Page 24 - The Messiah Beyond a Shadow of Doubt

The Spring Appointed Times
Appointed Time
Shadow
Abib 10
Inspect the Lamb for Purity
In preparation for Passover, each
household was to take an
unblemished male lamb and observe
it for its purity until the 14th. In a
similar way, Jesus entered Jerusalem
on the 10th day and was tested by
the religious leaders regarding His
purity in God’s truth. He
demonstrated such pure wisdom
and truth that no one dared to
continue questioning him.
Abib 14 (Passover)
Kill the lamb and publicly
display its blood
The lamb was to be killed between
3:00pm and sundown, and its blood
was to be applied to the doorposts
and lintel of each house. In the
same way, Jesus was crucified on
Passover and died at 3:00pm—the
same time that the Lord stipulated
for the Passover lamb to be killed.
Abib 15–21
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
When the sun set on Abib 14, the Substance
date changed to the 15th, which was
the first day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. On this evening,
the people were to eat the lamb
with bitter herbs and unleavened
bread. Jesus was placed in the tomb
on this same evening—the Lamb
The Messiah: Beyond a Shadow of Doubt
tasting the bitterness of death.
The Sunday during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread First-Fruits
First Fruits was to be observed on the day
after the weekly Sabbath (i.e., on Sunday)
during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened
Bread. Thus, on the same day that the
Israelites offered the sheaf of the First
Fruits offering, Jesus rose from the dead as
the first fruits of many brothers and sisters.
The timing is stunning – the Israelites also
arose alive from the sea at daybreak on
First Fruits, and almost 1,500 years later
Jesus arose alive from the tomb at
daybreak on First Fruits.
50 Days after First Fruits
The Feast of Weeks
(i.e. Pentecost)
Fifty days after the Israelites arose
alive from the sea on First Fruits, the
Lord met them at Mount Sinai in a
terrifying way and gave His Law to
the people. Almost 1,500 years
later, on the day of Pentecost, the
Lord met with His disciples in the
upper room in Jerusalem and loving-
ly indwelled them with His Holy
Spirit.
As you can see, the spring Appointed Times provide a very clear time signature, which
Jesus fulfilled with perfect precision.
Shadows
At this point we must ask, “Could it just be a coincidence that the timing and events
of the Appointed Times just happened to match the timing and events of Jesus’ life, or did the
Lord intentionally place the Appointed Times in His Word to teach about the Messiah?” This is
an excellent question, since we do not want to spend our time musing on mere coincidences
that have little or no substance. Our focus must be on God’s truth. Fortunately, the Scriptures
provide a clear answer for us.
In Colossians 2:16–17, Paul tells us that no one should act as our judge in regard to “a
festival, new moon, or Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but

12