STUDY NOTES – NOVEMBER 21, 2010 “The Bible Expedition” – Through the Bible Chronologically

OVERVIEW

Leviticus 16 – Day of Atonement

Leviticus 17 – Blood for atonement Leviticus 18 – Laws regarding sexual morality

Leviticus 19 – Idolatry is forbidden; more laws Leviticus 20 – Human sacrifice and immorality are forbidden

Leviticus 21 – Rules for priests Leviticus 22 – More rules for priests; Instruction on animals for sacrifice

Leviticus 23 – The Feasts of the LORD

Today’s Scripture: Leviticus 23

The feasts of the LORD and their fulfillment in Christ:

PAST EVENTS:

Leviticus 23:4-5 (NIV)

4“ „These are the LORD‟s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at

their appointed times: 5The LORD‟s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.

On our calendar – March/April

For the people of Israel, the Passover was a celebration of the night they received their freedom from

bondage to slavery.

o When the Lord “passed over” their houses when the first born of all the Egyptians were killed.

The lamb was the central focus of this feast, and became known as “the Passover lamb”.

1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

7Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For

Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Leviticus 23:6-8 (NIV)

6On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD‟s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven

days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.

8For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and

do no regular work.‟ ”

The following day after Passover, the feast of unleavened bread took place for seven days.

o To the Jews it was a reminder of the day they left Egypt in haste without even having the time to

allow bread to rise.

All leavened bread was to be removed from the house before this feast.

o Many view leavened (yeast) bread as fermented and decaying.

o They believe the unleavened bread represents no decay.

Though I‟m personally unsure of the significance of this feast, many hold the view is that

the unleavened bread represents the truth that Jesus‟ body would not decay in the burial.

Acts 2:27 (NIV)

27because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

Leviticus 23:9-14 (NIV)

9The LORD said to Moses,

10“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: „When you enter the

land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11

He

is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after

the Sabbath. 12

On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old

without defect, 13

together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering

made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. 14

You must not eat

any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting

ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

The feast of first fruits occurs on the second day of the feast of unleavened bread.

The first sheaf of barley is presented to the Lord as an expectation of more harvest to come.

1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV)

20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have

fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:23 (NIV) 23

But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong

to him.

Paul was saying the resurrection of Christ was the first, with more to come (all believers).

Leviticus 23:15-21 (NIV)

15“ „From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering,

count off seven full weeks. 16

Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an

offering of new grain to the LORD. 17

From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of

fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. 18

Present with this bread seven male

lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD,

together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 19

Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20

The

priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They

are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. 21

On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do

no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

Time: May/June – 50 days after the feast of first fruits (thus “Pentecost”)

This was the second of three feasts that every Jewish man was to attend in Jersusalem

o (The other two were Passover and Tabernacles)

To the Jewish people, Pentecost commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty

days after the Exodus.

It was a feast celebrating the ingathering of the barley harvest.

Giving of the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4)

Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

2Suddenly a sound like the

blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what

seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy

Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Pentecost was the birthday of the church – the beginning of the ingathering of the church.

FUTURE EVENTS?:

Leviticus 23:23-25 (NIV)

23The LORD said to Moses,

24“Say to the Israelites: „On the first day of the seventh month

you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25

Do no regular work, but

present an offering made to the LORD by fire.‟ ”

Time – September/October

The first of the fall feasts.

The shofar was blown (a ram‟s horn).

The rapture? (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)

16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the

voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17

After that, we who

are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we

will be with the Lord forever.

Leviticus 23:26-32 (NIV)

26The LORD said to Moses,

27“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of

Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. 28

Do no

work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29

Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. 30

I will destroy from among his

people anyone who does any work on that day. 31

You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for

the generations to come, wherever you live. 32

It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From

the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”

Time – September/October

It was (and is) a day of fasting, prayer, and repentance.

EX – Describe this day in Israel – no work (My brother and friend, and I sorted 3,000 eggs),

attended a synagogue (I was told many Israeli‟s go to synagogue once year on this day)//

Many Israeli‟s see this as a holiday – windsurfing on Sea of Galilee.

Israel‟s acknowledgment of Jesus?– (Romans 11:25-27)

Romans 11:25-27 (NIV)

25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be

conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26

And so all

Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27

And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

2. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES or The Feast of booths or “Sukkot” – The Hebrew

word sukkōt is the plural of sukkah, “booth, tabernacle”. (Vs. 33-34)

Leviticus 23:33-34 (NIV)

33The LORD said to Moses,

34“Say to the Israelites: „On the fifteenth day of the seventh

month the LORD‟s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days.

Time September/October – seven days

Five days after Yom Kippur.

Reminder of their pilgrimage in the wilderness.

Millennium celebration (Zechariah 14:16-19)

The feast of tabernacles will be celebrated as all nations will make their pilgrimage to Israel

(just like the Jews did during the Exodus and entrance into Canaan.)

Zechariah 14:16-19 (NIV)

16Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year

after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17

If any of the

peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. 18

If

the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he

inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19

This will be the punishment of

Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Life Application

Two suggestions:

1. Realize that prophecy is to produce action rather than endless speculation. (Acts 1:6-8)

Acts 1:6-8 (NIV)

6So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the

kingdom to Israel?” 7He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own

authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in

Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We Christians are famous for speculation.

o A lot of it harms our mission.

Prophecy is not a play toy or intellectual exercise.

o It is to motivate us to serve with passion.

After Paul talks about the rapture, he says in 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) 58

Therefore, my dear

brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the

Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. [The context indicates that

our work is not in vain because of the rapture.]

o

2. Instead of being fearful, be encouraged about your future. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, 17-

18, 5:1-3, 9-11; Revelation 21:1-4)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV)

13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to

grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14

We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that

God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 (NIV) 17

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up* together with

them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18

Therefore encourage each

other with these words.

Greek word - ἁρπάζω (harpazō): to catch up, to snatch up,

People often ask, “Is the word „rapture‟ in the Bible? – [not specifically, kind of the like another important

concept about God – The trinity – We can prove it in the Bible, but not the word] For the record, the word

“rapture” comes from the Latin word “rapturo”, which is a translation of this greek word ἁρπάζω in verse

17. If I want to be the most accurate to the Greek I guess, instead of saying I believe in the “pre-trib

rapture”, I should say I believe in the “pre-trib snatch up” - it's the same thing.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 (NIV) 1Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,

2for you know

very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”

destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NIV) 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord

Jesus Christ. 10

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11

Therefore

encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I believe the next event is the rapture or the “snatch away” [whatever you want to call it]. Nothing needs to

happen before this awesome event.

Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had

passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of

heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the

throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God

himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or

mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

[From Rev. 21:1-4] – How does that sit with you?

o Pretty awesome!

o Let‟s not be scared. Everything is good.

“Father God, I offer You praise that You are the God of the past, present and future. The times

are in Your hands and so am I. Take away my fears and replace them with hope and

encouragement. Give me a steadfast and faithful spirit in these challenging days. Fill my heart

with purpose until the day I die or the day You return for Your church. Come Lord Jesus! In Your

name I pray, Amen.”

This Week’s Prayer