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Feasts and Festivals—There is a Difference!
“Three Times a Year!”
Chapter 5, Part 1 Preview: Anciently, it was crucial to attend Elohim’s (God’s) “Feasts”: Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Are they relevant today? Should these three Feasts still be “Pilgrimage Feasts”. Does Elohim expect us to celebrate these appointments? Should we celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread with the same solemnity as we do the Feast of Tabernacles—from beginning to end? What about the days from Leviticus 23 other than these three “Pilgrimage Feasts”? Is there a the distinction between a “Festival” and a “Feast”? What is required to celebrate a Feast? Even tho the issues in this chapter are a bit technical due to translational considerations, there will still be a test at “the end”.
PS 2/22/2010: As late as two years before I began reading the Plain Truth magazine, some people were celebrating the ENTIRE Feast of Unleavened Bread. Even as I was reading a stash of older PT copies from that era, as a teenager, I had no idea that any of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) followers had actually celebrated them at any time since the first century. Should they have been? Here is a quote about a unique moment in history that I just found online:
Celebrating the Resurrection of Our Savior (Rather Than Easter!)
INDEX
When I was a teenager I learned about the Feast Days, but I didn’t know from the Bible when they were. They seemed really important, but I didn’t know of anyone actually celebrating them. I didn’t need any more fake substitute days—I was finished with those! I even thought that perhaps no one on earth celebrated them other than the Jews. One day I finally swore to Yehovah that I would keep all of the Sabbaths by myself, if necessary for the rest of my life. Coincidentally, I found out a few hours later where Sabbath/Feast keepers were meeting and who I could hitch a ride with! And for the next 27 years I celebrated them partially like the Jews. When I finally figured it out I got the boot! But now that I have been celebrating them, one way or the other for 50 years, I can’t help but wonder why so many of the people I have known over the years never learned from the Bible when they should be celebrated. They say to just do what the Jews do, (tho they say that the Jews don’t even know when Passover is). So which Jews?, living Jews, dead Jews, how long dead Jews? Which sect? How about doing what first century Jews did, they actually sighted real new moons and searched out actual barley to determine when a 13th month (a “leap moon”) was due. If you want to follow Jews, follow some who don’t prefer ancient Jewish literature to the Hebrew Bible itself. Maybe check with some Karaite Jews. But that is for another chapter.
“Why, when the Church[es] of God says they have almost all truth, know the ‘real’ Jesus Christ, and count exactly 3 days & nights to His resurrection, [do we] fail to, indeed ignore, the greatest event in history, the resurrection to eternal life of God the Son Himself? We’re so busy ‘getting sin out’ & eating unleavened bread by the mouthful (I love it!), that we pass right by that marvelous moment during the U.B. feast! We memorialize His death, we celebrate the ‘night to be much observed’ [it should be Yeshua’s Supper—Lon], but totally ignore His resurrection 3 days into the Feast!” J.B., Canada
“ANSWER: A very good question! Why do so many of those who believe in the observance of Biblical Feast Days ignore the fact that the so-called ‘Days’ [plural] of Unleavened Bread are in reality a Pilgrimage Feast? Proper observance of the entire FEAST of Unleavened Bread should naturally include a memorial service at the close of the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to remember the resurrection of our Life Giver. Some have called this the ‘Resurrection Sabbath,’ in memorial of the Life Giver’s (Savior’s) resurrection just before sundown on Sabbath.
“Then, of course, there is the next day, ‘Wavesheaf Sunday,’ which typifies the resurrected Messiah being accepted by Father in Heaven. It would by all means be proper to commemorate these events as part of the natural daily gatherings during the Feast of Unleavened Bread for worship and Bible Study. Yes, this is one Sunday special occasion that the Bible directly promotes!
“When the modern Church of God drifted away from observing the full Feast of Unleavened Bread, they as a result lost spiritual power. Few in the Worldwide Church of God know that as late as the mid-1960’s, the Church generally observed the entire 8-day Spring Festival. The April, 1964 issue of ‘Church of God News’ of St. Louis states: ‘The GREATEST 8-day Spring Festival the Midwest has ever known was observed this year in the quiet little town of Sedalia, Mo... Mr. [Bryce] Clark...reminded us that we are to keep the Feast where God places HIS name, that NO stone should be left unturned in attempting to be there for the ENTIRE time.’
“Let us remember the resurrection Sabbath of our Savior, Wavesheaf Sunday, and keep the entire 8-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, experiencing the full meaning of the sacrifice of the Savior for mankind, doing our part leaving spiritual Egypt and putting out sin with His help. We should not forget the most important event in history prior to the Second Coming. Let’s not relegate to insignificance the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“The only thing we are going to take with us when we die is what we give away today.” [A] proverb. Let us give of ourselves in service to others. This is the ‘giving and sharing’ way.”
Several years ago an old time WCG member told me that HW Armstrong shut down the celebration of entire Unleavened Bread commemorations to free up more tithe money for donations. I doubt that that motive was ever actually stated. Just before I began adding this insert, I emailed it to Natan Lawrence, not knowing that he had been a good friend of both Bryce Clark and the editor of the Give Share website just quoted. Natan’s dad was actually at one of these informal WCG Unleavened Bread feast sites. Natan’s father says that they were local events, rather than corporate sponsored, and not done church wide as were the other Feasts. I’m not sure if anyone alive knows if they were forcefully stopped at the ‘corporate level’ or not.
End PS
Elohim commanded ancient Israel to actively celebrate (or “keep”) three Feasts each year. Attendance was so vital that at least all heads of household (males) were commanded to appear where He placed His name for the full length of each “Feast”. Among the “Churches” today that celebrate Elohim’s Feasts, the vast majority opt to only participate in some of the days.
Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times a year all your men must appear before Yehovah your Elohim in the place that He chooses: during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, during the Feast of Weeks and during the Feast of Tabernacles. You should never appear before Yehovah empty-handed.
Many people are aware that the Scriptures mention “three times a year”, but few understand the significance of the wording. Why only “three times” instead of seven, and what does “times” mean anyway? The “times” used here means stroke, beat, time, and occurrence. So there are precisely three occurrences within each year when Elohim requires the attendance of His people in His very presence.
Many of you will realize that a misunderstanding of the “times” Scriptures is the basis that a number of Churches use to collect an offering from their people seven times a year. These churches seek your money more “times” than on the three Pilgrimage “times”. They collect offerings on the three annual Feast Days (Moed, Moedim plural) as well as on the four Festival Days. But the other four days are different than the Pilgrimage Feasts; not involving extensive travel and food preparation. There is no way around the intent of the Hebrew: The three Feasts [Hebrew: ‘Chag’] are in no way meant to imply all seven special annual Days.
Yet observance of these three Chag (i.e. from Deuteronomy 16:16 above) simply cannot be accomplished if we are doing our normal secular activities during these times. There will be more elaboration on this as we proceed.
To “Feast” or not to “feast”
So in addition to Moed, Chag is the other word that is so often used interchangeably with “Feast”, with no distinction made, but Feast is used specifically to pertain to the three Pilgrimage Feasts. “Moed”, the second word thought of as a Feast is more generic. It can mean any of the seven Festival gatherings.
Occasionally mishteh, a secular “feast” is also mentioned:
Genesis 40:20-21 So on the third day, that was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a 'party' [1] for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of his chief cup bearer and his chief baker— 21 that is, he restored the chief cup bearer to his position, so he could resume placing the cup in Pharaoh’s hand,
[1] Birthday parties never end well in the Bible. See also Job 1:4; and Matthew 14:6-8.The reverence of Chag and Mo’ed is easily distinguished from secular holidays etc:
Exodus 10:9 Moses said, “We’ll go with our young and our old, with our sons and daughters, with our flocks and herds, because we must celebrate a Feast to Yehovah.”
A Chag was not a “banquet”, but banquets may certainly be held during a Chag (Feast). So, when Elohim requires the presence of Israel before Him during those three times mentioned in Deuteronomy 16:16, just what is expected?
Festivals and Feasts—The Difference
Thousands of believers understand that the Feast of Tabernacles is an annual occurrence involving traveling to a place that they consider to be of “His choosing” for seven days. Actually, the last place that Elohim chose, with certainty was Jerusalem, but we’ll have to make do during the diaspora until we’re back in the land. Yet most don’t realize that Unleavened Bread and Pentecost are in the same classification, being “Pilgrimage Feasts”, as is the Feast of Tabernacles. It is important to understand the difference between the Festivals and the three Feast “times” if we are to serve Elohim correctly.
Because the distinction between a Chag (Feast) and a Moed (appointed place, appointed time, meeting) is almost totally misunderstood, I have decided to consistently correlate two English words with the two relevant Hebrew words within this chapter.
According to my Oxford dictionary, a Feast is heavily centered around eating food, with annual religious celebrations in particular. By contrast the entry under Festival makes absolutely no mention of food.
The Pilgrimage Feast instructions are definitely food centered:
Deuteronomy 14:22-26 You must set aside a tithe of the crop that comes from your field every year. 23 You must eat the tithe of your grain and your new wine, and your olive oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock before Yehovah your Elohim in the place where He chooses to establish His name, so that you’ll learn to always revere Yehovah your Elohim. 24 But if the distance is too far for you to carry the tithe to where Yehovah your Elohim chose to establish His name, then Yehovah your Elohim has blessed you. 25 In that case, you should exchange the crop for silver, and take the silver in hand and go to the place where Yehovah your Elohim has chosen. 26 Spend the silver for whatever you like—cattle, sheep, wine or other alcoholic drinks, whatever you want. You must eat it in the presence of Yehovah your Elohim, and celebrate with your family.
Here is a clear distinction between the terms:
Ezekiel 46:11 At the Feasts and the appointed Festivals, the grain offering with a young bull will be an ephah, and with a ram an ephah, and with the lambs as much you can handle, along with a hin of oil to an ephah.
Here are two places in the Scriptures where the “Pilgrimage Feasts” are covered, and they don’t refer to all seven Annual Days (Moedim) but to Elohim’s three Feast times: Deuteronomy 16:16 is one and Exodus 23:14 is another (see below). It was mandatory in ancient Israel that “all your males will appear” on these three Feasts that are specified by name.
Elohim designating a period of time to be a “Feast” (Chag) is completely different from His designating a day to be a “Festival Day” (Moed). A Moed identifies a 24 hour period, one full day, an appointment with Elohim. Elohim conveniently listed all of His appointments in Leviticus 23. They are listed as Elohim’s appointed times, not man’s. These Moed are: the weekly Sabbath that occurs every seventh day without fail; the seven annual 'Special' Days that are typically known as: The First Day of Unleavened Bread, The Last Day of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonements (yes it’s plural), the First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and the 8th Day (or the Last Great Day).
But a “Feast” (Chag) designation carries an altogether different meaning and purpose than a Moed.
Exodus 23:14-17,20-26 Three times a year you must celebrate a Feast to honor Me. 15 You must celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, during the specified time in the New Moon of Aviv [green ears of barley], because that’s when you came out from Egypt. No one should appear before Me empty handed. 16 “Also celebrate the Harvest Feast of Firstfruits [Pentecost] of your labor from what you sow in the fields.
“Also celebrate the Harvest Feast at the end of the agrarian [Barnes] year, once you’ve harvested your crops from the fields. 17 “Three times each year all the men must appear before the Sovereign Yehovah [“Yeshua”].... 20 I’m going to send a Messenger ahead of you to protect you along the way, and to bring you to the place that I’ve prepared! 21 Pay close attention to Him and do what He says. Don’t defy Him, because He won’t pardon your disobedience since My name resides in Him. 22 But if you pay close attention to Him and do everything I say, then I’ll be an enemy of your enemies, and an adversary of your adversaries. 23 My Messenger will go ahead of you, and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I’ll wipe them out. 24 You must never bow down to their gods, or serve them, or imitate their behavior. Instead, you must completely defeat them and smash their sacred pillars. 25 You must serve Yehovah your Elohim, and He’ll bless your food and your water, and I’ll remove sickness from among you. 26 No one will miscarry or be barren in your land; I’ll ensure that you live your full number of days.
Notice that verse 15 above contains a definition of how to celebrate the Chag of Unleavened bread—the Chag involves “seven days”.
A Feast (Chag) is an event, the word doesn’t specify the duration. The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles are both 7-day long Feasts, while Pentcost is a one day Feast. So during the seven day long Feast of Tabernacles, the entire week is one Chag. The Feast of Tabernacles isn’t seven individual “Chag days”. The Chag of Tabernacles is seven days long. Please keep this in mind thruout the remainder of this chapter, and forever after, since it will help to eliminate the confusion encountered by many today concerning Feasts and Festivals ('Special' Days).
Times and Seasons
Let’s consider the word “times”. The Hebrew word regel can imply several different things, but it never implies “seasons”, as in “the four seasons”. Some people reason that if you lump the “spring” Feast Days with the “summer” Feast of Pentecost—tho it also falls in the “spring”, and throw in all of the “fall” Feast Days, then you have covered three “seasons”, and included all seven Feast Days.
There is an assumption here that needs to be addressed. Biblically there are only two seasons. Look in your complete concordance and notice the numerous references to “winter” and “summer”, then try to find “spring” and “fall”. The only “fall” references refer to something falling down under the influence of gravity! The “spring” references refer to something springing up, or places to get a drink! The four-season concept stems from the festivals of four pagan gods: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltine and Lugnasad.
Ironically, there is a place in the most common versions of the Bible where “seasons” is used in a way that misleads most modern readers. To those of us who believe in celebrating Elohim’s Feast Days, this common misconception should be common knowledge. When we understand the actual meaning of Genesis 1:14, we will understand Elohim’s commitment to His Feast Days from the very beginning, rather than only from the time of Moses. These days were meant for all time! Carefully notice what Elohim said about these so-called “seasons”. This is an important point, so it is well covered.
Genesis 1:14-19 Then Elohim said, “There should be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They’ll signal 'Appointed Festivals', days and years. 15 They’ll serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light for the earth”, and it happened. 16 Elohim made the two great lights—the greater light to dominate the day, and the lesser light to dominate the night. He also made [or restored] the planets. 17 Elohim set them in the expanse of sky to provide light for the earth, 18 to regulate the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. Elohim (God) saw that it was good. 19 There was evening, then morning, a fourth day.
The Hebrew word Moed used above for seasons really means any of Elohim’s “appointed times”, as can be demonstrated by numerous other usages of the word! The most fundamental way to determine when we should celebrate these days is by using the “lights...in the heavens”: the moon and the sun. By the way, there are no mystical mathematical formulas required to determine when a new month begins as long as we use the “lights” that Elohim instituted on “the fourth day” for this very purpose. The first month of the year is also quite simple to determine. A calendar is simply a method of determining when a month and a year is to begin, and then counting individual days.
What is a month?
“The month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months (lunations) are synodic months and last approximately 29.53 days. From excavated tally sticks, researchers have deduced that people counted days in relation to the Moon's phases as early as the Paleolithic age. Synodic months, based on the Moon’s orbital period, are still the basis of many calendars today, and are used to divide the year.” —Wikipedia
Leviticus 23 as previously mentioned, specifies all of the 'special' Moedim, that is, Elohim’s seven annual Appointments and the weekly seventh day Sabbath. The word rendered “Feasts of Yehovah” (the Lord), and “My Feasts” in verse 2, and verses 4, 37, 44 is the Hebrew word “Moed”, meaning: “appointed place, appointed time, or meeting.” Strong’s references to “solemn feast” and “set feast” are inaccurate renderings as is the use of Feasts in the verses just mentioned. The insertion of the word Feast for Moed in Leviticus 23 has led to much confusion in the minds of many. For example, the translators unilaterally made the “Day of Atonements”, a day of complete fasting, into a “feast” day, and this is totally contrary to being “afflicted” on this day. If we just insert “appointed times” or “Festival” into the verses where Moed is translated into “Feasts” it should become much clearer. The result of this “co-mingling” of the word “Feast” for Moed has been to blur the lines of distinction between a Moed and a Chag. So in the places where the word “Feast” is present in Leviticus 23, the reader can’t readily know or identify whether it’s a Feast or a Festival.
We see from Leviticus 23 that the seven annual Appointed Times and the weekly Sabbath are the Moed, or “appointments” with Elohim, that are also 'special' Convocations. These appointed times were determined by Elohim Himself. It is our obligation to refrain from work during these “appointed times” or moedim (plural of Moed). Observance is mandatory. Our destiny will be greatly influenced by how seriously we examine these days and ourselves.
Feasts
There is another term that needs to be clarified in reference to Elohim’s three Feasts, because it is used in reference to celebrating Elohim’s Feasts, not just knowing when they are. The word is Chagag:
Exodus 5:1 Later Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what Yehovah, the Elohim of Israel says: ‘Let My people go so that they can hold a Feast [Chagag] for Me in the wilderness;”.
“Chagag” is the root word that Chag comes from in the first place.
Notice the occurrences where this word, “Chagag”, and “Chag” are both used in the same verse.
Leviticus 23:39 So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you’ve gathered in the crops of the land, celebrate the Feast of Yehovah for seven days. On the first day there will be a Sabbath assembly and on the Eighth Day there will be a Sabbath assembly.
Exodus 12:14 This day will serve as a memorial. You must celebrate [chagag] it as a Pilgrimage Feast [chag] to Yehovah, a perpetual regulation.
Leviticus 23:41 You must celebrate this Feast of Yehovah for seven days [not two] every year. It’s a permanent rule to be celebrated in the seventh month [it’s not the last month] from generation to generation.
The use of “Chagag” in combination with “Chag” stresses the necessity to attend and participate in the Chag (Feasts). While Chag is a “noun”, the word “chagag” is a verb. The verb expresses the action in a sentence. The verb is telling us what to do to the “noun”, Chag. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, the literal Arabic meaning is, “betake oneself to or towards an object of reverence; make a pilgrimage”. The Hebrew is, “celebrate a Pilgrim Feast”. So we find that three distinct “times” a year Israelites would become “pilgrims”, traveling to where Elohim had placed His name for these Chag: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles. Is there a difference between the “middle days” of the Feast of Tabernacles and the “middle days” of the Days of Unleavened Bread? There is no commandment to hold meetings during these non Feast Days of either Feast, since they are not 'special' Moed days (“appointed times”) requiring a convocation, yet they are a part of the Chag or Feast. By definition, Elohim instructs us to be feasting all the days of His Feasts. What should be strikingly evident is the fact that there is never any indication whatsoever that it was ever acceptable to attend only the Sabbath days within any of the Feasts [Chag], without celebrating the intervening days of the Chag!
The best thing to do during the Feasts it to get into interactive dialog with the 'chosen ones' and make lasting friendships (and avoid sermons!)
Of all 62 Scriptural uses of Chag, not one use of the term applies it to the Day of Trumpets, or the Day of Atonement or even the weekly Sabbath. In fact, Chag—“Festival time”, has a different meaning than Moed, which covers these other times. Yet a Chag can refer to a one day event because Pentecost—a Pilgrim Feast is only one day long. Incidentally, Yeshua would have called it Penikaosia in His native Aramaic.
There are few people who have diligently considered the distinction between a Chag and a Moed. Simply put, a Chag is an entire Pilgrim Feast, not just the Sabbaths within a Feast.
The Other Days
Aviv the 16th-20th (the five non-Feast Days between the first and last Feast Days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread), as well as the last six days of the Feast of Tabernacles (the 16th-21st day of the seventh month) are still days within the Chag/Feast, but are not rest days! Aviv 15 and 21, Pentecost, and the 1st, 10th, 15th and 21st days of the seventh month are rest Days. Of these seven Moed only Aviv 15 and 21, Pentecost, and the 15th day of the seventh month also occur during “Feast” (Chag) times. The “in between” days of Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles are not Sabbaths, nor are they rest days. Nor are they days that we should pursue our own ordinary interests. These days are all still days of the Chag that we can and should truly celebrate, but without necessarily requiring us to “assemble” formally. We can exercise our own discretion during these days, doing things that celebrate life itself, making memories as we make meaningful friendships.
Here is more instruction on the when, the where, and the means of celebrating the three Pilgrimage Feasts. Anciently these particular Feasts could not be kept at home “within your gates” unless you lived in Jerusalem. Today, every effort should be made to gather in larger groups than is possible during the rest of the year, even if you must have “living room” Feasts.
Deuteronomy 12:11,17-18 then Yehovah your Elohim will choose the place to have His name reside. That is where you must bring everything that I command you: your burnt offerings and your zebakim, your tithes, your 'personal' contributions, and all the finest offerings you have vowed to Yehovah... 17 “You are not allowed to eat the tithe of your grain, or your new wine, or your olive oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your offerings that you vow, including voluntary offerings or your ‘personal’ offerings within your towns. 18 You must eat them in the presence of Yehovah your Elohim at the place where Yehovah your Elohim chooses, you, and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites who are within your towns, and you’ll celebrate before Yehovah your Elohim in ‘everything that you do.
In ancient Israel, Elohim placed His name in Jerusalem (before that it was Bethel) and that was where Israel was to congregate—not once a year but three times—where His name was placed (Deuteronomy 16:5-16). There is no reason to travel to Jerusalem today, because Jerusalem is no better than ancient Sodom and Egypt at this time (Revelation 11:8). Do budget a tithe just long enough fund your pilgrimages—but not all year long. Any able and responsible person would help defray the expenses incurred with renting festival facilities, when attending a site, but this should not be considered an “offering”. Offerings are no longer applicable since there is no longer a Levitical priesthood. Offerings are not synonymous with contributions or donations; offerings are primarily something to be burned.
In ancient Israel, it would have been totally impractical, procedurally, to have traveled a considerable distance to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as was Yeshua’s (Jesus’) family custom (Luke 2), and then to have gone back home—turned around—and then returned for the Last Day of the Feast. Had Elohim wanted to have a two day Feast He could have conveniently placed two Feast Days back to back! But this was meant to be a seven day long Feast. In fact, in the Luke 2 account, Yeshua needed more than seven days to say everything that needed to be said when He was twelve years old!
Today, ease of travel and multiple locations have virtually eliminated any natural deterrent for “skipping”, the “middle days” of the Feast, but Elohim’s intent should be apparent. Elohim determined that those present at His Feasts should celebrate for the entire time allotted.
Deuteronomy 16:3,7-8 Don’t eat leavened bread with it. You must eat unleavened bread with it for seven days, the bread of misery, because you left the land of Egypt in a hurry. This is how you can remember the day you left the land of Egypt 'for the rest' of your life... 7 Roast it and eat it in the place that Yehovah your Elohim chooses. Then you are to return to your tents in the morning. 8 You must eat unleavened bread for seven days [2], and on the seventh day there will be a solemn assembly to Yehovah your Elohim. Don’t do any work then.
[2] The Dead Seas Scrolls say seven days, in agreement with Leviticus 23:6. The Masoretic texts, the basis of virtually every translation, mistakenly says six days!Compare this with the instruction for Tabernacles from Leviticus:
Leviticus 23:34 Tell the Israelites: “The fifteenth day of this seventh month begins the Feast of Tabernacles lasting for seven days to Yehovah.
The full time allotted for each Feast is not really “optional” time, is it? Once we understand Elohim’s mind on the Feasts, can we still justify not celebrating the Feast for the total time He decreed? So why not commemorate them exactly as they were intended to be. As a side note, the Hebrew word rendered as “tents” in the above Deuteronomy reference can be any kind of dwelling place, not necessarily tents.
1 Corinthians 5:8 So let’s celebrate the Feast, not with the old leaven or with the leaven of wickedness and bitterness, but with the unleavened bread of purity and dedication.
Celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread for anything less than seven full days would not seem to be celebrating it in sincerity and truth, would it?
Colossians 2:16-17 So don’t allow anyone to pronounce judgments against you about eating and drinking, or about various aspects of the Feast days, New Moons and Sabbaths 17 that foreshadow things in the future, other than for the body of Messiah [6]. 18 Don’t let anyone’s desire to degrade your mind subject you to bondage, so that you subject yourselves to the religious practices of 'angels', while they elaborate about gods that they haven’t really seen, being arrogantly inflated in their carnal thoughts,
[6] Every version listed here tampers with the simple text that explains that only the true “body of Messiah” has any business counseling you in regard to these Torah issues! Check an interlinear for the uncorrupted truth. Never imagine that Christianity hasn’t affected Bible translators!
Sabbaths are no different than Feast Days, they all are Moed dedicated to Elohim; special times “appointed” by Him for our benefit and His delight. The only difference between them is in how the actual “appointment day” is arrived at. The Sabbath is every seventh day of every week, without fail! New moons (one of the “lights” of Genesis 1:14) are used to determine the true beginning of each month, and Elohim had already given instructions from there on how to arrive at each Solemn Assembly. The seven annual Moedim along with the weekly Moed (seventh day Sabbaths) are distinctive because they are associated with 'special' convocations. On these “Feast Days” work is not permitted. The Hebrew specifically tells us that “all occupational work” is forbidden. The weekly Sabbath, the 15th and 21st days of the first month (during the Unleavened Bread), Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonements, and the 15th and 22nd days of the seventh month (first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day) are all Festival Days with mandatory meetings. They are all rest days.
Leviticus 23:2 Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are Yehovah’s appointed Festivals that you will proclaim to be special public assemblies. They are My Festivals:
Leviticus 23:4,6 These are Yehovah’s specified times, the special public assemblies you are to declare at their specified times... 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month [lunation] is Yehovah’s Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:37 ;These are Yehovah’s appointed Festivals. Announce them as special public assemblies to present offerings by fire to Yehovah—zebakim [sacrifices], and grain offerings, an atoning offering, and drink offerings, each on its proper day,
Leviticus 23:44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed Festivals of Yehovah.
Now for Part 2
