Biblical Anniversaries
Anniversaries are usually key events to be remembered. There are however very important anniversaries found in the Bible which not only commemorate events in history, but are also of prophetic significance in the future to come.
There is no other nation in the world that can show any repetition in dates and times of victories or defeats like the nation of Israel.
We are only going to look at some of them in this study by focusing on the seven major Feasts of the Lord.
There are two major Feast seasons:
- The Spring Feasts (4 Feasts - already fulfilled prophetically).
- And the Fall Feasts (3 Feasts - still to be fulfilled prophetically)
The Feasts was authorized by God, given to Moses to be kept by Israel from then onwards. Ex 25-30.
Lev 23:44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
Israel uses the biblical Lunar Calendar. To keep the lunar based year in synchronization with the earth seasons, the new lunar year starts on the new moon after the first harvest of the year, which is the Barley harvest ripening.
In the Northern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed from the Southern Hemisphere's. When it is springtime in Israel, we have autumn going into wintertime in South Africa.
Israel enjoys two New Years each year; the first one is the Spiritual New Year which starts in the month of Nissan, normally during our April/May. The second is the Civil New Year which starts on the month of Tishrei, (the seventh month) during the fall season in Israel; normally in our September/October - springtime in South Africa.
Let us look at the phenomena of Bible anniversaries:
The Spring Feasts
10 Nissan
This day can be described as a day of Sanctification and the day that Christ revealed Himself.1. The sanctification of the Passover lamb was given during the original Exodus:
Exo 12:3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
Exo 12:4 'And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
Exo 12:6 'Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
2. Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land on this day:
Jos 4:19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
3. Jesus was cut off on Palm Sunday 10 Nissan AD32. This is also the day that Daniel's 70 weeks clock stopped on week 69.
Dan 9:26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
4. The foreshadow of the Fourth Millennial Temple to be built in the millennium to come. Eze 41.
14 Nissan
This day can be described as the day of Communion, also the importance of His Blood.
1. On this day the Covenant was given to Abraham.
Gen 15:18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates;
2. The Passover supper were done before the Exodus out of Egypt on this day. The first Passover, held in the Promised Land with Joshua, was renewed:
Jos 5:10 Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho.
3. The Book of the Law that was lost was found in the Temple and reaffirmed on this day. 2 Chron 34.
4. The dedication of the second temple.
Ezr 6:16 Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
Ezr 6:17 And they offered sacrifices at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
Ezr 6:18 They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.
Ezr 6:19 And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
5. The last supper, The Passover covenant given to the disciples and the church on this day.
Luk 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
Luk 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
15 Nissan
The start of the feast of unleavened bread, also the purging of sin.
1. The exodus out of Egypt started on this day.
Exo 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on that very same day; it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
2. The Crusifiction of Messiah. John 13.
3. The final fall of the Jews at Massada on 15 Nissan 73 AD as recorded by the historian Flavious Josephus.
17 Nissan
Feast of First Fruits
1. The first fruits of the land must be brought into the House of God.
Exo 23:19 "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God.
The first harvest of three main harvests of the year is the Barley harvest.
The other two is the corn harvest and the grape harvest.
2. Israel crossed the Red sea to the Promised Land.
Exo 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.
3. Israel eats the first fruits of the Promised Land on that day.
Jos 5:11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day.
4. Messiah is resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits.
Luk 24:6 "He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
Luk 24:7 "saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"
Luk 24:8 And they remembered His words.
5. Many saints, some of whom were long dead, rose with Messiah and testified of this marvellous resurrection in and around Jerusalem.
Mat 27:52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
Mat 27:53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
6 Sivan
Feast of Pentecost, Revelation of God's will.
Lev 23:15 'And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.
Lev 23:16 'Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.
1. God gave the Law to Moses on this day
Exo 19:11 "And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
2. The Ruach Hacodesh (Holy Spirit) was given to us.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The next set of Feasts is called the Fall Feasts.
It starts on the Civil New Year. (These Feasts are still to be fulfilled prophetically)
All these events show that God is sovereignly in control of the prophetic events of the nation of Israel from the beginning to the very end.
Remember that it is required by the Jews to read through the Torah once a year, so they know the stories and pictures very well.
1 Tishri
The Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah
Memorial of the blowing of trumpets
Lev 23:24 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
1. The High Priest brought the first offering to be held in the newly built altar.
Ezr 3:1 And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.
Ezr 3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
Ezr 3:3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.
Ezr 3:4 They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day.
Ezr 3:5 Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD.
Ezr 3:6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.
2. Ezra read the law to the returned exiles to affirm God's unbreakable covenant with the Jewish people.
Neh 8:2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.
3. The third event is still to be fulfilled.
Many Bible scholars believe that the blowing of trumpets will usher in the Battle of Armageddon in future on this day.
Joe 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:
Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.
Joe 2:3 A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them.
10 Tishri
Atonement/Mourning. Yom Kippur.
1. Aaron the High Priest made atonement for Israel. Lev 16:1-28
Lev 16:29 "This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
Lev 16:30 "For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Lev 16:31 "It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
2. In the Yom Kippur war of 1973 the Arab nations without warning launched war against Israel, on their holiest day, from three fronts simultaneously, knowing that most of them would be attending synagogue on that day. Israel won the war supernaturally.
3. In Future, I believe, after the battle of Armageddon a fountain will be opened in Jerusalem the healing of the nations.
Zec 12:10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Zec 12:11 "In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
15 Tishri
Feast of Tabernacles, coming presence of God.
1. Dedication of Solomon's Temple
2. Birthday of Messiah.
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
3. The Possible ushering in of the Kingdom of God.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be; "The LORD is one," And His name one.
Zec 14:10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananeel to the king's winepresses.
Zec 14:11 The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Zec 14:12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
Zec 14:13 It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor's hand;
Zec 14:14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
Zec 14:15 Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.
Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
This concludes the main feasts.
Let's look at some other anniversaries that fill in the pictures even better:
17 Tammuz
Also known as Tish Ab. Coming Judgment. Breaking of Spiritual Symbols.1. Moses broke the Tablets of the Law.
Exo 32:19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
2. The Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and stopped the daily sacrifice on this day.
3. The Romans attacked Jerusalem in 70 AD on this day also stopping the daily Karbon or sacrifice.
Then three weeks later on the saddest day of the Jewish year they mourn the loss of the temple:
Zec 7:2 when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the LORD,
Zec 7:3 and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?"
Zec 7:4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
Zec 7:5 "Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me; for Me?
9 Av
1. The twelve spies came back; all would die except Joshua and Caleb. (evil will perish, only remnant is saved)
2. The Babylonians destroyed the Temple of Solomon on 9 Av 587 BC
3. 656 Years later the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, built by King Herod, on this day.
One year later on this day in 71AD the Jews looked on as the city was ploughed in with salt so that nothing would grow there for many years.
In 135AD Shimon Bar Kopvah led a rebellion against Rome. This was the last rebellion of the Jews in history. Emperor Hadrian came with his army and killed a million and a half Jews outside of Jerusalem.
In 1290 AD England expelled Jews from their country and went into a dive. Only after Oliver Cromwell's revolution against the King to bring the Jews back, did England start to prosper again.
In 1492 Columbus set sail from Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella decreed that all Jews must be expelled from Spain by the Ninth of Av 1492. He is believed to be a Jew.
World War 1 was declared on 9 Av and Russia launched a program of killing Jews in Eastern Russia, killing up to one hundred thousand.
Eight national disasters greater than any other in Israel's history, until the holocaust, following on the same day and month.
What are the chances of that to happen to any one nation in the world?
One chance in 863 million times a billion.
It happened to Israel, and is still ongoing........
