Festivals and Holy Days

In the Mosaic Law God gave the Israelites a calendar that was filled with festivals and holy days. The one we are most familiar with today is the Sabbath, but in reality there were a great many others as well. I think it’s unfortunate that the Church is unfamiliar with the other holy days that God gave to the Israelites. Not only do these festivals have prophetic significance, but they also point to Christ and His ministry. As we come to understand them we get a better picture of God’s plan for history and for the work of Jesus.

We can find a detailed list of these holy days in Leviticus 23:

Leviticus 23:1: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.”

The chapter goes on to list the various feasts and “holy convocations”. They are:

• The Sabbath (1 day): the seventh day of each week; a holy day of rest (Lev. 23:1-3). This is the one we are most familiar with. It occurred every week.
• The Passover (1 day): the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish year. It was to remind the Jews of the way God delivered them from bondage in Egypt (Lev. 23:4-5).
• The Feast of Unleavened Bread (7 days): a week-long event that starts the day after the Passover. This was to remind God’s people of their deliverance from bondage into a new, holy life (Lev. 23:6-8).
• The Firstfruits (1 day): this was the day after the Sabbath that followed the Passover (a Sunday). It was a demonstration that the first and best of everything belonged to God (Lev. 23:9-14). I believe this was to begin the day after the feast of unleavened bread.
• The Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) (1 day): seven weeks (50 days) after the firstfruits. In this holy day a priest would wave two loaves (with leaven) before the Lord, which symbolized the birth of the church after the death of Christ. One loaf was symbolic of the Jews and the other was symbolic of the Gentiles. The leaven (as it always does) symbolized the sin that remained in these groups. (Lev. 23:15-21). This day is well-known today because it was on the day of Pentecost that the Church was born.
• The Trumpets (1 day): the first day of the seventh month. This was a day of rest and burnt offerings, symbolizing new beginnings (Lev. 23:23-25). A gap of 4 months separates Pentecost from Trumpets. In the Church Age we have had our Pentecost but we have not yet heard the trumpets. This festival, along with the remaining two, have yet to be fulfilled in history.
• The Day of Atonement (1 day): the tenth day of the seventh month. This was a day of rest, to cry to the Lord for forgiveness (Lev. 23:28-32).
• The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths) (7 days): a week-long event starting the fifteenth day of the seventh month. This reminded Israel of God’s blessings in the past (Lev. 33-44).

By looking at the events listed and the gaps that are between them it’s amazing to see how they offer an overview of God’s plan for history. We’ll investigate this further in a few moments.

Before we begin a detailed look at each holy day, however, there is an important question that we need to answer. When the Church Age began there were some who wondered if Christians were still bound by the old levitical law. Was the Church supposed to keep all of the old festivals – not only the Sabbath, but the others as well? That question was answered in these verses:

Colossians 2:16: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Romans 14:5: “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.”

The lesson in these verses is clear. In the Old Testament the Israelites had no choice but to observe the feasts and all of the other provisions of the law, for they were still under the law. After the death of Jesus, however, the Old Testament was supplanted by the New Testament and many of the provisions of the law no longer applied. In regards to the festivals there was no longer a strict commandment; the believer had the freedom to observe them or not based on what they thought was best. Christians were commanded to not judge each other on the basis of whether or not they kept the holy days of Leviticus 23. They were free to keep them if they desired but they were not required to do so.

There is not enough time to explore each of the eight feasts in detail so I will only cover them briefly. I hope this will give you a better understanding of the marvelous calendar that God gave to the Israelites.
 
 

The Sabbath

The first holy day mentioned in Leviticus 23 is the Sabbath. It was to be held on the seventh day of every week:

Leviticus 23:3: “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.”

The Lord set apart the seventh day of the week (which is our Saturday) to be a holy day of rest. No work was allowed to be done on the Sabbath on pain of death. In Numbers 15:32-36, a man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath day; when he was brought to the Lord for sentencing the Lord commanded that he be executed by stoning. This was in obedience to this commandment:

Exodus 30:14: “Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”

Twice in two verses the Lord commanded that anyone who violated the Sabbath was to be put to death. The Lord did not accept violations of the Sabbath (although as Christ pointed out, showing love and kindness was not a violation), and through the prophets He rebuked His people for treating the seventh day of the week lightly.

The Lord gives several reasons for this holy day:

Exodus 20:11: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Exodus 23:12: “Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.”

Exodus 23:13: “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.”

The Lord made the seventh day of the week sacred when He chose to rest on that day after He created the Universe. He then made that day holy so that mankind might be refreshed. The Sabbath also served to remind the Jews that the Lord was their Creator and therefore the owner of the Universe, as well as reminding them of their relationship with God.

Aside from the Sabbath day the Lord also appointed Sabbath years and the Year of Jubilee. Every seventh year was to be a year of rest, where the Israelites were not allowed to sow crops. The land was to lie dormant all year in order to give it a chance to rest. The Lord promised to provide an abundant harvest on the sixth year so that famine would not ensue. Likewise, every fiftieth year was the Year of Jubilee; the land was to lie rest on that year as well and all debts were canceled. As in the Sabbath year the Lord promised an abundant harvest on the years before the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee (for the Year of Jubilee always followed a Sabbath year).

Finally, it’s worth nothing how clearly God states that He created the world in six days. The word “day” in Exodus 20 is the same word that is used in Genesis 1. God could not have made it any plainer that everything was created in six ordinary days – after all, the Lord commanded the Israelites to rest on the seventh day just as He did! Those who would claim that the days lasted millions of years turn Exodus 20:11 into nonsense. Are people supposed to work for untold millions of years and then rest for millions of years? If God had wanted to say that the world came into being through billions of years of evolution He certainly could have done so – but He did not.
 
 

The Passover

The second holy day mentioned in Leviticus 23 is the Passover. It was to be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish year:

Leviticus 23:5: “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover.”

Leviticus 23 does not give the details of the passover because the Israelites were already very familiar with it. The Jews first celebrated it when they were still in bondage in Egypt:

Exodus 12:2: “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house: …
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.”

The Passover was to be celebrated at the beginning of every Jewish year, and served as a reminder of the Israel’s great deliverance from Egypt. In order to be saved from the angel of death the Jews had to have the blood of a perfect lamb. All of the firstborn who were not protected by the blood were killed by the death angel. This is a striking parallel to Christ, who was called “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The Lord is even called “Christ our passover” in 1 Corinthians 5:7, making the parallel very clear. In fact, Jesus was actually crucified on the day of the Passover, thus fulfilling this festival.

The blood of Christ is the only thing that can deliver us from death. We must be washed in His blood:

John 6:53: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise Him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in Him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so He that eateth me, even He shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.”

No outsiders were allowed to eat of the Passover – only those born into the family or purchased could eat it. Likewise, no one who is not in the family of God can drink the blood of Christ.

I think this quote puts it well:

“The firstborn Jews in Egypt weren’t saved from death by admiring the lamb, caring for the lamb, or loving the lamb. The lamb had to be slain, and the blood applied to the doorpost of each Jewish house. We aren’t saved by Christ the Example or Christ the Teacher. We’re saved by Christ the Substitute, who gave His life in our stead on the cross at the same hour the Passover lambs were being slain at the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.” (Warren Wiersbe, Be Holy, pg. 103-104)

 
 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

This feast was a seven-day event that began the day after Passover. It is explained in this passage:

Leviticus 23:6-8: “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7 In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.”

This was celebrated when the Israelites were still in Egypt:

Exodus 12:15: “Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever.
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.”

The feast could be summed up as follows:

• The feast lasted 7 days, during which they were to eat unleavened bread each day. (The days went from evening to evening. A Jewish day is defined in Genesis 1 and is said to last “from evening to morning”.)
• The first and last day of the feast were holy days and no work could be done on them.
• The Israelites were to completely remove all leaven from their homes.
• No one could eat anything with leaven in it during the feast. The punishment for breaking this was severe.
• “Offerings made by fire” were to be made during those seven days.
• The Israelites were to observe it as a reminder of the day the Lord delivered them from Egypt.

Throughout the Bible leaven is symbolic of sin. Removing leaven from one’s life, therefore, is symbolic of removing sin. After the Jews celebrated the feast of unleavened bread the Lord delivered them from Egypt and they left the land of bondage for a new life. Likewise, when we become Christians we are to leave behind our lives of sin and become new creatures in Christ.

This passage seems particularly meaningful in the light of this feast:

1 Corinthians 5:6: “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

 

The Firstfruits

The festival of the firstfruits fell on the day after the Sabbath that followed the Passover (a Sunday). It is described in this passage:

Leviticus 23:9: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savor: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

In this festival the people were to bring a portion of the firstfruits of their crops to the Lord as an offering. The priest would take this portion and wave it before the Lord. They would then offer a male lamb, without blemish, as a burnt offering. The offering was to be accompanied by a meat offering and a drink offering. As was discussed in the lesson on sacrifices, these were offerings of dedication, not offerings of sin.

The Israelites were not allowed to eat “bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears” until they brought the firstfruits and offered it to the Lord. The Lord claimed the firstfruits of their crops as His own and He appointed a day on which they were to offer it. Although the entire creation belongs to God, the Lord only required the firstfruits and left the rest to the people. The firstfruits was, therefore, offered on behalf of the entire harvest.

The Bible identifies Christ as a firstfruit:

1 Corinthians 15:20: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.”

This is not a coincidence. This festival is pointing toward the redemptive work that Christ would accomplish when He offered Himself on behalf of all mankind. It’s worth nothing that this offering had to be made on a Sunday, the first day of the week – the same day upon which we gather to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection.
 
 

Pentecost

The festival of Pentecost (also called the Feast of Weeks) is a one-day holy day that takes place 50 days after the festival of the firstfruits. It is described in these verses:

Leviticus 23:15: “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.
17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.
18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savor unto the Lord.
19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.
21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be a holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.”

The festival of Pentecost was to take place fifty days after the festival of firstfruits (hence its name). It was a one-day event, and like some of the other holy days no work could be done on the day of Pentecost. The event involved a number of the sacrifices that we have previously discussed:

• A series of burnt offerings, consisting of seven lambs, one young bullock, and two rams. Burnt offerings were offerings of dedication.
• A goat as a sin offering. Sin offerings were offerings of reconciliation for sin against God.
• Two lambs for peace offerings. Peace offerings dealt with fellowship with God.

It is very important to notice an event at the heart of this festival: the two wave loaves. These loaves were made of fine flour and were baked with yeast. This is very unusual, as the other festivals (such as Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread) forbade the use of yeast. In the Scriptures yeast always represents sin, and yet yeast is baked into these two loaves. The priest was to take these loaves, baked with yeast, and wave them before the Lord.

The loaves represent the two types of people – the Jews and the Gentiles. On the day of Pentecost, after the death of Christ, the Holy Spirit came and united these two people groups into one body. There was no longer Jew or Gentile, for all were one in Christ. This festival looked forward to the birth of the Church.

It’s interesting to note that in Acts 2, when the disciples were in Jerusalem for Pentecost, the holy day fell on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Christ. This would put Christ’s resurrection on the day of the festival of firstfruits – and Christ was the firstfruits of the dead. All of these things are no accident; the Bible teaches us that these festivals were signs and figures of things to come.

The fact that the loaves were baked with leaven is a reflection of the sin that still remains in the Church today. The day will come, however, when we will be risen from the dead, incorruptible, and able to stand in the presence of God.

Right after this festival is described, in the middle of a chapter dealing with holy days, are two strange verses:

Leviticus 23:22: “And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.”

Why was this commandment put right after the discussion of Pentecost? It’s interesting to note that because of this commandment Ruth was able to find food to feed her and her mother-in-law. This led to her relationship with Boaz, who became an ancestor of King David, who in turn was an ancestor of Jesus Christ – the one who made Pentecost possible.
 
 

The Trumpets

After Pentecost there is a gap of four months before the next holy day. That holy day is the festival of trumpets, which is described in this passage:

Leviticus 23:23: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”

The sacrifices for this holy day are described in this passage:

Numbers 29:1: “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.
2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savor unto the Lord; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish:
3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,
4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:”

The rules for the blowing of trumpets by priests are spelled out in Numbers 10:1-10. There were three times when the priests would blow their trumpets: to call the people together, to announce war, and to announce special times (such as the new moon).

This festival was held on the first day of the seventh month and ushered in the new civil year (“Rosh Hashanah”). As the start of the new civil year it marked a new beginning for the Israelites. As Christians we are also waiting for a new beginning, which will also be marked by the blowing of trumpets:

1 Corinthians 15:51: “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruption shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

As we can see, the fulfillment of this festival is still in the future. One day the trumpet shall sound, the dead shall be raised, and we shall begin a new existence.
 
 

The Day of Atonement

This feast is a one-day event that occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month. It is explained in this passage:

Leviticus 23:27: “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.
29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.”

The day of atonement is a day that is set aside for fasting, praying, and confessing the sin of the people. On that day the congregation was to do no work; their entire focus was to be on “afflicting your souls” and crying out to God for forgiveness. No work was allowed on that day (perhaps because one’s works cannot bring atonement).

I believe that this festival has yet to be fulfilled, for it speaks of the day when the Jews will finally accept Jesus as their Messiah. This is spoken of in the book of Zechariah:

Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”

At the end of the Tribulation the Jews will realize what they have done and will turn to God with great sorrow and repentance. This is when, as Paul prophesied in Romans 11, all of Israel will finally be saved. For now the Jews reject Jesus as their Messiah but that will not always be the case. The time is rapidly approaching when this festival will find its fulfillment.
 
 

The Feast of Tabernacles

This feast, also known as the “Feast of Booths”, was a week-long event that dealt not with affliction but with joy. It is described in this passage:

Leviticus 23:34: “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.
35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. …
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

In this feast the Israelites were to take branches from trees, build booths (or tents), and live in them for seven days. The first and last of these days were considered Sabbaths. During this time the Israelites were to dwell in the booths, rejoice in the Lord, and remember the time when their ancestors dwelt in tents after the Lord delivered them from Egypt. The focus of the day of atonement was on mourning and repentance; the focus of the feast of tabernacles was on rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord. This holy day was something like Thanksgiving, only it lasted for an entire week.

Numbers 29 lists the sacrifices that were required during this feast; by the time the week was over 199 animals were sacrificed. This is, perhaps, a reference to the fact that there can be no salvation apart from the awesome sacrifice of Christ.

What I find especially interesting is that in Christ’s Millennial Kingdom the surviving Gentile nations will be required to go to Jerusalem and keep this festival:

Zechariah 14:16: “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.”

Even in the Millennial Kingdom the Lord still wants everyone to look back and remember the great things that God has done.