HOLY DAYS BRING HOPE

HOLY DAYS BRING HOPE~~~~>>>

The two greatest events in all of the world's history happened on one of the Creators given feasts. They are:
1) Passover, when Christ by His sacrificial death covered our sins,
2) Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was made available for all.
Keep these, and the other six feasts, in remembrance of those gifts, and to look forward to the rest of the story.

Spring always brings hope, because it is a time of renewal. In God's plan it is also a time of renewal, a time to be born again! God's months are not figured as the present calendar. His months begin in the spring. Month one is usually in our April. Three of God's seven holy days are in the spring.

SPRING HOLY DAYS:
PASSOVER
To understand Passover we must go back in history to the time that the tribes of Israel were led out of slavery in Egypt by Moses. This was a great hope for them. They were going to the Promised Land, a land of milk and honey! But they had to go through some trials, and prepare for it.

Before their exodus, God, through Moses, had instructed every Israelite family in Egypt to sacrifice a lamb to be eaten, and to smear some of its blood on the doorpost of their houses. On the night this was done, the death angel entered the homes of all the Egyptians, and killed all the first born, but passed over every house marked with the lamb’s blood, thus the name Passover.
Now, we are preparing for a journey to a better promised land, the Kingdom of God! The sacrificial lamb is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. His blood on us will make it possible for the death angel to pass us. We can be passed over from the sure death of sin in much the same way as the Israelites were passed over from the death of their first born. We eat the unleavened bread that represents the body of Christ, the Lamb of God, and cover ourselves with His blood by partaking of the wine representing the blood shed by Jesus Christ. Not only the first born will be saved from death, but everyone can be saved!

One day, the elect will truly partake of Jesus Christ and become Spirit as He is. Later to join Him in heaven as He joined the Father.

It is IMPORTANT that one prepare always for this event. Preparing for the Passover is a reminder of this.
In I Cor. 11:27-29 it says, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." NKJ

To discern the Lord’s body is to completely know Him, and to strive to be like Him.
1. Most of all He is forgiving. We must also be forgiving.
2. He made Himself a sacrifice to take away our sins. We must willingly bear suffering for the misdeeds of others, as He did.
3. Jesus preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. We must personally and collectively tell of the Kingdom, and how to get there, as He did.
4. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit of God to His people. We must stir up the Holy Spirit in us with prayer, Bible study, fasting, and meditation so that we can one day become spirit as He has.
5. Jesus kept all that His Father commanded. We must meditate on The Father’s commands, and follow them as He did.
6. Jesus suffered all the temptations that we do, becoming our perfect mediator and high priest. We must try to examine our attitudes without excuse, and present them to our Mediator for forgiveness.
7. He returned to His Father in heaven after doing all that His Father wanted Him to do. We must also strive to do what the Father wants us to do known by His Word the Bible. Then we too can enter the Kingdom of God.
As He cleansed the feet of the apostles we must be cleansed by Him, as represented in the foot washing, and become worthy to take the new Passover, entering the spiritual body of Christ to be in His image.

Jesus did not do away with the Passover remembrance day, but changed the way it should be kept. He showed how, at what is commonly known as The Last Supper. It was the last Passover He would keep on earth as a human. This story is told by the apostles in Matt 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25 & Luke 22:15-20 .
Significance of blood.
John 1:29 says, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Now, God's people, on Passover, mark themselves with the blood of Jesus Christ by accepting His sacrifice so that the death angel will pass over them. This is necessary, for sin causes certain death. (Romans 5:12) Matthew 26:27-28 says, "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Significance of bread.
     Luke 22:19 says, "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
    Keeping the Passover day in remembrance of Jesus is very important mainly because He said to. It is also important because it represents a time when we will become spirit and become like Him.
    Jesus says in John 6: 35, "I am the bread of life, He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

NOTE in Luke 24:30-31
After Jesus’ resurrection, two disciples on the road to
Emmaus did not recognize Him until He broke bread, blessed it and gave it to them.
So also when the elect break the unleavened bread and receive the Passover it is a reminder that one day they will recognize Him, and be able to see Him in all His glory.

Stepping out toward the Promised Land.
     Israel was going to a wonderful land with many physical blessings, a land much like the United States. God's people today look to another, much greater land, a spiritual kingdom ruled by God! Abraham, the father of nations, who was a special servant of God, also looked toward that land. (Hebrews 11:8-10)  (Revelation 7:9-17)
A NIGHT TO BE OBSERVED.
There is a time for us to remember the start of those journeys. It is commanded by God in Exodus 12:40-42, "Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years–on that very same day–it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. It is that night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
    The Israelites left in the evening following the Passover. They left the slavery in Egypt with a high hand. It was a very joyful time. They were free! Thank the LORD The Eternal!
    So also when the elect are changed to spirit, they will be made free from this physical world, this world that is enslaved by Satan. How great the anticipation will be! It will be almost too much to handle. The elect will be going out of this evil world, called to meet Jesus in the air.

WAVE SHEAF DAY This is not a holy day of convocation, but is a very significant part of our hope. It was on the Wave Sheaf day that Christ was again received by the Father as spirit. (John 20:17) It pictures the day that the elect also will be received into heaven, as spirit, to be with Christ.

A background of this great event. In Lev. 23:9-14 it tells about the Wave Sheaf ceremony as told to Moses by God. "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it." Jesus is the first of the spiritual harvest.
'And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD. 'Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 'You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings."
(Revelation 8:1-6)

         Similarities that concern us.
1) This harvesting the first crop, is like the first humans to become spirit, called firstfruits.
2) The barley field from which the sheaf is cut symbolizes all humanity. In that field there are also tares (weeds), as in Matthew13:24-30 & 36:43.
3) The pure barley that is sheaved represents the elect. The tares, represent those not yet ready. At the first harvest, the time when the elect are changed to spirit, the barley and the tares will be separated. The elect will be taken, and the tares left behind.
4) The sheaf is raised and lowered. Christ was raised to His Father on this day, and returned to earth. The elect are raised, as spirit, to the Father, and are able to manifest themselves on earth.
The offerings
1) The Lamb, as a burnt offering shows a willingness to give ones whole self, as Christ did, and the elect will.
2) The flour mixed with oil made by fire shows Christ and the elect, ground and mixed with the Holy Spirit, tried by the fire of earthly trials. It is a grain offering that is pleasing to the LORD.
    After the the first day of unleavened bread, which represents sin taken out, and is a holy day, the wave sheaf offering is waved.

DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD These seven days start and end with a day of Holy Convocation. (Numbers 28:17-18 & 25) They picture a joining together of God's church to start a sinless journey, and to end it safely.

Some feel that once saved always saved.
This is not true. The Bible continuously says "persevere to the end"! The days of unleavened bread picture that perseverance, the staying out of sin.

    Israel's journey was fraught with trials and errors. Israel lost that Promised Land by sinning, and not staying close to God. So also our way is now fraught with trials and errors. However, if we are not like Israel, and persevere to the end, we will enter His kingdom.
     I John 3:4 tells us that sin is breaking the law. It is lawlessness. So, we must be careful not to lose our way. We must stay close to God with prayer, fasting and reading His word to guide us. We must obey His every word, especially His commandments. In I John 5:2 we are told, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."
        For seven days no leavened bread should be eaten. (Leviticus23:6) You and your house must be unleavened. Leavening here represents sin. Paul speaks of the meaning in
I Corinthians 5:7-8 saying, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." John 17:17 tells us that God's word is truth!
        The New Testament church became new (unleavened, sin free) by repentance, accepting Jesus Christ as savior, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and being taught by the apostles. However, it is not humanly possible to retain that condition.
         Romans 3:23 tells us all have sinned, often unknowingly, so humans must continuously call on the forgiveness of God through the sacrifice of God's Son to cover their sins. Therefore, to become the elect, one will have to continuously be unleavened of sin by His sacrifice until all is complete. That is the significance of the Days of Unleavened Bread for us.
        It will be different for the spiritual elect that join Christ in heaven, they will be able to keep God's ways in the spiritual sense, and truly be unleavened, free from sin forever. They will be free to learn more of The Creator's spiritual ways, of sincerity and truth, from the direct teaching of His Son in order to reach perfection. Revelation 8:7 to 9:21 To have perfection the Holy Spirit must be received in full, which brings us to . . .
PENTECOST
     This pictures the elects complete renewal in heaven; receiving the Holy Spirit 100%! They will then be ready to work with Jesus, at His return, to establish His kingdom on earth.

In the New Testament, after Christ's death, a great miracle was performed on this day! Jesus' followers were gathered together to celebrate this day as they were told to in Leviticus 23:15-21. Then....as was promised in Acts 1:5-8, "they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)
Even this great power is not the whole power the Holy Spirit can give. As II Corinthians1:21-22 & 5:5 says, "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit."

   In the Old Testament, in Leviticus 23:17 it is the feast of the firstfruits when the first of their grain is offered. It is not sheaved, but is made into loaves of bread. The elect, the firstfruits, are not sheaved but have been made over into something else, spirit beings.
    With the bread offering there is a burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering which are holy to the Lord.
    Those called by God, have made these offerings also. Their burnt offering is giving their whole selves to God. The sin offering is their repentance, and the peace offering the increasing of the fruits of the Spirit of God. They are then made holy by God.

Also Ephesians 1:12-13 says, "after you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." The Holy Spirit given then is only a deposit, given in advance, as security for salvation, and the rest of the power of the Holy Spirit. It will be completed as the heavenly church is completed in heaven. Then when Christ returns to reign as King of kings, they will be able to help as warriors, kings, and priests during His millennial reign. (Revelation 10:1-11)

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