The basis of our analysis is that the first creation models the final creation. As such, we will search for parallels between the events of the first and final creation. That the first creation was marked by seven days suggests the possibility that the second creation will also be marked with seven “days”. But where the first creation emphasized the physical, the latter creation is spiritual. Thus, even if the author of Genesis had in mind that creation happened in seven physical days, it does not constrain the days of the second creation to physical days. The evidence presented thus far favors that the seven days of the new creation should be interpreted as “spiritual days”. Other parallels may also exist, such as the pattern of three days of bounding, three days of filling and a final day of rest.
If we are to assert that the second creation is likely marked with seven spiritual days, we must find candidate possibilities from Scripture, recognizing that if the candidate possibilities have their origin in the Old Testament, then we should also expect some reinterpretation from physical to spiritual. If so, it must be explained and shown consistent with the pattern prior shown (see creation posts). But before deep-diving, we must first establish the meaning of “day” while examining its other uses in the Old Testament. This activity is particularly important given recent assertions promoting the notion that the use of “day” in the Genesis 1 creation-narrative must reflect a twenty-four hour time period. We must show that even if this exegetical conclusion is reached, it does not preclude some reinterpretation of the meaning of day in later Old Testament or New Testament passages. This will be our beginning point in the discussion of the timing of God’s eschatological plan.
The Meaning of Day and its Prophetic Significance
The Genesis 1 creation-narrative seems to reveal that “day” represents the period of time that includes both evening and morning (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19,23, 31). Upon closer inspection however, the marker for evening and morning is applied to the first six days but not the seventh (Genesis 2:2-3). Oddly, the seventh day lacks the refrain “and there was evening and there was morning”. This is likely no oversight, pointing toward an important ethical and eschatological difference between the seventh day and the other six. [[1]
There is a second marker that also points away from the idea that the author of the creation-narrative intended a twenty-four hour time period for the days of creation. It is found in Genesis 2:4b (AV), “in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens”. After describing creation in seven days, the author then summarizes all creation as one day. It is striking that the author used the word “day”, rather than “days”, the more obvious choice. More striking is it that no redaction was done to change the word to its plural form. It again suggests that there is theological meaning hidden in the choice of word that must be teased from the narrative, if not from broader Scripture. That the word used here is יוֹם yowm, the same word used in all the other occurrences of “day” in the Genesis 1 creation-narrative is significant. If all the other occurrences are to be interpreted as a twenty-four hour time periods, then what exegetical basis do we have for assigning a different meaning here? If a different meaning is to be proffered, there must be exegetical justification. We would claim that these two unexpected exceptions suggest the author had something else in mind (something other than to portray that the creation was completed in seven twenty-four hour days.
Not surprisingly, Strong’s Concordance provides multiple meanings for yowm. These include temporal periods, the working or daylight portion of the day and general references to time. Thus, yowm can have as its meaning an indeterminant length of time. The word “day” can also be a marker for important time periods when God may be accomplishing specific purposes. A search of Scripture shows widespread application in expressions such as “Day of Atonement”, “Day of Firstfruits”, “Day of Blowing of Trumpets”, “day of the assembly”, “day of temptation”, “Day of the Lord”, “day of vengeance”, “day of evil”, “day of his [fierce] anger”, “day of trouble”, “day of wrath”, “day of thy pride”, “day of indignation”, “day of Jezreel”, “day of rebuke”, “day of judgment”, “Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread”, “Day of Pentecost”, “Day of our Lord Jesus Christ”, “day of salvation”, “day of redemption”, “day of slaughter”, “day of visitation” and “Day of God”. It is not necessary to analyze all these occurrences as it is obvious that many of these expressions should not be restricted to a specific length of time and certainly not 24 hours. Rather, one can see a deeper significance applied to the term “day”, particularly when specific expressions are recognized to be prophetic or eschatological, such as the Day of the Lord, day of temptation, day of vengeance, day of evil or day of his [fierce] anger. It is clear to the overwhelming number of exegetes that these days are general time-periods marked by specific conditions described in the expression. There is no justification for forcing a constraint of 24 hours.
But what about the Day of Atonement, Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Day of Firstfruits, Day of Blowing of Trumpets, Day of the Lord and Day of Pentecost? While these days were generally considered twenty-four hour days (the day of the feast of unleavened bread, the day of Trumpets, the Day of Feast of Booths would mark the first day of a multi-day celebration), nevertheless, certain cultic rituals were performed during the day-light portion of the day. What do these festivals mark? Could they be potentially eschatological?
We have already argued that the Sabbath day had an eschatological understanding among ancient and modern Jews. There is even the unexpected expression “the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heaven” (AV) in Genesis 2:4, where the seven days of creation are summarized as one day. What shall we make of this day? Could it be that too little attention has been paid to these “days”?
While we cannot yet conclude that these feast-days are eschatological, we can conclude based upon the uses of yowm in the creation-narrative that there is no firm exegetical reason to constrain meaning to a firm time period of twenty-four hours. Given the markers regarding the seventh day and “in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens”, we are exegetically safer to allow a more general time period. Yet even if some would conclude that the author intended a twenty-four hour time period, the later expressions found in Scripture support reinterpretation of yowm, most evident with prophetic expressions.
It suggests that while much effort has been devoted to arguing for a twenty-four hour time period in the creation narrative, it is unnecessary and potentially distracts from deeper meanings the author may have intended. The problem is that much of the analysis has as its core the search for a scientific explanation of the origins of our cosmos. However, creation models redemption. Creation studies then, are better focused upon a search for an eschatological meaning in the narrative. [2] Rather than provide an exhaustive study of the eschatological uses of “day”, parallels will be sought between the Levitical Feast days and the days of creation with the hope to show how creation models redemption.
The Old Testament Significance of the Seven Feast Days
If we are to postulate a seven “day” progressive cycle for the new creation, it is logical to begin our analysis at the end of Scripture where we find John declaring “I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1). In John’s vision, we see the consummation of the second creation. All God’s work has been completed with the creation of a new heaven, a new earth and a new Jerusalem.
It suggests that the seven “day” cycle should end with the completion of God’s creation which would usher in a Sabbath day, an eternal Sabbath of rest for His people. This would symbolically represent the seventh day, a day set apart, holy to the Lord. Similarly, we can mark the beginning of the second creation with Jesus’ (birth), death and resurrection, described using new-creation language. Christ’s coming, or perhaps His death, then, would mark the first “day” of the new creation. With these as end-points, we must now postulate a seven “day” cycle with a basis in Scripture.
A logical choice for our basis are the seven annual festival days associated with Israel’s cultic calendar. Three of the feast days (Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of the Firstfruits) occur in the first month – Nisan. Three (the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles) occur in the seventh month – Tishri. One (the Feast of Weeks) occurs fifty days after the Feast of the Firstfruits.
While it might not be immediately apparent why this choice is proposed, an examination of two words used in the description of the fourth day of creation provide hints. The words are מאור ma’owr and מועד mow`ed. Ma’owr is translated “lights”, meaning the astral bodies in heaven. Mow`ed is translated “seasons”, but has a far deeper meaning. Strong’s translates it “appointed place, appointed time or meeting”, where appointed indicates a sacred or appointed season or festival or an appointed sign. [3] It can also mean tent of meeting (the tabernacle). The AV translates it “congregation” 150 times (most often “tabernacle of the congregation”), “assembly” 4 times, “synagogue” once and “solemn” twice.
Gesenius’ Lexicon gives its root as meeting a set time or a point in time, again hinting at the pre-establishment of important times in God’s eschatological plan of redemption, times of such importance that God established a visible timekeeping system to notify and remind His people. That mow`ed can mean appointed times of Israel’s festivals, hints that the lights serve not just as signs of the seasons, but also point to the festivals as appointed eschatological times. [4] It validates their selection for the seven days of the new creation.
Before proceeding with to analysis, we should first comment that Passover was a feast that throughout the Old Testament was a commemoration of the great acts of God in delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt (Exodus 10:2; 12:8, 14). The feast of Unleavened Bread was also associated with God’s deliverance from Egypt. Similarly, the feast of the firstfruits and the feast of weeks were consistently associated with Israel’s entrance into the land, celebrating God’s goodness and the bounty His promised land would annually produce.
Likewise, the feast of booths (tabernacles) commemorated Israel’s entrance into the land, when she no longer needed to live in booths (tents) but could take residence in the land, building permanent homes. [5] They were no longer pilgrims on an exodus, living in the wilderness, but could now celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise to give them a land. It was Israel’s ingathering into the land and thus a commemoration of God’s deliverance from Egypt in consummation (Leviticus 23:43). Passover, the feast of Unleavened Bread and the feast of Tabernacles commemorated God’s deliverance from Egypt while the feast of the Firstfruits, the feast of weeks and the feast of Tabernacles commemorated God’s deliverance from Egypt through His provision of a bounteous land for His people. [6]
It leaves two “feasts”: the feast of Trumpets and the Fast of Atonement. The Feast of Trumpets was called “a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpets blasts” (Leviticus 23:24) while the Fast of Atonement was an annual day in which atonement was sought for Israel’s corporate sins. These feasts do not appear to relate to Israel’s Egyptian captivity or their miraculous exodus and wilderness experience ending at Palestine. The Feast of Trumpets is generally thought to kick off the final harvest festivities, marking the end of the harvest season and signaling the coming fall rains. It also marked the Jewish New Year.
The Church’s Adoption & Reinterpretation of Israel’s First Four Feast Days
The typological significance of the Passover is widely known and accepted. Jesus, our paschal lamb, was sacrificed to bring redemption from sin. It is generally recognized that the Passover meal Jesus shared with His disciples became the precedent for the church to celebrate the Eucharist/communion as the new covenant antitype of the traditional Jewish Passover meal. Christ’s crucifixion on the traditional Passover date justifies the Apostles’ reinterpretation.
That Jesus was put to death at the time of the slaughtering of the Paschal lamb is not coincidental. We know that the last supper served as a paschal meal between Christ and His disciples, aligning His passion with Passover. Further, John infers that Christ is our paschal lamb whose bones were not broken (John 19:36; cf. Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20), consistent with Paschal procedure. [7]
It appears Jesus was buried on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and resurrected on the day when the firstfruits were offered. The Spirit was also given on Pentecost, the day of the Feast of weeks. That the church celebrates these four feast days attests their significance in God’s eschatological redemptive plan.
The adoption and celebration of these feasts by the church affirms that these feasts, while commemorative to Israel’s liberation from Egypt and God’s promise kept in giving Israel a bounteous land, have been reinterpreted by the church. Israel celebrated the physical preservation of life in Egypt for those whose doorposts were marked with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. For the church, Passover celebrates Christ’s preservation of spiritual life from the curse of death for those who have spiritually applied the blood of Christ’s sacrifice to their hearts.
Similarly, Israel’s commemoration of the feast of unleavened bread recalled the rapid physical exodus that didn’t allow time for their bread to physically rise. The church however, has reinterpreted this feast spiritually, with Paul’s warning “a little yeast leavens the whole batch”, exhorting the church to “get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch . . . for Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival [of Unleavened Bread] not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). Note how Paul has reinterpreted physical leaven spiritually as pride, malice and wickedness. The church then, is to continually keep the feast spiritually that Israel kept for one week each year physically.
Paul speaks of Christ as the firstfruits of resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23) given His resurrection on the day the offering of firstfruits was made. Through Paul, the church has reinterpreted the festival that prior commemorated God’s faithfulness to provide a physical harvest in the land into thankfulness for a spiritual harvest of resurrection, the firstfruits of which are fulfilled in Christ.
The Feast of Weeks was similarly reinterpreted from a commemoration of the physical wheat harvest to a spiritual harvest of souls whose resurrection will follow Christ’s. That Israel traditionally associated the Feast of Weeks with the giving of the law is also significant. On that day, Israel commemorated the giving of the covenant law written in stone, now reinterpreted by the church as God’s giving the new covenant laws spiritually written in the hearts of men. [8] Equally striking, in Acts 2:14-36 Peter reinterprets the infilling of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, arguing that Joel’s prophecy of the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-32a) has been fulfilled. [9]
These typological and eschatological reinterpretations are striking in light of Old Testament teaching which memorialized the exodus from Egypt as the sole inspiration of Passover, while the Feast of the Firstfuits and Feast of Weeks looked toward God’s annual harvest provision for Israel in the land.
One sees then, that the Israelite paschal lamb foreshadowed Christ, who was without sin and thus an offering to God that was without leaven (the Feast of Unleavened Bread). His sinless life and sacrificial death was accepted by God the Father, affirmed in His resurrection to life, the firstfruits of a great harvest of souls who would similarly inherit eternal life through resurrection. [10]
Christ’s great redemptive sacrifice reverses the curse of death that came through Adam, bringing forgiveness of sins and restoration of true eternal spiritual life with God to all those sealed in the Holy Spirit. They are members of God’s true eschatological temple and community of the new Jerusalem, conformed into the image of Christ and empowered to create new spiritual life in a dead fallen world. The mandate of Genesis 1:28 is reinterpreted in the new creation through the new spiritual man Christ, who has empowered and commanded His people to go into all the world, preaching the gospel and making disciples – i.e. making them spiritually fruitful. The new creation is about filling the earth with spiritual men who glorify God by imaging Christ. [11] This is accomplished through spiritual fruitfulness. The celebration of harvest fruit is the purpose of Israel’s festivals!
The reinterpretation and celebration of the first four feasts by the church opens the possibility that the remaining feasts were also reinterpreted eschatologically. Applying this line of thinking, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of the Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks have already seen their fulfillment, with the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles yet future. We can further surmise that the realization of Christ’s kingdom in Revelation 21-22 represents the Feast of Tabernacles, a Sabbath of rest that extends for eternity. [12] The possibility that the latter three feasts point toward the consummation of God’s eschatological plan will be our focus.
An Eschatological Interpretation of Israel’s Latter Three Feast Days
The Feast of Trumpets
The church’s reinterpretation and celebration of the first four festivals provides the justification for interpreting the latter three feasts eschatologically. The New Testament envisions believers on an exodus from sinfulness to sanctification, called out from this world and into the Kingdom of God. It is present in Jesus’ teachings, and in Pauline and Johannine teachings (Matthew 25:6; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 7:14; 18:4) that echo Israel’s exodus command “come out” (Genesis 15:14; Exodus 16:1; Isaiah 49:9; 52:11; Jeremiah 51:45). This exodus seems to occur throughout our age, reinterpreted as a harvest season spanning from the Feast of Firstfruits in Nisan to the end of the harvest season in the seventh month Tishri. The harvest appears to consummate with Christ’s Parousia, consummating the kingdom.
The Feast of Trumpets occurred on the first day of the seventh month, the traditional month marking the end of Israel’s harvest season. It seems to anticipate a final great harvest envisioned as a great ingathering of souls (Matthew 13:1-9; 18-30; 37-43; 47-50). Though souls are ingathered throughout the harvest season spanning from Passover to the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Trumpets signals a great, coming consummation of the harvest. Equivalently, it is envisioned as the great promised end-of-the-age exodus that occurs throughout our age but consummating in a final exodus from the four corners of the earth and ingathering to the land. [13]
Trumpets traditionally signaled the gathering together of the Israelite congregation for religious or civil observances (Exodus 19:13; Numbers 10:1-4, 7, 10; 2 Samuel 6:15; 20:2; 1 Kings 1:34, 39; 2 Chronicles 5:12-14; Psalm 81:3; Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27) or as a wartime call of fighting-aged men (Numbers 10:9; Joshua 6:5; Judges 3:27; 6:34-35; 1 Samuel 13:3; Nehemiah 4:18-20; Jeremiah 4:5, 19-21; 6:1, 17; 42:14; 51:27; Ezekiel 7:14; 33:1-6; cf. Amos 3:6; Hosea 5:8; 8:1-3; Amos 2:2; 3:6; Zephaniah 1:14-16; Zechariah 9:14; 1 Corinthians 14:8). It was also the signal for the Israelites to set out from their encampment by rank (Numbers 10:5-6), signaling continuance of their exodus journey to the Promised Land. Thus, it is possible to reinterpret the trumpet call to the eschaton, signaling the end of the great exodus of believers from the world to God’s promised land of rest. It signals the end of the ingathering of God’s people, and with it the end of the age (Isaiah 27:12-13; Joel 2:1, 15-16). [14] It may also signal the end of Israel’s exodus and and ingathering to the land.
Interestingly, the trumpet theme is adopted by John in Revelation 8:6-9:21; 11:15-19). The theme of wartime is apparent in Revelation’s seven trumpets as the forces of God triumph over the demonic forces unleashed upon the earth. [15] Also apparent is the civil call of Jesus’ inauguration as king (cf. 2 Samuel 15:10; 1 Kings 1:34-39). The judgments associated with each trumpet parallel the exodus judgments brought upon Egypt, and this strongly suggests that John has a great final exodus in mind. [16]
John is not alone in applying the trumpet theme to the eschaton. In 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Paul applies the trumpet call to the resurrection, illustrating the greatest “ingathering” is when all of God’s saints through all ages are bodily resurrected. There can be no clearer sign that God’s people have been called out from the old world order and ingathered into the eternal living community of the new Jerusalem than bodily resurrection.
The Fast of Atonement
Closely associated with the Feast of Trumpets is the Day of Atonement, following it on the tenth day of the seventh month, Tishri. The Day of Atonement had deep significance to the Israelite and was a key ritual practiced as part of the covenant of the Law. Atonement enabled reconciliation to God, a concept stressed in the Old Testament. 1 Kings 8:46 states “for there is no one who does not sin.” Psalms 14:3 states “there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Because man was universally guilty of sin, God provided means for reconciliation. Atonement was secured through the shed blood of a sacrificial victim, one which was to be without defect, implying without sin. This provision covered not only each individual and each family member, but provision was also made on the Day of Atonement for national cleansing for Israel’s corporate sins as God’s people. [17]
Occurring late in Israel’s harvest season, it was celebrated from evening till evening, in late September/early October by modern calendars. It was a time when the Israelites afflicted their souls (Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:27-32). The “afflicting” was to occur on the Day of Atonement however it became a Jewish practice to afflict for the full ten days spanning from the Feast of Trumpets to the Day of Atonement.
A Scriptural study of fasting reveals its purpose for humbling oneself before the Lord, and is associated with penitence or grief, often accompanied by coming judgment. Viewed eschatologically, it suggests God’s covenantal community will humble themselves, recognizing their failures to fully serve Jesus as their Messiah and to honor their covenantal obligations. [18] The humbling is followed by the Feast to Tabernacles, celebrating the final ingathering, suggestive the humbling is preparatory to Christ’s Parousia.
The priest would sacrifice one of two goats as a sacrifice for the people and sprinkle the blood of the goat seven times on and before the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:15), cleansing the Most-Holy-Place of the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:16). Then the High Priest would sprinkle the Tent of Meeting seven times (Leviticus 16:16), to cleanse the Tent “which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”
He would then come out from the Tent and sprinkle the blood of the goat on the horns of the altar “to cleanse it from the uncleanness of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:19). The High Priest was dressed in simple linen attire (Leviticus 16:4), in contrast to his normal ornate High Priestly garments. [19] The antitype of our atonement is found in Christ, as explained in Hebrews 9:
11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man‑made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most-Holy-Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
The reference to goats and calves suggests Christ is making atonement. His high-priestly entrance into the Most-Holy-Place of God’s heavenly temple provided a sin offering, securing atonement for His people. The remaining events – the sprinkling of the Tent and the altar – seem to be found in Revelation. In Revelation 15:6, seven angels are given seven vials to pour out upon the earth. They are wearing linen, λινοῦν, the same word used in the LXX in Leviticus 16:4. [20] It suggests that these angels serve a priestly role in God’s heavenly temple.
Pouring out the vials parallels the sprinkling of the tent and altar of sacrifice (Leviticus 16:15-19) on the Day of Atonement (i.e. their activities are to initiate a time of affliction of God’s people). [21] Note particularly Revelation 15:8, where “no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed”, paralleling Leviticus 16:17 “no one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most-Holy-Place until he comes out, having made atonement”. It suggests the vials contain the ceremonial blood of Christ, poured out to make atonement for the earthly part of God’s cosmic temple and the earthly altar of burnt offering.
The High Priest would also take coals from the Altar of Sacrifice, fill a censer and take the coals to the Altar of Incense at the entrance of the Holy of Holies. Incense would be placed upon the coals as a sweet savor to God. The smoke from the incense was to fill the Holy of Holies, visually covering the mercy seat so that Aaron would not die (Leviticus 16:12-13).
A parallel is found in Revelation 8:3-5 where an angel is seen with a censer in his hand and “much incense to offer”. The smoke of the incense “together with the prayers of all the saints, went up before God”, suggestive that the sweet savour of incense represents the prayers of the saints (cf. Revelation 5:8), likely the martyred saints who are requesting vengeance for their shed blood (Revelation 6:9-11).
The angel filled the censer from the altar and flung it to earth (Revelation 8:5). What resulted was thunder and lightening, rumblings (voices) and an earthquake. In antiquity, these signs would portend terrible judgments from God, imagery indicating the prayers of the martyrs are now to be answered. For the Israelite however, these events anticipate a theopany, much like that experienced at Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19).
Thus, there may be a dual aspect to the events of Revelation 8:3-5 [22] appearing as judgment to sinners yet signaling Christ’s imminent Parousia, a theopany of God through Jesus. [23] Does the action of hurling the censer to the earth create a cloud (smoke) to conceal visibly God from the people, preventing their death (cf. Leviticus 16:13)? Is this preparatory for the theopany of the Lord’s Parousia and return to earth? Regardless of how one interprets the action of hurling the censer to earth, the events recorded in Revelation show a strong imprint of the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.
During the Day of Atonement ritual, the High Priest would take a second he-goat, lay his hands on the head of it and confess the sins of Israel, symbolically transferring the sins of the people onto the goat. The goat would then be released into the wilderness, symbolically taking away the sins of Israel forever. This goat is referred to in Scripture as the scapegoat, a term known even among those unfamiliar with Judeo-Christian teachings.
The activities prescribed in the Day of Atonement bear strong typological significance, foreshadowing the work of Jesus Christ as High Priest. These activities also appear divisible in God’s eschatological program. Those associated with individual atonement of God’s people are symbolized in the sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat fulfilled in Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. [24] Those associated with atonement for Israel’s corporate sins appear to be delayed until the end of the age (the Day of Atonement), symbolized in the sprinkling of blood on the Tent of Meeting and the Altar of Offerings.
This result is perhaps unexpected when one considers the rituals of the Day of Atonement were prescribed to occur all on the same day. It emphasizes that the Biblical term day should not be viewed with such literality to be constrained to twenty-four hours. If John envisions an end-of-age Day of Atonement, it suggests a cleansing of God’s people, altar and emergent temple ahead of its final erection (ingathering) at Christ’s coming. A final purification could be expected before Christ’s Parousia.
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Ingathering, began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and lasted seven days with an eighth day as a Sabbath. The Israelites were to dwell in booths for seven days as a memorial of Yahweh’s great act of bringing them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. The booths signified their wilderness dwellings when entering Canaan.
While the Feast of Booths looked back to God’s bringing Israel to His place of rest, it also seems to point forward to the eschaton, when a remnant of Israel will be regathered to the land (Jeremiah 30:3-11; 31:1-17; 32:37-44; 33:6-9; Ezekiel 11:16-21; 34:11-16, 25-31; 36:24-36; 37:1-; 39:27-28: Amos 9:14-15; Obadiah 1:19-21; Micah 2:12; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Zechariah 10:8-11; Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27). [25] The regathering occurs at Christ’s Parousia. [26] John’s vision of Revelation 18 seems grounded in the Feast of Booths with the announcement of Babylon’s impending destruction and the accompanying exhortation to God’s people to “come out of her”:
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. 3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;”
The exhortation to come out of Babylon signals an end-time exodus modeled after the Babylonian exodus of Ezra 1:1-3. However, John’s exodus is a far greater exodus of God’s people, an exodus that involves a new creation, much like the exodus from Egypt (cf. Isaiah 43:1-8, 18-21). Jeremiah 51 is likely a source for John’s vision:
6 “Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the Lord’s vengeance; he will pay her what she deserves. 7 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad. 8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed. 9 “ ‘We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to his own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the clouds.’
Of particular note is the accompanying exhortation to “come out of her” (vs. 45; cf. Isaiah 48:20; 52:11-12):
45 “Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord.
The parallels show John’s vision is based in the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah concerning Babylon, though his greater exodus is from a new, end-time spiritual Babylon. The exodus leads to a great ingathering, an eschatological realization of the Feast of Booths.
The Feast of Booths commemorated Israel’s entrance into the land of Promise. It was deeply significant as the land was always associated with rest. Rest for Israel was always found when she was in communion with God in the land, the place of His dwelling. Thus, the Feast of Booths points eschatologically to Sabbath rest, an eternal Sabbath that comes from Israel’s future and final entrance into God’s land of promise.
That the Feast of Booths was seven days suggests the completion of creation as seven is often associated with completion of a spiritual cycle and thus closely associated with creation. That there is an eighth day, also a Sabbath, points to a new beginning, an eternal new creation where God’s people are finally reunited with Him for eternity. A close correlation can be seen between the Feast of Booths, the completion of God’s creative-redemptive plan and its accompanying eternal rest that is inherent in paradise restored. The Feast of Booths fits well as the seventh day in the new creation.
The Feast of Booths was one of three festivals (the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths) where every Israelite male was to appear before the face of the Lord (Exodus 23:17; 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16). Appearing before the face of the Lord recalls Israel’s Sinai experience, where God spoke to the Israelites face to face (Deuteronomy 5:4).
A Johannine Parallel with the Feasts Involving a Face-to-Face Encounter
An interesting parallel is found in Revelation where three times he speaks of the temple of God or heaven being opened. The first occurrence is found in Revelation 4:1 with the opening of a door in heaven, the door to God’s heavenly temple. [27] John is immediately ushered into God’s heavenly temple “in the Spirit” where he is in communion with God and His heavenly host, paralleling the Feast of Unleavened bread, often associated with communion.
The second occurrence is found in Revelation 11:19, following the account of the two witnesses who are given “power”, paralleling the events of Acts 1:8, where God’s people were given power to witness on the Feast of Weeks (Acts 2:1-4). The third occurrence is found in Revelation 19:11 where heaven is opened and Jesus is seen emerging from the temple.[28] It follows the destruction of Babylon (Revelation 19:2), the idolatrous world system from which God prior called His people (Revelation 18:4).
The final great ingathering of God’s people parallels the destruction of the last great system of idolatry and God’s enemies. The ingathering seems symbolized in the bride (Revelation 19:7b, cf. Revelation 20:4-6 that seems to include the martyred saints). If true, it is striking that John would include such details in his apocalypse, including eschatological parallels including the three feasts where traditionally each Israelite would have a face-to-face encounter with Yahweh.
Parallels between Creation days and Hebrew Festive Eschatological Days
Having explained the eschatological significance of the seven Feast days, a final comparison can now be made with the seven days of creation. On the first day of creation, God separated light from darkness. This creative act seems to parallel the Passover, a feast associated with the separation of light from darkness and those people in the light from those in darkness (Exodus 10:22-23; Exodus 14:19-20), especially seen in the Passover of Christ. [29] Note how the Jews viewed Passover:
. . . Jewish tradition associated the Passover with the original creation and the coming future destruction and renovation of the cosmos, when the Messiah would come and God’s kingdom would be established. [30]
On the second day of creation, God separated the waters above from the waters below with a firmament, symbolically separating the heavens from the earth. A parallel may be seen between Jesus, the new man from heaven and that of his followers, the old men of earth. The separating firmament between heaven and earth in the first creation is eliminated through the offering of sinless Jesus who brings reconciliation between God in heaven and men on earth. The destruction of the firmament was symbolized by the tearing of the curtain separating the Holy-of-Holies from the Holy-Place (Matthew 27:51).
On the third day of creation, dry land emerged from the waters below. Jesus’ resurrection on the Feast of the Firstfruits parallels the emergence of dry ground from the sea, as He emerged from the grave, the Hebrew equivalent of the watery deep/abyss.
On the fourth day lights filled the heavens. A parallel is found in the Feast of Weeks and its antitype the Day of Pentecost, when cloven tongues of fire (lights) came to rest visibly on the disciples, filling them with the Spirit and the light of God’s truth. Like signs in the heavens, the tongues of fire signaled a new day had arrived, the last days of God’s redemptive plan (Acts 2:16-20).
On the fifth day God filled the skies and the sea with lifeforms. A parallel may be seen in the Feast of Trumpets, where the trumpet serves to gather together the congregation, signaling the completed mandate to fill the earth. Though the trumpet call is generally associated with God’s people on earth, it is possible that the trumpet blast also signals an earthly call to “come out” from the sea of people and also calls together God’s heavenly hosts, in effect making evident God’s filling of both spaces. If the trumpets also signal coming bodily resurrection, then we have a signal indicating the reuniting of Christian spirits in heaven with their resurrected bodies, buried euphemistically in the deep/abyss.
On the sixth day, God filled the land with life including the pinnacle of creation, man, giving him dominion and mandate to subdue. In the Day of Atonement, atonement is made between God and man, while also unburdening all creation from corruption. Through atonement, Jesus has fulfilled the mandate the first Adam could not, redeeming Adam’s seed spiritually, taking dominion, subduing all God’s enemies, having filled God’s creation with a new race of spiritual men. With atonement made, man now truly has life, with God for eternity.
On the seventh day, God rested, having completed His work and blessed the seventh day calling it holy. A parallel may be seen in the Feast of Tabernacle where God’s people have come out of the harlot-system of idolatry, separated from sin, completing their spiritual exodus. God’s work of redemption is now complete and He, together with His people, can rest for eternity, tabernacling together as they have been made holy in a new creation freed from the corruption of sin.
The parallels in Scripture between the creation days of Genesis, the Feast days of the Torah and Feast-Day allusions in the Book of Revelation can be seen in Table 1. The parallels support that the Genesis creation account is not about the physical origins of the cosmos. Rather, it anticipates God’s redemptive plan, the outline of which is sketched out in Israel’s feast days.
Thus, the use of the term “day” in the creation narrative is best understood typologically, pointing to a far greater creation that God had planned for His people. Where “day” in the first creation seemed to emphasize duration, in the second creation, the feast-days serve as markers indicating the progression of God’s redemptive plan. It is best to envision the feast-days like road-signs along God’s eschatological highway, with the coming of each feast-day indicating that we have arrived at the start of the next major activity associated with God’s redemptive plan. The outlines of this plan can be summarized as follows:
Table 1: Days of the First and Final Creations and their Apocalyptic References
| Day | Genesis Creation-Narrative | Feast Days of New Creation | Allusions in Revelation |
| 1 | Light | Passover (John 8:12) | Rev 5:6-12; 12:4-5 |
| 2 | Firmament | Unleavened Bread (Matt 27:51; Mk 14:22; John 6:58) | Rev 1:5; 2:8; 5:6,9 |
| 3 | Land | Firstfruits (1 Cor 15:20, 23) | Rev 5:6; 12:5; 14:4 |
| 4 | Heavens Filled w/Lights | Feast of Weeks (Acts 2:1-6) | Rev 3:12; 11:3; 21:2, 10 |
| 5 | Sky & Sea Filled | Feast of Trumpets | Rev 8:6-9:21; 11:15-19 |
| 6 | Land filled, mankind | Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:11-12) | Rev 8:3-5; 15:1-16:21 |
| 7 | God Rested | Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23:35-36) | Rev 6:11; 14:13 (cf. 14:11) |
The parallels between the Genesis creation-narrative and the Levitical Feast days suggests the Feast days are the “creation days” of God’s eschatological new creation inaugurated in Christ. The strong tie between the Feast days and their temple cultic activities is confirmed in Revelation, an eschatological narrative steeped in temple cult where allusions to the festivals are evident.
John’s vision of end-time events is temple-centric and Festival-centric, validating that John sees the Feast days as typical of God’s new creation days, For John, the temple activities of these Feast days are typical of God’s heavenly-temple activities of redemption. It further validates prior findings that the Genesis creation narrative is in fact a temple narrative.
In the introduction to Genesis, a diagram was presented showing the relationship between the various days of the first creation. [31] For convenience, it has been reproduced in Figure 1. A similar diagram of the second creation has been derived to show the relationship between the “days” of the second creation in Figure 2. A one-for-one correspondence is evident between the diagrams, highlighting the interrelationships.
FIgure 1: The seven days of the First Creation
FIgure 2: The seven days of the Final Creation: Redemption Accomplished
Relevance for Christians Today
Some may be surprised by the contents of this post. Others may even be disappointed – particularly those who search for links between current events and Scripture. Such links however, often prove delusive and incorrect. Our approach has been to explicate Scripture with Scripture, which we believe is the best method. God’s Word should provide all we need to understand its promises and prophecies.
We have argued that the seven days of the first creation should serve as a pattern for the second creation. While we cannot prove it, earlier posts on creation and temple show a consistent pattern in which Old Testament words and themes serve as a model for New Testament truths.
In applying this idea here, we are able to link important themes in Scripture together, enhancing understanding. A first important link is found in the first creation as a model of redemption. It means that the second creation is an elaborate picture of God’s redemptive program.
We prior claimed the second creation was inaugurated in “the Christ event” – that is, His birth, death and resurrection. It consummates in Christ’s Parousia, completing redemption. What it means, is that all the events that transpire between Christ’s advent and His Parousia define His redemptive plan. It means that everything regarding God’s promises and prophecies have a redemptive purpose. The failure to recognize the redemptive purpose of prophecy has led to many false claims.
Ethical Lessons
Importantly, by viewing God’s redemptive program with seven “days”, one can see the progression of God’s redemptive program. It moves from its climax at Passover with Christ’s atoning sacrifice, to the Feast of the Firstfruits, that are to be perpetually kept by the church for purification. The old leaven of malice is to be purged from the lives of all believers. The words of 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 now have clarity. If we wish to be redeemed, we must purge the old leaven of sin from our lives and live holy.
Christ’s resurrection marks the next phase of God’s redemptive plan. His resurrection is described as the Firstfruits of God’s eschatological harvest of redeemed souls. This event brings important outcomes. First, the harvest of souls that follows Christ is a harvest of resurrection. Christ the firstfruits, then we that follow.
Salvation and being born again have historical been points of focus within the evangelical movement. But the defining redemptive event (and thus eschatological event) is Christ’s resurrection. It is in resurrection that salvation is demonstrated and in resurrection that God’s redemptive program consummates.
Second, resurrection, as firstfruits, links the seven feast-days to the harvest. From the third phase onward, God’s redemptive plan is described as a harvest and most its feast days define the harvest season. It emphasizes the church’s role as redemptive partner with Christ. The church’s focus should be upon increasing the harvest through testimony.
Third, it links Israel’s exodus to the harvest. In the old creation, neither Passover or the Feast of Unleavened Bread were harvest related. They recalled Israel’s exodus from Egypt. In the new creation, both Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread anticipate the harvest, as both almost immediately precede the Feast of Firstfruits. Christ’s atoning sacrifice not only empowered His people to live holy lives but was a necessary step for resurrection, kicking off the spiritual harvest. Without Christ’s death, there would be no resurrection.
Importantly, there can not be fruitful harvest without God’s people first making an exodus from the old world mired in sin. Fruitfulness and harvest are both defined in the land of promise. There can be no spiritual harvest until we exit the carnal world we see with our eyes and live by faith, believing in a new world we cannot yet see.
The fourth phase, Pentecost is also important as it marks the fulfillment in inauguration of the Abrahamic promise to bless all the peoples of the world. That all those present at Pentecost spoke in different languages but could understand one another, signals that the curse of Babel has been reversed in Christ. The separated and divided nations at Babel have been brought together again as one in Christ.
Pentecost also signaled the kick-off of the church’s missionary mandate to go into all the world, filling it with spiritual children of Christ. Thus, this fourth phase brings a transition from the first three phases that were separating phases, to the next three, which are filling phases. For the church today, it emphasizes our fundamental role to proselytize the earth.
Eschatological Lessons
This fourth phase also shifts us into the future and the end of the age. The early church celebrated the fulfillment of the first four phases according to the Old Testament dates, testifying to their literal fulfillment. But following the fourth phase, the church did not celebrate the Feast of Trumpets (which should have occurred about three and a half months after Pentecost). That there is no church celebration of the Feast suggests the Apostles realized the spiritual harvest season had been extended of unknown duration.
We can safely conclude that we are currently living in a period of God’s grace, extending time for repentance before judgment comes. Thus, the Feast of Trumpets likely signals the coming end of God’s redemptive harvest. That the Fast of Atonement follows shortly thereafter, suggests the Trumpet call also signals the church to prepare for a time of affliction that should bring repentance. It hints of coming judgment upon the church as part of her purification.
Fortunately, the time of affliction is short – not exceeding “ten days”, the traditional length for Israelites (note Revelation 2:10 which may allude to the Fast). It would also signal that shortly following this time of corporate repentance and cleansing is Christ’s Parousia, ushering in our eternal Sabbath of rest with God, consummating edemption.
Finally, the Fast of Atonement likely aligns with John’s warnings that God’s people will be conquered and face martyrdom by the Beast (Revelation 11:7; 13:7). The possibility of this linkage should bring prayerful reflection for individual failures and those of the church body corporately. We are not to live at peace with this world, but to expect persecution. But the prize for faithfulness in the face of death is redemption in a paradisal land eternally with our Savior.
[1] It seems likely that the seventh day was to be an eternal “day” of rest for Adam living in compliance with God’s ethical requirements but his sin of eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil broke this eternal seventh “day”, initiating God’s redemptive plan.
[2] Those who prefer to advance the idea of creationism from the Genesis narrative need only examine the Sabbath to realize that there is no scientific explanation or reason for a Sabbath. Even if one has some success arguing a scientific basis for the first six days, the Sabbath finds no explanation in science, nor should it. It was a sovereign and unscientific decision of God.
[3] That מאור ma’owr is translated festival seems to anticipate the foreordination and establishment of God’s festivals as timed to critically important eschatological events. The timing of these festival events looks backward to commemorate God’s redemptive dealings with Israel. Less often is it recognized that these festivals look forward to a greater fulfillment of God’s redemptive provision in history. Many of the occurrences relate to keeping the festivals and solemn assemblies, suggestive that the Israelites were to model on earth the timekeeping of the heavens. Another striking aspect of this word is found in its duality of meaning – appointed time and appointed place, suggestive of a fusion of sacred time and sacred space. Much of the study of eschatology seems focused upon the appointed “times” but not the appointed “place”. Much emphasis will be placed upon the study of the appointed “place” in this opening section. The appointed place appears to be the tabernacle/temple, a concept steeped in eschatology. Though it may appear difficult to our modern minds, the times and the temple may have been a singular concept to the ancient Hebrew.
[4] Mow`ed is applied to the promise of Isaac (Genesis 17:21, 18:14, 21:1), establishing his birth as an appointed time. It is also used of the consecration of the firstborn, marking the day the Israelites left Egypt as an appointed time (Exodus 13:10). The vast majority of references are to the tabernacle & festivals, establishing a link to eschatological times, not physical times/seasons, years or days.
[5] The feast also marked the completion of the harvest with all the fruits of harvest ingathered.
[6] In the mind of the ancient Israelite, there was no difference between the people and the land. They were inseparable parts of God’s deliverance and His formation of a people for His name. Thus commemoration of deliverance from Egypt can be celebrated through the land’s bounty.
[7] Scripture attests to Christ as the paschal lamb (John 1:29, 36; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 16; 7:9-10, 14. 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:14, 22-23; 22:1, 3).
[8] Note the contrast between three thousand that perished on the day the law was given versus three thousand souls saved on the day the Spirit was given. The law brings death, the Spirit life.
[9] Striking is John’s reinterpretation of the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost, which Beale argues inaugurates the descent of the new temple founded upon the resurrection of Christ. John sees this new temple as a temple-city descending from above in Revelation 21:2. It would appear that the descent of the Spirit not only inaugurated the new temple-city of Jerusalem but was also the token and vouchsafe toward God’s completed work of new creation and new Jerusalem. See Beale, G. K., The Temple and the Church’s Mission, A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, Downers Grove IL, InterVarsity Press, 2004, p. 201-216. Beale also sees in Revelation 4:5 the seven burning lampstands (the seven churches) descending to earth from the heavenly temple, inaugurating the earthly temple. Similarly in Revelation 11:3-5, the purpose of the lampstands on earth to be witnesses and prophesy, where their witness is portrayed as fire from their mouths, following Acts 2 where the Spirit descended, empowering the disciples to witness. It points to the inaugurated descent of the new Jerusalem in our age.
[10] Also striking is the offering of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a sheaf of Barley which foreshadowed Christ’s sinless life, making His sacrifice acceptable. The offering of the Feast of Weeks was two loaves baked with leaven of the new harvest, emblematic of Israel and the Church, not without sin, yet accepted through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. That the bread was made with meal from the new harvest points toward the necessity of the new spiritual birth for acceptance in Christ.
[11] See for instance Colossians 1:10 which speaks of believers being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of Christ, echoing Genesis 1:28.
[12] We have commented that the seventh day was suggestive of an eternal Sabbath of rest for God’s people of the second creation. Similarly, though the Old Testament associated the Feast of Tabernacles with God’s harvest in the land, it was understood to have eschatological significance. Edersheim notes “Josephus, Philo, and the Rabbis (in many of the passages of the Mishnah) single it [the feast of Tabernacles] out from all other feasts. And quite decisive on the point is the description of the ‘latter-day’ glory at the close of the prophecies of Zechariah, where the conversion of all nations is distinctly connected with the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’.” Edersheim, Alfred, The Temple, Its Ministry and Services, Grand Rapids MI, William B. Eerdsman Publishing Company, 1951, p. 270
[13] Typologically, there is a picture of early rains, which came at the beginning of the harvest season and latter rains, which came at the end of the harvest season, each enhancing the harvest. Typologically it represents an early harvest at the beginning of the age represented in the early church and a latter-day harvest at the end of the age, represented as those who come out from the harlot-system of Babylon (Revelation 18:4).
[14] If true, then we must postulate what would trigger this harvest and preferably, we would seek a similar trigger from the early church to strengthen the arguments.
[15] Though the focus of Old Testament trumpets was generally upon marshalling the earthly armies, the Revelation trumpet narrative opens the possibility that the trumpet-blowing also involves preparing God’s heavenly host for battle.
[16] For additional detail on these parallels, see Beale, G. K., The Book of Revelation, A Commentary on the Greek Text, Grand Rapids MI,Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999, p. 808-810
[17] The Fast of Atonement not only brought atonement for Israel, it cleansed the temple, the priesthood and the altar, making the sacrifice acceptable. It is striking is that throughout the year, there were sin and trespass offerings, yet these required the annual sacrificial rituals performed on the Day of Atonement.
[18] One of the more interesting practices of the Day of Atonement occurred when the High Priest would take coals from the altar of sacrifice, fill a censer and take it within the vail to the Holy of Holies. Incense would be placed upon the coals, forming a cloud, a sweet savor to God. John seems to reference this practice in Revelation 8:1-5 (cf. Luke 1:8-11), where he intimates that the incense represents the prayers of the saints, those prayers possibly symbolized in the silence in heaven (vs 1). In John’s reinterpretation however, the coals and the censer were hurled down to the earth rather than retained in God’s presence. This action was likely in response to the prayers of the persecuted and martyred saints. That fasting was often done in the face of judgment, and scattering the coals on earth seems to portend judgment, opens the possibility that the judgments are in response to the persecution of the martyrs, their prayers finally being answered. That Israel is envisioned penitent, suggests some may have membership in the harlot Babylon, a persecutor of the saints and realize late their mistake.
[19] The Levitical law required Aaron to sacrifice a bull and sprinkle its blood on the mercy seat, the Tent and the altar. The sacrifice of the bull was as a sin offering for Aaron and his family. In the antitype, Jesus Christ required no sin offering for Himself as He was without sin (Hebrews 7:26).
[20] Some of the older manuscripts have λίθον (stone) instead of λίνον linen. Bullinger concludes stone is preferable to linen based upon Lachmann’s Greek Text, The Greek Text of Tregelles, The Greek Text of Wescott and Hort and the Revised Version. Bullinger, E. W., Commentary on Revelation, Grand Rapids MI, Kregal Publications, 1984, p. 474. Beale prefers linen though acknowledging stone is a possibility. For a fuller discussion, see Beale, G. K., The Book of Revelation, A Commentary on the Greek Text, Grand Rapids MI, The Paternoster Press, 1999, p. 804-805. Those who prefer “stone” to “linen” see parallels with Ezekiel 28:13 (the stones adorning the cherub’s attire) and Daniel 10:5-6 (the stone-like appearance of the angel). Given the parallels with Revelation 1:13 and the obvious parallels with the Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement, it seems more probable that linen is the correct interpretation.
[21] Note that in the antitype, the blood is not sprinkled but poured out, a heightening of the antitype over the type. The angels also are girded with a golden sash in contrast to the Levitical requirement of a linen sash. In Revelation 1:12-16 John sees someone “like a son of man” wearing a golden sash, and it is likely the golden sash of the seven angels is a deliberate association of these priestly angels with Christ’s priesthood in heaven. Revelation 15:5-6 states that the temple in heaven was opened and the seven angels came out of the temple to pour out their vials upon the earth. Given God’s redemptive plan to extend His temple to include the earth, one could conclude that the actions of the seven angels at least include cleansing of “the tent” (the Holy Place), if not also the altar. The requirement to cleanse the altar may explain why so many of the end-time judgments center on Jerusalem, the traditional location of the earthly altar.
[22] A number of scholars see similarities in the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments of Revelation. Some have suggested that the judgments may be one and the same. It is possible the judgments recapitulate, having a dual aspect – for the believer being viewed as signs and signals of the great ingathering while to sinners viewed as God’s judgments on sin (cf. Exodus 7:14-10:10 where the plagues in Egypt were a judgment upon Egypt but signs preparatory to the exodus for God’s people).
[23] The events of Revelation 7:1-8:5 have strong parallels with Ezekiel 9-11 with a man in linen putting a mark on God’s penitent remnant, sparing them God’s judgment in contrast to those without the mark who face judgment symbolized by scattering coals from the altar of incense across the city of Jerusalem. In Ezekiel however, the action of scattering coals from the censer across Jerusalem anticipates an “anti-theopany”, a departing of God’s presence from the temple and Jerusalem. The departing was accompanied by an anti-cleansing of the temple (Ezekiel 9:7) where God orders the temple defiled with the slain. It contrasts with Revelation 7:1-8:5 where there is no anti-theopany but a possible anticipation of a time of judgment without mercy. In Ezekiel, there is irony in the bloodshed in the temple of the guilty, opposite to the cultic requirement of the blood of an innocent victim. It suggests there is no reconciliation similar to the activities in Revelation following Revelation 11:19. The bloodguilt plays out upon the sinners. Another difference is in the scattering of the coals which in Ezekiel was limited to Jerusalem, the center of worship of God’s people. In Revelation, there is a heightening of the antitype with the coals scattered across the earth. One should not conclude that the scattering over the earth excludes judgment on God’s people as they are scattered throughout the earth, filling it. Despite these difference, the parallels bear out that John’s apocalyptic vision has its basis in Israel’s cultic temple activities, most notably the Day of Atonement.
[24] Note Christ entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle at the Passover, rather than in accordance with the Levitical provision of the Day of Atonement. This change may point to the superiority of Christ to the Aaronic priesthood and the superiority of the new covenant “cut” with His blood. One wonders if it also intimates another calendrical change (cf. the calendrical change coincident with the first Passover), signaling the start of a new order, a new creation in Christ. Does it follow that provision for atonement moves from the seventh month in the old order to the first month in the new order?
[25] Though Jeremiah was attempting to encourage the exiles with his prophecies, the accompanying promise of peace and security for those who returned make clear that the prophesied exodus is not the one of Ezra’s day, but a greater yet-future exodus at the end of the age (the consummation of the harvest), fulfilling this festival’s celebration.
[26] It is possible that the celebration of the Feast of Booths in Ezra 3:1-4 was not merely a memorial of the Israelites coming out of Egypt but also a reinterpretation of the Feast of Booths given the return of the remnant of Jews from Babylon (cf. Deuteronomy 30:1-5). If so, this reinterpretation in Ezra was prototypical. Zechariah 14:1-19 provides a solid example of the reinterpretation of the feast with heightening that the nations will go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles annually (vss. 16-19) when Christ’s Kingdom is consummated (cf. Isaiah 60:1-14; 66:18-21). This reinterpretation and heightening grounds the typology in the eschaton.
[27] The description that follows in vss 2-6 shows the throne of God found in the Holy of Holies, the cherubim found at the Altar of Incense, the rainbow emblematic of the firmament and the stones and golden crowns indicative of a priest-king. The presence of lightening, rumblings and thunder also signals God’s presence as a theopany.
[28] The temple in heaven is also seen in Revelation 15:5 though this “opening” is not for the purpose of a face-to-face meeting between God and men. Rather, it points toward the ritual of the Day of Atonement where no one was allowed to enter the temple until atonement is secured.
[29] Genesis 1 gives further testimony that the separation of light from darkness marked the creation of time, much as the Passover marked the start of a new time for God’s exodus people (Exodus 12:2) and also for the time of the creation of the church, with the Sabbath giving way to resurrection Sunday.
[30] Beale, G. K., The Eschatological Conception of New Testament Theology, presented in Brower, Kent E. & Elliott, Mark W. , Eschatology in the Bible & Theology, Downers Grove, Il, Intervarsity Press, 1997, p. 40-41 Jewish tradition offers further supporting evidence that Christ’s Passover sacrifice would usher in a new world order, with the old order passing away.
[31] See An Analysis of the Genesis 1 Creation-Narrative, Figure 1