Whose Feasts are they? The Jews' or the Lord's?

Whose Feasts are they? The Jews' or the Lord's?

As we read Leviticus 23, we find that it is the only chapter in the Bible that contains all of G-d's seven feasts. "And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts."" (Leviticus 23:1-2) As you study the spiritual meaning of these feasts and you will learn of G-d's plan of salvation for all mankind. THE SABBATH: Leviticus 23:3. The weekly seventh day Sabbath, which falls on a Saturday, is a Biblical feast day. It is also listed as one of the Ten Commandments (See Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15). It is a day of rest. There are two Sabbath candles (See my teaching on the two witnesses). Even the Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar or the Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar and it clearly shows Sunday as the first day of the week.

THE PASSOVER (PESACH - עברית) AND UNLEAVENED BREAD: Leviticus 23:4-8. Let's look at Exodus 12:12-14 :"'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.' " In Leviticus 23:15-18 we read the Lord's 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 verse 18 where the command is to eat unleavened bread seven days. If you study 1 Corinthians 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 Hebrews 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. Jesus is the Pascal Lamb! Beware the leaven - Matthew 16:6-12; Luke 13:21; Galatians 5:9-19 and 1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

Passover (Pesach) celebrates the liberation from 400 years of bondage/slavery (Exodus 12) On the 14th day of Nisan in the afternoon a special meal (the Seder) is prepared to be eaten in the evening it will include the slaughtered lamb (Exodus 12:3-10) and bitter herbs and unleavened bread (Matzoth) (1 Corinthians 5:8). Christians are set free from satan and Sin (John 8:36). The word Passover (Pesach) means to "pass over, to skip". In Exodus 12:23 the Angel of Death passed over the homes whose door frames had the lamb's blood applied on the top and sides (the cross). In Jesus blood sacrifice we have eternal life. (John 5:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19). In Exodus 12:5 we see the lamb had to be male and flawless in verse 46 no bone could be broken. Jesus was without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15) and no bone was broken (John 19:31-36).

At the Seder 3 matzoth (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) are served. The middle one will be broken (Jesus' body was broken for us) in two, and one half hidden (He will come again). After the meal, the children (we must become like little children in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven - Mark 10:15; Matthew 18:2-4) are sent out to find it. Then, every member of the family eats a small piece. This half of the middle matzah is called AFIKOMEN - this word can be traced back to the Greek word afikomen (αφικωμεν). It is the first person plural aorist active of afikneomai (αφικνεομαι) and means WE CAME. THe Matzah is full of stripes and pierced just as Jesus' body was striped from the whip, and pierced by the thorns and the sword. (1 Peter 2:24; John 19:34; John 6:48, 51; Jesus had been born in the house of bread (Bethlehem) and was but in a vessel that had been designed to eat out of it (the manger). (John 12:24) The middle matzah (the afikoman), held aloft, broken, wrapped in linen, hidden away (buried) and later redeemed represents Jesus, who likely used that bread when he said "This is my body broken for you."(1 Corinthians 11:24) And Jesus was held aloft, broken, wrapped in linen and hidden and later found by the redeemed of G-d!

It is the sacrificial lamb that gives Passover its meaning. The sacrifice of the lamb is designed to remind the one who offers the sacrifice of G-d’s passing over the blood of the slaughtered animal, thereby granting redemption (Exod 12:13). This connection is so strong that Passover is actually identified with the lamb itself (2 Chron 30:15). Pesach is the lamb. The same truth applies to Kippur, which concerns the work of atonement. Indeed, the whole mechanism of atonement revolves around blood sacrifice (e.g., Lev 16: 6, 11). The Greek word "pascha" is rendered 28 times in the New Testament as "Passover". (Acts 18:21; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8) Jesus is the innocent lamb of G-d, slaughtered for His blood that takes away our spiritual death because it cleanses us of all our sins. The Epistle to the Hebrews states that the sacrificial killing of animals could not finally take away sin, but awaited the atonement of Jesus. (Hebrews 10). It proceeds to explain that Jesus Christ offered the one sacrifice that was acceptable to G-d, and that he lives forever as the believers' intercessory high priest, replacing the entire Jewish sacrificial system and its sacerdotal priesthood. Jesus is called the "Lamb of G-d who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29 ). The main Christian view is that the Passover, as observed by ancient Israel as well as Jews today, was a type of the true Passover Sacrifice of G-d that was to be made by Jesus. The Israelites' Passover observance was the commemoration of their physical deliverance from bondage in Egypt, whereas Passover represents for Christians a spiritual deliverance from the slavery of sin (John 8:34) and, since Jesus' death, a memorial of the sacrifice that Jesus has made for mankind. In the Jewish Passover, 5 cups of wine are used. Elijah's cup is the 5th cup of wine used at Seder. This cup is not drunk but rather is symbolic of the coming Messiah. The first four cups or wine symbolize redemption and the promises made to Moses in Exodus 6:2-8: the promise to rescue Israel from Egypt, delivery from slavery, to remain a free people and a reminder that they are G-d's chosen people. The fifth cup, Elijah's cup is symbolic of the hope the coming Messiah. It was probably the third cup, which declares "I will redeem you with a demonstration of my power", that Jesus used when he declared "This is my blood poured out for you." (1 Corinthians 11:25) It was probably the fourth cup "I will make you my people" of which Jesus declared '"This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20) But what about the last cup? In Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36, and John 19:30 we clearly see the sacrificed Lamb of G-d (Jesus) drinking vinegar or sour wine on the cross, from a sponge placed on a hyssop branch. The hyssop branch was symbolic of the sprinkling of the Passover lamb's blood using a hyssop branch - see Exodus 12:22. So Jesus was truly the Passover Lamb; then he said, "It is finished." That is where I believe - the last cup comes in.

Apollinaris and Melito of Sardis were both second century writers that wrote about the Christian Passover. Apollinaris, wrote: "There are, then, some who through ignorance raise disputes about these things (though their conduct is pardonable: for ignorance is no subject for blame — it rather needs further instruction…)… The fourteenth day, the true Passover of the Lord; the great sacrifice, the Son of G-d instead of the lamb, who was bound, who bound the strong, and who was judged, though Judge of living and dead, and who was delivered into the hands of sinners to be crucified, who was lifted up on the horns of the unicorn, and who was pierced in His holy side, who poured forth from His side the two purifying elements, water and blood, word and spirit, and who was crucified on the day of the Passover, the stone being placed upon the tomb" Melito's Peri Pascha ("On the Passover") is perhaps the most famous early document concerning the Christian observation of Passover. "For indeed the law issued in the gospel–the old in the new, both coming forth together from Zion and Jerusalem; and the commandment issued in grace, and the type in the finished product, and the lamb in the Son, and the sheep in a man, and the man in G-d...For at one time the sacrifice to the sheep was valuable, but now it is without value because of the life of the Lord. The death of the sheep once was valuable, but now it is without value because of the salvation of the Lord. The blood of the sheep once was valuable, but now it is without value because of the Spirit of the Lord. The silent lamb once was valuable, but now it has no value because of the blameless Son. The temple here below once was valuable, but now it is without value because of the Christ from above… Now that you have heard the explanation of the type and of that which corresponds to it, hear also what goes into making up the mystery. What is the passover? Indeed its name is derived from that event–"to celebrate the passover" (to paschein) is derived from "to suffer" (tou pathein). Therefore, learn who the sufferer is and who he is who suffers along with the sufferer...This one is the passover of our salvation". Polycrates of Ephesus, was a late second century leader who was excommunicated (along with all Quartodecimians) by the Roman bishop Victor for observing the Christian Passover on the 14th of Nisan and not switching it to a Sunday resurrection celebration. He, Polycrates, claimed that he was simply following the practices according to scripture and the Gospels, as taught by the Apostles John and Philip, as well as by church leaders such as Polycarp and Melito of Sardis.

THE FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS OR SHAVUOT/ FEAST OF PENTECOST: Leviticus 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.' " (Leviticus 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.' " (verse 21). Compare these verses with the entire chapter of Acts 2, and you see the fulfillment of this Pentecostal Feast which holds lasting significance to the Body of Christ. (Acts 20:16: 1 Corinthians 16:8). The feast of Pentecost is also called Whitsunday especially in the United Kingdom.

Jesus' resurrection on the Feast of First fruits clearly makes Him the First Fruit (1 Corinthians 15:20). Easter, comes from the ancient pagan festival of Astarte (the ancient Phoenician great goddess of fertility, motherhood, and war, is the counterpart of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar). Astarte is also known as Astarat and Astoreth. She is an incarnation of Ishtar and Inanna. This Semitic Goddess was worshipped by the Syrians, Canaanites (today called Palestinians), Phoenicians, Egyptians and other Semitic Tribes. King Solomon built a Temple to Her as Astoreth, near Jerusalem. Astarte was worshipped as many things, to the Egyptians, She was honored as a Goddess of War and tenacity, to the Semites, She was a Goddess of Love and Fertility. Among the Greeks She was transposed into the Goddess of Love Aphrodite. In the Bible, She is referred to as "the abomination". Also known as babylonian (Revelation 17 & 18) goddess Ishtar (pronounced "Easter"). This festival of Easter has always been held late in the month of April. It was, in its original form, a celebration of the earth "regenerating" itself after the winter season. The festival involved a celebration of reproduction. For this reason the common symbols of Easter festivities were the rabbit (the same symbol as "Playboy" magazine), and the egg. Both are known for their reproductive abilities. At the center of attention was Astarte, the female deity. She is known in the Bible as the "queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-25). She is the mother of Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14) who was also her husband! These perverted rituals would take place at sunrise on Easter morning (Ezekiel 8:13-16). From the references in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we can see that the true Easter has never had any association with Jesus Christ! The only time Easter is mentioned in the New testament is in Acts 12:4. It is obvious Paul was not celebrating Easter.


Shavuot (Hebrew בועות‎) means "weeks" or The Feast of Weeks. Pentecost goes back to the Greek penteconta "fifty". The Jews start counting the 50 days. Pentecost commemorates the giving of the law. The first time, Moses received the ten commandments on stone tablets and the whole law about 7 Weeks after the death of the Passover lambs in Egypt (Exodus 19). When Moses saw the golden calf 3,000 men died (Exodus 32:19-28). Jesus' disciples recieved the Holy Spirit Baptism in Acts 2 and 3000 men were saved! (Act 2:40-41; Romans 8:2) Compare Ezekial 1:4 with Acts 2:2-4. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. (Leviticus 23,17) See my teaching on the two witnesses - they are baked with inherent sin/yeast (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Shavuot stipulates the sacrifice of seven lambs, a bull, and two rams (Lev 23:18). From the biblical perspective, these sacrifices are not mere rituals or cultural expressions of piety; they are central to the very meaning of the festivals themselves.

Historically, the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of 50 days (pentecost) - reminded the Jews that G-d had instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh, let my people go so that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. (Exodus 5:1, 10:9) The feast is a reminder of the nearly 2 month trek from Egypt, through the Red Sea, and ending at Mt. Sinai where G-d issued the Ten Commandments to His new nation of Israel. The feast was held near the 5th of Silvan (the third month in the Jewish calendar.) Like the Feast of the Sheaf of First-Fruits, it was held on the “morrow after the Sabbath” In other words --- This Feast of Pentecost was celebrated on Sunday. Considering that so many special days happen on Sabbaths (Saturdays), it is interesting that G-d chose these two feasts to fall on first day of the week (Sunday). But, G-d knows the future. The Feast of First-Fruits was fulfilled at Jesus resurrection … early on a Sunday morning. The Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled on another Sunday, 50 days later. ¨ It’s amazing to realize that 1,500 years after G-d gave the 10 commandments … on that very day of the Feast of Pentecost … G-d also sent His Holy Spirit to write His Law on the hearts of believers. ¨ In Acts 7:38, the day that Moses met G-d at Sinai is called the birth of the “church in the wilderness.” On the celebration of that day, 1,500 years later, we see the birth of the church of Jesus Christ. ¨ On the day the Law was first given at Sinai, the Jews fell into sin --- and as a result 3,000 people were killed by G-d. 1,500 years later … at the Feast of Pentecost … 3,000 people were saved by G-d … and given New Life in the Kingdom of G-d. Where the giving of the Law brought death, the giving of the Holy Spirit brought life.


ROSH HASHANA or THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS. Leviticus 23:23-25; (Numbers 29:1). "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.' " Compare this Feast with Numbers 10:1-10, Revelation 8-11. The trumpets were to call Israel together (Ezekiel 6:24) Israel utilised two different kinds of trumpets e.g., one was long and flared and made of silver (Numbers 10:2). The other was a ram’s horn and is called in Hebrew the shofar. To celebrate the grace of G-d''s provision for Abraham, when He supplied a ram as sacrifice in the place of Isaac - at Rosh Hashanah, the shofar will sound in the Synagogues over the whole world. We have another sacrificial ram who took our place - His name is Jesus! As Jews all over the globe sound the shofar and celebrate Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets), which is a holiday that was created by G-d, it is a holiday that Jesus celebrated, it is a holiday that the first Christians celebrated, it is a holiday that foreshadows the triumphal return of Jesus. (See Is there a rapture?) The truth is that G-d has always had His most important events foreshadowed by His festivals and has always had His most important events actually fall on the dates of these festivals. For example, Passover foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and it was fulfilled on that day. Pentecost foreshadowed the giving of the Holy Spirit and it was fulfilled on that day. The Feast of Tabernacles foreshadowed the birth of the Messiah and it was fulfilled on that day. So what does the Feast of Trumpets foreshadow? It foreshadows the last trumpet that announces the return of Jesus Christ, and it seems almost a certainty that it will be fulfilled on that day as well.

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה‎) (literally means "head of the year" or "first of the year") is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), celebrated ten days before Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashana is observed on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. It is described in the Torah as "Zikaron Terua" ("remembrance of the blowing of the horn") On the first Rosh Hashanah in history G-d created Adam and Eve. Yes, creation had begun 5 days earlier but it was only when man had been brought into existence that G-d’s creative labor was complete. Prior to creating man G-d created everything e.g., the heavenly bodies, angels, day and night, oceans and continents, vegetation and all living creatures. Now G-d's stage was ready to watch man’s inner struggle to choose between good and evil - to choose to sere the Lord or to serve satan (Joshua 24:15). Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a new year in the Hebrew calendar (one of four "new year" observances that define various legal "years" for different purposes as explained in the Mishnah and Talmud). It is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The Mishnah also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shmita) and jubilee (yovel) years. Some believe Rosh Hashanah represents the creation of the entire universe. However, according to R. Eleazar, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of man, which entails that five days earlier, the 25 of Elul, was the first day of creation of the Universe.
The Mishnah, the core text of Judaism's oral Torah, contains the first known reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment." In the Talmud tractate on Rosh Hashanah it states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living forever." In Jewish liturgy Rosh Hashanah is described as "the day of judgment" (Yom ha-Din) and "the day of remembrance" (Yom ha-Zikkaron). Some midrashic descriptions depict G-d as sitting upon a throne, while books containing the deeds of all humanity are opened for review, and each person passing in front of Him for evaluation of his or her deeds.

The Talmud provides three central ideas behind the day: "The Holy One said, 'on Rosh Hashanah recite before Me [verses of] Sovereignty, Rememberance, and Shofar blasts (malchuyot, zichronot, shofrot): Sovereignty so that you should make Me your King; Remembrance so that your remembrance should rise up before Me. And through what? Through the Shofar.' (Rosh Hashanah 16a, 34b)" This is reflected in the prayers composed by the classical rabbinic sages for Rosh Hashanah found in all machzorim where the theme of the prayers is the strongest theme is the "coronation" of G-d as King of the universe in preparation for the acceptance of judgments that will follow on that day, symbolized as "written" into a Divine book of judgments, that then hang in the balance for ten days waiting for all to repent, then they will be "sealed" on Yom Kippur. The assumption is that everyone was sealed for life and therefore the next festival is Sukkot (Tabernacles) that is referred to as "the time of our joy" (z'man simchateinu).

Rosh Hashanah is observed as a day of rest (Leviticus 23:24) like most Jewish holidays. When not on Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah is characterized by the blowing of the shofar (in ancient times it was also sounded on the Sabbath in the Temple), a trumpet made from a ram's horn or the horn of a goat or various types of antelope or gazelle (although not from a cow), intended to symbolically awaken the listeners from their "slumbers" and alert them to the coming judgment (Matthew 13:24-43). There are a number of additions to the regular Jewish service, most notably an extended repetition of the Amidah prayer for both Shacharit and the longest Mussaf of any holiday. The traditional Hebrew greeting on Rosh Hashanah is שנה טובה shana tova [ʃaˈna toˈva] for "[a] good year", or shana tova umetukah for "[a] good and sweet year." Because Jews and the world are being judged by God for the coming year, a longer greeting translates as "may you be written and sealed for a good year" (ketiva ve-chatima tovah). It is customary that during the afternoon of the first day (second day if the first coincides with Shabbat) the practice of tashlikh is observed, in which prayers are recited near natural flowing water, and one's sins are symbolically cast into the water. Many also have the custom to throw bread or pebbles into the water (Baptism), to symbolize the "casting off" of sins.All G-d wants is to be recognized and to be acknowledged for whom He truly is. The Holy Bible begins with these ten words: "In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth." So during the days leading up to Yom Kippur not only do we seriously reflect on the past year and repent for the bad things we have done but also for the good things we did not do. We must also consider what our Creator has done for us and we need to thank Him while we are praying for His merciful judgment.


YOM KIPPUR or THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. Leviticus 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 G-d. "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 (Hebrews 4:6-11), 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 Leviticus Chapter 16; Numbers 29:1-6: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10 for more insight to the importance of this day. Only once a year on Yom Kippur, the High Priest (nobody else) may enter the Holy of Holies, and meet there the glory of the LORD (the Shekinah). (Hebrews 9,7) Trough Jesus’ death at the cross, the way to the Father is free for everybody at anytime: With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Mark 15,37-38).

In this second Temple there were two curtains separating between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. Each curtain was 10 centimeters (4in') thick with the height of 20 meters (22 yds)by the length of 10 meters(11 yds). The Temple curtain situated between the holy and the holy of holies was 10 meters by 20. Its thickness was approximately 8 centimeters. That would make the weight approximately between 4 to 6 tons depending on the materiel used. In fact the Talmud teaches us that it took some 300 priests to carry it to its place. This thick curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was known as the “veil,” it was made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve G-d, were in the presence of G-d to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty. They also guarded the throne of G-d. These cherubim were also on the innermost layer of covering of the tent. If one looked upward, they would see the cherubim figures. The word “veil” in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides. What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy G-d from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of G-d. In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, G-d’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement. The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between sinful man and G-d, showing man that the holiness of G-d could not be trifled with. G-d’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The veil was a barrier to make sure that sinful man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into G-d’s awesome presence. Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of G-d, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins. Jesus blood covering now allows the redeemed of the Lord to enter directly into and talk with G-d.


Yom Kippur (Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר or יום הכיפורים‎, IPA: [ˈjom kiˈpur]), also known as the Day of Atonement, is one of the holiest days of the year for the Jewish people. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Today, Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days (or sometimes "the Days of Awe"). Boys under the age of 13, and girls under 12, are not required to fast from sundown to sun-up. Yom Kippur is the tenth day of the month of Tishrei. According to Jewish tradition, G-d inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a book, the Book of Life, on Rosh Hashanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict. During the Days of Awe, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God (bein adam leMakom) and against other human beings (bein adam lechavero). The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt (Vidui). At the end of Yom Kippur, one considers oneself absolved by G-d. The Yom Kippur prayer service includes several unique aspects. One is the actual number of prayer services. Unlike a regular day, which has three prayer services (Ma'ariv, the evening prayer; Shacharit, the morning prayer; and Mincha, the afternoon prayer), or a Shabbat or Yom Tov, which have four prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf, the additional prayer; and Mincha), Yom Kippur has five prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf; Mincha; and Ne'ilah, the closing prayer). The prayer services also include a public confession of sins (Vidui) and a unique prayer dedicated to the special Yom Kippur avodah (service) of the Kohen Gadol in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

What happened on this day which caused it to be known as the “Day of Atonement”? Rashi tells us that after the sin of the Golden Calf Moshe went up Mt. Sinai twice, for 40 days each time. He came down from Mt. Sinai the second time with the second set of Tablets of the Law. He also brought Hashem’s response to what they had done. In Exodus 32:14 it states that “Hashem reconsidered regarding the evil that He declared He would do to His people.” In other words He relented from His intensions of destroying the nation and start again with Moshe. G-d forgave them. On Tishri 10 G-d forgave Israel and since that time this day became a permanent remembrance of the day that they were forgiven by Hashem on this day. In his Mishnah Torah, “Laws of Repentance 2:6” the Rambam writes: While one should scrutinize one’s behavior and repent throughout the year, during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur it is especially important to introspect and repent, as the prophet Isaiah (55:6) teaches: “Seek Hashem when He can be found; call upon Him when He is near”. On Yom Kippur Hashem is closest to man. Preceding day - Erev Yom Kippur (lit. "eve [of] day [of] atonement") is the day preceding Yom Kippur, corresponding to the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. This day is commemorated with two festive meals, the giving of charity, and asking others for forgiveness (Matthew 6:12).

Leviticus 16:29 mandates establishment of this holy day on the 10th day of the 7th month as the day of atonement for sins. It calls it the Sabbath of Sabbaths and a day upon which one must afflict one's soul. Leviticus 23:27 decrees that Yom Kippur is a strict day of rest. Five additional prohibitions are traditionally observed, as detailed in the Jewish oral tradition (Mishnah tractate Yoma 8:1):no eating and drinking - No wearing of leather shoes - No bathing or washing - No anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions - No marital relations. A parallel has been drawn between these activities and the human condition according to the Biblical account of the expulsion from the garden of Eden. Refraining from these symbolically represents a return to a pristine state, which is the theme of the day. Total abstention from food and drink usually begins 20 minutes before sundown (called tosefet Yom Kippur, lit. "Addition to Yom Kippur"), and ends after nightfall the following day. Although the fast is required of all healthy adults, it is waived in the case of certain medical conditions. Virtually all Jewish holidays involve a ritual feast, but since Yom Kippur involves fasting, Jewish law requires one to eat a large and festive meal on the afternoon before Yom Kippur, after the Mincha (afternoon) prayer.

Wearing white clothing, for men a Kittel, is traditional to symbolize one’s purity on this day. Many Orthodox men immerse themselves in a mikvah (Baptism) on the day before Yom Kippur. Before sunset on Yom Kippur eve, worshippers gather in the synagogue. The Ark is opened and two people take from it two Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls). Then they take their places, one on each side of the cantor, and the three recite: In the tribunal of Heaven and the tribunal of earth, by the permission of G-d—praised be He—and by the permission of this holy congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with transgressors." The cantor then chants the Kol Nidre prayer (Hebrew: כל נדרי) in Aramaic, not Hebrew. Its name is taken from the opening words, meaning “All vows”: All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.

The leader and the congregation then say together three times “May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst, for all the people are in fault.” The Torah scrolls are then replaced, and the Yom Kippur evening service begins. Many married men wear a kittel, a white robe-like garment for evening prayers on Yom Kippur, otherwise used by males on their wedding day. They also wear a tallit (prayer shawl), which is typically worn on Shabbat and other holidays during morning services. Prayer services begin with the Kol Nidre prayer, which must be recited before sunset, and continue with the evening prayers (Ma'ariv or Arvith), which includes an extended Selichot service. The morning prayer service is preceded by litanies and petitions of forgiveness called selichot; on Yom Kippur, many selichot are woven into the liturgy of the mahzor (prayer book). The morning prayers are followed by an added prayer (Musaf) as on all other holidays. This is followed by Mincha (the afternoon prayer) which includes a reading (Haftarah) of the entire Book of Jonah, which has as its theme the story of G=d's willingness to forgive all those who repent. The service concludes with the Ne'ila ("closing") prayer, Which begins shortly before sunset, when the "gates of prayer" will be closed. Yom Kippur comes to an end with a recitation of Shema Yisrael and the blowing of the shofar, which marks the conclusion of the fast.

Dates of Yom Kippur

Sat, October 8, 2011
Wed, September 26, 2012
Sat, September 14, 2013
Sat, October 4, 2014
Wed, September 23, 2015
Note: Yom Kippur begins at sundown of the previous day.

The original rites and practices for the Day of Atonement are set forth in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus (cf. Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 23:27-31, 25:9; Numbers 29:7-11). It is considered to be a time for fasting, on which no food or drink are be consumed: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls...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." (Leviticus 23:26-27,32). This fasting is historically how the phrase "afflict your souls" has been interpreted by the Jewish community (Psalm 35:13; 69:10 and Isaiah 58:5) to mean fasting, unless one is somehow ill, and thus is already afflicted. Evening to evening means from sunset to sunset. In the New Testament, the Day of Atonement is referred to as "the Fast" (Acts 27:9). The fact that this day was referred to that way (or even at all) is an indication that it was observed by Christians after Christ's resurrection. The Bible clearly shows that so-called Jewish holy days, such as Pentecost were observed by Christians after Jesus' resurrection (Acts 2:1). An unusual ceremony related the the Day of Atonement is discussed in Leviticus 16:9-10, this passage states:"And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD's lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness." Christians who observe it note the parallels between the first of the two goats with Jesus who gets sacrificed on the cross (See Crucifixion) and the second of the two goats with Satan (the Azazel goat). The slain goat represents Jesus who actually dies for our sins. Notice Leviticus 16:15-19: "Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19: "Now all things are of G-d, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that G-d was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." The goat that was killed was our Lord Jesus Christ!

Notice what happens immediately after the atoning from the death of the first goat: "And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness...And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water (baptism), and afterward he may come into the camp (Leviticus 16:20-22,26). Notice that the atonement is over after the first goat is sacrificed. The atonement is not part of the symbolism of the second goat. Please notice that it is a fit man that takes the goat into the wilderness and he has to wash himself after he has released the aza'zel goat. If the second goat represented Jesus, the fit man would have to wash BEFORE touching the goat and not AFTER releasing it. The term scapegoat is an inappropriate translation into English, as it implies that blame is being placed where blame is not due. The Hebrew term is actually aza'zel. This is a term that Jewish people have historically ascribed to a Satanic adversary. The goat that was released was Jesus Barrabbas. (See We All Must Choose)

SUCCOTH or THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES or BOOTHS. Leviticus 23:33-44; Deuteronomy 16:13; Exodus 12:31-51; Numbers 29:12-16; Zechariah 14.. The days of observance -- the 15th through 21st day of the seventh month -- that symbolize the Kingdom of G-d on earth and that it is a feast of great rejoicing. Jesus' birthday was the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles or Tishri 15. Succoth prescribes a burnt offering (Lev 23:37). This is the seventh feast, on the seventh Month and it lasts for seven days. A jewish wedding feast takes seven days. During these seven days the Jews live and eat in a Sukkah (booth, tent or tabernacle) to commemorate the 40 years Israel lived in tents in the desert. Jesus talked often about the harvest and the need for laborers to gather in the labors from the field. In Scripture, seven symbolizes completeness or perfection. On the seventh day G-d rested from his labors and creation is finished (Genesis 2:2). Pharaoh in his dream saw seven cattle coming from the Nile (Genesis 41:2). Samson’s sacred Nazirite locks were braided in seven plaits (Judges 16:13). Seven devils left Mary of Magdala, signifying the totality of her previous possession by Satan (Luke 8:2); "seven other devils" will enter the purified but vacant life of a delivered person (Matthew 12:45). In Psalm 12:6 the words of the Lord are purified seven times. There are seven shepherds of Israel. There are seven spirits of G-d (Revelation 3:1). There ae allso seven churches to overcome (Revelation 2 & 3) In the seventh year the Hebrew slave was to be freed (Exodus 21:2), having completed his time of captivity and service. Every seventh year was a sabbatical year (Leviticus 25:4). Seven times seven reiterates the sense of completeness. In the Year of Jubilee (at the completion of 7 x 7 years = the 50th year), all land is freed and returns to the original owners (Leviticus 25:10). Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, is seven times seven days after Passover. "Seventy," which is literally "sevens" in Hebrew, strengthens the concept of perfection. There are 70 elders (Exodus 24:1) in Israel. Israel was exiled to Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:12) to complete its punishment. "Seventy times seven" we must forgive (Matthew 18:22) reiterates this number seven still further. In Revelation 15:1 we read: And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of G-d."

Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt, Feast of Booths, Feast of Tabernacles) is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (late September to late October). It is one of the three Biblically mandated Shalosh regalim on which Jews and Believers make pilgrimages to pre-determined sites to worship and fellowship Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Day lasts seven days, including Chol Hamoed and is immediately followed by another festive day known as Shemini Atzeret/The Last Great Day. The Hebrew word sukkōt is the plural of sukkah, "booth or tabernacle", which is a walled structure covered with flora, such as tree branches or bamboo shoots. The sukkah is intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. Throughout the holiday the sukkah becomes the primary living area of one's home. All meals are eaten inside the sukkah and many sleep there as well. On each day of the holiday, members of the household recite a blessing over the lulav and etrog, or Four species. According to Zechariah, in the messianic era Sukkot will become a universal festival and all nations will make pilgrimages annually to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast there.

Sukkot was agricultural in origin. This is evident from the biblical name "The Feast of Ingathering," from the ceremonies accompanying it, from the season – “The festival of the seventh month” – and occasion of its celebration: "At the end of the year when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Ex. 23:16); "after you have gathered in from your threshing-floor and from your winepress" (Deut. 16:13). It was a thanksgiving for the fruit harvest. Coming as it did at the completion of the harvest, Sukkot was regarded as a general thanksgiving for the bounty of nature in the year that had passed. Sukkot became one of the most important feasts in Judaism, as indicated by its designation as “the Feast of the Lord” or simply “the Feast”. Perhaps because of its wide attendance, Sukkot became the appropriate time for important state ceremonies. Moses instructed the children of Israel to gather for a reading of the Law during Sukkot every seventh year (Deut. 31:10-11). King Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem on Sukkot (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 7). And Sukkot was the first sacred occasion observed after the resumption of sacrifices in Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 3:2-4; Revelation 17 & 18). In Leviticus, G-d told Moses to command the people: “On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook” (Lev. 23:40), and “You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:42-43).

Sukkot is a seven day holiday, with the first day celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services and holiday meals. The remaining days are known as Chol HaMoed ("festival weekdays"). The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabbah ("Great Hoshana", referring to the tradition that worshippers in the synagogue walk around the perimeter of the sanctuary during morning services) and has a special observance of its own. Outside Israel, the first two days are celebrated as full festivals. Throughout the week of Sukkot, meals are eaten in the sukkah and some families sleep there, although the requirement is waived in case of rain. Every day, a blessing is recited over the Lulav and the Etrog. Observance of Sukkot is detailed in the Book of Nehemiah in the Bible, the Mishnah (Sukkah 1:1–5:8); the Tosefta (Sukkah 1:1–4:28); and the Jerusalem Talmud (Sukkah 1a–) and Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 2a–56b).

Prayers during Sukkot include the reading of the Torah every day, saying the Mussaf (additional) service after morning prayers, reading the Hallel, and adding special supplications into the Amidah and grace after meals. In addition, the Four Species are taken on everyday of Sukkot except for Shabbat and are included in the Hallel and Hoshanot portions of the prayer.

Hoshanot
On each day of the festival, worshippers walk around the synagogue carrying their Four species while reciting Psalm 118:25 and special prayers known as Hoshanot. This takes place either after the morning's Torah reading or at the end of Mussaf. This ceremony commemorates the willow ceremony at the Temple in Jerusalem, in which willow branches were piled beside the altar with worshipers parading around the altar reciting prayers.

Ushpizin
During the holiday, some Jews recite the ushpizin prayer which symbolises the welcoming of seven "exalted guests" into the sukkah. These ushpizin (Aramaic אושפיזין 'guests'), represent the seven shepherds of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. According to tradition, each night a different guest enters the sukkah followed by the other six. Each of the ushpizin has a unique lesson which teaches the parallels of the spiritual focus of the day on which they visit.

Simchat Torah or Simḥath Torah (also Simkhes Toreh, Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת תורָה, lit., "Rejoicing with/of the Torah,") or THE LAST GREAT DAY (The Eighth Day). Leviticus 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 (2 Peter 3:6-7) to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. " The Lord G-d destroyed the earth by flooding it with water the first time because He was mad at man (Genesis 6:6) and the Lord will destroy the earth the second time with fire for the same reason He is mad at man! Water was a blessing until the Lord used it to destroy the earth with a flood.. This time He will seperate water H2O into hydrogen and oxgen - so the very material we use to put out fires will become fire!

The eighth day: Final feast - Simchat Torah (the Rejoicing of the Law) the weekly Torah readings are finished and start again with Genesis 1:1. In the times of the temple, a priest went to the pool of Siloam to fill a golden pitcher with water. He then came back to the temple accompanied by a joyous procession of trumpet sounds and worshipers, and poured out the water near the altar. At the same time, he recited Isaiah 12,3 ff.: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation .... On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him". (John 7,37-38) Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of G-d and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ( Rev 22,1-2) see also Ezekiel 47,1-12

The holiday immediately following Sukkot is known as Shemini Atzeret (lit. "Eighth [Day] of Assembly"). Shemini Atzeret is viewed as a separate holiday. In the diaspora a second additional holiday, Simchat Torah (lit. "Joy of the Torah") is celebrated. In the Land of Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated on Shemini Atzeret. On Shemini Atzeret the sukkah is left and meals are eaten inside the house. Outside of Israel, many eat in the sukkah without making the blessing. The sukkah is not used on Simchat Torah. Tishri 22, the day after the seventh day of Sukkoth, is the holiday of Simchat Torah In Israel. Simchat Torah,"Rejoicing in the Torah", celebrates the completion of the annual reading of the Torah. uring the evening of Simhat Torah, the last chapter of Deuteronomy is read in the synagogue followed by the beginning of the Book of Genesis. This is a very happy occasion. Jews all over the world dance joyously with the Torah - sometimes for hours. All the Torah scrolls are taken from the Ark and carried in a parade around the synagogue seven times. This custom is called Hakafot (encirclement in English). The Hakafot are begun with the recital of "attah hareita", a collection of biblical verses in praise of G-d and the Torah. Each verse is read by the reader and then repeated by the worshipers in the congregation. After the seven Hakafot, all of the Torah scrolls are returned to the Ark except for one. Then the Torah is returned and the service is concluded. The number eight symbolises a new beginning. The eighth day of the week is the day after Sabbath. Now the work starts anew. On this day of the week, Jesus did rise from the dead. With HIM, G-d did create something new: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1.Corinthians 15,20) The number of the name Jesus (Greek ΙΗΣΟΥΣ) is 888.
Jesus' birthday was the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles or Tishri 15. Pesach was fulfilled by Jesus/Yeshua at his crucifixion on Nisan 14 in the Spring of 32 A.D. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was fulfilled by His burial in the borrowed tomb. The Feast of Firstfruits was fulfilled by His Resurrection on Nisan 17. The Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost on Silvan 7 in the summer of 32 A.D. Please also see the teaching entitled: Seven Jewish Feasts and how they relate to our being formed in the womb.

Why did the Christian Church stop obseving these Feasts of the Lord?

All seven of these feasts have been celebrated since the day Moses gave them to us at Mt. Sinai some 3500 years ago. As we have seen, the first three of the feasts, the spring feasts, have already had their New Covenant fulfillment. They were fulfilled by Jesus Himself in his death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus fulfilled them right on the set calendar dates of the feasts. He entered Jerusalem 2,000 years ago right on the day appointed in His first coming as Messiah. He came as the Suffering Servant, riding on a donkey. Four days later, just as the Passover lambs were being killed, He gave His life blood for us on the cross of Calvary. Surely He was Israel's promised Sacrifice Lamb. Because He was crucified on Pesach He was buried that night and laid in the tomb just in time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On the third day he rose from the grave. On the Feast of Firstfruits He was resurrected as the firstfruits from the dead. Fifty days later the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 in the upper room. This happened right on the Feast of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit outpouring seen that day was unprecedented and glorious. The revival of Israel spread into the city of Jerusalem and thence to Judea, Samaria, and eventually to the utmost parts of the earth. Thus was fulfilled the summer Feast of Pentecost. This epic event happened right on the very day of the Hebrew calendar that saw Moses bring the Law down from Mount Sinai to the children of Israel . The Feast of Pentecost was Israel's birthday. Israel's birthday is also turned out to be the birthday of the Church! See: Gal.3:29, Rom.11, Eph.2:12-13, 1Pet.2:9 .
Clearly G-d clearly states that He wants us to remember His feasts as a statute forever throughout all of our generations. Jesus kept the Sabbath -- Luke 4:16-21; Jesus 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. The Jews still keep most of the feast days correctly and there are many Christian groups who still faithfully observe G-d's Feasts. In fact, for the first three centuries after Pentecost, the early church kept these feasts of the Lord. But, as time went on the deceiver using religious men led the believers away from the teachings of the apostles and from the mouth of Jesus. This was due largely to the man-made doctrines and anti-semetic beLIEfs of the Roman Catholic Church which grew stronger and stronger through intimidation and threat of death. By the beginning of the fourth century, Constantine, who had become both head of the church and Emperor of Rome, forbade the recognition of anything that remotely smacked of Jewishness to the point of imprisonment and even death. An example of this can be seen by the actions taken at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. The Church, which had been commemorating the death and resurrection of Christ on the Passover day, changed the date for observing the resurrection to make it correspond with the pagan carnival Easter (Galatians 4:10-11) instead of what they considered to be the Jewish feast of Passover. 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 teachings and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. In Volume 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 of which was which day of the week was the proper day of worship. Here is an interesting passage from Volume 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 - 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 4th century theologian John Chrysostom said, "The festivals of the pitiful and miserable Jews are soon to march upon us one after the other and in quick succession: the feast of Trumpets, the feast of Tabernacles, the fasts. There are many in our ranks who say they think as we do. Yet some of these are going to watch the festivals and others will join the Jews in keeping their feasts and observing their fasts. I wish to drive this perverse custom from the Church right now."anti-Semitism was the main motivation for the repudiation of the Feast of Pesach or Passover, as the Nicene letter of Constantine testifies: “It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are, therefore, deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul.” Amazing this degree of hate - seeing that Jesus was a Jew!

If we again start to observe the Feasts of the Lord, we will make a powerful statement against the anti-Semitic voice of the denominational churches. Christians would again discover emotional and aesthetic experiences they have forgotten to enjoy e.g., the holiness of bread, which is a symbol of messianic sacrifice. Our motive in celebration should be as G-d originally intended; remembrance and honor for what He has done. G-d said his feasts were to be celebrated "forever" (Ex. 12:14, Lev. 23:21, Lev. 23:41). If G-d never changes, and we have His word on that He does not (Mal. 3:6), it is obvious that He still desires to be worshiped in this manner. The feast days retain a deep abiding meaning for the Christian since their fulfillment (not termination) is found in Jesus the Messiah. It is safe to say that the Christian has more reasons for celebrating these festivals than does the Jew (1 Corinthians. 5:7-8). The feast days contain more divine information, spiritual lessons and prophetic reflections than perhaps any subject of scripture. Subsequently, It is through our deliberate recognition and celebration of them that the riches of truth contained in them is released for our understanding.(Colossians 2:16; Romans14:5-10;) Nevertheless in Romans 14:5 we read: "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."