Every nation has holidays that celebrate specific events that have happened in their history. It is extremely rare for another event with the same theme to happen on the exact same day. In fact, no nation has actually had this kind of thing happen except for Israel. There have been forty major events that have happened to Israel that have happened on the same day, a Jewish holiday, and are of the same theme.
I shall begin on the tenth day of Nissan, this is the first month of the Jewish year. The theme for this day is sanctification-setting apart for a holy purpose. The original event that began this holiday is the Passover celebration. This was during the time when the Jews were slaves in Egypt, God had sent various plagues down on Egypt, but Pharoah was unwilling to let them go and lose his slave laborers. The final plague that was sent down on Egypt was the killing of the first born, except for the Jews who had put lambs blood on their door lintels. When all Egypt's first born were killed, they were passed over. The Jews were to celebrate this event every year.
Other events with the same theme that occurred on this same day are:
- Israel crosses the Jordan. They are taking possession of the land that God promised them as they have been set apart to do.
- Jesus was cut off and rejected by the Jews on Palm Sunday. This was the first time Jesus presented himself to His people as the Messiah, and they rejected Him. This marks the end of the sixty-ninth week of Daniel's seventy weeks.
- Ezekiel receives a vision of the Millenial Temple, where the people of Israel will be sanctified for the Lord
The next Holy day is the fourteenth day of Nissan, the Passover supper. The theme for this day is the covenant relationship of God to Israel. This day was celebrated by the Jews in preparation for the Exodus from Egypt.
Other events that occurred on this day with the same theme are:
- God made a covenant with Abraham. Abraham was to follow God, and God would bless him and make him a mighty nation, and they would be God's special chosen people.
- First Passover celebration in Canaan. God restores his covenant with the people of Israel, and to show that they accepted the covenant, all Israelite men were to be circumcised.
Genesis 17:10
Today's New International Version (TNIV)10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. - The Book of the Law found. After many years of bad kings that did not follow God, Josiah became king. He loved God and tried to follow Him. While restoring the temple, the Book of the Law was found. After reading it, Josiah cried out to God for forgiveness on the land. He read to the people from the Book, and had them renew their covenant with God.
- 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. 32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 34:31-32
- Dedication of the second temple. The Israelites had been taken from their land by conquest. After many years Darius of Persia allowed the Israelites to return home and rebuild their temple. Since the Israelites had been in captivity all these years, they had not been allowed to celebrate their holidays, or continue their sacrifices.
- 19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. 21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel. 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel. Ezra 6:19-22
- The last supper, the covenant of Jesus to His disciples and the church. Jesus made a covenant between God and man with Jesus as the mediator.
- 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,“Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Mark 14:22-25
The fifteenth day of Nissan, the feast of Unleavened Bread. The theme is the purging out of sin. When Pharaoh freed the Israelites, they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread dough to rise. In remembrance of this event no bread with yeast or levening is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of Unleavened Bread".
Other events that occurred on this day with the same theme:
- Jesus Christ was crucified. He died on the cross and took our sins upon himself. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b]Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
- Exodus journey begins
- Fall of the Jewish resistance at Masada in 73AD. After two years of fighting the Roman soldiers, the wall was breached on this day. The Jews killed their families and themselves rather than be taken into captivity.
The seventeenth day of Nissan, the Feast of Firstfruits. The theme of this day is resurrection. The feast of firstfruits was celebrated to acknowledge early spring crops. It was a thanksgiving offering to God for His provision. In Christianity, this Feast is celebrated as Easter.
Other events that have occurred with the same theme:
- Noah's ark comes to rest of Mount Ararat. This represented a new beginning, a resurrection of the old world.
- Israel crosses the Red Sea. This was a new beginning for Israel, they resurrected the old covenant between themselves and GodIsrael eats the first fruits of the promised land. When Israel reached the Jordan river, they sent spies into the land. The spies returned on this day, bringing with them all the bounty of the land.
- 10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. Joshua 5:10-11
- Christ resurrected
- 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
There is one other event that happened on this day with the same theme, and that is the Holy Spirit was given to the church on this day.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4
The next series of Holy days commemorate sad days in Israel's history.
The seventeenth day of Tammuz is the next Holy day. The theme is the breaking of a spiritual symbol of God's favor.
Events that have occurred on this day include:
- Moses broke the two tablets of the law when he came down from Mt Sinai and saw the golden calf
- Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and stopped the daily sacrifice
- The walls of Jerusalem were breached before the destruction of the second temple
The ninth day of Av is considered the saddest day of the Jewish year. The theme is a fast of mourning. Eight disasters have happened to the Jewish people on this same day. The odds of eight disasters with the same theme occurring on the same day are 1 in 863,000,000 x 1 billion!
- The twelve spies that were sent to explore Canaan returned on this day. All but Joshua and Caleb brought a bad report. They said there was no way that they could defeat the peoples living in these lands, they were too strong. The people believed the spies and began to despair, they did not have faith in God. As punishment, God decreed that not one of them would enter the promised land except for Joshua and Caleb.
- Babylonians destroy Solomon's Temple in 587 BC
- Romans destroy the second temple in 70 AD
- Romans plow Israel with salt rendering the land useless 71 AD
- Romans destroy army of Israel 135 AD
- England expels the Jews from her land 1290 AD
- Spain expels the Jews from her land 1492 AD
- World War I declared. Russia began a program to persecute the Jews, killing 100,000. 1914 AD
The first day of Tishri is the Jewish New Years day. This is the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Ha'shanah. The theme is a memorial day of Holy convocation.
Events that have occurred on this day with the same theme:
- The high priest brought the first offering to the rebuilt temple
- Ezra read the law to the returned exiles
- Future possibility, this may be the date for the Battle of Armageddon. Many Biblical scholars believe that this may be true.
The tenth day of Tishri is the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. The theme of this day is mourning and atonement for sin.
Events that have occurred on this day:
- Aaron, as the high priest made atonement for Israel for the first time. 31 Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, “Cook the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded: ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ 32 Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread. 33 Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days. 34 What has been done today was commanded by the LORD to make atonement for you. 35 You must stay at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and do what the LORD requires, so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded.” Leviticus 8:31-35
- Israel saved from annihilation in the War of Yom Kippur in 1973.
- The obvious reason for choosing the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur to stage a surprise attack on Israel was that on this specific holiday (unlike any other) the country comes to a complete standstill. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar; both religiously observant Jews and most of the secular majority fast, abstain from any use of fire, electricity, engines, communications, etc., and all road traffic ceases. Many soldiers also go home from military facilities for the holiday, and Israel is more vulnerable with much of its military on leave. The war coincided that year with the Muslim month of Ramadan, when many Arab Muslim soldiers also fast. Other analysts believe that the attack on Yom Kippur actually helped Israel to more easily marshal reserves from their homes and synagogues, because the nature of the holiday meant that roads and communication were largely open and this eased mobilizing and transporting the military. Wikipedia.
- Future: Possible date when Israel shall mourn for their Messiah. Israel will finally realize that Jesus was their Messiah, and that they have wasted all these years. 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a] of grace and supplication. They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11 On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives. Zechariah 12:10-14
Fifteenth day of Tishri, the Feast of Tabernacles. Theme is the coming presence of God.
Events that occurred on this day:
- Dedication of Solomon's Temple
John 1:14
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
14And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.
with Jesus birth, God came down to be with us, just like He did with Moses in the wilderness.
- Future: Possible ushering in of Kingdom Age
As you can see from these many examples, there is no other people that have had so many events occur on the same day with the same theme. God does nothing by accident.
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