The “Spring Feasts” begin with Passover which is coming up on April 5th.  Here is an overview of the Spring Feasts and how they foreshadowed Jesus becoming the Passover Lamb:

The Feasts are an essential testimony of our Hebrew heritage that begins in Exodus. When the children of Israel left Egypt and came to Mt. Sinai, God asked the “Israelites” to marry Him so that they would become His “special treasure” (Ex. 19).

“Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people for all the earth is Mine.  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Ex. 19:5,6).

After the children of Israel accepted God’s proposal, the “Groom” created a “certificate of marriage” for “His bride/nation” to abide with Him. The Tablets of Testimony were given through Moses as a sign of God’s love and His heart to be one with His people and a witness for the world to see the one true God.

“Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people.  And they said, “all that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient” (Ex. 24:7).

The “Feasts” were also a part of that “certificate” that provided a pattern God established to set aside life to honor those “wedding vows.”  This pattern would prove to not only benefit and bless God’s people but later in time, would serve as the sign and witness of Jesus, the restorer of this “marriage covenant.”

“For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (1Cor. 5:7).

When we honor the Feasts today, we honor the Father who sacrificed His Son for us.  And we step into our heritage. The Spring Feasts provide the blueprint (screenplay) on how Jesus would come to be our Savior and serve as our High Priest.

In Ex. 12, God established His Hebrew Covenant Calendar to start on the 1^st of Nisan.  He then gave Moses instructions to execute Passover on the 14^th of Nisan in which Israel was to slay the lambs and put the blood on the lintels and doorposts of their homes. (Ex. 12:6,7).  Passover was chosen to be the kick-off as the first Feast of the year.

On the 10^th day of Nisan, God instructed the children of Israel to select an unblemished male lamb.  This was the same day Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and the people cried out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest” (Matt. 21:9).

Passover was fulfilled by Jesus in the month of Nisan, according to the pattern described in Ex. 12 and Lev. 23. This is why 1 Corinthians 5:7 says, “Messiah has become our Passover.” John the Baptist also confirms this fulfillment when he points to Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God”  (John 1:29.)

On the eve of the 14^th of Nisan, Jesus was with His disciples at the last Lord’s Supper.  It was here that Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and broke bread (His body), and drank wine (His Blood) in remembrance of what He must suffer afterward as the Lamb was slain for our sins (Matt. 26:16).

On the morning of the 14^th of Nisan, Jesus was sentenced at 9am and crucified.  This was the same time the sacrificial lamb was bound according to the law (Mark 15:25).

At noon, three hours of darkness fell on the land supernaturally (Matt. 27:45). According to the law, no one was allowed to kill the sacrificial lamb in darkness. God prevented any lamb to be slain until Jesus cried out at 3:01, “It is finished.”  This is the same minute the eclipse is recorded to have happened, and afterward the Passover lambs were then slain.

The blood of the sacrificial lambs was put on the doorposts after the blood of Jesus was spilled out upon His death.  (John 19:34) Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down and placed him in a tomb nearby before sundown since the Passover Dinner would commence that evening (John 19:38-42).

According to Ex.12, the “Passover” followed when they ate the lamb that was roasted by the fire with “unleavened bread.”  This they were to do as a memorial and an everlasting ordinance (Ex. 12:14).

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was to commence that evening and last seven days. (Lev. 23:6).  Because the Israelites left so quickly out of Egypt after the plague of the death of the “firstborn,” they left without any leaven in their bread (Ex. 12:39).  God made it easy for them to follow His instructions. Since leaven represents “sin” usually in the Bible, Jesus wiped out the penalty of “sin” through His sacrifice.

The soldiers were ordered to camp out at the tomb to make sure no one stole Jesus’ body.

Jesus rose before daybreak on Sunday morning.  When Mary and Mary arrived at the tomb, they found it open and the Roman Soldiers were not there guarding it.  They had already left to tell Pilate.  Mary ran to go tell others and met Peter and John who were also on their way to the tomb (John 20:2).

When they arrived at the tomb, they all discovered it empty.  Peter and John went home (John 20:10).  Mary was left alone in the garden.  When the sun arose, Mary encountered what she thought was a gardener.  When she recognized it was Jesus, she wanted to touch him.  But Jesus said to her, “ Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father.”

The ascension Jesus was referring to was not the event that happened 40 days later where He rose from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:3-9). We know this because Jesus allowed the disciples to touch Him later (John 20:19,20). So Jesus must have ascended to the Father sometime AFTER He talked to Mary.  Why is this important?

Lev. 23:20 says of the Feast of the First Fruits, “The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord…” In 1 Corinthians 25:20, the scripture says, “Now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the FIRSTFRUITS of those who have fallen asleep.”

In order for Jesus to fulfill the Firstfruits Feast, He had to present Himself to the Father at the same time the priest offered up the Firstfruits. Jesus was actually alive before the priest wave offering in the temple, but He could not present Himself as “legally” alive in heaven until the same time that the priest bore witness on earth.  It was the third hour that the priests offered up the firstfruits.  It was then Jesus went before the Father!

Between The Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Pentecost is 50 days in which is called Counting of Omer.  (Lev. 23:15-17) After these 50 days, the children of Israel were to offer a new grain (wheat) offering.  On Pentecost, farmers would bring the firstfruits of their spring harvest to the Lord.

 Pentecost would be the exact same time that the Law (marriage contract) was given to the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai and when God would manifest Himself as a witness to this union (Ex. 19). This would be the time when all the people heard the voice of God speaking in their own language out of the midst of the fire (Deut. 4:12).

In Acts 2, we read that on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down like tongues of fire upon the heads of the disciples who were waiting in the Upper Room. They became the new grain offering, the “firstfruits” of the indwelling of His glory presented to the Father since they had “accepted Jesus as Savior and Covenant restorer.” Now the Law was written on their hearts and they were one with the Father.

Christians today generally don’t celebrate these Feasts simply because they don’t understand their significance to Jesus.  Some have not fully grasped they entered into this Hebrew heritage and Covenant when they accepted Jesus as their Lord. But God wants to open up our eyes to our birthright and our inheritance in His marriage Covenant.  And as we abide in His blueprint (screenplay), we begin looking like the “Bride” set apart unto Him.

Get ready to celebrate the HEBREW NEW YEAR, starting March 21st! God proclaimed to Moses in Ex. 12:2 that His Hebrew covenant calendar year was to begin with the month of Nisan:

“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.”

Nisan means “to take flight,” so it was appropriately named since this was the month the children of Israel took flight from the captivity of Egypt and journeyed through the Red Sea to Mt. Sinai.

Nisan is associated with the tribe of Judah, whose name means “praise.” God called for “PRAISE” to go first into their “flight” from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land (Num. 10). When the trumpet was blown twice, this signified it was time for all the tribes to journey on, with the tribe of Judah chosen to lead out first.  Judah was also the first tribe to cross the Jordan, and the first to be allotted land in the Promised Land (Num. 14). This month is known for FIRSTS!

In Genesis 49:10, we read the prophetic destiny that Jacob spoke concerning the tribe of Judah in the latter days.  “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” 

Judah was destined to carry the Messianic ruler ship (scepter), which we can see documented in Matthew 1 that traces the lineage of Judah. Jesus was born out of this tribe when he came to earth to be our sacrificial Lamb first, returning as the King of Kings. This month reminds us to start our day with a sacrifice of praise, and then step out in His authority as He leads.

Judah was also responsible for making sure the “tablets of covenant/testimony” were safely passed down from generation to generation until Jesus came.  The “Torah (first 5 books of the bible) was canonized during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah during the 7th year of King Artaxerxes.  Ezra and Nehemiah were both a part of the House of Judah. When Jesus died and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, the law was then written on all of our hearts.  This is when the obedience of the people then became unto HIM (Jesus the King).

Judah had a notable flaw in his character that was difficult to overcome; the love of money.  In Genesis 37, we read the story of how Judah and his brothers decided to kill Joseph because they were jealous of their Father’s love and favoritism toward him.  After conferring, they decided to throw him in a pit to die.  But Judah later assessed the situation and said, “What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?” (Gen. 37:26).

Judah was wired to make a profit. He suggested to sell Joseph, and made a bargain with the Midianite traders who agreed to purchase him for twenty silver coins. However, as time went by, it cost Judah much more: Judah’s shame led him away from his family and down a path of bad choices and personal loss.

After a season of heartache, Judah came back to his family with a repentant heart, and played a key role in leading his brother’s from famine to Goshen by sacrificing his life. It is through the trial of saving his littlest brother Benjamin that we can see a reformation in Judahs gift to negotiate and profit for kingdom purposes, rather than for selfish gain (Gen. 44:14-34).

Judas (Greek for Judah) Ischariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, also had this same weakness in his character that caused him to break God’s Commandments.  The Bible reveals his greedy heart in John 12:5 when Judas cannot understand why Mary poured costly fragrant oil on Jesus instead of selling the oil and giving it to the poor.  The scriptures go on to say in verse 6, “This he (Judas) said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box, and he used to take what was put in it.”

It wasn’t too long until we read about Judas betraying Jesus by making a bargain with the religious leaders for 30 silver coins (Mark 14:10,11). In both cases, the stronghold of the need for wealth was more powerful than family ties or intimate relationships. Judas, however, ends up taking his own life because of the guilt he bore in betraying Jesus.  

Jesus tells us how difficult the struggle is for those who have a gift to profit once they have accumulated wealth.

“Assuredly I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:23,24). 

Looking around the financial world today, many Jews are the world’s top financiers and control many of the banks, including the Federal Reserve. Left to selfish gain like Judas, they have been used to set up a world money system that is corrupt and never satisfied.  But like Judah, if they can submit to God’s headship, their gift can benefit the advancement of the Kingdom of God, especially in helping visions “take flight.”

There were three tribes, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, who were positioned around the Tabernacle on the east side to form a branch.  Judah’s banner of the lion represented this branch, and it was these tribes who worked together to move the whole army out when the Lord’s cloud by day and pillar of fire moved.  Judah was chosen to “sound the alarm!”

Starting with Nisan, we enter into the “spring season” with the Lord. This season has a pattern for new beginnings; new seeds to plant, new alliances, and new battles arise during this season.  Kings go to war, praise leads the way, and the authority of Judah sets the foundation. Coming out of the “winter” rest and revelation season guides and directs the movement of the Hebrew year beginnings.  Expect new doors to open up.

This month also honors God’s redemption plan as we celebrate and remember the Spring Feasts of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits (Lev.23).  All of these Feasts were a blueprint of how Jesus would fulfill God’s Covenant promises of redemption and reconciliation.  As we read the New Testament, Jesus fulfilled these Feasts completely through His death and resurrection (Luke 23,24).  Fifty days later, He fulfilled the final Spring Feast, Pentecost, when He sent the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).  

When Jesus rose from the dead, He presented Himself as the “FIRSTFRUITS” offering unto the Father in heaven.  Judah goes FIRST as Son of Man, and Son of God!  In doing so, Jesus made a way for heaven to come to earth in Holiness, and for a people (harvest) to be presented to the Father after He returns.  Thankfully, He sent the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of His return, and to empower us all to be a witness of Him (2 Cor. 1:22).

God gave us a key this month to individual intimate relationship with the Lord: REPENTANCE. Humbling ourselves under the Lord of Hosts (the one who rules over the armies of heaven and earth) connects and keeps us under HIS COVERING!

Through some of the Israelite Kings, such as Jehoshaphat, we can see the power of repentance and humility. Jehoshaphat understood complete dependence on seeking the Lord for His leadership. The minute he turned to the Lord, God gave him strategy, strength, and victory.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read about Jehoshaphat’s humility as he seeks the Lord when the odds were up against his army. “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (2 Chron. 20:3).

God gave Jehoshaphat a strategy of winning the war through PRAISE.  Jehoshaphat asked the worshippers to go before His army, and this opened heaven to help him overcome in time of need.

“Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated (2 Chron. 20:22).

The landscape of seeing the kingdom of heaven here on the earth will shift ahead through the praises of God’s people FIRST.

This month, above all else, God wants us to praise Him.  PRAISE HIM as you take flight! PRAISE HIM as you go into battle! PRAISE HIM because you have been CHOSEN to rule and reign in Him! PRAISE HIM for “FIRSTS!”  Your praise will spring you forward into the New Year!