FEASTS OF THE LORD

Feasts / Festivals of God

Have they been Done Away With as some claim?

First off lets tackle the most common scripture cited as “proof” that the biblical holy days have been done away with, Colossian 2:16-17.

"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; but the body is of Christ."

The above suggests that the holy days are not important, but that is not what was actually said, it is a mistranslation of it, the word "is" has been added, and is not found in the original Greek.

Literal translations leave is out, therefore, the proper translation would be:

Colossian 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 BODY OF CHRIST."

In other words, do not let those outside the body of Christ, the church, judge you regarding holy days, but only the church itself. It is not saying that the holy days are done away with.

The Feasts (annual holy days) where not only commanded to be kept prior to Christ, they were also kept by Christ, and his apostles. If you look closely, you will find that the Church continued to observe these annual holy days after Christ's resurrection.

Acts: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."

There are six ordained Biblical Holy Days called Memorials or Festivals of God recorded in the Scriptures. Within these there are seven High Sabbaths or "Holy Convocations" which are in addition to the weekly Sabbath which is also a Holy Convocation. On these Sabbaths work is restricted.

Leviticus 23:1-2 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts." [Read all of Leviticus 23]

Leviticus 23:4-5 "These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. (read all of Leviticus 23)"

Deuteronomy 16:16-17 "Three times during the year must all the males appear before the Lord at the place that he shall choose. At the feast of unleavened bread, and at the feast of weeks, and at the feast of tabernacles, and they can not appear without an offering, every man will give according to the blessings he has received from the Lord." [Note that all males must appear before the LORD in the place which he shall choose, where he has placed his name, with an offering during three of these]

A Biblical month begins when the Crescent New Moon becomes visible. In (1 Samuel 20:5; Eziekiel 46:1) the word “chodesh” comes from the root ch.d.sh., which means “new”.
The only thing that can be considered new is when the crescent becomes visible again.

Keep in mind that the new moon is not visible for approximately two days/nights, and if not spotted by the 3rd day, it becomes the 1st day of the month. A year in the Hebrew calendar can be 353, 354, 355, 383, 384, or 385 days long, unlike our present day calendars. The ancient Jewish calendar depended not on mathematical calculations and arrangements, but was set from month to month according the physical appearance of the new moon, it was necessary from time to time to “intercalate” a thirteenth month be fore the Passover, to prevent its being moved back into the winter. There is no mention that the new moon (rosh chodesh) had to fall after the vernal equinox, only that Passover or the full moon must fall after the vernal equinox. The full moon usually occurs 14 to 15 days after the new moon. Therefore, the ancients did not base their calendar on the first new moon after the vernal equinox, but rather on the first new moon that fell closest to the vernal equinox, which means the new moon could fall two or more weeks before the vernal equinox, just as long as Passover (which was on the fourteenth day of the first month at the time of the full moon) would occur after the vernal equinox. If it didn’t, then the Jews added a thirteenth month.

The calendar is based on the Biblical system of observing the new moon in Palestine. Whenever possible calculated dates should be confirmed by actual observations in Palestine. Calculating may have been acceptable prior to today's abilities of observing the new moon in Palestine and then broadcasting it to the whole world, but that is no longer a valid excuse.
The first month is called Nissan , also known as Abib [because the barley was in the green ear phase, yet it has nothing to do with the actual determination of the first month]. The sighting of the new moon [First visible sliver by the naked eye], first new moon that falls closest to the vernal equinox, as long as Passover after the vernal equinox.
Passover [count 14 days from that visible moon], from this you can calculate unleavened [on the 15 day].
Feast of Harvest also known as Feast of Weeks, First Fruits, and Pentecost. Count seven Sabbaths plus one day [50 days] from the day after the weekly Sabbath that occurs during Unleavened Bread.
Trumpets [1st day of the 7th month], Atonement [10th day of the 7th month], Tabernacles [15th day of the 7th month], and the Eight Day [eighth day after the start of Tabernacles] is determined by the visible new moon in the seventh month, or seventh new moon.
No month can have more than 30 days in it.

There are seven annual High Sabbaths each year:

Passover: In the 14th day of the 1st month in the dark portion of the day. It commemorates the LORD'S Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians.
Unleavened Bread: The 15th day of the 1st month. It commemorates the Exodus from Egypt in haste, and one must eat the bread of affliction (unleavened) for seven days, from the 15th day of the month until the 21st day of the month. Only the 1^st day and the 7^th day are High Sabbaths.
Feast of First Fruits / Weeks. To figure it's date, you count seven Sabbaths plus one day from the day after the weekly Sabbath that occurs during Unleavened Bread. Always falls on a Sunday. It is a celebration of the harvest. It is a Holy Day or High Sabbath.
Trumpets: On the 1st day of the 7th month. It is memorial to the day in which God descended upon the earth to be with, and to speak with his people. We are commanded to have a memorial by blowing trumpets. It is a Holy Day or High Sabbath.
Atonement: On the 10th day of the 7th month. You are to afflict your souls, no food or water for 24 hours, to show that you want to be clean / repent from all your sins. It is a Holy Day or High Sabbath.
Tabernacles: Also known as the Feast of Booths, that generations may remember Israel had to dwell in booths when brought out of the land of Egypt. Falls on the 15th day of the 7th month and the 1st day is a Holy Day or High Sabbath.
Eight Day: The eight day after the start of Tabernacles is a somber assembly, and represents consecration. Is a Holy Day or High Sabbath.

Passover

The Observance of Passover was a memorial feast to commemorate the freeing of God's people from the bonds of slavery in Egypt. This annual Observance is celebrated the first month of Abib on the 14th day according to Gods calendar.

Passover also marks the beginning of the seven days of unleavened bread. During unleavened the first fruits of that years grain harvest could not be eaten until wave sheaf offering was brought to the priest, who in turn waved it before God.

The feast should be a constant reminder to us of the need to remove sin from our lives, just as we remove leavening from our homes beginning on the fourteenth of Abib for seven days.

Exodus 12:11-20 "it is the Lords Passover This day will be a memorial, and you will keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations."

Exodus 12:25-27 "And when it comes to pass that your children ask you what this service means, you will say, it is the sacrifice of the Lords Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, that he smote the Egyptians, and protected our homes."

Exodus 12:42-49 "It is a night of watching to be much observed to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is the night of the Lord to be kept by all the descendants [as Christians we become spiritually adopted] of Israel in their generations..."

Exodus 13:3 "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten."

Leviticus 23:4 "These are the appointed times of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim at times appointed for them. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover."

Numbers 9:1-14 "... keep the Passover at its appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month at dark you will keep in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, you will keep it... And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land."

Numbers 28:16-18 "And on the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover to the Lord."

Deuteronomy 16:1-7 "You will therefore sacrifice the Passover to the Lord ... in the place the Lord chooses to place his name. Observe in the month of Abib the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib God brought you out of Egypt by might. You will therefore sacrifice the Passover to the Lord from the flock and from the herd in the place the Lord chooses to place his name."

Ezekiel 45:21 "In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the Passover..."

Second Passover Observance

The Passover Observance is so important to God that He has a second date for its Observance for those that could not make it for the first date.

Numbers 9:6-14 "And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it... And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land."

2 Chronicles 30:1-3 "And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel. For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem."

New Testament Observance

Matthew26:17-29 "Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, where will you have us prepare for the eating of the Passover. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed and prepared the Passover."

Mark 14:12-24 "And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, his disciples said to him, Where will you have us go and prepare the Passover to eat?..."

Luke 22:8-16 "And he [Jesus] sent Peter and John, saying, go and prepare us the Passover that we may eat. I shall eat the Passover with my disciples. And he said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God" [notice here that Christ will be keeping the feast when the kingdom of God comes to earth].

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 "For Christ is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Institution of the Passover Service / Lord's Supper

Jesus asked his disciples to remember that he had to pour out his blood unto death in order to bring the New Covenant into effect. So the killing of the Passover lamb is no longer required, Jesus our Christ replaces that part of Passover. Keep in mind that this is to be a FEAST for seven days, so it appears that unleavened bread, wine, bitter herbs, and possibly lamb could make up the meal.

Matthew 26:26-28 "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. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Luke 22:14-20 "And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 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. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

1 Corinthians 11:24-30 "And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."

Mark 14:22-24 "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. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."

To feast on Christ is to do so spiritually through faith in him and through the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

As Christ says,

John 6:56 “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him”

Feast of Unleavened Bread

Commemorates the Exodus from Egypt in haste in which they ate the bread of affliction (unleavened bread) for seven days. It is held from the 15th [1st day a Sabbath] day of the month until the 21st day [21st day a Sabbath] of the month.

Defining Leavening

Leavened Bread H4682 matstsâh = in the sense of greedily devouring for sweetness; properly sweetness; concretely sweet (that is, not soured or bittered with yeast); specifically an unfermented cake or loaf, or (elliptically) the festival of Passover (because no leaven was then used): - unleavened (bread, cake), without leaven.

Leaven H7603; seor = barm or yeast cake (as swelling by fermentation): - leaven.

Leavened H2557; châmêts = ferment, (figuratively) extortion: - leaven, leavened (bread).

So leaven refers to fermented or acidic dough, or a piece of leavened dough from a previous baking, which is used to leaven new dough. And leavened refers to a bread product that has a leavening agent in it, whether by natural or chemical means. The word leaven comes from the Latin meaning to raise.

Below is a list of leavening agents.

The following should be considered leaven: Most yeast packets would be considered Leaven due to the way they are manufactured.

Yeast
Baker’s yeast
Active dried yeast

The following agents alone are NOT leavened. For this reason, there’s no need to remove these leavening agents from y our homes unless you are convicted of doing so.

Baking powder
Baking soda
Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate)
Ammonium carbonate
Ammonium bicarbonate
Potassium carbonate
Potassium bicarbonate
Dipotassium carbonate

Exodus 12:12-20 "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 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. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened H4682 bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven H7603 out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened H2557 bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened H4682 bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened H4682 bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven H7603 found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened H2557, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened H2557; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened H4682 bread."

Exodus 13:6-10 "Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year."

Exodus 23:15 "Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)"

Leviticus 23:5-8 "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein."

Numbers 28:17-18 "And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:"

Deuteronomy 16:1-8 "... And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: 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. 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. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein."

Feast of Firstfruits

Though it is not a Sabbath, it occurs during the first day of Unleavened which is a Sabbath, it is required in determining the timing of the Feast of Weeks. The Israelites could not eat until the wave-sheaf offering had been made on the first day.

Leviticus 23:9-14 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 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. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. 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."

Feast of Weeks

In determining the date of this festival, unlike the other feast dates that have a set date in the year, you count seven Sabbaths plus one day from the day after the Sabbath that occurs during Unleavened Bread.

Exodus 34:22 "And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end"

Leviticus 23:10-21 "... And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, 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. And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days;... And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations."

Numbers 28:26 "Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:"

Deuteronomy 16:9-11 "Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the grain. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there."

New Testament Observance

Acts 2:1 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."

Acts: 20:16 "For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost."

1 Corinthians: 16:8 "But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost."

Trumpets

This day is a Sabbath day, with a memorial of blowing of trumpets.

A memorial of the day that God descended upon the earth to be with, and to speak with his people.

Exodus 19:17-20 "And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up."

Leviticus 23:24-25 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein:"

Numbers 29:1 "And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you."

Psalms 81:3-5 "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not."

New Testament Observance

Matthew 24:30-31 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other"

1 Corinthians 15:52 "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

This is a Sabbath day of fasting, no food or water.

Leviticus16:29-34 "And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you... It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever... And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses."

Leviticus 23:27-32 "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls,...And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath."

Numbers 29:7 "And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:"

New Testament Observance

Acts 27:9 "Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast [atonement] was now already past, Paul admonished them,"

Tabernacles

This festival brought the whole country together in one location before God, in which they were commanded to stay in temporary shelters made from plants. The first and last days are observed as Sabbath days.

There are those that have decided to separate the last day into it's own special day, it is not! It is part of the Tabernacles Observance. The first seven days they were commanded to rejoice "therefore thou shalt surely rejoice" in feasting, but on the last day (eighth day) the rejoicing and feasting was to come to an end in a solemn assembly.

Leviticus 23:34-43 " The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein... on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; ... it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations,... on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

Numbers 29:12-35 "And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days:... On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:"

Deuteronomy 16:13-17 "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, ... And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 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. 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: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee."

Deuteronomy 31:10-11 " At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing."

Nehemiah 8:14-18 "And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner."

New Testament Observance

John 7:2-14 "Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews. Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught."

Eight Day

Leviticus 23:34-43 " The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein... on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; ... it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations,... on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

Numbers 29:12-35 "And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days:... On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:"

Nehemiah 8:14-18 "And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner."

The eighth day represents consecration. Consecration is what we see whenever the Bible mentions the eighth day. It’s a process having to do with the consecration, dedication, purification or cleansing of sacrifices or man kind in order to be accepted in the sight God. After seven days of preparation we meet the Lord on the eighth day.

Exodus 22:29-31 "Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs."

Leviticus 22:27 "When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD."

Ezekiel 43:26-27 "Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves. And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD."

Key Points

Some of the days are Sabbaths. Once the Lord dedicates a day as holy, a Sabbath day, it can not be changed to a non-Sabbath day by man. It must be kept as a Sabbath, no matter where you live, a Sabbath of the Lord remains a Sabbath.
Three are to be kept in Jerusalem.

The verses below makes it clear about keeping at least three of the Lords festivals, Passover, Feast of Harvest, and Tabernacles only in Jerusalem. The reasoning for this is most likely due to the fact that the Lord takes pleasure in watching his creation being happy / joyous. Thus they were to come together in one place in a festive atmosphere of eating, singing, and dance.

Deuteronomy 16:5-6 "Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: 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."

Deuteronomy 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:"

Notice also what the Catholic John Chrysostom wrote in 387 A.D.

"In speaking about this feast of the Passover, the Law says to them something such as this: "You will not be able to keep the Passover in any of the cities which the Lord your God gives to you." The Law bids them keep the feast on the fourteenth day of the first month and in the city of Jerusalem. The Law also narrowed down the time and place for the Observance of Pentecost, when it commanded them to celebrate the feast after seven weeks, and again, when it stated: "In the place which the Lord your God chooses." So also the Law fixed the feast of Tabernacles. (4) Now let us see which of the two, time or place, is more necessary, even though neither the one nor the other has the power to save. Must we scorn the place but observe the time? Or should we scorn the time and keep the place? What I mean is something such as this. The Law commanded that the Passover be held in the first month and in Jerusalem, at a prescribed time and in a prescribed place...But the Passover comes to an end on the twenty-first of that month. If they began the feast on the fourteenth day of the first month and then continued it for seven days, they then come to the twenty-first ...the Law said they must not observe those rituals outside Jerusalem" (John Chrysostom. Homily IV Against the Jews IV:3-4,V:4,5. Catholic Christians of Antioch. Turning to Sabbath and The New Moon Day and Other Holy Days. 387 A.D.).

Scripture even states that the feasts will again be observed after the return of Jesus.

Zechariah 8:19 " Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace."

Zechariah 14:14-19 "And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even 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 whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles."

Nahum 1:15 "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off."

The question is if they where kept prior to, during, and will again be kept after his return, should we be keeping them now and how?

Yes it is true that Christ did away with the sacrifices, but he did not do away with the Sabbaths, they still remain. It is clear that sacrifices were also offered on the weekly Sabbath, but this does not do away with the weekly Sabbath, in fact, sacrifices were offered on every day of the year (Numbers. 28:3).

So the answer to the question, "have the annual feasts ( Holy Days or Sabbaths) been done away with at Christ's death?" No!

For more on where the Lord has placed his name Place where the Eternal has Placed His Name

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