Christ in all the scriptures God's plan of salvation

 Christ in all the scriptures

From eternity to eternity  God's plan of salvation  Leviticus 23

The word for "feasts" could actually be translated "appointed times" or "seasons".  What we have here, in these annual festivals, is a panoramic view of God's plan of salvation for the ages.  This chapter is part of a trilogy of "sevens" in the Divine prophetic calendar:

 Leviticus 23 the seven feasts of Jehovah detailing the unfolding drama of redemption. 

Matthew 13 the seven kingdom parables outlining God's sovereign rule on earth between the first and second advents.

Revelation 2-3 the seven golden lampstands depicting God's administration of the churches in the dispensation of grace.

7 is the number of  completion and perfection, signalling God's benign approach to all people in mercy through the ages. 

Leviticus 23 is the panorama of the eternal plan of God for man's redemption.  Prominent in the chapter is the Sabbath, which occurs at the beginning and the end and all the way through-v3, v11, v15, v16, v24, v32, v38, v39.  The biblical principle of the Sabbath in scripture is established from the first mention in Genesis 2, along with the teaching of Hebrews 4.  In Genesis 2, the Sabbath was introduced as God's rest after a finished work which He proclaimed was "very good"(Genesis 1v31).   "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which He created and made".  Hebrews 4 confirms that this is the meaning, proclaiming it is GOD'S REST-4v1, v3, v4, v5, v8, v9, v10, v11.  God's rest is on the work of Christ and we are invited to enter into that rest.  We do so by faith in Christ, in His work of redemption.  Where God rests, we rest, and salvation is apart from any works that we have done.  God rests upon the finished work of Christ, and so must we.  This finished work, that has satisfied the demands of God, are sufficient for every human being.  We enter into it by faith and there we must remain.  Thus we should think of the Sabbath as being an every day experience, rather than just one special day in a week.  In Christ every day is special, every day is a Sabbath!  Ultimately this rest will mean freedom from all the consequences of sin; freedom from all the limitations of the flesh; transformation to a sanctified life with God in eternal bliss.  In the first six days of creation, there was evening and there was morning each day.  On the seventh day, there was was only day, an eternal day without a night!  The feasts end with the tabernacles in joyous exultation, reminding us that the tabernacle of God will be with men. There will be no more sea (no more separation); no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain, no more defilement (Revelation 21).

The seven feasts (appointed seasons, holy convocations) are necessary steps to this glorious end of the benign Divine plan to be shared by all believers.  

The seven feasts are as follows:

Passover (Pesach-Nisan 14)   The death of Christ

Unleavened bread (Chag Hamotzi-Nisan 15-22)  The burial of Christ

Firstfruits (Yom Habikkurim-Nisan 16-17)  The resurrection of Christ

Pentecost (Shavu'ot-Sivan 6-7)  The outpouring of the Spirit at the ascension of Christ

Trumpets (Yom Teru'ah-Tishri 1)  The gathering of the Church and the regathering of Israel

Day of atonement (Yom Kippur-Tishri 10)  The repentance of Israel-acceptance of Messiah

Tabernacles (Sukkot-Tishri 15-22)  Millennial bliss prior to eternal rest

Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew religious year; Sivan the third month; Tishri the seventh month.  We note there is a four month gap between the first four feasts and the final three.  We are presently living in that gap, between the feast of Pentecost and the feast of Trumpets.  It is a time of harvest, when the fruits of the work of Christ appear.  This is the nature of the present day, a period of ingathering, making the study relevant to the present day.  The next event in the prophetic calendar will be the trumpets.  The sounding of the trumpets will announce the beginning of the final journey into eternal rest in the plan of God.  With all that is going on in the world, the perfect plan of God will go on unhindered, despite the opposition of demons and men.  Everything will proceed with perfect timing, and God will be at rest with His redeemed people.  It all begins with the feast of Passover, the sacrifice of Christ, and God and man are blessed as a result.