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God's Holy Day Plan |
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Every nation observes patriotic holidays. These special days are reminders of important events in a country's history. They provide continuity between a nation's past and the present.
Usually citizens can understand and explain at least some of the significance of these celebrations. Yet, paradoxically, those same citizens seldom understand much about the days on which they worship and honor God. The nonbiblical roots of these religious practices are quietly ignored in their celebration
As a result, people usually assume that popular observances such as Easter and Christmas serve as true representations of the themes of the Bible. Yet the Bible nowhere commands their observance, nor does the Bible record their observance by the early New Testament Church. However, God does command other, rarely noticed, festivals.
Some people realize that the Bible mentions specific days for religious celebration. But only a few can name any of them or explain their significance.
Those aware of these festivals generally believe they were meant only for ancient Israel and ceased after Jesus Christ's crucifixion. They assume these days simply pointed toward Christ, and they think that, since He lived on earth 2,000 years ago, their importance has long since passed. Most people consider these biblical festivals as nothing more than relics of history with no relevance to the modern world.
Believe it or not, the Bible itself contradicts these commonly held views. An objective look at the biblical record reveals that both Christmas and Easter–the two main observances on the Christian calendar–are nowhere to be found, except where Passover is mistranslated Easter in Acts 12:4 in the King James Version. Surprising to many, the New Testament shows Jesus Christ observing God's Holy Days, with Jesus Christ's disciples following His example many decades after His death, burial and resurrection.
The teaching of the apostles in the years of the first century after the resurrection also differs from most people's assumptions. The apostles' instructions reveal a God who intended for all Christians to observe the biblical Holy Days–for a remarkable reason.
What these Holy Days revealWhy does God want us to observe the Holy Days? Because God wants us to know about our future, He reveals to us His great purpose for humanity.
He explains why He puts us on earth, reveals our ultimate destiny and tells us how we can attain it! The observance of God's Holy Days provides the key to understanding that elusive "unitary pattern," the symmetrical order written about by Isaiah Berlin, that will make sense of human existence. The observance of these days reveals God's great plan for the future of mankind.
The biblical Holy Days, or festivals, fall during three seasons of the year–the early-spring harvest, late-spring harvest and early-autumn harvest in the land of biblical Israel. The themes these days portray reflect God's spiritual harvest of mankind to eternal life spoken of by Jesus Christ (John 4:35-38).
These observances serve as timeless reminders of how God's plan gives eternal life to mortal man. Our Creator will bring His plan to fruition in spite of man's choices and actions, which have consistently led to separation from God, suffering and death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; Isaiah 59:1-8; Jeremiah 10:23). These festivals reveal the unfolding of God's plan for humanity and how He will establish His Kingdom on earth. This is the good news, or gospel, Jesus Christ preached (Mark 1:14-15). (For more information on this important subject, please refer to our booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom.)
God's design to grant humanity eternal life has existed since "the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). The Holy Days teach humanity about that remarkable plan. The apostle Paul beautifully summed up its essence in his letter to the Ephesians: "He has made known to us his secret purpose, in accordance with the plan which he determined beforehand in Christ, to be put into effect when the time was ripe: namely, that the universe, everything in heaven and earth, might be brought into unity in Christ. In Christ indeed we have been given our share in this heritage, as was decreed in his design whose purpose is everywhere at work" (Ephesians 1:9-11, Revised English Bible).
The Holy Days help us comprehend the master plan–the very purpose–of God, how we truly become His people. Notice this description of our destiny: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God" (Revelation 21:3). Step by step, the Holy Days show us how this beautiful picture will become a reality.
In Leviticus 23 we find a listing of the Holy Days. After discussing the weekly Sabbath, the text describes special observances with unusual names such as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. In giving these Holy Days, God instructed Moses to make it clear that "These are the Feasts of the LORD" (verses 4,37, emphasis added throughout).
The Bible teaches that eventually God will teach everyone to observe these days (Zechariah 14:16). In the pages of this booklet you will learn the fascinating purpose of each of God's Holy Days, along with their promise of hope for mankind.
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