The
Holy Day Shadow's, What Do They Represent?
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The Day of Atonement: True Christians have
had, in part the Day of Atonement fulfilled in their lives
also. On the Day of Atonement in ancient Israel two
very significant things happened to two goats.
In Leviticus 16 the ceremony is detailed for us. The sins of all of Israel were paid for by the
sacrifice of one goat, but the sins were actually placed on
the head of the other goat.
Almost as if one goat paid the price for the sins,
but the other goat had the responsibility for all the sins
placed on his head. And
the interesting thing is that this second goat who had the
sins of all Israel placed on his head did not die, but was
banished into the wilderness. We know that Jesus died to pay the high price
for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16).
But who has been responsible for the sins of the world,
ultimately? Read Genesis 3 and Revelation 12:9. Isn't it Satan? And we see that Satan is ultimately banished
from our presence and the presence of the world (Revelation
20:1-3, 7-10.) Leviticus 16:1-34 details this ceremony that
the High Priest performed once a year on the Day of Atonement. Jesus was sacrificed to pay the penalty of the
sins of the world. Satan
has yet to be put away and banished, but it will be done (Revelation
20:1-3; Zechariah 12-13).
But even now, for true Christians, Satan no longer
has a claim on their lives. For the world, this event will not occur until
a little after the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. The actual event is depicted in Revelation 20:1-3,
just after Revelation 19:11-21 depicts Jesus' 2nd
coming. So in reality,
a spiritual reality, if Jesus Christ has already had his 2nd
coming for those who are baptized and have the Holy Spirit
dwelling in them, Satan's influence and hold over them is
gone, he has been banished out of their lives. Then spiritually,
they are already in the Kingdom of God.
This may be a hard concept to grasp, but this is a
spiritual reality nonetheless.
Again, the physical observance of the Day of Atonement
is a beautiful shadow for one more thing Jesus has done and
does inside us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Also the blood of the other goat, the one which was
sacrificed by the High Priest, symbolized Jesus Christ's atoning
blood that covers all our sins, and the sins of the world.
The banished goat symbolizes Satan, who will be banished
along with all his demon cohorts. The sacrificial goat had his blood sprinkled
on the altar, again symbolizing what Jesus did for us. Read Leviticus 16:1-34 for yourself. Let the symbolism sink in. (Some say that this interpretation of the two
goats can't be accurate because Satan is unholy, spiritually
"unclean" and goats are ceremonially "clean"
under the law of Moses. But
that doesn't quite hold water, because if you look up Ezekiel
28:12-15 and Isaiah 14:12-17, especially in Ezekiel 28:15,
God said of Lucifer was "You were perfect in your ways
from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in
you." Lucifer started out "clean" in God's
eyes. The two goats
are a symbolic picture, where one turned evil and the other
one represented Jesus Christ. One was sacrificed and one was banished.)
Also in Joel 2:1-11 we see the 2nd coming
of Yeshua portrayed, but in verses 12-17 the theme of the
Day of Atonement is prophecied to occur.
Again in Zechariah 12 we see similar prophecies that
show the coming of the Lord, and then the Jews "recognizing
the one they pierced", and a great mourning taking place,
which amounts to the calling of all the remaining surviving
Jews to salvation in the Lord (Zechariah 12:2-9, 10-14).
Note
about the meaning of Trumpets:
Many Jews and Christians say there is no significant
meaning attached to the Feast of Trumpets in Leviticus 23:23-25.
The Jews actually call the day Rosh Hashanah meaning
first day, because they made this day the first day of their
civil calendar, not knowing what other significance the day
had. But the actual
meaning can be deduced by the meaning Scripture, both Old
Testament and New, attaches to the Day of Atonement found
in Leviticus 16 and the actual event of the banishing of the
azazel goat in Revelation 20:1-3. The Day of Atonement, which by definition of
Leviticus 16 symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and
the banishing of Satan, the azazel goat.
Revelation 20:1-3 shows the literal banishing or locking
away of Satan, which symbolically occurred by this banishing
of the azazel goat on the Day of Atonement. If the Revelation 20:1-3 banishing of Satan,
the azazel goat, is symbolized by the Day of Atonement, and
the previous major prophetic event depicted in Revelation
19 is the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, and the Feast
of Trumpets is the Holy Day just preceding the Day of Atonement,
then the Feast of Trumpets can be deduced as representing
the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The Jews, not accepting New Testament Scripture, understandably,
can't accept this explanation, Messianic Jewish-Christians
clearly see this day as representing the 2nd coming
of Jesus Christ, by mere simple deductive logic--nothing hard
about it.
The Feast of Tabernacles--the Great Fall
Harvest Festival: In
Leviticus 23:34-44 the command is given for the observing
of this great fall festival, taking place just after the fall
harvest in Palestine. Like I pointed out earlier, it pictures prophetically,
the great harvest of souls that will take place during the
Millennial rule of Jesus and the saints in the kingdom age. This takes place after Jesus has returned to
earth and put down all opposition and put Satan away, locked
up for 1,000 years. Revelation
20:4-6, Isaiah 11:4-16; Isaiah 2:1-4; Ezekiel 34:11-31; 36:1-38;
Jeremiah 30-31 all picture this glorious kingdom age Jesus
will usher in. In the
New Testament, Jesus said each of the twelve apostles would
be a king over one of the tribes of Israel.
In the Old Testament prophecies, king David is promised
to be the king over Israel, all 12 tribes (Ezekiel 34:22-23),
while we see Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords,
King of the world (Zechariah 14:9).
(Some discount this saying the big harvest in Palestine
is the spring harvest, but Israel is a land of fruit trees
and her major staple in her historic times was fruit and olive
oil--all grown from trees.
Some like to tear the prophetic meaning of these days
down for whatever reason they may have, maybe a motive of
no longer wishing to observe them. Calvary Chapel does not observe them, but recognizes
their deep significance. For
true Christians, with Jesus now dwelling in their lives through
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14), and Satan no
longer having a claim on their lives, they are now spiritually
in this glorious kingdom in a symbolic sense. So says Paul in Colossians 1:13-14. "He has delivered us from the power of
darkness [cf. Revelation 20:1-3] and
translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins." [cf. Revelation 20:4,6.]
For the world, this event will not occur
until a little after the 2nd coming of Jesus. The true kingdom attitude will spread over the
surviving world after Satan and his demons are locked away,
no longer able to broadcast and influence mankind and society,
and when Jesus and the saints start to call and evangelize
all who remain alive at this time. It is these who will repopulate the world, and
a massive harvest of souls will take place throughout this
1000 year period of time.
We haven't been told exactly how, but we do see that
the Holy Spirit is promised to come upon surviving Israel
in Ezekiel 36:25-26, as well as in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Now Paul quoted Jeremiah 31:31-32 in Hebrews,
showing that we Christians now live under this new covenant
agreement with God. The
old is passed away for us. But for Israel and Judah and the world that
survive into the kingdom age, this covenant won't apply to
them until then. The
new covenant and it's blessings do not apply to the unconverted,
those who do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit.
They're still under the old, with all it's penalties
and curses for disobedience. And we see those curses being exacted in society
all around us. Read
Leviticus 26 some time. So
we see the Feast of Tabernacles truly pictures this time of
plenty and peace which will cover the entire world after Jesus
returns. The ancient
Israelites were commanded to save a whole 10 percent of their
incomes to bring to this fall harvest festival.
It was quite a feast, picturing this time of plenty
that will come to pass after Jesus returns, restoring the
Kingdom and government of God to the earth. I have observed this Festival in the past, spending
10 percent of my income in those 8 days. You truly feel like a king, and put on a few
pounds as well. It
pictures the time when Jesus Christ the King and true Christians
now made immortal and ruling as kings and priests, will lift
the burdens of Satan's corrupt and evil world from off the
shoulders of mankind. It
will be a time of glorious abundance and joy.
The central highlight of that Kingdom on earth will
be the mercy and love coming down from it to the subjects
of that Kingdom. Jesus Christ, was the Good Samaritan, and true
Christians are a reflection of Jesus Christ, and must be good
Samaritans also--thus reflecting the glorious light of the
Kingdom of God onto those in this evil age and society of
man which will pass away.
Zechariah 14:16-19 shows that this festival
will become a commanded observance during the kingdom age. By extension, then, all of Leviticus 23 will
also be in force. That
is what Zechariah 14:16-19 indicates.
We'll learn more about this after Jesus returns.
There are also Scriptures, prophecies, in the Old Testament
showing the Levitical priesthood will be set up in the kingdom
age, administering and serving around the temple.
Beyond that, we don't know much, except we'll be kings
and priests in that temple, the headquarters of Jesus Christ,
who will be King over the whole world (Zechariah 14:9; Revelation
5:9-10).
The actual Holy Days listed in Leviticus
23 are a shadow of good things to come, as well as the good
things Jesus has done for us and currently does for us through
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
We live their meaning every day of our lives through
the Holy Spirit who dwells in us if we are Christ's.
So you see the
Holy Days and Sabbath day have been transformed inside of
us by the Holy Spirit, not eliminated!
A literal interpretation of Matthew 5:17-19 indicates
that all of the 10 Commandment Law of God--Sabbath day and
Holy Days included--must be observed by Christians.
Most Sabbath-keeping Christian churches, The Worldwide
Church of God under Mr. Armstrong, the Seventh Day Adventists
etc, are under this particular understanding. Proper understanding of what the Holy Spirit
does in us, and what Paul said in Hebrews 4 about these days
being shadows of the reality in us which is Christ, shows
that we are already observing them, internally! But understand,
their rich meaning, the reality of Christ in us, is already
being lived out in us by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The days themselves are just a shadow of what
the Holy Spirit is doing in us, as Paul stated in Hebrews
4, and a shadow of prophetic events to come. [see http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews4-1-16.htm ]
So what is the real
New Testament meaning that God is trying to convey to us through
these Holy Day shadows? Each
and every one of them is like a particular facet or side of
a precious diamond, and that diamond is Jesus Christ in us
through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit--Jesus Christ covering
our sins (Passover), Jesus Christ continually taking us out
of sin (Days of Unleavened Bread), Jesus Christ writing the
precious Law of God (read Matthew 5:17-48) in our hearts and
minds (Pentecost), Jesus Christ having his second coming in
us (Trumpets), Jesus Christ taking us out of Satan's influence
and into his glorious influence (Atonement), and the effect
of all of this takes us in advance, spiritually into his glorious
kingdom of light, the kingdom of God (the Feast of Tabernacles).
[Colossians 1:12-13]
Does
God require that we keep the physical shadows, as beautiful
as they are, if we chose not to, or if they are not a part
of our particular custom of worship?
No, not at all. The new covenant has no such requirement. But neither deny the Messianic Jewish believer
in Yeshua his or her right to observe these days. In some ways, as I have demonstrated here, these
days convey far more than the overly commercialized Christmas. And the early Christian church in Jerusalem
and Asia Minor never called Passover easter, since that word
directly translated from the Babylonian Ishtar, Queen of heaven,
a pagan goddess. So give the Messianic Jewish believers in Yeshua
their due, and respect their right to worship according to
their ethnic customs, which as you have just read and seen,
carry a whole lot of Scriptural significance.
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