God's feasts open up a mighty panorama of time: God makes history in Jesus. They proclaim the history of freedom past, present and future and reveal Jesus as the Messiah - the great hope of Israel and mankind. By Alberto Rosenthal

Reading time: 3½ minutes

friend question: The Bible does not refer to the OT feasts as Jewish, but as God's feasts. When we say that everything was fulfilled with Jesus' first appearance - although the fulfillment of the autumn festivals is still pending - we, as Adventists, are not arguing in the same way as the evangelicals, who claim that Jesus' death on the cross gave rise to the 10 commandments - and thus also to them the Sabbath - fulfilled?

God's calendar of salvation

The feasts given to Israel were indeed "God's feasts" (Leviticus 3:23,2). They were intended not just for Jewish Israel, but for God's Israel—for all earthlings who would profess the truth. The Old Testament covenant people were to make God's calendar of salvation known to the world. With Jesus' first appearance all messianic prophecies began to be fulfilled.

Passover and sacrifice fulfilled

In relation to this calendar of salvation, Jesus' first appearance fulfilled the spring festivals—the Passover on Nisan 14 AD 31, the Feast of Unleavened Bread on Nisan 15, and the Feast of the Firstfruits on Nisan 16. Fifty days later, the Lord Jesus fulfilled Pentecost, on the 6th of Sivan, at His enthronement as High Priest-King in the heavenly sanctuary. On the cross itself, therefore, only the sacrificial aspect of all festivals was fulfilled, the spring festivals as well as the autumn festivals. Of the spring festivals, the cross only filled Passover. It was fulfilled not only in the sacrificial aspect, but in essence on that day.

The fulfillment of the other festivals

The death of Jesus now made the essential fulfillment of all further festivals possible. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was materially fulfilled on Nisan 15, the Feast of Firstfruits materially on Nisan 16, and the Feast of Pentecost materially on Sivan 6. The Feast of Trumpets essentially from October 1834 (when Miller began full-time preaching) to October 22, 1844, the Day of Atonement essentially from October 22, 1844 to the Second Coming of Jesus. The Feast of Tabernacles will find its essential fulfillment from the moment we enter the tabernacles of heaven to the moment when, after the earth has been cleansed by fire, we establish our new homes. Then the calendar of salvation is complete. Eternity in the deepest sense begins at this point (for everything that sin brought has been taken away forever).

The shadow character of the festivals

Thus, all of God's ordained feasts were "but a shadow of the things that are to come, but of which Christ hath the essence" (Colossians 2,17:XNUMX). The Passover was a shadow on Calvary, the essence of Passover being fulfilled in Christ there. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a shadow of Jesus' sinless rest in the tomb, the essence of which was then fulfilled by Christ. The Feast of the Firstfruits was a shadow of Jesus' resurrection, the essence of which was then filled by Christ. Pentecost was a shadow of the enthronement of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the ensuing harvest of souls, the essence of which was then fulfilled by Christ. The Feast of Trumpets was a shadow of the proclamation of the first angel's message, the essence of which was then fulfilled by Christ through the prophetic light sent from His throne. The Day of Atonement was a shadow of the Investigative Judgment, the essence of which is being fulfilled since the coming of Christ's prophesied time in the Holy of Holies. The Feast of Tabernacles was a shadow of the great conclusion, of the restoration of all things, the essence of which will soon be fulfilled by Christ himself.