Christians and the Feasts of the Bible
What are the Feasts in the Bible and are they just for the Jewish people? That is what many think. However, many followers of Yeshua (Jesus), have never even heard of the feasts also known as Moadims. These are the biblical feasts or celebrations that Yahovah has commanded His people to celebrate and remember found in Leviticus 23. So let me break them down and then, I want to tell you why Christians should celebrate as well. First and more times than not, when Christians hear about the feast days, they automatically believe that they are for the Jewish people only. However, this is far from the truth and from scripture, so let’s look at it as I have done before with the Sabbath.
Leviticus 23:1–2 (ESV)
Feasts of the LORD
23 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.
Did you see it: let’s look again:
23 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, these are the appointed feasts of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.
See it says: Speak to the people of Israel not the Jewish people. The Jews are but one of twelve tribes at this point. The text goes on to say that these feasts belong to the Lord. They are His and he has commanded us to proclaim them as holy, which means they are set apart as His!!
Now open your Bibles and look at what they are: Lev. 11: 3-36
They are the Sabbath, Passover, First Fruits (also known as Pentecost), Feast of Weeks (counting the Omar), the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), Day of Atonement, and The Feast of Booths (Sukkot).
Now before you check out on me, stay with me as I explain how these are prevalent today.
The first we are commanded to keep is the Sabbath. The seventh day of the week. I have a post that you can read here: https://www.epiclifeterrell.com/2022/03/is-the-sabbath-for-christians-part-ii/
Now, the feasts are divided into the Spring Feasts (Passover, Feast of Weeks, and First Fruits) and the Fall Feasts (Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths also known as Feast of Tabernacles).
The Spring feasts were fulfilled in Yeshua when He came, died, and rose again, and then in Acts when the Holy Spirit was given. But the Fall Feasts have not and will not until Yeshua returns. Now, this is just a basic run down. I’ll do more on each one later.
When Yeshua returns, there will be a shofar blast, i.e… The Feast of Trumpets. After He returns there will be judgment like no one has seen also called The Day of Atonement where there will be atonement for sin. It will be bad, but not for those who have chosen Yeshua and walk according to His ways and obey His commandments because thru Him our sins have been atoned for. The final show is when Yeshua reigns with His people….Feasts of Tabernacles. Yeshua will set up his throne in Jerusalem where we will be able to go to him.
Zechariah 8:22–23 (ESV)
22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. 23 Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”
So why is this so important for believers? Because they tell us of things to come:
Colossians 2:16–17 (TLV)
16Therefore, do not let anyone pass judgment on you in matters of food or drink, or in respect to a festival or new moon or Shabbat. 17These are a foreshadowing of things to come, but the reality is Messiah.
These are Yahovah’s Holy Days, not the Jewish people, but all who call on Yeshua, all of us who belong to God through Yeshua are commanded to obey these. Praise God that our Jewish brothers and sisters protected them from being eradicated. They were and still are the guardians of all things Torah. Remember there are not two stories, ie… The Jewish people and then a second story of the Gentiles. It is one story. Galatians tell us that there is neither Jew nor Greek, but that we are all one in Yeshua.
Galatians 3:28 (TLV)
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua.
So why aren’t we celebrating them in church? Unfortunately, around 364 A.D. they were replaced because of anti-Semitism by a Roman ruler named Constantine. He hated the Jewish people and formed a council to change the way we worshiped. This was called the Council of Nicaea. It was at the council of Bishops and church leaders that we adopted the pagan holidays Christmas and Easter or Ishtar, to replace what God had commanded. The council also made it illegal to participate in Passover as a Gentile believer. They also outlawed home worship because of the Sabbath rest that begins on Friday evening at sundown. Now, these holidays that were adopted are not even in scripture and have no basis for us to celebrate. Yet because of traditions, we keep celebrating them instead of His Holy Days. Look at Barnes Kasdan and his point of view on the matter:
“Hence, the Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.) established, among other edicts, that Christians would not be allowed to commemorate Passover but would observe the resurrection on a new holiday called Easter. According to this Church, a “Western” Church, Easter would be observed on the Sunday after the Spring Equinox. Consequently, today many Christians have forgotten the intimate connection between the resurrection and the Jewish holy days”. Barnes Kasdan, God’s Appointed Times: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays, 2nd ed. (Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2007), 45–46.
We as Gentiles have been robbed by lies and deception from celebrating God’s Holy Days. God’s desire for all his people is to come and feast with Him. Besides, when our King returns to His spotless church, one of the first things we will do is feast with Him.
Christians are missing a tremendous blessing when they choose not to celebrate God’s Moadims, His appointed Feasts. Christians have been lied to for hundreds of years, but there is a movement happening even now where many are coming back to the roots of the faith, discovering God’s way over many traditions.
This year, take some time and do your homework. Stop listening to those who tell you that the Old Testament was only for the Jewish people. Open your Bible and read the entire scriptures for yourself and see how the early church followers obeyed the Torah, celebrated the feasts, and worshiped alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters. It’s time to unpack the lies and walk in the truth.
Shalom.