Pastor Gary Combs responds to a question about a recent One Year Bible reading. The question is from the reading in Leviticus 23, concerning the “Feast of Weeks.” This feast is also called the Feast of Harvest. The question was: “Isn’t the Festival of Harvest a fall festival? Whereas Jesus was crucified after Passover in the Spring. Why is the Festival of Harvest now called Festival of Pentecost? I’m missing the connection.
The Lord instituted seven “festivals,” or feasts for Israel. These feasts were to remind Israel of God’s provision and to prepare them for the Messiah. It can get a little overwhelming reading the description of these feasts, but they are worthy of our meditation as we see how they point to their fulfillment in Christ Jesus.
| JEWISH FEAST | SCRIPTURE | JEWISH MONTH | MODERN CALENDAR | CHRIST’S FULFILLMENT |
| Passover (Pesach) | Lev. 23:4-8 | Nisan 14 | March/April | Crucifixion |
| Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi) | Lev. 23:6 | Nisan 15-22 | March/April | Burial |
| First Fruits (Yom Habikkurim) | Lev. 23:10 | Nisan 16 | March/April | Resurrection |
| Weeks (Shavu’ot) Harvest, Pentecost | Lev. 23:15-16 | Sivan 6 | May/June | Holy Spirit given |
| Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) | Lev. 23:23-25 | Tishri 1 | Sept/Oct | Rapture/Christ’s return |
| Atonement (Yom Kippur) | Lev. 23:26-32 | Tishri 10 | Sept/Oct | Judgment |
| Tabernacles (Sukkot) | Lev. 23:33-36 | Tishri 15 | Sept/Oct | Millennium/heaven |
Very helpful! I will never finish learning about God’s word. Thank you.