Jewish Festivals
Are these for today? Or do we regard these celebrations as another issue about which we should not judge? To take or leave? Or completely fulfilled in Christ and not of enduring significance?
I bring up this topic because I have met many fine Christians in the alternative church movement who have returned to these festival days.
In the body of Christ, there are those called Messianic Jews and Messianic Christians. Before I might criticize them, I must recall that the two major Christian holidays are Christmas and Easter - both of which have roots in the Pagan religions of the early centuries.
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While we understand that scripture alone is enough to show us what is permissible or not, understanding the big picture brings greater clarity, joy and peace to God's people. Understanding the purpose and fulfillment of God's feasts helps us to see the bigger picture. There are many pieces to understanding the fulfilling of the feasts, both individually and collectively. Elements can be seen scripturally, spiritually, historically, anthropologically, agriculturally, linguistically, and in phraseology to name a few. I hope that there are some pieces in here that will be a blessing to you.
Every feast is a study on its own and directly correlates to the physical and spiritual harvest seen in scripture; the following is a rough outline to shed light on the whole:
- Triune Completion (Was, is, and will be)
a. Everything "was" (Old Testament/physical), everything "is" (New Testament/ spiritual & manifesting physically), and "will be" (the fullness of times, completion, new bodies, fully manifested spiritual reign.
i. As seen in the Sabbath fulfilling and the coming Sabbath rest.
ii. Pesach/Passover - Salvation from Physical slavery/Time of the physical barley harvest (Was), Salvation from bondage of sin/ during which the spiritual barley harvest took place (Is), salvation from the influence and reign of sin in the millennial kingdom: commemorated by the fourth cup: cup of the kingdom (Will be)
iii. Shavuot/Pentecost- the law on stone given on mount sina, the presence of God in fire, etc., and three thousand deaths for sin (Was), The writing of the law on the heart, God's presence via his Holy Spirit in fire, etc., and three thousand souls saved, the start of the harvesting of the wheat (Is), Final harvesting process of the wheat: threshing, winnowing, gathering (Will be)
iv. Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets - with each set of sounds is a different call out to God: cry of condition, remembrance of God, crying to God, awakening to sin, crying out in repentance, and asking for mercy and forgiveness, and crowning God as King - directly connected to ten days of awe & Sabbath of Penitence: has up to Yom Kippur to get right before judgment & to have name written in book of life before gates of heaven are closed- also correlates to the time of the physical grape and olive harvests (Was), acknowledge sin, call upon Yeshua/Jesus, crown him as king and get right before judgment, have name both written and sealed in the book of life (Is), some grapes (Israel) and olives (Judah) awaken and come together (all Israel) to a place furnished in the wilderness, rending hearts with trumpet blasts, crowning Yeshua/Jesus as King, the lamb in the midst, (who knows the day and hour of the heart of man?), The great final exceeding blast, God roars from heaven (Will be)
v. Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement - High priest offers blood sacrifice for sins of the world, seeking forgiveness, giving to charity, disannulment of vows, remembering martyr's, opening the ark & pulling out the Torah scrolls, wearing white, a great shofar blast, closing of the gates, judgment of either blessing or curse, and more (Was), Yeshua/Jesus the high priest gave the blood sacrifice of his body for the sins of the world, seeking forgiveness from God, giving to charity, being the martyrs, continuing in God's written word, faithful believers receiving judgment of blessing (Is), disannulment of vows with death, God hearing the martyrs cries, God's people are given white to wear, the gates/doors are shut, the temple of the ark is opened, the temple fills with smoke and the wrath of God is poured out on the wicked, including the ungathered grapes which are trampled and destroyed, judgment of rewards for saints (Will be)
vi. Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles - pilgrimage to Jerusalem, build booths/tents/tabernacles to dwell in for memorial purposes, temple sacrifices and water libation ceremony commemorating physical living water, temple lighting (in place of God's glory during second temple), Hashanot (please save us), Hoshana Rabbah (the great please save us), carrying out judgment or blessings, all night and week long celebration joy and feasting, and more, (along with Chag HaAsif/ Feast of Ingathering: celebration of all crops gathered; particularly barley, wheat, grapes, olives) (Was), Yeshua/Jesus light of the world, the Holy Spirit waters flowing out of the faithful believer, Yeshua/Jesus as Hosannah during entry into Jerusalem, and more (Is), Hoshanot - Yeshua/Jesus is seen again: "blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord", sacrifice (supper celebration/fouls and beasts invited), Yeshua/Tabernacle in the midst, light of God's presence via Yeshua/Jesus, Millennial blessing of rain and judgment of no rain, living waters out of Jerusalem, and more (Will be)
b. The Hebraic wedding also ties into each of the feasts (Details not listed)
2. The LORD'S feasts vs Jewish feasts
a. Established afore in the firmament
i. Genesis 1:14 KJV — "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:"
ii. Leviticus 23:2 KJV — "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."
iii. Both the words seasons and feasts are the same Hebrew word: Strong's Hebrew 4150: Mowed, or moed, or mowadah: properly an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand)
b. They were always "The feasts of the LORD" (Leviticus 23:4, 37, 43)
c. God called them "my feasts" (Leviticus 23:2)
d. Strangers and sojourners kept the feasts (Exodus 12:48-49)
e. "Your feasts" was used only when feasts were not observed in the manner that God commanded (Isaiah 1:14)
3. The LORD'S supper-feast (1 Corinthians 11:20) (another individual study)
a. Supper: Strong's Greek 1173: deipnon: dinner, i.e. the cheif meal (usually in the evening): feast, supper.
b. Historically, every week, saints assembled and ate a meal with the third cup of the Passover (the cup of blessing/the cup of redemption). The entire feast that was no longer being observed correctly was split and the meal that takes place in the middle of Pesach with the bread and cup that followed was given to a people who would observe it correctly. When the veil comes off the eyes of the grapes and olives and all are gathered at the ingathering, all will partake of the fourth cup in unity.
4. Quartodecimanism (from Latin quarta decima: fourteenth): Historically, from the first century, Christians in Jerusalem and Asia Minor observed Passover and the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua/Jesus on Nisan 14 (Partakers were called quartidecimani: a Latin word meaning “fourteenthers”; and Polycarp, a bishop who followed the apostle John, observed on Passover). Alternatively, Christians in the churches of Rome, who were followers of Peter and Paul, observed after the full moon of the vernal equinox and referred to the day as Easter. Anicetus of Rome was an observer of Easter. Between 68 A.D. and 155 A.D. , there was a dispute known as the “Quartodeciman controversy” When neither Polycarp or Anicetus could convince one another to switch their observance, they decided to continue their own way of observing without any separation of fellowship.
a. Easter in Acts 12:4 is Strong’s Greek 3957: Pascha: the Passover (the meal, the day, the festival or the special sacrifices connected with it): - Easter, Passover.
5. All to the glory of God: 1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV — "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
6. Being mindful and loving towards weak consciences of unlearned individuals, as to not provoke stumbling (1st Corinthians 10:16-23, 25-33)
7. Romans 14:5-6 KJV — "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 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."
8. Colossians 2:16-17 KJV — "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
9. Colossians 2:20-22 KJV — "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?"
Conclusion
1 Samuel 16:7 KJV — "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
It is not given to the gentiles to observe the established feasts physically, aside from the fulfilled supper of Passover: the Lord’s Supper. The purpose of the feasts for gentiles was fulfilled spiritually and by the manifestation of God's promised salvation. Faithful believers are to commemorate, daily and weekly, God's partial fulfillment of all the feasts, as also seen in the agape feasts/ feasts of charity (referred to in Jude 1:12). If faithful believers choose to observe the feasts, acknowledging and honoring the fulfillment, in unity, in fellowship with God, giving glory to God, Yeshua/Jesus, and Ruach HaKodesh/the Holy Spirit, not in vain repetition, or ritualistically in the sense of duty, how joyous and pleasing would that be to God and the partakers!
"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
Numbers 6:24-26 KJV
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What strange behavior would be attributed to the husband who only looked at photographs of his wife. While, at the same time, ignored her and her needs... in real life.
Jesus is here, never to leave. Let us embrace Him through faith every hour. And lay types and shadows aside.
I notice that history lovers will occasionally participate in a military battle re-enactments. To commemorate a famous Revolutionary War battle, for example. This, in my view, is harmless and could even be very beneficial. But I don't see the continued observance of the Old Testament feasts in this way. Let God judge.
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.—Galatians 4:8-11
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I have every house church situation that I have led. I have always done a full Passover meal from the point of teaching. I have always felt giving people a foundational view of what the First century would have known was good. Lately, I have wondered about the idea of doing Tabernacles and treating it as a large outdoor camping event. Make it fun, and educational with a BBQ and potluck.
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Your message was a needful check on my bad attitude. And I thank you. Lemme 'splain.
When I read about Paul's disappointment with the Galatians, I overlooked the fact that they were reverting back to aspects of Judaism, seeking to be justified by the works of the Law. That is entirely different from an instructive re-enactment in which Christ is shown to be the fulfillment of the Law.
You observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Galatians 4: 10-11
Hold that thought and tie it into to this account from Joshua 4.
Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
Notice how concerned Joshua (and the God of Joshua) were that the children received an unforgettable history lesson. Just as you did, Robert. Thank you for sharing!
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Not a problem. I have a basic method when approaching such stuff for our group. Keep it simple, keep it informative, and keep it fun. Because If you turn it into a burden, then what value is there?
