Holy Days

Thank you for your question. There are indeed some who are advocating that Christians return to their “Jewish roots” and start keeping the feast days. They teach that by doing this you will be blessed by God and have a move of the Holy Spirit. However, it is important to base what we believe upon the teachings of scripture and not on personal testimony or experiences. Is it scriptural that Christians are to keep the Jewish festivals of the Old Testament in order to worship Him in spirit and in truth, obtain His blessings, and have the Spirit move in our lives? Let’s let the scriptures answer for themselves.

Leviticus 23:2:

Say to the Israelites, the set feasts or appointed seasons of the Lord which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, even My set feasts, are these:

Leviticus 23:37:

These are the set feasts or appointed seasons of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to present an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a cereal offering, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its own day.

Leviticus 23 records seven feasts or appointed seasons of the Lord in which the Israelites would gather to meet with the Lord. Notice that they were to be for the Israelites to keep. There isn’t any mention of the Gentiles being required to observe these feasts.

The Feasts:

1. The Passover: This is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the Jewish month of Nisan. (March/April) This was to commemorate the protection given to them when the Egyptian firstborn were killed by the angel of death.

2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread: This feast was on the fifteenth day of Nisan in the spring. This feast lasted for seven days; for one week, yeast was prohibited in the home and all bread was cooked without it. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was often called the Passover because it began with the Passover celebration and continued for seven more days. The Passover began this week long feast. This feast commemorated when the Israelites left in haste out of Egypt without any time to put yeast in their bread and allow it rise. The first time they ate unleavened bread was on their journey out of Egypt.

3. The Feast of First Fruits- This was observed on the seventeenth day of Nisan and this was actually during the Feast of Unleavened bread. This was a time of thanksgiving and consecration of the barley harvest to the Lord. On this day, portions of barley were cut from the fields before they were harvested, and the priest would wave this bundle of barley before the Lord. This was called the “wave offering.” Along with this offering an animal was sacrificed. This consecration of the first part of the harvest assured the rest was consecrated, blessed, and holy.

4. The Feast of Pentecost: On the sixth day of Sivan (May) was the feast of Pentecost. This was observed exactly 50 days from the Feast of First Fruits.  This was to celebrate God giving the Torah to the people at Mt. Sinai. This also celebrated the wheat harvest that came up after the barley. On this day, two wheat loaves were waved together as one and animal sacrifices were offered.

5. The Feast of Trumpets: This feast was celebrated on the first and second of Tishri (September) during the new moon. The feast was originally just on the first, but sometimes the new moon came on the second.  It was started by the blowing of the shofar trumpet. This feast, also called Rosh Hashanah, means head of the year.  It was the beginning of the Jewish civil year. This feast was to commemorate the creation of man.  This begins the days of awe; these are days of repentance and sorrow. This leads up to the Day of Atonement or “the wedding of the Messiah”.

6. The Day of Atonement: This occurs on the tenth day of Tishri. On this day the High Priest would follow a procedure for making atonement for the nation of Israel. Only on this day could the High Priest enter the Holy of Holies in the temple.

7. Feast of Booths or Tabernacles- This feast was celebrated on the fifteenth day of Tishri. During this feast, small huts or tents were constructed to eat meals and entertain guests. This was to remember how the Israelites lived during their journey to the Promise Land and the presence of God living with His people in a tent. This was also called the feast of ingathering which celebrated the fall harvest.

These were the seven feasts that God gave the Israelites to keep in the Law of Moses. These feasts were not optional in their observance.  They were part of the Law God gave the nation of Israel.  Blessings only came by keeping the entire law. (Deuteronomy 15:4-5) If you broke any part of it, you broke it all. (James 2:10; Galatians 3:10)

Romans 3:20: 

For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character]. (Amplified)

No one could become right with God by the works of the Law.

Galatians 2:16:

…because we know that a man does not come into right standing with God by doing what the law commands, but by simple trust in Christ, we too have trusted in Christ Jesus, in order to come into right standing with God by simple trust in Christ and not by doing what the law commands, because by doing what the law commands no man can come into right standing with God. (Williams New Testament)

God gave the law to man to show him his sinful state, which in turn, directed them to the need of a Savior.  The law was a shadow of the Savior. When you see a shadow you also know there is an object casting the shadow. If the law was a shadow, what is the object that cast it? In this case, it is not a “what” but a “who”! It was the shadow of the coming Jesus Christ. His shadow appeared before He did. It was an outline of who He was and what He would do. When Jesus did arrive, the Jews rejected Him and clung to the shadow. How sad!

Colossians 2:16-17:

Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath.

Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ.

The feasts were used to show the plan of redemption, not only for Israel, but for the whole world!  These feasts portrayed what Jesus would do for us.

1. Passover: Jesus was our true Passover. (1 Corinthians 5:7)  His blood that was shed freed us from eternal death. The blood of the Passover lamb was put on the top, sides, and base of the door.  This represented a cross. Jesus shed His blood for us on the cross to free us from the domain and control of Satan as the Israelites were delivered from Pharaoh and Egypt. As the Passover lamb was being slain in the temple, Jesus, the Lamb of God was being sacrificed on the cross.

2. Feast of Unleavened Bread: Leaven represents sin in the Bible. This feast demonstrates Jesus, the sinless One, removing our sins from us. He carried our sins away not to be remembered again. (1 Corinthians. 5:7)

3. Feast of First Fruits: As the priests would wave the first cutting of the harvest before the Lord, insuring the rest of the harvest would be good, Christ was raised from the dead as our first fruits. (1 Corinthians. 15:23) His resurrection was the token that we also will some day be raised to incorruption. Jesus was raised from the dead at the same time the priests were waving the first fruit sheaves of grain before the Lord.

4. Feast of Pentecost: This was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit descended upon the first believers. (Acts 2:4) The first believers were the beginning of the harvest of wheat, which typifies those saved by grace. This was the birth of the Church. The Law was given on Mt. Sinai on this day. Also on this day, 3,000 men died because they broke God’s Law. On the same day the early church received the grace of God and 3,000 people were saved! The two loaves of bread used in this feast represented the believing Jews and the Gentiles becoming one by faith in Christ Jesus.

5. Feast of Trumpets: There was a long break between the four feasts of spring and those of autumn. The Feast of Trumpets began the feasts of the autumn.  I believe the long span of time between the feasts represents the long duration of the church age. Notice, there were no Jewish feasts during this time. We are now in the age of grace where we have been delivered from the Law. The feast of trumpets was ushered in by the blowing of a shofar trumpet. This represents the rapture of the church. This feast was called the wedding of the Messiah. Jesus will return for His bride, the Church. The rapture will occur at the blowing of a trumpet. (1 Corinthians 15:52)

6. Day of Atonement: This was a day atonement was made for the sins of Israel.  When Jesus returns, the nation of Israel will see Him who they pierced and will believe upon Him.  Salvation is given to those who believe; the nation of Israel will be fully restored.

7. Feast of Tabernacles: This represents Christ returning to the earth to live among His people. Christ’s return will usher in the Millennium, where Christ will reign and rule over the earth for a thousand years. God will tabernacle among us.

The feasts were designed by God to teach us about Jesus Christ. They were given to us to teach us about grace. Christ redeemed us from our sins by His obedience and work and not our own. God called the apostle Paul to preach this message of grace to the world. That is why he said:

Colossians 2:16: 

Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath.

Many in Paul’s day were teaching Christians they needed to continue to keep the feast days even after they received Christ as Savior. They taught God would bless them if they did and He would not bless them if they failed to do so. Paul said, “NO! Do not let anyone judge you for not keeping the rituals of the law”. Paul’s message was through Christ (we find) the Law is fulfilled in our lives! Again the Law was not selective. You had to do all the Law. The only way to truly keep these feasts according to the Law was to go to Jerusalem and sacrifice animals in the prescribed way. Each of these feasts required animal sacrifices. To be blessed from the Law you had to do it exactly as it was commanded! I think it is important to see that God never intended or desired for the Church to try to observe the Law because He made it impossible to do so! To keep the Law you had to bring sacrifices to the temple to be offered by the priests. In 70 A.D. the temple was destroyed and the priesthood was lost! There isn’t any possibility of observing the Law as long as there isn’t a temple or priesthood! God had them removed to show us we have the fulfillment of the Law is in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ!
       There are some today who say (that) if the feast days and Sabbath days are observed, (you will observe the feast days and the Sabbath days,) the Spirit of God of God will move in your life and miracles will occur. Does the Spirit of God move in our lives when we observe the Law of Moses? Let’s look at what the scriptures say about this:

Galatians 3:2:

Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing [the message of the Gospel] and believing [it]? [Was it from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?]

Galatians 3:5:

Then does He Who supplies you with His marvelous [Holy] Spirit and works powerfully and miraculously among you do so on [the grounds of your doing] what the Law demands, or because of your believing in and adhering to and trusting in and relying on the message that you heard?

We must base our beliefs and practices upon the scriptures and not upon experiences. In Galatians, it is very clear the Law does not promote a move of God or miracles. Trying to keep the Law does the opposite. It promotes condemnation and cursing. What caused the Holy Spirit to come into our lives? It was the preaching of grace. Christ fulfilled the Law for us and by His obedience and work we are saved and blessed. It is faith in Jesus Christ, Who is the fulfillment of the Law which causes the blessings of the Holy Spirit to come into our lives. Miracles of the Spirit come by having faith in the grace of God and not by observing the Law.
So, are Christians expected by God to keep the feasts of Israel in order for Him to bless us or have a Holy Spirit revival in our lives? NO! However, there isn’t anything wrong with enjoying and participating in some of the rituals as long as you realize they all speak of Jesus and His grace. It is interesting to learn about the Passover meal and see how it all represents Jesus and His grace. When we see Jesus and His grace in these things, our faith is strengthened and we can experience the presence of the Holy Spirit. However, the blessing does not come because we observe the feasts, but because of the Savior.  Do not let anyone judge you if you don’t keep the rituals of these feasts. You are not in the shadows, but are in the true light of Christ Himself. The Spirit of God is with you and God will bless you as you look to Jesus Christ your Savior and to His grace.

Hope this helped,

Rick McFarland bio
Director/Singles Director
Real Answers bookstore
Grace Church