This Revelation 18:4 – Come Out Of Her study from David Nikao reveals how the Father’s Holy Feast Days were hidden by the Roman Church.
The Holy Feast Days declare the full Gospel story and how the Messiah is fulfilling them to redeem His bride, and they clearly give His followers the context of His return.
Of course, Satan doesn’t want you to know this, so he used the Roman Church to hide them, and replace them with Easter and Christmas. And he caused Emperor Constantine to forbid the followers of the Messiah from observing them anymore.
Let’s look at how our Messiah is still fulfilling the Holy Feast Days, so that we can see why His followers should still celebrate them, and how they foretell the proper context of Messiah’s return.
The Father gave the Holy Feast Days to teach His followers about His character and to help us understand His plan of salvation.
The word “Feast” is translated from the Hebrew word “moed”, which means appointment.
Here are the four Spring Feasts that our Messiah has fulfilled:
The Feast of Passover pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb whose blood was shed for our sins.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible).
The Feast of First Fruits pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. (1 Cor. 15:20-23)
The Feast of Pentecost represented Him pouring out His Father’s Spirit on the disciples.
Below are the fall Feast Days which are yet to be fulfilled by our Messiah:
The Feast of Trumpets represents His return for His bride, where trumpets are blown and the elect are caught up with Messiah.
The Feast of Atonement occurs ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, when Mesiah will judge His Church.
The Feast of Tabernacles occurs fifteen days after the Feast of Trumpets, when we celebrate the wedding feast.
Many Christians proclaim that the Holy Feast Days of the Torah were nailed to the cross, so we don’t have to observe them, but that is impossible, because the Feasts of First Fruits and Pentecost were fulfilled after Jesus death on the cross. And there are still three to be fulfilled.
Messiah said “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Matthew 15:17
The written record of your transgressions, which testify against you and condemn you to death, was nailed to the cross by the Passover Lamb.
Praise our Messiah that He is fulfilling the appointed feasts in exacting detail.
Knowing that He is exact in His fulfillment of prophecy, and knowing that the Feast of Trumpets represents His return for His bride, we know the context of His return.
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Can you now see how the Bible is declaring that our Messiah will return on the Feast of Trumpets?
We don’t know the year, but we know when the Feast of Trumpets occurs every year. In 2015, it is during the second week of September. Some scholars say it’s on the 12th, some on the 14th.
Should we not setup aside some time during the Feast of Trumpets to worship our Messiah, and thank Him for the promise of that day when He returns for us?
The Early Church continued to observe the Holy Feasts, so Satan caused Emperor Constantine to ban them.
To make the switch from observing God’s Holy Feast Days to pagan-based holidays, Constantine issued this creed for Christians who would partner with Rome. Keep in mind that during the previous centuries the followers of Christ had endured relentless persecution from Rome, and now they are being exalted to positions of power and treated well, so they are susceptible to compromise.
In 366 A.D. at the Council of Laodicea, the Sabbath was abolished and replaced with Sunday worship. The bishop of Rome authoritatively confers the name of Lord’s day upon Sunday.
Canon 29 – Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day honoring rather the Lord’s day by resting, if possible, as Christians. However if any shall be found judaizing, let them be anathema for Christ (Mansi, II, pp. 569-570, see also Hefele Councils, Vol. 2, b. 6)
Constantine declared:
“I renounce all customs, rites, legalisms, unleavened breads and sacrifices of lambs of the Hebrews, and all the other feasts of the Hebrews, sacrifices, prayers, aspirations, purifications, sanctifications, and propitiations, and fasts and new moons, and Sabbaths, and superstitions, and hymns and chants, and observances and synagogues.
Absolutely everything Jewish, every Law, rite and custom and if afterwards I shall wish to deny and return to Jewish superstition, or shall be found eating with Jews, or feasting with them, or secretly conversing and condemning the Christian religion instead of openly confuting them and condemning their vain faith, then let the trembling of Cain and the leprosy of Gehazi cleave to me, as well as the legal punishments to which I acknowledge myself liable.
And may I be an anathema in the world to come, and may my soul be set down with Satan and the devils.” (Stefano Assemani, Acta Sanctorium Martyrum Orientalium at Occidentalium, Vol. 1, Rome 1748, page 105)
Furthermore, any follower of the “Jewish Messiah” who wished to join this “holy community” was compelled to adopt a different set of rules and customs. Subsequently special creeds were drafted, to which the Christian would have to swear such as:
“I accept all customs, rites, legalism, and feasts of the Romans, sacrifices. Prayers, purifications with water, sanctifications by Pontificus Maximus (high priests of Rome), propitiations, and feasts, and the New Sabbath “Sol dei” (day of the Sun, ), all new chants and observances, and all the foods and drinks of the Romans. In other words, I absolutely accept everything Roman, every new law, rite and custom, of Rome, and the New Roman Religion.”
During the 4th century many Christians accepted these terms from Constantine and compromised their faith, fulfilling the “falling away” that Paul warned about in 2 Thessalonians 2.
The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia says, Sabbath and New Moon (Rosh Hodesh), both periodically recurring in the course of the year. The New Moon is still, and the Sabbath originally was, dependent upon the lunar cycle. Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 410
The Encyclopedia Biblica says, The Hebrew month is a lunar month and the quarter of this period—one phase of the moon—appears to have determined the week of seven days. Encyclopedia Biblica, p. 4780
During our Messiah’s ministry, He sought to convey to the Jews that He was the promised Messiah who would fulfill the Holy Feast Days.
At the end of the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Temple was gloriously illuminated with many candles.
And He said to them, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).
The seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles became known as Hoshana Rabba, “the Great Day.” The ceremony was to thank God for His bounty and to ask Him to provide rain for the crops in the coming year.
And He said to them, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38).
The Holy Feast Days of the Father are a covenant with His redeemed people.
If you don’t observe them, you are out of covenant with Him. The Israelites practiced them, in looking forward to their fulfillment by the Messiah. We too should observe them and celebrate them, for in their fulfillment our redemption is secured!
Observing the Holy Feast Days does not mean that we need to fulfill the ceremonial law, and sacrifice a lamb on Passover for example. And we should not look to Jewish traditions in celebrating the Feast Days, as they added many rules to them.
Here is a simple list of things to do on the Holy Feast Days:
The Feast of Passover pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb whose blood was shed for our sins. One can read Isaiah 53 to see how Messiah fulfilled this prophecy about Him atoning for our transgressions. One can read the Gospel passages which tell of His sacrificial death for us. And we should follow His command to observe communion in remembrance of His atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible). This is a High Sabbath, so we should not work on this day. We can praise Him for becoming flesh and living a sinless life; for being the second Adam, who was without sin, so that by His sacrifice we are declared righteous and can have a covenant relationship with the Father.
The Feast of First Fruits pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. (1 Cor. 15:20). We can read the Gospel passages about His resurrection, His showing Himself to witnesses, and His ascension; as it points to our future resurrection to be with Him forever.
The Feast of Pentecost represented God pouring out His Holy Spirit on the disciples. We can read in Acts how the Spirit was poured out on the disciples, and how the Gospel was preached, causing 3,000 Jews to believe in the Messiah on that day. We can give thanks for the Spirit of Truth, our Advocate, who guides us in prayer and in truth.
Below are the fall Feast Days which are yet to be fulfilled by our Messiah:
The Feast of Trumpets represents His return for His bride, where trumpets are blown and the elect are taken up. We should praise Him as we eagerly await His return for us.
The Feast of Atonement occurs ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, when Christ will judge His Church. This is a High Sabbath, so we should not work on this day. We should earnestly repent of our sins, the sins of our country and the sins of the church. We should be in sorrow at how the enemy has deceived men and pray for their salvation.
The Feast of Tabernacles occurs fifteen days after the Feast of Trumpets, when we celebrate the wedding feast. We should praise Him that we are His bride, and we long to be married to Him and be with Him forever.
David Nikao Wilcoxson
Additional Study: http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/BibleStudyAndTheology/jewishroots/Feast_of_Tabernacles_Jews_For_Jesus_David_Brickner.aspx
Next Study: The Scriptural Calendar Was Replaced
David,
Thank you for all of your hard work and love for the Lord, both are obvious in all you post.
A couple of questions:
1. You said, “If you don’t observe them, you are out of covenant with Him.”
Would you elaborate on what you mean by being out of covenant with the Father if we are not observing the feasts?
2. You said, “The Israelites practiced them, in looking forward to their fulfillment by the Messiah. We too should observe them and celebrate them, for in their fulfillment our redemption is secured!”
Where in Scripture does it state the Israelites practiced the feasts in looking forward to their fulfillment by the Messiah?
3. You said, “Observing the Holy Feast Days does not mean that we need to fulfill the ceremonial law, and sacrifice a lamb on Passover for example. And we should not look to Jewish traditions in celebrating the Feast Days, as they added many rules to them.”
You recommend we observe the feasts to remain in covenant with the Father but you don’t recommend we observe them exactly as the Father commanded they be observed in Scripture. If we are going to observe the feasts in order to remain in covenant, why would we deviate from the directions given by the Father?
Thank you in advance.
In Christ,
Walt
Hi Walt, Those are great questions. Here’s my thoughts:
1. If your father holds seven special parties each year and you choose not to go to any of them, how does that affect your bond with him? If you attend all of them to celebrate with your father, how does that affect your bond with your him?
I’m not saying that people who observe Easter and Christmas aren’t saved, but the Father can’t be happy about people ignoring His Holy Feast days but celebrating man-made holidays which are based on pagan beliefs.
2. The Holy Feast Days are a type, which have always pointed to the divine appointment when Messiah fulfills them. The blood of animals atoned for the Israelites sins, but not all of their sins. Abraham and Isaac understood that the Heavenly Father would send a lamb to atone for their sins, as did the Israelites. Isaiah 53 and Daniel 9 foretold that Messiah the Prince would come as the Spotless Lamb to atone for their sins.
3. Sacrificing a lamb is not needed for the atonement of sins, as Messiah has paid the price for all of our sins. Messiah is our High Priest who fulfills the ceremonial demands of the Feast Days.
Hebrews 8:13 points to the Mosaic Covenant being ready to vanish away because Messiah confirmed the everlasting covenant with His blood, “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
We don’t live under the Mosaic Covenant, the Israelites did. But we’ve been grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel and our Heavenly Father still wants us to honor His ten commandments and He wants His followers to celebrate the divine appointments that were set from the foundation of the world for our redemption.
Here’s an interesting video that I was just watching about how the Passover Seder points to Messiah.
https://youtu.be/dnopIIdqnzY
I hope that makes sense.
In Christ,
David
I have been blessed by many things you have written and said. I appreciate your diligent work.
Would you please give me the scriptures that support this:
“If you don’t observe them, you are out of covenant with Him.”
Thank you,
Leslie
Thank you for your comment Leslie! The Holy Feast Days are the whole Gospel message, as they are divine appointments that Messiah is fulfilling to redeem the set-apart saints. Celebrating them causes you to be in sync with the Heavenly Father and His plan. Not celebrating them and observing pagan-based Easter and Christmas, puts you out of sync with Him.
I’m not saying that people aren’t saved, I’m simply declaring that when you love the Father’s full Gospel plan and celebrate His Holy Feast Days, you’re in sync with Him, in covenant with Him.
With all due respect, David, you have not answered my question.
I want the scriptures that support this claim.
I have not observed either Christmas or Easter for at least 20 years. That said, I believe that is a separate issue.
I’m very willing to be convinced by scriptures, as the Lord is my witness.
Leslie
Here’s Scriptures about obeying the Father’s commandments, which includes His commands to observe the Holy Feast Days.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Obeying the Father’s commandments keeps us in covenant with Him.
I truly appreciate the work you have done, especially as concerns historicism and the understanding that “The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John” being heavily symbolic. No future seven year tribulation period, no pre-trib rapture, the “great tribulation period” behind us, anti-christ being an office rather than one person, the mark of the beast understood as revering and obeying the Anti-Christ Beast Pope, and the anti-christ false prophet as the Jesuit Superior General, are truths that very much empower the saints and encourage us to preach the gospel and expose the lies. To find someone else who believes that the end is near is very exhilarating! It has put a strong wind in my sail, and I thank you.
Therefore it is with respect that I respond that these scriptures do not support keeping feast days. I believe that if Paul thought that we need to “keep feast days in order to keep in covenant with the Father,” he would have carefully explained that in his epistles, especially Romans, Hebrews, and Galatians. I also believe it would have precipitated out of the debate of Acts 15, yet no such thing did. Not to mention the fact that I see no where that Jesus taught this.
I think Paul might say that if you truly believe that you must keep the feast days in order to “maintain your covenant” with our Father, then you should. The same with the Sabbath.
Romans 14:5-6 (NMB NT) 5 This man distinguishes between day and day, another counts all days alike. See to it that no one wavers in his own purpose: 6 he who observes one day over another does it for the Lord’s pleasure, and he who does not observe one day over another does it also to please the Lord.
Romans 14:14 (NMB NT) 14 For I know and am fully assured in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing common of itself. But for him who judges it to be common, to him it is common.
However, I find the idea that Jesus will return during the feast of trumpets compelling.
Our Father in heaven, grant your saints all we need to relentlessly pursue The Truth, and preach the gospel relentlessly. Grant us the grace to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, NO MATTER WHAT!! And it is through Jesus, in His name, and for His glory and yours that I ask it. Amen.
Okay, none of these scriptures speak of feast days. If you believe you must observe the feast days, I think Paul might say you ought to, because for you it would be ‘disobedient’ not to.
Romans 14:5-6 (NMB NT) 5 This man distinguishes between day and day, another counts all days alike. See to it that no one wavers in his own purpose: 6 he who observes one day over another does it for the Lord’s pleasure, and he who does not observe one day over another does it also to please the Lord.
I am of the conviction that all days are alike.
You wrote:
“The Holy Feast Days of the Father are a covenant with His redeemed people.
If you don’t observe them, you are out of covenant with Him.
If this were true Paul would have made it clear, especially in his letter to the Hebrews and/or the Romans.
That said , your argument that the Lord will return on the feast of Trumpets is compelling.
Hi Lesley, I am new here, so I hope you and David don’t mind if I answer.
First of all Jesus kept all the Feasts. They are all over the new testament. The king James version is missing over 300 words, and the Niv over 3000. Jesus Did keep all the Feasts. Paul does say to purge out the leaving so you will become a new lump.
And in Exodus 12, it is an ordinance or ” Statute” to be kept forever. You may want to look at a Hebrew Greek key word study Bible. Corinthians 11 is the Passover covenant commemoration of our Lord’s Joshua’s (Jesus) death. And Jesus kept all the Feasts,Passover, feast of unleavened bread, the count to Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement Fast At-one-ment with God , the Feast of Tabernacles and last great Day all listed in Leviticus 23. These were a foreshadowing of things to come, and someday whether we like it or not we will keep again the new moons, sabbaths , and Feast of Tabernacles, as listed in Isaiah 66: 23 and Zechariah 14:16-19.
There’s also Paul’s words in Colossians 2:16, some writers have changed it. I know the faithful version has it write but I’d be careful about going into the website because they use the chc, and I don’t believe that is godly.
But the Feasts are Gods Holy Feasts and king David calls them statutes in Psalm 119. When you come across them in the Bible, highlight them in a different color than you would normally use. Jesus kept the feast of dedication to the temple and I believe that is Hannukkah. He also kept the feast of Tabernacles and you can see his brothers asked him if he were going to the feast and he said not now. But he went later in secret. The feast of unleavened bread are sometimes called the Unleavens and they include Passover. The Feast of Weeks is the Count to Pentecost. I’m still learning myself after reading the Bible since childhood. May God Bless your Search. Here’s one 1 Corinthians 5 :8..
I am also learning that we need to keep these Feasts by the new moon. Psalm 81:1, Ezekiel 46:1-6.
I believe today is the first work day. Jesus Said Walk in the light.John 11:9 .
Why do you begin to sound like a Seventh Day Adventist?
Leslie, what are you referring to in particular? I don’t think that SDA’s put a lot of focus on the seven Holy Feast days, and they wrongly proclaim that Saturday is the Scriptural Sabbath and that Sunday worship is the mark of the beast.
Someone said that your material is a virtual plagiarism of Ellen Whites book “The Desire of Ages.”
Please, I do not mean any disrespect, I am just obeying the Lord’s command to ‘take heed.’
There is a sea- an ocean of false prophets and teachers out there. I am convinced that every major denomination in this country and likely around the world has been compromised to the point of no longer holding to sound doctrine. I consider them to be either directly or indirectly part of the beast system.
I also read an article supposedly disqualifying the idea of a 1260 year reign of the papacy as the proof it is the anti-christ. Here’s the link: https://www.defendingthebride.com/bible/papacy/538/1798.html
I’ve not read any of EGW’s books. Are they saying that because I give the historicist narrative of prophecy fulfillment? If so, I learned them from the great theologians (Albert Barnes, Adam Clarke, E.B. Elliott, Henry Grattan Guinness, John Gill, Matthew Poole) of the 16th-20th centuries, none of which were SDA.
As for the article supposedly disqualifying the idea of a 1260 year reign of the papacy as the proof it is the anti-christ, it’s a Catholic website. What else do you expect them to say?
I provide plenty of proof that the office of the papacy, the Popes of Rome, fulfill Bible prophecy as the ‘little horn’ of Daniel 7, the ‘son of perdition’ of 2 Thessalonians 2, and the ‘beast’ of Revelation 13, who leads the ‘harlot’ church of Rome; in my Revelation Timeline Decoded videos and book. https://revelationtimelinedecoded.com/
Thank you so much for your reply. You have responded as I thought you would.
I am currently trying to get me dearest sibling, Darcy, to leave the SDA’s.
It’s tough for SDA’s to leave as they think that they’ve found the only church that’s teaching truth. Here’s a link to my Seventh Day Adventist False Prophecy Fulfillment Teachings page that exposes their false teachings: https://revelationtimelinedecoded.com/seventh-day-adventist-false-prophecy-fulfillment-teachings/
Thank you David. I have been through that page and others related to it several times. Furthermore, I have sent those links to Darcy and have been covering her reception of them with much prayer.
Leslie, I pray that the explanations help her see Scriptural truth, so that she comes out of false teachings!
Hello, did you ever hear that we are supposed to be keeping Penticost 50 days more from the seven week count of Sabbaths ? It’s in the Ferrars Fenton bible Leviticus 23.
I was told the one we’re keeping is the one that Aaron called. . sincerely E.U.
Hello. Yes, my understanding is that we are to observe seven Sabbaths, and then count 50 more days. This puts Pentecost in the latter part of summer when the harvest is ripe.