B

Gods Festivals: Keys

to Humanitys Future

Gods Festivals: Keys

to Humanitys Future
The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
The apostle Peter (2 Peter 3:9)

he Holy Scriptures reveal that God has a comprehensive plan to save mankind. The plan revolves
around the prophetic mission and work of Jesus
Christ. For God did not send His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved (John 3:17, emphasis added
throughout).
Therefore, God has made known to us the mystery
of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will
have reached their fulfillmentto bring all things in
heaven and on earth together under one head, even
Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10, New International Version).
Throughout this Bible Study Course we emphasize
Gods intention to savethrough Jesus Christthe vast
majority of mankind from the penalty of eternal destruction we all have earned by sinning. When God completes
His majestic plan, He will have given all of mankind the
opportunity to come to repentance.
But bringing all people to repentance, by persuading
them to turn from their sinful ways so that they can
receive eternal life, is an awesome task. Todaywith
most of humanity still under the sway of the great
deceiver, Satan the devilrelatively few are even called
to repentance. Still fewer are actually repenting.
Nevertheless, when Jesus returns, all then aliveand
all their descendants afterwardswill be taught how to
obey their Creator. Finally God will resurrect from their
graves those untold millions who have died without ever
receiving a clear understanding of His ways. He will
teach them to turn to the truth and to Him.
God reveals His splendid plan in the prophecies and
teachings of the Scriptures. God has provided us with
the keys to unlock His plan through His sacred festivals.
Most people probably understand that Jesus was crucified on the biblical Passoverthe first of these marvelous
festivals. Some have heard that the biblical festivals point
to Christ and His role. Yet few grasp their deeper significance and value. The majority of churchgoers view them
as irrelevant to their relationship with God. The Scriptures, however, tell us otherwise! The festivals are keys
to a correct understanding of Gods master plan and to
Christs central role in that plan.
God instituted and commanded the observance of
these sacred festivals to make known to His people the
correct sequence of events in His blueprint for humanitys salvation. They reveal the framework that organizes
the major events of Gods plan in a logical order. They
also reveal the structure on which biblical prophecy
is based. They disclose Gods grand design for mans

Bible Study Course Lesson 12

awesome future. (To understand how the majority of

humanity has been deprived of the keys that unlock a
comprehensive understanding of Gods plan and purpose
for humankind, be sure to read Humanitys Fruitless
Quest for Lifes Purpose, page 4.)

FESTIVALS OF HOPE
When God freed the Israelites from Egyptian
bondage, He revealed to them, in addition to the weekly
Sabbath, His seven annual festivals. The apostle Paul
tells us these observances are a shadow of things to
come (Colossians 2:16-17)that is, they foreshadow
and reveal the basics of His plan of salvation.
God originally gave them as harvest festivalsand
for an appropriate reason. The writers of the Bible often
compare the spiritual harvest of human lives to the agricultural harvests that physically sustain life. Therefore we
find harvest analogies and parables to represent aspects
of Gods plan to bring humanity to repentance. Gods
goal is to harvest human beingsyou and meinto His
Kingdom. One of Christs best-known parables that illustrates this is the famous illustration of the sower and the
seed (Matthew 13:3).
Jesus compared the work God began through Him
to a harvest. Christ told His disciples: My food is to do
the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do
you not say, There are still four months and then comes
the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and
look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for
eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may
rejoice together (John 4:34-36).
Here Jesus links the concept of a harvest to His
work of bringing eternal life (salvation) to humans.
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other
name under heaven given among men by which we
must be saved (Acts 4:12). The Greek word translated
into English as Jesus means Savior. Its Hebrew
equivalent, translated into English as Joshua, means
God is salvation.
Jesus role in securing our salvation is the nucleus
of Gods plan. Paul, writing to the young evangelist
Timothy, explained that God has saved us and called us
with a holy calling . . . according to His own purpose and
grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time
began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of
our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
(2 Timothy 1:9-10).
Cover: 2000 PhotoDisc, Inc.

God planned from the beginning to both create and

save mankind through Christ. Describing Jesus role,
Paul explains: He is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were
created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him
and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him
all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence
(Colossians 1:15-18).
Christs role in Gods master plan was not an afterthought. Everything in that plan is directly related to
Jesus mission and work as our Savior.
The apostle John refers to Jesus as the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).
Jesus, speaking about the specific importance of His crucifixion to humanitys salvation, told His disciples, And
I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples
to Myself (John 12:32). Christs task is not only making
salvation possible but leading all peoples into a lasting
relationship with Him and His Father.
Christs role in humanitys salvation is crucial. His
role is also the central theme of Gods sacred festivals,
which reveal the sequence of events in His plan. The festivals all occur during harvest seasons in the Holy Land,
where Jesus grew up and lived His human life.
Seven annual festivals are listed in the Scriptures:
(1) the Passover, (2) the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
(3) the Feast of Firstfruits (Pentecost), (4) The Feast of
Trumpets, (5) the Day of Atonement, (6) the Feast of
Tabernacles and (7) the Last Great Day. Each focuses
on a specific aspect of Gods plan.
In Exodus 23:14-16 God reveals to us the proper seasons for the festivals: Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened
Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as
I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the
month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt.
No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Celebrate
the Feast of Harvest [Pentecost] with the firstfruits of
the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of
Ingathering [Tabernacles] at the end of the year, when
you gather in your crops from the field (NIV).
During the three festival seasons of the yearspring,
early summer and fallGod commands that a holy
convocation (Exodus 12:16), a sacred assembly, take
place every annual sabbath or special high day (John
19:31). No one is to perform any regular work or labor
on those days (Numbers 28:18, 25, 26; 29:1, 7, 12, 35 ).
Occurring during the physical harvests of lifesustaining food products, Gods festivals all point to
aspects of His spiritual harvest of humanity to eternal
life. As is so often the case in the Scriptures, God uses
physical things to help us better understand spiritual
truths. Jesus Himself frequently drew physical analogies
to teach spiritual principles.
Lets now begin exploring the spiritual truths God
reveals through His seven annual festivals.
2000 PhotoDisc, Inc.

THE PASSOVER
What annual festivals occur early in the spring?
On the fourteenth day of the first month [of the
Hebrew calendar] at twilight is the LORDs Passover.
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the
Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days
you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you
shall have a holy
convocation; you
shall do no customary work on
it . . . The seventh
day shall be a
holy convocation;
you shall do no
customary work
on it (Leviticus
23:5-8).
The two earlyspring festivals are
the Passover and the Occurring during the physical
Feast of Unleavened harvests of life-sustaining food
Bread. The sacrifi- products, Gods festivals all point
cial lamb was slain
on the Passover (the to aspects of His spiritual harvest
14th of Nisan), and of humanity to eternal life.
the Days of Unleavened Bread were observed for seven days from the beginning of the 15th of Nisan to the end of the 21st day. It was
during these days that ancient Israel marched out of the
land of Egypt toward Mount Sinai.
What did the Passover service mean to the ancient
Israelites?
And when your children ask you, What does this
ceremony mean to you? then tell them, It is the
Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over
the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared
our homes when he struck down the Egyptians
(Exodus 12:26-27, NIV).
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and
said to them, Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the
Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike
the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that
is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the
door of his house until morning. For the LORD will
pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He
sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not
allow the destroyer to come into your houses to
strike you (Exodus 12:21-23).
The ancient Israelites knew that the firstborn in each
family was spared from death only because God could
see the blood of sacrificed lambs at the entrances to their
houses. Throughout Egypt all those living in houses not
having their entrances smeared with the blood of these
Gods Festivals: Keys to Humanitys Future 3

sacrificed lambs lost their firstborn. But the families of

Israel, being obedient to Gods command to sacrifice
a lamb, were delivered from death. Their firstborn did
not perish.
Does God still
expect us to
observe the
Passover?
And you shall
observe this
thing as an ordinance for you
and your sons
forever (Exodus
12:24).

The apostles Paul and Peter

understood that the slain Old
Testament Passover lamb foreshadowed the death of Jesus
Christ as our sacrifice for sin.

God instituted
the Passover,
and all His other
festivals, as continual, enduring
and permanent
observances (compare Leviticus 23:14; 21, 31, 41). The word translated
forever in these verses usually means perpetual rather
than eternal. In other words, these festivals were given
as permanent festivals, observances we should keep
throughout our physical existence. God never intended
them to be mere temporary observances that we would
discard at a later date, as is commonly taught today (be
sure to read What Did Paul Really Say in Colossians
2:16?, page 12).

What meaning does the Passover have for Christians?

For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for
us (1 Corinthians 5:7).
For you know that it was not with perishable things
such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from
the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ,
a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen
before the creation of the world, but was revealed
in these last times for your sake (1 Peter 1:18-20,
NIV; compare Exodus 12:3-6).
The apostles Paul and Peter understood that the slain
Old Testament Passover lamb foreshadowed the death
of Jesus Christ as our sacrifice for sin.
Notice the reaction of John the Baptist to Jesus:
. . . John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,
Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world! (John 1:29). John also understood the symbolic and prophetic relationship of the Old Testament
Passover to the work and mission of Jesus the Messiah.
Gods plan for the redemption of mankind begins with
Christs sacrifice for our sins. Amazing as it may seem,
this first step in Gods master plan of salvation has been
observed since the days of Moses in the Passover festival
(Hebrews 11:24-28). Through the observance of His
sacred festivals, God had ancient Israel act out, every
year, the major steps in His plan of human redemption.
Our redemption begins with our accepting Christs
sacrifice for our sins.
Was Jesus aware of the relationship between His
crucifixion and the Passover?

Humanitys Fruitless Quest for Lifes Purpose

f the more than six billion people on earth, most

spend their livessome woefully shortstruggling
to exist. Such has been the condition of humanity since
the dawn of history. Most people long to know if their
lives have purpose and meaning and whether they have
any reason to have hope in their future.
Opinion surveys reveal the questions that most puzzle
and perplex us: Why was I born? Is there a reason for my
existence? Is this present life, with its hardships and
suffering, all there is?
People have long tried to answer these questions
through their own reasoning, seldom realizing that God
has already revealed the answers though His Word and
through His festivals. Mans attempts to answer these
questions, however, have produced some mystifying
speculations that have added to our confusion about
the future.
In ancient times mans hopeful conjectures about an
afterlife focused on the existence of a peaceful materialistic paradise abounding with pleasures. Ancient man
gave these hopes names such as Elysium, the Elysian
Fields, Valhalla and El Dorado. Today such hopes commonly fall under descriptions such as heaven for those
who anticipate some kind of paradise.

Bible Study Course Lesson 12

Are the traditional views of an afterlife consistent with

Gods purpose? Do they reflect His plan for humanity? Or
does He have designs that are far superior? We must
understand why so many erroneous views of our future,
originally introduced through idolatrous religions thousands of years ago, are still so deeply entrenched and
remain so popular in our culture. Historians are impressed
and amazed by how alike and enduring these traditions
areespecially the similarity in the solutions they propose
to peoples fears and disappointments.
Studies over the years, especially in comparative religion, have identified some remarkably similar themes in
ancient traditions that transcend nearly all eras, regions
and cultures. They show that people have always had
similar concerns, regardless of their physical and social
conditions or the time in which they lived. Through the
centuries most cultures have sought answers to the same
questions. Their common objectives have been to determine why we exist and which is the best and right way to
live. People have pondered these questions since the
beginning of history.
We find records of ancient peoples in areas as diverse
as Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle
East struggling with the same issues. As they watched

Photos: 2000 PhotoDisc, Inc. (left), Shaun Venish

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all

these sayings, that He said to His disciples, You
know that after two days is the Passover, and the
Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified
(Matthew 26:1-2).
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus
knew that His hour had come that He should depart
from this world to the Father, having loved His own
who were in the world, He loved them to the end
(John 13:1).
Did Jesus look forward to participating in the
Passover service with His disciples?
Then came the day . . . on which the Passover lamb
had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make preparations for us to eat the
Passover (Luke 22:7-8, NIV).
When the hour had come, He sat down, and the
twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them,
With fervent desire I have desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer (verses 14-15).
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave
thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying, Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took
the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying,
Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-28, NIV).
On the night before His death Jesus instituted the
New Testament Passover service. Anciently, lambs were
sacrificed as forerunners of Christs sacrificial death on
rivers such as the Nile and the Euphrates rise and fall, and
as they watched the paths of the stars across the night sky,
they attempted to deal with the big questions. They
searched for meaning, but they based their conclusions
on wrong assumptions and traditions.
Societies have long looked to the night skies to find
their place in the cosmos. There they imagined giant
immortals acting out scenes on a celestial stage that
related to their destiny. They invented warrior gods and
terrible beasts that came and went in regular cycles. In this
way they attributed their problems and weaknesses to
the gods they themselves had invented.
Paul Deveraux, author of Secrets of Ancient Places,
comments on the development of common themes:
Belief systems, deities, specific rituals and taboos may be
cultural inventions, varying from society to society, but . . .
it is instructive to note just how many underlying themes
recur in societies which had no contact with one another
or belonged to different chronological periods, even
though they may be overlaid by differences of architectural innovation and other cultural variables. The shared
realities of nature and human consciousness are the great
constants, and it is these which can be glimpsed shining
through (1992, pp. 35-36, emphasis added).
From these shared perceived realities come recurrent
themes about life that are ultimately addressed by the

the Passover. But Jesus instituted new symbols of His

suffering and deathunleavened bread and wine.
Should Christians continue observing the New
Testament Passover service?
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on
to you: The Lord Jesus, on
the night he was betrayed,
took bread, and when he
had given thanks, he broke
it and said, This is my
body, which is for you; do
this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,
This cup is the new
covenant in my blood; do
this, whenever you drink it,
in remembrance of me. For
whenever you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death until
he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks
Jesus instituted new symthe cup of the Lord in an
unworthy [irreverent] man- bols of His suffering and
ner will be guilty of sinning
against the body and blood deathunleavened
of the Lord (1 Corinthians bread and wine.
11:23-27, NIV).
Paul shows that the earliest Christians not only observed
this festival annuallywith its new symbols of bread and
true God through His annual festivals. Themes such as the
need for redemption through sacrifice, the desire for
ones life to be spiritually transformed through contact
with deity, hope for universal peace and belief that a
deity (or deities) will pass judgment on the world are
found in most of these cultures.
Tragically, man has long sought to explain his place in
the world by devising mythical answers to questions relating to these persistent themes. As a result most people of
ancient cultures looked upwardto physical objects in
the skyfor their answers. They worshiped the sun,
moon, planets and stars.
In stark contrast the Holy Scriptures are refreshingly
different in describing humanitys future. God tells
His people not to follow superstitious practices like
looking to created objects in the sky as sources of revelation, but to look directly to Him for answers that are
true and real: . . . Take heed, lest you lift your eyes to
heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the
stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship
them and serve them . . . (Deuteronomy 4:19).
True knowledge and divine revelation come only
from worshiping our Creator, not His creation. Such worship is organized around His commanded assemblies on
His holy Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11) and His annual feast
days (Exodus 23:14-16).

Gods Festivals: Keys to Humanitys Future 5

wine that Christ instituted to represent His suffering and

deathbut also that all Christians should continue observing it until Christ returns. Even then Jesus indicates it will
continue in His Kingdom (Matthew 26:29).
Since it is a memorial, this God-given event should be
observed only once every year as God has commanded
(Numbers 9:2-3)not at our discretion nor on some
weekly or monthly schedule. This festival should be
observed on the exact annual date that is the anniversary
of Christs death for our sinsthe annual Passover festival in the spring of each yearand in the proper manner
as described above. (For the correct dates for all of Gods
festivals see The Annual Festivals of God, page 7.)
Christs supreme sacrifice by means of His crucifixion
which occurred precisely on the biblically commanded
Passover dateis the foundation of the Christian faith.
It reflects the all-encompassing love God has for His
creation and His concern for the ultimate well-being
of every human being (John 3:16).

THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

Why did ancient Israel observe the Feast of
Unleavened Bread?
. . . For seven days eat unleavened bread, the
bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in
hasteso that all the days of your life you may
remember the time of your departure from Egypt
(Deuteronomy 16:3, NIV).
Eat unleavened bread during those seven days;
nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor
shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.
On that day tell your son, I do this because of what
the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt
(Exodus 13:7-8, NIV).
What instruction did Paul give Christians in regard
to this festival?
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven,
nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth
(1 Corinthians 5:8).
Paul did not treat these festivals as outdated Jewish
traditions. He considered them essential observances for
Gods called and chosen people in all ages and cultures.
He understood their relationship to Christs role in Gods
master plan.
Paul commanded the Corinthian Christiansmostly
gentiles (non-Israelites)to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. His instructions show that Christians from
non-Jewish communities and cultures kept the Days of
Unleavened Bread. Setting an example for all Christians
today, these Jews and non-Jews observed these days in
accordance with Gods laws.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the second of Gods
annual festivals, represents the second step in Gods plan
for our redemption. Its main focus is on Christ as our
Deliverer, our Savior. Therefore it is a thoroughly
Christian festival.
That is why Paul compares a Christians deliverance
6

Bible Study Course Lesson 12

from sin through the sacrifice and assistance of Christ to

Israels deliverance from the Egyptian army at the Red
Sea (which probably occurred on the final day of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread). He writes: Moreover,
brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our
fathers [ancient Israel] were under the cloud, all passed
through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the
cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and
all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was
Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4).
After we are justified by Christs sacrifice at the time
of baptism, we must be led out of sin and into a righteous
pattern of life just as Israel was led out of its bondage
during the same Days of Unleavened Bread. This festival
represents the work of the living, resurrected Christ
directly leading and assisting us in overcoming sin.
Paul explained: Much more then, having now been
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. For if when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much
more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life (Romans 5:9-10).
Paul later expressed the same basic thought in different words: I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). He also explained:
. . . God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles
the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing
and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may
present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor,
struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works
in me (Colossians 1:27-29, NIV).
Did Paul explain the spiritual lesson behind our
observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread?
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the
whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven,
that you may be a new lump, since you truly are
unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was
sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
One purpose for the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to
remind us that, after we accept Christs sacrifice at the
time of baptism, we must allow Gods Spirit to help us
grow up into Christ spiritually (Ephesians 4:15; compare
Galatians 2:20). Leavened bread represents the wrong
motives (malice) and sin (wickedness) that may still
reside in our thinking. Unleavened bread represents having our hearts filled with sincere motivesan eagerness
to apply the pure truth revealed in Gods Word.
Jesus earlier made the same point to His disciples. He
told them, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which
is hypocrisy (Luke 12:1). He also compared leaven to
the false doctrines taught by many of the religious leaders of the day (Matthew 16:6-12). They, like many false
teachers today, substituted their own ideas and traditions
for Gods commandments (Matthew 15:3-9).
Those who accept Christ as their Passoveras the New
Covenant Lamb of God-have their sins covered by His

sacrifice, providing they sincerely repent of their wickedness and malicious motives so they can begin conforming
their lives to the truth as it is revealed in Gods Word.
Therefore, just as God delivered ancient Israel from
literal slavery, Gods second step in His plan of salvation
is freeing repentant Christians from spiritual slavery
to wickedness (Romans 6:17-19).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrates Christians
being miraculously delivered from this spiritual bondage
of sin just as surely as God delivered the ancient Israelites from their Egyptian bondage. It reminds us that
our deliverance from sin and our salvation are available
only through a personal relationship with Christ, the
Lamb of God who took on Himself the penalty for our
sins (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; John 1:36). As our High
Priest, He actively helps us, if we really are His servants,
to put the leaven of sin out of our lives so we may
become spiritually unleavened (Hebrews 3:1; 10:19-23;
1 Corinthians 5:7).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrates Jesus role
in helping us remove spiritual leaven including malice,
wickedness and hypocrisy from our character and in
replacing those evil qualities with godly obedience,
love and truth.
Therefore, seeing then that we have a great High
Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do
not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). He leads and assists
us in resisting even the temptations of sin.
Christ is actively perfecting Gods own nature in His
servants (Matthew 5:48; 2 Peter 1:4). That is why Paul
told
Christians, Therefore let us keep the feast [of
Unleavened Bread] . . . (1 Corinthians 5:8).

PENTECOST
Was observing Pentecost important to the apostle
Paul?
For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that
he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was
hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day
of Pentecost (Acts 20:16).
But I [Paul] will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost
(1 Corinthians 16:8).
The Scriptures record that, on at least these two occasions, Paul carefully arranged his schedule according to
where he wanted to be on the Festival of Pentecost. The
only logical reason for Paul to tarry in Ephesus until
Pentecost would be to observe this feast day with the
gentile Christians there. As with Pauls instruction to
gentile Christians in Corinth to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, here we again find an obvious indication that
early Christians, Jew and gentile alike, observed Gods
annual festivals.
What biblical events are associated with the Feast
of Pentecost?
The LORD our God made a covenant with us
[ancient Israel] in Horeb . . . The LORD talked with
you [ancient Israel] face to face on the mountain
from the midst of the fire (Deuteronomy 5:2, 4).
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the
blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and
filled the whole house where they were sitting. They
saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated
and came to rest on each of them. All of them were
filled with the Holy Spirit . . . (Acts 2:1-4, NIV).
On Pentecost, according to a respected Jewish tradition, God established Israel as His holy peoplethrough

The Annual Festivals of God

Roman
Year
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

Feast of
Unleavened
Passover
Bread
Pentecost
April 7
April 8-14
May 27
March 27March 28-April 3 May 19
April 16
April 17-23
June 8
April 5
April 6-12
May 30
April 23
April 24-30
June 12
April 12
April 13-19
June 4
April 2
April 3-9
May 26
April 19
April 20-26
June 8
April 8
April 9-15
May 30
March 29March 30-April 5 May 22

In biblical reckoning, days begin in the evening

(Genesis 1:5), when the sun goes down (Joshua
8:29; 2 Chronicles 18:34; Mark 1:32), and are
counted from evening to evening (Leviticus
23:32). Thus, all Gods festivals begin the evening

Feast of
Trumpets
Sept. 18
Sept. 7
Sept. 27
Sept. 16
Oct. 4
Sept. 23
Sept. 13
Sept. 30
Sept. 19
Sept. 9

Day of
Feast of
Last
Atonement Tabernacles Great Day
Sept. 27
Oct. 2-8
Oct. 9
Sept. 16
Sept. 21-27
Sept. 28
Oct. 6
Oct. 11-17
Oct. 18
Sept. 25 Sept. 30-Oct. 6
Oct. 7
Oct. 13
Oct. 18-24
Oct. 25
Oct. 2
Oct. 7-13
Oct. 14
Sept. 22 Sept. 27-Oct. 3 Oct. 4
Oct. 9
Oct. 14-20
Oct. 21
Sept. 28
Oct. 3-9
Oct. 10
Sept. 18
Sept. 23-29
Sept. 30

just before the dates listed in this table. For example, in 2004 Passover is observed Sunday evening,
April 4, after sundown, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins Monday evening, April 5. The
festivals end in the evening on the dates given.

Gods Festivals: Keys to Humanitys Future 7

His covenant with themafter He spoke the Ten Commandments from the top of Mount Sinai. A special relationship between Him and the Israelites was sealed at
that time. They then became known as the congregation
of the LORD (Numbers 27:17).
Equally important, Pentecost is also the anniversary of
the beginning of Christianity under the New Covenant. It
was on Pentecost that God first made His Spirit available
to all who would repentthus beginning the Church,
which He commissioned Christ to build (Matthew 16:18).
Pentecost is especially significant to Christians because
on that day God established the New Testament Church.
Pentecost represents God using His Churchthose
who are converted, revitalized and transformed by His
Spiritto do His work in this current age of Satans
spiritual dominance over humankind.
After Jesus resurrection, what did He tell His disciples?
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to
Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
The first part of this prophecy was fulfilled when,
on the Feast of Pentecost, Christs disciples received
the Holy Spirit and began their work of proclaiming His
gospel to the world (Acts 2:1, 4-18). Their lives began
to miraculously change. This spiritual transformation,
made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the
third major step in Gods master plan of salvation.
Gods gift of His Spirit began the fulfillment of the
prophecies in Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27.
He promised to make a new covenant with the community of faithful believers. Through the Holy Spirit He
promised to write His laws on their hearts and minds
and no longer only on tablets of stone, as in the time of
Moses. It was on the Feast of Pentecost of Acts 2 that the

Church of Godthe faithful believers in Christ imbued

with Gods Spiritwas founded and began preaching
Christs gospel to the world.
Anciently the Festival of Pentecost only anticipated
a converted body of believers, but now it annually
acknowledges and celebrates the importance of the
Church and its work in Gods plan.
Does the Bible refer to the Feast of Pentecost
by other names?
And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the
firstfruits of wheat harvest . . . (Exodus 34:22).
On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the
LORD an offering of new grain during the Feast of
Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular
work (Numbers 28:26, NIV).
The Greek word pentekoste, which means 50th,
became the New Testament name for the Old Testament
Feast of Weeks because it occurs 50 days (seven
weeks plus one day) after the first weekly Sabbath that
falls during the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread
(Leviticus 23:10-16).
Pentecost was also known as the Feast of Harvest,
the firstfruits of your labors (Exodus 23:16). This name
foreshadowed the establishment of the New Testament
Church. Christians are those who have the firstfruits of
the Spirit and those who are redeemed from among
men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb (Romans
8:23; Revelation 14:4). James writes, Of His own will
He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might
be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures (James 1:18).
The festivals that follow Pentecost point to Gods
plan for bringing the rest of humanity to repentance. The
aspects of Gods plan represented by the three spring
festivalsPassover, Unleavened Bread and Pentecost
have already occurred. But the prophetic implications of

Are the Biblical Holy Days Christian Festivals?

hy do most people keep holidays that are different

from the festivals listed and described in the pages of
the Bible? When were the biblical feasts abandoned, and
why? How can we be sure which sacred days Christians
should observe?
Here are the answers!
Jesus Himself set an example for us (1 John 2:6) in
observing the sacred festivals commanded in the Holy
Scriptures (Matthew 26:17; Mark 1:21; Luke 4:16, 31; John
7:8-10, 14, 37). His apostles and their converts, walking in
His footsteps and following His example, continued
observing the same festivals (Acts 2:1; 12:2-4; 16:13; 18:4,
19, 21; 20:6; 27:9; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). The Encyclopaedia
Britannica (13th edition), under Festivals, states that it is
abundantly clear that Christ and His disciples observed
the appointed Jewish feasts.
Faithful Christians continued, for several centuries after
Christs death, to follow His and the apostles examples
in keeping the festivals. But this all changed when a

Bible Study Course Lesson 12

politicized and paganized form of Christianity developed

within the Roman Empire.
Historian Stewart Easton explains how and when the
change occurredwith the help of the Roman emperors.
Constantine [A.D. 306-337], though not baptized a Christian until he was on his deathbed, took an active interest
in the [Christian] religion, presiding over the important
Council of Nicea . . . During the fourth century, under
imperial protection . . . , the Christian religion . . . made
rapid progress, even in the rural areas where the old gods
had never altogether lost their appeal. When at the end of
the century (A.D. 392) [Emperor] Theodosius I decreed that
henceforth Christianity was to be the only religion in the
[Roman] empire, the countryside perforce had to submit
and adopt at least the forms of Christianity. But it would
probably have been difficult for any observer to detect
much difference . . . It is clear that these folk knew little
enough of the teachings or theology of Christianity, and
the festivals and ceremonies of paganism for the most part

the last four festivals, observed in the autumn of each

year, are yet to be fulfilled. Those look forward to
prophetic events yet to occur.
Lets see how the later festivals represent aspects of
Gods great plan to offer salvation to many more people.

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS

What distinguishes Gods fourth festival, the Feast
of Trumpets?
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 (Leviticus 23:24).
The Feast of Trumpets is observed on the first day
of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendarfalling in
the autumn in the northern hemisphere, in September or
October. This festival, today known as Rosh Hashanah
by Jews, also begins the Jewish civil year. In ancient
times Israel celebrated it with an emphasis on the blowing of trumpets, the primary method of announcing a
gathering of the people or warning them of impending
danger or war.
Significantly, the bulk of the prophecies of the book of
Revelation are represented by the blowing of seven trumpets that symbolize the main progression of events in the
catastrophic time known as the Day of the Lord in many
prophecies relating to the last days. The sounding of
trumpets in Revelation warns of impending disasters
just as did the blowing of trumpets in ancient Israel.
Which events in Gods plan are directly connected
to the sounding of a trumpet?
Then the seventh angel sounded [the last prophetic
trumpet]: and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He

were incorporated directly into the new official religion

(The Heritage of the Past: From the Earliest Times to 1500,
1964, p. 402, emphasis added).
Charles Guignebert, who was a professor of the history
of Christianity at the University of Paris, describes the continuation of the process: Now at the beginning of the fifth
century, the ignorant and the semi-Christians thronged into
the Church in numbers . . . They had forgotten none of their
pagan customs . . . The bishops of that period had to content themselves with redressing, as best they could, and in
experimental fashion, the shocking malformations of the
Christian faith which they perceived around them . . . They
had to be content with . . . postponing until a later date the
task of eradicating their superstitions, which they preserved
intact . . . This later date never arrived, and the Church
adapted to herself, as well as she could, them and their customs and beliefs. On their side, they were content to dress
up their paganism in a Christian cloak (The Early History of
Christianity, 1927, pp. 208-210, emphasis added).
During this timein the early centuries after the passing of the original apostlesobservance of biblical
practices, including the seventh-day Sabbath and Gods

shall reign forever and ever! (Revelation 11:15).

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and
with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will
rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with
the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
And He will send His angels with a great sound
of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other (Matthew 24:31).
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changedin a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put
on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written: Death is swallowed up in victory
(1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
This pivotal event in prophecy, the triumphant return
of Jesus Christ to rule the earth with the help of His
resurrected saints, is specifically associated with the
blowing of trumpets. The thunderous blast of the last
trumpet will announce His second coming to establish
the Kingdom of God on earth.
The return of Christ is the next aspect of Gods
plan prophesied in the Scriptures. It is the fourth
stepthe midway eventin Gods seven-step master
plan of salvation. (For a more thorough explanation of
the prophetic events represented by the seven trumpets
in Revelation, be sure to request your free copy of

festivals, practically disappeared from the new and growing religion. They were replaced with other practices and
a new set of religious holidays.
Prophecy, however, reveals that God will require the
whole world to observe these same biblical festivals in the
future. For example, Zechariah prophesies that God will
require people to attend the Feast of Tabernacles after
Christ returns (Zechariah 14:16). Isaiah prophesies that people of all lands will regularly keep the weekly Sabbath during Christs millennial reign (Isaiah 66:23). Isaiah and Micah
prophesy of that time: Many nations shall come and say,
Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the
house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and
we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion the law shall go
forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (Micah
4:2; compare Isaiah 2:3).
Some faithful Christians to this day observe the sacred festivals, the same festivals of God that Christ kept. God instituted these annual occasions to keep His people aware of
Christs mission as the Messiah. These sacred days really are
Christian festivals in every respect, and Christians everywhere
should observe them.

Gods Festivals: Keys to Humanitys Future 9

The Book of Revelation Unveiled.)

What must happen before these end-time events
begin?
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached
in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and
then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).
Christ promised to return when the true gospel of
the coming Kingdom had been preached to the whole
world. We are in that prophesied time when the Church
continues its commission of proclaiming the gospel and
making and teaching disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), as
pictured by the Feast of Pentecost.
The Feast of Trumpets points us to the Day of the
Lord, to the terrifying events that will occur just before
and at the return of Jesus as King of Kings and Lord
of Lords (Revelation 19:11-16). But it also points us
to the joyous time when Christians, living or dead, will
receive Gods gift of eternal life in the first resurrection.
The Feast of Trumpets represents that pivotal time in
Gods plan when He will bring this present evil age to an
end and establish His rule and government over humanity.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

What was the significance of the Day of Atonement
in ancient Israel?
This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall

afflict your souls [by fasting], and do no work at all,

whether a native of your own country or a stranger
who dwells among you. For on that day the priest
shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that
you may be clean from all your sins before the
LORD (Leviticus 16:29-30).
On the Day of Atonement each year the nation of
ancient Israel was figuratively cleansed from its sins.
This figurative cleansing was only a type of a spiritual
cleansing that will occur first for the people of Israel,
and then for the rest of the world, after Christ returns.
How will this universal reconciliation with God be
brought about?
Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek
the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the
favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In
those days ten men from nations of every language
shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and
saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that
God is with you (Zechariah 8:22-23, NRSV).
Starting from Jerusalem, in a restored and spiritually
cleansed nation of Israel (Ezekiel 37:21-28), Christ
will begin the process of extending this reconciliation
to all peoples until the whole world repents and is at
one with God.
What is the real and permanent atonement for
a persons sins?

How Sacrifices and Festivals Are Related

nyone who reads about Gods festivals in the Old Testament will notice that ritual sacrifices were intimately associated with sacred occasions. Why? What is
the connection between sacrifices and Gods festivals?
First we need to understand that the sacrifices represented Jesus Christ. Notice this explanation in the book of
Hebrews, written to Jewish Christians:
. . . According to the law almost all things are purified
with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no
remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies [that
is, the earthly tabernacle and its sacrificial system] of the
things in the heavens should be purified with these [animal sacrifices], but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the
holy places made with hands, which are copies of the
true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:22-24).
In ancient Israel a physical tabernacle represented
Gods presence among His people. But today, through
His Spirit, God lives inHe dwells inHis people. Christians, therefore, as individuals (1 Corinthians 6:19) and as
the Church, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13),
are to be regarded as the temple of the Holy Spirit
(Ephesians 2:19-22).
As the Scriptures explain, Christ came as High Priest of
the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this

10

Bible Study Course Lesson 12

creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with
His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once
for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the
blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,
cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? (Hebrews 9:11-14).
The lesson here is that the blessings of Gods plan of
salvation, as pictured by His festivals, are available only
to those whom He redeems through Jesus sacrifice. The
necessity for us to have our sins covered by Christs sacrifice was symbolically represented to ancient Israel
though the Israelites lacked a full understanding of
what they were doingthrough the ritual sacrifices
God required them to make, especially during the
sacred festivals.
In an even greater way we should be aware that
Christs sacrifice is the key to our participation in Gods
great plan. His sacrifice will always be the key to our
salvationand the key to our being able to understand
Gods plan for our salvation as revealed in His holy festivals. Therefore there remains a vital, though infinitely
better, relationship between His eternal sacrifice and
Gods sacred festivals. This link between sacrifice and
festival has never been broken.

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he

loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10, New Revised
Standard Version).
This righteousness [justification] from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, and are justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that came by
Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood (Romans
3:22-25, NIV).
Jesus died as the reconciling sacrifice for the sins of
every human being so that humanitythe entire world
can at last be reconciled to God. For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
(John 3:16). The Day of Atonement represents the fifth step
in Gods master plan for the salvation of mankind.
This part of Gods plan was depicted on the Day of
Atonement in ancient Israel by two special sacrificial animals that were ceremonially set apart to represent reconciling the people to God, for figuratively cleansing them of
their sins. But no animal sacrifice is adequate to cleanse us
from our sins. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and goats could take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).
Two goats were figurative bearers of guilt. Both had
all the sins of the people symbolically placed on them.
One goat was left alive but banished to a wilderness. The
other, representing Jesus, was killed as a sacrifice for sins
(Leviticus 16:6-10, 15-16). In this drama the banished
live goat represented Satans part in the peoples sins.
The slain goat, picturing Christ, represented Him taking
on Himself the penalty for the peoples sins.
Ceremonies on this day even pointed to the cleansing,
or forgiving, through an atoning sacrifice, of sins committed
in ignorance.
But into the second part [of the tabernacle] the high
priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which
he offered for himself and for the peoples sins committed
in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way
into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while
the first tabernacle was still standing (Hebrews 9:7-8).
Why was the Holiest of All, the inner room of the
tabernacle that symbolized direct access to God, not
opened to the entire congregation while the first tabernacle was still standing? Because the atoning sacrifice
of Christ had not yet been made. Only His sacrifice,
not the sacrifice of animals, can truly atone for our sins.
Anciently the Day of Atonement signified that Jesus
would become the atoning sacrifice for humanity.
How do we know Christs death is the atoning sacrifice
for mankind?
. . . We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice
for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the
sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2, New
Revised Standard Version).

Paul confirms that in Christ God was reconciling the

world to himself, not counting their trespasses against
them . . . (2 Corinthians 5:19, NRSV). The American
Heritage Dictionary, electronic edition, defines the theological meaning of the word atonement as reconciliation
or an instance of reconciliation between God and human
beings. The Day of Atonement points to the time in the
future when God will reconcile humanity to Himself
through Christ. Atone, in English, means literally at
one. The Day of Atonement represents the time when
humanity will at last be at one with God, no longer
separated from Him.
Why is atonement for mankind necessary? It is
required for two reasons. First, the god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot
see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ . . .
(2 Corinthians 4:4, NIV). Second, humans are darkened
in their understanding, alienated from the life of God
because of their ignorance and hardness of heart
(Ephesians 4:18, NRSV). Peoples hardness of heart,
caused by a combination of ignorance and human nature
together with Satans influence, has led them to sin and
fall short of Gods glory (Romans 3:23).
When will God remove Satans influence?
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven,
having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a
great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent,
who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked
and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the
nations any more until the thousand years were ended
(Revelation 20:1-3, NIV).
Immediately after Christ returns, God will banish
Satan for 1,000 years. This will fulfill Gods earlier
pledge, in the presence of Adam and Eve, that the coming Seed (the Messiah) would bruise (impair and disable) Satans headhis leadership and influence over
mankind (Genesis 3:15).
How will God begin to remove mankinds hardness
of heart?
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness. He is patient with
you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).
With Satan banished and his deceptive and destructive
influence removed, Christ will begin dispelling the hardness of heart caused by ignorance and human nature by
teaching everyone how to repent. The Day of Atonement,
as a Christian festival, reminds us that the atoning sacrifice of Christ is not only for individual Christians in this
age but for the forgiveness and reconciliation of all people. This atonement paves the way for Christ to gather all
peopleas many as are willinginto Gods Kingdom
during Jesus 1,000-year reign after Satans banishment.

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

How is the festival that represents the sixth step
Gods Festivals: Keys to Humanitys Future 11

in Gods plan to be observed?

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the
LORDs Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for
seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do
no regular work . . . (Leviticus 23:34-35, NIV).
Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the
LORD your God in the place [or places; Exodus
20:24; John 4:21] which the LORD chooses, because
the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you
surely rejoice (Deuteronomy 16:15).
The first time the Bible mentions the Feast of
Tabernacles it is called the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus
23:16). It was the great autumn harvest festival that people from every corner of Israel came together to observe.
All during the harvest season they set aside animals and
produce for this special week of rejoicing. Everyone
enjoyed an abundance of food, drink and fellowship.
It was also a commemoration of the peace and safety
God had promised if they would diligently obey Him.
Notice the instructions He gave them: But when you
cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the
LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives
you rest [peace] from all your enemies round about,
so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place
where the LORD your God chooses to make His name
abide. There you shall bring all that I command you . . .

And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God . . .

(Deuteronomy 12:10-12). This festival is a celebration of
Gods guidance, protection and blessings for His people.
Jesus Christ will give those same blessings even more
abundantly to the whole world when He returns and
establishes His reign on earth. What ancient Israel could
enjoy for one week at the end of the fall harvest merely
represented what He will bring to all mankind when He
assumes the role of King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Will Christ insist that everyone observe the Feast of
Tabernacles after He returns?
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of
all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall
go up from year to year to worship the King, the
LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
And it shall be that whichever of the families of the
earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the
King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in,
they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague
with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not
come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall
be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all
the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of
Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-19).
The joyful Feast of Ingathering represents the time

What Did Paul Really Say in Colossians 2:16?

he apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians, a gentile congregation: Let no man therefore judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new
moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things
to come . . . (Colossians 2:16-17, King James Version).
This passage, probably more than any other in the Bible,
is interpreted by those who reject Gods festivals as confirmation that the biblical feast days are unnecessary
observances. Regrettably, such reasoning is based on poor
scholarship and misleading translations from the original
wording of Pauls instructions.
From the context we see that Paul, in this passage, is
countering a local heresy. In doing so he actually confirms
and explains the value of Gods days to Christians. He
explains that they foreshadow things to come.
In other words, the focus of Gods festivals is on the
future, relating Gods plan directly to the commission Christ
gave His Church. So lets examine what Paul actually says
about Sabbaths, new moons and holydays in this verse.
First we need to understand that Paul was confronting a
heresy. False teachers had infiltrated the congregation in
Colosse. These deceivers had influenced the Colossian Christians by introducing their own religious philosophy. This
prompted Paul to warn the Colossians, Beware lest anyone
cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according
to the tradition of men (Colossians 2:8). Humanly devised
traditionnot the revealed instructions of Gods Word in
the Biblewas the problem Paul was countering. Earlier
Jesus had taken the Pharisees to task over the same kind of

12

Bible Study Course Lesson 12

problem. They also had elevated their traditions to greater

importance than Gods commandments (Mark 7:8-9, 13).
Paul tried to keep the Colossians focused on Christ as the
head of the Church (Colossians 1:18; 2:10, 19). But these
false teachers were trying to persuade them to direct their
worship toward angels (Colossians 2:18) and neglect their
own bodies (verse 23). No such distorted ideas are taught
anywhere in the Scriptures.
Paul characterized the Colossian heresy as empty deceit
and the basic principles of the world (verse 8). The
deceivers were persuading the Colossians to ignore plain
biblical instruction in favor of traditions of men.
What type of deceitful regulations did Paul combat?
Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle . . . according to
the commandments and doctrines of men (verses 21-22).
The heretics advocated man-made regulations concerning
physical things that perish with the using (verse 22).
Why is this important? The deceivers were probably
forerunners of a major religious movement, gnosticism,
that flourished in the second century. They did not represent the mainstream Jewish thinking of that day, nor were
they faithful to the Scriptures.
They believed salvation could be obtained through constant contemplation of what is spiritualto, as Paul
explained, the neglect of the physical body (verse 23). It
appears they believed in various orders of angels and in direct
human interaction with angels.
Paul indicates they regarded all physical things, including
the human body, as decadent. He explicitly states that the

during which God will gather the great harvest of humanity into His family. First all Israel will be saved, as it is
written: The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn
godlessness away from Jacob (Romans 11:26, NIV).
Then God will offer salvation to everyone. The
prophet Daniel makes this clear: I was watching in the
night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient
of Days . . . Then to Him was given dominion and glory
and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one
which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).
How will knowledge of Gods ways go to all nations?
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first
resurrection. Over 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
(Revelation 20:6).
In the last days the mountain of the LORDs temple
will be established as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will
stream to it. Many nations will come and say,
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to
the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his
ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will
heresies he was countering concern things which perish
with the using [physical things] according to the commandments and doctrines of men (verse 22). Paul tells us he was
countering human commandments and doctrinesnot the
commandments of God.
The Colossian heretics had introduced various man-made
prohibitionssuch as Do not touch, do not taste, do not
handle (verse 21)against the enjoyment of physical
things. They especially objected to the pleasurable aspects of
Gods festivalsthe eating and drinking aspectsthat are
commanded in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 12:17-18).
When Paul wrote, . . . Let no one judge you in food . . .
(verse 16), he wasnt discussing what types of foods they
should or should not eat. The Greek word brosis, translated
food, refers not to the kinds of foods one should
or should not eat, but to the act of eating (Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words,
1985, Food). The point is that the deceivers disdained
feastingany type of eating and drinking for enjoyment.
Paul instructed the Colossian Christians not to be influenced by these false teachers objections to eating, drinking
and rejoicing on Sabbaths, feast days and new moons.
Perhaps we should, at this point, mention the relationship
between new moons and Gods festivals. The dates for
observing Gods festivals are determined by a lunar calendar.
Therefore new moonswhich mark the beginning of the
monthsare important for establishing correct festival dates.
Unlike Gods Holy Days, however, new moons are not commanded observances in the Scriptures. In the Millennium the
custom of making the arrival of each new moon a special
occasion will again be restored (Isaiah 66:23), but no biblical

go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will
settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They
will beat their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up
sword against nation, nor will they train for war
anymore (Micah 4:1-3, NIV).
What other blessings will abound during Jesus
1,000-year reign on earth?
Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and
faithfulness the belt of His waist. The wolf also shall
dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with
the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones
shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw
like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the
cobras hole, and the weaned child shall put his
hand in the vipers den. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall
be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters
cover the sea (Isaiah 11:5-9).

THE LAST GREAT DAY

What is Gods seventh and last annual festival?
Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,
command exists now that requires their observance.
Now back to Pauls main point: The Colossian deceivers
had no authority to judge or determine how the Colossians
were to observe Gods festivals. That is why Paul said, Let no
man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of
an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days . . .
(verses 16-17, King James Version).
Notice that Paul tells them to reject false human judgment, not the judgment of God found in the Scriptures.
At this point we should note another grammatical matter.
The words respect of are translated from the Greek noun
meros, which denotes a part of something. Therefore a more
accurate rendering of what Paul wrote would be Let no
man therefore judge you . . . in any part of a holyday, or of
the new moon, or of the sabbath days . . .
Paul is simply being consistent. Eating or drinking is an
appropriate part of Sabbath and feast-day observance
according to the Scriptures. Therefore Paul uses meros
(part) to cover all parts or aspects of Gods Holy Days that
these heretics might condemn or criticize. Nothing in this passage even suggests that God abolished His Sabbaths or Holy
Days, nor authorized Paul to do so. Succumbing to the judgmental influence of those early gnostic heretics is what Paul
condemns, not the observance of Sabbaths and feast days.
Gods festivals are times for joy and celebration. He commands us to attend them and rejoice with our childrenour
entire family (Deuteronomy 12:5, 7; 14:26). He wants us to
delight in them. No wonder Paul condemns the misguided
ascetic philosophy of the Colossian heretics with such vigor.
Paul was defending the Christians right to enjoy feasting at
Gods holy festivals.

Gods Festivals: Keys to Humanitys Future 13

when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you

shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on
the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the
eighth day a sabbath-rest (Leviticus 23:39).
Also day by day, from the first day until the last
day, [Ezra] read from the Book of the Law of God.
And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth
day there was a sacred assembly, according to the
prescribed manner (Nehemiah 8:18).
The seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles are followed by another high day, on which God commands an
assembly. This eighth day is the Last Great Day of the
fall festival season, and it represents the final, or seventh,
step in Gods plan of salvation.
As Christs 1,000-year reign on earth (Revelation
20:4) is followed by other prophesied events, the Feast of
Tabernacles is also followed by a concluding festival that
represents the conclusion of those final eventsthe final
aspects of Gods purpose and plan for humanity on our
physical earth. The book of Revelation reveals that all
people who have ever died without hearing of Christ or
learning Gods way of life are to be resurrected and given
their opportunity to receive eternal life. This brings us to
the concluding aspects of Gods plan.
John writes: And I saw the dead, small and great,
standing before God, and books were opened. And
another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.
And the dead were judged according to their works, by
the things which were written in the books. The sea gave
up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were
judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and
Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life

was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12-15).

This is the resurrection of the rest of the dead
[who] did not live again until the thousand years were
finished mentioned in Revelation 20:5. This resurrection of many millions of people back to physical, perishable life is graphically depicted in Ezekiel 37:1-12.
In this resurrection, according to Jesus, the dead of all
past agespeople such as the queen of the South (or
Sheba) from Solomons time, the inhabitants of the
ancient Assyrian stronghold of Nineveh from Jonahs
time and the people of Christs timewill all be
resurrected together (Matthew 12:41-42).
This judgment will take place over time as these people
hear and learn Gods truth for the first time. Those who
rise in this resurrection and repentand the Scriptures
indicate that most of them will repentwill receive Gods
Spirit. Then you . . . will know that I am the LORD, when
I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put
my Spirit in you and you will live . . . Then you will know
that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares
the LORD (Ezekiel 37:13-14, NIV). In this resurrection
God will give them their opportunity for salvationan
opportunity they never had before.
Did Jesus speak of a connection between the Last
Great Day and the receiving of Gods Spirit?
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let
him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me,
as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning
the Spirit, [which] those believing in Him would
receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given,
because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).
Most people cling to the notion that God sends those

Obedient Followers of God

embers of the United Church of God, an International Association, the publisher of this Bible Study
Course, are committed to living by every word of God
(Matthew 4:4), including His instructions to assemble on
His annual festivals. Through these festivals God, through
His written Word, regularly reminds us of His awesome
and loving plan for humanity.
Members of the United Church of God are committed
to proclaiming the truth about Gods plan and His coming
Kingdom to the world (Matthew 24:14). They are part
of the family God is buildingHis own childrenwho
will receive eternal life at Christs return (1 John 3:1-2;
1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
As children of God, members of the Church anticipate
a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells (2 Peter 3:13). They eagerly await Jesus return
so they can assist Him in bringing true repentance and
salvation to the world (Luke 11:2; Revelation 3:21).
To fulfill their mission and maintain the closeness and
unity Christ expects of them, members of His Church regularly assemble together as commanded in the Scriptures

14

Bible Study Course Lesson 12

(Exodus 20:8-11). They take seriously the admonition:

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love
and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting
one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25).
The Church assembles together on the seventh-day
Sabbath, as was the custom of Jesus and the apostles
(Luke 4:16, 31-32; Acts 13:14, 42, 44). Its members strive to
follow the example of Jesus and the apostles in all things
(1 John 2:6; 1 Corinthians 11:1).
Members of the United Church of God are dedicated
to preserving and proclaiming the faith that was once
for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3, NRSV). They meet
in many cities around the world. They are zealously committed to obeying God, loving one another and completing the Churchs mission of spreading the true gospel of
the Kingdom of God.
All who desire to learn the truth, obey God and fellowship with others of like mind and spirit are always
welcome at services.

who die unsaved to an ever-burning hell to be tormented

forever. This is one of the great deceptions Satan has
foisted off on mankind. It is simply not true. Instead, the
Scriptures consistently teach that each person who dies
remains in his grave, having no consciousness or pain
(Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 6:5) until God resurrects him.
(For detailed proof be sure to request the booklets
Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?
and What Happens After Death?)
Jesus explained that everyone who dies will be resurrected from his grave, not from an ever-burning hell: Do
not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all
who are in the tombs [graves in most translations] shall
hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the
good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (John
5:28-29, New American Standard Bible). Some translators incorrectly render this event as a resurrection of
condemnation. Such translation does not accurately
reflect what the Scriptures teach.
Humanitys final judgment, according to the Scriptures, will not be in the form of a resurrection to automatic condemnation. Rather it will be the time when
those who have never heard Gods truth explained will
finally receive an opportunity to hear and repentby
being resurrected and taught Gods truth over a generously sufficient length of time to come to repentance and
prove to God they really want eternal life and are willing
to submit to Him.
Through Gods wondrous foresight, all people will
enjoy the opportunity to learn His truth and come to
repentance, because God desires all men to be saved
(1 Timothy 2:4). God will forgive those who repent (the
biblical indications are that most will repent) and give
them His Spirit and ultimately salvation in His Kingdom.
Remember, the Lord is . . . not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter
3:9). He provides for everyone to have a genuine personal
opportunity to have his name written in the book of life.
Finally, this time of judgment will conclude when
the incorrigibly wickedthose who, after receiving their
opportunity to repent, still refuse to accept Gods ways
are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).
What do the Scriptures describe as the conclusion
of this final judgment period?
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw
the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His
people. God Himself will be with them and be their
God. And God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former
things have passed away (Revelation 21:1-4).
Scott Ashley

What follows in Revelation 21-22 briefly describes the

community of those who have received salvation living
peacefully and harmoniously with each other in the presence of God for eternity. In His wonderful Kingdom God
will reveal the meaning of His promise, Behold, I make
all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Gods festivals celebrate the seven stages of His
wonderful, all-encompassing plan so we can have faith
in Him and rest
assured that He
knows what He
is doing. He has
thought out
every detail to
bring usall
who are willing
to repentance
and give us
eternal life.
By keeping
His festivals we
remain focused
on what is impor- Members of the United Church of
tant in our view
God gather every year in obedience
of the future and
to Gods command to observe the
our role in it.
Each time we
Feast of Tabernacles.
keep them we
deepen our understanding of prophecies throughout the
Bible that fill in the details of Gods wonderful plan.
Members of the United Church of God, publishers
of this Bible Study Course, gather every year in dozens
of locations around the world in obedience to Gods
command to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. In addition, they keep Gods other annual festivals in their local
congregations. Visitors are always welcome.
In this lesson we cover only the highlights of what the
Bible reveals about Gods Holy Days and their relationship to biblical prophecy. For more information about
Gods festivals be sure to request and study our 64-page
booklet Gods Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope
for All Mankind. For a more-thorough understanding of
Gods plan as revealed in Bible prophecy, also request
the booklets Are We Living in the Time of the End?,
You Can Understand Bible Prophecy and The Book of
Revelation Unveiled. All will add to your understanding
of Gods festivals and their relationship to His plan and
to the prophecies that reveal many of its details.

SOME FINAL REMARKS

This lesson completes the 12 in the Bible Study
Course. Through them you learned the fundamentals
that are essential for a correct understanding of the Holy
Bible. We hope this is only your beginning of a thorough
and continuing study of Gods Word.
Where do you go from here? We suggest you undertake a thorough review of all 12 of these lessons. Review
is a vital key to comprehending and retaining what you
have studied. You will learn even more than you gleaned
from your first time through the lessons. Remember, too,
Gods Festivals: Keys to Humanitys Future 15

that growing in understanding of the Scriptures is a

lifetime challenge. We hope its one you never tire
of. We urge you to develop a daily habit of studying
your Bible and to continue reading The Good News
magazine and the many booklets we publish for your
continued biblical education.
We also have congregations around the world where
personal instruction is available for those who wish to
assemble together with others of like belief. Or, should
you desire a visit from a qualified minister living in
your area, feel free to contact us and we will forward
your request to one near you who understands, teaches
and practices Gods Word.
We offer all of these services free of charge and
without any obligation on your part. Our sole desire
is to assist you in understanding and applying Gods
ways so your life will be pleasing to Him and so you
will enter His Kingdom when Christ returns. We have
appreciated your giving us this opportunity to help you
better understand the Word of God. Let us know how
we can continue to assist you.
If you have not yet done so, we also recommend
that you read each of the free booklets mentioned in
each lesson of this course. Be sure to also request and
read the following free booklets that expand on the
material covered in this lesson:
Gods Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope
for All Mankind.
Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which
Days We Keep?
The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Are We Living in the Time of the End?
You Can Understand Bible Prophecy.
The Book of Revelation Unveiled.
Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.
Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really
Teach?
The Church Jesus Built.
Preaching the Gospel, Preparing a People:
This Is the United Church of God.

Points to Ponder
These questions are intended as a study aid, to
spur further thought on the concepts discussed in
this lesson and to help you apply them on a personal
level. We suggest you take the time to write out
your answers to these questions and compare them
to the scriptures given. Please feel free to write us
with any comments or suggestions, including questions about the course or this lesson.
Did Jesus Christ keep the biblical festivals?
(Matthew 26:17; John 7:8-10, 14, 37).
Did the apostles continue to keep the biblical
festivals after Jesus death and resurrection? (Acts
2:1; 12:2-4; 16:13; 18:21; 20:6; 27:9; 1 Corinthians 5:78).
What did the Passover mean to the ancient
Israelites, and what does it mean for Christians
today? (Exodus 12:26-27; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 11:2326; 1 Peter 1:18-20).
What is the spiritual lesson of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread? (1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Luke 12:1;
Romans 6:17-19).
What events do the writers of the Bible associate with the Feast of Pentecost? (Deuteronomy 5:2,
4; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 36-41).
Which events in Gods plan does He connect
with the sounding of a trumpet and thus the Feast
of Trumpets? (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Matthew
24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Revelation 11:15).
What does the Day of Atonement picture?
(1 John 2:1-2; John 3:16; Leviticus 16:6-10, 15-16;
Revelation 20:1-3).
After Jesus returns and God puts Satan away,
what is the next step in Gods plan of salvation for
mankind? (Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 20:6; Micah
4:1-3; Isaiah 11:5-9; Zechariah 14:16-19).
After the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles,
another festival follows on the eighth day. What
does the Last Great Day picture? (Revelation 20:1215; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Matthew 12:41-42; John 7:3739; 2 Peter 3:9).

2000, 2003 United Church of God, an International Association. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Scriptures in this lesson are quoted from the New King James Version
( 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers) unless otherwise noted. Author: Roger Foster Contributing writer: Darris McNeely Editorial reviewers: Scott Ashley, Jerold Aust, Robert Dick,
Peter Eddington, Paul Kieffer, Burk McNair, JohnRoss Schroeder, Mario Seiglie, Donald Ward, Robin Webber, Lyle Welty Design: Shaun Venish
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Bible Study Course Lesson 12

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BC12/1105/1.1