Leviticus 23:23-44 | Sunday August 31, 2025

Leviticus 23:1-2 ESV

(1) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
(2) “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are My appointed feasts.

God set up an amazing calendar of feasts. Each had a specific emphasis to draw His people into a deeper relationship with Him. Then amazingly, God used the feasts to connect to Jesus. Last week we saw the Spring Feasts. The Passover was to remind Israel they had life and were redeemed from slavery by the blood of the Passover lamb. Jesus was killed during the Passover and is the perfect Passover lamb that freed us from our slavery to sin. The feast of unleavened bread was to remind Israel of rushing out of Egypt and not bringing the leaven of Egypt with them. Through Jesus’ death believers are declared sinless, we are made unleavened through Him. At the feast of firstfruits the first harvested barley was offered to God in thanksgiving. Jesus was raised on the feast of firstfruits and was the first to be resurrected. The feast of Pentecost celebrated the wheat harvest and was to remind Israel of God’s continued provision in the harvest. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost indwelling believers and started the church. We are apart of His harvest. Jesus fulfilled each spring feast. Understanding them gives us rich insight into all He accomplished. The fall Feasts are described starting in verse 23.

Leviticus 23:23-25 ESV

(23) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
(24) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation.
(25) You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD.”

There are three fall feasts that all take place in the seventh month. The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths. The Feast of Booths was the third trip to Jerusalem Israel was commanded to take. The first two trips were in the spring and the third was in the fall. God is so loving and has so many daily graces for us. God had Israel travel to Jerusalem during the best weather.

John 1:16 YLT

(16) and out of His fulness did we all receive, and grace over-against grace;

The God of the universe chose comfortable weather for His people to travel in. His grace is always fresh and keeps replacing grace in our lives. The Feast of Trumpets is on the first day of the month. Numbers 10 describes how silver trumpets were to be made and first used during the wilderness time to instruct Israel on when to gather, move camp, or before battle. These trumpets were still used when Israel was in the promised land.

Numbers 10:10 ESV

(10) On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

These silver trumpets were to signal the new month had started and when it was time for a feast. The seventh month was so unique and special because of the feasts that were in it, God had the monthly trumpet blow be its own feast. It was a reminder to the people of the very important feasts that were days away. It was time to get ready to regather in Jerusalem. It was to be a day of solemn rest. The normal word for Sabbath is šabāṯ but this is a unique word for an extra special Sabbath, šabāṯôn. These solemn rests were amplified sabbaths, and were to be celebrated in a unique way, where no work (even what was allowed on a normal sabbath) was done. Later in Israels history (Post Exile) this feast was altered to also celebrate the Civil New Year. While the spring feasts all pointed to Jesus’ first coming, these fall feasts will point to Jesus’ second coming. Just as the Feast of trumpets got Israel ready for the special feasts about to come there is a future trumpet blast that does the same thing.

Matthew 24:29-31 ESV

(29) “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
(30) Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(31) And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Jesus is describing the end of the tribulation. The church has been in heaven in God’s presence for 7 years as God judges the world and draws Israel back to Himself. The rapture is marked by the sound of a trumpet (1 Thess 4:16) as God calls the church home, but this trumpet that Jesus describes is to regather Israel. When it sounds Jesus will come back and the world will mourn because of the judgement they experience. It will be a time when Israel accepts Jesus, Zechariah describes the same moment.

Zechariah 12:2-3 NLT

(2) I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah.
(3) On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves.

The nations come against Israel and want to destroy them once and for all. Yet, God in His goodness comes and protects them. Jesus Himself descends to win the battle.

Zechariah 12:8-10 ESV

(8) On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them.
(9) And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
(10) “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

Jesus comes back and defends Israel. He starts His campaign of conquering the nations of the World. He begins the process of ushering in His kingdom. When Israel sees Jesus, they mourn because the understand that they have rejected their Messiah. There will be a great weeping in Israel and a turning to Jesus in acceptance of Him. John sees the same moment and it is tied to the seventh trumpet blast in Revelation. In my opinion all these verses describe the same moment the fulfillment of the feast of trumpets.

Revelation 10:5-7 ESV

(5) And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven
(6) and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,
(7) but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.

There is no more delay, the trumpet is sounding and it is time for Jesus to come and usher in His kingdom. There are many mysteries in the Word, but this is referring to Jesus reigning with His people, both Israel and the church in His kingdom physically here on earth. The next two feasts continue to reveal more about His second coming.

Leviticus 23:26-32 NAS95

(26) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
(27) "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD.
(28) "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God.
(29) "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.
(30) "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
(31) "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
(32) "It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath."

We studied the Day of Atonement in detail in chapter 16 of Leviticus. It was the one time in the year that the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to offer the blood sacrifice. The people did not travel to Jerusalem but celebrated by a complete, humble rest. For the blood offering to apply to an Israelite they were called to rest. If someone refused to rest they were cut off and destroyed from the people. The Day of Atonement was a payment for sin and for the purification through blood of the tabernacle. This Feast points to the purification that will take place of Israel after the trumpet sounds.

Zechariah 13:1 ESV

(1) “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

This is in context following right after Israel mourning once they see the risen Jesus coming back and fighting on their behalf. He purifies His people as they turn to Him. Revelation describes the same moment from heaven’s perspective.

Revelation 11:15-19 ESV

(15) Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.”
(16) And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
(17) saying, “We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for You have taken Your great power and begun to reign.
(18) The nations raged, but Your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding Your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear Your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
(19) Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant was seen within His temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

This is describing what else happens as the seventh trumpet is blown. It is time for Jesus to come and reign as King. The world has become His kingdom. Right now, the world is under the power of Satan (2 Cor 4:4; 1 John 5:19). None of these promises make sense if we are currently in the kingdom. Jim Henderson said it very well “The kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God is not a state of higher mental awareness. It is not a state of spiritual wellbeing – not a condition of the heart. It is a place! At a certain point in time!” The Kingdom is ushered in by Jesus at the end of the tribulation. It is a time of judgments and rewards. He purifies Israel and they now have access to the Holy of Holies. Something that we enjoy in the church today. Any Jew who turns to Jesus today become part of the church and the veil is lifted. This moment is for the entire nation.

2 Corinthians 3:14 ESV

(14) But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.

As Israel today rejects Jesus as the Messiah the veil remains, separating them from God. It will be at Jesus’ second coming that the veil is lifted for Israel as a whole. They will see their Messiah as the trumpet blows and they will be purified in Him just like the Day of Atonement. The final fall feast emphasizes the Kingdom that Jesus set up.

Leviticus 23:33-44 ESV

(33) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (34) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the LORD. (35) On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. (36) For seven days you shall present food offerings to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work. (37) “These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, (38) besides the LORD's Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD. (39) “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. (40) And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. (41) You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. (42) You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, (43) that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (44) Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the LORD.

The Feast of Booths started on the 15^th with a day of solemn rest and then continued for 7 days. It was the biggest and most celebrated feast and required the most elaborate and costly sacrifices (Num 29:12-40). Israel was to travel to Jerusalem and create tents out of branches to camp in, reminding them of their time in the wilderness. It also celebrated the full completion of the harvest, which is why it is also called the Feast of Ingathering. The Feast concluded on the eighth day with another Solemn Rest. Solomon dedicated the first temple at this feast.

1 Kings 8:65-66 ESV

(65) So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days.
(66) On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.

The feast of Booths was such a joyous time that it would often be referred to as The Feast. Eight is emphasized throughout this feast and the entire month. The sample calendar for the seventh month of Tishri shows that the month included eight days of rest that were to be observed. Eight is emphasized because it is the number for God’s new creation. Jesus was resurrected on Sunday or the eighth day. This feast points to the completion of the harvest, dwelling with God’s presence in the wilderness, the dedication of the temple and emphasizes God’s new Creation. All of these themes come together beautifully in Jesus establishing His kingdom! Zechariah 12 described Israel recognizing Jesus as Mesiah, Zechariah 13 described Israel’s cleansing, and Zechariah 14 describes Jesus bringing in His kingdom.

Zechariah 14:4-9; 16-19 ESV

(4) On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward
(5) And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD My God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
(6) On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost.
(7) And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
(8) On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
(9) And the LORD will be King over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and His name one.

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(16) Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.
(17) And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.
(18) And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
(19) This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

The feast of Booths celebrated when the harvest was completed. During the tribulation many are saved (Rev. 7:9-17), and the harvest is complete once Jesus returns at His second coming. The church is part of the Holy ones that come back with Jesus in verse 5 to rule and reign with Him in His kingdom. The living water flowing from Jerusalem come out of the new temple that Jesus establishes (Eze 47). Jesus will be King over the entire earth. The world will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths during the Millenium and will be judged if they don’t. During the Kingdom sins curse is lifted on the planet and creation is renewed under Jesus (Rom 8:19-22; Is 35:1-2). The fulfillment and celebration of the Feast of booths with our King will be tremendous! This explains Jesus’ answer when His earthly brothers invited Him to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of booths.

John 7:8 ESV

(8) You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”

It was not time for Him to usher in the real Feast of Booths yet. He had to go up to fulfill the Passover and be killed before He could fulfill the feast of Booths! Isreal rejected their Messiah and we benefited from the gospel coming to us in the gentile church. When Israel as a nation turns to Jesus it will be incredible!

Romans 11:15 NLT

(15) For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!

2 Peter 3:14 NLT

(14) And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight.

Event	Scripture Ref.	When	Significance	Fulfillment
Passover (Pesach)	Ex. 12:1-14; Lev. 23:5; Num. 9:1-14; Num. 28:16; Deut. 16:1-7	14th day of the 1st month (Nisan) (In the Spring around March/ April)	-Commemorated God's deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt. -Jews observe the Passover meal.	Jesus went to the cross at Passover. Luke 22:7-8 Jesus is the perfect Passover Lamb and we have life through His blood. (1 Cor. 5:6-8)
Feast of Unleavened Bread	Ex. 12:15-20; Ex. 13:3-10; Lev. 23:6-8; Num. 28:17-25; Deut. 16:3,4,8	15th day of the 1st month (Nisan) until 21st	-Ate unleavened bread for 7 days -No work on 1st day/ 7^th Day -1st of three annual trips to Jerusalem	Jesus’s death paid for our sins and we are given His righteousness. Through Him believers are unleavened (declared sinless) (1 Cor. 5:6-8)
Feast of Firstfruits	Lev. 23:9-14; Num. 28:26	1st Sunday after Nisan 15^th (The Sunday during the feast of Unleavened bread)	-Marked the beginning of the barley harvest -The first harvested barley was offered to God.	Jesus was the first to be resurrected. He was risen on the Sunday of the firstfruit offering. We can be risen because He was. (1 Cor. 15:20-23)
Feast of Weeks aka Pentecost aka Feasts of Harvests aka Day of Firstfruits (Shavu'ot)	Ex. 23:16; Ex 34:22; Lev. 23:15-21; Num. 28:26; Deut. 16:9-12	50 days after the 1st Sabbath following the Passover (always a Sunday)	-Celebrated the wheat harvest and God’s continued provision. -2nd of three annual trips to Jerusalem	The Holy Spirit came indwelling believers and started the church on Pentecost. Believers today are a part of His harvest. (Acts 2:1-13, James 1:17-18)
Feast of Trumpets (Rosh-Hashanah)	Lev. 23:23-25; Num. 29:1-6	1st day of the 7th month (Tishri) (In the Fall around September/ October)	-Special trumpet blasts -No work performed -Special offerings made -Prepared the nation to regather to Jerusalem.	Points to the trumpet blast that regathers Israel to God. (Zech 12, Mat 24:31, Rev 10:7)
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)	Lev. 16; 23:26-32; Num. 29:7-11	10th day of the 7th month (Tishri)	-Day of fasting -High Priest enters the Holy of Holies to atone for sins of Israel -No work performed	Points to the purification of Israel as the nation turns to accept Jesus as Messiah at His second coming. (Zech 13, Rev 11:15-19)
Feast of Tabernacles/ Booths aka Feast of Ingathering (Sukkot)	Ex. 23:16; Ex. 34:22; Lev. 23:33-36, 39-43; Num. 29:12-38; Deut. 16:13-15	15th to 22nd day of 7th month (Tishri)	-Marked the completed harvest, and the end of the agricultural year -Symbolized by the construction of booths decorated with greenery for the harvesters -3rd of three annual trips to Jerusalem	Points to Jesus ushering in the Millennial Kingdom. The harvest is complete and He is dwelling with His people. The feast of Booths is celebrated during the kingdom. (Zech 14, John 7:8, Rev 20:6)

The Seventh Month- Tishri- Fall (September/ October)
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1. Feast of Trumpets A Sabbath of solemn rest	2.	3.	4.	5. Sabbath
6.	7.	8.	9.	10. Day of Atonement A Sabbath of solemn rest	11.	12. Sabbath
13.	14.	15. Feast of Booths A Sabbath of solemn rest	16. Feast of Booths	17. Feast of Booths	18. Feast of Booths	19. Sabbath Feast of Booths
20. Feast of Booths	21. Feast of Booths	22. Eighth day of Feast of Booths A Sabbath of solemn rest	23.	24.	25.	26. Sabbath
27.	28.	29.	30.	Days of Rest are greyed out. There are 8 in the month.