The Fall Feasts*
“Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement and holiest day of the year), and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths). Prophetic in nature, all three remain to be fulfilled.”
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.” (Leviticus 23:1-2 (KJV))
Leviticus 23 is an account of the several holy days, times, and seasons, appointed by God.
Rosh Hashanah*
A trumpet (or shofar) was blown as a warning: “When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head” (Ezekiel 33:2-4). God is calling us to repentance.
Yom Kippur *
The holiest day of the Jewish Year is Yom Kippur—a solemn time of acknowledging sins and seeking God’s forgiveness and mercy. In Hebrew, the word Yom means “day” and Kippur means “covering or atonement.”
The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur was the one time of the year when the High Priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place of the Temple to atone for sin...“the Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins.” On that day all of Israel’s sins will be forgiven for all time. Yeshua fulfills this requirement for blood atonement. He is the final sacrifice for us and there is no more need for blood atonement outside of His work of redemption.
Sukkot *
Known as the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Ingathering, or the Feast of Booths, Sukkot begins just five days after Yom Kippur. It is a seven-day period when Jewish people recall God’s faithfulness and provision through their forty-year period of wandering in the wilderness. They remember God’s provision of food, water, shelter, clothing, guidance, light, and heat during the wilderness years. During this week, each Jewish family lives in a small temporary dwelling (or booth) covered with branches. At night, they look up at the stars and recall God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens.
This festival points directly to Yeshua. First, just as God provided for their physical needs in the wilderness, Yeshua is spiritual bread and water for all who believe in Him. (John 6:35), (John 6:48-51).
*Rabbi Jonathan Bernis, Messianic Jewish Bible Institute; September 28, 2016; http://mjbi.org/2016/09/28/a-rabbi-looks-at-the-fall-feasts/