The Lord knew that man, under the guidance of Satan, would attempt to change everything He had brought into being.  Therefore He warned that the Holy Scriptures “are of no private (personal) interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:10).  This series exposes false Christianity’s propensity for “Scriptural spinning”–making God’s Word fit the various religious organizations’ concepts of right and wrong.  Their next step is to deliberately ignore His Words that contradict their  “truths.”  One such well-spun Satanic lie involves God’s FESTIVALS, otherwise known as Holy Days which the counterfeit church has cast into the dustbin of church history.  But what does God say about the subject?  This posting, and possibly the next two, will do what the false church refuses to do–search out His Truth relative to this very important subject.  First, we will answer the question: WHY DO CHURCH PEOPLE REFUSE TO KEEP GOD’S HOLY DAYS?  In other words, why do church people hate God?

The simple, yet all-encompassing answer is that they do not know who Jesus of Nazareth was before He became Jesus of Nazareth, also known as (aka) the Christ (anointed one) of God, the Savior of mankind, the light of the world, the alpha and omega, etc.  Who He was, who He is and who He will always be are the same: “He is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).  Those who want to know God’s Truth about His Holy Days (festivals) will be happy to learn that His festivals are still being kept by His true saints exactly as they were anciently by His holy people.  In order to learn exactly who Jesus was, is and forever will be, we must return to the Book of Genesis (1:26) where we find God saying: “Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness ….”  The word “OUR” tells us that the God family is composed of more than one member.  This Truth is also brought out in John 17:5 where Jesus, as He prepared for the horror that was coming, prayed: “And now, O Father, glorify Me with (as well as) Your own self with the glory that I HAD BEFORE THE WORLD WAS.”  Note that Jesus of Nazareth had the same glory as did His fellow God before They created the world.  BEFORE THE WORLD WAS CREATED, JESUS WAS GOD.  Further proof of this fact is found in John 1:1-4,14: “In the beginning (before the world’s creation) was (existed) the Word, and the Word was WITH GOD and the Word WAS GOD.  The Same (Word) was in the beginning WITH GOD.  ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM (THE WORD–JESUS); AND WITHOUT HIM (JESUS) WAS NOT ANYTHING MADE THAT WAS MADE.  AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US ….”  Further proof that the Word became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and died for mankind is found in Revelation 19:11-13: “…. and He (the rider on the white horse) was clothed with a vesture DIPPED IN (HIS OWN) BLOOD, AND THIS NAME IS CALLED THE WORD OF GOD.” 

At this point we have the Word in existence before the world was created.  Then we have the Word dying for the sins of mankind thousands of years later.  Question: what did the Word do during the thousands of years in between?  For one thing, He created everything that was created (Jn. 1:14), including man himself.  He also spoke face-to-face with Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, etc.  He was at one point the king of Jerusalem, then called Melchisedec.  Then there was the time He delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery and took them to Mt. Sinai where He gave them His Ten Commandments, which was the Law condensed into ten commands.  We read about this in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 where the Apostle Paul wrote: “… I would NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT, how that all OUR fathers (ancestors–ancient Israel) were under the (protective) cloud, and all passed through the (Red) sea, and all were baptized by Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for the drank of that SPIRITUAL ROCK THAT FOLLOWED THEM, AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST (THE WORD–JESUS).” 

Of note is the fact that Paul was writing to the GENTILE church in the city of Corinth.  Note that he said that ALL OF OUR FATHERS (ancestors) were delivered from Egyptian slavery, baptized in the cloud and the sea, brought to Mt. Sinai, given the Ten Commandments, etc.  GENTILES BECOME SPIRITUAL ISRAELITES UPON TRUE CONVERSION.  True spiritual Israelites (including converted Gentiles) obey God’s Law.  To fail to do so is sin (1 Jn. 3:4).  In Exodus 19:5,6 the Word is addressing the Israelites in an audible voice, telling them that if they would obey “My voice indeed” they would be His particular treasure, His nation of priests, His holy people above all other people.  True conversion makes Israelites and Gentiles one in the eyes of the Lord.  For this reason the true church is called “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16.  The Galatian church was also peopled by Gentiles.

Yes, it was JESUS, THE WORD who created everything that was created, including the festivals/feasts/Holy Days.  It was Jesus, the Word Who gave the Law to Israel (including Gentiles–the “mixed (racial) multitude” who came out of Egypt with them–Exo. 12:38).  These people became spiritual Israelites by obeying God’s (the Word’s) “voice.”  This was the same God Who gave the FEASTS/FESTIVALS/HOLY DAYS to Israel.  This same Lord (Ps. 103:6,7/ 1 Cor. 10:4) “executed righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed.  He (the Lord Jesus Christ) MADE KNOWN HIS WAYS TO MOSES, HIS ACTS UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.”  These were they whom Paul calls “OUR FATHERS” who were led by the Word out of Egypt.

Religious man accepts Jesus of Nazareth as his Savior, but refuses to obey His laws, statutes and ways which He gave to the children of Israel through Moses.  In Malachi 4:1-6 we find the Lord speaking to Israel (including converted Gentiles) concerning the time BEFORE the “dreadful Day of the Lord.”  See the previous posting.  This is the time in which we are now living.  Note in verse 4 where He (the Word/Jesus) says to His people: “Remember the LAW OF MOSES MY (JESUS’) SERVANT, which I commanded him in Horeb (aka Mt. Sinai) for ALL ISRAEL (including spiritual Israel), (ALONG) WITH THE STATUTES AND JUDGEMENTS.”  Here Jesus is reminding US to remember His statutes found in Leviticus 23:14,21,31,41.  Those statutes, Laws, feasts, celebrations, festivals unfold for the believer God’s plan for the salvation of mankind.  His death on the cross was only the beginning.  The Holy Days picture God’s plan to reconcile the world to Himself.  For it is His will that ALL MEN BE SAVED.  Read The Three Resurrections.  Key word–Three.  L.J.