Now read verses 15-18 where there is a command to eat unleavened bread seven days:
" 'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at
evening.' "
Notice v.18 where the command is to eat unleavened bread seven days. If you study 1Cor. 5:7-8 you will see that Paul not only declares that Christ is our Passover, he also affirms the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Also please study Heb. 9:2 - 10:10 where the author clearly defines one of the pivotal doctrines of the Christian faith -- THE GREATNESS AND ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S SACRIFICE.
- THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS / FEAST OF PENTECOST Lev. 23:9-22. These verses emphasize the offering of the wave sheaf, when it is waved and why. This feast is determined by counting fifty days forward from the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread which must include seven weekly Sabbaths.
" 'He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.' " (Lev. 23:11)
" 'And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.' " (v. 21)
If you will compare these verses with the entire chapter of Acts 2, you will see the New Testament fulfillment of this Feast which holds lasting significance to the Body of Christ.
- THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS. Lev. 23:23-25.
" Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 'You shall do no customary work on
it'. "
To learn much more about the symbolic significance of this Feast compare with Num. 10:1-10, Revelation 8-11, etc.
- THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. Lev. 23:26-32.
" And the Lord spoke to Moses saying: 'Also the tenth day of this seventh month month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. "And you shall do no
work on that same day, for it is The Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his
people. "You shall do no manner of work; It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your
sabbath.' "
Also study Lev. Chapter 16 for more insight to the importance of this day.
- THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. Lev. 23:33-44. Since you mentioned this feast in your question, let's just remember the days of observance -- the 15th through 21st day of the seventh month -- that it symbolizes the Kingdom of God on earth and that it is a
feast of great rejoicing.
- THE LAST GREAT DAY (The Eighth Day). Lev. 23:36.
" For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. "
To answer your first and third questions: Yes, The Feasts of the Lord should still be observed. Christ kept the Sabbath -- Luke 4:16-21; He kept The Feast of Tabernacles -- John 7. Jesus surely kept Passover and Days of Unleavened bread -- John 2:13-22,
John 5:1, John Chapters 13-19. Paul also kept the Sabbath. See Acts 17:2, Acts 18:4. Paul also kept the Day of Atonement, Acts 27:9. These are recorded in scripture Jesus and the apostles as well as the early first century church kept the Sabbath and Feasts. We are to follow their example. The Jews
still keep most of the feast days correctly and there are many Christian groups who still faithfully observe God's Feasts.
To answer your second question, "Why then does no one keep them anymore?", we have to turn to secular history. For the first three centuries after Pentecost, the early church began falling away from the teachings of the apostles and the teachings they
received from the mouth of Christ. This was due largely to the growing influence of the Catholic Church which grew stronger and stronger through intimidation and threat of death. By the time of Constantine the followers of Christ were divided over key doctrinal issues. On top of this, a vigorous
persecution was setting in against any who opposed the Catholic Church.
In Vol. 2 of Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church, Page 204, we read
" Tertullian, at the close of the second and the beginning of the third century, views the Lord's day (that is, Sunday, my insertion) as figurative of rest from sin and typical of man's final rest, and says: 'we nothing to do with Sabbaths, new
moons, or the Jewish festivals, much less with those of the heathen.' "
Page 205 of the same book, beginning of fourth paragraph:
" The observance of the Sabbath among the Jewish Christians gradually ceased."
Under the order of Emperor Constantine in 325 A.D. a council was called for his bishops to convene a council at Nice in Turkey (modern Isnik) to discuss and to settle various church related doctrines, one being which was the proper day of worship. Here is an
interesting passage from Vol. 3 of Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church, page 405,
" The feast of the resurrection was thenceforth required to be celebrated everywhere on a Sunday, and never on the day of the Jewish Passover, but always after the fourteenth of Nisan, on the Sunday after the first vernal full moon."
(Passover is always on the 14th day of the first month at evening. - See Exodus 12:6)
Near the end of the passage we read,
"It is our duty to have nothing in common with the murderers of our Lord."
The battle continues. It is up to us individually to find the truth for ourselves and then to hold it for dear life.
Other Recommended Bible Study Materials:
Answer Given By: Tommy West |
