Blog 58: The Last Day of Unleavened Bread and the Day of Atonements
John’s third sign (lame man) is chiastically linked to the sixth sign (blind man). In both signs, the site was Jerusalem, involved the Gihon (the temple water source), and the healed men, the blind and the lame, had many years of disability. Bullinger captured the two signs’ parallels (CB Ap. 176).
When John’s eight signs are overlaid on the Feast timeline (see Blog 8’s attachment), the third and sixth signs align with the last day of Unleavened Bread and the Day of Atonements. The former is during the spring harvest, and the latter at the fall harvest. Since the men were Israelites, the impotent man and the man born blind exemplified the power of Yeshua’s sacrifice to heal Israel. John’s signs for the seventh day of Unleavened Bread (Yam Suph crossing) and the Day of Atonements concern Yeshua’s death and resurrection, Israel’s passing from darkness to light in a new creation rebirth to walk with YHWH in covenant mercy. The power of YHWH’s outstretched arm in both holydays heal Israel’s unbelief (portrayed as lameness and blindness), revealing Yeshua’s identity with the Father and exposing the depth of God’s love for humanity.
The shepherd theme is evident in each holyday. YHWH led His people through the Sea like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron on the seventh day of Unleavened Bread (Psa. 77:19-20; Isa. 63:11), and He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep on the Day of Atonements (Mat. 2:6; Jhn. 10).
The traverse to God’s holy mountain requires walking and seeing YHWH. Walking develops eyesight. Both holydays involve a cleared highway to our God. Isaiah spoke of a highway for the remnant of His people when YHWH assembles the outcasts of Israel and gathers together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth (Isa. 11:12, 15-16) and called it the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35: 8). No beast or the unclean will pass over it, for the highway of the upright is to depart from evil (Pro. 16:17). Like the Yam Suph highway through Israel’s sea of baptism, John the Baptist, baptizing, was Isaiah’s voice crying, “In the wilderness, prepare the way of YHWH; make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Isa. 40:3). Then the glory of YHWH will be revealed, and all nations will see the salvation of YHWH (Isa. 40:5; Luk. 2:30; 3:6) just as Israel saw YHWH’s glory and salvation in the Sea. Those who take refuge in Yeshua, walking with the Good Shepherd on an unimpeded highway, will lay hold of hope and possess His holy mountain (Isa. 57:13-14; Zep. 3:19-20; Heb. 6:18-19).
The third and sixth signs of these two holydays happened on a Sabbath. The Sabbath depicts a time when there will be no more crying or tears, no more sorrow or death because everyone and everything is at-one with God. The Sabbath depicts eternity, where there is no decay, and we live in the presence and fellowship of our holy YHWH Elohim as a family. Yeshua’s healing on these Sabbath holydays points to the power of His arm, creating the reality of the Sabbath of His Kingdom.
From another point of view, when the seven days of unleavened bread are mapped onto the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, the last day of Unleavened Bread falls upon the last day of Sukkot, Tishri 21. The connections between the two last days are evident, as is the seventh day of Unleavened Bread’s chiastic link to the Day of Atonements. Tishri 21 is the day of putting off the tent of physical existence and living as a new spirit creation raised in Christ. I will discuss this more in the Sukkot blogs.
Takeaway:
The last day of Unleavened Bread finds its fullness in the Day of Atonements. YHWH’s salvation through His death and resurrection is humanity’s way out of darkness into light, healing our blindness and lameness. The power of His arm brings salvation, and He shepherds us through a rebirth to walk before Him and become blameless on His highway back to the Sabbath reality. The temple’s Fountain of Living Water, Yeshua, heals our unbelief, restoring our mobility and sight so that we might worship Him. His triumph proves His identity with the Father. He only is God, bringing to fruition the end from the beginning.
Fun Factors:
Isa 40:3-5
3 A voice cries out,
“Prepare in the wilderness a highway for YHWH!
Clear the way in the desert for our God!
4 Fill every valley;
level every mountain.
The hills will become a plain,
and the rough country will be made smooth.
5 Then the glory of YHWH will be revealed,
and all mankind will see it.
YHWH himself has promised this.”
Isa. 40:3-5’s 33-word total of 5971 is 7 × 853; 853 is the 147th prime and 71st Pythagorean prime, making the three verses into a numeric statement: 7(232 + 182), living (23) life (18) in shalom (7).
Luke 3:4-6 NKJV
as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The voice of one crying:
‘ In the wilderness prepare the way of YHWH;
Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.‘”
Luke 3:4-6 has 53 words totaling 13658, 2 × 6829; 6829 is the 879th prime and 433rd Pythagorean prime, making the three verses say numerically: 1072+ 472, the finished victory (107) of YHWH’s hand (47).