Should Christians Celebrate The Feasts of the LORD?

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Definitely yes!

Why? Because of the following seven questions.

Questions	Significance of the Feast of
1. Do Christians need the blood of the Lamb for the forgiveness of sins?	Passover
2. Do Christians need to identify with Christ’s death and burial through water baptism?	Unleavened Bread
3. Do Christians need to live a resurrected life in Christ?	Firstfruits
4. Do Christians need the Holy Spirit to enable them to live according to God’s Word?	Pentecost
5. Do Christians need their names to be inscribed in the Book of Life?	Trumpets
6. Do Christians need to have their sins atoned forever?	Day of Atonement
7. Do Christians need to tabernacle (dwell) with God now and forever?	Tabernacles

The seven feasts of the LORD is a spiritual journey of our salvation through life from justification (Passover) to sanctification (Pentecost) to glorification (Tabernacles). One without the others is incomplete. 
In Leviticus 23, seven feasts are outlined. They are more properly referred to as the Feasts of the LORD, and not the feasts of the Jews!

The feasts of the LORD are God’s Prophetic Calendar for all mankind, and not just only for the Jews.

These feasts, in fact, are rehearsals or convocations for prophetic appointed times by God for the First Coming and Second Coming of the Messiah.

Spring Feasts	Former Rain	First Coming of Jesus	Passover
			Unleavened Bread
			Firstfruits
	Outpouring of Holy Spirit		Pentecost
Fall Feasts	Latter Rain	Second Coming Of Jesus	Trumpets
			Day of Atonement
			Tabernacles

Some of the appointed times have been fulfilled, while some are yet to be realized. This is good reason enough for all Christians to pay close attention to these seven feasts.

All the drama unfolding in prophecy today and in the days to come has been hinted to us in these holy rehearsals for the end of time.

Beyond all the celebrations of the feasts, the shofar blowing, the songs, the dances, the food and the feastings, we must discover and learn about the attributes and character of God in each feast.

Our covenant-keeping God is giving us great details of His Feasts so that we can discover and know Him more deeply, and walk with Him more closely in these appointed times scheduled divinely by Him! What is each feast and its significance? Why do we celebrate? How do we observe it?

Feast	Historical Significance	Prophetic Fulfillment	Spiritual Journey
Passover	Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt	Christ’s Death	Salvation
Unleavened Bread	From Egypt into the Red Sea	Christ’s Burial	Water Baptism
Firstfruits	Coming out of the Red Sea	Christ’s Resurrection	Resurrected New Life
Pentecost	Giving of the Law (Torah); Birth of the nation	Giving of the Holy Spirit; Birth of the Church	Baptism in Holy Spirit
Trumpets	Call to possess the Promised Land	Messiah as Deliverer	Tribulation / Rapture
Atonement	National cleansing and consecration	Messiah as High Priest and Bridegroom	Full Redemption
Tabernacles	Possessing the Promised Land	Messiah as King (Millennial Reign)	Full Rest in God

We must read His Word and see what He said concerning each feast. In doing so, we will gain understanding and obtain godly wisdom as our world (including the churches and Christians) is going crazy and astray in all directions!

Some Christians believe that the feasts of the LORD are only for the Jews - for only the Old Testament believers and not the New Testament believers. But they are blinded just as the Jews are blinded concerning the knowledge and revelation of their Messiah.

It was after the 3rd century AD that the formal church council of Rome passed laws forbidding church members to observe these seven Feasts.

Since then, the Church had divorced herself from her Hebraic roots including these appointed times of the LORD.

But God reminded His people again and again for four times as He outlined the seven feasts that “it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:14, 21, 31, 41).

A statute forever means yesterday, today and forever! Yes, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

These feasts of the LORD were, are and will be celebrated throughout all generations into eternity!
 
Even Jesus was fervently desiring to celebrate the feasts. He went to Jerusalem with His family at least three times every year. Why did Jesus go again and again to Jerusalem? Simply because He kept and obeyed the Word of God!

Luke 2:40-42 
And the Child grew and became strong;
He was filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon Him.
Every year His parents went to Jerusalem
for the Feast of the Passover.
When He was twelve years old,
they went up to the Feast,
according to the custom.
 
In Luke 22:15, Jesus told His disciples: "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."

The celebration of Passover was commanded by God, and had been an annual event ever since the Exodus. We are instructed to do as often as we can, and do in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:25 
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood.
This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

We will still be celebrating Passover in eternity.

Matthew 26:26-29
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it,
and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine
from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.”

Similarly we will also be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles when Jesus returns and reigns in Jerusalem:

Zechariah 14:16-19
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations
which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King,
the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth
do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain;
they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations
who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations
that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
 
Only in recent times are we seeing a desire to rediscover the Feasts of the LORD and to participate in the celebrations. 

However this journey back to our Biblical roots is filled with many spiritual pride and pitfalls if we do not follow Christ and do according to His written Word. Just like the charismatic movement, numerous dramatic accounts of bizarre and supernatural events are attracting many Christian men and women to crave and lust after all sorts of religious experiences and encounters. But a few would simply stop, pause and ask, “What is really happening here?” Or maybe more importantly, “What should I believe?”

Beyond all the charismatic chaos, prophetic disorders and apostolic heresies we are facing today, we need to also keep away from becoming Jewish freaks, singing only Hebraic songs, doing only Jewish dances, and speaking only Jewish phrases.

We need to stop trying to behave more like the Jews but start becoming more like a Jew named Jesus! That’s a great difference. Becoming more Christlike, not acting weirdly and behaving unnaturally!

As in all the past movements in the Church, many Christians and leaders have fallen into false teachings and self-deception. As they are deceived, they honestly think that they are embracing the truth when they are not! So many are drawn into the frenzy of doing supernatural activities, performing countless prophetic acts, and seeking vainglory.

But when we celebrate His Feasts in the way that He ordained, He reinforces the relationship He had established with us, and honors His sovereignty over us. We will be able to declare that He is the King of all creation and the Ruler over us and all the nations throughout the ages - past, present and future.

When we seek Jesus, we will find Him. But if we seek something else, then we will miss the mark, and fall short of the glory of the Lord. We celebrate the feasts of the LORD in remembrance of Jesus our Lord! Not anything else!

When we seek Jesus in His feasts, we may sometimes get to taste His hidden manna, and drink His living waters! As we know Him more, we will make Him known to those who have not yet know Him. When He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

1 John 3:2-3
Beloved, now we are children of God;
and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself,
just as He is pure.

In our spiritual journey from justification (Passover) to sanctification (Pentecost) to glorification (Tabernacles), have we become more like Jesus each new day? each new year? It is all about Jesus and we becoming more like Him. That's what the feasts of the LORD are all about!

It is not about what we are doing, but what we are becoming that is of greater significance. What are we becoming after all the feasts of the LORD?

The non-believers are desiring to see Jesus, but can they see Christ in us?

Written on 2 September 2013