The three Holy Days of Spring (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits) were a picture of events that happened in the history of the Children of Israel. They were also fulfilled by the Lord Jesus. The next Holy Day occurs in the late Spring and is known as Pentecost. This Holy Day always fall on Sunday because it comes exactly seven weeks from the first Sunday following Passover, which is the Day of Firstfruits. Starting with that Sunday, Pentecost is fifty days later. Hence, Pentecost is derived from the Greek word for fifty. Fifty is also the number of years for Jubilee, when the land was redeemed. Pentecost is about Redemption, our Redemption.

Surely, the Day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus when, according to Jewish tradition, the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel, and the Plan of Salvation was revealed to Israel, was a significant event in the history of that nation of people. They simply did not recognize it. As Paul tells us, the Jews were given eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear until the time when “the full number of Gentiles have come in” (Romans 11:8 and 25). The Day of Pentecost was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus when His Plan of Redemption was shown to Israel. This day is also considered by most as the birthday of His bride, the Church.

The last three Holy Days are in the Fall, at harvest time, and are a picture of the great endtime harvest foretold by the Lord. These days all occur from mid-September to mid-October on the Gregorian calendar. Tishri 1 is the Feast of Trumpets; Tishri 10 is the Day of Atonement; and Tishri 15 begins the seven day Feast of Tabernacles, or Feast of Harvest, or Feast of Ingathering. It does not appear that a time of historic significance relating to these Holy Days has happened in the history of Israel. This final harvest will probably not happen until “the full number of Gentiles have come in.”

Jesus told the Jews, “I have other sheep,” referring to we Gentiles (John 10:16). But the Jews are still His sheep and the Lord promised to bring them back to the Holy Land a second time (Isaiah 11:11). When He made this promise, He had not yet brought them back the first time. The first time was after the Babylonian Captivity. The second time has begun sixty or seventy years ago around 1948, and will be concluded during the prophesied Millennial Kingdom. (See Isaiah 49:8-26)

Because of the pattern shown by the history of Israel, I believe that the Fall feasts will be fulfilled, again by the Lord Jesus, as He returns to defeat the nations that will be gathered around Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:3) He will re-establish the people Israel in the Land of Israel, without the threatening menace of neighboring lands. While we do not know the exact day or hour, we know He is coming! And we will be watching! May the Lord Jesus come quickly!