Appointed Times

A few weeks ago, one of my cousins sent me an email asking me my opinion on this topic, which is what spurred me to write about it. My intent is not to trample on dearly held traditions, but to cause you to think about what has been lost through the centuries.

"What are the Biblical Holidays?" Five years ago I probably would have responded, "Christmas and Easter." If someone would have asked me "Can you find any verses in the Bible that say to celebrate those holidays on the specific days when they are celebrated?" I would have likely responded, "No, but..."

Did you know that there are seven holidays for which God gives specific days and specific instructions on when/how to observe them? Yes, I can give you several specific Biblical references. Start with Leviticus chapter 23. A common response I have heard is, "Oh, those are the ones in the Old Testament, so we don't have to do them anymore." My next question is, "Does that mean the Ten Commandments have also become irrelevant ?" Didn't Jesus (Yeshua) say that he did not come to abolish the Torah, but to fulfill it? It is pretty clear from the Gospels that Jesus (Yeshua) observed these holidays.

The following are the appointed times listed in Leviticus 23 (they can also be found in other places in the Scripture):
-Shabbat (Sabbath)
-Passover (deliverance from slavery in Egypt and also deliverance from sin by Jesus death)
-Yom Habikkurim (Feast of First Fruits--the day that the grave was found empty)
-Shavuot (Pentecost--50 days after Yom Habikkurim)
-Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing or Rosh Hoshana)
-Yom Kippur (Day of Atonment)
-Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

The Shabbat is an appointed time that occurs every week, the next three take place in the spring, and the last three take place in the fall. They give us a picture of God's Divine plan (there is much that could be written here).

Last Sunday was Shavuot (Pentecost). It was not until 4 years ago that I found out that Pentecost was not just something that Christians observe, but it is a major Jewish festival as well. It is remembered as being when the Law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then about a couple thousand years later, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Shavuot as recorded in the Book of Acts. Isn't it amazing how God uses His appointed times to do remarkable things?

So, why do many Christians think that it is so wrong to celebrate these feasts now? Most people cannot anwer this question, they just have this "feeling" about them. Constantine and others around his time decided to try to strip Jewishness from Christianity, so they replaced the Biblical Feasts with Christmas and Easter, which coincided with existing pagan holidays. Now you might say, "Is it wrong to give/receive Christmas gifts and listen to Christmas music?" I don't think so. The thing that I notice about these holidays, which don't have any specific guidelines, is that they have morphed into things which are barely recognizable as remembering the birth and death of the Messiah. They have been replaced with lights, candy, and imaginary creatures. There is no Biblical outline for how they are to be celebrated, so it has been left up to humans to define.

There is so much depth and richness to celebrating the feasts that the Lord specified in the Scriptures. By ignoring them, we are missing out on learning more about His nature and character. I look at it this way, many people are settling for instant coffee when they could be having freshly ground and brewed gourmet coffee.