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What we call the Plan of God, is beautifully laid out within the pages of the Bible. This plan, however, is largely unknown or not understood, or at best, misunderstood. As the other pages describe in detail, there is a vast amount of confusion about this subject, BUT THERE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE.

God designed and laid out this plan in what He calls His HOLY DAYS. This series of 7 periods of time He instituted are for OUR benefit today, although they were first instituted ages ago as Leviticus 23:1-44 reveals. They keep us in remembrance of this plan, and help us to focus on the truth and NOT on substitutes cleverly instituted centuries ago by the great deceiver who is man's enemy.

Most consider these days to be "Jewish," or they don't consider them to have any meaning at all, especially for modern day Christians. We will briefly discuss each of these 7 HOLY DAYS and describe HOW they explain the Plan of God. These days are all discussed in Leviticus 23, and are mentioned or alluded to many places in the New Testament as well. These descriptions are only superficial as there is a vast amount of information on each subject that you can study later via available booklets and articles. Keep in mind that these Holy Days have typically been regarded as "Jewish," however, if you understand that God does not respect "persons" and doesn't require different things from different people, then you will realize that His plan includes ALL MANKIND.

This is but a brief discussion of the specific Holy Days and what they mean. Much more is available through our resource page.

Passover:

The Passover isn't classified as a Holy Day, but it IS the MOST important aspect of God's plan. This observance is most often viewed as a "Jewish" festival, and that it has little or nothing to do with traditional Christian religions.

The Passover portrays the sacrifice of the Christ. This sacrifice was necessary because all mankind has earned the death penalty. That penalty could not be paid by any human being who had sinned. The Passover, first instituted in the Old Testament, was established as a yearly reminder of sin and that only by death could sin be forgiven. The sacrifice of animals was just a reminder of the fact that sin existed and it looked forward to the time when the Christ would come to pay the penalty we all have on our heads.

The Passover is the time when Christians renew the New Testament covenant with God. It reminds us of His plan and our calling, and what we are a part of... our responsibility in this covenant.

Isaiah 53 describes this event quite vividly. In addition, the apostles were with Christ for His last Passover, a Passover Christ very much wanted to keep with His apostles:

Luke 22:12Luke 22:15 Then He said to them, "With [fervent] desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

Christ later states plainly that He showed them new symbols to be used in keeping the Passover, since His death would negate the need for sacrifices, and the "spiritual" creation and intent of God's plan was going to begin:

John 13:15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

Christ also tells His apostles to teach all the things that He had shown them up to that point.

Matthew 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age." Amen.

The Passover with His apostles was a special one because Christ instituted some new "symbols" and asked that the Passover be done in remembrance of Him. This Period of time, though not a classic Holy Day, is a very serious time for Christians who understand what it means.

Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke [it,] and gave [it] to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

The Passover begins the Plan of God because without this sacrifice, mankind has no hope of achieving the forgiveness OR the character we need. Christ paid the penalty in our place which opened the way for mankind to become like God. As long as sin remained, and the penalty unpaid, we could not even BEGIN the journey.

For a complete discussion on the Passover Day and meaning, please go to CBCG.org, or write to The Christian Biblical Church of God, P.O. Box 1442, Hollister, CA 95024-1442, and ask for "The Christian Passover" Book. It is a large book, full of details on the TRUE Passover for Christianity.

Feast of Unleavened Bread:

This is a funny name for a period of time that describes a part of the plan of God. However when you understand the symbolic meaning of leavening, you will see the lesson God wants us to learn.

Even though repentant Christians have been forgiven for making the wrong decisions in our lives, portrayed by the Passover, we STILL need to grow and to OVERCOME the influence of Satan's mind and the wrong pulls of the flesh, and literally be conformed to the same image and state of mind that Christ Himself IS.. This process is described nicely in the following scriptures:

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them.

Colossians 1:15 (Christ) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Hebrews 1:3 (Christ) who being the brightness of [His] (God's) glory and the express image of His person . . .

John 14:7-11 "If you had known Me (Christ), you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own [authority;] but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 "Believe Me that I [am] in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

John 17:20-21 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21"that they all may be one, as You, Father, [are] in Me, and I in You. . .

POINT: Christ is the exact image and has the same mind and character as God. He reflected, perfectly, the nature of God. OUR DESTINY IS TO BE MADE LIKE CHRIST. . .

John 17:20-21 " I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, [are] in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us. . .

Ephesians 4:14-15 "That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he (Christ) might be the firstborn among "MANY" brethren.

1 Corinthians 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Peter 1:4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption [that is] in the world through lust.

POINT: The awesome truth is that just as God's very nature and character is perfect and righteous, so to is Christ's. From the above, you can see that HUMANITY'S destiny is to be LIKE the Father and Son. In other words, we will become like the God kind, sharing the very nature of God, being an actual part of His family.

Remember, the whole concept of family, sons, daughters, marriage, etc., is NOT OURS. It began with God. It is HIS design and structure. It reflects the very relationship the Father has with the Son. (Remember, the Son, was not ALWAYS the "Son" in eternity past. . .see Christ!) THAT is why you see such problems with relationships in the world today. The family structure is a God designed and God EXPERIENCED relationship, but Satan KNOWS that to destroy IT, will weaken humanities relationship to each other.

The concept of putting leavening out of the house for 7 days helps remind us that sin is like leaven and must be constantly put away from us. yes, Christ's sacrifice removes the PENALTY of sin, but the NATURE of sin remains and we are STILL capable of sinning. Unless we grow from that state, to one which is responsive to God and His spirit, we have no hope of eternal life simply because GOD WILL NOT RESURRECT SOMEONE TO ETERNAL LIFE WHO DOES NOT HAVE CHRIST'S NATURE AND CHARACTER.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying [is] not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are (physically) unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.

POINT: Leaven is equated with sin in various ways. A little leaven can be added to a large batch of bread and it will eventually "raise" the bread throughout the entire loaf. The analogy is simple. Sin, acting like leaven, can begin small, yet it can overtake all we do, IF we don't work to put it out of our lives. There are people in this world who have given totally over to their natural mind and the nature of sin has completely engulfed their minds. God provides His spirit to us so we CAN control this nature and even overcome it.

Revelation 3:21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me (Christ) on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 21:7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

John 16:33 "These things I (Christ) have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Matthew 24:13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

You see, it isn't enough to simply "believe and you shall be saved." (See Saved!) Throughout the Bible, you see the theme of overcoming, enduring, fighting, and the like. How can one apply such words to life and reaching the kingdom if they are already saved by simply believing? You need to understand what God is doing on this earth.

Pentecost:

The Feast of Pentecost portrays the availability of God's power. God did not make access to His power generally available until Pentecost Day in 30AD. It is the "Feast of FIRSTfruits," Christ being the "FIRST of the Firstfruits." (Rev. 14:3-4). This is the small spring harvest of God's children to be married to Christ and rule with Him during the millennium, (Feast of Tabernacles) as compared to the much larger harvest of humanity that the Last Great Day portrays.

Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and [one] sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, (languages - see Acts 2:4-11) as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Up until that time, God's spirit was NOT available to mankind, except in a few instances in the Old Testament where God had His Prophets and a few others doing His work.

God makes it plain that His spirit is the only way mankind can achieve his potential;

Zechariah 4:6 ...'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know [them,] because they are spiritually discerned.

Romans 8:7-9 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

Romans 15:19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Acts 5:32 "And we are His witnesses to these things, and [so] also [is] the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."

As you read in the other pages, without God's spirit available to us, we have no way to overcome Satan, the world or ourselves, to be like Christ. Only through God's spirit can mankind achieve a relationship with the living God and His Son. It is through the receiving of God's spirit that we are able to experience the truth behind the "Days of Unleavened Bread." By God's power, we CAN overcome all the obstacles and grow into the stature and fullness of Christ.

Feast of Trumpets:

This Holy Day is a classic reminder of the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. There are many Old and New Testament scriptures pointing to this event.

In the book of revelation, you see the use of trumpets to signal Christ's return, as well as God's correction being unleashed on the world. The trumpet is a sound of WARNING.

In Ezekiel 33, you see how warning is included with the blowing of the trumpet. Part of the plan of God includes the return of the Christ, not only to put down the forces which will come out to meet Him, but to RULE the earth in justice and mercy, something the world is sorely lacking today.

Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

You will notice that these 7 trumpets are about to sound just prior to Christ's return, and include His return when the 7th trumpet sounds.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed -- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Matthew 24:31 "And He (Christ) will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

These scriptures clearly show the significance of this Holy Day and all it means to mankind.

Day of Atonement:

This day is perhaps the most mis-understood Holy Day of all. The day of Atonement, or At-One-Ment, is the fulfillment of Mankind being fully reconciled to God. The cause of much of the world's problems is Satan the Devil. He will ultimately have to answer for this and be PUT AWAY (perhaps destroyed) from the presence of God and His family. With his being put away, mankind can have a better chance to use their own free will to make right decisions, and along with God's spirit, be changed into Christ's image.

In addition to Leviticus 23, Leviticus 16 describes this day in a ceremonial sort of way, but all pointing toward the future time when Satan will be shut up. Regardless of his hand in our lives, he will ultimately answer for his part, AND HE KNOWS IT.

Revelation 20:2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is [the] Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

The two goats in Leviticus represent Christ and Satan. Christ, being human, was slain. Satan hasn't died so he is symbolically taken out into the wilderness and released, which will be fulfilled in the future when he will be "put away:" Jude 13 - Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (Possibly death)

Revelation 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Atonement is a day that God requires mankind to "afflict our souls," or as other scriptures reveal, fast. This means to go without food or water for the entire day (24 hours) as a way of humbling ourselves and turning toward God:

Leviticus 23:27 + 32 "Also the tenth [day] of this seventh month [shall be] the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. 32 "It [shall be] to you a Sabbath of [solemn] rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth [day] of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath."

Some could question what this term "afflict your souls" means, but the scriptures show us clearly what the term means:

Isaiah 58:3 'Why have we fasted,' [they say,] 'and You have not seen? [Why] have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.

Isaiah 58:10 [If] you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall [be] as the noonday.

Since the Day of Atonement was a well-known Holy Day in New Testament times, there isn't much mentioned on the day, but it IS alluded to, and Paul mentions it:

Acts 27:9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the "Fast" was already over, Paul advised them . . .

(As a side note, the word "soul" used above is another proof that soul refers to the physical life, not something that we "have" inside us. See Soul!)

Feast of Tabernacles:

This 7 day period is a type of the 1000 year Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. It reminds us of the time when God will rule and this earth will be full of happiness, abundance, and all evil, wars, etc., will be stopped. It is a time when the human family will prosper and fill the earth, and God's ways will be learned by everyone left alive after the Great Tribulation, as well as those who are born during the 1000 years.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years... on this earth Rev 5:10.

The New Testament mentions this Feast as well:

Acts 18:21 but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing." And he sailed from Ephesus.

Paul mentions the Feast and clearly shows that it was his intent to observe this festival. If the Holy Days were not a Christian issue, Paul had ample opportunity to make that plain.

This 7 day festival is a taste of what the millennium will be like.

The Last Great Day:

This Holy Day is mentioned in Leviticus, but not as "The Last Great Day." This name was taken from the description of Christ's words spoken on this day.

John 7:37 On the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

This is the 8th day, the day after the 7 day feast portraying the millennium. This Day is perhaps the most hopeful for all mankind in general. This day portrays the time at the end of the millennium, when all those who never heard about God's plan or Christ will be resurrected to physical life and given the opportunity to learn the truth and to respond to God. All the countless billions who lived and died before Christ's birth, and those who will yet live and die in the future, will ALL be given the same chance as everyone else. If you have read the material about salvation and what death really means, you will see how this fits into the plan.

Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.

Revelation 20:11-13 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books (of the Bible) were opened (to their understanding). And another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (over their lifetimes) according to their works, by the things which were written in the books (of the Bible). 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

A loving, just God would NOT condemn billions of people to eternal death simply because they were born in the wrong century, or didn't have the chance to hear about the truth. (John 6:44) On the other hand, there is no other way to achieve our destiny without the knowledge of Christ:

Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

So, the Last Great Day shows God's mercy and kindness in remembering ALL mankind and including them in His incredible plan, if they so choose at that time of their calling.

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