The Festivals of the LORD are not just celebrations of God’s deliverance of and provision for the nation of Israel but are prophetic pictures of God’s Messiah – Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Now one vital key, the key to understanding Bible prophecy in context, is the fact that all Old Testament Scripture (the Hebrew Scriptures, or “Tanakh”) proclaim Jesus Christ as the true Messiah sent to redeem the world…

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”  Luke 24:44

…Just as the first coming of Jesus Christ to earth was promised in numerous places in the Old Testament, there are clear passages and symbolic pictures and allusions to the Second Coming of Christ. An understanding of the feasts, fasts and festivals found in the Old Testament, for example, with their frequent descriptions of the nature of Jesus Christ in His person, is therefore most valuable in comprehending Bible prophecy. For one example, God Himself used the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony as illustration of His relationship to the church, the body of true Christian believers. Therefore, knowledge of Jewish betrothal and marriage customs can be most helpful to interpret the meaning of Christ’s wedding illustration(s) in its proper context. For another example, knowledge of customs associated with synagogue services of Bible times, could heighten our understanding of Jesus’ teaching in His role as the finest Jewish rabbi (teacher) ever. Every festival is a picture of the Messiah.

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:16-17

The religious celebrations of Israel foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah. As we study the spring cycle of biblical festivals, we see a prophetic picture of the First Advent and the birth of the church. Since Jesus perfectly fulfilled these first four feasts as the Lamb of God, we are encouraged and excited to learn how the fall cycle of biblical festivals foreshadow the coming of the Lion of Judah!