This is the outline for the four-part Sunday School teaching on Y'shua in the Feasts of Israel.

 
 
Y'SHUA IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL

SESSION ONE

I.  Introduction
 A.  Reasons for Feasts 
  1.  Seasonal events
  2.  Memorials to Jewish people (Num.10:10)
  3.  Prophetic significance
  4.  Personal significance
 B.  Overview of Feasts 
  1.  Timeline
  2.  "Feasts of Israel"
  3.  "God's Work in the Feasts of Jehovah"
II.  Spring Feasts
 A.  Passover/Unleavened Bread/First Fruits
  1.  Names
   a.  Pesach -- Passover
   b.  Unleavened Bread
   c.  First Fruits
  2.  Dates--14th to 21st of Nisan (first month) -- also called Aviv
  3.  Biblical References
   a.  Ex. 12:1-20
   b.  Lev. 23:4-11, 15
   c.  Deut. 16:1-8
  4.  Historical Observances
   a.  Egypt
    (1)  Lamb (perfect, without blemish)
    (2)  Bitter herbs (bitterness of bondage)
    (3)  Unleavened bread (bread of affliction)
   b.  Commemorates redemption from sin (leaven=sin)
   c.  First Fruits--thanksgiving for harvest
  5.  Passover in Y'shua' Time
   a.  Pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Deut. 16:16)
   b.  Temple sacrifice  (Deut. 16:5,6)
   c.  Seder ("order of service")
    (1)  Reclining
    (2)  Ritual washing
    (3)  Hallel (Ps. 113-118)
    (4)  Four cups of wine -- four stages of deliverance
      (Ex. 6:6-7)
    (5)  Bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8)
  6.  Y'shua' Celebration of Passover
   a.  As a 12-year-old (Luke 2:41-49)
   b.  Moneychangers  (John 2:13-25)
   c.  Feeding 5000 (John 6:4-14)
   d. Last Supper (Matt. 26, Luke 22, Mark 14, John 13)
  7.  Passover Today
   a.  Seder
    (1)  Seder plate
     (a)  Z'roah -- shank bone -- Paschal Lamb
     (b)  Hagigah -- egg -- daily Temple sacrifice
     (c)  Maror -- bitter herbs -- bitterness of slavery
     (d)  Karpus -- parsley -- green of spring
     (e)  Charoseth -- apple/nut mix -- mortar for bricks
    (2)  Matzah tash
    (3)  Elijah's cup (Mal. 4:5; Ex. 6:8)
   b.  Matzah for 7 days 
   c.  Redemption 
    "Nisan is the month of redemption:  in Nisan 
    Israel was redeemed from Egypt; in Nisan 
    Israel will again be redeemed"  (Mishna) 
  8.  Prophetic Fulfillment of Passover
   a.  Passover sacrifice
    (1)  Lamb to the slaughter (Is. 53:7)
    (2)  Spotless lamb (1 Pet. 1:18-19)
    (3)  Christ our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7)
    (4)  Lamb of God (John 1:29)
    (5)  Cup of Redemption (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 10:16)
    (6)  Blood redeems from penalty of death, bondage of sin
   b.  Bread of Life 
    (1)  Broken for us (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 10:16)
    (2)  John 6:48
    (3)  Cleansed from sin, made new (1 Cor. 5:6-8)
   c.  Resurrection
    (1)  Y'shua' resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20)
    (2)  Resurrection of believers (1 Thess. 4:14-17)
 


 
 
Y'SHUA IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL

SESSION TWO

 B.  Pentecost 
  1.  Name -- Shavuot, Feast of Weeks, Pentecost
  2.  Date
   a.  50th day after First Fruits
   b.  6th or 7th of Sivan (third month)
  3.  Biblical References
   a.  Lev. 23:15-22
   b.  Ex. 34:22
   c.  Deut. 16:9-11,16
  4.  Historical Observance
   a.  Harvest festival
   b.  Offering of 2 leavened loaves
  5.  Pentecost in Y'shua' Time
   a.  Anniversary of giving of Law on Sinai
   b.  Pilgrimage festival (Deut. 16:16)
  6.  Y'shua' Observance of Pentecost
   a.  Told disciples to wait in Jerusalem (Acts 1:3-5)
   b.  Giving of Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4) 
  7.  Pentecost Today
   a.  Harvest festival
   b.  Book of Ruth
   c.  Celebrate giving of Law
  8.  Prophetic Fulfillment of Pentecost
   a.  Giving of Holy Spirit  (Acts 2:1-4)
   b.  Birth of Church (Acts 2:14-47)
    (1)  Composed of Jews, Gentiles
    (2)  Two leavened loaves of offering
    (3)  Not sinless
    (4)  First harvest of the redeemed
   c.  God's Law written on our hearts (Jer. 31:33)
 


 
 
 
Y'HUA IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL

SESSION THREE

III.  Fall Feasts
 A.  Rosh Hashanah 
  1.  Names
   a.  Rosh Hashanah -- "head of year", Jewish New Year
   b.  Feast of Trumpets (Yom T'ruah)
   c.  Day of Judgment (Yom Ha Din)
  2.  Date
   a.  1st day of Tishri (seventh month)
   b.  First new moon after sixth month
  3.  Biblical References
   a.  Lev. 23:24-25
   b.  Neh. 8:10
  4.  Historical Observance
   a.  Blowing of shofar (ram's horn trumpet)
   b.  Significance of shofar
    (1)  Abraham's "sacrifice" of Isaac
    (2)  Israel's return to the land after Egyptian bondage
    (3)  Subsequent and future regatherings
  5.  Feast of Trumpets During Y'shua' Lifetime
   a.  Diaspora -- dispersion of Jewish people throughout the world
   b.  Themes -- repentance, restoration, judgment
  6.  Y'shua' Role in Feast of Trumpets
   a.  Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22)
    (1)  God will provide Himself the sacrifice
    (2)  All the families of the earth will be blessed
   b.  Y'shua as the Seed of Abraham
  7.  Feast of Trumpets Today
   a.  Shofar blowing
   b.  Synagogue attendance
   c.  Repentance and thanksgiving
   d.  Feasting and joy
   e.  L'shanah tovah tikutavu -- "May you be inscribed..."
  8.  Prophetic Fulfillment of Feast of Trumpets
   a.  The Rapture
    (1)  1 Thess. 4:16
    (2)  1 Cor. 15:51-52
   b.  Be on the alert
 B.  The Days of Awe
  1.  The Three Books
  2.  Time of Repentance and Judgment
  3.  The "Time of Jacob's Trouble" -- The Great Tribulation
   a.  Jer. 30:7
   b.  Dan. 12:1
 C.  The Day of Atonement
  1.  Name -- Yom Kippur
  2.  Date -- 10th day of Tishri (seventh month)
  3.  Biblical References
   a.  Lev. 23:26-32
   b.  Lev. 16
  4.  Historical Observance
   a.  Slaughter of the bull
   b.  The two goats
    (1)  The sin offering -- expiation of sins
    (2)  The azazel -- scapegoat -- carrying away of sins
  5.  Day of Atonement in Y'shua' time
   a.  Most solemn day of year
   b.  Priesthood corrupted
   c.  No Mercy Seat to receive offering
  6.  Y'shua' Role in Day of Atonement
   a.  Atonement through the shedding of blood -- ransom (Lev.      17-11)
   b.  Like scapegoat, carried sins away (John 1:29)
  7.  Day of Atonement Today
   a.  No Temple
   b.  Substitutes for sacrifice
    (1)  Repentance
    (2)  Prayer
    (3)  Mitzvot -- good deeds
   c.  Fasting
   d.  Final shofar blast
  8.  Prophetic Fulfillment of Day of Atonement
   a.  Great Tribulation 
    (1)  Seven years following Rapture
    (2)  Days 3-9 of Days of Awe
   b.  Final trumpet blast -- Y'shua' second coming
    (1)  Matt. 24:29-31
    (2)  Rev. 11:15
   c.  Redemption of Israel
    (1)  Zech. 12:10; 13:1
    (2)  Rom. 11:26-27
    (3)  Zech. 13:9
    (4)  Heb. 9:28
 


 
 
 
Y'SHUA IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL

SESSION FOUR

 D.  Feast of Tabernacles
  1.  Names
   a.  Sukkot -- Feast of Tabernacles, Booths
   b.  Feast of Ingathering (final harvest)
  2.  Date -- begins on 14th day of Tishri (seventh month)
  3.  Biblical References
   a.  Lev. 23:34-36, 39-43
   b.  Deut. 16:13-15
   c.  Ex. 23:16
  4.  Historical Observance
   a.  Construction of leafy booths - sukkah
   b.  Themes
    (1)  Reminder of desert experience
    (2)  Thankfulness for the harvest -- physical, spiritual 
     provision
    (3)  Time of great joy
  5.  Feast of Tabernacles During Y'shua' Lifetime
   a.  Water pouring ceremony
    (1)  Prayers for rain
    (2)  Reminder of God's provision of water in wilderness
    (3)  Symbolized Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28)
   b.  Hoshanah Rabah -- the Great Hosanna
    (1)  Ps. 118:25
    (2)  Hoshanah -- save now
    (3)  Water and light
  6.  Y'shua' Role in Feast of Tabernacles
   a.  Living Water
    (1)  John 7:2, 14, 37-39
    (2)  John 4:13
    (3)  Is. 55:1
    (4)  Life and redemption
    (5)  Restoration and forgiveness
   b.  Light of the World
    (1)  John 8:12
    (2)  Mishna -- commentary on Jewish Scriptures...
    (3)  Shekinah -- the Glory of God
    (4)  Col. 1:19
   c.  Y'shua as our Tabernacle
    (1)  John 1:14
    (2)  He dwelt -- tabernacled -- among us
  7.  Feast of Tabernacles Today
   a.  Building of sukkah -- booth
   b.  Harvest festival
  8.  Prophetic Fulfillment of Feast of Tabernacles
   a.  Y'shua' millennial reign on earth
    (1)  Y'shua will rule from Jerusalem
    (2)  Zech. 14:16-17
    (3)  Nations will go to Jerusalem to celebrate Tabernacles
   b.  Y'shua our Tabernacle
    (1)  Rev. 21:3-4
    (2)  God will dwell -- tabernacle -- among us
    (3)  Whole earth as God's sukkah (tabernacle)

IV.  Conclusion
 A.  Y'shua in All Seven Feasts
  1.  Passover -- Lamb of God, sacrificed for our sins
  2.  Unleavened Bread -- Sinless Body, broken for us
  3.  First Fruits -- the Resurrection and the Life
  4.  Pentecost -- His Body, the Church
  5.  Trumpets -- Regathered with Him at the Rapture of the 
   Church
  6.  Day of Atonement -- His judgment of the Earth
  7.  Tabernacles -- Y'shua, our Tabernacle, reigning on Earth
 B.  Jewish Observance of Feasts Today
  1.  Altered because of destruction of Temple
  2.  Still of prime importance

  "The catechism of the Jew consists of his calendar. 
  On the pinions of time which bear us through life, 
  God has inscribed the eternal words of His soul -- 
  inspiring doctrine, making days and weeks, months 
  and years the heralds to proclaim His truths.  Nothing 
  would seem more fleeting than these heralds of time, 
  but to them God has entrusted the care of His holy 
  things, thereby rendering them more imperishable and
  more accessible than any mouth of priest, any monu-
  ment, temple or altar could have done." 
     Judaism Eternal, vol. 1, p.3

 C.  Future prophetic fulfillment of Feasts
  1.  Spring feasts fulfilled already, on actual dates of Jewish feasts 
  2.  Fall feasts yet to be fulfilled, but expected on actual dates, too
 D.  Role of Feasts for Christians
  1.  Observance of feasts is not commanded
  2.  Knowledge of feasts is important
   a.  Knowledge of Y'shua' life on earth
   b.  Understanding of His work in our lives
   c.  Understanding of His work in the future of the Earth
   d.  Encourages faith
 


 
 
 
REFERENCES

 A.  The Open Bible, NASB translation
 B.  The Gospel and the Feasts of Israel, Victor Buksbazen
 C.  The Fall Feasts of Israel, Mitch and Zhava Glaser
 D.  The Meaning and Importance of the Jewish Holidays, John Fischer
 E.  Christ in the Passover, Moishe and Ceil Rosen
 F.  Israel My Glory, Vol. 49, No. 4, August/September, 1991 
 G.  Judaism Eternal, Vol. 1, p.3
 H.  The Mishna
 I.  "God's Work in the Feasts of Jehovah", in The Chosen People, June, 1992
 


 
 
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