Why do we need to keep the festivals if we are not Jewish? So, what festivals should we keep?
The apostle Paul when writing to the congregation of Corinth indicated that keeping the festival of unfermented cakes was something that Christians are encouraged to do. He also spoke to Christians of Colossae respecting the festivals.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8… Clear away the old leaven, that YOU may be a new lump, according as YOU are free from ferment. For, indeed, Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. Consequently, let us keep the festival, not with old leaven, neither with leaven of badness and wickedness, but with unfermented cakes of sincerity and truth.
Do you understand the meaning of the celebration of unfermented cakes? Then how can you argue that we shouldn’t be celebrating it? Paul says that we should celebrate it with sincerity and with truth.
Next notice Paul defends God’s festival celebrations by saying let no man judge you!
Colossians 2:16-17…Therefore let no man judge YOU in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.
Paul reveals these things are a shadow of the things to come. For something to cast a shadow that means there has to have substance to it. The apostle Paul says Christ is our reality now, but that does not exclude these festivals as being something that we would not be celebrating now nor in the future.
Also, Paul indicated the celebration of three distinct things, the festivals of God, new moon observances, and the celebration of the Sabbath. But you might say he did not say for Christians to celebrate, but what if God did indicate that all would celebrate his sabbaths and new moon observances in the future?
Isaiah 66:22-23… For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making are standing before me, is the utterance of Jehovah, so the offspring of YOU people and the name of YOU people will keep standing. And it will certainly occur that from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath all flesh will come in to bow down before me, Jehovah has said.
We need to take special note that God calls out at very specific time that these things would occur in. Because God calls out the New Heavens and the New Earth, Bible readers understand that event is something that happens in the future, and it will come to pass.
If this is true, then there should be more Scriptures that indicate for a fact these things are for a celebration now but also for the future.
Ezekiel was given very specific vision about a city in the land of Israel with the temple in it. If you were to start reading from chapter 40 and read all the way through to chapter 48 you will realize that this is yet for the future because it was never fulfilled in the past. Let me pick out some highlights for you in the Scriptures below:
Ezekiel 40:2… Structure of a City upon the Mountain.
Ezekiel 43:4-7… The Glory of God came into the House.
Ezekiel 43:12… The Law of the House is upon the land.
What part will you play in the future celebrations of God’s festivals?
Ezekiel 44:24… all my festal seasons they should keep, and my sabbaths they should sanctify.
Ezekiel 45:15-17… the people of the land are responsible for the contribution, but the chieftain is responsible to offer up the offerings during the Festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths…
Ezekiel 45:19 shows on Nisan 1st on the new moon they need to purify the sanctuary.
Ezekiel 45:20 says that on Nisan 7th they need to make Atonement for the House.
Ezekiel 45:21 speaks of Nisan 14th as the day to celebrate the Passover Festival where you are to eat unfermented cakes seven days.
Nisan 14th – 19th – Celebration of the Unfermented Cakes.
Ezekiel 45:25 tells us to celebrate Tishri 15th – Sukkot as the Festal of Tabernacles for seven days.
Tishri 16th – 21st – Is Sukkot as the celebration of Festal of Tabernacles.
So, if are to add up these days it would look like this:
We would now have 14 festal days in a year, 12 new moon celebrations in a year and about 52 Sabbaths days in a year, giving us a total of 78 celebrations for the year.
Ezekiel 46:3… And the people of the land must bow down at the entrance on the Sabbath and on the New Moons before God.
Ezekiel 46:4-7… Burnt offerings should be offered up on the Sabbath day and the New Moon by the chieftain.
Ezekiel 46:13-15… Whole burnt offerings made daily; this is a lasting statute preformed continually before God.
Ezekiel 47:1-13… Water pours forth as a blessing and the trees are for healing.
So, why would we want to celebrate these festivals?
Because God has assigned these things to be so, he has given an inheritance to his people. And all who will do these things will bless themselves by the name of God.
Ezekiel 48:35… And the name of that city from that day on will be Yahweh is there.
Would you like to reside with God and receive his blessings? Then accept his festivals and rejoice before him in what he’s given us, Amen.
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