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A. Introduction
Some NT believers argue that Christians should celebrate Jewish holidays given in the OT instead of newly
introduced feasts such as Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas, Palm Sunday. Well!! There is a nothing wrong
celebrating OT holiday as long as they are not viewed as essential part of salvation. Some denominations are so much
caught up into thinking that OT feasts are divinely orchestrated and celebrating them gain favor in the eyes of God.
The fact is all the OT feasts are unique to the children of Israel and given only to them. In this article I will explain
why this is so [For Christmas, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday there is another article devoted to these topics].
History of the Jews Calendar: If you look at the ancient Semitic people and their cultures, the calendars used were
predominantly Fall (Winter) based calendar—meaning their new year begins at the Fall (around Oct-Nov). This was
true for all Semitic people [except Babylonian]. This calendar system was also the dominant calendar in Egypt.
Israelites under Egyptians have used this for over 400 years during their slavery. However at their exodus God
ordained for them new religious Calendar solely to reflect their exodus history; their new year begin in the month of
Abib [Nissan] because on that particular month they left Egypt--Israel become a nation with unique identity having
their own calendar: Deuteronomy 16:1-7: “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your
God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night: Exo 23:15: “Do this at the appointed time
in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt: Exo 34:18: “Do this at the appointed time in the
month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. However, they continued to use the existing calendar [fall-
calendar] alongside their religious calendar. The Feast of Tabernacle is usually celebrated on the 7th month (Sept-
Oct) taking the month of Abib (March-April) as the first month. The bible speaks of Feast of Tabernacle being
celebrated at the end of the year/turn of the year. This means their religious calendar (Lunar based) ended in Sept-Oct
while their new calendar begin shortly after that—this calendar is the civil calendar: Exo 23:16: “Observe the Feast
of the Ingathering (Tabernacle) at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field”.
Exo 34:22: “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of
Ingathering at the turn of the year. If you look at the OT Jewish feasts, they were designed in such a way to
reflect their experiences in slavery and exodus from Egypt. To put it this way, the OT Feasts were originally and
intentional given to one specific community who were once slave and who left Egypt, that is physical Israelites no
one else. God never commanded any other nations to follow the OT feasts. If He did that there would be no point of
choosing and selecting Physical Israelites from other communities if indeed all the nations have to observe the feasts
(there is nothing unique for the Israelites). Let’s study one by one the Feast of the Jews--Weekly, Monthly, Seasonal
and their importance. Let’s begin with weekly Feast. Some people even don’t realize that weekly Sabbath is also
called a Feast in the OT. This means it was and is unique to physical Israelites alone.
B. The Weekly Sabbath as a Feast
Lev 23: 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts (mow-ed) of the LORD that
you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts (mow-ed). 3. Six days shall work be done, but
on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the
LORD in all your dwelling places.4. “These are the appointed feasts (mow-ed) of the LORD, the holy convocations,
which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them…then follow the rest of the Feasts such as Passover,
Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpet, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacle (v5-44).
Whether we like it or not the weekly Sabbath and all other Feasts are in the same category ‘Mow-ed’ translated as
Feasts/Festivals/appointed time. Some say weekly Sabbath cannot be technically called ‘Feast’ because the Hebrew

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word ‘Chag’ (feast) is never used for weekly Sabbath although it is used consistently for all feasts. But this is not
simply true, ‘chag’ is also translated as sacrifice (Exo 23:18, Psalm 118:27): Hebrew word can have different
meaning depending on the context. Even if ‘chag’ exclusively denotes Feast, then it is not even used for Feast of
Trumpet, Day of Atonement and Feast of Firstfruit anywhere in the OT bible but we know they are feasts. In fact in
Ezekiel 45:17 & Hosea 2:11--Feasts (chag), new moons, Sabbaths are collectively called Feasts (mow-ed). In Ezekiel
46:11, Hosea 9:5—mowe-ed and chag are used interchangeably. God inspired Moses to label Sabbath in the same
category of other feasts in Lev 23—they are all equally important. All feasts are appointed times and all appointed
times are feasts in the bible.
i) Weekly Sabbath was given to remind Physical Israelites of their Slavery and Exodus
Now if weekly Sabbath is called a Feast, then there should be reasons why God designed this day to be only for
physical Israelites—primarily to remind them of their slavery and exodus from Egypt. Initially, when God gave
Sabbath as a component in the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), the primary intention was to reflect back His
creative activities in the book of Genesis (Gen 2:1-2): Exo 20:9: “Six days you shall labor and do all your
work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work… 11.For in six
days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested.
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy”. This is the only place in the Bible where
Sabbath is connected with creation account. But God modified this intention when he renewed the Covenant before
they entered the Promised Land. In the Promised Land Israelites were to observe weekly Sabbath not as a creation
ordinance but as an exodus ordinance. Deu 5:12-15: 'Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God
commanded you. 13. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,14. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD
your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female
servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male
servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land
of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm;
THEREFORE the LORD your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. When the bible used ‘Therefore’ it
means some important event happened that connect to the present status. They were slaves in Egypt for 400 years,
they didn’t have rest; they work day and night. Their deliverance from slavery and their exodus from Egypt is the
reason why Israelites should keep Sabbath as a memorial of that Event--that is God’s final verdict in the re-newed
covenant at Moab before they entered the Promised Land. This means Sabbath is very specific to one single
community who were slave and who were delivered from Egypt which is physical Israelites no one else. Some
people argue for Sabbath observation by saying it has a creation ordinances in Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.
But it is God who changed that ordinances and purpose—he is God he can do that. If Israelites observed Sabbath
because it had creation ordinances they would be violating God’s own final decision. We also know that Sabbath was
made known through only Moses to Israelites alone: Nehemiah 9:11"You divided the sea before them, So they passed
through the midst of the sea on dry ground.. 13: ‘You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven.
You gave them (Israelites) regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good.
14. You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant
Moses”. Prophet Nehemiah says Sabbath was made known to Jews only at Sinai through Moses. It was not made
known to others, and was peculiar to the Jewish nation, and a privilege granted to them only. Now let’s see the other
Feasts given in the OT.

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C. Passover was instituted only for Physical Israelites
The Passover was instituted when the Israelites were still in Egypt; it coincided with the tenth and final plague on the
Egyptians. Indeed, it was designed to protect the Israelites (and others who followed Moses’ instructions) from the
tenth plague. The institution is described in this way in Exodus 12:2-14: “This Month shall be a beginning of the
month; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3. On the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for
his family, one for each household.[detail account is given in vs 4-48]: The following restriction and condition are
given 43: ‘These are the regulations for the Passover: “No foreigner is to eat of it. 44 Any slave you have bought
may eat of it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident and a hired worker may not eat of it. 48.
An stranger living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household
circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it.” It is significant
that the Jewish translators of the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint translated this vs 48
as, "And if any proselyte should come to you...." This is speaking of a foreigner living in Israel who desired to live as
an observant Jew. The same regulation for proselytes is given in Number 9:14. When we look at the Passover Feast it
is crystal clear why it was given and to whom it was given. In fact the bible explicitly explains why the Feast has to
be kept by the Jews alone. Originally when the Feast was given, it was celebrated as a family-home based ritual.
After their exodus the regulation shifted from family dwellings (in Egypt and in the wilderness) to a central sanctuary
in the land of Canaan: Deuteronomy 16:1-7: “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the LORD
your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night. Vs 2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the
LORD your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
5. You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you. 6 except in the place he will
choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down,
on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. 7. Roast it and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose.
Then in the morning return to your tents”. They were to teach the significance of the Feast to their children; Exo
12:26-27: “And when your children say to you, 'What does this rite mean to you?' 27 you shall say, 'It is a Passover
sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but
spared our homes’. And the people bowed low and worshiped…The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.
Now if you read the regulation carefully, the Feast was instituted as a memorial of their exodus from Egypt. Israelites
were to observe the month of Abib (First Month) and Passover why? The bible says because in that month they left
Egypt (Deu 16:1-7), the feasts give them constant reminder of their slavery and how God rescued them. The feast is
very specific to specific people who were once slave who were redeemed in the month of Abib. If we see the
commandments for keeping Passover in the Promised Land God explicitly told them to keep the Passover only in a
designated place where he shall put his Name (Deu 16:1-7), which is Jerusalem [2 Chrncle 6:6: “But now I have
chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel' (see 1 Kings 14:21,
See 2 King 21:4, 1 King 11:36 etc). Although the Passover was strictly observed in the month of Abib, because of
their uncleanness Israelites could not observed on time and hence they celebrated in the second month in Number
9:11: “They are to celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight.
Passover was never celebrated by Israelites: The irony part is the Passover was often neglected during the time of
prophets like Samuel, judges and kings and was not celebrated at large the bible says. If Passover celebration is
essential for salvation, did Prophet Samuel, David, Gideon repent before they died for not celebrating the feast?
There are only two incidents the bible records regarding Passover & unleavened bread celebration as per the Law.

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The first record was during King Hezekiah and that was also celebrated in the second month against the original
regulation of first month (Abib) and for 14 days instead of 7 days. Many people were allowed to eat the Passover in
their state of uncleanness. We see the whole story in 2 Chronicles 30:2-18: “The king (Hezekiah) and his officials
and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month…12. It had not been
celebrated in large numbers according to what was written. 13 A very large crowd of people assembled in
Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 15 They slaughtered the Passover
lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month..18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim,
Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was
written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone 20. And the LORD
heard Hezekiah and healed the people . 23 Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the feast (unleavened
Bread) another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem,
because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. The
Second account of Passover is seen during king Joshia: it seems like the Feast was never observed even during the
time of Prophet Samuel, Gideon, etc. 2 Kings 23:22-23: Then the king (Joshia) commanded all the people saying,
"Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this book of the covenant. 22. Surely such a
Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of
Israel and of the kings of Judah [see also 2 Chronicles 35:18: “The Passover had not been observed like this in
Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as
did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem]. This
is one simple proof that Feasts given in the OT are not morally binding to all otherwise all godly man would be
guilty of breaking God’s moral standard.
D. Feast of Unleavened Bread (to Commemorate Israel's Exodus from Egypt)
Since the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened bread (seven days feast Exo 12:16) are closely associated, the bible
sometime uses the technical term Passover to denote 7 days Feast of Unleavened Bread and vice-versa (Ezekiel
45:21, Luke 22:1). The purpose of instituting the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the same as Passover; it is connected
with Israelites’ exodus: Unleavened bread was especially given to have historical significant—to remind them they
left Egypt in hurry having no time to prepare bread with leaven (yeast). We read in Exo 12:39: “With the dough the
Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because
they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves. Deu 16:3: “Do not eat it
with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt
in haste--so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. The Feast also
reminds them the exact hour and time they left Egypt: Exo 12:17: “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread,
because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt...Exo 13:3: ‘Commemorate this day, the
day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand.
Eat nothing containing yeast. They we told to tell the reason why they celebrate Feast of Unleavened Bread to their
children: Exo 13:7-9: “Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days….8You shall tell your son on that
day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt. Not only was the day important
even the exact month was imperative—it serves as a constant reminder on which month they left Egypt: Exo 23:15:
“Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread… Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month
you came out of Egypt. Exo 34:18: “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made
without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came

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out of Egypt. As discussed above the Feast of Unleavened Bread was neglected by all Israelites, there are no records
of its celebration, the only time it was celebrated was during the reign of King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:2-18)
which was celebrated in the second month with another 7 days extra.
E. Should Christians observe Passover & Unleavened Bread? Do they somehow signify the Messiah?
Let us begin with the detail that has the clearest biblical evidence—the lamb. Jesus Christ is called the “Lamb of
God” and “the Lamb that was slain” (John 1:29; Revelation 13:8). More specifically, Paul says, “Christ, our
Passover has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). John the Baptist said that the Lamb “takes away the sin of the
world” (John 1:29). However, the Passover lamb had no stated connection with sin in the OT--It is not called a sin
offering at all. When Jesus took away sin, he fulfilled the typology of sin offerings, but “sin” was not the typology
portrayed in the Passover Lamb. It could mean an escape from death because it passed over to Israelites and spiritual
death passes over Christians Hebrews 2:15 (and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery
all their lives.). Whom does this death affect? In the first Passover, the death affected only the firstborn, of both
humans and animals (Exodus 11:5). In the alleged fulfillment, in Jesus Christ, the death affects all humans regardless
of birth order, but no animals. Christ does not actually fits every prescribe form of Jewish Passover in details even by
his way of death. God choose to kill all the firstborn of Egypt because Egypt was refusing to release Israel, whom
God called “my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22-23). Jesus is a personal fulfillment of the entire Israelite nation, and
Jesus is God’s firstborn Son, so there are some verbal connections here, but not a clear typology. God didn’t kill
Egyptian Firstborn because of Israel’s sin either. If death is the typology, the death of the Firstborn Egyptian actually
prefigured Christ the firstborn not the Passover Lamb. Also Passover Lamb offered was not the firstborn of animals,
had it been we can somehow connect with Jesus the Firstborn son of God with the Passover Lamb (Firstborn).
Revelation 11:8 says that Jesus was killed in a city “figuratively called Sodom and Egypt.” Jesus was actually killed
outside of Jerusalem (John 19:20; Hebrews 13:21) but Passover Lamb was never killed outside anywhere.
Furthermore, Jesus was 33 years old but the Passover Lamb was one year old, it could be Kid (goat) or Lamb
(Exodus 12:5), some other sacrifices for sins was also females (Leviticus 4:28, etc.). The lambs must be without
defect but every sacrificial animal too were to be without defect. In the New Testament Peter says we were redeemed
“with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19) but Peter was not connecting
with Passover Lamb. The Passover animals were to be killed at twilight in the original regulation (at sunset Exo 12:6,
Lev 23:5) but Jesus died at 3.00 pm afternoon (Luke 23:44). So Jesus’ death, fulfilling the Passover typologically,
came at the time the Jews were observing the Passover, but not at the time the Bible had prescribed the Passover
sacrifice in the original regulations. The Lord’s Supper even has historical and symbolic connections with the
Passover, but nothing in the Lord’s Supper corresponds to doorposts as in Passover. When John wrote: John 19:33-
36: ‘These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken” he was not
even alluding to Passover rite but from Ps. 34:20 “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken” which is
about a Righteous man’s death. The Passover meat was to be roasted and eaten rather than boiled which has no
counterpart in Christ’s death. We are to (figuratively) eat of Jesus’ flesh (John 6:53)—but we are also to drink his
blood (same verse) which is strictly prohibited in the OT. Unleavened bread was also called the bread of affliction
(Deuteronomy 16:3) suggesting a meaning similar to the bitter herbs. But for the Israelites, it was a reminder of haste
(Exodus 12:39) nothing else. Leftovers of Passover sacrifice were to be incinerated (burnt up) in the morning but no
such connection is seen in Christ’s death, in fact Jesus instead of being burnt up he rose back to life. Although the
First Passover & Unleavened Bread Feast at Egypt can be little intriguing with Christ’s death, the subsequent
regulations given in Number 28 has no resemblance with Christ’s death at all: Numbers 28:17-25 says burnt offering

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by fire -two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect including drink offering; one
young male goat for sin offering. There is nothing spiritual meaning of bull and ram, in fact this can be connected
with golden calf worship in negative case. As to leaven (yeast) Jesus used leaven as symbolic of sin (Luke 12:1), but
he also used leaven as an illustration of righteousness (Matthew 13:33). Leavened was prohibited in Passover &
Unleavened Bread but was permitted in Pentecost Feast (Lev 23:17). In many cases doves and Lamb were
interchangeable for sins offering (Leviticus 5:1-7), so they presumably pictured the same thing. So when we see
Passover regulation and try to connect with Jesus, there are several problems. The death of Jesus during the Passover
week is not to be taken as a fulfillment of Jewish Passover; the Passover in the OT was original designed and given
for physical Israelites and their subsequent exodus from Egypt--it still has symbolic and typological meaning. Jesus’
death doesn’t change the history of Israelites first exodus from Egypt. When Paul called Jesus as our Passover Lamb,
he was not referring to the fulfillment of Jewish Passover; his main intention was to focus on the unblemished
character of Jesus much like Passover Lamb was without any defect. A good illustration and analogy can be made
with Passover Lamb being killed and Jesus being killed but not as a fulfillment of Jewish Passover Feast. The NT
writers don’t record any fulfillment of Passover Feast in Jesus like ‘it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the
Passover’—so when we try to compare the two we should know that we are moving outside of NT bible
parameters—we will see the analogical-typological problems as we read.
F. Feast of First fruits wave offering only for Jewish
There was an unusual ceremony during the Festival of Unleavened Bread (7 days feast). Only Leviticus 23:9-14
records it: “When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of
the first grain you harvest. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest
is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to
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the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour
mixed with oil – an offering made to the Lord by fire, a pleasing aroma – and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin
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of wine. You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your
God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live”. Most festivals were held on a
certain day of the month. This ceremony is unusual in that it is tied to a day of the week—“on the day after the
Sabbath.” In Hebrew concept all feasts days have Sabbath-rest (Hebrew Sabbatown) connotation but the word
‘Sabbath’ in itself is never used except for the weekly Sabbath, seventh year Sabbath (Sabbatical year) and Day of
Atonement. That means this particular Feast has to be on Sunday after the weekly Sabbath [this will become clear as
see for the Feast of the weeks (Pentecost) in a moment]. The ceremony for Feast of the Firstfruits was accompanied
by a lamb, more grain, and some wine, representing all aspects of Israelite agriculture. Two Hebrew words are
involved. Re’shiyth refers to the very beginning of the barley harvest during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. But
bikkuwr is used for Pentecost, near the end of the wheat harvest. It seems to refer to the first harvest—i.e. the entire
spring harvest, grain as opposed to the fruit harvests that came later (Pentecost). The problem is that the LXX (Greek
Septuagint) used aparchē for both Hebrew words, and English translations often use “firstfruits” for both Hebrew
words. Some translations (e.g. New King James) label Leviticus 23:9-14 as “Feast of Firstfruits” and English readers
are quite unaware that this is not the same thing as “the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops (Pentecost)”
(Exodus 23:16) and not the same thing as the “day of firstfruits” (Numbers 28:26). Corresponding to the two kinds of
firstfruits, the New Testament uses the word aparchē for both Christ and Christians. Paul calls Christ the firstfruits in
1 Corinthians 15:20-23: Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep;
James 1:18: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he

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created”. By calling Jesus as the Firstfruits Paul and James were not recording the fulfillment of Jewish Feast of the
Firstfruits. The NT bible authors call Jesus as the Firstfruits using the familiar term of their audience, in first century
Firstfruits was understood to be the most important part of harvest even by the Pagan Greek, Roman and so also by
the Jews. In the OT first-fruits of agri-horticultural products were considered Holy and offered up to God (Exo 34:26,
Exo 23:19, Num 18:13, Deu 26:1-10, 2 Chrcle 31:5, Prov 3:9, Rom 11:16) not just on the Feasts of the Firstfruits.
Yes, to so some extent the Feast has some typological meaning of Christ’s resurrection but for this particular Feast
the Firstfruits spoken is of Barley harvest. I am not aware of any scripture that stress the importance of barley with
Christ. Another issue is one year old Lamb and drink offering offered during the Feast? Remember the Feast still
falls under Passover (7 days of unleavened bread is also called Passover- Ezekiel 45:21, Luke 22:1); hence the one
year old Lamb offered on this feast can still be called Passover Lamb besides what was offered on the 14 th Abib.
Does this signify something else? The Fact is the Feast was related to Israelites agricultural activities ‘when you
enter the LAND’—applicable for physical Israel who enter the Promised Land. When the bible uses words that are
associated with OT feast, it is not a hint for us to connect and drive our point from those feasts. For example—when
Jesus was crucified ‘the soldiers cast a lot’ does this means it connects and fulfill the Jewish Feast Purim because
Purim is derived from Pur (casting lot)? Does the bible actually connect the wicked Haman being killed on the pole a
type of Jesus being impaled on the cross? So, we should be careful not to connect any Jewish Feast with Jesus if the
NT does not actually say ‘this feast is fulfilled’. In short the Jewish Feast of the Firstfruits was given in connection
with their agricultural activities in the Promised Land particularly with Barley harvest.
G. Pentecost: Detail picture for celebration of Feast of the Week (Pentecost) is given Leviticus 23:15-21: “From the
day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering [i.e., the Sunday during Unleavened
Bread], count off seven Sabbaths [seven weeks]. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath [i.e.,
to a Sunday seven weeks later], and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live,
bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the
Lord. Seven Sabbaths 7x7=49 days, the Fifty day is Sunday (the day after the seven Sabbaths). This means Pentecost
has to be always on Sunday. The offerings are given in vs 17-21. The irony part is on Pentecost day, two loaves of
bread were baked with LEAVEN (Yeast) which is prohibited on Feast of Unleavened Bread. If we are to assume
every Jewish Feast has symbolic representation in the new Covenant, does this feast suggest that sins (leaven) is
associated with Pentecost? As to the rite, along with two loaves, Seven lambs (one year old) were to be offered, one
young bull, two ram along with its drink offering prescribe for offering made by fire (v.18). One male goat was
offered for sin offering as well and two lambs for fellowship offering (v.19). The same day was proclaimed as Holy
convocation (vs 20-21). Additional rituals are given in Num 28:26-31. Deuteronomy 16:9-17 gives a brief
explanation related to their agricultural activities: “Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to
the standing grain. 10 Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in
proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. 11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place
he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. The standing grain is probably referring to wheat, we see this in Exo
34:22: “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest [see Exo 23:16 too]. Jewish tradition
connects Pentecost with the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai but the Pentateuch makes no mention of such a
connection. It was simply a harvest festival in the Promised Land, not a commemoration of anything in history. The
old covenant was made at Sinai, but the new covenant was not made at Pentecost but at the moment of Christ death.
The Bible does not say that the Law was given on Pentecost, so this is outside of the domain of biblical typology.
Coming to the NT it marks by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17, 18); God‘s main intention was the

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fulfillment of Prophet Joel as to how everyman will prophesy the Word of God. Notice Peter‘s word on the Pentecost
which is the fulfillment of Prophet Joel in Acts 2:15-16. It reads “for these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is
but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. Peter cited Joel 2:28: ‘Your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream, your young men will see visions’. It is interesting that
Peter when he conveyed the meaning of the Pentecost message to the crowd never said “this is the fulfillment of the
Feast in the law of Moses”, instead cited very irrelevant verse which is also not from the Torah. Some suggests that
two loaves suggest Jews and Gentiles but what will leaven (Yeast) implies? In terms of spiritual symbolism, a
harvest represents salvation (Matthew 9:36-38, etc.). What aspect of God’s spiritual harvest is leavened, or with sin?
The specific length of time, seven weeks, seems designed more for the realities of the harvest season of Wheat not
typological significance. God sent the Holy Spirit on that day in Acts 2 not because the Feast got fulfilled it’s
because many people gathered on that day both Jews and Gentiles. The Holy Spirit out pouring was not only on that
day, we see the coming of Holy Spirit in many places in the book of Acts 10:44, 19:6 etc and also in the OT (Num
11:17, 24-30). If God had in mind Pentecost to be future day for outpouring the Holy Spirit he would have given
some sorts of hints about the Holy Spirit or may be living water (OT symbol for Holy Spirit) as a part of the
ceremonial rites observed during the Feast. But those are totally missing. Instead he gave the feast in connection with
Wheat harvest in the Promised Land.
H. Feast of Trumpets
The next festival after Pentecost was more than three months later—the first day of the seventh month, Yom Teruah
or Rosh Hashanah. It is commanded in only two passages. Leviticus 23:24-25 describes it like this: “On the first day
of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts (taurah).
25 Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire”. Detail of sacrifice and offering, drink
offerings are given in Num 29:1-6 –one year old bull, one ram, seven lambs (a year old each), one male goat for sin
offering accompanied with drink offerings as per prescribed. The unusual feature, the focus of our study, is the
“blowing.” Unfortunately, the OT does not assign any historical or religious significance to this day or its ritual. The
blowing was not very unusual, since trumpets were blown on every new moon and festival (Numbers 10:10- Also at
your times of rejoicing--your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts--you are to sound (tiku) the trumpets
(chatsorat) over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings). Trumpets were blown both in times of war and in
time of celebration. The main purpose of the Feast of Trumpets was to announce the arrival of the seventh month in
order to prepare the people for the Day of Atonement.” Some try to connect the feast with future coming of Messiah
accompanied by the sound of trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). This seems good but not logically
as the word “trumpets”(chatsorat) itself is not in the text for this festival, it seems hazardous to build a typological
meaning on a word association when the word isn’t even there! Some even connect to future rapture but does every
new moon picture the rapture because trumpet was blow every new moon? The sequence does not even agree with
the upcoming Day of Atonement (cleansing of sins) which Christ already did on Passover so to speak. The feast was
unique that God asked them to make two trumpet of silver. Some will say silver speaks of redemption from sins
because Peter brings in the absolute representation of silver and also gold in Christ ―”we are not redeemed with
Gold and silver but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ” in 1 Peter 1:18. However, although Peter used silver and
gold he is not talking about this Feast, in fact it was common for him to used gold and silver as means of selling and
buying, the same way it was used in the OT [Lev 27:3-6, Numbers 7:13, Deuteronomy 22:29]. Lastly, if Paul wanted
to make the fulfillment of the Feast for Christ second coming as some would suggest why would he said in 1Corthn
4:5: “therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come who will bring to light the hidden things of

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darkness and 2 Theso 2:1-2: “regarding coming of the Lord Jesus do not be soon shaken in mind or trouble with the
spirit by words or by letter as it is from us) which he would rather said “Christ will come in the manner and time of
Feast of trumpet”? Eventually, the coming of the Lord has nothing to do with human expectation and calculation or
Jewish Feast of Trumpet. We cannot anticipate Christ‘s coming by celebrating the Old Testament‘s feast that has no
meaning and significance toward the Second Coming. If feast of trumpet is a symbolic of Christ that Christian need
to observe then we have another problem with the Day of Atonement, since, Feast of Trumpet was observed in
anticipation for Atonement. Why would Christ come again during the Feast of Trumpet and pay our sin again in the
Day of Atonement? It makes no sense. Also if Jesus mission was to fulfill the Jewish Feasts, it will not be the
Passover day that he would have died but would choose the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) when fasting,
repentance and final remission of sins was done. Even this feast doesn’t fit how Christ paid all our sins as we will see
below.
I. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Ten days after Trumpets was a day of fasting—Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 23:26-32 explains it:
“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and
present an offering made to the Lord by fire… 31 You shall do no work at all….32 It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and
you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to
observe your Sabbath”. Detail information is given in Lev 16:30: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must
deny yourselves and not do any work – whether native-born or an alien living among you. 30 because on this day
atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you…Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. Detail
rites is seen in Numbers 29:7-11 which includes one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all
without defect, one male goat as a sin offering along with each drink offering. Interestingly even the foreigner living
among Israelites were to go fasting although the cleansing of sins was done for only Israelites. This analogy does not
fit Christ because 1 John 2:1-2 says “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the
sins of the whole world”. On the Day of Atonement the priest had to offer up bull for his own sins (Lev 16:6) which
is opposite to Christ our High Priest who has no sin. Hebrews 2:17: ‘He had to be made like his brothers in every
way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make
atonement for the sins of the people). The author of Hebrew is not recording the fulfillment of the Day of
Atonement when he compared Jesus entering the Holy of Holiest once and for all with Levitical Priests entering
every year (Heb 9:7). His main target is to illustrate the supremacy of the Melchizedex Priestly order (Christ) over
the Levitical priesthood and not the fulfillment of Day of Atonement or Levitical priestly work. Another
contradiction of the Feast with Jesus is—two goat were used, one goat as a sin offering another as Scape Goat –on it
all the sins of Israelites were confessed and placed upon and let loose in desert (Lev 16:20-22). If the one goat
offered pictured Christ what about the Scape goat? On the contrast it is Christ who is both our sin bearer and sacrifice
(Isaiah 53:6, 12, 2 Cor 5:21, Roman 8:3)—all the practices and symbol does not fit Christ’s work. The bible says
Jesus entered the most Holy Place only Once to bring eternal redemption (Heb 9:12). Jesus died only once, he didn’t
die on Passover and rose again and again died on Day of Atonement to fulfill the Jewish Feasts. When he appear
again second time he will not deal with sin but to bring salvation for those who wait for him (Heb 9:28). The whole
sequence of Jewish Feast from Passover to Atonement is exactly reverse with Christ’s redemption work-nothing
matches.

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J. Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Shelters/Booth) only for Jews who left Egypt
Last, we come to a seven-day festival with an eighth day added on—the Feast of Ingathering (so named because it
came near the end of the grape harvest) or Sukkoth, the Feast of Booths, or Feast of Tabernacles: Leviticus 23:33-42:
gives further details: “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts
for seven days. 35 The first day is a holy convocation; do no regular work. 36. For seven days present offerings
made to the Lord by fire, and the eighth day holy convocation...39 So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh
month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is
Sabbath-rest and on the eight day Sabbath-rest”. The Feast is unique, unlike other feasts the eight day is also
considered to be a day for holy convocation and Sabbath-rest. This harvest Feast is to be celebrated with booths, or
tree-branch shelters: 41.“On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches
and poplars, and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. The purpose and to whom the Feast was given is
clearly stated in v 42. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths 43 so your
descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your
God). The feast has a historical significance only for one community who left Egypt, who dwelt in booth during their
journey i.e. physical Israelites, no one else. The same instruction with three common themes is seen in
Deuteronomy—rejoicing together, and the focus on the central sanctuary, grain harvest and GRAPE HARVEST in
the Promised Land: Deuteronomy 16:13-15: “Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have
gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your WINEORESS (GRAPE)s. 14 Be joyful at your Feast – you,
your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the
widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord
will choose for His Name. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your
hands, and your joy will be complete. The chosen place is Jerusalem (2 Chrcle 6:6,2 King 21, 1 King 14:21). If we
are to celebrate the Feast you need to go to Jerusalem, no other place is allowed; we need to grow grapes because the
Feast is strictly connected with Grape harvest. Numbers 28-29 details the sacrifices required for each day of the
festivals. The requirements for Tabernacles are similar, but the number of sacrifices is more than doubled when
compared with other Feast days (see in detail). In short the Feast of Tabernacles had two major themes: A joyful
celebration at the end of the grape harvest, and living in booths as a reminder of the journey from Egypt to Exodus.
This Feast was particularly important because on this Feast days the Law was to be read out, we see this in Deu
31:10-13:“At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when
all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them
in their hearing.”[The Law in context is probably the Pentateuch which Moses wrote and delivered to the Priests that
bear the Ark of the Covenant v.9]. The only time NT mentions about the Feast of Tabernacle is in John 7:37-39: “On
the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me
and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.
39. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. The emphasis is on the Spirit
and salvation through Jesus Christ not the Feast itself getting fulfilled. It seems to me that the Feast of Tabernacle
and not Pentecost foreshadowed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Many times in the OT, Holy Spirit is spoken as
Living water: Isaiah 32:1: “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness..." namely, "Until the Spirit is poured upon us
from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest." (Isaiah 32:15).

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The same idea is spoken in Isaiah 44:3: ‘For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I
will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring...Talking about future Messianic era
prophet Ezekiel foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit—he used water as symbol for the Holy Spirit: Ezekiel 47:9:
‘And it shall come to pass, that everything that lives, which moves, wherever the rivers shall come, shall live: and
there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and
everything shall live where the river comes”. If Christ’s redemptive work was primarily to fulfill the Jewish Feast, it
would be more appropriate for God to send the Holy Spirit during the Feast of Tabernacle that signifies some sort of
Holy Spirit’s work. The point is if we are to synchronize Jewish Feast with Christ there are several problems. In fact
the NT writers didn’t even stress any value on the Jewish Feasts. The only time NT uses the word Tabernacle is in
John 1:14-Jesus incarnation and in Revelation 7:15-17, Rev 21:3-4 but none of the texts talk or connect with Jewish
Feast, it’s just the terminology they used nothing else. Yes, the NT talks about our body as Tent /temple in John
14:23, 1 Cor 6:19, 2 Cor 6:16 but the Feast of Tabernacle on the contrast was a reminder of Israelites dwelling in
temporary shelters during their Journey to Canaan. We also read in Psalm 81:3: “Sound the ram’s horn at the New
Moon, and at the full moon on the day of our Feast. 4For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of
Jacob. 5He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt, where I heard an
unfamiliar language: The name Joseph appears as author stylistic way of referring to the nation of Israelites as much
as he used Jacob and Israel synonymous in the same verse. Psalm 80:1 also mentions Joseph as a representative of
Israelites. The Feast is ordained only for physical Israelites when they left Egypt not for any other nations. But which
Feast is Psalmist talking about? There is only one feast that coincides with New Moon & Full moon i.e. the Feast of
Tabernacle. Every New moon was to be a holy convocation (Num 10:10) but only one Feast coincides with the next
full moon (15th of the Seventh Month-Tisri in Lev 23:34)—which is Feast of Tabernacle. So the sequence ‘New
moon-Full Moon-The Feast’ fit perfectly with the Feast of Tabernacle. The Feast of Tabernacle is simply called ‘The
Feast’ 1 King 8:2. By the way if Messiah’s main purpose was to fulfill the Jewish Feast, the Feast of Tabernacle
would be the first feast he fulfilled according John 1:14 (the Word become Flesh and Tabernacle among us). The
Greek NT use Tabernacle ‘skene’ the same word used by Greek Septuagint to translate Tent (booth)/ Tabernacle,
Sanctuary. But many who argue for Jewish feasts celebration today would suggest that the feast will be fulfilled in
future at Christ’s second coming-- in any condition it contradict the NT narratives.
i) Does Zechariah 14:16-21 command Christian to keep the Feast of Tabernacles
Some have seen Zechariah 14:16-21 as a prophecy of a future millennial reign of Christ on earth during which the
Festival of Tabernacles will be observed. Let’s read Zechariah 14:16-21: “Then the survivors from all the nations
that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate
the Festival of Tabernacles 17. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the
LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.19. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the
nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 20 On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed
on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the
altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will
take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the
LORD Almighty.” As said before it was given only for Physical Israel to remind themselves of their exodus from
Egypt. But why did Zechariah prophesied such future event? Contextually, this passage of Scripture speaks of
survivors from all the nations that made war against Jerusalem. Zechariah was a prophet who began witnessing to
Judah during the time of the rebuilding of the temple (about 520 B.C.) after the Jews returned from their Babylonian

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captivity. Let see some background: Zec 1:1: “In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the
LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo”:..Then the text on to record what God said
regarding the rebuilding his Temple [see parallel reference Ezra 1:1-2]. The work of rebuilding the temple began
[Ezra 3:8] however some of the Jews accused and complaint against them and the work was halted [Ezra 4:5-6, 24].
The work resumed under Zechariah the prophet: Ezra 5:1-2: “Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a
descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over
them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in
Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them”. And the Jews Finished rebuilding the temple
under the preaching and guidance of prophets Haggai and Zechariah as per permission given by Cyrus, Darius and
Artaxerxes kings of Persia (read Ezra 6:14). Zechariah’s basic message was that after the past and present periods of
trouble there would be a glorious restoration. Jerusalem which was a downtrodden and destroyed city in Zechariah’s
time would become the focus of God’s blessings. For the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem, the Festival of
Tabernacles symbolized the promise of this glorious future time. We see this in a festival celebration during the time
of Nehemiah, hundred years after Zechariah’s preaching (Nehemiah 8:9-18) which we will read move later in this
same page. The book of Zechariah contains symbolic imagery just like all other prophesies. Here are some examples:
1:18-21; 3:1-10; 4:1-14; 5:1-4; 5:11; 6:1-8; 11:4-17. This means we must be careful in how we interpret what the
book says, because at least some of it is not intended to be taken literally. This seems to be true of Zechariah 14:16-
21 where he talks about the Feast. If we were to interpret this passage literally, and say that it teaches all people
everywhere and at all times must observe the Festival of Tabernacles, we are faced with exegetical difficulties and
logical contradictions. For example, Zechariah speaks of the survivors of all nations who attacked Jerusalem going to
Jerusalem to keep the feast (14:16). But this can’t mean all people on earth will observe the festival in Jerusalem. It is
not possible for everyone to fit into Jerusalem for the festival, even if we consider the size of the city’s expanded
modern boundaries. Only a tiny percentage of the earth’s people could gather there—even if one assumes a much
smaller population at the beginning of some future age. Some have responded that only representatives of all the
nations would have to travel to Jerusalem. But this interpretation denies the literalness of Zechariah 14, which would
be essential to prove that people everywhere and at all times are required to observe the festival. The account does
not speak of representatives, but simply says “the peoples of the earth” must go to Jerusalem to observe the festival
(14:17). To say only “representatives” will go is to not take the account literally. But one cannot logically hold that
the prophecy is literal in all aspects except those that we think are impossible! Conversely, the text does not speak of
people observing the Festival of Tabernacles in all parts of the earth. The passage speaks of the festival as being
observed only in Jerusalem. This agrees well with the Mosaic command that the festivals were to be celebrated only
at the place God chose (Jerusalem). To celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles or any other of the Mosaic festivals
outside of Jerusalem was not allowed by the Law. If we see Zechariah’s reference to the Festival of Tabernacles
as symbolic of an important theological point (in a non-Mosaic, Christian context) can be derived and these kinds of
problems and inconsistencies disappear. Let’s look at other aspects of Zechariah’s use of imagery to further help us
understand why his statement regarding the Festival of Tabernacles should not be taken in a literal fashion. In his
description of the future age, Zechariah speaks of sacrifices and of the pots in Jerusalem being holy (14:21).
Sacrifices were commanded in the past, and prophesied for the future in this passage. But no one is suggesting that
we should have “holy pots” or offer physical sacrifices in our worship today. Rain is another component spoken
which will not be received by people who will not go up. Are we serious about this as literal? If we take Zechariah
14’s comments about the nations of the world celebrating the Festival of Tabernacles as a literal command for all

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people today, we would not be at liberty to eliminate “holy pots” or sacrifices from present-day worship. Logic says
that if one worship method is compelling for our time (Tabernacles observance), the other should be too (having holy
pots and sacrificing animals). But in truth, none of these are required today. Zechariah 14:20 says the horses are to
have bells with the inscription, “Holy to the Lord.” If we are to apply this section of Scripture literally to worship
today, then we would need to have horses with inscribed bells as part of a Tabernacles celebration. It is obvious that
if one interprets Zechariah 14 in a literal manner as requirement for our worship today, we find ourselves entangled
in anachronisms. What do we see in Zechariah 14:16-21, then? The imagery is drawn from worship under the old
covenant and from Jewish apocalyptic thought. What is pictured is an old covenant scenario of the ideal world where
the enemies of God and Israel bow to the Messiah’s rule. It was the right message for Israel under the old covenant,
especially for the few Jewish stragglers who had returned to Jerusalem after the captivity. But in the new covenant,
things changed, the way we respond to God also changed, not limited to Jerusalem alone, God can be worship
anywhere anytime Jesus said (John 4:21-24), and Paul showed that God extends his hand to all nations. The apostles
did not urge anyone certainly not those who weren’t Jews to go to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles. Under
the new covenant, the temple of God is the church, not a building in Jerusalem and we are the spiritual temple of
God. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices, not physical ones at an altar in Jerusalem.
ii) Nehemiah recorded the fulfillment of Zechariah prophecy
If you read the book of Nehemiah which is many decades later (probably century later), it records the fulfillment of
Zechariah prophecy: Neh 8:9-18: 14. They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through
Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month”. 16. So the
people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their
courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of
Ephraim. 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the
days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the
festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly” The
remarkable events is this feast was celebrated by even Gentiles who lived among the Jewish, they were the one that
attack the Jews. Later in the same book, the author records the Jews separating themselves from non-Israelites: Neh
9:2: ‘Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and
confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. [see Neh 10:28 & Neh 13:1-3 as well for reference].
iii) The Feast of Tabernacle was never celebrated by the Israelites: Neh 8:17: “The whole company that had
returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the
Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great”. This means many godly people including
prophets like Samuel, Elijah, David, etc didn’t celebrated as per the commandment. The only time the bible records
about this Feast being celebrated before their exile was during Solomon who celebrated the Feast for 14 days (1 King
8:65-66; 2 Chrcle 7:8-10) not just 7 days as per the Law. If you cross reference and read both the accounts carefully
you will notice that 7 days was for dedication of altar, another 7 days for the Feast, total of 14 days but all counted as
Feast (1 King 8:65).

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K. What was the purpose of the Jewish Feasts?
The OT feasts are like History book for the children of Israel. The feasts constantly remind them of when, how and
why they become a nation—their slavery and exodus from Egypt as a free nation. Not only this, the feasts days were
the times when Israelites would come together for corporate worship at one specific place where God put his Name
(i.e Jerusalem). They were not allowed to worship God in any place at any time they wished. Regulation for worship
pattern is clearly laid down in Deu 12:1-32: “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully
observe in the LAND…. as long as you live on the earth.2. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations
whom you shall dispossess worship their gods…4. You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. 5. But
you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His
NAME there for His dwelling, and there you shall go. 6. There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices,
your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your vows, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of
your flock. 7. There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God…8. You shall not do at all
what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes..32. Whatever I command you, you
shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it”. We see the commandments for one place of
worship is very clear, they were commanded not to worship God in any place they wanted but were strictly
commanded to go to that PLACE only where GOD will put HIS NAME i.e Jerusalem (2 Kings 21:7, 2 Kings 21:4, 2
Chronicle 12:13). In fact they were told not to add or take away the worship rule. The worship pattern and place
were so much emphasized that when Israelites broke these rules, they often lapsed into idolatry. We see this in 1
King 12:25-33 where Jeroboam instituted a new place of worship in Bethel and Dan instead of Jerusalem and led
Israelites into apostasy of Golden calf worship. He even changed the worship days of the Feast of Tabernacle on 15th
Day of the Eighth month against the prescribed month i.e the seventh Month (v.33). Furthermore, it is also necessary
to know that in the old covenant, worship was done by their sacrifice, grain offering, drink offering, free gifts, tithe,
their Firstfruits etc—these are the very component of their worship on the appointed Feasts days (worship days). We
read in Lev 23:37-38: “These are the LORD's appointed feasts (Passover, unleavened bread, Feast of first fruit,
Pentecost, feast of trumpet, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles), which you are to proclaim as sacred
assemblies for bringing food offerings to the LORD--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink
offerings required for each day…[see also Number 29:39: “You shall present these to the LORD at your appointed
Feasts, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings
and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings. Similar concept is given in Amos 5:22:‘I hate, I reject your
feasts, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. 22Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain
offerings, I will not accept them…To put in different way, the reason why God gave those feasts was mainly to create
specific days for corporate worship at Jerusalem through their sacrifices and offering at the altar. The bible nowhere
speaks of keeping the feasts day without offering and sacrifices, they both stand and fall together—they function as
one entity. Right after regulations for worship place is given in Deu 12, appointed days for corporate worship is laid
down in Deu 16--they are the feast days: Deu 16:16: “Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord
your God at the place he will choose (Jerusalem): at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the
Feast of Tabernacles. Similar regulation is also seen in Exodus 23:14-17, Exo 34:18-23. Only on this three Feasts
Israelites were allowed and told to assemble for corporate worship. Note: remember that every time you see people
worshiping God in the OT be it Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob etc they did it by offering sacrifice and burnt offering.

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L. God dealt only with the physical Israelites in the Old Covenant
The old covenant comes with many regulations—some were specific to physical Israel, some regulations were moral
law rooted with moral principles, some were limited to certain time, some were specific to certain group within
Israelites such as priests, kings, some for ceremonial purposes and so forth. But all these were under one package
called the old covenant which we usually called the Law of Moses (Torah) or simply the Law. Therefore, when
trying to enforce them in the new covenant, it is necessary to understand the historical context and fulfillment. Many
of the moral principles binding to all mankind are restated with higher moral obligation in the new covenant (for all
people) while those that were given to Israelites are never mentioned or stressed in the New Covenant. The OT bible
clearly shows that the old Covenant was only for Israelites, God had not dealt with Gentiles yet: Ps 147:19: “He
declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. 20.He has not dealt thus with
any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the LORD!; Ps 103:7: “He made known
His ways to Moses, His deeds to the sons of Israel. The bible says no other nations had regulations like that of Israel,
they were special not just by selection but by the law they were to follow: Deuteronomy 4:8: “what great nation is
there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 9.Only
be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade
from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Since the old
Covenant was made with Israel alone, they were accountable for it. Their obedience and disobedience would be
judged according to the terms and conditions laid down in the covenant (says Deu 29:21-29). We also read in Amos
3:1: “Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family that I
brought up out of the land of Egypt: 2 Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will
punish you for all your sins. In the NT Paul also makes it clear, to Israel belongs adoption of sonship and the glory
and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises (Rom 9:4). Nevertheless, the
Gentiles were always welcomed to join the old covenant but through physical circumcision, yet it wasn’t an
obligation. However, the old covenant as it was handed was restricted to Israel alone—they were told to teach their
children and not once God commanded them to teach to Gentiles. Psalm 78:5: “For He established a testimony in
Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their
children: Deuteronomy 6:7: ‘You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your
house and when you walk by the way….v.20-22: “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What do the
testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?' 21then you shall
say to your son, 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand.
Deuteronomy 4:10 "Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me,
'Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on
the earth, and that they may teach their children.' [see Deut 6:20, Deu 6:2, etc]. The only time OT talks about other
nations in regards to the Law (Torah) is given in Deu 4: 6: ‘Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your
wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this
great nation is a wise and understanding people”. All the nations shall see Israelites and they shall fear them (Deu
28:10). Now, the question is—did God permit Gentiles to sin as they were not under the Old Covenant? Paul says
NO--There is a general revelation from God what sins are--made known to everyone by instinct and everyone will be
held accountable for it (Roman 1:18-32-gives the lists of sins). But the OT feasts however are explicitly design only
for Jews, God didn’t reveal and give those precise rules to Gentiles and hence Gentiles are not guilty of breaking.

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M. Does Paul expect Christians to observe the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread in 1 Corinthian 5?
Some insists that Christians should keep Jewish Passover & Unleavened bread because Paul talked about the Feasts
in Corinthians church. They say the Corinthian churches observed the Feast otherwise there is no points Paul would
use as an analogy. But this is not simply true--if you see the context, there is nothing of that sort. Let’s read the
context and exegete the passage: The context is immorality in the church, one man sleeping with his father’s wife and
the church instead of condemning it, they tolerated the man as he is one of the church members. Paul asked the
church to remove-ostracize that man as his practice may become an accepted custom in the church: 1Cor 5:1-13: “It
is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you…A man is sleeping with his father's wife. 2. And you
are proud! Shouldn't you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been
doing this?....5. I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven (yeast) leavened the
whole lump? By saying ‘little yeast (leaven) leavened up’ Paul is not talking about the Jewish feast celebration. It is
proven fact that down through history man knows the art of adding small yeast to make bread spongy, porous and
firm, we still do today. Paul used culturally known yeast as a metaphor for sins, like small yeast when added spread
through the whole lump of bread, sins if not remove has the tendency to spread likewise. It’s like saying remove the
rotten potato to save the other potatoes. Paul continues: 7. Get rid of the old leaven (yeast) so that you may be a new
lump (new batch of dough), just as you are in fact unleavened. FOR Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.
Paul is still in the same topic, using metaphorical language, he is not asking the church to remove yeast at their own
home, his focus is still on that sinful man (old leaven), get rid of that sinner (old leaven), so that the church
community could be like new lump of bread without leaven i.e without sinners. It is the Corinthian Christian
community, not their homes or their diets, that is said to be unleavened. Interesting part is ‘FOR Christ our Passover
also has been sacrificed’. Why should Corinthian remove that sinful man? He explains—‘because or For’ Christ
newly created community should be without sinners, should not tolerate sinful man in their midst. In the OT
Passover sacrifice had nothing to do with sins but why did Paul use the term Passover and connect with sin here
anyway? Here is the reason--the Jews identity as a complete free nation began with the inauguration of Passover
sacrifice—that marks the beginning of their new journey accompanied by the death of firstborn of Egypt. The feast
commemorates not just their exodus but their establishment as a free community. For Christian, Christ’s death is the
origin and beginning of new community with freedom and liberty from sins—in that case Christ is a Passover for us.
Christ has declared us to be holy (1 Corinthians 1:2; Hebrews 10:10), so they ought to act like it. If the church
wanted to be a part of Christ’s community, they need to remove sinners among them. Paul continues: Verse 8.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Notice the verse ‘Let us keep the feast’ is ‘eortazomen’-present active
subjunctive. In Greek language Subjunctive is used when you are talking in metaphorical language. If Paul asked the
Corinthians to keep the Passover literally he would use indicative not subjunctive. Perhaps he would say ‘let us keep
the Feast as the Law says’. Could the Corinthians understand Paul’s symbolism if they were not observing the
festivals? Yes. Since the church in Corinth began in a synagogue, and there were Jews in Corinth, even the Gentile
Christians could have understood the allusions without actually keeping the festival in the old covenant way. They
could understand Paul using the term Passover without killing Passover lambs, and they could understand the
spiritual fulfillment of sacrifices without killing any animals in the same context. Paul continues vs 8 “let us keep the

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Feast, not with the old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth. Paul is not talking about physical leaven or physical observation of the feast, or else he wouldn’t
need the word “old.” His main intention is the spiritual application. During the Feast the Jews don’t remove the old
leaven (yeast) and replace with new leaven, both old and new leavens are completely avoided. This means ‘old
leaven’ in Paul’s mind is old sinful nature--malice and wickedness”. Christians are to keep with unleavened that is
“sincerity and truth” (the word “bread” is not in the Greek but added for clarification). Literal observation of Jewish
feast won’t generate sincerity and truth in you, it has not power to do that either. It is Christ who generates sincerity
and truth in us. For righteous people their hearts are a continual Feast (Proverb 15:15). Finally Paul stresses again in
vs 13: “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person”—his interest was not the observation of the
Feast rather the application in spiritual reality.
Conclusion
Christians are not required to observe the Jewish Feasts; however, we should not ignore their significances. Paul says
that all Scriptures are inspired and God-breathed and they are profitable for our instruction, for correction and for
reproof (2 Timothy 3:15-17). Nevertheless, not everything written in the OT scripture is to be followed, they should
be discerned through the lens of the NT scripture; the NT interprets the old not the other way around. The festivals
indeed have many profitable lessons but not necessary for salvation. They might have pointed to Messiah vaguely but
the NT writers never recorded its fulfillment neither were they interested in comparing with Christ’s redemptive
work. Instead they focused on the higher spiritual reality in the person of Christ. Some say the festivals have
important meanings and must be observed to preserve their good meanings. But this is like saying that we must
observe sacrifices in order to remember the ways in which they point toward Christ. Or circumcise in order to
remember the circumcision made in heart. Some even say all the spring Festival (Passover, Unleavened bread, Feast
of Firstfruits and Pentecost) were fulfilled in the first coming, the remaining fall festivals (Feast of Trumpet, Day of
Atonement and Feast of Tabernacle) will be fulfilled in the second coming. This sounds logical but as shown above it
does not harmonize with the sequence of the redemptive work of Christ. Chronologically so to speak the Passover,
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of the Firstfruits and the Feast of Pentecost symbolized only facets of
Christ’s death, Resurrection and Holy Spirit outpouring but not the entirety of the redemption plan. The remaining
Feasts have no resemblance in chronology at all; in fact it’s just the reverse. For Jews (under the Old Covenant) the
Feasts primarily serve them as an important reminder of their historical deliverance from Egypt and their agricultural
harvest; Christ death and Resurrection doesn’t change this history and crop pattern at all. The NT says the Law was
only a shadow (Heb 10:1, Heb 8:5), it doesn’t reveal about the inner nature and detail component of the substance.
For Christians there is another path to look for it. It was not just the Feasts but the entire old Covenant (Torah) being
fulfilled in the person of Christ. He is the fulfillment of the old Covenant, he is our covenant keeper and the
embodiment of the new Covenant (Messiah is called the Covenant itself: Isa 42:6, 49:8). We may not understand
precisely how Jesus fulfilled everything about the old Covenant and the NT bible doesn’t explain us, so it is not
necessary for us to know everything. The bible however tells us the result—Christ has fulfilled every requirement of
the Law for us (Luke 24:25-26, Luke 24:44 all things which are written about me in the Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled’. Col 2:16-17 says Feasts, new moon and Sabbaths were only a Shadow,
just like Tabernacle system and Sacrifice were shadow (Heb 8:5, 10:1). A shadow is not the substance; it is just a
faint outline, we don’t need the shadow we have the reality (Substance) who is Christ. If things have been fulfilled,
there is no value observing them. We are commanded to obey what Jesus told us to do, not what he did during his
ministry (Matt 28:20). [Study of Old Covenant (including Sabbath) and New Covenant is available in another article].

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