The Law of Moses decreed seven regular holy "convocations", that is, public worship gatherings. All seven are summarized in both Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28-29 (in the latter passage there is more focus on the sacrifices involved for each day). Additional events and celebrations prescribed by the Jewish Scriptures were the Sabbatic Year, the Year of Jubilee, and the celebration of Purim. [Jews today also celebrate Hanukkah which is based on a historical event recorded in a non-canonical book.]

The Seven Holy Convocations (or, 'Sacred Assemblies')

   1) The Sabbath. "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings." (Lev 23:3)
   The Sabbath originated with God's work of creation. After forming and filling the heavens and the earth in six days, God "rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Gen 2:2-3) But this presented a mystery because God does not need rest. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable." (Isa 40:28)
   When God gave the Ten Commandments, He gave His own rest on the Sabbath as the basis for His decree to Israel to rest on the Sabbath. ""For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Ex 20:11) But this also presents a mystery, because the first mention of anyone observing the Sabbath is in Exodus 16, immediately after He brought the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, but long after creation. Indeed, to confirm the mystery, the second time that the Ten Commandments are recorded in Scripture, God seems to give a different reason for decreeing the Sabbath to Israel, "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day." (Deut 5:15) Was the Sabbath given because of creation, or because of the exodus?
   Also in Exodus 16 we see the first indication of God's anger at His people for breaking the Sabbath. Indeed, later He would demand that people be killed for working on the Sabbath. (Num 15) Why would God be so angry if someone simply does a little work on the day of rest?
   The New Testament, especially Hebrews 3-4, resolves the mysteries of the Sabbath. Israel's weekly Sabbath was just a shadowy image of God's own Sabbath, which is Today. Just as God made a grand universe to provide a place for man to work in, so He set aside a Great Sabbath to provide for man to rest in. The Sabbath was made for man's sake. God was not dependent on the Sabbath that He set aside any more than He was dependent on the heavens and the earth that He made. Therefore just as He is Lord of the heavens and the earth, so He is Lord of the Sabbath. He did not grow tired, but He made a Rest in which He would renew those who wait on Him. (Isa 40:28-31) If He Himself was weary, He could not call out, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30)
   However, for us to enter God's rest requires two things. First, there is no rest for those in slavery. Evil taskmasters grant no renewal. So a man in slavery to sin can only enter God's rest if God first opens up the Red Sea to bring Him out of Egypt. Therefore the origin of the Sabbath comes from creation, but our ability to enjoy and observe is based on the exodus.
   Second, we cannot enter God's rest without trusting in His provision. "For the one who has entered [God's] rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His." (Heb 4:10) God promised to provide a double portion of manna on the sixth day which would be sufficient to last through the seventh day. Now the sixth day of creation was when God made Adam, so through the double portion of manna God was signifying that He would send a Second Adam whom we could feed on Today by faith, while resting from our own works. At least one reason that God so utterly despised Sabbath-breaking was because it was a denial that the Bread of Life which He supplied is sufficient to nourish us. Today we must feed on the double portion of the Second Adam (John 6:53), and if we neglect Him we will find that our portion has grown worms which will instead feed on us (Ex 16:20, Isa 66:21-24, Rev 14:11).

   2) Passover. "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover." (Lev 23:5)
   A lot could be said about the Passover, but among Christians it is already the best understood of the Jewish feasts. God sent ten plagues upon Egypt to judge the gods of Egypt and to compel Pharaoh to let God's people go. The last and greatest plague was the death of the firstborn in every house. Egypt was devasted by this plague. The Hebrews, however, were to slaughter a lamb for each household and sprinkle the blood on the doorframe of their houses. When the angel of death saw the blood, He would pass over that house and no child would die.
   Jesus is our Passover Lamb, as the New Testament explicitly states. (1 Cor 5:7) He was the unblemished male Lamb of God, in His prime of life, who died in our place, so that God's wrath would pass over all those who trust in Him. However, if we expect ALL of the Law and the Prophets to be fulfilled, especially surrounding this major defining event of Israel's history, some mysteries remain.
   For example, four days before the Passover, each household was to take its lamb. "On the tenth of this month [Abib, the first month of the year] they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household." (Ex 12:3) Did anything happen in the life of Christ on the tenth of Abib? Well, six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where He stayed with Lazarus, and where Mary anointed His feet. (John 12:1) That would have been the eighth of Abib. The next day was when Jesus fulfilled prophecies to enter Jerusalem on a donkey along with shouts of praise and acknowledgment of His kingship. (John 12:12) Thus some commentators have associated Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the fulfillment of Exodus 12:3. A case for this could be made, however, it appears that this event occurred five days before the Passover, on the ninth of Abib, not the tenth. (It could be argued from Mark 11:11 that although Jesus began riding the donkey on the ninth of Abib, yet He entered Jerusalem in the evening, which would have been the tenth by Jewish reckoning.)
   As Christians we could simply gloss over this apparent discrepancy and say, "Well, ninth or tenth, no big deal, still it is a great fulfillment of prophecy." Or we could say that maybe there was an extra day between John 12:1 and 12:12 that John didn't mention. Better yet, we could keep searching the Scriptures to see if God has yet more to be revealed. What we find is that if Jesus' "Triumphal Entry" into Jerusalem was on the ninth of the first month, then the tenth was the day He came to the temple to cleanse it of corruption. (Mark 11:12ff) God's instructions through Moses for the tenth day had been for the Hebrews to take a lamb, "according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household." It was the temple, not Jerusalem itself, which God routinely called "the house of the Lord." Likewise the Lamb of God Himself entered the temple on the tenth of Abib and declared it to be God's house (Mk 11:17), just as He had done during the time of the Passover in His childhood. (Lk 2:49) Certainly this explains why the grand vision of a new temple and a prince over Israel was given by God to Ezekiel on the tenth day of the first month. (Ez 40-48)
   The other highly significant event that occurred in the Scriptures on the tenth of Abib was that this was the day that the Hebrews came up from the Jordan and first entered the promised land. (Josh 4:19) The crossing of the Jordan was like a second crossing of the Red Sea, the waters had been parted and the Hebrews passed through on dry land. But what does this have to do with the events of the tenth of Abib? Looking back to Exodus, we see Moses had one more instruction regarding that day, "Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb." (Ex 12:4) Later, God indicated that when the Jews entered the land they would be too small and too few too fully possess it at first. (Deut 7:22, 11:23) Thus, by bringing them into Canaan on the tenth of Abib God was indicating that the Passover Lamb He provides would be too great for only the household of Israel to feast on. He would join other households to Israel to partake of the One Lamb together. "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isa 49:6)
   Finally, we consider the appointed time on the fourteenth that the Passover should be sacrificed. English translations say "at twilight" or "in the evening", but the original Hebrew has the ambiguous expression, "between evenings." The meaning of this apparently idiomatic phrase has been disputed from ancient times. "Abn Ezra, the Samaritans, and the Karaites construed it as the time between sunset and complete darkness. The Pharisees held to the traditional explanation that it was from the beginning of lengthening shadows to sunset, approximately 3:00 to 5:00 P.M., and with this the Talmud agrees (Pesahim 61 a). This was the usual practice, according to Josephus (Wars of the Jews, VI. 9,3)." (from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary on Exodus 12:6-7, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press)
   Jesus observed the "Last Supper" with His disciples at the beginning of the Day of Passover, that is, in the evening. Apparently they had observed the Passover at this time in the previous years of His ministry because they knew to expect this. (Mt 26:17) Certainly then, this was the time God intended for the Passover, as can also be seen clearly seen from the time the original Passover occured. (Ex 12) In contrast, by the time that Jesus was arrested and on trial the priests in Jerusalem still had not partaken of the Passover. (John 18:28) "This accords with the ancient custom of the Hebrews, who killed the paschal lamb immediately after the offering of the daily sacrifice, which on the day of the Passover took place a little earlier than usual, between two and three p.m. This would allow about two hours and a half for slaying and preparing all the lambs. It is clear that they would not wait until sunset, at which time the evening meal would take place. The slaying of the lamb thus coincides exactly with the death of our Saviour, at the ninth hour of the day (Matt 27:46). " (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
   On the one hand, this appears to be a wonderful fulfillment. Jesus died just as the priests were sacrificing the Passover Lamb. But there remains one major problem. If Jesus demonstrated that the correct time for observing the Passover was at nightfall, then it would appear that in the timing of His death God was conceding to the traditions of men, rather than fulfilling His own word. On the other hand, if Jesus had been sacrificed the previous night then the Jewish priests could have used that as "proof" that Jesus was no Lamb of God. What was God to do? Were His hands tied. Of course not. He simply sent a darkness over the whole land so that Jesus would truly die between the evenings (Lk 23:44), and no one could object to the fact that the word of God had been fulfilled to the uttermost!

   3) Unleavened Bread. "Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread." (Lev 23:6)
   The Passover itself was to be celebrated with unleavened bread (Ex 12:8), so in that sense it was called the first day of Unleavened Bread (e.g. Mt 26:17). However, the Feast of Unleavened Bread itself began the following day, on the fifteenth. (Lev 23:6) The Jews were to remove all leaven from their houses on the first day and eat unleavened bread for seven days (Ex 12:15-18). The first and seventh day of the Feast were to be holy assemblies on which no work was done, so in that sense they were "Sabbath" days. The Feast of Unleavened Bread teaches us at least three important lessons.
   First it teaches that God has not saved us for the purpose of impurity, but for sanctification. Leaven is often used in Scripture to represent the power of sin has to bring us into conformity. Jesus warned His disciples to, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." (Lk 12:1, Mt 16:6-12) Paul taught about the necessity of church discipline based on the principle that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." (1 Cor 5:6, see also Gal 5:9) Offerings made to God (including appearances of the angel of the Lord) were almost always unleavened (Lev 2:11, Gen 19:3, Judg 6:19-21).
   Therefore, when God commanded Israel to remove the leaven from their houses on the first day of Unleavened Bread, He was signifying that He saves us to be free from the conforming power of sin. We can't bring the leaven of Egypt with us into our new life in Christ. "For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do." (1 Peter 4:3) To those who say that salvation by grace through faith in Christ gives people a license for sin, we can reply that the Passover is inseparable from the Feast of Unleavened Bread. "Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Cor 5:7-8)
   Second, this Feast also teaches us that although our sanctification is a process, our redemption is an instantaneous act of God. When God set the Hebrews free from captivity, they fled Egypt in such haste that they had no time to let their bread leaven. (Ex 12:11, 33-34, Deut 16:3) One moment we are slaves to sin, the next moment we are free in Christ. The Feast of Unleavened Bread then lasted seven days to represent a period of completion and perfection, as we continue over time in sanctification to the end. However, that period and that gradual process is all based on what happened at Passover.
   Third, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a reminder that we are not yet in the promised land. Unleavened bread is called the "bread of affliction." (Deut 16:3) It was to be eaten together with bitter herbs, as a reminder of the bitter bondage that was in Egypt. (Ex 12:8, 1:14) A diet of unleavened bread is not all that pleasant, nor is the struggle of the spirit against the flesh in this life. (Rom 6-8) But when the Hebrews entered the land of promise, on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread they began to eat of the produce of the land. As we partake of the Kingdom of Heaven, we will certainly still remain separate from the leaven of Egypt, but we find the yield of the new land to be exceedingly pleasant beyond anything we left behind. (Josh 5:11-12)
   There is disagreement amongst Bible commentators on whether leaven always has a negative connotation in the Scriptures. Some will say that even in Jesus' parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven" that the Lord is talking about the presence of evil and of unbelievers that will remain in the visible church throughout this age. However, God did not declare leaven "unclean" for the Jews, as He might have done if He wanted to signify it as evil. In my opinion, the next feast after Unleavened Bread enlarges the symbolism of leaven to show its positive aspect.

   4) Feast of Weeks (also called Pentecost, Feast of Harvest, Firstfruits). "When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest." (Lev 23:10)
   This feast consisted of two parts separated by seven weeks, thus the names "Feast of Weeks" and "Pentecost" (which means "fiftieth [day]"). The first part required the Jews to bring in the sheaf of the firstfruits of their harvest to the priest (thus the additional names for this feast), and the priest would wave the sheaf before the Lord. Seven weeks later they were to return with a offering of new grain.
   As with the earlier feasts, the timing of these events helps us to understand their significance. According to Lev 23:11 the waving of the sheaf was to occur on the "day after the Sabbath". In context, the "Sabbath" referred to here seems to be the day of rest associated with the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That would put it exactly two days after Passover. In Israel's history, this was the very same day that God ceased providing Israel with manna because the land flowing with milk and honey was now under their feet. (Josh 5:12)
   Of course, two days after the Passover, that is, "on the third day", was when Jesus rose from the dead as the firstfruits of God's new creation (1 Cor 15:20-24). Just as Israel has received sustenance from the "manna" without knowing what it was (Ex 16), likewise believing children of Abraham had trusted in the gospel of Christ even with their veiled understanding of who He would be and all He would do. (1 Peter 1:10-12, Gal 3:8) But beginning two days after the Greatest Passover, God ceased feeding His people with "manna" shadows because the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection had now been fulfilled. (Lk 24:27)
   Seven weeks later, having ascended to the Father, Jesus sent the promised Holy Spirit precisely on the day of Pentecost. Rather than being the completion of the old harvest, Pentecost became the beginning of a great new harvest. Although Israel had continually violated God's covenant with them, and as a result experienced physical and spiritual famine (e.g. Joel 1-2), the power of the Spirit and the New Covenant ensured ripe fields of Jew and Gentile souls alike. (Joel 2:28ff, Jer 31:31ff).
   The new grain offering on Pentecost was to be "baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD." (Lev 23:17) In my opinion, this is strong evidence that leaven here is signifying something good. God wants His people to be unleaved with respect to the OLD leaven (1 Cor 5:7-8), which is the leaven of Egypt. But there is also a NEW leaven, the leaven of the kingdom. (Mt 13:33) Leaven does not symbolize evil, but rather something that has the power affect and permeate everything it touches. (In this fallen world, evil has this kind of power, which is why leaven is often, but not always, associated with evil in Scripture.) When we receive the work of our Passover Lamb, we are to purge our homes of the old leaven, in order that the leaven of the new grain offering may have its effect, bringing us into conformity of character with Jesus the Firstfruits, and through us bringing a harvest of leavening transformation in the world around us.

   5) Blowing of Trumpets. "In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation." (Lev 23:24)
   The Scriptures say very little about this day itself, yet the act of blowing of trumpets is rich in symbolism. In the Old Testament, the sound of trumpets signified the presence of God (Ex 19:16-20, Num 10:9, 2 Sam 6:15, Ps 47:5), a public announcement (Num 10:5, 1 Sam 13:3, Ez 33:1-6), military power and victory (Josh 6:16-20, Judg 7), a summons (Judg 3:27, 6:34, Neh 4:20), the inauguration of a king (1 Kings 1:34-41, 2 Kings 9:13), etc. Trumpets are LOUD, therefore they are sounded to draw attention. A person in hiding does not blow trumpets. You blow trumpets only in a context where you want something to be revealed before the whole world (e.g. Isa 58:1, Mt 6:2).
   In the New Testament, we read about trumpets almost always in the context of things to come such as the resurrection of the dead and God's judgment upon the earth (1 Cor 15:52, 1 Thes 4:16, Rev 8-11, also Joel 2:1). We easily know that anyone "out in the wilderness" or "in the inner rooms" claiming to be the Christ is a deceiver (Mt 24:26-27), because when Jesus appears on the clouds of the sky He will come with a great trumpet blast over the entire earth (Mt 24:31).
   The number seven in the Bible is commonly considered to represent perfection and completion (e.g. Gen 2:1-4, Rev 4:5). Therefore it appears that the seventh month of the Jewish calendar holds significance regarding the things to come. The blowing of trumpets on the first day of the seventh month is an encouraging testimony that the unseen things we receive by faith will one day be displayed clearly to the world. At present the eyes of those who are pershing are veiled so that they do not see the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:3-4). In the present age, God's rule as King and His victory over His enemies is secure and certain, but not completely manifest. From the sounding of the trumpets, God will manifest His glory and His victorious reign in such a way that no one can ignore.
   One year on this day in Israel's history, God provided an illustration of that Day which is still to come. After suffering many years in exile, the remnant of Israel "assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate [in Jerusalem]. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.... Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up." (Neh 7:73-8:5) "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." (Rev 20:11-12)

   6) Day of Atonement (Heb: Yom Kippur). "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement." (Lev 23:27)
   The book of Hebrews, especially chapters 9-10, has already given us an extended commentary on how Christ fulfills both the role of the high priest and the sacrifice as required on the Day of Atonement. However, in the midst of revealing all of the realities that the temple shadows portrayed, the author of Hebrews himself acknowledges that he is already overwhelmed with too many things to explain in too small a space or too short a time (Heb 9:5b). Hebrews models for us the most important principle for interpreting the Law of Moses: it's all pointing to Jesus (Mt 5:17). We should follow the pattern that Hebrews established as we continue to study the various ways in which the Law prepared the way for Christ.
   In addition to the high priest's entry in Most Holy Place on this day, another unique feature of the Day of Atonement has to do with the two goats. One goat was chosen by lot "for the Lord" and offered as a sin offering, a very familiar idea in the book of Leviticus. But the role of the other goat, commonly known as the scapegoat, appears only on the Day of Atonement. The high priest was commanded "to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert." (Lev 16:21-22)
   There are different explanations about the meaning of this ritual with the second goat. One complicating factor is uncertainty about the meaning of one key Hebrew word used to describe this goat. The word "azazel", translated "scapegoat" in several Bible versions, appears no where in the Bible except the four times in Lev 16 surrounding the Day of Atonement. Etymologically, "azazel" can potentially be understood as "ez+azel = goat + remove" or "azaz + el = strong + god". The former gives us the idea of a scapegoat, the latter points us to a demon named Azazel who is not referenced elsewhere in the Bible but does appear in Apocryphal literature. In particular, the Book of Enoch presents Azazel as chief of a host of fallen angels, who taught men to make weapons of war, and who will be bound hand and foot to be cast into a dark opening in the desert (8:1, 10:4-9, 55:4, 69:3-4). Reading from the ESV we have, "Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel."
   If we interpret "azazel" as "scapegoat" then a likely explanation is that these two goats are meant to illustrate what Christ has accomplished for us in two complementary ways. He has not only paid the penalty for our sins in our place, but He has also removed our sins far away from us where they could be utterly forgotten (see e.g., Lev 16:22, Ps 103:12, Isa 38:17, 43:25, Jer 31:34, 50:20, Mic 7:19, Heb 8:12).
   However, Hebrews may have some hints towards a different interpretation about this goat. In chapter 9, one concern the author has is to be sure his readers understand that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient once for all. The Law required animal sacrifices over and over again, day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year. In particular, the rituals of the Day of Atonement had to be repeated every year. But Christ did not "enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself."
   Certainly it is the Day of Atonement which is in view in this passage. The author of Hebrews wants us to understand that with one act of sacrifice Jesus fulfilled the role of the first goat for all time, and by His blood from that one sacrifice He entered the Holy Place once for all (Heb 9:12). Now his readers, the Hebrews, know the rituals of Yom Kippur very well. They know that at some point the priest leaves the Holy Place, and after that the second goat is sent out into the wilderness to "bear on itself all their iniquities" (Lev 16:22, NAS). So it seems entirely likely to me that at this point the attentive Hebrew might begin to wonder if the Law is implying that when Christ returns He has to suffer again or do something more in order to bear away our sins. The author of Hebrews wants to steer his readers away from such thoughts so he says, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Heb 9:27-28)
   In other words, when Christ leaves the Holy Place and comes again it will not be to "bear sin" like the second goat, it will be to bring salvation. Our salvation has past, present, and future aspects. Certainly Christ's work as atoning sacrifice (the first goat) has been completed. Christ has gone into the Holy Place, but has not departed from it, because His mediatorial work on our behalf continues. "Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." (Heb 7:24-25) And we still await the final manifestation of the salvation that Christ has purchased for us. "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Romans 5:9-10)
   Looking at it from this light, the second goat is not a type of Christ. Instead, Christ is typified in the "man who stands in readiness" to send the goat away (Lev 16:21, Rev 20:10-15). The goat itself typifies the enemies of God who are going to be driven out of the Lord's camp (Rev 21:22-27) and sent to suffer together with the devil and his angels. According to this view, the common thread through the Day of Atonement is that both goats symbolism sin and evil powers, a symbolism which is consistent with other portions of Scripture (e.g. Dan 8). We can say that all evil in the world must be dealt with according to the ways of one of the two goats. Our sin can be perfectly washed away in the blood of Christ, who became a goat on our behalf. Otherwise we can wait for the day in which we appear as a goat in Christ's eyes, and He commands us to depart from Him unto Azazel (Mt 25:31ff).
   According to this view, the Day of Atonement has not yet reached its completion. Yes, Christ has been sacrificed once for all. Yes, He has entered the Holy Place to intercede for us. But He has not yet come to us from out of the Holy Place, but rather still stands in readiness to drive that evil goat far from the camp. This view thereby explains why God placed the Day of Atonement in the seventh month, the month of eschatological significance, right between the Blowing of Trumpets (return of Christ) and Feast of Tabernacles (when we receive our new bodies to live in the new world).
   So then, is "azazel" a scapegoat or the name of a chief amongst the demons, even the devil himself? Both potential meanings of the word are so rich in their power to point to Christ that I would presently believe, as with the ancient controversy surrounding the timing of Passover, that the ambiguity itself is part of God's sovereign design.

   7) Feast of Tabernacles (also called the Feast of Booths and Feast of Ingathering). "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD's Feast of Tabernacle's begins, and it lasts for seven days." (Lev 23:34)
   Apart from possible prophetic interpretations of Ezekiel's temple vision (Ez 40ff), the clearest reference to one of the holy convocations in the prophets comes when Zechariah sees all the nations of the world going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

   "A day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it... On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime-a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name... It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed [or, "there will be no more curse" (NAS)]. Jerusalem will be secure....
   "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.... On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty." (Zech 14)

   It is called the Feast of Ingathering because it was timed to correspond to the completion of the harvest in Israel (Ex 23:16, Lev 23:39). The ultimate consummation of this feast comes at the final harvest and ingathering of the nations (Zech 14, Joel 3:12-16, Rev 14, Jer 3:17). Those who have been set apart as holy to the Lord (from all the nations) will go up to celebrate the feast, but the unbelieving "Canaanites" (from all the nations) will be permanently banished from the house of the Lord (Rev 21:22-27).
   It is called the Feast of Booths because God commanded, " Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt." (Lev 23:42-43 , Neh 8:14) After a week of living in booths, there was a sacred assembly on the eighth day and the people would return to their permanent dwellings. This aspect of the feast looks foreward to the shedding off our our earthly tent (2 Cor 5:1-4) to be replaced by new imperishable bodies (1 Cor 15:35ff) and our secure dwelling place (Zech 14:11) in the Father's house (John 14:2). All of this is in line with a Biblical pattern in which the eighth day represents the day of new creation.
   God had instructed Israel to construct the tabernacle so that He might "dwell among them" (Ex 25:8). But how insufficient is any man-made temple to contain the Living God (1 Kings 8:27, Isa 66:1-2, Acts 7:48-50)! Therefore on the twenty-first of the seventh month, which is the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, God sent a message to encourage the high priest "Yehoshua" (English: Joshua) and the remnant of the people returned from exile to persevere in the building of His temple, for His Spirit was remaining on them. (Hag 2:1ff) Today, we know that as Christians our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16, 6:19), and that we are being built together into a spiritual house for the Lord with our High Priest Yehoshua Himself as the chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-8, Eph 2:19-22).
   One strange incident in the gospels comes to light when we understand the meaning of this feast. As the perfect fulfillment of the Law, Jesus certainly went up to Jerusalem to attend the three annual feasts as required of all Jewish men (Deut 16:16). Indeed, in John 2 we see Jesus going up to Jerusalem for the Passover, driving the merchants from the temple, performing miraculous signs, and teaching publicly. But then in John 7 we read

   Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world."
   For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come."
   However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, "Where is that man?"... Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.

   Why this strange behavior from Jesus? Because the "Feast" in question was the Feast of Booths (John 7:2)! The Feast of Unleavened was soon to be fulfilled when Jesus our Passover Lamb was sacrificed. The Feast of Weeks was fulfilled just after Jesus ascended to the Father. But the Feast of Booths speaks of things to come at the very end of this world. So Jesus said to His brothers, "I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." The ordained timing of Jesus' coming for the Final Ingathering is a secret known only to His Father. People will be asking, "Where is He, will He really come again?" He will come unexpectedly, as a thief in the night, and then will suddenly appear as the ultimate public figure and show Himself to the world.

   No Work!
   Perhaps the one thing that these festivals, taken together, illustrate most clearly, is the sharp distinction within the Bible's teaching on work. On the one hand, God created man to work (Gen 1:26-28, 2:15). The book of Proverbs and the NT epistles frequently scold the lazy and teach the Christian duty of responsible work (e.g. Pr 10:4, 26:15, Mt 25:26, Col 4:22-24, 2 Thes 3:6-13, 1 Tim 5:8). But contrast this very positive view of work and this firmly grounded work ethic with God's instructions to Israel on the days of sacred assembly. Not only was Israel repeatedly commanded to "rest from work" or "do no regular work" on these days, but in fact they were threated with the death penalty if they did work (Ex 31:14-15, 35:2, Lev 23:30).
   The reason for this sharp dichotomy is that the Jewish festivals are a symbolic summary of what Christ has accomplished on our behalf, those things which we receive by faith apart from works. Christ's death on the cross for our sins redeemed us from the curse so that we might enter into God's peaceful kingdom and enjoy His rest (Sabbath), redeemed us from slavery to sin (Passover), purchased our sanctification (Unleavened Bread), and allowed us to be filled with His Spirit (Pentecost). When He comes again (Trumpets), He will save us from God's wrath (Day of Atonement), and welcome us into eternal imperishable dwellings (Tabernacles). All of these things Christ accomplishes entirely with His own power and on His own merits.
   In the language of the OT shadows, man is responsible to work except on the appointed sacred festival days when his responsibility is to rest and remember the works that God has accomplished. For the Christian this is a reminder to keep in balance the dual truths that God created us to do good works (Eph 2:10), but that Christ's saving work is received entirely by faith (Eph 2:8-9). Indeed, for us just as for the ancient Jews, properly understanding the role of our work versus the role of resting in God's work is a matter of life and death (e.g. Rom 9:30-10:13, Gal 2:16, 3:10).

Other Celebrations

   The Sabbatic Year. "For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD." (Lev 25:3-4)
   Fulfilling God's threats (Lev 26:33ff), the land finally spit out Law-breaking people and enjoyed its sabbaths without them (2 Chron 36:21). Here we have further testimony from the Jewish Scriptures that relying on man's work when God wants us to rest in His provision is a most sure and certain way to bring curses and judgment upon yourself.

   The Year of Jubilee. "Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you." (Lev 25:10)
   It is appropriate that the Jubilee was inaugurated with the blowing of a trumpet on the Day of Atonement because the year of Jubilee and the Day of Atonement both emphasize the cancellation of debts. Why a trumpet? Michael Card provides us with some insight in his song "Jubilee" (compare, e.g. Rev 1:10):

  The Lord provided for a time
  For the slaves to be set free
  For the debt to all be cancelled
  So His chosen ones could see

  His deep desire was for forgiveness
  He longed to see their liberty
  And His yearning was embodied
  In the Year of Jubilee

  Jubilee, Jubilee
  Jesus is our Jubilee
  Debts forgiven
  Slaves set free
  Jesus is our Jubilee

  At the Lord's appointed time
  His deep desire became a man
  The heart of all true jubilation
  And with joy we understand
  In His voice we hear a trumpet sound
  That tells us we are free
  He is the incarnation
  Of the Year of Jubilee

  Chorus

  To be so completely guilty
  Given over to despair
  To look into your judge's face
  And see a Savior there

   Purim. "On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. ... The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. That is why rural Jews-those living in villages-observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other. ... the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed." (Esther 9)
   On the fifteenth of twelfth month, the Feast of Purim was held to celebrate the destruction of Israel's enemies. Apparently on this same day of the year Ezekiel received a vision about the destruction of various nations who were enemies to Israel (cf. Ez 32:17 with vs. 1). Since Ezekiel prophesied during the Babylonian captivity, I am not sure whether this prophecy or the events of Purim happened first. In any case, the words Ezek received on the 15th of Adar and the salvation of the exiles on that same date testify together about God's care for His chosen people, and the fate awaiting those who stand against them.