SABBATH KEEPING

 

Exodus 20:8-11 No other day is hallowed as the Sabbath is: It is set aside as holy to God. It belongs to Him. It is time for Him. Thus, the basic rule that the commandment lays down is that God requires that each person set aside this day for the worship and service of Him. Nothing in it even begins to suggest that this commandment is merely ceremonial in nature. Protestants say Christians do not have to keep the Sabbath because it is just a ceremony, but they cannot find that idea in Scripture - certainly not in the commandment itself. Like the other commandments, the fourth commandment deals with relationships. One set of relationships - the business and work-a-day-world ones - is broken off or stopped on Friday at sunset, and another set of relationships - the spiritual ones - begin to be emphasized. In addition, the commandment looks back on creation, identifying that we are to keep the seventh day because God, the Creator, set it apart at creation. Genesis 2:3 "Sanctified" in Genesis 2:3 and "holy" in Exodus 20:8 are the same word in Hebrew though in different tenses. In Genesis 2, God makes the seventh day holy; in Exodus 20, He commands us to keep holy what He has already made holy. A holy God is required to make holy time, and He made no time holy other than His Sabbaths. God can make man holy, but man cannot confer holiness to the degree God does. Any other day of worship has a mere manmade holiness and is not holy as God's Sabbaths are holy. The Sabbath, then, is worthy of respect, deference, even devotion not given to other periods of time. It is set apart for sacred use because it derives from God. The underlying implication of the usage of "holy" is difference. The verbal root literally means "to cut," "to cut out," "to separate from," or it can imply "to make a cut above," thus "to make special." A holy thing is an object that is different from that to which it is compared. In this case, the other six days are common and are given to the use and pursuit of the common, ordinary activities of life. Practically, it means that when the Sabbath arrives, we should stop doing and avoid the mundane things that make or promote turning the Sabbath into an ordinary day. Exodus 3:1-5 provides a clear illustration of what the word "holy" implies: Now Moses . . . came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." The principle shown here is what makes the Sabbath holy, different. Because God was present, Moses had to treat the ground differently, with a respect or a deference that he would not give to ordinary ground. For the called of God, this difference, this holiness, is a spiritual thing; it is not physically discerned. Notice that, even though Moses was aware that there was something unusual about what He was observing, God had to tell him that he stood on holy ground. It is a spiritual state that cannot be physically discerned. As for the Sabbath, God puts His presence into the day for the sake of His people and His spiritual creation. Consider the scenario Amos 3:3 presents: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" If we want to be in God's presence in this special way and in agreement with Him, no other day will do. God has an appointment with us to meet with Him on a specific day, on Sabbath time. It is time, different from other time, just as an appointment time with a dentist is different from other time in one's life, as well as from another person's scheduled time.   Genesis 2:3 In the Christian era, the Sabbath has been a point of controversy since at least the fourth century AD, when the Roman Catholic Church assumed the authority to change the day of worship from the seventh day to the first. In the years that followed, thousands of seventh-day Sabbath-keepers were imprisoned or killed for obeying the fourth commandment. When the Protestant Reformation took place centuries later, those opposed to the abuses and venality of the Catholic Church broke away in an attempt to set things straight. However, they continued to teach a number of corrupted doctrines, including the change to the Sabbath. Today, the vast majority of professing Christians hold the first day as the proper day of worship, even though the Bible is clear and consistent that only the seventh day was blessed, sanctified, and made holy (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:11). Catholic theologians are unashamed of the change that their church made, readily admitting that if one goes by the Bible alone, the seventh day is still the Sabbath. For them, the matter comes down to church leadership having the authority to modify such things. Protestants, on the other hand, are unwilling to concede Papal authority. Instead, they justify Sunday-worship—a tradition of men—by saying they are honoring the day on which Christ rose from the dead. Does this tradition have merit? It is certainly a widespread assumption, one that seems plausible on the surface and to which few give a second thought. Even so, there is no biblical record, implication, or hint of God removing the sanctification and holiness given to the seventh day and transferring it to another day. Inherent within the assertion that the Sabbath has changed is the idea that the Creator Himself is changeable—that His standard of righteousness changes over time, and He is not serious about what He says. Yet, James 1:17 reminds us that with God "there is no variation or shadow of turning." He does not change—His fundamental character and approach to things are constant. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today, and forever," and the next verse says, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings" (ESV). God's changelessness is a major defense we have against false teaching. Thus, any doctrine that involves God backtracking on what He said—such as changing the Sabbath command—should be seen for what it truly is: an affront to His perfect, constant nature. The Sabbath is neither a minor detail nor an obsolete ritual. It was the capstone of the creation week and is a creation of its own (Genesis 2:1-3). Humanity, created on the sixth day, is the pinnacle of God's physical creation, yet He created one more thing—the Sabbath—because physical man is incomplete. The physical creation is complete, yet there is a spiritual creation still taking place. God is creating mankind in His spiritual image (Genesis 1:26), and He has set apart—sanctified—the seventh day of each week to allow us to further this creation through fellowship with Him without being distracted by ordinary labors and pursuits. This does not mean we cannot fellowship with Him at other times—we can and should! But in setting aside the seventh day and making it holy, He has ensured that there will always be a space of time—a recurring memorial—to return our focus to the spiritual work God is doing. Exodus 31:12-17 Several points stand out in this passage: 1) The Sabbath is a sign of who the true God is. The true God is the Creator. 2) The Sabbath is a sign of God's people. 3) The Sabbath(s) belongs to God (verse 13). He designed the time as holy, not Moses or any other man. 4) The Sabbath sanctifies. It sets apart the man who keeps it by showing him to be distinct from the rest of the culture. 5) Sabbath-breaking incurs the death penalty. 6) The Sabbath is a perpetual covenant. The Old Covenant was not a perpetual covenant; it has been replaced by the New. 7) The Sabbath covenant is separate and distinct from the Old Covenant given at Mt. Sinai. Not only did the events in this passage take place 40 days after the proposal and acceptance of the Old Covenant, but God re-revealed the Sabbath to the children of Israel (because they were in Egypt for so long they had forgotten it) right after they left Egypt and days before they arrived at Mt. Sinai. The lesson of the manna, which demonstrated the difference in the days of the week (Exodus 16), happened before the rest of the law was given via the Old Covenant. Even though the Old Covenant - that specific agreement - has passed away, that does not mean that the eternal code of conduct on which the agreement was based has passed away. Notice that idolatry and adultery are both still sin (and nobody considers those laws to be "Jewish"). 8) This was spoken to the people that God was working with at the time - Israel. Part of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry was to "fulfill" the law, and not to destroy it (Matthew 5:17-18)! The rest of Matthew 5 shows Him magnifying various points of law to reveal the true intent behind them. Jesus Christ says in Mark 2:27 that the Sabbath was made for mankind, not just for physical Israel! Galatians 6:16 shows that the designation of "Israel" under the New Covenant is now a designation of the church. And the Bible shows the New Testament church, Christ included, observing the Sabbath and not the first day of the week. Mark 2:27 The Sabbath was made for mankind, to serve mankind, and therefore it also serves God's purpose. Notice that He does not say the Sabbath was made for the Jews only, as most people read into this. Some also say that Jesus kept the Sabbath because He was a Jew, but that is merely a dodge. God says what He means. Jesus clearly understood He was to keep it, and He did. If it were God's intent that only Jews keep it, Jesus would have stated it that way.

The crux NOT on a FRIDAY!

 

(From Forerunner Commentary) Matthew 12:38-40 The seventh day of the week—the Sabbath—was set apart at creation as being blessed, sanctified, and holy (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:11). It was given to Israel prior to the Old Covenant (Exodus 16), and confirmed within a separate perpetual covenant (Exodus 31:12-17). It was observed by God's people throughout biblical history, and transgressed by the disobedient. Jesus kept the seventh-day Sabbath, as did the apostles and early church after His death. Prophecies show that it will continue to be kept when He returns to establish His Kingdom on earth. In the face of the Bible's consistent teaching, though, Protestant theologians justify their breaking of the fourth commandment and their worship on the first day of the week by saying that they are honoring the day of Christ's resurrection. They offer this reason despite there being absolutely no indication that God intended such a change, nor is there any explanation from an apostle, prophet, or other messenger after the fact to reveal such a doctrinal deviation—one that would have lit an unthinkable doctrinal firestorm in the first century. Their inadequate reasoning contains more holes. While the day and time of Christ's resurrection are critical to our salvation, they are central for a different reason than the one given by the theologians. By Jesus' own testimony, the true significance of the day and time of His resurrection is that it proves that He was who He claimed to be: the Son of Man, the Messiah. The sign He gave of His Messiahship is that He would be in the grave three days and three nights (that is, 72 hours), and then God would resurrect Him. Therefore, the timing of His resurrection has nothing to do with establishing which day God set apart and made holy, and everything to do with whether He was and is the Messiah. The day and time of His resurrection either prove or disprove His Messiahship—in Christ's words, the holiness of the day is nowhere in view. Followers of Christ should be keen, then, on understanding how long He was in the grave and when He was resurrected, for if the Father did not resurrect Jesus when He foretold, we have no Savior. Now we arrive at a poignant irony: The same theologians that justify Sunday-observance (on the basis of Christ's resurrection) also claim that He died on a Friday afternoon and was resurrected on a Sunday morning—that is, that Jesus did not fulfill the sign of Jonah! Notice He did not foretell "parts of three days" or even just "three days" but "three days and three nights." It is simply not possible to fit three days and three nights between a Friday afternoon and a Sunday morning. These theologians have a couple of serious problems on their hands and heads, not only in attempting to change times and laws (see Daniel 7:25), but also by invalidating the very sign Jesus gave to prove who He was! Reconciling the correct timing of Jesus's burial and resurrection takes some deeper study, but it is not difficult. We know that He was killed on the day of Passover and that His body was put into the grave before sunset (compare Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14). His burial needed to take place before sunset because that marked the end of the day of Passover (a preparation day) and the beginning of a Sabbath. That Sabbath was not a weekly Sabbath, though, but rather an annual one, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. John confirms this by recording that "that Sabbath was a high day" (John 19:31). This means there are two Sabbaths involved in the timing—an annual Sabbath (the first day of Unleavened Bread) and a weekly Sabbath. Jesus suffered crucifixion on the preparation day for an annual Sabbath rather than the weekly Sabbath, thus He did not die on a Friday, as is commonly believed. In the year of His crucifixion, Passover was on a Wednesday. His body was put into the grave late Wednesday afternoon before the high-day Sabbath began. He was in the grave three days and three nights (Wednesday night through Saturday; 72 hours), and He arose on Sabbath afternoon just before sunset. As After Three Days explains, Sabbath afternoon is the only time when Jesus could have been resurrected after being killed on Passover afternoon and lying in the grave three days and three nights. Yet, His resurrection on the Sabbath is not what makes it holy and set apart. Rather, He was resurrected by God on the day that was already holy and set apart. So, the day of Christ's resurrection does not establish the day of worship—yet even if it did, it would still be on the seventh day! Whether by assumed church authority or by carelessly handling the Word of God, Sunday-keeping is a tradition of men rather than an ordinance of God. Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15), including the ten He gave at Mount Sinai. The apostle John concurs: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (I John 5:2-3). Yet, church leaders for centuries, like the Pharisees before them, have led millions into error by making "the commandment of God of no effect by [their] tradition" (Matthew 15:6). Jesus' resurrection made no change in the day of worship; men took it upon themselves to change it without respect to God's Word. In the near future, however, when Christ returns, all who claim Him as King will once again hallow the Sabbath (Isaiah 66:22-23; Ezekiel 44:24; 45:17; 46:3).   Luke 23:44-46 Jesus remained on the cross for three hours before He died "at the ninth hour" (Mark 15:34; see Matthew 27:46). Since they were using the Hebrew method of counting the hours of the day from sunrise, the gospel writers indicate that Jesus was crucified around noon and died about 3 PM. They are remarkably unanimous on this point.   Luke 24:21 To most, counting as we do, "today is the third day since these things happened" (in reference to the first day of the week) would place the crucifixion on the previous Thursday, not Wednesday. However, this simple mathematical explanation is a bit superficial. Those who look at the counting of days from an inclusive point of view say that the disciples' phrasing points to the previous Friday, since the Jews would have counted the current day, Sunday, along with Saturday and Friday to arrive at their three days. This would seem to support the traditional Good Friday-Easter Sunday scenario. Yet, Jesus said, "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Everywhere else, the Gospels support a 72-hour burial from Wednesday at sunset to the weekly Sabbath at sunset. Can this verse in Luke 24 be a contradiction? There are two ways of resolving this apparent inconsistency. The first considers that the disciples are not referring just to the three days of Jesus' burial. Then what are they talking about? They actually say, "Today is the third day since these things happened." To assume that they refer only to the crucifixion is to ignore the context of the passage. In verse 18, Cleopas exclaims, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" From the summary of what they told Him, we can conclude that the disciples recounted the whole string of events that occurred in what we now call Crucifixion Week—and those events did not end with Jesus' death and burial. Matthew 27:62-66 informs us that on the day after Christ's crucifixion—Thursday—the Jews went to Pilate to ask that a guard be set on the tomb, and he told them to do it themselves. They may have done it immediately, but they may have waited until sunset, since the day was a High Day, a holy day Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread. So, on either Thursday or early Friday, a guard was set, making it the last activity surrounding the "big news" that the disciples told the resurrected Jesus about. They could then say that it had been three days since the last of "these things" had occurred. The second, and perhaps best way, to understand this comment, is to take it in its most natural sense. The immediately preceding thought is that the disciples "were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel." The sign that Jesus had given to them was of being "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). The sense of the ensuing comment, however, is that their hopes were dashed because the three days and nights of the sign had already passed! The idiomatic phrase reads literally, "One is passing this day as the third," implying "the third day has passed." In essence, they were not saying that it was the third day of Jesus' sign but, unfortunately, that the third day was already up!   John 20:1 Comparing the various biblical accounts with the traditional teaching reveals that Jesus could not have risen with the sunrise on Sunday morning. Notice John 20:1: "Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb" (our emphasis throughout). Jesus had already been resurrected! If this part of the "Easter story" is incorrect, what else is wrong? Taking all the clues together, we find that the Bible indicates a Wednesday crucifixion and a late Sabbath—Saturday—resurrection, since, to fulfill the sign of His Messiahship, He had to remain in the tomb a full three days and three nights or 72 hours (for a complete explanation, see "After Three Days"). Most professing Christians believe that Christ's resurrection focuses on the fact that, having suffered crucifixion and then being buried in the tomb, He was dead, but three days later, He was alive again. As far as it goes, this is true. Jesus Himself writes to the church at Smyrna in Revelation 2:8: "These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life." However, we must be careful not to be satisfied with the basic truth that He returned to life, for if we do, it does a grave injustice to the spiritual magnificence and significance of the event. His was no ordinary resurrection, if any resurrection could be considered so. Other resuscitations down through history have been shown to be what we would call "reviving from clinical death": The person's heart stops, his breathing halts, and in fact, he is dead, yet suddenly, he returns to life. In a similar way, just a short time before His own death, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11), and later, at Christ's death, "many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many" (Matthew 27:52-53). These people were all returned to physical life, and while they are astonishing miracles and must have caused untold wonder and joy among their grieving relatives, their mortality was merely postponed. They would die again. Jesus' resurrection was something altogether different: He was raised to everlasting life; He would live forever! In his first sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter informs the gathered crowd, "God [the Father] raised up [Jesus], having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it" (Acts 2:24). Paul explains what happened in a similar way in II Corinthians 13:4, "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God." Finally, the risen Christ Himself says to the apostle John, "I am He who lives, and who was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen." (Revelation 1:18). The life that the Father returned to Him was not mere physical life but the immortal spirit life of God. Because He has passed from death to life, He makes our salvation and eternal life possible. Paul writes in Romans 6:8-9, "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more." He puts it succinctly in Romans 5:10, ". . . we shall be saved by His life," that is, the life He now lives as our Savior and High Priest. Hebrews 7:24-25 tells us, "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." In His final prayer with His disciples, Jesus begins with this thought: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him" (John 17:1-2). In these verses, we see hints of a momentous product of Christ's resurrection that contains weighty implications for us. Paul writes in Hebrews 1:3, ". . . when He had by Himself purged our sins, [Jesus] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Peter also mentions this in his Pentecost sermon: "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33). Because He was raised from the dead, having paid for our sins in His sinless body, the Father has exalted Him to sit with Him on His throne, where He has the power and the authority to "pour out" the Holy Spirit on the elect, giving them the ability to have a relationship with God and to have eternal life through a similar resurrection. Paul writes in Philippians 3:8, 10-11: "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, . . . that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, . . . if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." In this way, He is "the captain of [our] salvation" (Hebrews 2:10), the archegos, the Forerunner and Trailblazer, who opens the way before God's people and makes it possible for them to attain what He has. And this potential is not limited to some kind of quasi-angelic existence, for the apostle John writes, ". . . when He is revealed, we shall be like Him" (I John 3:2). Paul concurs in I Corinthians 15:49: "As we have borne the image of the man of dust [Adam], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man [Jesus]." Man's potential reaches to the divine! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is nothing to be taken lightly. We would do well to consider it deeply since it is so vital to God's purpose and to the eternal future of God's elect.

Feasts of the LORD.. WWJD??

 

Feasts of the Lord

The Jewish people have kept many of the biblical feasts through the centuries. God established the biblical feasts for His people to observe. And since Israel became an independent nation in 1948, some of the feasts became official holidays in Israel. 

What we commonly refer to as the ‘Jewish feasts’ should more appropriately be called Biblical Feasts or “Feasts of the Lord.” Especially, since in the Bible God calls these festivals simply His own. Just look at how many times that phrase is repeated in a single chapter of Leviticus:

These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. (23:4) These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations. (23:37) You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord… (23:41) So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord. (23:44)

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Biblical Feast as Holy Convocation

Leviticus 23 briefly covers all of the feasts of the Lord. There are three annual feasts that the Lord commanded all of Israel to celebrate in Jerusalem — Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Each feast, regardless when or how it is celebrated, is called the same thing: a “holy convocation.”

The Hebrew word for convocation is “mik-rah.” Strong’s Concordance describes this word as “something called out, i.e., a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place)”. But this is not just any “public meeting.” When used in Scripture, this word “mik-rah” is almost always followed by the word “ko-desh,” which is translated, “holy.” This is not like just any another “church get-together.” This indicates a sacred gathering because God Himself has called Israel to come together, and He will be in their midst.

Biblical Holidays

There are several Christian holidays that famously correspond with Jewish ones. We know Jesus had a Passover meal with His disciples. Later, that meal became known as the Last Supper, and it happened the night before His crucifixion.

You may also remember that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened on the holiday of Pentecost. Not everyone knows, but Pentecost is the biblical Feast of Weeks, Shavuot. So, how come we don’t celebrate both holidays – the Jewish and the Christian one – on the same day?

The Hebrew Calendar

That is because the Hebrew calendar is slightly different from the western Gregorian calendar. In short, the Gregorian calendar is solar. That means the seasons are determined by the sun. According to the Gregorian calendar, we are now in year 2020. Our years begin in January. 

In contrast, the Hebrew calendar is lunar. Each month is determined by the phases of the moon. In Biblical times, the year would begin in early Spring. God said the month of Passover was the first month of the year. However, in Israel today, the year starts in early fall – but more on that further below. 

A Day in a Week

In the Hebrew calendar, a day runs from one sunset to the next. This definition is rooted in the Biblical description of the Yom Kippur holiday in Leviticus 23:32, where it says the holiday lasted “from evening to evening”. The Jewish people and the state of Israel still follows this rule.

That is why the holiest day of the week – the Sabbath – rightfully identified as Saturday, starts being celebrated on Friday evening. And as soon as the sun sets on Saturday, the new week begins. 

When God created the world, He did so in six days. After God created man and woman, before they even got a chance to rule over creation, He invited them to rest. Adam and Eve started their lives on earth with fellowship with their Creator on the Sabbath.

Because of the story of creation, in Hebrew the days of the week are simply called: Day First (Sunday), Day Second (Monday), Day Third… The count ends with Shabbat, the seventh day. 

Hebrew Measure of Time in Biblical Feasts

God revealed so much of Himself in the biblical celebrations. Jesus said, If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for He wrote of Me (John 5:46). God revealed in His Word that even though He mysteriously works outside of our timeframe, He works with it for our benefit, and wants us to be mindful of it.

He teaches us to remain watchful. In one of his psalms, Moses expresses it beautifully, asking the Lord: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12).

Whichever calendar we follow, God is teaching us about His appointed times. We can celebrate the miracles He has done. Most importantly, we can prepare for the second coming of His Son to Earth. 

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Hebrew Word for Feast

There are a few Hebrew words for “feast.” One is Chag, which means “to circle, as in to circle dance or feast”. often used in reference to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and Feast of Tabernacles, as pilgrimage feasts.

In Biblical times, these three feasts required that you make your way to where the Tabernacle or Temple stood. Which was initially several different places, and eventually, Jerusalem. In contrast, other festivals or appointed times could be celebrated in your home or wherever you lived.

Chagim (plural) are to be celebrated before the Lord in a joyous, party atmosphere with singing, dancing, and processions.

To what do the Feasts of the Lord point?

The feasts of the Lord are the public calling of God for anyone to come to these holy convocations. God also included specific signs that were appointed before the foundation of the world and represent His desire for all of mankind.

“…in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day — things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

Christians can freely celebrate the Jewish feasts (feasts of the Bible) out of a desire to know God’s character. So, let’s dive deeper into what they are.

Feasts of the Lord in Spring

Passover

Passover falls on the tenth of this month, called Nissan. It is the first of three pilgrimage holidays. These were appointed times for all Jews to come to Jerusalem.

It celebrates the exodus of Israelites from Egypt and freedom from bondage.

The Hebrews who believed God to keep them safe were protected from death by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. It is a clear picture of the sacrifice of Jesus, who saved us through his death on the Cross. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Unleavened Bread is usually identified with Passover as they are closely related. However, it deserves to be mentioned separately – as it is in the Bible.

In fact, Passover only happened on the first day. The remaining seven holy days are the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. People are instructed to clean out the yeast out of their homes and only eat bread without leaven, called matzah. 

Feasts of the Lord in Summer

Shavuot or Feast of Weeks

In early Summer (or sometimes still in late Spring), all Israel celebrates Shavuot – Feast of Weeks. It is the second pilgrimage holiday and it opens the season of harvest in Israel. Called also the Feast of Weeks, it is celebrated after seven weeks since Passover. 

The 50 days is also the reason why it is called Pentecost, meaning fifty in Greek and Latin. On Shavuot, God gave Moses and the people of Israel His law. Millenia later, on this day God poured out His Spirit on the people celebrating Shavuot in Jerusalem. 

Summer is also a season when the Jewish people commemorate the destruction of the Temple. The day is called Tisha B’Av and it is a day of mourning and fasting. 

Feasts of the Lord in Fall

Fall is the most festive season of the year for the Jewish people. Fall feasts are the most famous ones in the Jewish holiday cycle.

Feast of Trumpets or Rosh HaShanah

The Feast of Trumpets, better known as Rosh HaShanah, meaning Head of the Year, points to the beginning of the civil calendar in Israel. However biblically, it was a solemn day with trumpet blasts reminding people to reflect on their lives and repent. 

Nevertheless, the Jewish tradition on Rosh HaShanah is to dip apples in honey, wishing everyone a good and sweet new year. Feast of Trumpets begins the High Holidays, also called the Days of Awe, that lead up to the Day of Atonement.

Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur

Day of Atonement in Hebrew is called Yom Kippur. It is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. Many spend the day on intensive prayer, asking God for forgiveness. It is a day of fasting and in Israel everything comes to a full stop, including airports and traffic. 

This day reminds us what a gift we have in Jesus, who became the ultimate atonement for our sins. 

Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles

The joyous Feast of Tabernacles is the third (out of three) pilgrimage holiday. It is both commemorative and prophetic in its meaning.

Called Sukkot in Hebrew (booths), it points to the commandment of God to stay in temporary dwellings for a week. It is to remember the Hebrews’ journey through the desert. Moreover, it reminds us that our life on earth is also a temporary dwelling. 

Feasts of the Lord in Winter

In Winter, there are more holidays to observe. However, the following two festivals are not included in what the Torah describes as the Feasts of the Lord.

The Festival of Light called Chanukah and the holiday of Purim are times when the Jewish people celebrate God saving them from the hands of their enemies.

Chanukah or Festival of Light

Chanukah is known as the Festival of Light thanks to the tradition of lighting candles every evening for eight days. Commemorating a victory of the Jewish people over their Greek oppressor, the holiday also celebrates a sanctification of the Temple. 

By God’s miracle, the menorah (a candelabra in the Temple) burned for eight days, despite having enough oil to last only a day. The holiday usually falls around the Christmas season in the Gregorian Calendar. 

Purim

Purim is a celebration of another victory of the Jewish people over their enemies. The Book of Esther tells the story of how an orphan made Queen together with her wise cousin unravel an evil plot orchestrated against their own people.

They take a stand in face of adversity and their courage is celebrated at Purim. 

Purim is observed in the last month of the Hebrew Calendar (Adar), which leads us back into spring. 

Want to learn more about the High Holidays? Check out this video:

Christians and the Biblical Feasts

You may be wondering, should Christians observe the biblical feasts? In the recent years, the amount of churches across the world that celebrate these holidays has grown. My answer has always been this: we don’t have to celebrate the feasts — we get to!

Many of Jesus’ teachings occurred during these biblical feasts. Why would we want to miss out on something that He said points to Him? Christians can freely celebrate these feasts out of a desire to know God’s character.

“If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for He wrote of Me.” John 5:46.

Now, let us turn to the Scripture where God tells us to celebrate His Son's birth: —. Yes, that is correct. No place in either Testament tells us to honor our Savior by having a birthday bash for Him each year. Strangely enough, Jesus Himself tells us to remember, not His birth, but His death (Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26)! Certainly, it is important that He was born, but the fact that He died—and how and why He died—has farther-reaching, more eternal consequences!

What about some of the other minor details of Christmas? To begin with, the date is all wrong. Late fall and winter in Palestine is the rainy season, and it can get quite cold. The best sources say shepherds bring their flocks in from the fields by October at the latest. Also, the details of John the Baptist's conception and birth preclude a winter birth for our Savior (see the Forerunner article, "When Was Jesus Born?"). At best, this time of year might qualify as the time of Jesus' begettal by the Father.

In addition, where does Santa Claus fit in? Was he one of the wise men? No, he is merely a gift-giving, fourth-century Saint Nicholas of Myra known for his piety and generosity. And what about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, mistletoe, Christmas trees, Yule logs, twinkling lights, stockings on the mantle, and the other paraphernalia of this merriest of seasons? Even a perfunctory investigation will show that most of them derive from overactive imaginations or pre-Christian—that is, heathen, pagan, idolatrous—traditions and practices. It is an open secret, as it were.

To recap, then, the true biblical story of Jesus' birth has been syncretized into a non-Christian festival, and even that has been obscured by a wrong date and a phony crèche scene (no halos, the wise men came later, Mary was not dressed like a nun, etc.). Everything else is a lie, including the need to celebrate it.

This begs the question: Why do people think they can worship and honor God through a lie? The Old Testament says, "God is not a man that He should lie" (Numbers 23:19). Paul tells us, "God . . . cannot lie" (Titus 1:2). Jesus teaches that Satan the Devil "is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). David, in Psalm 5:6, declares, "The LORD abhors the . . . deceitful man." Of course, the commandment says, "You shall not bear false witness" (Exodus 20:16; Matthew 19:18). Surely, a God who will not lie and detests lying people would not wish to be feted in a lying way.

The answer to our question, however, resides in human nature. First, the Bible says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:7). Men simply do not want to obey God and His will. Second, the human "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). We trick ourselves into believing that we can use a defiled means to worship a holy God. Third, "the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so" (Jeremiah 5:31). People actually like to be lied to because, they think, they can enjoy the sin while they can and point the finger of blame at someone else for deceiving them. This approach will not score any points with the Judge (II Corinthians 5:10-11).

Along with the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) there are seven high (annual) Sabbaths we must observe.  Holy gatherings are held and no servile work are to be done on these days.  Leviticus 23rd chapter lists all of the Holy Days of God, which he commanded us to observe, FOREVER.

ABIB, the first month of the year (according to God’s Solar/Lunar calendar) begins at sundown on Tuesday, April 9th. The feasts for 2024 are calculated starting from this day. ***NOTE: God’s days are from sundown to sundown***

01

The Passover

Begins –

Monday, April 22, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Monday, April 22nd at 8:00 p.m. CDT*

02

1st Day – Feast of Unleavened Bread

Begins –

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Wednesday, April 24th at 1:00 p.m. CDT*

03

7th Day – Feast of Unleavened Bread

Begins –

Monday, April 29, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Tuesday, April 30, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Tuesday, April 30th at 1:00 p.m. CDT*

7TH MONTH NEW MOON

Wednesday, October 2, 2024  | 9:51PM| Jerusalem Time

04

The Feast of Pentecost

Begins –

Saturday, June 15, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Sunday, June 16, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Sunday, June 16th at 1:00 p.m. CDT*

05

The Memorial of Blowing of Trumpets

Begins –

Thursday, October 3, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Friday, October 4, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Friday, October 4th at 1:00 p.m. CDT*

06

The Day of Atonement

Begins –

Saturday, October 12, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Sunday, October 13, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Sunday, October 13th at 1:00 p.m. CDT*

07

The 1st Day – Feast of Tabernacles

Begins –

Thursday, October 17, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Friday, October 18, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Friday, October 18th at 1:00 p.m. CDT*

08

The 8th Day – Feast of Tabernacles

Begins –

Thursday, October 24, 2024 @ Sundown

Ends –

Friday, October 25, 2024 @ Sundown

Service –

Friday, October 25th at 1:00 p.m. CDT*

“THESE ARE THE FEASTS OF THE LORD, EVEN HOLY CONVOCATIONS, WHICH YE SHALL PROCLAIM IN THEIR SEASONS” (LEVITICUS 23:4).
High Sabbaths – No work is to be done except for cooking for the feasts, excluding The Day Of Atonement when no work at all is done, but a fast (affliction) is observed. *Service times are only for Hammond, IN. Call for other location times.