“Take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses…and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you”. Exodus 12: 8, 13. This blood became the symbol of salvation for the lamb itself represents the Messiah of whom it is written that whoever believes in Him shall not be judged, nor perish but have eternal life (John 3: 16, 18). This is the yearly message for everyone during this time of the Feasts of the Lord. This is how the Feast of the Year begins, for this month is the biblical year; it begins with Yeshua.
And so, the question we ask at the beginning of this New Year is, have we taken hold of the Lamb of God and brought it home with us? Are we protected by it? To some, this correlation may seem so improbable, so new, especially for the Jewish people who will eat the Passover meal this year, remembering this feast for its matzah, horseradish, charoset, haggadahs and other Passover connections. But the main message is the blood of the Lamb which today saves us, not from Egypt but for eternity. This message has been lost because of religion.
In the first three feasts we can see the full redemptive picture each believer has in Yeshua, describing our own journey from earth even to eternity. So, on Passover we see our salvation, this day lasting just one day. On Unleavened Bread we see our sanctification, since it speaks of our walk in holiness, this feast lasting seven days. On HaBikkurim, or Firstfruits, also lasting one day, we see our resurrection, soon to occur for all believers.
Notice that the Feast of Unleavened Bread does not stop with the resurrection, but rather it keeps going past the resurrection (seven days long), indicating that our spiritual growth also never stops. We will always learn and grow in the knowledge of the Lord even throughout eternity.
Let us look at the account of these feasts in Leviticus 23. See how solemnly the chapter begins: vs.1-2, The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these. God’s first words in Leviticus 23:2 are Moadai Elohim; that is, the Lord’s appointed times. In Hebrew the appointed time is one word, moed from the Hebrew word yarad meaning to designate a time and space to meet. These are like appointments between man and God.
But now see that, the root word from where it stems, yarad also came to be used to describe a betrothal a word found in latter Aramaic. Betrothal is an engagement between two lovers (Jastrow) a period of time before the marriage. And this is what these feasts are: a meeting between two individuals who are unified by a promise of an everlasting bond. These feasts then, remind us of the great reunion we will have very soon in heaven with our God.
And at the time a betrothal, an engagement was as valid as a marriage. We read in the Gospels that Joseph contemplated divorcing Miriam, Yeshua’s birth mother, but they were not even married yet, they were betrothed, engaged. So, this engagement with God which occurs the moment we give our lives to Yeshua, is engraved in heaven forever.
And so, these seven moedim or Feasts of the Lord are a testimony of His love for us sparking this sense of a great anticipation of our meeting and reunion with the Lord. This is the great beauty behind these Feasts.
This is when we come to the third feast: the Resurrection, in Hebrew, Yom Ha-Bikkurim or the Feast of Firstfruits. There were many harvests in the Scriptures and firstfruits of all kinds, but this one is the first of them. The first of the year. This feast took place on the 16th of Nissan, corresponding this year, to the 14th of April, 2025. This is biblical Resurrection Day. This is when Yeshua rose from the dead thus affirming and forever, the eternal destiny of all those who committed their lives to Him.
And it is such a joyous feast, in the Mosaic Law. It was done with much joy and singing. At this time, the quantity of grain offered at the Temple is doubled and there, for the first time in the Feasts of Israel, a new element was announced; this is when the offering of wine is introduced.
We remember that at the last Supper, Yeshua said that He would not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when He will drink it new with the believers in His Father’s kingdom. Matthew 26:29. He will drink at the great wedding feast after our resurrection and reunion with Him.
Let us go back to the 1st century, at the Temple, and see that the days of these three feasts were accompanied by powerful signs visible to all. In fact, some of the most awesome miracles in the Bible, occurred during the days when the Messiah died and resurrected and this, in order to call on everyone that the Lord was not going to give His Son quietly.
The first sign happened on the 14th of Nisan. The Talmud, tells us that on this day, at the 6th hour, that is at noon, it was prohibited to eat leaven bread. “… it is prohibited to eat leavened bread from the 6th hour, and further, of the 14th of Nissan, let the time for searching (the leaven) commence at that hour.” Talmud, Pesachim 1
But it was at this time when something happened on the 14th day of Passover. As Yeshua was on the Tav, we are told in Matthew 27:45, Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. At the very same hour, at the 6th hour, as the Jewish people were hurrying to burn the leaven, they were surprised by complete darkness over the land because, at this very moment, as they were searching for the leaven, the Messiah was taking all the leaven, the sin of the world onto Himself. God awakened them to this greatest event in the history of man’s redemption.
And another sign happened on the third day after. Let us now go to the Book of Matthew, on the 16th of Nisan and see how this feast of Ha-Bikkurim was fulfilled under some extraordinary circumstances. We read in Matthew 27:53 that when Yeshua died, the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And then, on the day of Yom Habikkurim, or the day of the Resurrection, he adds that these were coming out of the tombs and after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
Do you believe this? This account is as true as Jesus’ resurrection. This is one of the most extraordinary miracles in the Bible and it happened on the Day of the Resurrection, and this is what we ought to proclaim for if the resurrection of the Messiah is true, so is this account true, it comes from the same Author. Those who rose were witnesses, confirming that the Messiah had fulfilled this powerful feast. But we are very much like them as believers, for we also rose from death and are heading to eternal life.
What happened to these resurrected believers? We know they were believers and so they also were heading to heaven. How long did they stay? Who were they? We do not know, but what we do know is that they must have created such an upheaval in Jerusalem. God was not going to let this great news go by without moving heaven and earth and so should we.