Throughout the scriptures God provides object lessons for His people.  These object lessons are for a specific purpose.

          The Holy Days of God have a specific purpose.  That is, they are a "shadow of things to come" (Col. 2:16).  This begs the question, What are these shadows of?  Here is a list of the many analogies that the feast days portray.

The Passover:

* The tenth day of the first month we are to set aside a lamb (Ex. 12:3).

The Triumphal Entry (Matt. 21:1-11) was on the 10th of Abib - The Messiah was presented as the true lamb of God.

* The lamb shall be without blemish (Ex. 12:5).

The Messiah was the perfect sacrifice without sin (1 Pet. 1:19).

* The lamb shall be a male of the first year (Ex. 12:5).

The Messiah is the Son of God (Matt. 16:16) who died in the prime of His life.

* Shall keep the lamb until the 14th of Abib (Ex. 12:6).

The Messiah died on Passover (John 19:14).

* Shall kill the lamb between the evenings (Ex. 12:6).

The Messiah died at 3pm/9th hour (Matt. 27:46).

* Shall strike the sides and upper door with the blood of the lamb (Ex. 12:7).

The Messiah covers our sins (Heb. 9:11-14).

* Shall eat the lamb with bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8).

Salvation is bitter/sweet for the Messiah had to pay a high price.

* Shall eat the lamb with unleavened bread (Ex. 12:8).

Unleavened bread represents the removal of sin from our lives - this is our sanctification.

* Shall roast the lamb whole and leave nothing to remain (Ex. 12:9-10).

The Messiah gave everything for our salvation.

* Eat it in haste with your loins girded, staff in your hand and shoes on (Ex. 12:11).

We need to be ready to leave our old lives and start a new one (2 Cor. 5:17).

* Not one bone shall be broken (Ex. 12:46).

Not a bone of the Messiah's body was broken (John 19:36).

* Shall remove all leaven from your household and eat for seven days (Ex. 12:15, 18, Ex. 13:6-7, Lev. 23:6-8).

Unleavened bread represents the removal of sin from our lives - this is our sanctification.  The entire week represents a life time of sanctification.

Bread of Affliction - it is God who afflicts us (trials - James 1:2-3, 1 Pet. 1:6-7)

Unleavened bread also represents the perfect life of the Messiah (1 Pet. 2:22).

* Those that eat unleavened bread shall be excommunicated (Ex. 12:15).

Those that sin in the body of Messiah shall be removed (1 Cor. 5:4-5).

* Shall offer a wave offering of first fruits the day after the Sabbath (Lev. 23:10-11).

The Messiah rose from the dead on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath (Mark 16:9).

He is our firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20).

          There are many other shadows and pictures of the Messiah in the feast days.  This is why we should be keeping these feast days today.  The church is missing out on many blessings and scriptural understandings because of their lack of obedience.  Psalm 111:10 says, "a good understanding have all they that do his commandments."  It is by doing God's commandments that we understand his word.

By Steve Siefken

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV