Israel’s God brought her out of Egyptian slavery and established the Passover observance (festival/Holy Day) as recorded in Exodus 12.  He said to Moses: “This will be a SIGN unto you (Israel) … You will therefore KEEP THIS ORDINANCE (SIGN) IN ITS SEASON FROM YEAR TO YEAR (vss 8-10).”  Passover was to be observed every year at that time (spring) to memorialize BEING DELIVERED OUT OF SIN, “… SO THAT THE LORD’S LAW WILL BE IN YOUR MOUTH” (vs 9).  Remember who was Israel’s Lord.  “… the ROCK THAT FOLLOWED THEM, AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST” (1 Cor. 10:1-4).  This was the Word Who created everything that has been created, Who spoke face-to-face with Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham and Jacob, Who came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, preached, performed miracles, died, arose and now lives to be the Savior of mankind–THAT ROCK WAS JESUS OF NAZARETH.  This Lord gave Israel and the modern church the Passover festival which His people observe each spring.  Church people substituted Easter for God’s Holy Day.  Why? God says it’s because they HATE HIM.  Not my words–HIS WORDS.  Read and heed.

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and mercy with them that LOVE HIM AND (THEREFORE) KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS.  AND HE REPAYS THEM THAT HATE HIM  ….  THEREFORE, YOU WILL KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS AND THE  STATUTES AND THE JUDGMENTS WHICH I COMMAND YOU THIS DAY, TO DO (OBEY) THEM” (Deut. 7:9-11; 6:17).  In Romans 15:4 the Apostle Paul tells us that what was said and written to the ancient Israilites was preserved TO TEACH US so that we might have hope for salvation.  Read Hope and Salvation.  Key word–Hope.

The Word that was in the beginning before the world was created is the same God Who brought Israel out of Egypt, gave them the Law, came to earth as Jesus of Nazareth, preached and lived the Law and died so that we could receive the Holy Spirit that empowers us to keep the Law so we can qualify for eternal life.  This is the same Jesus/God Who does not change, Who is the same yesterday, today and forever.  This is the same “Scripture” who preached the Gospel (Law) to Abraham (Gal. 3:8) and to the apostles (Heb. 4:2) who recorded His Words for “our admonition upon whom the end of the world has come” (1 Cor. 10:11).  Note it: the same Gospel was preached to Abraham that was preached to Moses and the Israelites, then to the prophets, then to the apostles and lastly to us who are living in the final days of the world.  NOTHING WAS CHANGED BY GOD.  EVERYTHING WAS CHANGED BY MAN.  Why?  GOD SAID IT WAS BECAUSE CHURCHMAN HATES HIM.  Take my word for it: CHURCHMAN WILL HATE YOU IF YOU TELL HIM THE TRUTH.  As Jesus said, religious people will “… hate you and say all manner of evil against you falsely” for His name’s sake (Mat. 5:11).  Recall that it was the super religious people of their day who persecuted the prophets, crucified Jesus and martyred all of the apostles except John.  Why?  Because they hated Him.  They hated Him because they did not like His WORDS.  Nothing has changed.  Church people still hate Him, and for the same reason.  Jesus said so in Luke 10:16 where He noted that people who reject His Words PROVE THAT THEY DESPISE BOTH HIM AND HIS FATHER.  Fools take God’s Words lightly.  Fools will burn in the Lake of Fire.

In Isaiah 8:16,20 we find a prophecy concerning the church of the end time (Laodicean era–Rev. 3:14-20).  Here the Lord instructs the prophet to bind up and seal the Law to preserve it for those living at a later time–us.  If, He said, “… they do not speak according to the Word (Law/testimony) it is because THERE IS NO LIGHT IN THEM.”  Isaiah said that the Messiah would come to earth “… to MAGNIFY THE LAW AND MAKE IT HONORABLE (AGAIN)” (42:21).  That same Messiah said: “I did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it” (Mat. 5:17).  The Holy Days/festivals are part of the Law that Jesus (the Word) gave to Israel, which includes the 7th day Sabbath commandment (#4).  He said that those who refused to obey that commandment HATE HIM BECAUSE THERE IS NO LIGHT IN THEM.

Following the death of Jesus and the establishment of the New Covenant Church, God’s saints continued to keep the Holy Day festivals for over 300 years before the Catholic Church did away with them using the power of the Roman Empire.  Read Simon of Samaria: The Legacy.  Key word–Legacy.  Her Protestant daughters continue to follow their mother’s lead today.  Read Revelation 17:1-6.

The Book of Acts proves that the apostles and the churches they established kept the Holy Days without fail.  “And we (apostles) sailed away from Philippi AFTER THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (PASSOVER) … for Paul had determined … to be in Jerusalem ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST” (50 days after Passover)–Acts 20:6,16).  Why had they waited to leave Philippi AFTER PASSOVER?  And why did they want to be in Jerusalem on the DAY OF PENTECOST?  Because they had observed Passover with the church in Philippi and wanted to observe Pentecost with the church in Jerusalem.  If they had merely wanted to meet with the saints in those cities they could have done that on any Sabbath.  BUT THEY CHOSE TO MEET WITH THEM ON THE HOLY DAYS.

In 1 Corinthians 5:7b-8a we find Paul reminding the Gentile church at Corinth TO KEEP THE PASSOVER CELEBRATION: “For even Christ our PASSOVER was sacrificed for us, THEREFORE, LET US KEEP THE (PASSOVER) FEAST.”  Only those who hate God can dismiss such a command from the man who received his Gospel directly from Christ through revelation (Gal. 1:12).  Paul told the Gentile church that, BECAUSE CHRIST HAD DIED FOR THEM, THEY WERE TO KEEP THE PASSOVER AND DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD.  Religious man believes he knows more than Jesus.

One of the favorite passages God haters use as an excuse to reject God’s command is Colossians 2:16,17: “Let no (non-christian) MAN therefore judge you concerning eating and drinking on a Holy Day, or in relation to a new moon, or on the Sabbath, which are A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME, BUT THE BODY OF CHRIST.”  Paul is telling us not to let God haters tell us what to eat or drink or how to conduct ourselves on God’s Holy Days.  Rather, we are to receive our instructions from the Body of Christ–His true church.

I will now list God’s Holy Days in the order of their annual observance.  In the future I will explain their meanings and how to observe them as the time of their observance approaches.

THE WEEKLY 7TH DAY SABBATH                                                                                                                                                                  THE PASSOVER AND DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD                                                                                                                            PENTECOST                                                                                                                                                                                                            FEAST OF TRUMPETS                                                                                                                                                                                         DAY OF ATONEMENT                                                                                                                                                                                          FEAST OF TABERNACLES                                                                                                                                                                                  LAST GREAT DAY