God's Holy Days
Greetings, Wayne, a servant of God, by the grace of God, teaching truth under the authority of Jesus Christ to any who are willing to receive it, or as Jesus put it, to any who have ears to hear (Mat 11:15).
I will be the words in green. Purple Highlights will be key words or phrases of truth.
God's Holy Days begin in the springtime, the beginning of a new year, according to His commandment:
Exo 12:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
Exo 12:2 This month [Abib; Nisan today] shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
God established the day or days (feasts) on which His Holy Days were to be kept based on the Hebrew calendar:
Lev 23:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel [Hebrews], and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations [assemblies], even these are my feasts.
And confirming God as God of the Hebrews:
Exo 10:3 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
Though God of all mankind, He referred to Himself as God of the Hebrews because of a people (Israel, Exo 3:10) that He divinely established beginning with Abram the Hebrew:
Gen 14:13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
God's divine purpose beginning with Abram:
Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto a land that I will show you:
Gen 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
This same Abram understood that there was only one true God possessing both heaven and earth:
Gen 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God [Mar 5:7; Luk 8:28; Act 16:17], the possessor of heaven and earth,
Here is God's divine purpose on a broad scale along with Abram's name changed to Abraham by God:
Gen 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:5 Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you.
Gen 17:6 And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you.
Gen 17:7 And I will establish my covenant [pact; agreement] between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto you, and to your seed after you.
And confirming that all nations shall be blessed in Abraham according to God's divine purpose:
Gen_18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
Gen 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation [Israel, through his grandson Jacob whose name God changed to Israel (Gen 32:28)], and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Why was God so sure of Abraham?
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of him.
Read Genesis 22 for the ultimate test of obedience placed on Abraham. Here is the blessing received by Abraham and his descendants, as well as all the nations of the earth for passing the test through obedience to God:
Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, says the LORD, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son:
Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven[s], and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:18 And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice.
And true to His word, in Abraham's seed, from the tribe of Judah, the most high God brought forth a Son, Jesus the Christ (Anointed One) as a blessing to all the nations of the earth. Notice:
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Can there be any greater blessing than eternal life? Here are a couple of scriptures from the New Testament confirming Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promise from Gen 22:18 beginning with the apostle Paul:
Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He says not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ.
And confirming the blessing to all nations (Gentiles) of the earth as well, the apostle Peter:
Act 3:25 You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in your seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Act 3:26 Unto you first [descendants of the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mat 10:6; 15:24)] God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
So, we have one God blessing all the nations of the earth through His Son Jesus Christ. The primary blessing is the gift of the Holy Spirit which leads to eternal life to any who believe, repent (turn away from iniquity), enter a covenant with God through baptism, and walk in obedience to God's laws till the end of physical life.
See the teachings on Repentance and Baptism from this website for a greater understanding.
Now, when pagan holidays are a thing of the past and our heart is truly set on honouring God and His laws and His Holy Days, this should be our mindset:
Psa 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Let us now look into God's Holy Days and what they should mean to us when we observe them.
The Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread
The first Holy Days observance of God's new year (Exo 12:2) begins with the feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread which begins on the 14th day of Nisan in the evening, or at sunset, and concludes on the 21st day at sunset according to God's commandment in Exodus 12. However, the start date for the feast varies on the Gregorian calendar between March and April.
The reason for the difference is because the Hebrew calendar is lunar with months based on moon cycles, whereas, the Gregorian calendar is solar, focusing on the earth's orbit around the sun. Thus, they have different start dates for years and vary in length.
So when you see the day or days assigned to a particular Holy Day observance in a given month (Lev 23; Deu 16), they will be according to the Hebrew calendar. Hence, the importance of stressing God's divine purpose beginning with Abraham the Hebrew earlier.
Whether a descendant of Israel or a Gentile, if you are baptised into Jesus Christ and have become a son or daughter of God, then both the Old Testament and the New Testament should have equal importance when desiring to carry out the will of God, who is gracious and merciful unto all that call upon Him:
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.
We will come to see that, even though Israel broke a covenant with God in the Old Testament, His Holy Day observances were commanded forever.
The feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread observance was commanded by God to be a memorial of His deliverance of the Hebrew house of Israel from Egyptian slavery. Here is a prophecy of the event, from the God who writes history in advance, given to Abraham:
Gen 15:13 And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Read Exodus 5 and onward to see how God carried out that judgement with plagues. When you get to chapter 11, you will find out how exactly the people were to "come out with great substance"(verse 2) along with details of the final plague leading to the commanded Passover and Unleavened bread observance. Let us have a close look at Chapter 12 of Exodus:
Exo 12:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
It is important, when learning the truth of God, to focus on scriptures like the one above which highlight "the LORD spoke" in the Old Testament, and the words in red in the New Testament which are the words of Jesus Christ carrying out the will of the Father. Notice:
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.
Here is what God commanded Moses and Aaron:
Exo 12:2 This month [Hebrew calendar: Nisan] shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
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:
A lamb without blemish was chosen in preparation for the Passover. This has great significance for a follower of Jesus Christ, as it is recognized as a foreshadow of Jesus' sacrifice as the Lamb of God (Joh 1:29) for the sins of the whole world.
Ahead to verse 6:
Exo 12:6 And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month [Nisan]: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening [after sunset].
The Hebrews counted a day from sunset to sunset, correctly based on God's creation account in the book of Genesis. The Jews, from the tribe of Judah, from the Hebrew house of the 12 tribes of Israel, who hold the oracles, or teachings of God (Rom 3: 1,2), continue with God's definition of a day - sunset to sunset, or even to even.
Notice an example from God's Holy Day, or High Day Sabbath known as Day of Atonement, which we will be looking at later on:
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls [through fasting]: in the ninth day of the month at even [sunset], from even unto even, shall you celebrate [keep, or observe] your [High] Sabbath.
Continuing with Exodus 12:7: The following five verses are instructions by God for deliverance from the final plague. They are an early example of the faith and obedience that God expects from all His people.
Having been witness to all the previous plagues and with lives at stake, and no documented cases of resistance to His instructions, it appears this is one of the rare instances where everyone actually obeyed God:
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.
And that selfsame night, in which they ate unleavened bread with the Passover lamb, ushered in the 15th day of Nisan, the first day of unleavened bread (High Day, or High Sabbath; Exo 12:16).
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 [entrails; the lamb was to be roasted whole] 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 [be dressed and ready to go], your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S Passover.
God was not going to harden Pharoah's heart against releasing Israel after the final plague. They needed to be ready to go immediately.
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 [an early example of God's hatred of idolatry] I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
So we see that God executes judgement against idolatry. When you pray to God, look directly towards the heavens. There is no need for trinkets, images, or statues. And as we have just seen, God rightfully judges against such offensive practices towards Him. Notice the warning:
Exo 34:14 For you shall worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Exo 34:17 You shall make you no molten gods.
God commands us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Here are a couple of examples set by Jesus Christ, who carried out the will of the most high God. First, concerning lifting up your eyes to the heavens when you pray to God the Father:
Joh 17:1 These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You:
And the second example is how God must be worshipped:
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth [Joh 17:17].
Truth is mentioned 237 times in the Holy Bible. Never underestimate its importance to God. Continuing with the LORD's Passover:
Exo 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token [a 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.
Exo 12:14 And this day [Passover, the first day of unleavened bread (Eze 45:21; Mat 26:17; Mar 14:12; Luk 22:7)] 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.
We have arrived at a very crucial junction of the teaching of God's Holy Days.
When God commands a day or an event to be kept as a memorial unto all generations for ever, He means exactly what He says. Let no man try to convince you otherwise. Notice:
Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [the same God over all people (Rom 10:12)], has sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Psa 135:13 Your name, O LORD, endures for ever; and Your memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
And it will stay that way until all the will of God is fulfilled. From our Lord Jesus Christ:
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.
Therefore, the first day of the LORD's Passover feast is a High Day, or High Sabbath to be kept for a memorial forever. Let us see what God commands during His seven-day feast:
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 [assembly], and in the seventh day [two High Sabbaths in the same seven-day feast] 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 [the day the Passover was sacrificed, the first day of unleavened bread] 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.
And confirming that God wants us to keep His ordinances:
Lev 18:4 You shall do my judgments, and keep my ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
But sadly, this was not to be the case:
Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Among the confusion in the world as a result, only the Holy Bible, containing the words of God, holds the truth of God.
Now, we will let God's word summarize the feast of the Passover, and then we will examine the significance of the Passover in the New Testament using the examples set forth by our Lord Jesus Christ:
Exo 12:18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even [sunset], you shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day [21st] 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.
Consider this from Exo 12:19. If the Passover was to be observed as a separate day apart from the seven days of unleavened bread, would not God have said eight days shall there be no leaven found in your houses, seeing as He commanded unleavened bread to be eaten with the Passover (Exo 12:8)?
Exo 12:20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall you eat unleavened bread.
For further information concerning the feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread, see the teaching from this website: The Passover - According to the Truth of God.
Arriving at the New Testament, let us see that the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples kept the feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread exactly as the most High God commanded. Here is the very first mention of the Passover in the New Testament:
Mat 26:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said unto His disciples,
Mat 26:2 You know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Confirming His role of deliverance as the sacrificial Lamb of God for the sins of the whole world (Joh 3:16; 1Jn 2:2).
Now, in the next verse the Passover is mentioned, we see the same feast described as the feast of unleavened bread. They are both one in the same:
Mat 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where will you that we prepare for you to eat the Passover?
And having seen that the eating of unleavened bread began with the Passover meal (Exo 12:8), the disciples were preparing on the 14th day of Nisan to eat the Passover meal coming up in the evening, after sunset. Notice:
Mat 26:20 Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve.
Mat 26:21 And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
And that betrayal led to the crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ of God, on the first day of the feast of the Passover and should be marked as a memorial (High Day) to all who claim to follow Jesus the Christ, the Lamb of God.
Let us look at two more scriptures confirming that the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread are one in the same:
Mrk_14:1 After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of unleavened bread [one feast]: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft, and put Him to death.
Mar 14:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, His disciples [followers] said unto Him, Where will You that we go and prepare that You may eat the Passover?
Today, Orthodox and Conservative Jews keep their own tradition by observing the feast of the Passover for eight days, separating the Passover from the days of unleavened bread. They have been doing so since before the time of our Lord Jesus Christ (Isa 24:5). Many Christians that observe the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread also keep eight days. However, most Reform Jews are keeping the feast of the Passover according to the commandment of God in Exodus 12. Notice, from ReformJudaism.org:
When does Pesach [Passover] end? Why do some calendars say it ends after seven days and others after eight? Most Reform Jewish communities celebrate Passover for seven days, but the history is complicated.
The festival calendar in the Torah [Old Testament law; Exodus 12] is clear: Pesach [Passover] begins on the 15th of Nisan and lasts for seven days, and the first and seventh days are what we would now call yom tov [High Days, or High Sabbaths]. On the first night, there is a seder, with matzah, maror, and the retelling of the Exodus.
The law of God is not complicated. Mankind complicates it.
Let us now look at what Jesus taught on the first day of the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread (15th of Nisan).
We have already seen from Mat 26:21 that, as prophesied (Psa 41:9), Jesus was betrayed by one who sat and ate bread with Him, Judas:
Mat 26:25 Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, you have said.
Now, here is the teaching Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, taught His disciples on the first day of the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread which had began in the evening after sundown (15th of Nisan; Exo 12:6, 8):
Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples [followers], and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Luke's account gives greater meaning:
Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me [Exo 12:14].
Let us now see how the followers of Jesus Christ looked upon the body of Christ, in the spiritual sense. The apostle Paul:
Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law [traditions of the Pharisees [Mar 7:9] by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another [Eph 5: 25-27], even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
And stressing unity among brethren in the body of Christ:
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion [fellowship] of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
1Co 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
Partakers being baptised members of the body of Jesus Christ who follow Him. Followers of Jesus Christ must first be sure of the proper day to observe the LORD's Passover (15th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar), and then approach it with deep meditation on their walk with Jesus Christ and God the Father:
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 12:12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ [they who are in Christ (Rom 8:1)].
1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
And from the apostle Peter:
1Pe 2:24 Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For you were as sheep going astray [in error (Mat 23:3, 15)]; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls [in truth (Joh 8:32)].
Continuing with the evening of the Passover, the first day of unleavened bread:
Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Let us see what the followers of Christ taught concerning the blood of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ. From the apostle Paul:
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost [Spirit] has made you overseers, to feed the church of God [with truth], which He has purchased with His own blood.
And very important ones from Hebrews drawing a parallel of being freed from bondage:
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
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?
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 6:56 He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him.
Continuing with the Passover teachings from the Lord Jesus Christ:
Mat 26:31 Then said Jesus unto them, All you shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written , I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad [Zec 13:7].
Mat 26:32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
And His being risen again as the first fruit unto God the Father sets the stage for the next of God's Holy Days - Feast of weeks, or First Fruits, which is Pentecost.
But first, let us look a few scriptures concerning the unleavened bread aspect of the Passover feast. The eating of unleavened bread represents humbling oneself before God. Just as leaven puffs up, so can we also become puffed up with pride which can lead to anger, resentment, resistance to the truth of God, and a host of other negative emotions that can lead to sinning against God.
See the teaching: Be Pleasing in His Sight which details three main behaviours that God expects from His people, walking humbly being one of them.
Here are scriptures relating to unleavened bread beginning with a review of the Passover feast:
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 12:15 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.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day [starting in the evening, or at sunset of the fourteenth day (Exo 12:6)] of the same month [Nisan] is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
Deu 16:3 You shalt eat no leavened bread with it; 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: that you may remember the day when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
Today, for followers of Jesus Christ, the unleavened bread of affliction represents tribulation in the world while coming out of its evil ways:
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.
Joh 15:18 If the world hate you [love less], you know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
2Co 6:14 Be you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord has Christ with Belial (Satan)? or what part has he that believes with an infidel (unbeliever)?
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 [Jer 24:7].
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; 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.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
And, showing that the New Testament followers of Jesus Christ, the one who said one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law (Mat 5:8), were also observing the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread:
Act 20:6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven [false doctrine], neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Jesus set the example of the level of humbleness that He expects from all His followers. Notice:
Joh 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet.
Summing up, the first day of the Feast of the Passover and unleavened bread highlights two important memorials. The first is the deliverance of God's people from "the destroyer" from (Exo 12:23) in the Old Testament using the blood of a lamb. The second is the deliverance from the "god of this world", Satan (2Co 4:4; Rev 12:9), of all who receive Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God (Joh 1:29), who shed His blood for many for the remission of sins (Mat 26:28).
Finally, from the apostle Paul:
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven [ways; doctrines], that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
The apostles' doctrine (Act 2:42), which is the doctrine of Jesus Christ, was established to "purge out the old leaven" from the called of God (Joh 21:17) and to warn them away from following the many false doctrines circulating in the world today (Gal 1:6-9). A world that God clearly commands "His people" to come out of (Rev 18:4).
Feast of Weeks, or First Fruits - Pentecost
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 Him (Joh 14:6; Act 4:10-12).
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.
We begin in Exodus, first with a verse confirming God's 4th commandment to rest on the weekly Sabbath Day (from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset; even to even):
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 12:17] when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
God has shown [Mic 6:8], by many scriptures, that the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread are one in the same seven day feast. The Passover was sacrificed on the first day of unleavened bread (Exo 12:8). Mark, from the book of Mark, had this understanding. Remember this verse?
Mar 14:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, His disciples said unto him, Where will You that we go and prepare that You may eat the Passover?
And confirming that Jesus understood that His disciples were preparing for a Passover meal coming up in the evening (sunset) of the 14th day of what is now called Nisan in the Hebrew Calendar, we go to the book of Luke:
Luk 22:7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed.
Luk 22:8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat.
Luk 22:14 And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.
Luk 22:15 And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer:
And confirming the hour Jesus sat down to eat the Passover with His disciples was even, or sunset:
Mat 26:20 Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve.
Mat 26:21 And as they did eat [the Passover], he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
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 disciples 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.
And something else to consider, there is roughly a four hundred year period between the leaving off of the Old Testament and the emergence of Jesus the Christ of God in the New Testament. Notice a comment from AI concerning this period:
Yeah, that's often referred to as the Intertestamental Period. It's this fascinating gap in biblical history where a lot was going on—cultural shifts, political changes, and the rise of different Jewish sects. It set the stage for the New Testament era. Quite the historical puzzle, right?—
It is no puzzle to me, as I see the perfect backdrop for this saying by our Lord Jesus Christ:
Mar 7:9 And He said unto them, Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.
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 [all work to be stopped, including by the servants] therein.
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 Christ, the Lamb of God teaching the partaking in the unleavened bread of His suffering (bread of affliction; Deu 16:3) and the wine of His blood sacrifice for sins of the called of God as well as the whole world in due time (Luk 22:19; Joh 6:44; Mat 26:28).
Back to the Holy Day teaching - feast of weeks, or first fruits, known as Pentecost:
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:
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 came death, by man [Mat 8:20] came also the resurrection of the dead.
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 our 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 (doctrine) of Jesus Christ:
Psa 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove [test] me; try my reins [Hebrew: figuratively, the mind; thoughts (Psa 139:23)] and my heart (Isa 29:13).
An example 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 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.
Back to Leviticus. We now arrive at the counting of seven weekly Sabbaths, from the day after the weekly Sabbath of the feast of the 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 the 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 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 church Jesus Christ established (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 pride, but 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 true doctrine, we see the early New Testament church following the teachings of the apostles' doctrine which came from the Lord Jesus Christ, which came from God the Father(Mat 7:28; Mar 1:22; 11:18; 12:38; Luk 4:32; 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 Jesus 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 [hurtful acts or works apart from the commandments of God].
Back to Leviticus to confirm the day of 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 [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 [in Christ].
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.
Jas 1:18 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
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 once again in 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 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.
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.
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 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 chapter 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.
The book of Ezra displays a profound example of mankind not learning from past mistakes, but rather, stubbornly repeating them.
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 Christ (Eph 4:3,13):
Gal 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
Retuning to Exodus, notice the divine use of the trumpet:
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 our 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 and obedience, from their inability to forsake sin.
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 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 the Israelites 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 and 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: 21-23]; 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.
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 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.
This will be a cosmic event involving the heavenly hosts, or spiritual armies (angels), along with the resurrected, spiritual prophets and saints, or called out ones of God (1Ki 22:19; Psa 103:20; 148:2; Luk 2:13; Heb 1:14; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:13-18; Rev 19:14; 11:18; 17:14). 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 kingdoms of the returning Jesus Christ.
Let us conclude the teaching of Feast of Trumpets with verses reflecting upon the most anticipated trumpet blast by followers of Jesus Christ, 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 be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
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 of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
The Day of Atonement
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.
So, here 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 context and obeying the LORD's words are so important. With this in mind, let us have a review of the Passover, a most sacred memorial for the people of God:
Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even 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 [when they killed the Passover (Mar 4:12; Luk 22:7)]: seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
And that would include the unleavened bread eaten with the Passover. Otherwise you would have eight days of eating unleavened bread if the Passover was commanded to be separate from the days of unleavened bread. We have clearly seen that God gave no such commandment of eight days. Here is His commandment:
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: that you may remember the day when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
Can it be any clearer?
We will now return to the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16 holds the ceremonial sacrificial practices. 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 people forever (Lev 23:31).
The second point to consider is that the different sects of Jews keep the traditions they have always kept through the generations concerning goats and bulls, whereas, 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. And seeing as Jesus was a Lamb of God sacrifice for the sins of the people in the New Testament, we should be careful not to associate Him with the sins of people placed on goats, lest this is found to be blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God:
Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost [Spirit] shall not be forgiven unto men.
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.
What does God desire rather than physical sacrifice of animals?
Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Psa 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense; and the lifting up of my hands [in prayer] as the evening sacrifice.
Pro 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
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,
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.
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 own sins, and then for the people's: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself [without 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, 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:
Redemption through the blood of Christ:
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;
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?
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, 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, for all:
Heb 10:1 For the law [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 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: burnt offering and sin offering have You not required.
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.
The full assurance of faith:
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
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 house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water [a reference to a pure baptism].
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.
Those are the things we need to consider as we fast on the Day of Atonement. Let us sum up with 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.
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] shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
Again, with nothing indicating otherwise, the 15th day begins the evening before.
Lev 23:35 On the first day [15th] shall be an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein.
Standard commandments for a High Day, or High Sabbath.
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 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 Hebrews, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Prophets were sufficient to explain why the spiritual aspect of sacrifices 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 Christ], as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
What are spiritual sacrifices? Let us see some of the spiritual aspects we should be focusing on always, and especially during all of God's feasts:
Psa 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
Psa 118:8 Better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
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 [Greek: 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 and sacrifices, Jesus and the scribe (Mar 12: 28-34), here is the end of the matter:
Mar 12:33 And to love Him 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.
And summing up spiritual sacrifices into 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 Feast of Tabernacles:
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 harvest blessings precedes the feast.
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]:
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.
So, we see that the first seven days 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].
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:
Deu 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.
Because of disobedience and lack of faith, the world never got to experience the divine purpose God had for His people back then:
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 generation, children in whom is no faith.
And words in the New Testament from the Rock 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 the Passover and the feast of Trumpets. Exodus 12 clearly defines the Feast of the Passover 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 traditions.
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 some individuals or households that have kept covenant with God down through the generations:
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 where is the mercy of the Lord?
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 eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles is not explained in the Old Testament. However, it is mentioned as the last day, a great day of the feast in the New Testament and is observed as a High day, or High Sabbath. I believe it represents an invitation from God to enter into a covenant with Him and thereby enter His thousand-year rest in the first resurrection.:
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.
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 some 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.
A rest Jesus the Christ of God extends to all who obey and follow Him:
Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, 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, and thus, fulfillment of prophecy].)
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:
In conclusion, strive to observe and respect God's Holy Days by removing from the way of the world and meditating on the way and commandments of God, the only way that will lead to everlasting peace.
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.
Amen.
Freely I have received, freely I have given.
Farewell,
Servanthood