Religious man desecrates God’s Holy Days without so much as a thought. The Day man most often defiles is the Lord’s seventh day (Saturday) Sabbath. Satan has convinced churchman that he can break “the least of these commandments” and, like Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit, still inherit eternal life. Though the “test commandment” (#4) is irrelevant to churchman, it is supremely relevant to its Creator. When God made THE Sabbath (not the sabbath of man’s choice) He did so to remind those who would call themselves by His name of His exalted status, His power, His majesty–to separate Himself from all of the false gods which His true saints would confront. The Apostle Paul said concerning those false deities: “there are gods many and lords many, but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things … and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things” (1 Cor. 8:5,6). The Lord established His Sabbath to remind man of who He is–the Creator of all that ever was, is or ever will be: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested.” THE Sabbath is a memorial  of creation. And unlike any other day, “God BLESSED the SEVENTH DAY and SANCTIFIED IT” (Gen. 2:1-3). To “bless” means to treat with unusual affection. To “sanctify” means to set aside for holy use. God also sanctifies His people (Jn. 17:17). If, as “the church” proclaims, the seventh day being sanctified by God makes it no different from any other day, then God’s sanctification of His people makes them no different from any other people. Because the Counterfeit Church declares God’s Sabbath to be no different from any other day, they also declare themselves to be no different from any other people. Unfortunately, relative to their standing with God, they are right–in His eyes they are no different from the world around them. Unlike professing Christendom, GOD DECLARES THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH TO BE BLESSED AND SANCTIFIED, JUST AS HE DOES HIS ANNUAL SABBATHS. Let us understand God’s purpose for these Holy Days. Over the coming months we will study them as they arrive chronologically. On April 22 God’s people will celebrate His Passover, followed by seven days of unleavened bread. Let us study to show ourselves approved in the celebration of this most important Holy Day and the week that follows it

Most church people believe that Jesus finished the Plan of Redemption on the cross. However, this was in fact the FIRST EVENT in the Lord’s plan for the salvation of man. Let us return to Egypt and the Children of Israel to see what God tells us about the first of His annual Holy Days–Passover. His message concerning the salvation process will become evident as we celebrate each Holy Day (festival) throughout the coming year. The common thread that ties the Holy Days together is the permanent removal of sin.

Egypt is symbolic  of sin. Before God delivered His people from sin he poured out His plagues on the Egyptian people. Today His people are in a world-wide “Babylon” where He is beginning to pour out His plagues on sinning man. Just as His people were delivered out of Egypt, His true saints will be delivered out of Babylon. Just as today’s professing Christians have been deceived by Satan and have no concept of sin and righteousness, so he had done to the Israelites. In Egypt they had no Bible and therefore had lost all knowledge of the Sabbath and the Holy Days. Having had to work seven days a week for approximately two hundred years, they had lost all knowledge of God’s week. His Sabbath had long been forgotten. The first thing He did once they were out of Egypt was to reveal His week to them. He did this in order to “PROVE (TEST) THEM TO SEE IF THEY WOULD OBEY MY LAW.” They were to gather food (work) for six days and rest on THE (God’s chosen) seventh day (Exo. 16:4,5,16,23,28,30). At the same time He revealed to them when His year began: “THIS (specific) month shall be unto you the beginning of months (their year) ….” (Exo. 12:2). (God’s current year began on April 9th) The Lord went on to detail for them what they were required to do on a specific day following the beginning of His year–celebrate His Holy Passover. To be continued. L.J.