Posted on 04/19/2013 9:44:14 PM PDT by DouglasKC
Why do most people keep holidays that are different from the festivals listed and described in the pages of the Bible?
Why do most people keep holidays that are different from the festivals listed and described in the pages of the Bible? When were the biblical feasts abandoned, and why? How can we be sure which sacred days Christians should observe?
Here are the answers!
Jesus Himself set an example for us (1 John 2:6) in observing the sacred festivals commanded in the Holy Scriptures (Matthew 26:17; Mark 1:21; Luke 4:16, 31; John 7:8-10, 14, 37). His apostles and their converts, walking in His footsteps and following His example, continued observing the same festivals (Acts 2:1; 12:2-4; 16:13; 18:4, 19, 21; 20:6; 27:9; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). The Encyclopaedia Britannica (13th edition), under Festivals," states that it is "abundantly clear that Christ and His disciples observed the appointed Jewish feasts."
Faithful Christians continued, for several centuries after Christ's death, to follow His and the apostles' examples in keeping the festivals. But this all changed when a politicized and paganized form of Christianity developed within the Roman Empire.
Historian Stewart Easton explains how and when the change occurred—with the help of the Roman emperors. "Constantine [A.D. 306-337], though not baptized a Christian until he was on his deathbed, took an active interest in the [Christian] religion, presiding over the important Council of Nicea ... During the fourth century, under imperial protection ..., the Christian religion ... made rapid progress, even in the rural areas where the old gods had never altogether lost their appeal. When at the end of the century (A.D. 392) [Emperor] Theodosius I decreed that henceforth Christianity was to be the only religion in the [Roman] empire, the countryside perforce had to submit and adopt at least the forms of Christianity. But it would probably have been difficult for any observer to detect much difference ... It is clear that these folk knew little enough of the teachings or theology of Christianity, and the festivals and ceremonies of paganism for the most part were incorporated directly into the new official religion ( The Heritage of the Past: From the Earliest Times to 1500 , 1964, p. 402, emphasis added).
Charles Guignebert, who was a professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Paris, describes the continuation of the process: "Now at the beginning of the fifth century, the ignorant and the semi-Christians thronged into the Church in numbers ... They had forgotten none of their pagan customs ... The bishops of that period had to content themselves with redressing, as best they could, and in experimental fashion, the shocking malformations of the Christian faith which they perceived around them ... They had to be content with ... postponing until a later date the task of eradicating their superstitions, which they preserved intact ... This 'later date' never arrived, and the Church adapted to herself, as well as she could, them and their customs and beliefs. On their side, they were content to dress up their paganism in a Christian cloak" ( The Early History of Christianity , 1927, pp. 208-210, emphasis added). During this time—in the early centuries after the passing of the original apostles—observance of biblical practices, including the seventh-day Sabbath and God's festivals, practically disappeared from the new and growing religion. They were replaced with other practices and a new set of religious holidays.
Prophecy, however, reveals that God will require the whole world to observe these same biblical festivals in the future. For example, Zechariah prophesies that God will require people to attend the Feast of Tabernacles after Christ returns (Zechariah 14:16). Isaiah prophesies that people of all lands will regularly keep the weekly Sabbath during Christ's millennial reign (Isaiah 66:23 ). Isaiah and Micah prophesy of that time: "Many nations shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.' For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem" (Micah 4:2; compare Isaiah 2:3).
Some faithful Christians to this day observe the sacred festivals, the same festivals of God that Christ kept. God instituted these annual occasions to keep His people aware of Christ's mission as the Messiah. These sacred days really are Christian festivals in every respect, and Christians everywhere should observe them.
Talk about bizarre!
I want the reader to observe the spitting, snarling, the insults, the invectives, hurled against me SIMPLY for wanting to observe the very same holy days that Jesus Christ himself observed. Amazing ain't it?
Thanks Douglas. I love G-d’s Holy Feasts and have abandoned the pagan ones. Unfortunately, this type of topic usually IS met with ......resistance. Someday it won’t be, but for now...it is.
Bondage is SIN...SIN is bondage. G-d’s word was never bondage and SIN was always bondage. We are freed from the bondage of sin, not of G-d’s beautiful, rich, nourishing word which is a lamp unto our feet. I love His word...all of it. I love His instructions because they show us how to walk, the kinds of things that actually please HIM. His word/instructions/Torah doesn’t show us how to sin, but it shows us what sin is.
I’m sooo ready for His redemption. Thankfully we see signs of it’s soon arrival.
Shabbat Shalom brother!
Thank you so much for the uplifting and gracious post! Have a fantastic sabbath!
You’ve got a set on you don’t you? If I wanted to insult you, you’d know it. I told you the truth in that last post, but you apparently would rather pretend I insulted you personally, like a liberal trying to argue against the Christian teaching on marriage by saying basically “waaah you hurt my feelings”.
I’m done here.
I'm not playing "you hurt my feelings" really...I truly am amazed at the amount of vitriol, personal or not, that comes when someone dares to say that they would rather observe the holy days of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ones he created and kept. And now you compared me to a liberal...the worst insult one could do on FreeRepublic! :-)
“The central tenets of British Israelism have been refuted by evidence from modern genetic, linguistic, archaeological and philological research. The doctrine continues, however, to have a significant number of adherents.”
http://bioanthropology.huji.ac.il/pdf/Nebel_2001b.pdf
Human genetics does not support British Israelism’s notion of a close lineal link between Jews and Western Europeans. Genetic research on the Y-chromosomes of Jews has found that Jews are closely related to other populations originating in the Middle East, such as Kurds, Turks, Armenians and Arabs, and concluded that:
Middle Eastern populations...are closely related and...their Y chromosome pool is distinct from that of Europeans. (Nebel, 2001.)[30]
Y-DNA Haplogroups J2 and, to a lesser extent, J1 are most commonly identified in Jewish people, which is in contrast to Western Europeans. The more distant Haplogroup R1b is the most commonly identified in Europeans.[31][32][33][34]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Israelism
The "I know better and have the truth and I will lecture you about it" is off putting to most breathing creatures.
A better person would have acknowledged a commentator's differing viewpoint and moved on. However, your posts indicate nothing more than an argumentative spirit combined with a vast ego of superiority. That offends even pagans.
My suggestion to you is to immerse yourself in scripture so you can produce a better character in yourself. If the feasts are so important to you, then pray that God will change people's minds, since it is very apparent you have no ability to do so.
The festivals were for the Jewish people only that is why.
Because those holidays are for Jews, who reject Jesus, and for Shabbos Goys.
Absolutely right Biggirl.
"Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." Col. 2:16-17
End of story.
Can the Old Covenant festivals be seen as Christian? Does it matter that, when He was among us that the Old Covenant was in force and the New Covenant didn’t begin until He arose? When He spoke and acted, it was in obedience to the Old Covenant because He was the only one who ever walked the Earth that could be 100% obedient and deserving of and by Himself. I may not be a theologian, but it seems that many get the Old and New Covenants mixed up and fail to allow for the differences.
To which also enters the Jerusalem Council’s conclusions as well. Further supporting what you say.
If it were ONLY my perceived arrogance then these types of thread would quickly die.
I think it's something more.
I think both Protestants and Catholics absolutely HATE the idea Christians keeping the holy days of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Supposedly Christians have Christian liberty. Yet here you are too instead of just saying "God bless you for keeping SOME kind of holy day" you need to come on this thread, make an effort to read it, and instead of dealing with the topic turn around and blame me!
What is it about the holy days that are so offensive to you?
That's not what scripture says:
Joh 12:20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.
Greeks aren't Jews. Yet here they were, in biblical times, observing the very same days that Jesus created and kept.
Isa 56:6 "Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant—
Isa 56:7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."
"Sons of foreigners" are not Jews. God says that if non-Jews observe his sabbaths...and his holy days ARE sabbaths...then his house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL nations...not just the jewish nation.
No, there the notion that the holy days of Jesus Christ are just for Jews is built strictly on mistaken tradition.
Besides WHY are they only for the Jews IF we have Christian liberty to worship on any days we want? Do you believe that?
God's holy days were created BEFORE the old covenant was struck. They are part of the old covenant (and new) but they exist outside of any covenant.
Besides, if you believe in the concept of Christian liberty why is it "bad" for me to observe holy days created by Jesus Christ that are IN the bible...yet it's not "bad" for you to observe days that were invented by man and are NOT in the bible?
Excuse me, but what have I said that I've made up "whole cloth"?
I've basically asked...why does Christian liberty allow one to worship on any day they desire, keep any kind of strange holiday they want, but EXCLUDES the one and only days that Jesus Christ created and kept himself? Doesn't "Christian" mean one who follows Christ?
This reminds me of the circumcision arguments in Acts 15.
You got it. Just more to put the burden on those who follow Christ.
Thank-you and God Bless.
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