Christ in the Feasts

The Apostle Paul was a man well versed in the Old Testament scriptures. He had the advantage of learning from the best teachers of his day. Most importantly and significantly he had the advantage of being taught of the Lord. Through His encounter with Christ at his conversion, to visions he received, to being caught up into the third heaven,... he had received much insight into the plan of God. His epistles make sense of many details of our Bible that without Paul we might still be in the dark.
One area that Paul seemed to have insight was in regards to the OT feasts which were introduced to us in our reading from Leviticus 23. In this chapter Moses lays out the following feasts: Passover / Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks (50 days after firstfruits), Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths. This seems to be a great layout of occasions which would encourage the people of Israel to remember the greatness of their God throughout the year, but is there something more to this layout of feasts? Could they be pointing us to Christ?
The answer is at least a partial "yes", because Paul seems to be tying some of these feasts to events in the life of Christ. Take the following as examples:
1. In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Paul says, "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." In this passage Paul clearly links the Passover to the death of Christ on the cross, followed by an exhortation to those who have applied this to their lives to live out a life without leaven, without malice and evil.
2. In 1 Corinthians 15:20,23 Paul says, "But in fact Chrsit has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep... But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ." Here is seems that Christ is identified with the next feast, that of Firstfruits. Fruitfruits is identified with the resurrection of Christ which followed His death, and offered to believers the hope of their own resurrection.
3. In Romans 8:23 we may have a clue to the next feast. In this text Paul says, "And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." It is interesting to note the the Feast of Weeks occurs 50 days after Firstfruits. It is also a feast that has a firstfruits dimension. If we think about the life of Christ we note that 50 days after Christ's resurrection we have Pentecost, or the giving of the "firstfruits of the Spirit".
4. Now it is interesting to note that there is a space of time before the next three feasts which occur together in the seventh month. Could it be that this space of time equates with the time between Christ's advents. It is interesting to note that that interval of time will be "interrupted" with the Feast of Trumpets. Could this be referring to Christ's second coming which will be accompanied by trumpet blasts. Again Paul says in 1 Thess 4:16, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."
I will have to do some more research to try and figure out what aspects of Christ the other feasts point to, but I have to sit back and marvel at the wisdom of our God. He has a plan, which is centered around Christ, and He is unveiling it step by step without fail. How marvelous for Him to create a people and a history into which He imbeds the person and work of His Son Jesus Christ.
In this season of remembrance of the life, death and resurrection of Christ may we all find wonder and joy in God's goodness expressed to us in His Son - no longer veiled, but now out in His glorious light.