Jesus told His disciples that they were privileged to see things other did not see: "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it" (Luke 10:23-24).

What are we privileged to see? How about the symbolism of God’s festivals? For example:

Which biblical festival pictures the events that the apostle Paul describes in his first letter to the Thessalonians, in chapter 4, verses 13-18? We remember that the trumpet shall sound, Jesus will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will be resurrected. The answer: the feast of trumpets!

That's not a difficult question for those who keep the feast of trumpets, showing us an important aspect of the biblical festivals. When we keep those feasts, certain statements in the Bible have a special meaning. We are able to "see" things that we would not recognize otherwise.

Paul was writing to believers in Thessaloniki who had just lost a believer in death. When Paul tells them to "comfort one another with these words," he is referring to the sure hope he had just mentioned in the previous verses.

The comfort conveyed by the symbolism of the feast of trumpets shows us that the meaning of God's festivals is not just for our intellectual growth. It also provides encouragement and emotional strength – in this case for those who had lost a loved one. Those who keep God's festivals also "see" these things.

The feasts of the Bible picture the key events in God's plan for mankind. The fall festivals are approaching, a refresher for the understanding we glean from their symbolism – what we are privileged to see.

With these thoughts I wish everyone a rewarding Sabbath!