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Mustard Seed September/October 2003
God’s Fall Holy Days
Mustard Seed - September/October 2003
Should we as Christians continue to worship God on Pagan days "converted" to Christian days such as Christmas/New Years, Valentines Day, Easter, May Day, and Halloween, or does God have Holy Days that are just as relevant today as they were to the ancient Israelites?
The Spring Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23 are Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost. Late summer/early autumn is the time for the rest of God’s Holy Days and the finale of God’s great plan of salvation. Here is a brief summary of the Fall Holy Days of Leviticus 23, what they meant for ancient Israel and the New Testament application:
Feast of Trumpets:
Old Testament:
Called Rosh Hashanah by the Jews; a day of rejoicing marked by the blowing of
trumpets (Lev 23:23-25) Tradition says that the Earth was created on this day.
New Testament: The Feast of Trumpets pictures wars plagues, and the return of Christ. See the significance of Trumpets in:. I Thes. 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:50-52, Mt. 24:29-31 and Rev.11:15.
Day of Atonement:
Old Testament:A
day of fasting and repentance known to the Jews as Yom Kippur. There was a
ceremony regarding two goats (Lev 16:7-10) One they killed, and another was let
loose in the wilderness. The one loosed was the Azazel goat--mistranslated "scape
goat". This has New Testament significance (although we do not sacrifice the
goats today) as we will see.
New Testament: Also a day of fasting in respect for God, who on this day will banish for 1,000 years satan the devil. This is the goat that is let loose in the wilderness carrying our sins (he was responsible for all sin). The other goat was Jesus Christ slain for our sins. ( Lev. 16: and Rev. 20:1-2.)
Feast of Tabernacles:
Old Testament:
A seven-day celebration of the great fall harvest observed by living in booths
for the duration of the Feast (Lev 23:33-43
New Testament: Pictures the Millennial rule of Jesus Christ and His Saints, Rev. 20:4-5) the First Fruits. There will be mortals at that time pictured by the booths being the temporary human bodies of the people. There will be a great spiritual harvest at that time because Satan will be bound and unable to deceive and cause rebellion until the very end of the Millennium.
Last Great Day:
Immediately after the Feast of Tabernacles. This eighth day is considered a
separate Feast (Lev 23:36, 39).
New Testament: Start reading John 7:37 through the whole 8th chapter. Jesus was giving a sketchy outline of what this day is about. He began his deeds and preaching the next day. This is the day when everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected and given a period of time in which to be judged (Rev. 20:11-12 and Ez. 31:12-14. (Only the first-fruits were judged during their physical lifetimes.) Otherwise we have no choice but to determine that MOST people who have ever lived will die a horrible death in the Lake of Fire.
But God is not willing that ANY should perish.(2Peter 3:9) God MEANS what He says here, but He will also never interfere with our free will. However, with Satan--the Great Deceiver--put away forever by this time (after he tries one more time at the end of the Millennium to start a final rebellion against God.) God will explain His Plan to these people and MOST of them will repent (Isaiah 45:23, Rom 14:11-13.
After that, the New Heavens and New Earth along with God the Father and New Jerusalem will be a reality! (Isaiah 65:17-19; 2Peter 3:13 Rev 21:2-8) All the physical universe and all the laws governing it and human relations will not be needed anymore because we will all be spirit beings.
What a WONDERFUL God we worship!.
~Mary Wendt
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