Why The Biblical Holy Days Are Good for Mankind And Why Some Are So Misled?
WHAT IS THE TRUE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS ?
It is not the Jewishness of the Holy Days that is meaningful to God. It is the Christ centeredness of the Biblical Holy Days that is important to God. First of all let us not forget that it was the one who became flesh and blood Jesus of Nazareth, who was the God that dealt with Moses and Israelites.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NKJV 1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
Never forget that Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament who dictated the laws and Holy Days to Moses. The Lamb whose blood saved the people of God on the Passover / Unleavened Bread night was Jesus. The Holy Days are clearly Christ centered.
John 5:38-40 RSV 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent. 39 You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Jesus told the religious leaders of his nation that they could not see the forest for the trees. They studied the Bible vigorously but their minds and hearts were blinded. They could not see the real theme of the Old Testament which was Christ Jesus. He was right before them with the pathway to salvation and they could not or would not see the truth. The theme of the Old Testament and the New Testament is Jesus. All the bible is about the Messiah(Christ). Therefore the biblical Holy Days also are about Jesus Christ. Never forget the words of Jesus that all Sabbaths annual as well as weekly are for mankind's benefit.
Mark 2:27 RSV 27 And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath;
HOW ARE THE BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS CHRIST CENTERED ?
First the NT Passover and Unleavened Bread Days are obviously about Jesus the true and ultimate Lamb of God. Pentecost count starts with the wave-sheaf offering which was the resurrected Jesus during the Days of Unleavened Bread. This led to the Church of Jesus or his followers receiving the power of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Pentecost is tied to the resurrection of Jesus and the empowering of his followers.
John 15:26-27 RSV 26 But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; 27 and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.
The death and resurrection of Jesus empowered his church in helping lead many to salvation. Pentecost is all about receiving power to fulfill the churches mission.
John 16:7 RSV 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Therefore when believers keep the New Testament memorial of Jesus' death and later his resurrection we are focused on Christ. The Unleavened Bread focuses us on trying to completely be unleavened or repentant in appreciation of Jesus. Pentecost is about the church of God the small church harvest in this first era of time.
The Fall Holy Days are about the future work of the Messiah or Christ. The Feast of Trumpets is about the momentous second coming of Jesus to take this evil world by storm. A trumpet will blast and Jesus on a figurative white horse will come again this time in power to usher in the reign of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 RSV 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; 17 then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.
This coming in power will usher in the millennial reign of of the saints represented by the Feast of Tabernacles with thousand years of plenty and paradise government looked forward to on Fall Holy Days. A period when mankind will be At-One with God. This leads to the Feast of Atonement.
Revelation 5:7-10 NKJV 7 Then He came and took the scroll out... fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: ... For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have madeus kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."
WHY HAS NOT THE WORLD SEEN THAT THESE DAYS ARE ALL ABOUT CHRIST ?
Why does the nominal Christian world keep worldly days like Easter, Xmas and Halloween ? What parts of the Bible do they misunderstand? Remember that when Protestant churches left Catholicism they were still wrong on many issues. They believe that God's law was nailed to the cross. For instance if there is no law then none of us could be sinners. If in 31 AD Jesus annulled the laws of God then we do not need grace. What was actually nailed to the stake according to Paul's letter to the Colossians in 64 AD.
Colossians 2:14-15 RSV 14 having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.
Jesus canceled the indictment or bond against us for having broken God's laws. You were guilty but now someone has paid the price and erased the guilt which was against us.
Romans 3:31 RSV 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Romans 6:1-2 RSV 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Remember that sin is the breaking of God's law.
1 John 3:4 KJV 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Therefore based on these verses, the only thing that could have been nailed to the stake was our indictment for breaking the law for being a lawless sinner.
Colossians 2:14 KJV 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
A person who was indicted by the city attorney for violating a felony law and had the indictment erased or blotted out would consider it a victory. Jesus has through his sacrifice erased or blotted out our guilt and penalty for breaking spiritual laws. It is a victory for the defense.
Colossians 2:15 NKJV 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
If someone was believed to be guilty of a crime and through a process be found innocent, the indictment would be blotted out. Paul is saying Jesus has done this for believers. Our guilt was nailed to the stake not the law.
Numbers 5:23 KJV 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:
The next section is misunderstood. Paul is saying to all church members do not let the ascetic, worldly pressures from outside the church get you to stop enjoying feasting on Holy Days and the Sabbaths. Some false teachers may have applied some pressure from inside the church as well. Why would anyone care what believers ate and drank ? Worldly philosophies is why! Ascetics believe that self-imposed suffering and denial of good thing for the body makes them righteous.
Colossians 2:16-23 NKJV 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head,... 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- 21 "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 22 which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
If for nearly an entire generation they had been divorced from these biblical days there would be no reason to tell them now not to keep the days. It would have been a none issue. But worldly churches think that is what Paul is saying. Paul is saying do not let ascetic or in some cases anti-Semitic criticism, pressure you to stop keeping God's Holy Days because they are a guide to the plan of God both past and future. They are based on the shadow of Christ. This is a wonderful thing. Note also that New Testament church was actually keeping these days. See I Cor 5:6-9 ;16:8 and Acts 12:3; 20:6; 18:21; 27:9.
Jesus and his Apostles also kept these Holy Days so why shouldn't believers do so now. If we do not keep them we lose a lot of spiritual inspiration and guidance.
