RP 208 #2.1 THE FEASTS OF YHVH/YHWH ARE SPECIAL SABBATHS

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#2.11 The day of atonement

LEVITICUS 16:29-31
29 And this shall be a statute for ever to you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a foreigner who sojourns among you;
30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.
31 It shall be a Sabbath¹ of rest² to you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

LEVITICUS 23:32
32 It shall be to you a Sabbath¹ of rest², and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even to even, shall you celebrate your Sabbath¹.

Note 1: The word translated sabbath¹ (Hb. שַׁבַּת , Htr. shabbat) is the regular word for Sabbath throughout the Old Testament, and is never translated with any other meaning, but the word translated rest² (Hb. שַׁבָּתוֹן , Htr. shabbatôn) is variously described as meaning "a great Sabbath, a solemn Sabbath" (WG p804), and "Sabbath observance" (LAW p902). It is translated "rest" where it is used in conjunction with "shabbat", not only for the regular weekly Sabbath (Exodus 16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Leviticus 23:3), but also for the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31; 23:32), and for the seventh year of rest for the land (Leviticus 25:4). When used by itself, without "shabbat", it is translated "Sabbath" in connection with the feast of trumpets (Leviticus 23:24), and the feast of tabernacles (Leviticus 23:29 twice), but translated simply "rest" in connection with the seventh year of rest for the land (Leviticus 25:5).

Note 2: The Day of Atonement came on the tenth day of the seventh month every year. It began at even on the ninth day, and continued to even on the tenth day (Leviticus 23:32), and it was counted as a special Sabbath. Because it came on the same date every year, it would have to come on a different day of the week every year, so when it did not coincide with a weekly Sabbath, there would be two Sabbaths during that week.

#2.12 The feast of trumpets

LEVITICUS 23:23-25
23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
24 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a Sabbath², a memorial of blowing trumpets, a holy convocation.
25 You shall do no servile work in it: but you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.

Note: The feast of trumpets also occurred on the same date every year, the first day of the seventh month, and it was also a special Sabbath² (Htr. shabbaton See #2.11 Note 1). When it did not coincide with a regular weekly Sabbath, it would fall on a different day of the week each year, and there would be two Sabbaths during that week.

#2.13 The feast of tabernacles

LEVITICUS 23:33-36
33 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
34 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.
35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work in it.
36 Seven days shall you make an offering made by fire to the LORD: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you; and you shall make an offering made by fire to the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and you shall do no servile work in it.

LEVITICUS 23:39
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath², and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath².

Note: The feast of tabernacles also came on the same date every year, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and it was also a special sabbath² (Htr. shabbaton See #2.11 Note 1). When it did not coincide with the regular weekly Sabbath, it would fall on a different day of the week each year, and there would be two Sabbaths during that week.

#2.14 The Passover

LEVITICUS 23:4-5
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S Passover.

NUMBERS 28:16
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD.

Note: The Passover was on the fourteenth of the first month, Nisan (formerly called Abib). It was the day that the angel of death killed all the first born in Egypt, and passed over the children of Israel who displayed blood on their door posts (Exodus 12:7, 22). This was not a special Sabbath, but it was the day that the Passover lamb was killed (Exodus 12:6; 2 Chronicles 35:1; Luke 22:7), the same day that "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:" (1 Corinthians 5:7). It was the day that they prepared for the feast of unleavened bread, the day before the special Sabbath on the fifteenth of the month, and it was called "the preparation" (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31). Jesus died on the Passover, before the special Sabbath on the 15th, called "a high day" (John 19:31 KJV), and not before a weekly Sabbath.

#2.15 The feast of unleavened bread

LEVITICUS 23:1-8
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh is the Sabbath¹ of rest², a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work in it: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S Passover.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the LORD: seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
7 In the first day you shall have a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work in it.
8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work in it.

NUMBERS 28:16-18, 25
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
18 In the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no manner of servile work in it.
25 And on the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work.

Note 1: The point that we need to see here is that special days, which were counted as Sabbaths, were appointed for Israel to keep, and were separate from the regular weekly Sabbaths (Leviticus 23:3-8). These days were usually described using two particular phrases, "holy convocation" (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:24; 23:35-36; Numbers 28:18), and "you shall do no servile work" (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 16:29; 23:25; 23:35-36; Numbers 28:18). The same phrases are used to describe the regular weekly Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3). It is not said specifically in the Old Testament that the first day of the feast of unleavened bread was a Sabbath, but we can see that it was because it was described by these same two phrases (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:7; Numbers 28:18). In the New testament it is referred to as a Sabbath (Mark 16:1; John 19:31), and as it came on the same date every year, the fifteenth of the first month (Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17), then it would occur on a different day of the week every year. When it did not coincide with a regular weekly Sabbath, there would be two Sabbaths during that week. This is important for us to understand, because as we shall see, Jesus died the day before the feast day Sabbath, on the fifteenth day of the first month, called "a high day" (John 19:31 KJV), and not before the regular weekly Sabbath.

Note 2: We need also to make a distinction between the Passover, which was the fourteenth day of the month, and the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, which was on the fifteenth day of the month. On the Passover they ate unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8; Numbers 9:11; Deuteronomy 16:3; Mark 14:12), and on the first day of the feast they ate unleavened bread (Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:15). The Passover was referred to as "a feast day" (Luke 2:41; John 6:4; 13:1), just as the first day of the feast was (Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17; Matthew 26:5; Mark 14:2). The difference is that the first day of the feast of unleavened bread was a special Sabbath, also called "a high day" (John 19:31 KJV, or literally, "great was that Sabbath day". However, the Passover is not described as a Sabbath, or a day of rest; if it had been Jesus could not have been crucified on that day (John 19:31).
So here is the conclusion so far. Jesus was crucified on the Passover, the fourteenth day of the first month, and had to be buried on that day because the next day was the feast of unleavened bread, a great Sabbath, and he could not remain on the cross that day.

A Diagrammatic Representation of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened bread

Leviticus 23:4-8 and Numbers 28:16-18, 25

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#2.16 The timing of the days

LEVITICUS 23:32
32 It shall be to you a Sabbath¹ of rest², and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even to even, shall you celebrate your Sabbath¹.

Note 1: The words for Sabbath¹ and rest², shabbat and shabbaton, have been explained earlier (See #2.11 Note 1). The Jewish calendar works strictly according to the lunar cycle, there being 12 cycles per year of 29 days each. This makes 12 months having alternately 30 and 29 days each, giving a total of 354 days in the year. There is also a thirteenth month, Veadar or Adar Sheni, which is added 7 times every 19 years, to render the average length of the year nearly correct, and to keep the seasons in the proper months. Every month begins with a new moon, and the sacred year starts with the first day of Nisan (formerly Abib) which variously occurs between our March 22nd and April 25th throughout the 19 year cycle.

Note 2: The timing of the Jewish day, is not from midnight to midnight like our days are, but from even to even (Leviticus 23:32), or sunset to sunset. At the Passover time of year, which we call Easter, it would probably be about 6 p.m. our time when their day starts. They describe their time either as hours of the day, or hours of the night, and as there are twelve hours in the day (John 11:9), then there are also twelve hours in the night. As the length of the day varies, so the length of their hour varies also. So we can find various expressions in scripture, such as, "the third hour of the day." (Acts 2:15), "the ninth hour of the day" (Acts 10:3), "the same hour of the night," (Acts 16:33), and "the third hour of the night;" (Acts 23:23), which all show how the bible writers recorded their time. So let us make a note of a typical day in Jewish time, around the Passover time of year, and compare it to our time for reference.

Death, burial, and resurrection bible quiz

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