(5) Regulations Concerning the Festivals

(5) Regulations Concerning the Festivals

 

Leviticus 23:1-2 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say: These are My festivals, the festivals of the Lord which you are to proclaim as holy assemblies.’”

This is a passage recorded in the first year in the wilderness after the Exodus. Men were required to come to the temple three times a year. The major festivals of Israel are Passover, (Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Firstfruits), Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, and (Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles). Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Trumpets are observed as important festivals.

The festivals of Israel are called “Moed.” The first reason Israel observed these festivals was to transmit their historical significance. Exodus 12:24-25 states that after the Passover ends, it becomes a future feast to be observed from generation to generation. "This is to be a statute for you and your descendants to keep forever; you shall keep this rite when you come to the land that the LORD is giving you, as promised."

Second, the feasts united the people as a community. In Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD." The Israelites proclaimed this message when they gathered for the feasts. This teaches us that we must maintain a sense of community even in the New Testament era. In Ephesians 4:3-4, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, for there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your calling."

Third, it was a festival of joy. Romans 14:7 states, "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." The feasts of the Old Testament are a type of the New Testament. They were a type of earnestly waiting for Jesus Christ. However, with the coming of Christ in the New Testament, the feasts have now been fulfilled.

If one attempts to observe the Old Testament festivals today, it is tantamount to not believing in the coming of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 states, "Therefore let no one judge you in matters of food and drink, or in regard to festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. These are a shadow of things to come, but the body is Christ's."

In 1 Corinthians 5:8, the Apostle Paul said, "Therefore let us keep the feasts, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of evil and malice, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Although there is no need to observe feasts in the New Testament era, the message is to remember them. It means to fully understand the meaning that these feasts of God hold for the saints. Through the feasts, God reveals the sinfulness of humanity. He also reveals salvation. Through these feasts, we must understand how those who have departed from the Kingdom of God return to it.

Regarding the feasts, the Old Testament era consisted of sacrifice and the Sabbath. Sacrifice signifies worship today. Worship is not about form, but about offering it in spirit and truth. Churchgoers tend to think of worship as "performing it in a specific place through formal rituals or procedures and offering it to God," failing to consider the worship that takes place within them.

If the pastor's sermon was moving amidst a solemn atmosphere and magnificent hymns, they think, "I offered good worship today and received much grace." They should know for sure whether God accepted the worship or not, but since there is no way to verify this, they simply think, "I offered it well." God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, gave them the Tabernacle, and also gave them the Law.

God said, "Offer sacrifices according to the law." Israel offered sacrifices and gifts for 40 years, from Mount Sinai until they entered the land of Canaan; however, Amos 5:25 states, "God did not accept them." Yet, if the church today thinks, "We offered worship through certain forms and procedures," it will result in the same outcome as when the Israelites of the Old Testament era did not accept the sacrifices and gifts they offered in the wilderness for forty years.

Leviticus 23:3 “Six days you shall work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest; it is a day of holy assembly where you shall do no work. It is the Sabbath of the Lord, which you are to keep in all your dwelling places.”

Observing the feasts was linked to rest. We must examine how the Bible explains the Sabbath. In Hebrews 4:8-10, if Joshua gave rest to Israel, that was the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan is a shadow symbolizing the Kingdom of God. This means it is not true rest. Therefore, it implies that the time for rest remains for God's people. True rest is precisely entering the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. This is because God is the true rest.

One who has died of the old self with Jesus Christ and been born into new life with Jesus Christ is one who has already entered into rest. To those who have entered into rest, it is said, "Do not do your own work." The phrase "your own work" refers precisely to "loving the world." Those today who say, "We must keep the Sabbath," or "We must keep the Lord's Day holy as it replaces the Sabbath," are essentially confessing that they "have not yet entered into rest." This is because they believe that they must keep it holy to enter into rest.

It is not much different from the case where one is still waiting for Christ even though Jesus Christ has come. Those who are still waiting for Christ are not in Jesus Christ, and therefore are not in the rest of the Kingdom of God. Only those who are in Jesus Christ can be said to have already entered into rest.

Leviticus 23:4-8: “These are the feasts of the Lord to be proclaimed as holy assemblies at the appointed times. The evening of the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the Lord, and the fifteenth day of the month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread of the Lord. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall assemble in a holy assembly and do no work. For seven days you shall offer burnt offerings to the Lord. On the seventh day you shall also assemble in a holy assembly and do no work.”

The phrase “at that appointed time” (Bemoadam, the base form is Moed) comes from the same root as “festival” (Moed), meaning “at a designated time.” Passover (Pesach) is derived from the word “Pasach,” meaning “to pass over” or “to skip over,” and is a festival originating from the fact that during the tenth plague inflicted upon Egypt—the plague of the death of the firstborn—death passed over the house of Israel.

Passover is a festival commemorating God’s deliverance of the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, and it was observed on the evening of the 14th day of the first month, Nisan (Abib). The first month, or Nisan, corresponds to the seventh month in the Hebrew civil calendar, which corresponds to March or April in the solar calendar. Meanwhile, this Passover event prefigures the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hammazot, הַמַּצֹּ֖ות; the base form is Matcha) is derived from 'Machats,' meaning to suck milk, and signifies unleavened bread, or bread without yeast. Therefore, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a festival to commemorate the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, during which they ate unleavened bread for a week. Eating unleavened bread along with bitter herbs for seven days was intended to remind them of the suffering of slavery in Egypt and the urgent circumstances of the Exodus (Exodus 12:15-20).

Meanwhile, this verse records the number of days for eating unleavened bread as seven, whereas Deuteronomy 16:8 states that it is eaten for six days. In other words, this verse emphasizes the number of days for eating unleavened bread, so it mentions exactly seven days, whereas Deuteronomy 16:8 emphasizes the 'holy assembly' itself, so it distinguishes the seventh day (holy assembly) from the other days for eating unleavened bread and calls it six days (Exodus 12:18).

On the other hand, in several places in the Bible, Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are not distinguished and are used interchangeably (Exodus 12:3-20; 13:3-8; Luke 22:1). This is because not only were the rituals of the two feasts performed simultaneously within a single week, but the food of Passover itself was unleavened bread.

Therefore, the term Passover was used across all unleavened festival days, and at the same time, the term Feast of Unleavened Bread was also used to refer to the Passover ritual. However, strictly speaking, Passover refers to a ritual observed for only one night on the evening of the 14th day of the month of Abib as a festival to commemorate the 'death of the firstborn,' whereas Feast of Unleavened Bread refers to a week-long festival of unleavened bread that includes the evening of the 14th day as a festival to commemorate the 'liberation from Egypt.'

Unleavened bread refers to bread made without yeast, which acts as an enzyme. This reflects the urgent situation of the first Feast of Unleavened Bread, when there was not even time to leaven it. Furthermore, because yeast often symbolizes sin, false teachings, or the old way of life in the Bible (1 Corinthians 5:5-7), unleavened bread, which contains no yeast, also symbolizes the spiritual food that the redeemed holy people are to eat.

“Gathering in a holy assembly” The first and last days (the seventh day) of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are days to gather in a holy assembly before God. Therefore, these days are holy Sabbath days, and all physical labor related to one’s livelihood is strictly prohibited. One must give glory to God through prayer, praise, and meditation while deeply reflecting on the meaning of the feast with a holy heart.

“You shall do no work”—the Hebrew word for “work” here, *meleket* (the base form is *melaka*), means “laborious work.” Therefore, the “work” mentioned here superficially refers to all livelihood activities related to one’s profession. However, spiritually, it refers to one’s own work that is opposed to God’s work. Consequently, such work was prohibited during all festivals when people gathered for holy assemblies. In contrast, however, the word “work” (*melaka*) appearing in Exodus 20:10 and elsewhere encompasses all trivial matters, such as preparing food or kindling a fire for that work; these activities were specifically forbidden only on the Sabbath and the Day of Atonement.

“You shall offer a burnt offering.” This is a regulation regarding offering sacrifices to God, especially grain offerings, burnt offerings, and sin offerings, as burnt offerings during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Num 28:16-25). This is an expression of gratitude for the atonement of the Israelites and for becoming God’s people.

Leviticus 23:9-14 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say: When you enter the land I am giving you and harvest your grain, you shall bring the first sheaf of your grain to the priest. The priest shall wave it on your behalf before the Lord so that it may be acceptable to him; he shall wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer to the Lord a year-old, unblemished ram as a burnt offering, and for the grain offering, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, as a burnt offering to the Lord, to be a pleasing aroma. For the drink offering, you shall use one-fourth hin of wine. You shall not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh ears of grain until the day you bring your offering to your God. This is a perpetual statute for you all generations to observe in every place where you dwell.’”

This is the ordinance concerning the Feast of Firstfruits. This feast is a celebration in which the first fruits of the barley harvest are first offered to God, and it is observed on the day following the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15–21). Therefore, no one could eat the fruits of the barley harvest before the Feast of Firstfruits was performed, in which the first sheaf of harvested grain was presented to the priest as a wave offering, and burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings were offered together.

Regarding “the first sheaf of grain,” the Jewish barley harvest in the Palestine region begins in the month of Nisan, which corresponds to March or April in the modern solar calendar. The Feast of Firstfruits, in which the first sheaf of the harvested grain is offered to God, was held on the day following the first Sabbath after Passover. Meanwhile, this first sheaf of grain symbolizes Christ as the firstfruits of the resurrection and serves as a guarantee of the resurrection of all believers (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

“The priest shall wave the sheaf for you before the LORD to be accepted; he shall wave it on the day after the Sabbath.” That sheaf refers to a barley sheaf. This is because in the region of Canaan, all harvests begin with barley, which is harvested from around mid-April to early May. And wheat began to ripen only two to three weeks after barley.

Regarding the day after the Sabbath, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was strictly observed for a week from the 15th to the 21st of Nisan in the Jewish religious month. The Feast of Firstfruits was observed during this period of Unleavened Bread, but there is disagreement among scholars regarding the exact date.

“It will be shaken,” signifying that the priest offers a wave offering to God. Since the wave offering carries the meaning of giving to God and receiving it back, it symbolizes both the death on the cross and the resurrection simultaneously.

The burnt offering is a voluntary offering symbolizing complete devotion to God and the maintenance of a normal relationship; it is a sacrifice in which all parts of the offering, except for the hide, are burned on the altar. The grain offering is a voluntary offering in which grain is presented as a token of gratitude and loyalty to God. The grain offering is usually offered together with the burnt offering and the peace offering, and it symbolizes the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Regarding “two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour,” while one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour was offered for the general grain offering (Exodus 29:40), for the Feast of Firstfruits, twice that amount, two-tenths (2/10) of fine flour, was offered. Meanwhile, the 'ephah' here is a solid unit of volume used in the Old Testament era, meaning that 1 ephah is equivalent to 23. Therefore, two-tenths (2/10) of an ephah is a unit of volume equivalent to 4.6.

On the surface, it may be a voluntary offering expressing gratitude for the harvest, but spiritually, fine flour represents the form of one who has been broken and ground, losing their original appearance and being born again. The first tenth signifies the death of the old self, and the second tenth is an expression of gratitude for the resurrection into the new self. In other words, the old has died and one has become a new person.

As in Romans 6:7, all sin disappears only when one dies. However, many churches today believe that becoming fine flour is achieved through one's own determination, suffering, and devotion. Before God, it is not effort, but the surrender of one's own strength.

“You shall not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh ears of grain until the day you bring your offering to your God.” In other words, this means that you must not eat the produce of the land in any form before first offering the first sheaf of harvested grain to the Lord. Here, the offering of the first sheaf carries the meaning that all the harvest belongs to God. Thus, it signifies that everything came to God and returns to God.

Leviticus 23:15-22 “On the day after the Sabbath, that is, the day you brought the sheaves of grain as a wave offering, count the seven Sabbaths and count fifty days until the day after the seven Sabbaths. Then bring a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring two loaves of bread made of two-tenths of an ephah from your dwelling place and wave them; they are baked of fine flour with yeast. This is the first wave offering to the Lord. You shall also bring with these loaves seven unblemished lambs of one year, one young bull, and two rams. You shall bring these to the Lord together with the grain offering and the drink offering as a burnt offering; this is a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. You shall also bring one male goat as a sin offering, and two rams of one year as a peace offering. The priest shall wave the two lambs with the firstfruits of the bread before the Lord as a wave offering. These are holy offerings to the Lord, and they shall be given to the priest. This "On that day you shall proclaim a holy assembly among you and do no work; this is a perpetual statute for you to observe throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. When you reap the grain of your land, do not reap to the very corners of the field, nor gather the fallen berries, but leave them for the poor and the sojourner. I am the LORD your God."

The day Jesus resurrected was two days after the Sabbath. Easter is called the Feast of Firstfruits. It signifies the harvesting of the first fruits. The wave offering is a sacrifice offered by waving. Therefore, an earthquake occurred, the tomb opened, and He resurrected; the instruction was to offer a new grain offering (new bread) starting from the night of the 49th day (seven Sabbaths) from that day, and continuing on the following day (the 50th). This is Pentecost. Pentecost is not a sacrifice involving blood, but a day for offering bread. Bread was offered first, followed by other offerings.

On the day of Pentecost, sacrifices were offered by waving. Leviticus 23:17 states, "You shall bring two loaves of bread made of two-tenths of an ephah from your dwelling place and wave them; they are baked of fine flour with yeast, and they are to be offered to the Lord as the first wave offering." Ephesians states that this unites Gentiles and Jews. The two loaves of bread signify that on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit will come, and Gentiles will also return to the Lord. Waving the offering signifies resurrection.

In Acts chapter 2, God's power was clearly manifested. The Old Testament is a type and shadow of the New Testament. The day of Pentecost was the day Moses received the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. It is described that on that day, God gave a ring on the ringing hand. This implies that the stone tablets of the covenant represent a marriage promise. The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) was poured out on that day. Those who have received the Holy Spirit—that is, those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit—are the resurrected ones. Resurrection does not mean that the dead body comes back to life, but rather that the spirit rises from the dead. In other words, it means that the soul dies, and one is born from heaven clothed in a spiritual body. It is putting on the clothes of the new man (the clothes of Christ).

Regarding the Passover, Leviticus 23:4-8 states: "These are the feasts of the Lord to be proclaimed as holy assemblies at their appointed times. The evening of the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the Lord, and the fifteenth day of the month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread of the Lord. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall assemble in a holy assembly and do no work. For seven days you shall offer burnt offerings to the Lord. On the seventh day you shall also assemble in a holy assembly and do no work."

The day the Israelites left Egypt at night was the 14th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. A week later, they crossed the Red Sea, and on this day, Jesus died on the cross. Passover is the day that signifies the death of the Son of God.

Leviticus 23:15-16 states, "Count seven Sabbaths from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaves of grain as a wave offering, and count fifty days from that day until the day after the seven Sabbaths, and offer a new grain offering to the Lord." Thus, after the spring feasts passed and four months had gone by, Leviticus 23:23 speaks of the Feast of Trumpets, where God commanded, "Let the day of the Exodus be the first month." From that time, the Jewish calendar began. The first lunar month became the month of Passover. The seventh lunar month corresponded to September 1st in the solar calendar. One can see Jews going to the synagogue dressed in formal attire. Therefore, the Feast of Trumpets runs from the evening of September 29th until dawn on October 1st. He commanded that trumpets be blown on this day.

While Passover and Pentecost have been fulfilled in the New Testament, the Feast of Trumpets has not yet been fulfilled. The Bible instructs that this day be regarded as the New Year. It commanded that the 14th day of the first lunar month, the day of the Exodus, be designated as the first month. This is referred to as the first month of the religious calendar. However, the Jewish calendar is produced based on the Feast of Trumpets, which is the civil calendar.

Ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, which is a festival in the seventh month, comes Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for eight days starting from the 15th of the seventh month. All of these correspond to the festivals of blowing trumpets. In Matthew 24:30-31, it says, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a great trumpet sound, and they will gather his elect from the four corners of the earth, from one end of heaven to the other."

Jesus died on the day of Passover, resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost. For the people who left Egypt, Passover was the day they applied the blood of the lamb, and on the day of Pentecost, they received the two stone tablets at Mount Sinai; the Feast of Tabernacles was the festival they observed after entering Canaan. The Feast of Tabernacles is God's own feast.

The story from the Feast of Trumpets to the Feast of Tabernacles is a story about the Son of God. However, in the Feast of Trumpets, the trumpet is the sound of God's trumpet. In Exodus 19:16-19, it says, "On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet was heard very loudly, and all the people in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. And there was thick smoke on Mount Sinai, for the LORD came down there in fire. The smoke rose like smoke from a pottery kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice."

God Himself descended on Mount Sinai. Likewise, the same will be true when the Lord returns in the New Testament. When He descended, the heavens became entirely filled with fire. In Deuteronomy 5:23-24, it says, "When you heard the voice coming out of the darkness, with the mountain burning with fire, the leaders of your tribes and the elders came to me." Deuteronomy is the story of the forty years in the wilderness.

In Revelation 1:7, it says, "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and those who pierced Him will also see Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So be it. Amen. The Lord God said, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the One who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.'"

"Behold (Idu Ἰδοὺ)" draws the listener's attention. Nephelon (νεφελῶν) is a symbolic expression indicating God's presence. Erchetai (ἔρχεται) is not a future tense but a present middle-deputous tense, meaning "to cause to come." Although the middle-deputous tense has a passive form, its meaning is active. It signifies an active action of being sent by others for one's own sake. It signifies the establishment of the Kingdom of God within the hearts of believers. Since the Logos is present within the hearts of believers, Heaven is not a separate entity but is present right within the hearts of believers. Erchetai is used in the present, not the future. Jesus Christ is coming now.

In the phrase “with (meta) the clouds (nephelon: feminine plural νεφελῶν),” the word “together” carries the meaning of “to unite.” In Matthew 1:23, it says, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel, which means, ‘God is with us.’” “God is with us” in Immanuel is the typological name of the Messiah spoken of by Isaiah.

The cloud is a symbolic expression. When used in the singular, it refers to a physical cloud. This was expressed as the glory (presence) and judgment of Jehovah. However, when used in the plural, it speaks of the saints. They are the words united with Christ. They are the soldiers of Christ. They are those who proclaim the word of truth. That is why the expression "coming with angels" was used. This is how the events taking place within the hearts of the saints are described.

"Every eye will see Him, and those who pierced Him will also see Him." This symbolizes Israel. The ones who pierced Jesus Christ were the Jews. Those who pierced Him witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem. It was fulfilled in history. History is a shadow. The reality refers to what happens within the heart of the saint. It is the destruction of the saint's old self (old temple) and the building of a new temple. It expresses what happens within those who have been born again of life. Therefore, it is incorrect to link this with the Second Coming of Jesus.

"All the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him; so be it. Amen." The "earth" refers to all the tribes of Israel. In Zechariah 12:10, it says, "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on him whom they pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only son; they will weep for him as one weeps for a firstborn." Zechariah chapters 12 through 14 prophesy the coming of the Messiah to Israel. It expresses Israel's repentance and mourning.

Leviticus 23:23-25: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the children of Israel: The first day of the seventh month is to be a day of rest for you, to blow the trumpet, a holy assembly; you shall do no work, but offer a burnt offering to the Lord.’”

This is the ordinance concerning the Feast of Trumpets. This day is also called the New Year's Day. It was a day of rest, specially commemorated by blowing trumpets throughout the country, and sacrifices celebrating the New Year were offered in the central sanctuary. Meanwhile, chapters 23 through verse 23 to the end of chapter 23 mention the various festivals for which one must gather in holy assembly in the seventh month of the Hebrew religious calendar.

In the Hebrew lunar calendar, the seventh month of the religious calendar corresponds to the first month of the civil calendar, and this seventh month was densely packed with important festivals such as the Feast of Trumpets (the first day), the Day of Atonement (the tenth day), and the Feast of Tabernacles (the fifteenth day). This is likely due to the unique biblical significance of the number seven, which is associated with the duration of God's work of creation.

The seventh month, or the first day of that month, signifies the first day of the seventh month (Tishri); this is calculated according to the Jewish religious calendar and corresponds to the first day of the new year in the civil calendar. Therefore, the Feast of Trumpets was a festival for offering to mark the seventh month, the month of rest, and involved sacrificial rites on a larger scale than those for the ordinary New Moon.

On this day, the sound of the trumpet was repeated at regular intervals throughout the day. This was to announce the arrival of God's new day and to proclaim that the new day should be welcomed with joy. In this sense, this trumpet sound symbolizes the preaching of the gospel in the New Testament era and also evokes the sound of the trumpet that will ring out at the Second Coming of Christ (Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).

“Do no work, but offer a burnt offering to the Lord.” Work is doing one’s own business. Hebrews 4:10 states, “These are those who have already entered into rest.” Those who have entered into rest are told, “Do not do your own work.” The phrase “your own work” refers precisely to “loving the world.” Today, those who say, “We must keep the Sabbath,” or “We must keep the Lord’s Day holy as it replaces the Sabbath,” are essentially confessing that they “have not yet entered into rest.” This is because they believe that one must keep it holy to enter into rest.

The burnt offering is mentioned in Leviticus 1:9: "It is a burnt offering, a sweet aroma to the Lord." Also, Ephesians 5:2 states: "Walk in love, as Christ loved you and gave himself up for us as a sweet offering and sacrifice to God." It says that becoming a sweet offering to God is precisely loving one's brothers. The meaning of "loving brothers" is the act of seeking the lost sheep (spirits). Saving the spirits that have left God and come into this world is precisely what becomes a fragrance to God. Before the meaning of Jesus dying on the cross was the atonement for human sin, it was the act of saving the spirits that had turned away from God. That is why Jesus prayed for unity.

Leviticus 23:26-33: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘The tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a solemn assembly, afflict yourselves, and offer burnt offerings to the Lord. You shall do no work on this day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. Anyone who does not afflict himself on this day shall be cut off from his people. Anyone who does any work on this day I shall destroy him from his people. You shall do no work. This is a perpetual statute for you to observe throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It is a Sabbath of rest. You shall afflict yourselves and keep the Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of this month until the evening of the next day.’”

The Day of Atonement means "afflict yourselves." It signifies that for ten days starting from the Feast of Trumpets, one must remember suffering and tribulation. When these ten days end, it becomes the Day of Atonement, and five days after the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles begins. The Feast of Trumpets signifies that the harvest is complete. It means that the trumpet is blown because the harvest, which lasted for four months starting from Pentecost, is completely finished. Therefore, it signifies the end times. Today, we must not merely observe the festivals of Israel from the Old Testament era, but remember them well. This is because we can see that God's work is accomplished through these festivals. Jesus died as the Lamb on the cross during Passover, resurrected during the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit descended during Pentecost. And He will return during the Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Tabernacles is called Sukkot in Hebrew. It begins five days after the Day of Atonement and lasts for a week; during this time, people build booths and live within them to remember their history of wandering in the wilderness and their identity. God commanded the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles so that future generations would know that He had the Israelites dwell in booths when He led them out of the land of Egypt. It embodies the message that although we are living as sojourners in this world after coming from the Kingdom of God, God calls those who are in Christ. A booth is also called a tent. The tent symbolizes Christ. Being inside a tent signifies being in Christ.

God worked through the feasts. He died on the cross as the Passover Lamb; Jesus was buried during the Feast of Unleavened Bread; Jesus resurrected during the Feast of Firstfruits; and the Holy Spirit descended upon this world during Pentecost. The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles remain to come. From the Feast of Trumpets onward, the One who comes to this earth is God Himself.

The period from the Feast of Trumpets to the Feast of Tabernacles, until the moment we meet the Lord, is the story of the Son of God, and the period up to that time is the story of salvation. Jesus will return to this earth as God and judge Satan as the Judge. The message is that the saints, upon the fulfillment of Christ's Second Coming, will rule the world with Christ as Kings of the Millennium Kingdom, and a new heaven and a new earth will arrive.