God's Holy Days

Greetings, a servant of God, by the grace of God, teaching the truth of God under the authority of Jesus Christ to any who are willing to receive it. (Mat 13:43).

The Holy Bible contains the truth of God by the word of God (Joh 17:17); therefore, God teaches and gives understanding, wisdom, and knowledge to all who pray and seek Him with all the heart (Deu 4:29-31; Jer 29:12,13; Psa 119:2).

I will be the words in green. Purple Highlights will be key words or phrases of truth.

God’s holy days are not human traditions or cultural inventions; they are appointments set by the LORD himself. In Scripture, these days form a pattern of remembrance, worship, and renewal - moments when God calls His people to stop, to look back at His mighty works, and to look forward to His unfolding purposes. Each holy day is rooted in real history, yet each one also carries a shape that points beyond itself, revealing the character of the God who redeems, provides, and dwells with His people.

From the Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread that marks deliverance, and teaches purity, to the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day, God’s appointed times form a pattern of life shaped by His grace. They are not burdens but blessings - holy reflections that draw the heart away from ordinary concerns and back to the One who rescues and sustains. In these days, Israel learned to remember, to rejoice, and to rest in the LORD who had claimed them as His own.

As we explore these holy days, Scripture must remain our guide. The meaning of each day is found not in speculation or tradition but in the words God has spoken. And as we follow the pattern He established, we will see how each appointed time stands complete in its own context while quietly preparing the way for the greater fulfillment revealed in Christ. For now, we begin where God begins: with the days He declared holy, the plan He established, and the story He invites His people to remember.

The Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread: Deliverance With the Precious Blood of the Lamb

Exodus 12 stands as one of the most solemn and decisive moments in the story of God’s people. On the night of the Passover, the LORD Himself provides a way of deliverance - not through strength, strategy, or merit, but through the blood of a spotless, sacrificial lamb.

Israel’s rescue from judgment does not rest on their worthiness, but on the sign of the blood placed upon their homes. This teaching reveals a God who saves by substitution, protects by covenant, and marks His people with a sign that distinguishes them from the world around them. In the backdrop of darkness, deliverance comes by faith in the precious blood of the lamb.

Exo 12:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

Exo 12:2 This *month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

These opening verses signal a profound shift. Before a single lamb is chosen, before a drop of blood is shed, God resets Israel’s calendar. Deliverance is not merely an event - it becomes the starting point of a new way of counting time. The LORD is declaring that redemption will define Israel’s identity from this moment forward. Their story does not begin with slavery, oppression, or Pharaoh’s decrees. It begins with God’s act of salvation.

By establishing a new beginning, God is teaching His people that deliverance is the foundation of their life with Him. Everything that follows - their worship, their journey, their covenant with God (Gen 17:7) - flows from this night. The first month is not chosen because of agricultural cycles or political events, but because God is about to redeem His covenant people by the blood of a spotless, sacrificial lamb. This reordering of time prepares Israel to understand that salvation is not an add‑on to life; it is the moment life truly begins.

*When God established the Passover in Exodus 12, he anchored it in a specific moment of Israel’s calendar: the month of Abib (Exo 13:4). This was the month when the barley first ripened, marking the beginning of Israel’s sacred year. The name Abib reflects the agricultural life of early Israel - springtime, new growth, and the first signs of harvest.

Centuries later, after the Babylonian exile, the same month came to be known as Nisan. The name changed, but the timing did not. Scripture itself reflects this shift: Moses speaks of Abib, while books written after the exile - like Nehemiah and Esther - use Nisan. The event remained the same; only the vocabulary of the surrounding culture changed.

This small detail matters because it helps readers avoid a common confusion. The Passover of Exodus takes place in Abib, while the Passover in Jesus’ day takes place in Nisan. They are the same month, separated by history, not by meaning. The shadow and the fulfillment share the same season, though they bear different names.

Exo 12:3 Speak you unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

Exo 12:6 And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it *in the evening.

With the first month of the year established, the LORD now instructs Israel to select a lamb - the central figure of the night of deliverance. Every household is to choose one animal on the tenth day, setting it apart for four days before the sacrifice. This deliberate pause creates space for reflection: salvation is coming, but it comes through a chosen substitute.

The requirement that the lamb be without blemish underscores the purity and perfection demanded for the act of deliverance. Yet in a striking display of God’s mercy and accessibility, the animal may be taken from the sheep or from the goats. The Hebrew word seh includes both. The emphasis is not on the species but on the spotlessness and substitutionary role of the animal. Whether a lamb or a kid, the sacrifice must be whole, unblemished, and set apart - a life offered in place of another.

By keeping the lamb until the fourteenth day, the people live with the cost of their deliverance before it is slain. The nearness of the lamb impresses upon them that salvation is personal, costly, and provided by God himself.

*Exodus 12:6 instructs Israel to kill the Passover lamb “between the evenings,” an ancient Hebrew expression describing the period after the sun begins to decline but before full darkness sets in. This window stretches from late afternoon into early twilight, marking the quiet transition from day toward night.

In practical terms, the lamb was slain near the end of the day, while there was still light to prepare it, yet close enough to nightfall that the meal could be eaten as God commanded. This timing allowed the sacrifice and the meal to belong to the same appointed night. For the purposes of this teaching, it is enough to understand that the Passover lamb was offered at the close of the 14th day, in that solemn threshold between light and darkness - a detail that forms part of the pattern scripture will later illuminate more fully in the next section The Lord’s Last Supper.

Exo 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Exo 12:9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

Exo 12:10 And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.

Exo 12:11 And thus shall you eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S Passover.

The instructions now move from choosing the lamb to applying its blood - the decisive act that stands between life and death. The blood is placed on the two doorposts and the lintel, forming a visible sign that the household is under the protection of the LORD. The deliverance of Israel does not rest on their strength, their righteousness, or their heritage, but on the blood of the spotless lamb displayed in obedience and faith. The judgment that sweeps through Egypt will not touch those protected by the blood of the lamb.

Inside the home, the lamb is eaten roasted, not boiled or raw. Roasting preserves the wholeness of the sacrifice and requires no additional vessels - a meal prepared in readiness for departure. The unleavened bread speaks of urgency; yet it also foreshadows Israel’s later remembrance of it as the bread of affliction (Deu 16:3) - a humble reminder of the misery of their bondage and the LORD’S mighty deliverance. The bitter herbs recall the bitterness of slavery, ensuring that the memory of bondage is never separated from the joy of deliverance.

Nothing of the lamb is to remain until morning. What is not eaten must be burned. The sacrifice is complete, consumed, and finished. There is no casualness here, no leftovers to be treated as common. The lamb is wholly given, wholly received, wholly honoured.

The posture of the people matches the urgency of the moment: belt fastened, sandals on, staff in hand. They are to eat as those ready to move the moment the LORD speaks. This is not a leisurely feast but a meal taken in faith, poised between bondage and freedom. The LORD is about to act, and his people must be ready to follow.

The closing line gathers the entire scene into one declaration: “It is the LORD’S Passover.” This night belongs to Him - His provision, His protection, His deliverance, His covenant. Israel’s role is to trust, obey, and shelter beneath the blood of the lamb.

Exo 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

Exo 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token [sign] upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

The LORD now reveals the meaning behind the blood and the gravity of the night to come. This is not merely a symbolic act or a ritual of remembrance. It is the night when the LORD Himself moves through Egypt in judgment. The firstborn - the strength and pride of every household - will fall. The gods of Egypt, powerless to save, will be exposed as nothing. The LORD alone acts, the LORD alone judges, and the LORD alone delivers. His declaration ends with the covenant name: “I am the LORD.” This is the God who keeps His word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In this context, the blood becomes more than a mark of obedience; it becomes the dividing line between judgment and mercy. The LORD calls it a sign - not for Him, as though He needed information, but for Israel. The sign teaches them that deliverance comes not by their merit, but by the life of another in their place. The blood on the doorposts and lintel marks the entire entrance as belonging to the LORD. The household is covered, sheltered beneath the life of the spotless lamb.

The promise is simple and absolute: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Judgment does not enter where the blood has been applied. The destroyer cannot cross the boundary the LORD has marked. Salvation is not earned; it is received by faith in the provision God has given.

Exo 12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

Exo 12:15 Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Exo 12:16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation [High Day or High Sabbath], and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

Exo 12:17 And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall you observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

*Exo 12:18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

Exo 12:19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

Exo 12:20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall you eat unleavened bread.

Having revealed the meaning of the blood and the certainty of judgment, the LORD now establishes the Passover as a memorial - a day to be remembered, rehearsed, and retold for generations. Deliverance is not only an event; it becomes the foundation of Israel’s identity. What the LORD does on this night must never fade into the background of history. It is to be remembered by His people throughout the generations as an ordinance forever.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is bound inseparably to the Passover. For seven days Israel is to remove all leaven from their homes and eat only unleavened bread. The bread is later called “the bread of affliction” (Deu 16:3), reminding Israel of the humility and hardship from which they were delivered.

*In Exodus 12:18, the instruction to observe unleavened bread “from the fourteenth day of the month at evening until the twenty‑first day of the month at evening” reflects the Hebrew way of counting days from sunset to sunset. Thus, “the fourteenth day at evening” refers to the sunset that ends the 14th and begins the 15th - the same evening in which the Passover lamb is eaten. From that sunset until the sunset ending the 21st day, Israel was to remove leaven and eat only unleavened bread. This gives a full seven‑day period, running from the evening that begins the 15th through the evening that concludes the 21st, exactly as the festival requires.

The removal of leaven from every house is thorough and uncompromising. Nothing leavened is to be eaten; nothing leavened is to remain. This is not about dietary restriction but about purity of remembrance. The LORD is teaching His people to make a clean break with the old life - the life of bondage, idolatry, corruption, and affliction. The feast becomes a lived parable: leave behind what belonged to Egypt, and walk forward in the new life the LORD has given.

The severity of the warning - that anyone who eats what is leavened shall be cut off - underscores the seriousness of the memorial. Forgetting the LORD’s deliverance is not a small matter; it is a rupture in the covenant relationship. Israel must remember who saved them, how He saved them, and why they belong to Him.

This section prepares the heart for verse 23, where the LORD Himself stands at the doorway. The memorial is rooted in the reality of that night - a night when the LORD passed through in judgment and passed over in mercy.

Exo 12:21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.

Exo 12:22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

Exo 12:23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Moses now delivers the LORD’S instructions to the elders - the shepherds of Israel’s households. The command is simple and solemn: select the lamb, kill the lamb, apply the blood. The act is not ceremonial; it is life‑preserving. Every family must take responsibility for the sign that will stand between them and the coming judgment.

The blood is applied with hyssop, a humble plant later associated with cleansing and purification. Its use here underscores the nature of the moment: the household is being marked, cleansed, and set apart under the protection of the LORD. The blood is placed on the lintel and the two doorposts, forming a complete covering of the entrance. The doorway becomes the boundary of salvation - the place where judgment stops and mercy begins.

Moses then reveals the heart of the night: the LORD Himself will pass through Egypt. This is not an angel acting independently, nor a natural disaster. It is the LORD executing judgment on Egypt’s oppression and Egypt’s gods. Yet the same LORD who judges is the LORD who protects. When He sees the blood, He will pass over the door - not merely passing by, but standing guard. The text is explicit: He will not allow the destroyer to enter.

The LORD Himself becomes the defender of every blood‑marked home. He stands at the threshold. He bars the destroyer. He honours the blood He commanded them to apply. This is the moment toward which the entire chapter has been moving. The lamb has been chosen. The blood has been shed. The doorway has been marked. And now the LORD stands between His people and the judgment that sweeps through the land. This scene prepares the way for the great cry of Egypt in the next verses, but for Israel it is the night of protection - the night when the LORD Himself becomes their shield.

Exo 12:24 And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons for ever.

Exo 12:25 And it shall come to pass, when you be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he has promised, that you shall keep this service.

Exo 12:26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean you by this service?

Exo 12:27 That you shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

Exo 12:28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

The LORD now binds the Passover to Israel’s future. This night is not only for those who experience it firsthand; it is for their children, and their children after them. The deliverance that happens once must be remembered always. Israel is not merely saved - they are formed by salvation, shaped into a people who remember the mighty acts of the LORD.

Moses tells the elders that this rite is to be observed forever, not as a relic of the past but as a living testimony. The LORD intends that every generation will rehearse the story, taste the meal, and feel the weight of the night when the LORD passed over His people. The Passover becomes a school of remembrance, where each household becomes a place of teaching.

The children’s question - “What do you mean by this service?” - is not a problem to solve but a moment to embrace. The LORD Himself anticipates the curiosity of the next generation and provides the answer: “It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S Passover.” The explanation is simple, solemn, and centered on the LORD’S saving act. The parents point to the LORD’S mercy - the night when He passed over the blood‑marked homes and delivered His people from bondage.

The people’s response is immediate and humble: they bow their heads and worship. Before the judgment falls, before the cry rises in Egypt, Israel worships. They recognize the gravity of the moment and the grace of the LORD who has provided a way of deliverance. Then comes one of the most beautiful lines in the chapter: “The people of Israel went and did so.” Obedience flows from worship. Faith expresses itself in action. The blood will be applied because the people trust the word of the LORD. This section prepares the heart for the moment of judgment in the next verses - the night when the LORD passes through Egypt and the distinction between His people and the Egyptians becomes unmistakable.

Exo 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

Exo 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

The narrative now reaches its darkest and most sobering moment. At the appointed hour, the LORD Himself moves through Egypt, and the judgment He foretold comes to pass. The firstborn of every household falls - from Pharaoh’s throne to the lowest prisoner, and even among the livestock. The gods of Egypt are exposed as powerless, unable to protect those who trusted in them. The cry that rises in Egypt is unlike anything the nation has ever known, a wail of grief that sweeps from house to house with no place untouched. This is not a random tragedy but the righteous judgment of the LORD against a kingdom that hardened its heart, oppressed His people, and resisted His word again and again.

The severity of the moment underscores the mercy shown to Israel. The only difference between the homes of Egypt and the homes of Israel is the blood of the lamb. The LORD’S judgment makes the distinction clear: where there is no blood, there is death; where the blood has been applied, the destroyer cannot enter.

The great cry of Egypt stands in stark contrast to the quiet protection of the blood‑marked homes, where the LORD Himself has stood at the door. This night reveals both the holiness and the mercy of the LORD - judgment for those who resist Him, and deliverance for those who trust in the provision He has given.

Exo 12:31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said.

Exo 12:32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

The judgment has fallen, and Pharaoh’s resistance finally collapses. In the middle of the night - the very hour when the LORD struck the firstborn - Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron. The man who once claimed, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice?” now yields to the LORD’s command without negotiation or delay. His words echo the very language Moses had spoken from the beginning: “Go out… take your flocks and your herds… as you have said.” The LORD has vindicated His word, and Pharaoh’s authority is exposed as powerless before the God of Israel.

Pharaoh’s plea, “and bless me also,” reveals the depth of his desperation. The king who repeatedly hardened his heart against the LORD now seeks favour from the very people he oppressed. It is a tragic moment - an acknowledgment of the LORD’s power without the surrender that leads to true repentance. He displays the form of seeking God’s help while denying the inward change that brings life (2 Tim 3:5; Acts 11:18). Pharaoh wants relief from judgment, but he does not seek the LORD Himself. His request stands as a reminder that acknowledging God’s power is not the same as submitting to His rule.

This turning point marks the beginning of Israel’s release. The LORD has broken the grip of Egypt, not by negotiation or compromise, but by His own mighty hand. The people will leave with their families, their flocks, and their herds - everything Pharaoh once tried to withhold. The night of judgment becomes the dawn of deliverance, and the word of the LORD stands firm.

Exo 12:33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

Exo 12:34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

Exo 12:35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

Exo 12:36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

The judgment that fell at midnight now shapes the response of the Egyptians. Fear and grief sweep through the land, and the people urge Israel to leave without delay, saying, “We shall all be dead.” The nation that once enslaved Israel now pleads for their departure. What Pharaoh refused to grant by command, the LORD accomplishes by His own hand. The urgency of the Egyptians becomes the means by which Israel departs exactly as the LORD foretold - not as fugitives escaping in secret, but as a people driven out by the very nation that oppressed them.

In this haste, Israel gathers their dough, carrying kneading bowls wrapped in their garments. The unleavened dough becomes a living testimony to the speed of the LORD’s deliverance. The LORD acted suddenly, and His people moved in obedience. What began as a sign of urgency will later become a memorial of humility - the bread of affliction that reminds Israel of the night the LORD brought them out of bondage.

The final detail in this section fulfills a promise made centuries earlier. The LORD gives His people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, and the Egyptians willingly hand over silver, gold, and clothing. This is not theft but divine justice. The wealth of Egypt, accumulated through the labour of Israel, is now placed into the hands of the departing nation. In this moment, the word spoken to Abraham is fulfilled: “Afterward they shall come out with great possessions” (Gen 15:14). The LORD remembers His covenant, and He brings His people out not empty‑handed, but richly supplied for the journey ahead.

Thus Israel leaves Egypt with haste, with unleavened dough, and with the wealth of the nation - a people redeemed, provided for, and carried forward by the faithfulness of the LORD.

Exo 12:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

Exo 12:38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

Exo 12:39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual [food provisions].

Exo 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

Exo 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

Exo 12:42 It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

The long‑awaited departure finally begins. Israel sets out from Rameses to Succoth, not as scattered fugitives but as a vast, unified people. The number given - six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children - emphasizes the scale of the exodus. This is not a small band slipping away under cover of darkness; it is a nation moving at the command of the LORD. The promise made to Abraham, that his descendants would become a great people, now stands visibly fulfilled as they march out in strength.

Alongside Israel travels a “mixed multitude,” a detail that reveals the far‑reaching impact of the LORD’s judgments. Many among the Egyptians and other resident peoples have seen the power of the LORD and choose to join themselves to Israel’s God and Israel’s destiny. The exodus is not only a deliverance but an invitation - the LORD’s salvation draws others into His covenant people. This mixed company will later test Israel’s unity, but here it stands as a testimony that the LORD’s works are not hidden; they compel response.

The people bake unleavened cakes, in accordance to the LORD'S commandment, from the dough they carried out of Egypt. What they eat on the journey becomes a memorial of the night they were thrust out of bondage - a thrusting out that fulfilled the promise of deliverance.

The text then draws the reader’s attention to the span of time: four hundred and thirty years. On that very day - the exact day the period was completed - the LORD brings His people out. The precision is intentional. The LORD is not slow, nor does He forget (2Pe 3:9). His timing is perfect, His promises are sure. What He spoke to Abraham centuries earlier He now fulfills with exact faithfulness. Israel does not leave Egypt as slaves escaping; they leave as “the hosts of the LORD,” an army under His command, marching out in obedience to His word.

The section closes with a profound line: “It was a night of watching by the LORD.” Before Israel kept watch, the LORD watched over them. Before Israel remembered, the LORD remembered His covenant. The night of deliverance is first and foremost the LORD’s vigil - His protection, His presence, His faithfulness standing guard over His people. Because the LORD watched over Israel, Israel will watch this night for generations to come. The memorial is rooted in the reality: the LORD Himself kept watch, and therefore His people are safe.

Exo 12:43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

Exo 12:44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

Exo 12:45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

Exo 12:46 In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth any of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall you break a bone thereof.

Exo 12:47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

Exo 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with you, and will keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

Exo 12:49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourns among you.

Exo 12:50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

Exo 12:51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

The chapter closes with the LORD giving Moses and Aaron the final instructions concerning who may participate in the Passover meal. These regulations are not arbitrary; they protect the holiness of the covenant and define the boundaries of the redeemed community. The Passover is not a common meal. It belongs to the LORD, and therefore it belongs only to those who belong to Him. A foreigner - someone outside the covenant - may not eat of it. Yet the LORD immediately makes room for inclusion: a slave purchased into an Israelite household may partake after circumcision. The sign of the covenant is the doorway into the meal. Belonging to the LORD is not determined by ethnicity but by covenant identity.

The instructions emphasize unity and integrity. The Passover lamb must be eaten in one house; its bones are not to be broken; nothing is to be carried outside. The meal is whole, and the people who eat it are to be whole. The LORD is shaping Israel into a single, unified people - a redeemed household gathered under His protection. The Passover is not a private devotion but a communal act, binding the people together in the memory of the night the LORD delivered them.

The LORD then declares a principle that reaches beyond Israel’s borders: “There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” This is a profound statement of covenant equality. Anyone who joins themselves to the LORD, receives the sign of the covenant, and dwells among His people is welcomed into the same obedience and the same privileges. The Passover is exclusive in its holiness, yet expansive in its invitation. The LORD is forming a people defined not by ancestry but by allegiance to Him.

The section concludes with a simple, triumphant line: “On that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.” The promise is fulfilled. The covenant stands. The LORD has acted. Israel leaves Egypt not as slaves escaping, but as the LORD’s own hosts - His assembled people, His redeemed army, His covenant household. The chapter that began with the resetting of Israel’s calendar ends with the fulfillment of the LORD’S word. Every detail, every instruction, every act of obedience has led to this moment: the LORD brings His people out.

Feast of Weeks, or First Fruits - Pentecost (Shavuot)

I would hope that the example of the Passover sacrifice from the Old Testament aligning with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God in the New Testament has demonstrated that the Old Testament and the New Testament are inseparable. Without both, there can be no complete truth of God.

We have clearly seen how the sacrificial lamb of deliverance from Exodus 12 foreshadowed the sacrificial deliverance Jesus Christ brought to all who believe and follow his teachings (Joh 14:6; Act 4:10-12) - the doctrine of God (Joh 7:16).

Holding these in mind, let us go on to see both the Old Testament and New Testament significance for the remainder of God's holy days.

Before we begin in the book of Leviticus, let us have a look at God's fourth commandment to rest on, and keep holy, the weekly Sabbath day (from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset; even to even).

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath day, a day sanctified to be kept by all mankind:

Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.

Mar 2:27 And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:

All of God's people who have repented and have been baptised into the true name of Jesus Christ (Mat 24:5) observe the weekly Sabbath day according to the fourth commandment (Luk 23:56; Act 13:42-44).

We will now go to the book of Exodus for a confirmation of the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath commanded by God:

Exo 34:21 Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day [Saturday] you shall rest: in earing time and in harvest you shall rest.

And here is a foreshadowing verse for what we will cover further on in the New Testament concerning Pentecost:

Exo 34:22 And you shall observe the feast of weeks, of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

This time we see an agricultural harvest used as a foreshadow of the ingathering of the first fruits of God, through Jesus Christ, in the first resurrection (1Co 15:23; Rev 20:6).

We now arrive at the book of Leviticus which references all of God's holy days, or feast days, along with when they are to be observed. Let us begin by confirming that these are God's feasts:

Lev 23:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations [assemblies], even these are my feasts.

Beginning with the weekly Sabbath:

Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; you shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

And now, God's feasts, beginning with a review of the LORD's Passover:

Lev 23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons.

Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month [Nisan] at even [sunset] is the LORD'S Passover.

Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

Some teach that Lev 23:5 and Lev 23:6 are separate observances with the LORD's Passover beginning in the evening, or at sunset, of the 13th day and continuing to sunset of the 14th day apart from the days of unleavened bread.

But as we have seen earlier, that would require eight days of no leaven being found in the dwelling place rather than seven days, as commanded (Exo 12:19).

And, we do not see this assumption of separation in Deuteronomy 16. Notice:

Deu 16:1 Observe the month of Abib [Nisan], and keep the Passover unto the LORD your God: for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night.

Deu 16:2 You shall therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the LORD your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.

Deu 16:3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it [the Passover sacrifice]; seven days shall you eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for you came forth out of the land of Egypt in haste [Exo 12:11]: that you may remember the day [Exo 12:14,17] when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.

Deu 16:4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with you in all your coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which you sacrificed the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.

God has shown [Mic 6:8], by many scriptures, that the Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread is one seven day feast.

Jesus, the Lamb of God was crucified the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover. And having seen that he had a strong desire to eat the Passover with his disciples, we can be sure that he also has a strong desire that his followers honour his sacrifice on the correct day.

It all comes down to a matter of faith and trust in the many clear scriptures from God's word rather than the assumptions of any who bring their own interpretation of one or two verses. Consider these verses if you struggle to be sure of the truth:

Psa 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

Psa 40:3 And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Psa 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all your works.

Psa 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.

Pro 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare: but whoso puts his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Continuing with God's feast of the Passover in Leviticus:

Lev 23:7 In the first day you shall have an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein.

All work to be stopped, including by the servants:

Lev 23:8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein.

The New Testament Passover shows Jesus the Christ, the Lamb of God teaching the partaking in of the unleavened bread of his suffering (bread of affliction; Deu 16:3) and the wine of his blood sacrifice for sins for the called of God believers and followers throughout the whole world. (Luk 22:19; Joh 6:44; 3:16; Mat 26:28).

On to the holy day teaching - feast of weeks, or first fruits, known as Pentecost:

In the Old Testament, the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) marked the offering of first fruits from the wheat harvest, symbolizing gratitude for God's provision, as well as, covenant obedience and loyalty.

In the New Testament, this feast is fulfilled at Pentecost, where the first fruits ( Rom 8:23; 16:5; 1Co 16:15; Jas 1:18), called of God followers of Jesus Christ (Joh 6:44; 1Co 15:20,23), observe in remembrance the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the spiritual church of God.

From the Old Testament:

Lev 23:9 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

Lev 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When you be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest:

This was a commanded ingathering of a portion of the best of the harvest foreshadowing God's harvest of His called out ones in the first resurrection. Notice, from the New Testament:

1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.

1Co 15:21 For since by man [Adam -Gen 3:17-19] came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead [Joh 6:27,40,53,54].

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Two important verses to meditate on concerning this ingathering to God of His first fruits are these verses from the Lord Jesus Christ:

Mat 7:14 Because strait [narrow] is the gate, and narrow [suffering; tribulation] is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

This should compel his followers to examine themselves, continually, whether or not they are are truly in the faith and teachings of Jesus, the Christ of God who taught the doctrine of God (Joh 7:16):

Psa 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove [test] me; try my reins [figuratively, the mind; thoughts (Psa 139:23,24)] and my heart (Isa 29:13; Psa 119:2).

Pro 24:21 My son, fear you the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.

An example of self-examining from the New Testament Passover:

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show [proclaim; teach] the Lord's death till he come.

1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

1Co 11:29 For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove [test] your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates [unapproved; rejected]?

Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

There is a severity of God that many do not perceive or acknowledge. John the Baptist gave a very early warning of that severity in the New Testament:

Mat 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The called of God should understand, perfectly, what that saying means. Are we truly aligned with Jesus' faith and teachings?

Joh 14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.

Or do we value and praise a worldly man's view of salvation?

Luk 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Back to Leviticus for the feast of weeks (Pentecost). We now arrive at the counting of seven weekly Sabbaths, from the day after the weekly Sabbath of the feast of Passover and unleavened bread, to reach the day of Pentecost. 7X7 Sabbaths = 7 weeks which = 49 days, add a day for Sunday, the day after, and you arrive at the day of Pentecost, which means fifty, fifty days total from the day after the weekly Sabbath during the feast of Passover and unleavened bread. And that way, Pentecost will always fall on a Sunday after a count of fifty days.

Lev 23:11 And he [the priest] shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

Lev 23:12 And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

Lev 23:15 And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:

Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

Continuing with instructions that were given on the day of feast of weeks, or first fruits, called Pentecost today:

Lev 23:17 You shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the first fruits unto the LORD.

In terms of foreshadowing, I suppose it could be said that the fine flour (white flour; Dan 11:35; 12:10; Joh 4:35; Rev 3:4,5; 4:4; 6:11; 7:14; 19:8,9) represents the called and chosen of God from the church in the wilderness (Act 7:38) and the called and chosen of God from the spiritual church of God Jesus Christ built (Mat 16:18), hence "two wave loaves" being "the first fruits unto God". Both groups of called out ones chosen out from among leaven which the Holy Bible associates with, not only puffed up pride, but also false doctrine which can spread like leaven. Notice:

Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

And so, with the apostles now having been taught the importance of following God's true doctrine, we see the early New Testament spiritual church following the teachings of the apostles' doctrine which was taught by the Lord Jesus Christ (Mat 7:28,29; Mar 1:22; 11:18; Luk 4:32) which came from God the Father (Joh 7:16,17):

Act 2:42 And they [the baptized followers of Jesus Christ] continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And the apostle John stressed the importance of adhering to the doctrine of God through Jesus His Christ:

2Jn 1:4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of your children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father [Joh 4:24].

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God. He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.

2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

2Jn 1:11 For he that bids him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

The Greek meaning for the word "evil" in the above verse is "hurtful". And truly, false doctrine is hurtful as it could lead to one being unapproved by Jesus, the Christ of God:

Mat 7:21 Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.

"Iniquity" being violation of law; unrighteousness (2Ti 3:5,7; Joh 13:34; Jas 2:10). There is a reason Jesus said "take my yoke" and "learn of me":

Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.

A yoke was a wooden beam that joined two animals so they could pull a load together, and its design mattered: a well‑fitted yoke made the work lighter, while a poorly fitted one caused pain, imbalance, and exhaustion. When Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me,” he isn’t inviting us into heavier burdens but into alignment with his own strength, rhythm, character, and teachings:

Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus' yoke is a universal spiritual yoke that fits all believers because he shapes it for those who walk with him; he shares the weight, sets the pace, and teaches the heart to move in harmony with his gentleness, wisdom, and humility. Learning of Jesus becomes the difference between striving under a harsh, ill‑fitting yoke of our own making and finding rest under the One who carries what we sometimes cannot (1Pe 5:7; Psa 55:22; Isa 53:4,5; Heb 4:15,16).

Back to Leviticus to confirm the holy day, Pentecost, is a high day, or high Sabbath:

Lev 23:21 And you shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: you shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

Let us conclude the teaching on God's holy day, Pentecost, with some scriptures to meditate on concerning God's first fruits of mankind before moving on to the next holy day, Feast of Trumpets:

Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.

Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Rom 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house [home; dwelling]. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the first fruits of Achaia unto Christ.

1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept [sleep in Christ (1Th 4:14)].

1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness [Mal 3:6], neither shadow of turning.

Jas 1:18 Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.

Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women [false doctrines of false churches]; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)

The Feast of Trumpets is a holy day commanded by God for His faithful people for "a memorial of blowing of trumpets". The following section will lay out the uses of trumpets spanning across the Old and New Testaments.

Lev 23:23 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month [Tishri], in the first day of the month, shall you have a [high] Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

Lev 23:25 You shall do no servile work therein: but you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

The proper day is clear for this high day, the first day of Tishri. Remember, when not otherwise specified, that the day commences at even, or sunset, the day before and concludes at even, or sunset of that day (even to even).

Seeing as this high Sabbath stresses a memorial of blowing of trumpets, let us look at examples of the trumpet's use in the Old Testament. We begin in the book of Exodus for the first significant mentioning of a blowing of the trumpet.

The setting is the Israelites camped before Mount Sanai. We will have some lead up verses detailing the divine purpose God had for the peoples, or tribes, of Israel mentioned earlier in this teaching which began with Abraham:

Exo 19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

Exo 19:4 You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

God reminds Israel, “I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself”, a declaration that their identity was not self‑made but God‑claimed. That same divine initiative continues in every age, because no one comes to His Christ unless He draws him (Joh 6:44). The pattern is unmistakable: God does not always wait for worthy people to find Him (Jer 29:13); He reaches down, lifts, carries, and brings His own to Himself.

To belong to God is not a status earned but a reality created by His action (1Co 6:19,20). He rescues, He calls, He gathers, and He forms a people who are His treasured possession. When a person senses that pull toward truth, that awakening of conscience, that hunger for God's Christ, it is not random; it is the same God who bore Israel on eagles’ wings now drawing a soul into His covenant care.

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Exo 19:6 And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel.

Exo 19:7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

Exo 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

After holding back the promised land from Israel for forty years due to a of lack of faith along with disobedience, God knew this kingdom would not succeed at that time:

Deu 31:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land [breaking God's second commandment against idolatry], where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

There was a price paid by those who broke covenant with God through disobedience:

Jos 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD swore that he would not show them the [promised] land, which the LORD swore unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

I highly recommend reading Ezra 9, as it is a powerful summation of Israel's disobedience and Ezra's acknowledgement of God's mercy in maintaining a remnant of His people and not consuming them entirely for their treachery.

The book of Ezra displays a profound example of mankind not learning from past mistakes, but rather, stubbornly repeating them. Thank God for His mercy:

Lam 3:22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob [Israel] are not consumed.

And for any who break covenant with the unity of the body of Jesus, the Christ of God (Eph 4:3-6,13-16):

Gal 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.

The apostle Paul fully understood the severity of God (Rom 11:22; 2Co 5:10,11; Rom 2:1-11; 1Co 10:1-12; Gal 6:7,8; Php 2:12; 1Th 1:9,10). Retuning to Exodus 19, notice the divine use of the trumpet in the following passage:

Exo 19:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

Exo 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

Exo 19:11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

"In the sight of the people" through thundering and lightnings as we will see four verses down (1Jn 4:12).

Exo 19:12 And you shall set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that you go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever touches the mount shall be surely put to death:

Exo 19:13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mount.

Exo 19:19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

Exo 20:18 And all the people saw [and heard] the thundering, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

Exo 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that you sin not.

But many did go on to sin after everything they had seen and heard. Brings to mind this saying from the Lord Jesus Christ:

Joh 20:29 Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Clearly, mankind was going to need a Saviour, a Deliverer through faith coupled with obedience (Rom 1:5; 16:26,27), from their inability to forsake sin. Under the new covenant, faith is never a passive belief; it is a living trust that expresses itself in obedience. Scripture consistently binds these two together.

Jesus is called “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb 5:9), showing that covenant relationship is not merely intellectual assent but a life aligned with God's will. Paul teaches the same when he speaks of the “obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5), a phrase that makes obedience the natural fruit of genuine belief. James reinforces it by declaring that “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:17), not because works replace faith, but because true faith inevitably produces good works during a transformed walk.

The new covenant writes God’s law on the heart (Jer 31:33), enabling believers to obey from the inside out - not by compulsion, but by a Spirit‑shaped desire to please God. Faith receives the promise; obedience walks in it. Together they form the covenant rhythm of a people who belong to Him.

Always make time to remember God's mercy every day, especially on Thanksgiving Day, and give thanks that He continued to love the world (Joh 3:16) despite Israel's failings, even after they had been witnesses to so many signs and wonders (Exo 7:3; Deu 6:22).

Jesus, the Christ of God, also showed many signs and wonders (Act 2:22-24). Yet, of the thousands who came into the knowledge and sight of those signs and wonders, how many remained standing in faith and obedience after his crucifixion and resurrection?

Act 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

What is in the hearts of the chosen?

Psa 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth: your judgments have I laid before me.

Psa 119:31 I have stuck unto your testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.

Psa 119:32 I will run the way of your commandments, when you shall enlarge my heart.

Psa 119:33 HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

Psa 119:34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

Another memorial of a blowing of a trumpet was commanded every 50 years during the Jubilee year on God's holy day, Day of Atonement, which will be covered next. The Jubilee symbolizes compassion and releasing of debt, as well as breaking the yoke of oppression, a yoke Jesus Christ will surely break when He returns (Isa 58:6; Gal 5:1). Let us hear from God about this time of Jubilee:

Lev 25:8 And you shall number seven Sabbaths of years unto you, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be unto you forty and nine years.

Lev 25:9 Then shall you cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month [Tishri], in the Day of Atonement shall you make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

Lev 25:10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof [Isa 61:1-3]: it shall be a Jubilee unto you; and you shall return every man unto his possession, and you shall return every man unto his family.

Lev 25:17 You shall not therefore oppress one another; but you shall fear your God: for I am the LORD your God.

Lev 25:18 Wherefore you shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and you shall dwell in the land in safety.

History, however, along with the Holy Bible shows that disobedience to God led to not dwelling in the land safely. The spiritual observance of the Jubilee is in the faith and hope that one day the returning Jesus Christ will break every yoke and free us from all oppression and war (Ezk 34:27; Isa 2:4).

The next prominent memorial of blowing of trumpets occurs in Joshua Chapter 6, when seven priests with seven trumpets blow a long blast to signal the collective "great shout" that brought about the divine force used to level the walls of Jericho. Here are the key set up verses for this extraordinary event which led to the fall of Jericho:

Jos 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

Jos 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into your hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

Jos 6:3 And you shall compass the city, all you men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shall you do six days.

Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Jos 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

Continue reading the account to see another example where God's instructions were followed, and a profound event occurred as a result, a solid memorial of blowing of trumpets.

Also read Judges, chapters 6 and 7, to see the use of trumpets when Gideon defeated Midian.

Chapter 6 highlights Israel's oppression and calling out to God for deliverance. God reminds them of their deliverance from Egypt and their disobedience, but He does heed their cry and calls a single man, Gideon, the least of his father's house, to perform a powerful work.

Chapter 7 highlights the fascinating account of God dwindling down the number of men, from thousands to only 300, to follow Gideon into battle against the Midianites, with trumpets playing a significant role.

So we see, and will see more, that the trumpet and praises have a close association with God. Let us get a sense of this by reading some Psalms:

Psa 47:5 God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

Psa 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day [high Day, or high Sabbath].

Psa 150:3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp.

The trumpet was also used to warn of danger, hence the analogy of a trumpet used by God to warn His people about hypocrisy and sin:

Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

And a coming war:

Jer 4:19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

Jer 6:17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

Here is a warning for God's people today [Rev 12:7-17], prophesied through the prophet Ezekiel concerning heeding or not heeding a warning:

Eze 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Eze 33:2 Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

Eze 33:3 If when he sees the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

Eze 33:4 Then whosoever hears the sound of the trumpet, and takes not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

Eze 33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that takes warning shall deliver his soul.

Eze 33:6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity [Mat 7: 21-24]; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

Continue reading to verse 20 to get the full scope of God's warning.

Hos 8:1 Set the trumpet to your mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.

A trespass is when one violates God's law (2Ki 17:13), steps outside God's will (1Sa 13:8-13), or gives glory to anyone or anything other than Him through idolatry (Isa 42:8).

Joe 2:1 Blow you the trumpet in Zion [Jerusalem], and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD comes, for it is near at hand;

And that brings us to Mathew 24 of the New Testament and the return of Jesus the Christ following the greatest tribulation in the history of mankind. Notice:

Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake [called, chosen, and faithful of God (Rev 17:14)] those days shall be shortened.

And his return:

Mat 24:27 For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

There will be a wide spread knowledge of his return preceded by great tribulation. Also, a trumpet will have a prominent role in this monumental and transformative event:

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens [universe; most likely our particular galaxy] shall be shaken:

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 24:31 is one of those verses where Jesus pulls back the curtain and shows the gathering power of God at the climax of the age. The language is rich, prophetic, and deeply covenantal. This will be a cosmic event involving the heavenly hosts, or spiritual armies (angels - Mat 26:53), along with the resurrected, spiritual prophets and saints, or called out ones of God (1Ki 22:19; Psa 103:20,21; 148:2; Luk 2:13; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:13-18; Rev 19:14; 11:18; 17:14).

The “elect” are not a random group; they are those who have responded to God’s call, walked in the obedience of faith, and remained faithful through trial. The “four winds” emphasizes universality: no distance, nation, or circumstance can prevent God from reclaiming His own. The trumpet signals both victory and completion - the moment when God’s people are visibly separated from the world and brought fully under Christ’s reign.

In the remainder of chapter 24, Jesus stresses watching and taking care of how fellow servants of God treat one another.

We now come to the final memorial of blowing of trumpets which is found in the book of Revelation beginning in Chapter 8, verse 6. The first six trumpet blasts precede plagues, and the seventh trumpet blast precedes the announcement of the kingdoms of the earth becoming the kingdom of God and of His Christ (Rev 11:15).

Let us conclude the teaching of Feast of Trumpets with verses reflecting upon the most anticipated trumpet blast by followers of Jesus, the Christ of God, the one announcing his return:

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before Him.

Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

2Ti 4:1 I charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick [living (1 Th 4:17)] and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

1Pe 1:6 Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes , though it [your faith] be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

The elect enduring and overcoming the trial of faith till the end, while still in the flesh, assures God of their faithfulness to His Christ in the spirit:

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The ultimate trumpet blast and announcement:

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms [the kingdom] of our Lord, and of His Christ [Anointed One (Isa 61:1; Lam 4:20; Psa 91:1; Psa 45:7; Heb 1:9)]; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

In the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement was a once-a-year cleansing of sin for the twelve tribes of Jacob, now named Israel. Atonement was made for the sanctuary, the priesthood, and the people (Lev 16; 16,17).

Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary. A bull was offered for the High Priest and the Levitical Priesthood (Lev 16:6). Two goats were used as an atonement for the sins of the people - one slain and the other released into the wilderness (Lev 16:7-10). The blood of both the bull and the slain goat were sprinkled on the mercy seat (Lev 16:14,15). The goat released into the wilderness was called the scapegoat (Lev 8,10,26) from the Hebrew word Azazel meaning goat of departure. The High Priest would lay his hands on the scapegoat and confess all the sins of the people on it and release it into the wilderness (Lev 16: 21-22).

The Day of Atonement is commanded to be a holy convocation, or assembly, by God. All the people of Israel were commanded to afflict their souls with fasting to make atonement, a form of repentance (Lev 23:27-29). Here are a couple of verses that tie afflicting souls with a fast:

Ezr 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

Isa 58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

We have seen the physical aspects of atonement from the Old Testament. Let us continue on and work our way to the spiritual aspects, from the heart, of the new covenant, or New Testament.

First of all, we have seen that God desires mercy and knowledge of Him, and not physical sacrifice of burnt animals. Let us review:

Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; my ears have you opened: burnt offering and sin offering have you not required.

This is especially true since Jesus, the Son of God, has been a one-time offering for the sins of the world (Heb 7:26,27; 1Jn 2:2). God desires spiritual sacrifices that come from the heart and mind of every baptised member of Jesus His Christ:

1Pe 2:5 You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Always keep the spiritual sacrifices of holding to the truth of God, loving mercy and righteous judgement, and desiring the knowledge of God far above anything else, every day, and more so on God's holy days. Meditate on these as spiritual sacrifices to God during the Day of Atonement.

Mic 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the High God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

Mic 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Mic 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

See the teaching Be Pleasing in His Sight. The Day of Atonement provides us an opportunity to spiritually put God first in our hearts and minds above the physical desires of food and drink during a full twenty four hour period of rest, prayer, and divine meditation while fasting.

Lev 23:26 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

Lev 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month [Tishri] there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation [a high day, or high Sabbath assembly] unto you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

There are two points here. Firstly, when you see no mention of "in the evening" or "at even", it is understood that the day began the evening before at sunset.

And secondly, "afflicting your souls" means going without food and drink for an entire day - fasting from even to even. Both points will be confirmed in Lev 23:32. And here is a scripture confirming that fasting is understood to be refraining from both food and drink:

Est 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

You can read the book of Ester and you will see the seriousness that brought about such an extended fast. The Day of Atonement, however, requires only one day of fasting.

Lev 23:28 And you shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

Lev 23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

Lev 23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that does any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

Lev 23:31 You shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month [starting] at even [sunset], from even unto even [tenth day, just as God commanded (Lev 23:27)], shall you celebrate [observe] your Sabbath.

We clearly see that "at even" can also refer to the conclusion of a day at sunset. The ninth day concluded at even, or sunset, but also ushered in the tenth day, the Day of Atonement, which was kept from even unto even - sunset to sunset of the tenth day. This is why contextual understanding and obeying the LORD's words are so important (Psa 111:10).

Leviticus 16 holds the Old Testament ceremonial sacrificial practices for the Day of Atonement. There are two important points to consider. The first being the fact that the Day of Atonement was commanded as a day of affliction, or fasting, to be observed by His faithful people forever (Lev 23:31).

The second point to consider is that the called of God today, are expected to observe the one-time sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the lamb of God, not a goat of God, or bull of God.

There are no New Testament scriptures that directly interpret the significance of the two goats in Leviticus 16, however, there are some references to sacrifices in the book of Hebrews which we will look at.

There is also no direct reference to Jesus Christ in the New Testament representing either of the two goats in Leviticus 16.

Remember, Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, takes away the sins of the whole world:

Joh 1:29 The next day John [the Baptist] sees Jesus coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.

One way or another, sin will be taken away, according to this saying also by John the Baptist:

Luk 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Let us look at some Old Testament scriptures to consider and meditate upon concerning animal sacrifices before entering the book of Hebrews:

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; my ears have you opened: burnt offering and sin offering have you not required.

Psa 51:16 For You desire not sacrifice; else would I give it: You delight not in burnt offering.

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? says the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

Remember what God desires rather than physical sacrifice of burnt animals?

Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

And the knowledge of God comes directly from the Holy Scriptures that clearly show forth His will and not from possible interpretations from man (Psa 118:8).

Psa 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense (Rev 8:4); and the lifting up of my hands [in prayer and supplications (Psa 28:2)] as the evening sacrifice.

Spiritual offerings.

Pro 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Jon 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Jon 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto you with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

And one more scripture from Acts showing that the New Testament followers of Jesus Christ were observing "the fast" (Day of Atonement):

Act 27:9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, [the apostle] Paul admonished them (Heb 9; Act 15:21; Mat 5:18; Col 2:16,17),

On to the book of Hebrews with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the main focus:

Heb 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:

Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continues ever, has an unchangeable priesthood.

Jesus Christ is an eternal High Priest.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them [confer with God on their behalf].

Heb 7:27 Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his [the priest's] own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself [without his own sin (Heb 4:15)].

Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle [spiritual temple (Mat 16:18; 2Co 6:16)], which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Heb 8:6 But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, He says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, says the Lord.

Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people [Jer 31: 31-33]:

There is a beautiful logic in Hebrews 8:10 that often gets overlooked. When God says, “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts", He is not narrowing the scope of His instruction - He is internalizing it. The verse does not specify which laws because the writer assumes continuity with all the laws that God Himself established. The shift is not from “many laws” to “select laws,” but from external obligation to internal transformation (Eze 36:26,27; Php 2:13).

Concerning redemption through the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God:

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Or any other physical building (Psa 127:1).

Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh:

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

And how does a converted servant serve God?

Jos 22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

And, concerning teaching the truth of God, from Jesus the Christ, who taught the will of the Father:

Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me [Mat 28:19,20; Joh 8:31,32; 17:17; Act 20:27; 2Ti 2:15; 4:2-4; Tit 1:9; 1Ti 3:15; Jer 3:15].

Back to the Saviour; Redeemer:

Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself [Heb 8:2], now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Christ's sacrifice, "once offered", as a Lamb of God (Joh 1:29,36; Rev 5:6; 7:10,17), for all who repent with baptism (Act 2:38), believe the true gospel (Mar 1:15; Joh 3:16), keep God's commandments (1Jn 5:3), and follow him (Joh 10:27).

Heb 10:1 For the law [all the Old Testament Law] having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Heb 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Heb 10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Heb 10:5 Wherefore when he comes into the world, he says, Sacrifice and offering you would not, but a body have you prepared me [Septuagint version of Psa 40:6]:

The King James version of the Holy Bible correctly translates the original Hebrew Text of Psa 40:6 this way:

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; my ears have you opened [Mat 13:43]: burnt offering and sin offering have you not required [Psa 51:16].

Continuing in Hebrews:

Heb 10:6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have had no pleasure.

Heb 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do your will, O God.

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Concerning "the full assurance of faith":

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Entering “the holiest by the blood of Jesus” means living with a continual, conscious access to God through prayer that no earthly priesthood or ritual could ever provide. Under the old covenant, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place - and only once a year. But the sacrifice of God's Son, His Christ, tore that barrier down (Mat 27:51; Mar 15:38; Luk 23:45).

For the believer and follower of His Christ today, this means we approach God not through buildings, ceremonies, or human mediators, but through a living relationship grounded in Christ’s atoning blood. It is the daily privilege of drawing near with confidence, carrying our burdens, confessing our sins, seeking wisdom, and walking in obedience because the way has been opened permanently.

To “enter the holiest” is to live our pilgrimage with the awareness that God is no longer distant; His presence is accessible, His mercy is available, and His fellowship is real for those who walk in the cleansing and covenant faithfulness of Jesus His Christ.

Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Heb 10:21 And having an High Priest over the [spiritual] house of God;

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith [Rom 3:25] , having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

A reference to a pure baptism brought about by repentance and submitting to the will of God in obedience to His laws.

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,

Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Heb 10:30 For we know Him that has said, Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people.

Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Fasting on the Day of Atonement is the God‑appointed act of humbling oneself before Him, laying aside every physical comfort to focus entirely on repentance, cleansing, and reconciliation. Scripture calls it “afflicting your souls” (Lev 16:29–31), not as punishment, but as a deliberate stripping away of distractions so the heart can confront its need for mercy.

In ancient Israel, Day of Atonement marked the one day each year when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place to secure atonement for the people; in the new covenant it becomes a vivid reminder of Christ’s once‑for‑all sacrifice and our continual need to walk in humility, purity, obedience, and dependence on his blood. Fasting on this day is a posture - an embodied confession that we cannot cleanse ourselves, and that true forgiveness comes only from God.

Let us look at some spiritual food for thought from the apostle Paul:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Eph 5:1 Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children;

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

Jesus Christ has given himself for us as "a propitiation", which appeases God's wrath so that we may find favor in Him, by belief in His Son, and carrying out His will as did Jesus His Christ:

Rom 3:25 Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance [tolerance] of God;

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The cleansing of sin is now personal and spiritual, from the heart, and not ceremonial. Sometimes we stumble, but we pick ourselves up and keep going in ongoing repentance and faith:

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins [to God, through Jesus His Christ], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Day of Atonement is not abolished or replaced, but rather, made spiritual rather than ceremonial. And also, Jesus confirmed that fasting would be continued by his disciples:

Luk 5:33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink?

Luk 5:34 And he said unto them, Can you make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

Luk 5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot; booths or tabernacles) in the Old Testament commemorates Israel’s wilderness journey and celebrates God’s provision (Lev 23:39-43). Spiritually, it points to dwelling with God (Lev 26:11,12), and prophetically, it foreshadows the millennial reign of Jesus His Christ and the saints when they will tabernacle with God's people on the earth (Eze 37:26-28; Rev 20:4-6; 5:9,10; 21:1-4).

The Feast of Tabernacles was established by God to be a memorial of Israel's dwelling in booths (tents; tabernacles;) after their deliverance from bondage in the land of Egypt. For a follower of Jesus Christ, there is also a spiritual memorial of deliverance from bondage of fear and the unknown:

Rom 8:15 For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption [decay] into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Through faith in Jesus Christ and keeping his sayings, every baptised member of the truth has a direct spiritual connection to God the Father as a son or daughter:

Isa 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

And from the apostle Paul to baptised followers of Jesus the Christ:

2Co 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Lev 26:12).

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them [idolators], and be you separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing [idol]; and I will receive you,

2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

The Feast of Tabernacles provides an opportunity to come out of our normal everyday dwellings in the world and draw closer to God in temporary dwellings to reflect on His wonderful works in the past, His worthiness of thanksgiving in our present lives, and His awesome transformative plan for mankind through His Son Jesus Christ in the millennium and beyond.

Let us have a walkthrough of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Lev 23:33 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

Lev 23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month [Tishrei, on the Hebrew calendar] shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.

Again, with nothing indicating otherwise, the 15th day begins the evening before at sunset.

Lev 23:35 On the first day [15th] shall be an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein.

Standard commandments for a Sabbath - holy day.

Lev 23:36 Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation [holy day] unto you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and you shall do no servile work therein.

We will address the eighth day later on. I would hope at this point that the teachings that we just covered concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices from the books of Hebrews, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Prophets were sufficient to explain why the spiritual aspect of sacrifices in obedience to God have replaced the physical. If I could use only one scripture to stress this, I would use this one:

1Pe 2:5 You also [baptised followers of Jesus the Christ], as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (Rom 12:1; Heb 13:15,16; Psa 51:17).

In the Old Testament, the offerings made by fire were of selected animals fully consumed by fire and meant to be a "sweet savor to the LORD" (Lev 1:9,13,17) as well as a sign of complete dedication and worship. Yet, burnt offerings became displeasing to God when they were offered without obedience, repentance, and sincerity. God desires obedience over ritual and heart over ceremony (Isa 1:11-20; Amo 5:21-24; Jer 6:20; Psa 51:16,17; 1Sa 15:22). Jesus's sacrifice was perfect because it was offered in complete obedience (Php 2:8; Heb 10:7).

What is required of baptised members of the body of Jesus Christ as a result of this perfect sacrifice?

Eph 5:1 Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children;

Obedience in love is "a sweet smelling savor" to God:

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

What are spiritual sacrifices? One example is personal sacrifices we make for those in need, privately, to praise God without seeking glory from others (Mat 6:1-4). This is one of the ways we bless and praise God (Psa 66:8; 104:1; 145:1,2;). Let us see some of the spiritual aspects we should be focusing on always, and especially during all of God's holy days:

Psa 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

What is righteousness before God?

Deu 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.

Psa 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Sadly, a stumbling block has been put forth in front of many because they choose to eagerly accept the words of mankind's understanding rather than seeking out the truth of God from His word, the Holy Bible (Psa 119:21; Mat 22:29; Joh 17:17).

Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken [crushed] spirit: a broken and a contrite [repentant] heart, O God, you will not despise.

Jesus' faith is a test of endurance through trials and sufferings and a willingness to hold fast his teachings till the end:

Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer [courage]; I have overcome the world.

Thanksgiving for all of God's blessings and declaring His works are spiritual sacrifices:

Psa 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.

Concerning burnt offerings as sacrifices, Jesus and the scribe (Mar 12: 28-34), here is the end of the matter:

Mar 12:33 And to love Him [God] with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Mar 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly [prudently; with a wise and thoughtful understanding], he said unto him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that did ask him any question.

Spiritual sacrifices are good works and speaking the truth with fellow followers of Jesus Christ:

Heb 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Let us continue with the walkthrough of the Feast of Tabernacles from the Old Testament:

Lev 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.

We see that the ingathering of the fall (final) harvest blessings precedes the feast. Thanksgiving is another way we bless God. Harvest is used again as a foreshadowing of God's harvest of mankind (Luk 10:2).

Lev 23:40 And you shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

These verdant gatherings were used to construct huts for temporary dwellings during the feast. We will see examples of other temporary dwellings shortly.

Lev 23:41 And you shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

There is a celebration aspect of thanksgiving for the blessings that come from God to be acknowledged during this time. But there is also, as is common with all of God's Holy Days, a memorial requirement for the blessings and marvelous works of God:

Lev 23:42 You shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths [temporary dwelling; a hut or lair; cottage, covert, pavilion, tabernacle, or tent]:

Today, spiritual Israelites are any who have been baptised into the vine of Jesus Christ in truth and faith (Rom 11:16-22) and keep God's holy days.

Until the millennium (one-thousand-year rule of Jesus Christ and the saints [Rev 20:4]), the Feast of Tabernacles should be kept by dwelling in temporary shelters such as tents, booths, or other impermanent lodgings, as a spiritual reminder of our pilgrimage in the flesh and dependence on God. This practice honors Leviticus 23:42–43 and anticipates the future fulfillment when God will dwell permanently with His spiritual people (Rev 21:3).

Lev 23:43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Egypt was a land of idolatry (Eze 20:7). Idolatry is a false worship system that baptised members of the household of God are commanded to come out of today (1Co 10:14; 1Jn 5:21; Act 15:20,29; 2Co 6:16,17; Gal 5:19-21). See the teaching Babylon; Confusion. And the apostle Paul reveals that idolatry is not just statues, trinkets, and images - it includes greed, lust, and misplaced devotion:

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence [sinful inclination], and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience:

We see that the first seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles is a period of thanksgiving to God after the fall harvest along with a humbling memorial and reliving of God's marvelous work in delivering the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and having them dwell in booths until eventually delivering them into the promised land.

We will now go to Deuteronomy 16 for further details:

Deu 16:13 You shall observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that you have gathered in your corn and your wine:

Deu 16:14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within your gates [community].

Truly, having your eyes opened to the truth is cause for rejoicing (Mat 13:45,46).

Deu 16:15 Seven days shall you keep a solemn feast unto the LORD your God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD your God shall bless you in all your increase, and in all the works of your hands, therefore you shall surely rejoice.

Deu 16:16 Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

It must be remembered that the chosen places for the holy days of God were determined by God through His holy prophets (Heb 1:1,2; 2Pe 1:21) when Israel was one united nation in obedience to God. And, from Jesus' own words:

Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.

However, no laws were removed:

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

So how does God the Father speak to us now?

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2 Has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;

And what does the Son of God say to us today?

Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

And so it is not so much about the place as it is about carrying out the will of God in the name of Jesus His Christ:

Mar 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

And the will of God is to keep His commandments and statutes:

Psa 119:48 My hands also will I lift up unto your commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in your statutes.

Today baptised members of the body of Jesus, the Christ of God, meditate on the memorial and prophetic aspects when keeping the holy day statutes that God has ordained to be kept forever throughout the generations:

Lev 23:41 And you shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

Will the Feast of Tabernacles be observed in the thousand year rest when Jesus Christ has returned and ushered in the Kingdom of God?

Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Because of disobedience and a lack of faith, the world never got to experience the divine purpose God had for His people Israel in the Old Testament after freeing them from bondage:

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Exo 19:6 And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel.

There is a reason God stresses a memorial in His holy days:

Deu 32:18 Of the Rock that begat you you are unmindful, and have forgotten God that formed you.

Deu 32:19 And when the LORD saw it, He abhorred them, because of the provoking of His sons, and of His daughters.

Deu 32:20 And He said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward [perverse; twisted; morally distorted] generation, children in whom is no faith.

And words in the New Testament from Jesus the Christ to the descendants of the children of no faith:

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent unto you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!

Why?

Psa 78:10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law;

Psa 78:37 For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant.

Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance [set times], broken the everlasting covenant.

The changed ordinance, or set times, continues today with some of God's holy days like the feast of Passover and the feast of Trumpets. Exodus 12 clearly defines the Feast of Passover and unleavened bread as seven days and not eight. And Leviticus 23 commands one day for the Feast of Trumpets and not two as kept by some through man-made tradition.

Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hos 6:7 But they like men [typical of men] have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

Hos 8:1 Set the trumpet to your mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.

Mal 2:10 Have we not all one Father? has not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

Neh 1:7 We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which you commanded your servant Moses.

The Israelites failed as a whole to keep a covenant with God. But there has always been a faithful remnant, including those who have descended down from the "little flock" (Luk 12:32) of Nazarenes that made up the original spiritual church that Jesus Christ built (Mat 16:18). They have kept covenant with God down through the generations and have kept His testimonies, including His laws:

Psa 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Psa 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant.

Psa 50:5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

What sacrifice?

Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate [love less] not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luk_14:27 And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Luk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he has, he cannot be my disciple.

And who does the mercy of the Lord fall upon?

Psa 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children's children;

Psa 103:18 To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them.

Psa 105:8 He has remembered His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations.

The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is a high Sabbath day which may signify the first thousand years of mankind's history marked by his creation along with God's presence, covenant initiation, and foundational patterns of worship, judgement, and redemption.

Days two through six of the Feast of Tabernacles may represent the middle millennia of human history (2,000–6,000 years), reflecting God’s progressive interaction with mankind through covenant, law, prophecy, redemption, and spiritual indwelling, all leading toward the millennial rest and eternal dwelling - day seven and day eight (Last Great Day) respectively.

Day seven points to God's rest, the millennium, the thousand year rule of Jesus Christ and God's hand-picked resurrected saints:

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Psa 90:4 For a thousand years in your [God's] sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

A rest many will have failed to enter:

Psa 95:10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

Psa 95:11 Unto whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

The eighth day following the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23:36) is a High Day, and carries profound spiritual and prophetic significance. It points to completion of the millennial reign (Rev 20:1-6), final removal of Satan (Rev 20: 7-10), white throne judgement (Rev 20:11-15), new beginnings, and the final dwelling of God with man (Rev 21:1-27).

Through obedient faith in Jesus Christ, the true door, believers enter the kingdom of God, where they are called to dwell eternally in the presence of the Father. Here is the invitation:

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast [of Tabernacles], Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Joh 7:38 He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Joh 7:39 (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost [Spirit] was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified [by his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to the Father - and thus, fulfillment of prophecy].)

The thousand year rest will be a rest indeed because the one who has been responsible for so much deception will be bound and removed during this period:

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Here are a couple of invitations from God from the Old Testament regarding dwelling with Him for eternity:

Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Eze 16:62 And I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall know that I am the LORD:

There are many more messages that center around the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day. And I believe that God will reveal them to the faithful truth-seeker who seeks God with all the heart (Jer 29:13; Psa 119:2).

As we embrace God’s Holy Days, we recognize that they are far more than memorials of the past; they are divine appointments shaping a people for the future. Through them, God forms in us a unity of spirit and truth, teaching us to walk in His ways, trust His promises, and reflect His holiness.

Each appointed time draws our hearts upward, training us to live not by the world’s calendar but by the holy days of the Eternal God. And as we keep these days with sincerity and understanding, we are being prepared, step by step, season by season, for our eternal walk with God, when faith becomes sight and His redeemed people stand together in perfect oneness before His throne.

The faithful of God strive to observe and respect God's holy days by removing from the ways of the world and meditating on the righteous ways and commandments of God, the only ways that will lead to everlasting life and peace. All of God's holy days reflect unity and worship in spirit and in truth:

Joh 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.

In closing, from the book of Hebrews:

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth.

Freely, I have received from the word of God; freely, I have given to all who would receive the truth of God.

Farewell,

Servanthood