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| Points of Truth Ministries | Crusade Church of God |
When God delivered the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, He gave them His Appointed times to keep and to proclaim each in their season. The weekly Sabbath was the first appointed time, then he introduced them to His annual Holy Days and the Festivals of the Lord. Three times a year Israel was to come before the Lord to keep these Feasts. These three seasons were associated with three harvests beginning with the Spring harvest of Barley. The divine appointments during this time are the Passover service and the Seven Days of Unleavened Bread. Early Summer brought about the Wheat harvest and the observance of Pentecost. (called the Feast of Weeks in the O.T.) In the Fall during the harvest of the Vine and Produce, the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day were commanded to be celebrated. To a non-Christian Israelite, the Passover commemorates the death Angel passing over every Hebrew home in Egypt which had the blood of a lamb upon its doorposts. To a Christian, the Passover commemorates the death of Jesus, the true Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. To a Jew or Israelite, the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates God delivering them out of Egypt so quickly that their bread did not have time to leaven and rise. To a Christian, the Days of Unleavened Bread is a celebration that the true Passover Lamb has made the believer unleavened, that is, without sin. (leavening is used as a symbol for sin) To an understanding Christian, the seven annual Holy Days of the Lord reveal God’s great plan of salvation. Are the Holy Day Festivals of the Lord for Christians today? Did the early Church observe these Feasts? Will all the nations keep these divine appointments during the millennial reign of Christ? Bible Translation: NASV
Let’s look at some of the Laws we know were added because of transgressions. “An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Why would God add such Laws? Obviously, because people were mistreating one another and adding this Law protected would-be victims and impressed upon people that they should care as much about their neighbor as themselves. This Law, which carried a penalty was added because of transgressions taking place. God was saying, if you harm someone else, by Law you will suffer likewise. It is ridiculous to say the Holy Days exist as a penalty for transgressions. THE BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS IN ORDER PASSOVER: On the 14th day of the 1st month of the Hebrew Calendar - falls in the Spring. Passover Services are held but Passover is not a Holy Day. (High Sabbath) FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD: Begins on the 15th day and lasts seven days. The 1st and the 7th day are Holy Days with assemblies and offerings. PENTECOST: In the O.T. it was called the “Feast of Weeks.” It always falls on Sunday because 50 days are counted from the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Usually falls in June. Pentecost is a Holy Day with a holy convocation and offering to the Lord. FEAST OF TRUMPETS: On the 1st day of the 7th month (Hebrew Calendar). Usually falls in September or October on the Gregorian Calendar. Trumpets is a Holy Day with a convocation and offering. DAY OF ATONEMENT: On the 10th day of the 7th month. A complete fast to the Lord. No food or water is to be partaken of during this 24 hour period. Atonement is a Holy Day with a holy assembly and offering to the Lord. September or October FEAST OF TABERNACLES: Sometimes referred to as the “Feast of Booths” because God commanded that the people stay in temporary shelters called “booths.” The first day falls on the 15th day of the 7th month and is holy with a convocation and offering to the Lord. This festival lasts seven days. September or October LAST GREAT DAY: Immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles and is sometimes called the “Last Great Day of the Feast.” There is a holy assembly with an offering to the Lord.
Genesis 1:14 / Exodus 12:1-13 / Leviticus 23 / Deuteronomy 16: / ❖ God said “Let there be lights. . .for signs and for __________ and for _______ and _______.” Scripture__________ Commentary: Notice that God created the sun and the moon to identify “days”, “seasons” and “years.” The Feasts of the Lord are determined by these signs. On the Hebrew calendar the first day of each month is determined by the Lunar phase. The first faint crescent of the moon is the first day of each month. This means that the 15th day of each month has a full moon. By contrast, in the Gregorian calender which we use now, is strictly a solar calendar and the moon phases has no bearing on its calculation. The Biblical Holy Days must be determined by using the Hebrew Calendar or the Lunar phases. As we will see, God said that they must be proclaimed in their “season” and on the right “day.” Though it was thousands of years from the creation week to the time that God gave His Feasts to Israel, He had set the lights and signs for calculation of these times at creation. This reveals to us that the Holy Day Festivals were in God’s plan for mankind from the very beginning.
Scripture__________ ❖ God told the Israelites to kill and eat the Passover Lamb on the __________ of the first month. Scripture__________ ❖ The Festivals are “the ___________ ________ of the Lord.” Scripture__________ ❖ What Festival begins on the 15th day of the first Hebrew month? ______________________ Scripture__________ ❖ How long does this Feast last? __________ Scripture__________ ❖ Which two days of this Feast are holy? _______ ________ Scripture__________ ❖ The next Festival is called the Feast of Weeks in the O.T., what is it called in the N.T.?________ Scripture__________ ❖ From the weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread, one must count ____ days to Pentecost. Scripture__________ ❖ The first Feast in the Fall is __________ on the first day of the seventh Hebrew month. Scripture__________ ❖ On the tenth day of the seventh Hebrew month is the ______ of ____________ Scripture__________ ❖ On the fifteenth of the seventh Hebrew month begins the ________ of ____________ Scripture__________ ❖ “Every man shall give as he is able. . .they shall not appear before the Lord ________ _______” Scripture__________ ❖ Are the Feasts of the Lord a time of celebration? __________ Scripture__________ ❖ Are the Feasts of the Lord a time for rejoicing? __________ Scripture__________ ❖ There are seven annual Holy Days during these Feasts, is servile work allowed? __________ Scripture__________
Luke 2:39-52 / John 2:23 / John 7:37-39 ❖ Did Jesus and His parents attend the Feast in Jerusalem? __________ Scripture__________ ❖ Was it their custom to do so each year? __________ Scripture__________ ❖ During His ministry, Jesus went to Jerusalem to keep the __________ Scripture__________ ❖ “Now on the last day, the great day of the Feast, Jesus ________ and cried out. .” Scripture__________ DID THE EARLY CHURCH KEEP THE FEASTS OF THE LORD? Acts 2:1-4 / Acts 18:21 (KJV) / Acts 20:1-6 / Acts 20 16 / 1 Corinthians 16:5-9 / 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 / 1 Corinthians 11:20-34 /
Scripture__________ ❖ Was Peter and the early Church keeping a Feast of the Lord? __________ ❖ The Apostle Paul said, “I must by all means keep this __________ in Jerusalem.” (KJV) Scripture__________ ❖ Does this show that Paul kept the Feasts of the Lord? __________ ❖ Before arriving at Troas, Paul and his companions celebrated the a Feast at _____________ Scripture__________ ❖ Paul was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem to celebrate the day of _____________ Scripture__________ ❖ Paul told the Corinthians that he would remain in _____________ until Pentecost. Scripture__________ ❖ Does this show that the early Gentile congregations understood the Feasts? __________ ❖ Paul told the Corinthians, “Let us celebrate the ___________ not with old leaven. . .” Scripture__________ ❖ “Let us celebrate the Feast. . .with the ____________ ___________ of sincerity and truth.” Scripture__________ ❖ Wasn’t Paul making a clear reference to the Feast of Unleavened Bread? __________ ❖ Wasn’t this Apostle of Jesus Christ instructing Gentile believers to keep a Feast? _______ ❖ Paul said to celebrate the Feast -for Christ our _____________ has been sacrificed. Scripture__________ ❖ Did Paul teach the Corinthian Church how to properly keep the Passover? __________ Scripture__________ ❖ He told them to partake of the bread and the __________ symbolizing Christ’s Body and His Blood. Scripture__________ ❖ Is this commemoration of the Lord’s death the Passover, or the Lord’s Supper? ____________ Scripture__________ ❖ When we meet together for this observance it is not to eat the _________ ___________ Scripture__________ Commentary: Jesus had commissioned His Apostles to go to the whole world with the Gospel message, and to teach those who receive it what He had taught them. By these Scriptures we see that not only were His Apostles still keeping the Feasts of the Lord, (with new meaning) but they were instructing the Gentile converts to do the same. We see that the Apostle Paul planned his journeys around the Holy Days as well. And we see that it was no longer necessary to travel to Jerusalem to keep them.
THE FEASTS AFTER THE RETURN OF JESUS IN GLORY Zechariah 14 / Isaiah 66:22-23 ❖ The Lord will be __________ over all the earth, in that day the Lord will be the only One. Scripture__________ ❖ The Nations who survived the Tribulation will celebrate the __________of Booths (Tabernacles) Scripture__________ ❖ What happens if a nation will not come up to keep the Feast? _________________________ Scripture__________ ❖ Will God punish those who do not celebrate His Feasts during the Millennium? __________ Scripture__________ ❖ “And it shall be from new ________ to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath all Mankind will come to bow down before Me.” Scripture__________ Commentary: What we have found in our study, is that God planned the observance of His Holy Days and His Festivals from the beginning of Creation. This is one of the reasons given as to why He placed the sun and the moon in the heavens. After claiming a people for His own possession, He revealed to them His Appointed Times and commanded that they keep and proclaim them each in their season. We have seen that the original Apostles of Jesus and the early Church kept the Biblical Holy Days. And we see that after Jesus establishes His righteous rule on the earth, He will require all nations to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord.
THE FEASTS REVEAL GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION Have you ever wondered about all the people who have lived and died since the beginning who never had an opportunity to know God or His Savior? Are they forever lost and destined for the Lake of Fire? Remember, Jesus said that even Tyre and Sidon would rise up at the judgment and condemn Jewish cities who did not receive Jesus and His message. Tyre and Sidon were so wicked that God destroyed them, yet there is still hope for them in the resurrection and judgment of the dead. The Holy Day Festivals are centered around three seasonal harvests, the barley, the wheat and the vine and produce. These harvests each represent a harvest of souls and reveal God’s plan of salvation.
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