What was Jesus' divine mission? In this sermon, discover the profound reasons why Jesus came into the world as outlined in Isaiah 61:1-2 and 1 Timothy 1:15. From preaching to the spiritually poor to saving sinners, this message unveils the heart of Christ's purpose.

https://youtu.be/-XSpsBOI3c0

Table of contentsJesus is the Anointed OneJesus Came Into the World to Preach to the Spiritually PoorEverything Flows from the GospelJesus Came Into the World to Heal Broken HeartsJesus Came Into the World to Provide Spiritual FreedomThe Two People on the Road to Emmaus Misunderstood Jesus's First ComingJohn the Baptist Misunderstood Jesus's First ComingThe Worst Slavery Is Spiritually to SinJesus Came Into the World to Give Us GraceJesus Came Into the World to Save SinnersThe Day of Vengeance of Our GodWe Receive God’s Favor or VengeanceThe Favor of Jesus's First ComingNo Mention of Jesus Being a King

Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, asked people to describe their job in one sentence. Here are the top six responses he received:

A pilot said, “My job is to spend most of the day looking out the window.”

A security guard said, “My job is to run away and call the police.”

A university professor said, “My job is to talk in other people’s sleep.”

A photographer said, “My job is to shoot couples on their wedding day!”

A flight attendant said, “My job is to ‘Be so fly!’”

A real estate agent said, “My job is to house people in.”

Isaiah 61:1 describes Jesus’s job in one sentence:

Isaiah 61:1b bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, [open] the prison to those who are bound, [and] proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

Jesus was anointed to do these five things. We’ll look at each one to appreciate why Jesus came into the world.

Let’s back up to the beginning of Isaiah 61:1 to get the context:

Isaiah 61:1a “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

These verses are in the first person. The prophet Isaiah wrote them, but we are to read them as though Jesus is saying them through Isaiah.

Jesus is the Anointed One

These first few words are fascinating because the Trinity, or God’s triune nature, wasn’t as evident in the Old Testament as the New. But this is verse shows all three Persons of the Godhead: The Spirit is God the Holy Spirit, the Lord God is God the Father, and "Me" is God the Son. Then Jesus says:

Isaiah 61:1b Because the Lord has anointed Me

The Hebrew word for anointed is māšaḥ, from which we get our English word “Messiah.” The Greek word for anointed is christos, from which we get our English word “Christ.” Christ and Messiah both mean anointed, but one is in Hebrew and one is Greek. Saying Jesus is the Christ or Messiah is saying He’s the Anointed One.

People were anointed to be set apart for a special ministry or purpose. Even though many people were anointed, Jesus is thee Anointed One. He was set apart for a special ministry or purpose, which is beautifully described in the rest of the verse.

Jesus Came Into the World to Preach to the Spiritually Poor

The first thing Jesus came into the world to do:

Isaiah 61:1c to bring good news to the poor

Gospel means good news. Jesus was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. This might surprise you because you think, “Didn’t Jesus preach the gospel to everyone? Why only the poor? Did He have a problem with the rich?”

The verse is not financial. It is spiritual. This doesn’t mean Jesus preached the gospel to the spiritually poor as though some were spiritually rich. It would be better to understand this as Jesus came to preach the gospel to those who recognized they were spiritually poor. We are all spiritually poor, but we don’t all recognize it.

People who recognize their spiritual poverty know they are sinners. They know they have nothing valuable to buy or earn their way into heaven.

Discover the signs of the end times as explained through Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:7 and Mark 13:8. Delve into the meaning of "The Beginning of Birth Pains," revealing what these events signify and how they prepare us for Christ’s return. Learn how the disciples misunderstood the timeline of Jesus' kingdom and the temple's destruction, and explore how these prophecies unfold in our world today. This sermon provides deep insights into biblical prophecy, helping you grow in faith and understanding.

https://youtu.be/v0NRBRV6Ifg

Table of contentsThe Disciples Mistakenly Thought Jesus Would Set Up His kingdom SoonThe Disciples Mistakenly Thought the Temple’s Destruction Meant the End of the WorldThe Disciples Asked Two Separate QuestionsThe Disciples' Questions Were Separated By Thousands of YearsJesus Didn't Answer the Questions In OrderThe Confusion Over the Olivet DiscourseThe Beginning of Birth PainsBirth Pains Reveal We Are Getting CloserWhy Birth Pains Are a Fitting MetaphorBirth Pains Will Be SupernaturalThe Beginning of Birth Pains Is Sudden and Unescapable

Let’s go back 17 ½ years to May or June 2007, when Katie and I lived in Lemoore, California. This was exciting because we were close to meeting our first child, Rhea Grace. Katie started having contractions, and that meant one thing to me: “She’s having the baby!” But Katie had lots of contractions without having a baby. This is when I remember hearing for the first time a name that has come up ten times and will more than likely come up again in about six more months: Braxton Hicks. Braxton Hicks are the contractions named after the English physician John Braxton Hicks who first wrote about contractions women feel without being near birth.

Even though there were many times I wrongly thought Katie was going into labor, it became obvious when she did. We were having Bible study together in our living room. She bent down to get a cup of water, and her water broke. That’s probably all the details you want, so I will stop there.

The Bible uses pregnancy as one of the most common metaphors for Jesus’s Second Coming: Jesus’s Second Coming is the birth, and the events leading up to His coming are the beginning of birth pains. As obvious as it was when Katie went into labor, it will be even more obvious when Jesus returns.

The Disciples Mistakenly Thought Jesus Would Set Up His kingdom Soon

The disciples didn't think there would be a Second Coming because they didn’t think Jesus was going away:

Luke 19:11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

I can’t overemphasize the importance of this verse in capturing the view of Jesus. Notice it says, “They supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” The disciples don’t think Jesus is going to be killed. They don’t think Jesus will leave them. They don’t think Jesus will return later to set up His kingdom. Here’s a simple way to say it: They don’t think the end times are thousands of years in the future. They think the end times are later that week.

Jesus “was near Jerusalem.” He’s about to make His triumphal entry. He’s entering Jerusalem to be rejected and crucified, but the people think He will sit on the throne of David and rule and reign over an earthly, physical kingdom. The sentiment was stronger than ever. Jesus prevented people from making Him King:

John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

He followed the divine timeline set by Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, which identified the day Jesus would make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and be received as King. So, He couldn’t be made King before that. The Triumphal Entry was His coronation. He allowed the people to identify Him as King:

Luke 19:38 saying,

In John 2:3, 7:6, and 7:8 why did Jesus say, “My hour has not yet come”? Jesus followed a divine timeline because His Father ordained every event in His life. This is why we see Him saying He "must" do certain things, why He avoided being killed and arrested at certain times, and even why He avoided becoming King before the triumphal entry.

Table of contentsThe Times Jesus Said He Must Do ThingsThe Times Jesus Said, "My Hour Has Not Yet Come"The Times Jesus Avoided Being KilledThe Times Jesus Avoided Being ArrestedThe Times Jesus Said He Told People to Be Silent About Their HealingThe Times Jesus Said He People to Be Silent About His MessiahshipWhen Jesus Said His Hour Had ComeWhen Jesus Presented Himself as KingJesus Fulfilled Daniel's Seventy Weeks

Jesus followed a divine timeline because His Father ordained every event in His life. This is why we see Him saying He "must" do certain things, why He avoided being killed and arrested at certain times, and even why He avoided becoming King before the triumphal entry.

The Times Jesus Said He Must Do Things

When Jesus was left behind at the temple:

Luke 2:48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”

Notice Jesus’s use of the word “must.” He didn’t use “should” or “wants to,” but must. There’s urgency about the things He’s doing.

Just in Luke’s Gospel, consider the time Jesus said He “must” do other things:

Luke 13:33 I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following

Luke 19:5 Jesus told Zacchaeus, “I must stay at your house.”

Luke 24:7 I must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again

He also said He must fulfill Scripture:

Luke 22:37 [What] is written about Me must be accomplished

Luke 24:44 All things must be fulfilled which were written…concerning Me.”

The Times Jesus Said, "My Hour Has Not Yet Come"

This is the wedding at Cana. They ran out of wine…

John 2:3 When the wine ran out, [Mary said], “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

Mary wanted Jesus to perform a miracle. Jesus was going to perform miracles, so why not now?

Because this meant getting the events out of order. This had him performing a miracle before it was time.

John 7:6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.

John 7:8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”

The Times Jesus Avoided Being Killed

Think of the times people tried to seize Jesus, but He always escaped. Jesus returned to Nazareth. The people expected him to perform the same miracles in his hometown that they heard about him performing elsewhere…

Luke 4:23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”

When Jesus told the people he wouldn’t be performing miracles in Nazareth, because of their unbelief, they were not happy about it…

Luke 4:28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

For a moment, picture what this looked like. They brought Jesus to the top of a hill so they could throw him down. He has a cliff on one side and the crowd on the other. But somehow he was able to maneuver through the people to avoid a premature death. Here are two other examples…

John 8:59 So they picked up stones to throw at him,

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks prophesied the destruction of the second temple: “The people (Romans) of the prince (antichrist) who is to come shall destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (temple)” (Daniel 9:26). At the Triumphal Entry Jesus prophesied through tears that Jerusalem would be destroyed, but the disciples thought the temple would never be destroyed (again). Then, Jesus began the Olivet Discourse with this astounding statement: “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Luke 21:6).

https://youtu.be/vUUr4weFwdc

Table of contentsDaniel Prophesied the Messiah Would Die as a CriminalDaniel Prophesied the Messiah Would Lose EverythingThe People of the Prince Who Is to ComeDaniel Prophesied the Destruction of the Second TempleThe Two DecreesJeremiah’s Weeping for the Jews Prefigured Jesus’s Weeping for the JewsJesus's Response After the Triumphal EntryJesus Prophesied that the Romans Would Destroy JerusalemThe Context for the Olivet DiscourseJesus Prophesied the Destruction of the Second Temple

I read an article from Popular Mechanics titled, The World's 10 Toughest Buildings. I’ll share the top three with you.

Number three is One World Trade Center in New York, the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex. At 1,776 feet, it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and can withstand powerful winds.

Number two is Torre Mayor in Mexico City, a 738-foot-tall office tower that can withstand an earthquake of 8.5 on the Richter Scale. In 2003, when a 7.6 earthquake hit, the workers inside didn’t feel the tremors.

Number one is Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, a 1,667-foot tower 660 feet from a major fault line. The design incorporates many features that enable the structure to withstand the Pacific Ring of Fire's earthquakes and tropical storms.

If the Jews in the Old Testament wrote this Popular Mechanics article, Solomon’s Temple might have topped the list of the world’s toughest buildings. If the Jews in the New Testament wrote this Popular Mechanics article, Herod’s Temple might have topped the list. But both of these temples were destroyed. The destruction of the second temple was prophesied in Daniel 9:26 and Luke 21:6.

Daniel Prophesied the Messiah Would Die as a Criminal

Daniel 9:26a And after the sixty-two weeks, an Anointed One shall be cut off

After 62 weeks, Jesus made His Triumphal Entry, and five days later, He was crucified ("cut off"). It unfolded precisely as Daniel prophesied. The words “cut off” mean more than just that Jesus would die. The Hebrew word for killed or died, mûṯ, occurs 835 times in the Old Testament. But the Hebrew word for "cut off" is kāraṯ, and it refers to a guilty person being cut off or killed because of his sin:

Genesis 9:11 [God said], “I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off (kāraṯ) by the waters of the flood.”

Proverbs 2:22 the wicked will be cut off (kāraṯ) from the earth.

Psalm 37:9 evildoers shall be cut off (kāraṯ).

The word for “cut off” is used 20 times in Leviticus to describe people who have to be executed or cut off because of their sin. Daniel didn’t prophesy that Jesus would die a natural death. Instead, he prophesied that He would die as a guilty criminal. And this wasn’t the only Old Testament verse making this prophecy. Isaiah 53:12 says, "He was numbered with the transgressors."

Daniel prophesied that Jesus would die for His sin. You might cringe when I say that because we know Jesus was sinless, but when our sins were imputed to Christ, they became His sins: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). When our sins were put to Jesus’ account, He became the guiltiest Person in history. And Daniel prophesied He would die a guilty criminal’s death.

Daniel 9:24-25 loosely reads, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and your holy city…from the going forth of the command to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be sixty-nine weeks” or 483 years. The seventy weeks of Daniel contain one of the most remarkable prophecies in Scripture, identifying the day Jesus made His triumphal entry: April 6, 32AD. Read the notes or listen to the teaching!

Table of contentsWhy Seventy Years in Exile?Background to the Seventy Weeks of DanielThe Bible Is Meant to Be Taken Literally When AppropriateThe Bible Is Meant to Be UnderstoodThe Importance of the Seventy Weeks of DanielUnderstanding the Seventy Weeks of DanielSix Things Accomplished By the End of the Seventy Weeks of DanielRestoring and Building JerusalemMessiah the Prince Comes after Sixty-Nine WeeksFour Possible Dates of the Decree to Restore and Build JerusalemThe First Possible Decree in 538 BCThe Second Possible Decree in 517 BCThe Third Possible DecreeThe Fourth (and Correct) Decree on March 14, 445 BCWhy Seven Weeks and Sixty-Two Weeks Versus Sixty-Nine Weeks?Why Add, "A Prince”?Why Can't We Add 483 Years to March 14, 445 BC?The Seventy Weeks of Daniel Is a Time-Sensitive Prophecy

The prophet Jeremiah warned the Jews that the Babylonians would conquer them if they didn’t repent. The Jews didn’t repent, so Babylon conquered the Jews and brought them into exile in Babylon.

Jeremiah 25:11 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste.

The land is Judah. After God used the Babylonians to punish the Jews for their wickedness, He punished the Babylonians for their wickedness when the Medes and Persians conquered them under King Cyrus, who then allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem in three waves. We read about this in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Jeremiah 29:10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.

Jeremiah was writing from Jerusalem, so “this place” is Jerusalem.

Why Seventy Years in Exile?

We get the answer in 2 Chronicles 36. Here's the context: The Jews were supposed to let the land rest every seventh year. In other words, the land was supposed to receive its own Sabbath. The Jews were supposed to walk by faith and trust God to provide enough in the sixth year to last them through the seventh year. But there’s no record of the Jews ever doing this once in 490 years. For 490 years, the land missed seventy Sabbath years. So, God removed the Jews from the land for seventy years so it could experience the rest it was supposed to have:

2 Chronicles 36:20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

This refers to Jeremiah’s prophecy, which we read in Jeremiah 25:11-12 and Jeremiah 29:10, that the Jews would be in exile for seventy years.

Background to the Seventy Weeks of Daniel

Daniel is one of the Jewish exiles in Babylon. He read the prophet Jeremiah’s writings and learned the Jews were going to be in exile for 70 years. The authors of the Scriptures set an excellent example for us by reading each other’s writings. We also have an example in the New Testament when Peter read Paul’s writings and said they could be hard to understand:

2 Peter 3:16 There are some things in [Pauls’ writings] that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction,

In Luke 21:24, Jesus said, “[The Jews] will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” The times of the Jews ended in 70 AD when Jerusalem was conquered, the Jews were dispersed, and the times of the Gentiles began. Romans 11:25 says, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (or until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled).” The Jews’ rejection of Christ lasts until the full number of Gentiles are saved.

https://youtu.be/INu5ZQln-i4

Table of contentsThe Times of the Gentiles is the Church AgeThe Gospel Went to the Jews FirstThe Gospel Went to the Gentiles When the Jews Rejected ItGod Used the Gentiles to Make the Jews JealousThe Times of the Gentiles Should Make Us Feel HumbleThe Times of the Gentiles Should Make Us Feel FearfulDoes Romans 11 Teach We Can Lose Our Salvation?"Until the Fullness of the Gentiles Has Come In” Means “Until the Times of the Gentiles Is Fulfilled.”God's Ultimate Demonstration of Kindness and Severity

There are two different times. First, there was the time of the Jews. Then, there was the times of the Gentiles. In Luke 21:24, Jesus said, "[The Jews] will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

Jesus prophesied that the times of the Jews would end in 70 AD when Jerusalem was conquered, the Jews were dispersed, and the times of the Gentiles began. The times of the Gentiles would last until the end of the church age, and then the times of the Jews would resume for Daniel’s 70th week or seven more years.

The Times of the Gentiles is the Church Age

The fourth feast, Pentecost, looked forward to the church's “harvest.” This feast is described in Leviticus 23:15-22, and verse 17 says, "You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.

During the feast of Pentecost, people would bring out two loaves of bread that they would wave. These two loaves represent the harvest. Surprisingly, the two loaves were baked with leaven! Weeks earlier, when the Jews celebrated the Feast of Unleavened, they were told that if they ate leaven, they would be killed: "Whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel" (Exodus 12:15 and Exodus 12:19).

Can you imagine how shocking it was for the Jews to move from the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they would be killed for eating leaven, to the feast of Pentecost, when they were supposed to bake two loaves with leaven? How do we explain that? It makes perfect sense if we understand what each feast looked forward to. Leaven is a picture or type of sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread looked forward to Jesus’s sinless or unleavened body in the grave. But Pentecost looked forward to the spiritual harvest when Jews and Gentiles were coming into the church, and we are filled with leaven or sin.

Why two loaves versus one loaf or three loaves? Many scholars believe that because the two leaves represent the harvest, they also likely represent the two groups that make up the harvest: Jews and Gentilesone loaf for each.

The Gospel Went to the Jews First

We start to see the harvest that Pentecost looked forward to beginning on Pentecost and continuing through the book of Acts. After Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, Acts 2:41 says, "Those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls." Then, a little while later, Acts 4:4, says, "Many of those who heard the word believed,

As a pastor, I have often been asked if Christians should celebrate the seven biblical feasts in Leviticus 23. The common answer is that we don’t celebrate the feasts because Jesus fulfilled them. But in Leviticus 23:14, 21, 31, and 41, God said the feasts should be celebrated forever, and in 1 Corinthians 5:8, Paul wrote, “Therefore let us keep the feast by...” referring to the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread. If God wanted people to stop celebrating the feasts when Jesus fulfilled them, why would He command people to celebrate them forever, and why would Paul say to celebrate them? Read on, watch, or listen to find out!

https://youtu.be/nsAhfHLo2H8

Table of contentsCelebrating Spiritually Versus PhysicallyKeep the Feast of Passover By Believing Jesus Is the Lamb of GodKeep the Feast of Unleavened Bread By Removing SinRemoving Sin Corporately and PersonallyMust Be Passover Followed By the Feast of Unleavened BreadKeep the Feast of Firstfruits By Believing in the ResurrectionKeep the Feast of Pentecost with a Circumcised HeartWhen the Jews Finally Experienced Spiritual Circumcision of the HeartNo Guarantee Spiritual Circumcision Will OccurWhy Such Different Responses to Similar Sermons?Celebrating in the True and Greaqter Way

As a pastor, I have often been asked, "Do we celebrate the seven Old Testament feasts today?" The simple, quick answer is no, because Jesus fulfilled them for us. Orthodox Jews who don’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah keep celebrating the feasts because they don’t see Jesus as the fulfillment of them.

Let me briefly review the ways the feasts find their fulfillment in Christ. Jesus fulfilled the first four spring feasts in His first coming:

Passover began the first month of the Hebrew calendar and looked forward to Jesus’s crucifixion on Passover as our Passover Lamb.

The second feast, Unleavened Bread began the following day, and looked forward to Jesus’s burial when His sinless or unleavened body was in the grave.

The third feast, Firstfruits, occurred on Sunday in the middle of Unleavened Bread and looked forward to Jesus’s resurrection. This is why Jesus is called the firstfruits of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.

The space of seven weeks, or 49 days, between the third and fourth feasts looked forward to the seven weeks between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension when He revealed Himself to over 500 witnesses.

The fourth feast, Pentecost, is also called the Feast of Weeks because it was seven weeks after Firstfruits. It looked forward to the church's birth when Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit.

We look forward to Jesus fulfilling the three fall feasts in His Second Coming:

He will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets at the rapture when He meets the church in the air.

He will fulfill The Day of Atonement during the tribulation when He pours out his wrath on a world that rejected him, which is why in Revelation 6:16 people cry out to be hidden from “the wrath of the Lamb.”

He will fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths when He returns, establishes His millennial kingdom on earth, and dwells or Tabernacles among us.

But let me share something interesting with you. Consider these verses in Leviticus 23, the chapter describing the seven feasts:

Leviticus 23:14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: IT IS A STATUTE FOREVER THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS IN ALL YOUR DWELLINGS.

God told the Israelites to celebrate Firstfruits forever.

Leviticus 23:21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. IT IS A STATUTE FOREVER in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

God told the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost forever.

Leviticus 23:31 You shall not do any work. IT IS A STATUTE FOREVER throughout your generations in all your dwelli...

The four spring feasts point to Jesus's first coming and are covered in this post. The three fall feasts, described in Leviticus 23:23-44, look forward to His Second Coming. This video explores the profound significance of these three feasts. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) symbolizes the Rapture, where Jesus gathers His church; the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) looks ahead to the Tribulation and "the Wrath of the Lamb"; and the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Succoth) signifies the Millennium when Jesus will "tabernacle" among us.

https://youtu.be/syg27sqJXP0

Table of contentsThe Spring Feasts Reveal the Lamb of God, and the Fall Feasts Reveal the Lion of the Tribe of JudahThe Six-Month “Gap” Between the Spring and Fall Feasts Represents the Church AgeThe First Fall Feast of the Lord, Trumpets, Looks Forward to the Rapture When Jesus Gathers His ChurchDoes the Feast of Trumpets Give Us the Date of the Rapture?The Second Fall Feast of the Lord, the Day of Atonement, Looks Forward to the Tribulation and “Wrath of the Lamb”The Third Fall Feast of the Lord, Tabernacles, Looks Forward to the Millennium When Jesus “Tabernacles” Among UsThe Connection Between the Feast of Tabernacles and the MillenniumDid the Feast of Trumpets Look Back on Christ Dwelling with Israel in the Wilderness?The Fall Feasts of the Lord Demonstrate God's Love

My last post examined the first four spring feasts, and in this post, I will examine the last three fall feasts. I want to capture the transition between the spring and fall feasts.

The Spring Feasts Reveal the Lamb of God, and the Fall Feasts Reveal the Lion of the Tribe of Judah

If I worded this heading differently, it would be, “The spring feasts reveal the Suffering Servant, and the fall feasts reveal the Coming King.”

God often uses animals to picture kingdoms. For example:

In Jeremiah 5 and 49, a lion and eagle represent Babylon.

In Ezekiel 17 and 19, an eagle and crocodile represent Egypt.

Probably most famously, in Daniel 7:

A lion represents Babylon

A bear represents Medo-Persia

A leopard represents Greece

And a fourth, monstrous beast represents Rome

God also uses animals two animals to represent Christ’s Kingdom, and we see them in the seven feasts:

The four spring feasts looked forward to Jesus’s First Coming as the Lamb of God.

The three fall feasts look forward to Jesus’s Second Coming as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Just as the first four feasts go together and looked forward to Jesus’s First Coming, the three fall feasts go together and look forward to Jesus’s Second Coming. They all occur within about 20 days of each other: Tishri 1 to Tishri 21 or September 21 to October 11.

The Six-Month “Gap” Between the Spring and Fall Feasts Represents the Church Age

Leviticus 23:5 IN THE FIRST MONTH, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord's Passover.

Passover occurred in the first month.

Leviticus 23:23 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.

This is the fifth feast, Trumpets, which occurred “in the seventh month.” So, there is a six-month gap between the spring and fall feasts of the Lord. They are separated by as much time as possible. If the feasts were any further apart, they would be closer together on the other end of the calendar. This six-month gap represents the church age or “gap” between Jesus’s two comings.

I use the word “gap” because if you’re familiar with Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, this gap should make you think of the “gap” between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks.

The First Fall Feast of the Lord, Trumpets, Looks Forward to the Rapture When Jesus Gathers His Church

Leviticus 23:23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying,

How did Jesus fulfill the biblical feasts in Leviticus 23? The seven feasts are divided into two groups. This post examines the four spring feasts that look to Jesus's first coming. Here are the three fall feasts that look to Jesus's Second Coming. Each feast was fulfilled when celebrated: Jesus was crucified on Passover (Pesach), Jesus's sinless (unleavened body) was buried during Unleavened Bread (Hag Hamatzot), Jesus was resurrected on Firstfruits (Hag HaBikkurim), and the church was born on Pentecost or Weeks (Shavuot). 

https://youtu.be/RNeIGbVYcIA

How did Jesus fulfill the biblical feasts? The fall feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost look to the First Coming.

Table of contentsLooking to Jesus's First ComingThe First Biblical Feast, Passover (Pesach), Looked Forward to Jesus’s CrucifixionThe Second Biblical Feast, Unleavened Bread (Hag Hamatzot), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Unleavened Body in the GraveJesus's Unleavened Body Couldn't Remain in the GraveThe Third Biblical Feast, Firstfruits (Hag HaBikkurim), Looked Forward to Jesus’s ResurrectionWhat Are Firstfruits?The Fourth Biblical Feast, Pentecost or Weeks (Shavuot), Looked Forward to the Church's “Harvest”The Seven Weeks Between the Third and Fourth FeastsThe Sabbath Looked Forward to the Rest Christ OffersChrist's True and Greater RestWhat Did the Hebrews Understand?

The seven biblical feasts are divided into two groups. The four fall feasts fall feasts look to Jesus’s First Coming, and all were fulfilled when they were celebrated:

Jesus was crucified on Passover

Jesus’s sinless, or unleavened body, was buried during the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Jesus was resurrected on Firstfruits

The church began on Pentecost

The three spring feasts, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, look to Jesus's Second Coming, and because the fall feasts were fulfilled when the feasts were celebrated, it is reasonable to expect the spring feasts to be fulfilled when they are celebrated.

The first feast, Passover, began the first month of the Hebrew calendar, Nissan 14, our March 30.1

The feast of firstfruits is below the feast of unleavened bread, because firstfruits took place during unleavened bread.

Seven weeks passed between the third and fourth feasts looking forward to the seven weeks between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension when He revealed himself to over 500 witnesses.

There is a six-month gap between Nisan, when the fall feasts begin, and Tishri, the seventh month when the spring feasts begin. This six-month gap represents the church age or gap between Jesus’s two comings.

Looking to Jesus's First Coming

Leviticus 23:4 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.

The Hebrew word for feasts is môʿēḏ, which means “appointed times,” which is why many Bibles refer to the feasts as appointed feasts instead of only feasts. This is the first of four times in verses two through four that the word appointed is used. God wants us to know these feasts are appointed. Why the repetition? God carefully planned their timing and sequence to point toward Christ and the work He would accomplish in His First and Second Comings.

The First Biblical Feast, Passover (Pesach), Looked Forward to Jesus’s Crucifixion

Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord's Passover.

1 Corinthians 5:7b Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Every Passover looked forward to Christ, our Passover lamb, who was crucified on Passover:

Matthew 26:2 the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

John 19:13 Pilate…brought Jesus out, and…14 it was the day of preparation of the Passover.

At the same time the lambs were being prepared to be slaughtered for the Passover meal, Jesus was being prepared to be slaughtered for our sins.

The nature of the thousand years, or millennium, in Revelation 20:1-8, is widely debated. The four views of the end times are postmillennialism, amillennialism, premillennialism, and preterism. Maybe you wonder what each view means. Hopefully, this answers that for you!

https://youtu.be/llJDdYqts0U

The four views of the end times are postmillennialism, amillennialism, premillennialism, and preterism. Learn what each view means.

Table of contentsWhat Is the Millennium?The Four Views of the End TimesPostmillennialism's View of the End Times: Christ Returns After the Millennium and Rules in Believers’ HeartsAmillennialism's View of the End Times: The Church Age Is the Millennium, and Christ Rules Through the ChurchPostmillennialism and Amillennialism Avoid Literal InterpretationsSatan Is Not ImprisonedPremillennialism's View of the End Times: Christ Returns Before the Millennium and Physically Rules on the EarthPreterismFull Preterism: Christ Returned in 70 A.D., and all Prophecy Is FulfilledJesus's Second Coming Is Physically and BodilyFull Preterism Is HeresyPartial Preterism: Christ Will Return and Some Prophecy Is FulfilledHow Preterists Arrive at Their InterpretationAre We Ready for Jesus's Second Coming?

If you have been in the church for long, you’ve heard people talk about being amill, post mill, and premill. You probably know these describe people’s eschatology or view of the end times. But maybe you wonder what each view means. Hopefully, this sermon will answer that for you!

I'm a premillennialist, but I will do my best to present the opposing views respectfully and share the names of respected people who hold each view.

What Is the Millennium?

The suffix mill in each view is short for millennium. The most explicit passage describing the millennium is in Revelation 20. Look at verse one:

Revelation 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit (or abyss) and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

The pit, or abyss, is the temporary prison for demons who sinned by possessing people in Noah’s day and throughout history. You might remember when Jesus cast the demons out of the man in the country of the Gerasenes in Luke 8:31. They begged Jesus not to cast them into the abyss. Demons are locked up here until released as part of the 5th Trumpet Judgment in Revelation 9. The abyss also ends up being the prison for the devil during the millennium.

The millennium is named from the repeated use of the phrase “thousand years” six times in verses 2 through 7.

Revelation 20:3 and threw him into the pit (or abyss), and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

The devil is imprisoned in the abyss for one thousand years and then released. As we'll see, he isn’t cast straight into hell because God has one more task for him. There’s a real emphasis on the devil deceiving the world because it’s mentioned four times in Revelation 19:20, 20:3, 8, 10. It’s interesting that of all the devil’s evils, this is the reason he’s locked up. Revelation 12:9 says he’s the deceiver of the world. He shows up on the pages of Scripture deceiving Eve, and his final actions before being cast into hell also involve deceiving people.

I’m convinced the world will be dramatically different when the devil is locked up and cannot deceive anyone. Please keep that in mind when we discuss each view.

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

After the millennium, the devil is released and returns to deceiving people. His 1,