Although the Old Covenant is usually associated with the Ten Commandments, the Law was just as much about worship as it was about obedience. The worship of God was primarily expressed in the offering of various sacrifices during Israel’s feast days. The seven feasts of the Lord, the temple with its seven tabernacle furnishings, and the numerous sacrifices of worship offered throughout the year all revealed different aspects of God and his relationship with mankind. Their underlying themes provided the basis for knowledgeable worship.
All of these aspects of worship – feasts, furnishings, and sacrifices – were fulfilled by Christ. He is the bread of Life, the light of the world, the intercessor through whom we come to the Father. He spiritually became the Passover Lamb, the atoning sacrifice for sin, the fellowship offering that made peace between God and man. Jesus fulfilled each feast, not only in a spiritual sense, but in a temporal one as well. Having been crucified on Passover afternoon, he was raised on the feast of Firstfruits and sent his Holy Spirit to the church on Pentecost. He will fulfill the last three feasts of the Lord on the Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles when he returns to defeat the antichrist and establish the kingdom of God on earth.
The following chart illustrates each of the three convocations: the spring, summer, and fall harvest festivals. It details the feasts of the Lord that comprise each festival, along with Jesus’ temporal and spiritual fulfillment of the feasts and their themes, supported by Scriptural references.
Copyright 2011
