High Sabbath = Annual Sabbath = Feast Sabbath = Feast

In addition to the ordinary or "normal" weekly Sabbaths, God also determined 7 more "special" days of rest in the year, which He also called "days of rest", i.e. "Sabbaths". Since these seven annual Sabbaths are special holidays, they are also called "High Sabbaths," "Feast Sabbaths," "Holiest Sabbaths," "Great Sabbaths," or "Most Holy Sabbaths" (literally: σαββατα σαββατων = Sabbaths of the Sabbaths; Lev 16:31; 23:32). The rules of not working were kept especially strict on these days. If the weekly Sabbaths were to be observed, how much more so were the annual Sabbaths, which are also "days of God" (Lev 26:2; Isa 56:4; Jer 20:12-24; 22:8,26; 23:38; 44:24).

The seven biblical High Sabbaths (feast days) are exactly enumerated in Lev 16; Lev 23 and Num 28-29. As the weekly Sabbaths begin and end, so do annual Sabbaths: "beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath" (Lev 23:32), that means after sunset. The first two High Sabbaths take place in the very first month of the year, which is called "Abib" (month of ears of grain) or "Nisan".

Three times a year the people should gather with God, namely in spring, summer and autumn. There are therefore two annual Sabbaths in spring (1st month Nisan), one in summer (3rd month Sivan) and four annual Sabbaths in autumn (7th month Tishrei): 

1.     1st month Nisan, 15th day: Passover 1, first day of unleavened bread (Pesach 1)

2.     1st month Nisan, 21st day: Passover 7, last day of unleavened bread (Pesach 7)

3.     50 days after the first festive Sabbath: Pentecost (Feast of Weeks, Shavuot)

4.     7th month Tishrei, 01: Day of Trumpets (Yom Teruach)

5.     7th month Tishrei, 10: Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

6.     7th month Tishrei, 15: Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

7.     7th month Tishrei, 22: Last Great Day (Shemini Atzeret) 

All 7 feasts or High/Great Sabbaths fall on different days of the week from year to year and only rarely on a weekly Sabbath (Saturday). What made these days so special? The Bible emphasizes that they were days of assembly (moedim) with God. The holy presence of God on these days made them "great/high days/Sabbaths". It was a holy time for the people of God, for God was personally gathered with them. Therefore, the calculation of the 7 feasts was always a very important task for the priests, which they kept exactly, because those who come too early or too late do not gather with the God of the Bible, but with themselves or with the gods of the pagans. 

All seven High Sabbaths or feasts are related to the three agricultural harvest seasons of barley (spring), wheat (summer) and wine (autumn). They are also always thanksgiving festivals, both physically (agricultural) and spiritually. During the spring feasts we give thanks for the firstfruits of Jesus. In the summer (Pentecost) we give thanks for our calling and election as first-fruits through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and at the great autumn harvest we give thanks for the many who will receive eternal life after us. The first annual feast (Passover; days of Unleavened Bread) and the last (Feast of Tabernacles) each last seven days. The biblical feast days thus symbolize the spiritual harvest in God's plan (more info).

The 1st of Nisan is the biblical beginning of the month and year. It begins with the first visible crescent of the moon, the so-called "new light". It is therefore also called "spiritual New Year". But the Jews today celebrate their "civil New Year" (state New Year) not in spring but in autumn on the 1st Tishrei (the 7th month), since in their opinion the earth was created on a Day of Trumpets (for more information, see the calendar).

In connection with the question about the day of the week on which Jesus was crucified, it is important to note that the Bible explicitly emphasizes that Jesus' death occurred on the day before a High Sabbath (Jn 19:31-33), i.e. before the feast Sabbath (the Passover feast day, annual Sabbath, 15th Nisan). This can fall on different weekdays. The Bible does not speak of the preparation day for a normal weekly Sabbath (Saturday), that is, not Friday, but before a preparation day for the High Sabbath (15th Nisan; see Pre-Sabbath), which can fall on different weekdays. This is a significant difference.

Some Christian pastors have thought up a further annual Sabbath, namely "First Fruits", by which they mean the day of Jesus' resurrection. Often they refer to this as the alleged "resurrection Sunday" (Easter Sunday). This is a mistake, as is proven in the chapter First Fruits.

The illustration above shows the 3 preparation days and 3 Sabbaths during the 7-day Passover. The exact same sequence of days occurs very often in God's calendar and in the Jewish calendar, namely about every third year. This was also the case in 2020 and 2023, when the biblical and Jewish calendars fell on the same days of the week. This means that any free online Jewish calendar can show how the 50 days to Pentecost were counted from the 16th Nisan (day of the wave offering), because the day on which the firstfruits were offered is always the 16th of Nisan. It is the day after the first High Sabbath of the year (not the day after a minor Sabbath), because it is symbolically very important that there is a connection between the liberation of the Old Testament Church from Egypt and the founding of the New Testament Church after 7x7=49 days (Pentecost) (see Omer counting). 

Those Christians who repeatedly claim that the 15th of Nisan (which can fall on any day of the week) is supposedly not a Sabbath, but only a feast day, because Lev 23:4-8 speaks of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and John 19:31 speaks of a “feast” or “high day” (KJV, ESV), are making a complete fool of themselves, because all Israelites and even the Bible itself call the 15th of Nisan a “Sabbath” (day of rest = Shabbat). It is even a very special Sabbath, because it is the first High Sabbath in the festival season, which consists of a total of 7 annual Sabbaths. All 7 High Sabbaths are also festivals or feast days of God.

The 14th of Nisan is always the day on which the Passover lamb had to be slaughtered after it was separated from the flock on the 10th of Nisan. Both the 10th Nisan and the 14th Nisan fall on different days of the week in God's calendar from year to year. The first day of the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread lies between the 14th and 16th Nisan, whereby the first (15th Nisan) and the last (seventh) day (21st Nisan) are High Sabbaths, regardless of which day of the week they fall on. The 15th of Nisan was a holy day on which neither weekday work (Exodus 12:16) nor service work was permitted (Lev 23:7). It is also briefly referred to as the “Sabbath” in verses 11 and 16 (also in John 19:31), regardless of which day of the week it fell on, of course. 

John 19:31: “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation [Nisan 14], that the bodies should not remain upon the cross {Gr. stauros – stake} on the sabbath day [Nisan 15] (for that sabbath day [Nisan 15] was a high day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.”

Some theologians say that the 15th of Nisan in the year of Jesus' crucifixion supposedly fell on a Saturday and is only called a “High Sabbath” in John 19:31 because it is a double Sabbath, i.e. when two Sabbaths fall on one day, namely the weekly and the annual Sabbath. But then the question arises: why do they speak of “two Sabbaths on one day” when the 15th of Nisan is supposedly a “high day” but not a Sabbath? And do these theologians not know what the Hebrew word “Shabbat” means, namely “cessation, rest”? Is the 15th of Nisan then not a day of rest? Yes, it is, it is even a greater day of rest (Shabbat) than any other weekly Sabbath of the year. In Leviticus 23, all 7 “feasts of the LORD” are listed and the 15th and 21st of Nisan are the first two feast days (High Sabbaths) of the year. 

Lev 23:4-16: “These are the feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed times. 5 On the 14th of the first month between the two evenings is the LORD’s passover. 6 And on the 15th day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 The first day [Nisan 15] ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 And ye shall offer an offering on fire unto the LORD seven days; the seventh day [Nisan 21] shall be a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work therein. 9 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the sons of Israel and say unto them, When ye have entered 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 that ye shall be accepted; on the day after the sabbath [ha-shabbat, Strong No. 7676] the priest shall wave it...

15 And ye shall count unto you from the day after the sabbath [ha shabbat, Strong No. 7676, Nisan 15], from the day  that ye offered the sheaf of the wave offering [Nisan 16]; seven sabbaths [shabbatowt; Strong Nr. 7676] shall be complete; 16 unto the day after the seventh sabbath, ye shall number fifty days; then ye shall offer a new present unto the LORD.”

All Jews know that the “day after the Sabbath” is, of course, the 16th of Nisan. This is the day on which the sheaf of firstfruits is sacrificed. They therefore always start counting the Omer on the day after the 15th of Nisan (High Sabbath, feast day). As the 15th of Nisan falls on different days of the week, the 16th of Nisan must also fall on different days of the week and not always on a Sunday, as so many Christians who prefer to follow the Pope rather than the living Jesus Christ would like. 

And in the counting for Pentecost, a distinction is again made between the “day after the Sabbath” [after the High Sabbath, Nisan 15] and the 7 small weekly Sabbaths that follow. The 15th and 21st of Nisan are always feasts, i.e. High Days of Rest = Sabbaths. All Israelites confirm this, as do all Christians who know God's calendar. Only the Sunday theologians want to force Sunday into the NT, which speaks of the Sabbath 7 times in the singular and plural (see Interlinear). 

God does not orientate Himself on the Roman (Julian) or the Catholic (Gregorian) calendar of the Pope when determining His feast days, but only on His own, the old biblical calendar, which most Christians do not know. All the feasts of God are oriented towards creation and are related to the state of the moon. The Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles are always celebrated at full moon (15th day of the month). Only the middle one of the seven yearly Sabbaths, the Trumpet Day (4th yearly Sabbath), begins at new moon. Although the new moon (or new light) always marks the beginning of each biblical/Hebrew month, it can fall on different days of the week according to the rhythm of the celestial stars (see calendar). The fixed date (e.g. 15th Nisan; 15th Tishri) determines a feast day, not a specific day of the week. This means that the seven annual Sabbaths fall on different days of the week from year to year and each festival week always includes several Sabbaths. Thus the seven annual Sabbaths also fall on different weekdays from year to year, and each festival week always contains several Sabbaths. During the Passover festival (days of unleavened bread) there are three (3) Sabbaths within a single week, namely the two High festival Sabbaths on the 15th and 21st of Nisan with the one small weekly Sabbath in between. The evangelists report that the women came to the tomb "on one of the Sabbaths" (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). So they do not say which of the three Sabbaths they mean, but only a weekly Sabbath can be meant, since Jesus was crucified on the preparation day (14th Nisan, see Pre-Sabbath) before the annual High Sabbath (15th Nisan) and was only to rise after "3 days and 3 nights" (Mt 12:38-40). It is also at the same time the "first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9) or the "first of the Sabbaths", since in every year exactly seven (7) Sabbaths are counted between Passover and Pentecost.

It is also possible that an annual Sabbath falls on a weekly Sabbath. In this case we speak of a "double Sabbath". This can then only ever be Friday evening to Saturday evening. In Acts 13:42 the term "between/intermediate Sabbath" appears (το μεταξυ σαββατον; to metaxy sabbaton). This expression "metaxy sabbaton" [meta= in the middle or between Sabbaths] means either a yearly Sabbath between two weekly Sabbaths or a weekly Sabbath between two feast Sabbaths. Here the scholars do not quite agree, but the second option is favoured. For Passover, the weekly Sabbath (always from Friday evening to Saturday evening) lies between the two High Sabbaths (15th and 21st Nisan), unless it falls on the 15th Nisan (double Sabbath). Since the High feast Sabbaths fall on different weekdays from year to year, the weekly Sabbath is either at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the Passover festival (see the illustration in the chapter on the Intermediate day):

On the 14th of Nisan, the Passover lambs were slaughtered at the 9th hour (i.e. from 3 p.m.). This was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on which no leaven was allowed to be eaten. The Passover festival lasts 7 days (15th to 21st Nisan) and the first (15th) and last (21st) days are High Sabbaths (or: Great Sabbaths). Between these two annual Sabbaths there is always the weekly Sabbath, the 7th day of the week. This is the "first Sabbath" in the counting of the 7 weekly Sabbaths until Pentecost. The major Sabbaths, on the other hand, fall on different weekdays from year to year.

In the year in which Jesus was crucified, the weekly Sabbath fell on the 17th of Nisan. In the Jewish calendar, this corresponds to the same frequent sequence of days that existed, for example, in the years 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006 etc. Jesus died on the 14th Nisan and was raised after "3 days and 3 nights". That was on the 17th of Nisan. This was on a weekly Sabbath, more precisely, on the "first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9), which is the first of the 7 weekly Sabbaths that are counted every year until the 3rd yearly Sabbath of Pentecost (Shavuot):

As far as the dating of Exodus and the first Passover is concerned, Jewish sources confirm that the 10th of Nisan in that year fell on a Sabbath, the 14th of Nisan on a Wednesday and the 15th of Nisan (High Sabbath) on a Thursday. In concrete terms, this means that just as the first Passover lamb at the time of the Exodus was slaughtered in the middle of the week on a Wednesday, the last Passover lamb (Jesus Christ) was also crucified in the middle of the week on a Wednesday. This happened immediately before the first High Sabbath (15th of Nisan), the feast day that symbolizes liberation and redemption. Without this first High Sabbath, the other High Sabbaths of the year would not have existed either, because without redemption there is no life. Thus there was a perfect fulfillment. Jesus not only died on the same date (14th of Nisan), but also on the same day of the week (Wednesday) and even at the same time (3 pm): 

Since the first Passover lamb at the time of the Exodus was separated from the flock on a weekly Sabbath (10th of Nisan) and brought to the people, this weekly Sabbath has also been referred to as the "great Sabbath" (Shabbat ha-Gadol) for thousands of years. Just as the first Passover lamb was brought to the people on a Sabbath (10th of Nisan), our Lord Jesus Christ also arrived in Jerusalem on a weekly Sabbath (10th of Nisan). This Sabbath is also inaccurately referred to by Christians as the "Palm Sabbath", while the Hebrew equivalent is "great Sabbath" (see Shabbat ha-Gadol on Nisan 10). The so-called "Palm Sunday" that many Christians wish for has never existed; instead, the Bible only speaks of a "Palm Sabbath" in the context of both the Old and New Testaments.

The first annual Sabbath is exactly in the middle (15th of Nisan) of the first month, therefore always at full moon. The people of Israel were freed from Egypt, the land of sin, at full moon. Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, was also crucified at 3 p.m. just before the full moon and freed mankind from the power of sin and death. The second annual Sabbath is the 21st of Nisan, which is the final day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The third annual Sabbath is Pentecost. Because of the counting of the 49 days (7 weeks) it is also called the "Festival of Weeks" (Shavuot, see Omer). Between the years 2000 and 2030 there are exactly 10 years in which, according to the Jewish calendar, there is exactly the same sequence of days as when the Isrealites left Egypt (first Passover) and when Jesus was crucified (last Passover):

The feasts of God are family celebrations and gatherings with the Creator. In their expressiveness they offer much more than Christmas (baby birthday party, origin: birthday of the pagan sun god at the time of the winter solstice) and Easter (origin: festival of the fertility goddess Ostarte). In addition to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the feasts of the Bible also show a time frame in God's plan for mankind until eternity. Anyone who overlooks the symbolism of God's biblical feast days will never be able to fully understand God's plan. He will also never be able to put the fulfilment of prophetic events into the right time frame. Jesus Himself observed all 7 High Sabbaths and came to Jerusalem every year for the feast days.

The Jews have preserved the calendar of God until today, even if they have made some small changes and added some new festivals (see calendar). To this day there is approximately every three years the same order of days for the feast days as in the year when the Israelites left Egypt. This is also exactly the same order of weekdays as in the year in which Jesus died. It is no coincidence that Jesus died at the same time as the Passover lamb was slaughtered (14th Nisan), just before the first High Sabbath (15th Nisan). It is also no coincidence that the Holy Spirit was poured out on a Pentecost day of all days (according to the biblical calendar and not today's Roman or Catholic calendar) and it will also not be a coincidence that Jesus' visible return will take place on a Day of Trumpets (Yom Teruach). The first three annual feasts have already been fulfilled, the next feast that will be fulfilled is the DAy of Trumpets. However, the world prefers to celebrate pagan feasts that have nothing to do with the Bible, except that some Bible verses are quoted.

The following figure shows the ten years between 2000 and 2030 in which the 14th Nisan falls on a Wednesday (as in the time of Jesus). The first High Sabbath (15th Nisan) is then always on Thursday and the "first [weekly] Sabbath" on the 17th Nisan. Here it is also clear that on the 10th Nisan there was always the Palm Sabbath (not Palm Sunday):

The above dates refer to the commonly used Jewish calendar, which is not identical to God's biblical calendar in many years (see differences). In recent years, 2020 and 2023, both calendars fell on the same days for Passover. Therefore, any Jewish online calendar can show exactly how the 49 days to Pentecost are counted.

The 7 feast days of God can be determined in one of the many Jewish calendars for each year with Gregorian date. It should be noted that while the holidays are in most years consistent with the biblical calendar of God (see Calendar), they may differ slightly in some years. The calendar of God is strictly based on astronomical values (first visible crescent of the moon at the beginning of the month); the Jewish calendar of Hillel from the 4th century is based on mathematical mean values. Even in the years in which the First and Second World Wars ended, the 14th Nisan fell on a Wednesday and the 15th Nisan on a Thursday. This is also the case in the year 2020:

In addition to the 7 annual High Sabbaths (Great Sabbaths), there is also a weekly Sabbath each year, which is also called the "Great Sabbath". The Sabbath is always the 7th day of the week. In addition, there is a special „Great Sabbath“ (in Hebrew: Shabbat ha-Gadol) only once a year, which falls on the 10th of Nisan. This is the only WEEKLY Sabbath that is referred to as the „Great Sabbath“ and should not be confused with the 7 ANNUAL „Great Sabbaths“ (=High Sabbats, feasts).

Hebrew tradition confirms several times that in the year of the Exodus, the Passover lamb was set apart on the 10th of Nisan, and this day fell on a Sabbath (Saturday) in that year. Christians speak inaccurately of the Palm Sabbath, which can be found approximately every third year in God's calendar, including in 2020 and 2023.

However, as the 10th of Nisan does not fall on a Sabbath (Saturday) every year, but also on other days of the week, Israelis still always refer to the Sabbath before Passover as the „Great Sabbath“, even if it does not fall on the 10th of Nisan. This can be found in every Jewish calendar. The Hebrews always wanted to commemorate the year in which the first Passover lamb was set apart on a weekly Sabbath (10th of Nisan) and slaughtered on the 14th of Nisan (Wednesday), whose blood made the exodus on the 15th Nisan (Thursday) possible.

See Shabbat ha-Gadol on Nisan 10  and  Palm Sabbath.

But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.

Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increas 

 (Daniel 12:4)

 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil"

(1Thess 5:21-22)

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them"

(Epheser 5:11)