Keeping the Feasts with Sincerity and Truth

"Therefore let us keep the Feast, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." I Corinthians 5:8

Christianity today seems to be divided into two camps when it comes to the Feasts of the Lord.

The most common stance, taken by most traditional churches, is that the feasts were for Israel only and are not relevant for the church today. Many in this camp feel that since Jesus fulfilled the law, and the Feasts were a part of that law, then we, today, are exempt from the celebrations.

The second most common stance, taken by those in the Hebraic Roots movement and most Messianic congregations, is that we in the church are 100 percent subject to the Torah, and therefore have to celebrate the feasts in accordance with Old Testament law and tradition.

Our position is somewhere between those two extremes. Living Water Fellowship strives for a happy middle ground.

In the I Corinthians passage quoted above, Paul noted that although the church was celebrating one of the Feasts, they were doing it with the wrong motives.

We have knowledge now that Old Testament Israel did not. We know that all of the Feast Days of the Lord point directly to a ministry or work of Yeshua Ha Machiach, Jesus the Christ.

He fulfilled the first four (spring) feasts at his first advent in the following manner:

Passover: In John 1:29, John the Baptist tells us that Jesus is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world." Jesus literally was sacrificed for our sins, just as the Passover lamb was sacrificed for the sins of the Jews. Jesus literally died "at the third hour"; exactly the time that the Passover lambs were being slain.

Unleavened Bread: Just as the Israelites removed every trace of leaven, representing sin, from their households, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, and taking them "as far as the east is from the west" (a fulfillment of Psalms 103:12). Through the power of His death, burial, and resurrection, He took our sin and the death penalty away from us. I Corinthians 5:7 tells us to "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us."

First Fruits: I Corinthians 15:20 says that Jesus is the Firstfruits of "those who are asleep" (literally, those who have died). Not so coincidentally, the day that we acknowledge as Resurrection Day was on "the first day of the week", otherwise known as Sunday. The Feast of First Fruits is celebrated on the first Sunday after Passover.

Pentecost is the last of the Spring Feasts. Everyone in the church knows that this was the special day that Jesus sent tHis precious Holy Spirit to come and indwell us to baptize us into the Body of Christ, to empower us for service, and to seal us until the day of redemption. See Acts Chapter 2 for the story.

To summarize what we have seen so far:

Jesus was killed on Passover, at the same time that the Passover Lamb was being slain.

He took away our leaven (sin), and put it on Himself to fulfill the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

He rose on the first day of the week following His death, both on and fulfilling the Feast of First Fruits.

He sent His Holy Spirit to seal, indwell, and empower us on the Feast of Pentecost.

Those were all Spring Feasts, and they were all fulfilled at Jesus' first advent.

The Fall Feasts are yet to come, and they have a special significance as well.

Trumpets is the Feast in which no one knows the exact start time (as in "no man knows the day nor the hour"). It is the only Feast that happens on a new moon. According to the law, the high priest sent out two witnesses, whose job was to report back when they each saw the new moon. When the High Priest got the report from both witnesses, he declared the Holy Day official, and the festivities began. This feast features a series of Trumpet (or, more accurately, shofar) blasts throughout the day, culminating in a long blast called "The Last Trump". I Corinthians 15:52 equates this with the return of Christ for His Church, also known as the Rapture. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

Atonement is the Day of Judgment. On this day, the Lamb's book of life will be opened, and Jesus will judge from the Great White Throne. John 5:22 tells us "Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son." Jesus will know those who have turned to Him as Savior, and will judge accordingly. Those of us who trust in Him are encouraged to "rejoice that your name is recorded in Heaven" (Luke 10:20).

Tabernacles is the final fall feast. John 1:14 says that "the Word became flesh and dwelt (literally "tabernacled") among us." This had a partial fulfillment when Jesus was born (many believe that he was born on the first day of Tabernacles and circumcised on the 8th day of the Feast). But the ultimate fulfillment will be when Jesus returns to live with us as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This will be partially fulfilled during the Millenial Reign of Christ, and will be ultimately and permanently fulfilled as we dwell with him through Eternity. See Revelation Chapters 20, 21, and 22 for details.

Every one of the Feasts revolves around and looks forward to or back on Jesus' life and/or ministry.

So, should we keep the Feasts or not?

That depends on what your definition of “keep” is.

We know from the I Corinthians 5:8 verse that the church at Corinth was keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We are told in Zechariah 14:16 that everyone will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles in the Millennium.

So, it appears that we should be keeping the Feasts in some manner. However, because we have the knowledge that the Feasts are fulfilled in Christ, we should keep them in a different way than they did in the Old Testament.

We should keep Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits, by acknowledging that these Holy Days reflect the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus. These feasts are a witness to our salvation experience. We can pray for others to partake in this same experience.

We should keep Pentecost by acknowledging that we have God's Holy Spirit living within us, and by thanking God for His indwelling Presence.

We should keep Trumpets by looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ, and receiving our glorified bodies, and by praying that our loved ones be included in this event.

We should keep the Day of Atonement by praying for our unsaved friends and family, that they may accept the sacrifice of the Messiah, and have their names written in the Book of Life.

And we should keep Tabernacles by thanking God that Jesus came and tabernacled with us, and will do so again, and by reflecting on what that means to us as His disciples.

At Living Water Fellowship, we strive to remember what Christ did on each of the Feasts as a way to honor Him and what He did for all of us. Feel free to join us.