Day of Atonement, Jesus, the High Priest, will step into the Holy of Holies on Temple Mount and be seen by the Jews as their long-expected Savior. Every Jew alive will be humbled and embrace Jesus as their King (Zechariah 12:8-11 and Isaiah 66:8).
Then five days later (on the 15th), the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus will announce His 1,000 Millennium reign on earth.
The last 3 Feasts will all be about the King of Glory – the Lamb slain and alive – taking rule, restoring Jews and Jerusalem as promised (Daniel 9:27 and 24) and ruling over all the earth.
a PK Musing 
Leave a comment