Feast Days By R W Hayes

December 95.

What is the truth of the feast days in the Old Testament, are they
still to be observed or not ? We have all read conflicting reports
and know of churches which still believe and observe the feast days,
while other churches and religions do not. Both versions CAN NOT BE
THE TRUTH, God is not a hypocrite nor is He a liar. We must search
for His truth.

There is only ONE TRUTH OF GOD, not many truths. So what does He
tell us through His inspired writers of the bible ?

First of all we should know that the bible is a book about God's
chosen nation of Israel, their generations, and `journey through
life' with Him. The Old Testament paints a picture of their
history, beliefs, lifestyles, contact with pagan worshippers and
other nations, laws and commandments of God. But most of all it
tells us that the Old Testament people were physical, everything
they did including their worship of God, was physical.

The King James Version, from which all of my references are taken,
does not mention, `holy days', it only mentions, `holy day', and
then only 3 times, see below. FEAST, - `feast' is mentioned 109
times, FEASTS `feasts' are mentioned 31 times. HOLY FEAST, - `holy
feast' (two words together) is not mentioned, while verses with holy
and feast in them together occurs once. HOLY FEASTS, - `holy feasts'
(two words together) are not mentioned, while verses with holy and
feasts together are mentioned five times.

EXO 35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there
shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord:
whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. (KJV)

NEH 10:31 And {if} the people of the land bring ware or any victuals
on the sabbath day to sell, {that} we would not buy it of them on
the sabbath, or on the holy day: and {that} we would leave the
seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. (KJV)

ISA 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, {from} doing
thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the
holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine
own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking {thine own}
words: (KJV)

Now knowing what is and what is not mentioned in the bible we can
talk about the feasts. There are other references to feast/s in the
bible but we are only interested in those which cause uncertainty
and division, the feasts of LEV 23.

The following references are taken from Strong's Concordance' not
the NIV version. I have included all of the references mentioned
for `feast' and `feasts', so you can check for yourselves which
Hebrew or Greek word is used in each verse.

All of Strong's entries for `FEAST'.

GEN 19:3.............H4960 2CH 30:13............H2282
GEN 21:8.............H4960 2CH 30:21............H2282
GEN 26:30............H4960 2CH 30:22............H4150
GEN 29:22............H4960 2CH 35:17............H2282
GEN 40:20............H4960 EZR 3:4..............H2282
EXO 5:1..............H2287 EZR 6:22.............H2282
EXO 10:9.............H2282 NEH 8:14.............H2282
EXO 12:14............H2282 * All NEH 8:18.............H2282
EXO 13:6.............H2282 EST 1:3..............H4960
EXO 23:14............H2287 EST 1:5..............H4960
EXO 23:15............H2282 EST 1:9..............H4960
EXO 23:16............H2282 EST 2:18.............H4960
EXO 32:5.............H2282 EST 8:17.............H4960
EXO 34:18............H2282 PSA 81:3.............H2282
EXO 34:22............H2282 PRO 15:15............H4960
EXO 34:25............H2282 ECC 10:19............H3899
LEV 23:6.............H2282 * related ISA 25:6.............H4960
LEV 23:34............H2282 * to ISA 25:6.............H4960
LEV 23:39............H2282 * feast LAM 2:7..............H4150
LEV 23:41............H2282 * days EZE 45:21............H2282
NUM 28:17............H2282 EZE 45:23............H2282
NUM 29:12............H2282 EZE 45:25............H2282
DEU 16:10............H2282 * DAN 5:1..............H3900
DEU 16:13............H2282 * and HOS 2:11.............H2282
DEU 16:14............H2282 * these HOS 9:5..............H2282
DEU 16:15............H2287 * as HOS 12:9.............H4150
DEU 16:16............H2282 * well. AMO 5:21.............H2282
DEU 31:10............H2282 ZEC 14:16............H2282
JDG 14:10............H4960 ZEC 14:18............H2282
JDG 14:12............H4960 ZEC 14:19............H2282
JDG 14:17............H4960 MAT 26:5.............G1859
JDG 21:19............H2282 MAT 27:15............G1859
1SA 25:36............H4960 MAR 14:2.............G1859
2SA 3:20.............H4960 MAR 15:6.............G1859
1KI 3:15.............H4960 LUK 2:41.............G1859
1KI 8:2..............H2282 LUK 2:42.............G1859
1KI 8:65.............H2282 LUK 5:29.............G1408
1KI 12:32............H2282 LUK 14:13............G1408
1KI 12:33............H2282 LUK 22:1.............G1859
2CH 5:3..............H2282 LUK 23:17............G1859
2CH 7:8..............H2282 JOH 2:8..............G755
2CH 7:9..............H2282 JOH 2:9..............G755
2CH 8:13.............H2282 JOH 2:23.............G1859


JOH 4:45.............G1859 JOH 11:56............G1859
JOH 5:1..............G1859 JOH 12:12............G1859
JOH 6:4..............G1859 JOH 12:20............G1859
JOH 7:2..............G1859 JOH 13:1.............G1859
JOH 7:8..............G1859 JOH 13:29............G1859
JOH 7:10.............G1859 ACT 18:21............G1859
JOH 7:11.............G1859 1CO 5:8..............G1858
JOH 7:14.............G1859 2PE 2:13.............G4910
JOH 7:37.............G1859 JUD 1:12.............G4910
JOH 10:22............G1456

======================================
All of Strong's entries for `FEASTS'.

LEV 23:2.............H4150�Ŀ All LAM 1:4..............H4150
LEV 23:4.............H4150 � related LAM 2:6..............H4150
LEV 23:37............H4150 � to feast EZE 36:38............H4150
LEV 23:44............H4150��� days. EZE 45:17............H2282
NUM 15:3.............H4150 EZE 46:9.............H4150
NUM 29:39............H4150 EZE 46:11............H2282
1CH 23:31............H4150 HOS 2:11.............H4150
2CH 2:4..............H4150 AMO 8:10.............H2282
2CH 8:13.............H4150 NAH 1:15.............H2282
2CH 31:3.............H4150 ZEC 8:19.............H4150
EZR 3:5..............H4150 MAL 2:3..............H2282
NEH 10:33............H4150 MAT 23:6.............G1173
PSA 35:16............H4580 MAR 12:39............G1173
ISA 5:12.............H4960 LUK 20:46............G1173
JER 51:39............H4960

******************************

The chapters and verses which refer to God's feasts are in Exo 12,
Lev 23, Deu 16, and we'll deal with each of them in turn.

Before we start looking at the chapters mentioned we should first
ask, who instituted offerings and sacrifices, did God ? THE ANSWER
IS NO! The first mention of an offering is in GEN 4:3 when Cain
offers the fruit of the ground to God and Abel does likewise with a
firstling of his flock. The next reference is when Noah and his
family were saved from the flood in GEN 8:20. The first time
sacrifice is mentioned is in GEN 31:54, and the next is GEN 46:1. In
each of these cases the offerings and sacrifices were made by man to
God, of their own free will, God did not ask or command them to do
so. And this is what we find if we search our Bibles, God did not
introduce those things. I believe He accepted them because the
people who made those offerings and sacrifices did so of their own
free will, it was their way of expressing thanks to God for His
kindness, and blessings, and in Noah's case, deliverance.

So when God established the Passover in EXO 12 and gave His feasts
to Moses in LEV 23 He included offerings and sacrifices because THAT
IS WHAT MAN HAD CHOSEN TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE. Those things were
of no consequence to Him.

Between 700 and 800 years after Genesis was written, in a vision to
Isaiah, God says exactly what He thinks of sacrifices, offerings,
new moons etc., and we should all read Isaiah 1:1-20 and MIC 6:6-8.

ISA 1:11 To what purpose {is} the multitude of your sacrifices unto
me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and
the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks,
or of lambs, or of he goats. (KJV)
ISA 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at
your hand, to tread my courts? (KJV)
ISA 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination
unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I
cannot away with; {it is} iniquity, even the solemn meeting. (KJV)
ISA 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth:
they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear {them}. (KJV)

Sabbaths in verse 13 refers to yearly sabbaths not weekly.
And the reason for the vision and statements ? In verse 4 God says
the nation was sinful and laden with iniquity and then Isaiah says:-

ISA 1:9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small
remnant, we should have been as Sodom, {and} we should have been
like unto Gomorrah. (KJV)

And the solution ?
ISA 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (KJV)

You can see right there in those few verses that the New Covenant
was being revealed and the reason why so. See ISA 7:14.

------------------------------

Now that we are aware of God's feelings about sacrifice and offeri-
ngs we will now study the chapters mentioned above.

In Exo 12:1-28 Almighty God establishes the passover and tells the
Israelites how it is to be observed, how they should worship Him.

EXO 12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye
shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye
shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. (KJV)

Later in Exo 16:1-6 God re-establishes His Sabbath, (seventh day -
Saturday) and how it was to be observed. Because of being captive
for over 400 years the nation Israel had forgotten which was the
correct day.

When we study the feasts in Leviticus 23 the whole chapter must be
read in it's entirety. There are some points which need to be caref-
ully considered, verse 12 says a lamb should be offered to God as a
burnt offering, and verse 14 says `throughout your generations'. So
we see here that offerings and sacrifices go hand in hand with the
feast days.

LEV 23:12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he
lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the
Lord. (KJV)
LEV 23:14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor
green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering
unto your God: {it shall be} a statute for ever throughout your
generations in all your dwellings. (KJV)

Webster's Dictionary:-
generation n.

1 the act or process of producing offspring; procreation
2 the act or process of bringing into being; origination; production
3 a single stage or degree in the succession of natural descent
[father, son, and grandson are three generations]
4 the average period (about thirty years) between the birth of one
generation and that of the next
5 a) all the people born and living at about the same time b) a
group of such people with the same experience, belief, attitude,
etc.

I know that apart from the Jews who were part of the nation of
Israel and who kept their identity, there are no other `generations'
known to exist and I doubt if any of the churches which still
observe the feasts, offer a lamb as a burnt offering at Passover.

Verse 18 of LEV 23 says, seven lambs, one bullock, and two rams must
be offered as a burnt offering. Then in verse 19 it says, one kid
and two lambs. Do any of the churches offer any of those sacrifices
at those feasts, I think not. And verse 37 sums up, saying these are
the feasts of the Lord in which you will offer burnt offerings.

LEV 23:37 These {are} the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall
proclaim {to be} holy convocations, to offer an offering made by
fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a
sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: (KJV)

This next verse is very interesting, `all that are Israelites born'.

LEV 23:42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are
Israelites born shall dwell in booths: (KJV)

We know that God is not talking about spiritual Israelites here and
as I have already written, only the Jews, because they have retained
their identity, can consider themselves to be `Israelite born' to-
day. So in view of what we have learned, should the feasts still be
observed ? The answer of course is NO! But there is more to come.

Saint Paul tells us in Galations if we are worshipping God under the
law, the Old Covenant law, then we must continue to do all things
which are written in the book of the law.

GAL 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the
curse: for it is written, Cursed {is} every one that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
(KJV)

This of course means we can't pick and choose, it's all or nothing.
If we choose to keep feast days then we MUST offer sacrifices, if we
don't offer sacrifices then we should not keep the feast days. If we
obey God's word and God's laws it's quite simple, it's only when man
thinks he is cleverer than God or that he can twist God's laws to
suit himself that things become difficult.

Now we come to Deuteronomy and we find this to be very informative,
we learn here that the feasts were to be observed at a place `which
the Lord God shall choose'. This is very important, we know that God
was in contact with the Israelites through His prophets, and here we
learn that even their feast sites were chosen by God. This is menti-
oned not once but several times, God left them in no doubt they
could not pick and choose for themselves. But today we find minist-
ers of churches who arbitrarily decide where to hold these feasts, I
know that God hasn't told them where to hold them, and what's more
they do not offer sacrifices. Seems to me they are either reading a
different Bible to me or they think they can pick and choose the
bits of the Bible which suit them, or they think they are cleverer
than God. Whatever/whoever it is that causes them to do this I believe they
should reconsider and re-read their Bibles.

IF WE ARE GOING TO WORSHIP GOD THEN IT MUST BE AS HE SAYS NOT THE
WAY MAN SAYS.

DEU 11:32 And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments
which I set before you this day. (KJV)
DEU 12:1 These {are} the statutes and judgments, which ye shall
observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth
thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. (KJV)
DEU 12:5 But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out
of all your tribes to put his name there, {even} unto his habitation
shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: (KJV)
DEU 12:11 Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall
choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all
that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your
tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice
vows which ye vow unto the Lord: (KJV)
DEU 12:13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt
offerings in every place that thou seest: (KJV)
DEU 12:14 But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy
tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou
shalt do all that I command thee. (KJV)
DEU 12:18 But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the
place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and
thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the
Levite that {is} within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the
Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto. (KJV)
DEU 12:26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou
shalt take, and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose: (KJV)
DEU 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place
which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy
corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds
and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God
always. (KJV)
DEU 14:24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not
able to carry it; {or} if the place be too far from thee, which the
Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy
God hath blessed thee: (KJV)
DEU 14:25 Then shalt thou turn {it} into money, and bind up the
money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy
God shall choose: (KJV)
DEU 15:20 Thou shalt eat {it} before the Lord thy God year by year
in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household.
(KJV)
DEU 16:2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord
thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord
shall choose to place his name there. (KJV)
DEU 16:6 But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to
place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even,
at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth
out of Egypt. (KJV)
DEU 16:7 And thou shalt roast and eat {it} in the place which the
Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and
go unto thy tents. (KJV)
DEU 16:15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord
thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord
thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works
of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. (KJV)
DEU 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before
the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of
unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: (KJV)

I think the above verses speak volumes. God was very specific not
only as to when the feasts were to be held but He was the one who
decided where they were to be held and what type of offering or
burnt sacrifice was to be made. There is nowhere in the Bible that
the sacrifices were taken away from the feasts, neither was there
any provision for anyone other than God Himself to choose the feast
sites. With this in mind should any church be observing the feast
days. The answer is NO!, but there's more.

It becomes quite obvious as we read the Old Testament that Israel
sinned against God time and time again. He taught them through His
miracles and His prophets and although they said, `Yes! we will
worship you God according to your laws and your commandments.', they
continued to sin. Just one example of this is given in 1SA chap 15,
where we read that King Saul of Israel was told by the Lord through
the prophet Samuel that he should go and smite the Amalekites, that
he should destroy them utterly and also their possessions.

1SA 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they
have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and
suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. (KJV)

Saul went to war and defeated the Amalekites but saved Agag alive
and also spared the best of the sheep and lambs. Saul disobeyed
the Lord, so the Lord spoke to Samuel.

1SA 15:10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, (KJV)
1SA 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul {to be} king: for
he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my
commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all
night. (KJV)

So Samuel went to talk to Saul who in verse 13 says, `I have perfor-
med the commandment of the Lord.' whereby Samuel then asks him about
the bleating of sheep and the lowing of oxen which he hears. Saul
then says the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacri-
fice to the Lord. Samuel repeats the commission which the Lord had
given to Saul and asks him why did he not obey the Lord's voice but
instead did evil in the sight of the Lord. It would seem that king
Saul in verses 20-21 thought he had obeyed the Lord.

1SA 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of
the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have
brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the
Amalekites. (KJV)
1SA 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the
chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to
sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. (KJV)

And this is what people do, ALL THE TIME, while doing their own
thing they believe they are worshipping God according to His word,
His laws, and His commandments, AND THEY'RE NOT! In most cases they
are worshipping according to the whims and doctrines of man, which
is worthless. So what does God say to Saul about this ?

1SA 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord {as great} delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey {is} better than sacrifice, {and} to hearken than
the fat of rams. (KJV)

After it had been pointed out to him that he disobeyed the word of
the Lord, Saul then admitted he was a sinner and asked for a pardon.

The main point of the above is that God was not as interested in the
sacrifices as He was in having Saul obey Him. Even today He wants us
to obey Him according to His word, His laws, and His commandments.
There are other verses which refer to the same sort of thing, such
as, ISA 1:11; JER 6:20; JER 7:22-23; MIC 6:6-7.

It was in fact because the nation of Israel ignored the word of God,
disobeyed Him, corrupted His laws and commandments, and corrupted
THE LAW, that He brought in the New Covenant.

HEB 10:8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt
offerings and {offering} for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst
pleasure {therein}; which are offered by the law; (KJV)
HEB 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh
away the first, that he may establish the second. (KJV)

He takes away the first, Old Covenant in order to establish the
second, the New Covenant.

-------------------------------

I am writing this from a Christian point of view but what about the
Jews themselves in this day and age ? The following extracts are
from a book called, `The Temple' by Alfred Edersheim, (updated
edition).

THE OFFICIATING PRIESTHOOD. page 73.

Thus elaborate in every particular was the system which regulated
the admission, the services, and the privileges of the officiating
priesthood. Yet it has all vanished, not leaving behind it in the
synagogue even a single trace of its complicated and perfect
arrangements. These `old things are passed away' because they were
only `a shadow of good things to come.' But `the substance is of
Christ,' and `He abideth High-Priest for ever.'

SACRIFICES. page 89.

This offering up of an animal not sanctioned by the law, in a place,
in a manner, and by hands not authorized by God, is it not a
terrible phantom of Israel's dark and dreary night ?
And does it not seem strangely to remind us of that other terrible
night, when the threefold crowing of a cock awakened Peter to the
fact of his denial of `the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of
the world' ? And still the cry of the Synagogue comes to us through
these many centuries of past unbelief and ignorance : `Let one
innocent come and make atonement for the guilty!' To which no other
response can ever be made than that of the apostle: `Such an High-
Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and made higher than the heavens!' (HEB 7:26)

THE BURNT-OFFERING. page 103-104.

In other words, if a man incurred a sacrifice, or voluntarily
promised one, he was to bring it when next he came to Jerusalem.


But even this provision showed `the weakness and unprofitableness
thereof', since in all ordinary cases a long time must have elapsed
before the stain of guilt could be consciously removed by an atoning
sacrifice, or a vow performed. Blessed be God, the reality in Christ
Jesus in this, as in all other things, far outdistances the type!
For we have always `liberty to enter into the Holiest by the blood
of Jesus;' and `if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of
an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of
the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God ! '

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. page 240.

It may sound strange, and yet it is true, that the clearest
testimony to `the weakness and unprofitableness ' `of the commandme-
nt' is that given by `the commandment' itself. The Levitical arrang-
ements for the removal of sin bear on their forefront, as it were,
this inscription: "The law made nothing perfect'-- having neither a
perfect mediatorship in the priesthood, nor a perfect `atonement' in
the sacrifices, nor yet a perfect forgiveness as the result of both.

------------------------------

I think those statements make it very clear that even the Jews have
abolished the sacrifices because they could never take away sin,
recognising that the Lord Jesus paid the ultimate penalty and became
our high-priest. As it says on pages 103/4 of The Temple, `Yet it
has all vanished, not leaving behind it in the synagogue even a
single trace of its complicated and perfect arrangements.'

If the Jews, who are the only traceable and identifiable people of
the nation of Israel, have stopped the sacrifices which went hand in
hand with the feast days, then how on earth can Christian churches
still observe those feast days ? The members of the congregations
of these Christian churches are NOT Israelite born, they can not
trace their ancestry back to the nation of Israel, the sacrifices
were not removed from the feast days by God, so what or who deceives
them into thinking that they can still observe the Old Testament
feast days in New Testament times ?

---------------------------
God the Father sent His only begotten son to bring in a better
covenant, a new covenant which replaced the old. Jesus gave His
life to do it, He sacrificed Himself on our behalf, should we ignore
His sacrifice by observing the laws of the Old Covenant ? The Bible
says NO!

Strong's Word: covenant. Hebrew Def#: 1285

1285. beriyth {ber-eeth'}; from 1262 (in the sense of cutting
[like 1254]); a compact (because made by passing between pieces
of flesh): -confederacy, [con-]feder[-ate], covenant, league.
Strong's Word: covenant. Greek Def#: 1242

1242. diatheke {dee-ath-ay'-kay}; from 1303; properly, a
disposition, i.e. (specially) a contract (especially a devisory
will): -covenant, testament.

As you have seen the Hebrew word for covenant, `beriyth' in the Old
Testament meant, a compact, made by passing between pieces of flesh,
confederacy, or league.


The Greek word, `diatheke' means a contract or testament.

The contract made between God and the physical nation of Israel was
in writing and involved daily and yearly sacrifices and was sealed
with the sacrifice and blood of animals.

The contract made between God and the spiritual nation of Israel was
promised by God through the Abrahamic covenant, (which was sealed by
circumcision), was brought in and sealed with the sacrifice and
blood of His only begotten son Jesus. We also know that about 1070
BC, God prophesied through Isaiah that the Lord Jesus would be born.

ISA 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a
virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel. (KJV)

I believe that this was prophesied because shortly after God had
made His covenant with Noah, people started to disobey God once
again, and from Exodus though Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,
Joshua, Judges, 1Samuel and on, Israel had sinned against God and
disobeyed God. The Old Covenant was not working, the priests and
the people were doing their own thing but calling it the law of God.
God knew that a new and better covenant would have to be made and He
says through his prophet Jeremiah:-

JER 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
(KJV)
JER 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day {that} I took them by the hand to bring them out
of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was
an husband unto them, saith the Lord: (KJV)
JER 31:33 But this {shall be} the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be
their God, and they shall be my people. (KJV)
JER 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and
every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all
know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the
Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their
sin no more. (KJV)

However not everyone was unworthy or sinful in God's eyes, God saw
in Abraham a righteous man and made a covenant with him, (sealed by
circumcision) and promised to multiply his seed and through him ALL
the nations of the earth would be blessed.

GEN 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I
will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand
which {is} upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate
of his enemies; (KJV)
GEN 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (KJV)

Although it had been prophesied that Jesus would be born, time had
to be given for the covenant of Abraham to be fulfilled and so that
nations would develop and other stages of God's plan reach fruition
before the Lord Jesus was born.

Eventually God decided it was time for the next stage of His plan
and the Lord Jesus was born of the virgin Mary as prophesied.


We know that the Lord Jesus obeyed the Old Covenant as he was
obliged to do, it was still in force. So when did it end ? It ended
with the death of John the Baptist, and from then on the Gospel of
the Kingdom of God was preached.

LUK 16:16 The law and the prophets {were} until John: since that
time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
(KJV)

From the moment of John's death the Old Covenant was completely
dead, and finished, not the `Ten Commandments' they were a separate
document written with the finger of God ON STONE, and the New
Covenant was ready to be established.

We should also know that there are things in the Old Testament,
besides the Ten Commandments, which were in force prior to the
covenant and those things still apply. We should all read the Old
Testament in order to learn about God's miracle Creation, the nation
Israel, it's history, the prophets and prophesies, and yes the
reason for the feast days, their significance and purpose.

So what does the New Testament say about sacrifices and feast days ?
We should all read Hebrews chapters 7 to 10 and there we will find
that Paul says quite clearly, the Old Covenant, and the sacrifices
were taken out of the way. The following are just a few of those
verses.

HEB 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,
(for under it the people received the law,) what further need {was
there} that another priest should rise after the order of
Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? (KJV)
HEB 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of
necessity a change also of the law. (KJV)

HEB 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for
this he did once, when he offered up himself. (KJV)
HEB 8:7 For if that first {covenant} had been faultless, then should
no place have been sought for the second. (KJV)
HEB 8:13 In that he saith, A new {covenant}, he hath made the first
old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old {is} ready to vanish
away. (KJV)

HEB 9:10 {Which stood} only in meats and drinks, and divers
washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed {on them} until the time of
reformation. (KJV)
HEB 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption {for us}. (KJV)
HEB 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without
sin unto salvation. (KJV)

HEB 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, {and}
not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year continually make the comers
thereunto perfect. (KJV)
HEB 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because
that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience
of sins. (KJV)
HEB 10:3 But in those {sacrifices there is} a remembrance again
{made} of sins every year. (KJV)
HEB 10:4 For {it is} not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sins. (KJV)
HEB 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith,
Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou
prepared me: (KJV)
HEB 10:6 In burnt offerings and {sacrifices} for sin thou hast had
no pleasure. (KJV)
HEB 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is
written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (KJV)
HEB 10:8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt
offerings and {offering} for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst
pleasure {therein}; which are offered by the law; (KJV)
HEB 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh
away the first, that he may establish the second. (KJV)
HEB 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once {for all}. (KJV)
HEB 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
(KJV)
HEB 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins
for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (KJV)

I feel sure that only those people who are completely blind to God's
truth could fail to see in those few verses that the sacrifices and
feast days are no longer in force. The Lord Jesus being the testator
of the New Covenant paid the penalty ONCE for all time. He died in
order to bring in a better covenant, FOR US, we sinners, you and I,
that we might have salvation and the chance of eternal life. Please
read all of Hebrews chapters 7 to 10 and I know that all people who
are searching for the truth of feast days and sacrifices will find
God's truth there.

------------------------------
Now living under the New Covenant we know that the Lord Jesus
changed the Passover, He took away the sacrifice and substituted
unleavened bread. Mat 26:26; Mar 14:22; Luk 22:19.

MAT 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed
{it}, and brake {it}, and gave {it} to the disciples, and said,
Take, eat; this is my body. (KJV)
MAR 14:22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and
brake {it}, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
(KJV)
LUK 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake {it}, and
gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this
do in remembrance of me. (KJV)

He changed the Passover in keeping with all of the prophesies of the
Old Testament prophets, that sacrifices, offerings, new moons, fest-
ivals etc., were NOT PLEASING TO GOD, and as far as He is concerned,
serve no purpose.

In Mark 12 there is also the scribe who, listening to Jesus, replies
as follows:-

MAR 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said
the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
(KJV)
MAR 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the
understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and
to love {his} neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices. (KJV)
MAR 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said
unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after
that durst ask him {any question}. (KJV)

Do you think that Jesus would have condoned that which was not the
truth ? I know that if the scribe's statement; `...is more than all
whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.' had not been the truth, the
Lord Jesus would have corrected him and taught him the truth. So
Jesus was saying, even before the New Covenant was brought in, `love
and kindness are more than burnt offerings and sacrifices'. And as
I wrote earlier, if there are no sacrifices there are no feasts or
vice versa.

--------------------------------------

Now I know there will be people who will mention Ezekiel's temple
vision as proof of future sacrifices and will say Paul kept feast
days and temple observances but is that the truth ?

I believe Ezekiel's temple vision was to the physical nation of
Israel in the Old Testament, a vision of hope, something to believe
in and look forward to. Just as the `New Jerusalem' in Revelation is
to the spiritual nation of the New Testament. Check the similar-
ities between Ezekiel and Revelation for yourself, keeping in mind
the physical nature of Old Testament Israel against the spiritual
nature of the New Testament nation of Israel.

Why would Almighty God, who of Himself never introduced sacrifices
and offerings in the first place, re-introduce something of which He
says:-

HEB 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, {and}
not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year continually make the comers
thereunto perfect. (KJV)
HEB 10:4 For {it is} not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sins. (KJV)
HEB 10:6 In burnt offerings and {sacrifices} for sin thou hast had
no pleasure. (KJV)
HEB 10:8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt
offerings and {offering} for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst
pleasure {therein}; which are offered by the law; (KJV)
HEB 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
(KJV)

And remember what it says in 1SA 1:1-18.
I know God is not a liar and a hypocrite, and I don't think any God
fearing person thinks so either, but He would have to be if He was
going to re-introduce sacrifices after inspiring His writers to
write the above, wouldn't He ? Well don't worry, He's not a liar or
a hypocrite, - sacrifices are completely finished with.

Some people are bound to say Paul kept a feast, because it is
referred to in ACT 18:21. The thing is we don't know for certain if
he ever did keep that feast, the Bible doesn't say so, or indeed if
he even arrived on time.

ACT 18:21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep
this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto
you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. (KJV)


When it comes to Paul's temple observance, ACT 21:15-26.

This action was taken by Paul on the advice of the Christian gover-
ning body (the apostles based in Jerusalem) to demonstrate that Paul
was walking orderly and not teaching disobedience to the Law, as
rumoured by some of the Jewish Christians.

One should try to imagine oneself in that time period. Paul, as well
as the other apostles was preaching the New Covenant among people who
had been brought up and taught the ways of the Old Covenant, the law
of Moses. We know that Paul never made an offering, see below ACT
21:26-27. Even if he had done, then he was simply being all things
to all people. He knew that it was better to observe `custom' with
the four men than cause upset and division. The Christian congregat-
ion were not critical of those people who observed the law, and you
must remember the religious law in some instances was also the law of
the land and had to be observed by everyone.

ACT 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself
with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of
the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered
for every one of them. (KJV)
ACT 21:27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which
were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the
people, and laid hands on him, (KJV)

Read on and you will find in verse 30 he was taken in chains from the
temple before an offering was made. So we can't really say that Paul
kept feasts or made offerings, can we ?

You should also remember that the wonderful, life changing, New Cov-
enant was not brought in instantly by God, there was no miraculous
change over, it was very slowly spread by His apostles, and is still
being spread.

The pity is after almost 2,000 years there are still people around
who deny the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and still live under the Old
Testament and observe those laws which do absolutely nothing for
them, in spite of what the Lord Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles
teach. Jesus died for us to bring in the New Covenant, under which
we are now living, to make things better and easier for us, to bring
us closer to Himself and our Father in heaven. That through Almighty
God's grace, forgiveness, and LOVE we have the chance of life
eternal.

DON'T WASTE IT BY KEEPING FEASTS ASSOCIATED WITH SACRIFICES OF WHICH
THE LORD SAYS.

ISA 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth:
they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear {them}. (KJV)


May Almighty God bless you in your study of His word.



Written January 1996. Richard W Hayes.
3, Christie Avenue
Christies Beach,
South Australia. 5165.
Phone 08 382 0006.