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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and material written by Jeffrey T. Maehr. Common Law Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved. Reproduction allowed if credit to thegodkind.org is listed with material. All other authors or copyrights listed accordingly.
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