GOD’S BIBLICAL FEAST DAYS (An introduction)
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God’s Feasts are His appointed Times: From Genesis to Leviticus, God declares the Holy Days as “My Feasts” and “Feasts of the LORD” —not manmade traditions, but divine appointments for worship, reflection, and celebration.
These Holy Days are Still Relevant: Jesus and the early Church observed them (e.g., Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost), showing their continuity beyond the Old Testament. Jesus affirmed God’s law as enduring (Matthew 5:17–19).
The Holy Days reveal God’s Plan of Salvation: Each Feast foreshadows aspects of God’s redemptive plan, fulfilled in Jesus Christ and pointing to future events in God’s Kingdom.
“These Shall be Statutes Forever”: The phrase “statute forever” (the Hebrew word olam) appears throughout Leviticus 23, emphasizing the perpetual nature of these Holy days and how they tie directly to God’s eternal character.
The New Testament Supports Ongoing Observance: The apostles, including Paul, kept and taught these Feasts (Acts 20:6, 1 Corinthians 5:8), and many of Jesus’ key teachings occurred during them (e.g., John 7, during the Feast of Tabernacles).
God’s Calendar Reflects His Dternal Purposes: Observing His Feasts aligns those seeking to Him follow Him (His believers) with His timetable and deepens their understanding of His work in the past, present, and future.
The Feasts are Part of a Living Covenant: Rather than being abolished, these Holy Days reflect God’s unchanging relationship with His people and remain significant for all who seek to worship Him in spirit and truth.
From the very beginning in Genesis, God established specific days as His appointed times, marking them as sacred and set apart. Later, in Leviticus, God reaffirms these appointed times, declaring them as holy convocations for worship, reflection, and celebration. These Holy Days were not merely ceremonial observances for ancient Israel; they were declared as "My Feasts" and "the Feasts of the LORD" (Leviticus 23:2), emphasizing their divine origin and ongoing importance. God’s repeated claim that these are His Feasts underscores that they are not human traditions, but are divinely instituted times of significance for all who seek to worship Him in spirit and truth.
Contrary to the common belief that these Holy Days were part of an old covenant system now abolished, the Bible reveals their enduring relevance. Jesus Himself affirmed the unchanging validity of God’s law in Matthew 5:17-19, stating that He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In the New Testament, the continuity of these holy days is evident. Jesus observed them, as seen in Luke 22:14-15, when He celebrated Passover with His disciples. The early Church continued to recognize and observe these holy days, as demonstrated in Acts 20:6 and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, where Paul explicitly connects the meaning of Passover and Unleavened Bread to Jesus Christ.
God’s Holy Days remain relevant for those seeking to follow Him today as times to reflect on His plan of salvation, draw closer to Him, and celebrate the fulfillment of them in Jesus Christ while anticipating their ultimate completion in God’s Kingdom. Observing these appointed and holy times allows believers to align themselves with not only God's calendar, but on His ultimate focus for humanity.
In addition to referring to the annual holy days as “My Feasts,” God consistently uses another phrase that underscores their enduring importance: “this shall be a statute forever.” This phrase, often repeated when God establishes His Feasts, highlights their perpetual significance. The Hebrew word translated as “forever” is olam, which conveys the concept of ongoing continuity, perpetual duration, or timelessness.
For example, regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:14 states: “It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” Similarly, the same wording is used for other Holy Days. Leviticus 23:21 describes the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost): “It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.” This phrase also appears in commands for the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:31) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:41), underscoring their ongoing and timeless relevance.
Interestingly, the same Hebrew word, olam, used to describe the eternal nature of God’s Holy Days is also applied to describe God’s own eternal nature. For instance, Psalm 90:2 declares: “From everlasting to everlasting (forever or eternal), You are God.” This connection between the enduring nature of God and the perpetual observance of His Feasts emphasizes their origin from God and timeless significance, making them just as relevant for believers today as when they were first commanded.
The use of olam in conjunction with God’s command to observe His Feast days ties directly to His eternal nature. What does it mean that God describes these days as “My Feasts” (Leviticus 23:2)? Does this not suggest that they belong to Him, rather than being temporary cultural practices for ancient Israel? If God’s very character is eternal, wouldn’t the permanence of these Feasts also reflect His unchanging nature and His covenant with His people in both the Old and New Testaments?
The word “forever” (or as the Hebrew often says, from everlasting to everlasting) transcends human limitations, pointing to the spiritual and prophetic significance of God’s Holy Days. As statutes ordained by God, they are not subject to human alteration or cessation. Instead, their observance serves as a reminder of His sovereignty, His plan for humanity, and the enduring relationship between Him and His people. If these appointed times are part of God’s redemptive plan and reflect His eternal character, why would they be abolished? Should believers not align themselves with God’s purposes by keeping His designated Feast days?
To explore this further, we will examine each of God’s Biblical Feasts and their pivotal role in foreshadowing the plan established by God from the foundation of the earth to reconcile humanity to Him. For those seeking to verify the phrase “My Feasts”, the following verses demonstrate God’s claim of ownership over these annual observances. They are not human traditions or temporary rituals, but integral components of God’s redemptive plan for all people.
"His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast."
"Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?'"
"Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, 'Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?'"
"Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.'"
"Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."
"Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover."
"And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread."
"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting."
"For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost."
"But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost."
"And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."
"Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them..."
"Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand... But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret... Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught."
"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'"
"But took leave of them, saying, 'I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.' And he sailed from Ephesus."