Bible Study Holidays of the Bible

[willow the wip]

I agree bob we should keep the feast of passover to remember Christ by.

the last supper was an a meal not a form of taking the bread and the wine that came after the last supper not during.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

Several years ago I came to realize that most of the arguments about whether Christians should observe the biblical festivals or not were largely irrelevant. They
depended on interlaced proof texts, and both sides had enough proof texts to defend themselves against the other. What I came to see was that the issue would never be settled by this kind of argument.

One year at the Feast of Tabernacles, I came to realize that there was a strong Christian connection here. Not merely in what Christians do, but in what Christ did. I did the necessary work to follow through the chronological implications of Jesus’ birth and realized that Jesus was most likely born on or near the first day of the Feast. And I realized then that I had closed a circle.

In the beginning of his Gospel, John introduced us to the concept of the Word of God. It is a familiar passage: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made†(John 1:1-3).

Then, John plainly identifies the Word as Jesus Christ: “And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us†(verse 14). The word, “dwelt,†in Greek is
the verb form of the word “tabernacle.â€Â

John said that “the Word was made flesh, and tabernacled among us.†I realized that I now saw the life, work, and ministry of Jesus in every single one of the holydays.

Once you understand that the festivals of the Bible are all about Christ and His work, the idea that they might be abolished becomes absurd. And all the typical proof texts have to be looked at in a new light.

When you understand that Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles all picture the work of Jesus Christ, you have made a major step forward in understanding.

http://www.cemnetwork.com/church/ --- click on beach picture

The feast of Purim is in the book of Esther.
There is no mention of God or the Messiah in this book.
It is the most celebrated feast by the Jews in today's world.
It shows the freedom God gave his people here on Earth.
Many Jews hope for the coming Messiah and life here on Earth forever.

 

[choir loft]

No one can be saved apart from the LAW.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LICENSE TO SIN.

What do you think - that grace is given to promote godless lawLESS living by those who use Christ as an excuse? God forbid.
It certainly IS a requirement for Christians to live by the LAW, for apart from the LAW no one can be saved.

What is being suggested here is a tissue thin anti-Semitic attitude opposed to Jewish tradition. Certainly the NT does not teach gentiles are required to live according to Jewish tradition, although one could do worse. What IS being promoted in our debauched churches is Christian tradition - greasy grace and sloppy agape. It isn't in accord with the context of the Bible as a whole and it certainly doesn't agree with Mosaic LAW by which one may be redeemed. (Matthew 5:17)

CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS DON'T SAVE ANYBODY.

Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Halloween pumpkin witches won't save anybody. Neither does Holy Communion, Virgin Mary garden statues or church membership. The church is NOT GOD. Jesus is God. Big difference.

One might suppose by the lawLESS belief of many Christians today that it's perfectly acceptable to murder your neighbor, rape his wife, kidnap his children, steal his goods, burn his house to the ground and blame the whole sad affair on the neighbor. Sounds more like a middle eastern attitude than Christianity to me.

Q: What is the purpose of the LAW?
A: The purpose of the LAW is to convict of SIN.
Q: What is SIN?
A: SIN is that which is initially defined by the 10 Commandments.

The first step in redemption, in being saved unto God in Christ, is to acknowledge one is a SINNer according to the LAW.

The second step in redemption is to ask for and receive forgiveness for our SINs and wickedness.
Having acknowledged with deep and honest humility unto God that one is a SINNer, one may approach the Almighty, bearing an appropriate sacrifice with us (according to the LAW one cannot approach God with empty hands * ), and ASK for justification by means of forgiveness. The LAW requires each individual to approach God and ASK. When one attends an evangelistic service and responds to the altar call, it is entirely in accord with the requirement of the LAW. We may not know it at the time, but it's a spiritual principle.

The third step in redemption is to be made one in Christ. Also called the Second Birth, one is thus saved by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit - one BECOMES A JEW. (Romans 2:29) The RCC doctrine of Supersessionism or Replacement Theology is thus not in accord with the LAW and is heresy. The church doesn't replace Israel. All saved believers become Jews in the eyes of God. They don't become Catholics or Protestants or Orthodox.

Having been saved the gift of the Holy Spirit performs the acts of GRACE by which a believer in Christ may please God and live according to the LAW. We're talking about LAW here, not the traditions of man. Do you not know that most of the dialogue recorded of Jesus and the apostles contrasted Torah (the law of GRACE) with Talmud (the law of Works)? There are TWO LAWS. Talmud cannot save. Torah shows us how.

Thus the LAW leads us to Christ and justification by faith. Active faith is born of the GRACE of God and enables the believer to live according to the LAW so as to please God. GRACE gives us the power to live this way because we cannot do it ourselves (traditionally).

Do you not know the Jewish Feast of Weeks, called Shauvot, observes the giving of the LAW by God to Moses?
Shauvot is observed 50 days after Passover/Easter.

Do you not know the gentile feast of Pentecost observes the giving of GRACE by God to believers?
Pentacost is observed 50 days after Easter/Passover.

These two events are observed ON THE SAME CALENDAR DAY each year. Is God telling us something important?

Or is all this talk about salvation and tradition just a lot of empty buzz words and repetitious religious slogans?

It is given for each person to decide. It is required that each believer educate themselves so as to give a logical and well founded response to an ever more jaded society. (2 Tim 2:15)

Lest I be accused of making statements without appropriate scriptural documentation, I recommend those who are ignorant of the LAW to consult the books of Exodus, Leviticus and James. There you will discover the LAW as it is meant to be understood and exercised. The LAW by which we may know of God and heaven and our need of redemption.

Hope this helps.

that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

(*) The appropriate - perfect - sacrifice acceptable by God is His own death upon the cross, His own blood shed for us - according to the LAW.

 

[choir loft]

Hi there!

One may teach that there is a relationship between the Jewish holidays and Christ, but it certainly isn't a requirement of Christianity to live by the law, but instead, it is a requirement of "faith" in Jesus Christ as one's personal Savior.


~serapha~

Please read my entire post.

No one can be saved apart from the LAW.

Faith is the operation of GRACE, which is given by God ONLY AFTER one is justified by REPENTANCE.

Faith in Christ is a gift of God unto salvation - according to the LAW.

Belief in God doesn't save anybody for even the devil believes in God. (James 2:19)

that's me, hollering from the choir loft...=

 

[choir loft]

I agree bob we should keep the feast of passover to remember Christ by.

the last supper was an a meal not a form of taking the bread and the wine that came after the last supper not during.

"The last supper" was NOT a picnic with Jesus and His boys.

When Christ reclined (nobody sat, they reclined) with His disciples they celebrated the SEDER meal, NOT SUPPER. Seder is part of the Jewish annual celebration of Passover, not a corrupted form of gentile paganism. Look it up.

The seder has specific meanings attached to every part of the hours long observance. Look it up.

There isn't enough space here to go into every aspect of the seder. One of the ironic aspects of the seder, and there are many of them, is that an empty place setting is always left. The open space is usually for Elijah, the One who announces the coming of Messiah. No gospel account mentions this empty space.

Jewish tradition may also reserve the empty space for a departed relative or loved one.

Seder is essentially a Jewish family tradition. (re: book of Exodus) In the gospel account of the seder meal with Jesus and His disciples, Jesus is also demonstrating that His disciples are part of His 'spiritual' family - His 'body' as it were.

Seder has many facets.

This has been one of them.

that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

ps Another facet of seder tradition is that each adult consume four full glasses of wine (real wine, not fake grape juice). Things can get rather jolly toward the end of the seder.