God’s Word does not change. His plans and ways stand the test of time, and what He wills, He accomplishes without any variation. The Appointments of our Creator highlighted in Leviticus 23 are a good example of this. Each of these “Feast Days” have a prophetic significance which is fulfilled and is yet to be fulfilled in Messiah Yeshua. They, just as the rest of His Word, cannot be changed, annulled or added to, till the Heavens and Earth themselves pass away. While many celebrate a variety of different Feasts and special days around the year, such as christmas and days venerating different saints, etc, God’s Holy days seem to be casted to the side as Old, Jewish and lacking. Nothing can be further from the truth. Casting His Word and “His Feasts”(as they are called in Lev 23:2) aside for days and traditions made by man was the exact “Sin of Jeroboam”, and one of many reasons that God sent “The House of Israel” into Assyrian Exile.
Jeroboam – The First King of the House of Israel
It all started with Solomon, son of David when he married many wives making covenants with the lands around them(1Kin 11:1,2). In his old age, Solomon was moved away from God by these many foreign wives(1Kin 11:3-8). And God, in His anger let many enemies rise around Solomon(1Kin 11:14-27). Furthermore, He would speak through Ahijah about His intentions to give 10 Tribes of the 12 to Jeroboam who Solomon had appointed ruler over the House of Joseph(1Kin 9-13 & 28-39). Only 2 Tribes consisting of Judah and Benjamin would be left for Solomon’s Son – Rehoboam(1Kin 12:21,23). So Jeroboam a man from the tribe of Ephraim would become the King of the 10 Tribes in the North known as the House of Israel/Ephraim/Joseph.
The Sin of Jeroboam
At the beginning of Jeroboam’s reign itself he did what he felt was right in his heart and before his eyes. As it reads,
1Ki 12:26-30 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
Not only did he appoint a place of his own making, as a worship place for God, he also made priests of anyone he deemed fit, making himself also a priest.
1Ki 12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
1Ki 13:33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
But his sin did not stop there; he went on to consecrate and make special feast (Appointed) days of his own.
1Ki 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
From this point onwards, the Sin of Jeroboam is mentioned more than 20 times in the Books of Kings till the end of the Kingdom of Israel in 722BC.
1Ki 13:34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
2Ki 17:22,23 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
Appointing our own ways of worship and ordaining our own special days was a detestable thing in the eyes of our Father in Heaven. If He and His Word does not change, maybe we should be much more hesitant at joining the ranks of Jeroboam in changing the ways God has ordained in His heavenly wisdom.
Also Read
The Parable of the Prodigal Son & the 2 Houses of Israel
What’s “out of place” in this picture of the Birth of Christ?
Was Christ born in December?
What was celebrated on December 25th before it became Christmas?
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We can’t do the feasts outside of Jerusalem. We have to wait until God returns us to the promised land.
Deuteronomy 16:5-7
King James Version
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee:
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.
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.
Deuteronomy 12:8-14
King James Version
8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you.
10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
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:
12 And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.
13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:
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.
2 Chronicles 30:1-3
King James Version
30 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.
2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.
3 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.
In Daniel 10, Daniel fasts from all pleasant flesh during the 1st month meaning he doesn’t eat the Passover lamb, and he’s not cut off for doing this like Numbers 9 says people who don’t keep the feasts will.
Daniel 10:1-4
King James Version
10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;
Furthermore, Paul has to return to Jerusalem to keep them.
Acts 18:21
King James Version
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.
Acts 20:16
King James Version
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.
There is a ton of prophecy against the end days people doing the feasts. Don’t be the Esau who sold his birthright for a meal.
Hosea 8:11-14
King James Version
11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
“Mine offerings”
Saying we have to keep the feasts is a stumblingblock for new believers, especially when we don’t even have the right calendar. It just causes a ton of confusion. We have to wait for God to restore us to the promised land. Doing God’s feasts in Babylon profanes them. Follow Daniel’s example.
Dear Matthew,
Please find my reply to you here
Also, I might add,
What are the “ton of prophecy” you are speaking of?
Please find the clear prophecy regarding the Sabbaths of the Lord in Isaiah 56.
Isa 56:4-7 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Be a blessing to everyone around you
Shalom!
I agree we are still supposed to keep the Sabbath in captivity since they did such in the book of Acts (but Paul had to go back to Jerusalem to do the feasts).
Since you asked about the prophecies I’ll provide.
Psalms 137:3-5
[3]For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
[4]How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
[5]If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
Isaiah 65:11-14
[11]But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
[12]Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and👉 did choose that wherein I delighted not.👈
[13]Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:
[14]Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
Isaiah 66:1-4
[1]Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
[2]For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look,👉 even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.👈
[3]He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
[4]I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, 👉and chose that in which I delighted not.👈
Hosea 6:6-7
[6]For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
[7]But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
(Yeshua quotes this twice in Matthew)
Psalms 51:16-17
[16]For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
[17]The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Jeremiah 7:21-24
[21]Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
[22]For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
[23]But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
[24]But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
Matthew 9:14-15
[14]Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
[15]And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come,👉 when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Luke 6:21,25
[21]Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
[25]Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Matthew 24:37-39,48-51
[37]But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[38]For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
[39]And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[48]But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
[49]And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
[50]The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
[51]And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Isaiah 22:12-14
[12]And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
[13]And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
[14]And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Amos 5:21-27
[21]I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
[22]Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
[23]Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
[24]But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
[25]Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
[26]But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
[27]Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.
The biggest issue with the feasts is that they become a stumblingblock for people who are trying to obey and come to the truth. Figuring out the calendar and the feasts is no easy task. Saying that it’s sinful to not be doing them when we aren’t even allowed to be doing them right now is a bad move. God isn’t happy when unjust stewards scatter his sheep by putting unnecessary burdens on them. Learn what the parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16 is really talking about.
Dear Matthew,
I hope you read what I shared with you. Are the verses you shared speaking of the issue in hand?
Are you misquoting these verses to fit your view? For an example, Amos 5 speaks of Israel worshiping at Bethel (ironically to calves made by Jeroboam). Jer 7, Ps 51, Isa 66 & Hos 6 asking people to be obedient rather than sacrifice after doing wrong.
You have not given answer to verses such as 1Cor 5:8, where we are to keep the remembrance of the feast, even if we cannot go to Jerusalem or offer sacrifices.
My friend, you are calling God’s Word & His Feast days a stumblingblock for the people who love Him and want to celebrate Him on His days. I still do not see where we are not allowed to keep the feast days – these are special days to remember Him! All of us will give an account for what we have taught to the Master when He returns – As far as I know, God’s Word is not burdensome!
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Be a blessing to everyone around you
Shalom!
In 1 Corinthians 5 you’ll see that Paul says to celebrate the feast without the old leaven of malice and wickedness yet there are disagreements and arguments about what day we are supposed to even do them on. How are we supposed to keep the feasts without the right calendar? He’s just using the feast to make the point that a little leaven (sin) leavens the whole lump (church). You’re right that God’s commandments are not burdensome. But figuring out the whole calendar system? God wants his people to quickly repent and start keeping the holy covenants of promise mentioned in Ephesians 2. The feasts will be sanctified when we do them in the land after God restores his people to it. Then God will restore his feasts and his new moons (Isaiah 66:23). There are a lot of lost sheep who get super distressed about not knowing how to do the feasts correctly and on what day. We aren’t going to figure out the calendar until God restores it. Jubilees 6 and Enoch 80 both speak of this.
Micah 6:6-8
King James Version
6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
This is what God really desires. Mercy is the covenants, not the entire sacrificial law.
Deuteronomy 7:9
King James Version
9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Galatians 3:19
King James Version
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Deuteronomy 5:22
King James Version
22 These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: ->and he added no more.<- And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
Dear Matthew,
Using Jubilees and Enoch to suggest that we cannot keep God’s Appointments, is not a fair approach. Calendar issues were present in the times of Yeshua amongst Pharisees and Sadducees. But that did not deter them from keeping it. While you say I am distressing people by telling them to keep the feasts, you are of the view that we should tell people not to keep them because we cannot be certain whether the day we celebrate is the perfect one. I think we must provide the evidence to people to make their own decisions. My point is that people keep celebrations such as christmas while disregarding God’s special days. If you think you should not keep the feast it is upto you, but do not tell the person who is trying to turn to God, not to do it, if you cannot do it perfectly.
Please consider the below:
2Ch 30:17-20 For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified: therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto the LORD. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
It is the heart that God looks at… you may not be able to do it perfectly, but if you are trying to please Him according to what you know from God’s Word, will He not accept your worship?
Be a blessing to everyone around you
Shalom!
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