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by _Damon » Mon Nov 28, 2005 1:40 pm
As someone who is familiar with the feasts, I'd like to add my two cents on this one.
To really understand the feasts of Israel, one needs to look backwards in history, not forwards. (At least, not forwards first.)
To begin with, we should understand that God does things at specific times that have special meanings to Him. I could go into a lot of detail on the numerology of these specific dates, but that's not what's important to get out of this. It's what happens at these times that's important.
I'd actually like to start with the Fall festivals: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. These days are primarily significant because they reflect events which occurred when the world was created.
When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, it was in the Fall of the year. Why? Because everything was in full bloom and there was fruit on the trees.
There are two main opinions concerning the Feast of Trumpets. One says that the world was created on this day. Another says that Adam was created on this day. I myself favor the first opinion, but regardless, this day is a day of "beginning".
Adam and Eve sinned on the Day of Atonement, only a few short days later. Note that "Day of Atonement" in Hebrew is Yom Kippur. This literally means the "day of covering." In other words, the primary meaning of this day isn't that of atoning for sins, but of covering them. Remember that Adam and Eve were "covered" with garments made of skins on this day. Also note that all of their needs, including food, water and shelter, would have been provided for in the Garden of Eden. However, they had no food once they were exiled. (They did have water from the river which flowed out of the Garden, though, and they very likely did have shelter as I'll explain below.) So in remembrance of Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden of Eden, the Israelites fasted on this day.
Finally we come to the Feast of Tabernacles. Just as the Israelites needed food and temporary shelter once they left Egypt, Adam and Eve also needed food and temporary shelter once they were exiled from the Garden. Just as God miraculously provided food for the Israelites who wandered in the desert, He also miraculously provided food for Adam and Eve after they were exiled, until they were able to fend for themselves. And, just as the Israelites had temporary shelters after they left Egypt, Adam and Eve likewise had a temporary shelter after they were exiled. (From what I've researched, they apparently lived in a cave near the Garden for a while.)
Note that all of these things were physical events. The world (and Adam and Eve) was created. They were physically exiled, having no food. Then they had food miraculously provided.
The Spring festivals, on the other hand, are all mainly spiritually significant.
First, we have the Passover, when God killed all of the firstborn of Egypt but spared those Israelites who had killed lambs and placed the blood on their doorposts. For those Israelites who did this and lived, did anything physical change for them? No. Rather, this act was an act of faith in the God who could deliver them from bondage.
Next, we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread. When the Israelites left Egypt, they didn't have time to wait for their dough to rise before baking it into bread. It was also in the middle of this seven day period that they passed through the Red Sea. When they passed through, nothing changed physically. Spiritually, however, they had now become a nation.
Finally, we have Pentecost, when the Israelites received the Law at the foot of Mount Sinai. It was on this day that the covenant between God and Israel was sealed. Once again, nothing changed physically.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, God does things at specific times that have special meanings to Him. There were many biblical events which occurred on these very days, precisely because of their special significance. For instance, it was on Pentecost that the New Covenant between God and the saints was "sealed" through the giving of the Holy Spirit.
Now, back to the original question about the possible future significance of these days. To be completely frank, any of these days - not just the Fall festivals - could have future significance. I myself happen to believe that they all do. IMO, it's not as simple as relegating some to past significance and others to future significance. Unfortunately, this quickly takes us into contentious territory, since few on this board will even consider something other than a "Preterist-Only" viewpoint.
Damon
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