Which Covenant Are We In?--A Simple Explanation"

The new covenant is defined by Paul in Hebrews 8:7-13, "For if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: 'The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt , because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.' [Paul quoting from Jeremiah 31:31-34.] By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." [Paul wrote this before the Temple had been destroyed, which when destroyed put an end to the Levitical priesthood performing the rituals called for in the old covenant.] The apostle Paul gave the central theme of the new covenant just quoted in Hebrews 10:16 where he stated, "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." That is the central core of the new covenant.

By simplest definition of what we see Paul saying in Hebrews 8:7-13, the core of the message is that those living in this new covenant would fit into this condition: "I will put My law in their mind and write them on their hearts..." [vs 10] If the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we have this ability--the law of God has been put in our minds and written on our hearts. That by Paul's definition, places us right in the new covenant, even though as originally quoted from Jeremiah 31:31-34, the new covenant does not come upon the House of Judah or the House of Israel until after Jesus Christ's 2^ndcoming. But for the Church, the body of Christ, we're in the new covenant right now if God's Holy Spirit dwells in us.

Next question raised by this Scripture in Hebrews 8:7-13 is: Which laws of God are being talked about here? The old covenant law of God was ratified by God under Moses, but this is talking about a new covenant, ratified in the blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So naturally, it would have to be the laws spoken of by Jesus Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament. Don't forget, Jesus is God in the flesh, the one who was YHVH of the Old Testament, the one who gave the Law to Moses on Sinai (read John 1:1-11)--The Torah. What do we find Jesus saying or quoting about what the law of God is in the New Testament? Mark 12:28-32. "Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?' 'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.'" Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18. And these two laws are a summation of the Ten Commandments. The first one mentioned by Jesus, that we are to love God with all our hearts, is a summation of the first four of the Ten Commandments. The second law mentioned, loving our neighbors as ourselves, is a summation of the last six of the Ten Commandments, which tell us how we are to love our neighbors (i.e. not murdering them, not committing adultery against your neighbor's wife, not stealing from your neighbor, not lying to him or her, and not coveting their belongings.) So Jesus indicates the Ten Commandments are the law of God. Did Jesus say anything, give any commandments, or re-affirm the law of God, the Ten Commandments, or which ones were to be followed? Yes he did. Let's look at Matthew 5:17-30, 38-48. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown in prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.'" Here you find some of the basic Ten Commandment law of God being magnified to a higher plane by Jesus.

Basically, if you search from one end of the New Testament to the other, you will find all the Ten Commandments mentioned and re-commanded by Jesus or the apostles except for the Fourth Commandment, the Sabbath Command (Exodus 20:8-11). The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament, but not in reference to any command that we should keep it. (The apostles used the Sabbath as an opportunity to evangelize amongst the Jews, and kept it as a custom, they’re being Messianic Jewish Christians in the Jerusalem Church of God--the very first Christian congregation, and Headquarters church for many years.) If you look at Leviticus 23, the chapter which commands God's Holy Days, the Sabbath Command is the very first Holy Day mentioned, so the Holy Days of Leviticus 23 are integrally linked to the Sabbath Command. But the New Testament is strangely silent about any re-iteration of the Sabbath/Holy Day commands as far as re-commanding their observance. Have they been abolished? The Sabbatarian churches take Matthew 5:17-19 literally and think not. The rest of Christianity isn't sure or thinks they have been abolished. But if the Holy Days and Sabbath were really so important a part of the Ten Commandments, what is said about them in the New Testament to help explain this strange silence, especially about Sabbath observance? Have they been abolished, or has something more profound happened to these commandments? I hope to thoroughly answer that question for those seeking a clear and simple answer. What follows is a listing of where most of the Ten Commandments are re-iterated in the New Testament, and brought to a higher plane spiritual level.

The Ten Commandments That Are Re-Affirmed and Re-Commanded in the New Testament:

Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

Colossians 3:8, "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blashemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."

Galatians 5:19-20, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Colossians 3:5, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

Matthew 19:18, "He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother..."

Luke 18:20, "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and they mother..."

Ephesians 6:1-3, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."

Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and they mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as theyself."

Mark 10:19, "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother..."

Mark 10:19, Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal...

Luke 18:20, "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal...

Romans 2:21, "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"

Ephesians 4:28, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."

Ephesians 4:25 , "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another."

Colossians 3:9, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds."

Ephesians 5:3, "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints."

Colosians 3:5. "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the eath; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Paul actually makes the connection between the 2^nd and 10th Commandments, linking them together, saying if you're breaking one, you're automatically breaking the other. Also realize now that it is no longer we in our own puny efforts or works that accomplish the keeping of this Ten Commandment law which we see re-iterated in the New Testament (with the one exception of the Sabbath Command). It is the Lord dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit (John 14) who writes these laws in our minds and hearts (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16).

I don't see the Ten Commandment Law of God being done away with in the New Testament or new covenant at all, not after reading these plain statements. The only commandment which never seems to be re-commanded in the entire New Testament is the 4^th Commandment, the Sabbath Command. Also notice that we don’t see any of the ritualistic laws re-iterated in this law of Christ which we find in the New Testament writings. Missing are the dietary food laws of Leviticus 11. And although those food laws may not just be ceremonial but for health as well, some teach that it isn’t necessary for a new covenant Christian to observe them. The command of not eating the fat, found in Leviticus, has long been proven to be a to be a health law, and has been quoted by none other than the famous heart doctor, Dr. Paul Dudley White on numerous ocassions. So don’t discount the Torah’s health dietary laws as merely being ceremonial laws. Heart doctors often recommend abstinence from foods listed as “unclean” in Leviticus 11 for their heart patients, whether they realize these foods are listed in the Torah or not. The quarantine laws found in the Torah predate modern medicine’s knowledge by thousands of years, yet they’re active and real. Some teach that it’s not necessary that you as a new covenant Christian keep them, but they’re active health laws nonetheless. But what did Jesus say, teach about the Law of God? Read Matthew 5:17-19. But now back to the Sabbath Command, the 4^th Commandment.

What do you think happened to the Sabbath Command? Let's find out. So what happened to the 4^th Commandment? Was it discarded like some old dishrag, or did something far more interesting happen to this commandment of God. And remember, God calls the Sabbath a Holy Day in Leviticus 23, and he calls these Holy Days, His Days. They're not Jewish, they're his. So let's find out.

"One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain-fields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?' He answered, 'Have you never read of what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.' Then he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.'" (Mark 2:23-27.)

Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'Stand up in front of everyone.' Then he asked them, 'Which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?' But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus" (Mark 3:1-5).

In Exodus 20:8-11 God instituted the Sabbath into the old covenant he was establishing with the Israelites through Moses. As earlier chapters in Exodus show, the Sabbath was in existence long before the old covenant and was being re-introduced to the Israelites well before they came to Mount Sinai (Exodus 16). This is a sticking point between old covenant or Torah observant Christians and new covenant Christians, the former saying that if the Sabbath was in existence before the establishment of the old covenant, it couldn't be abolished when the old covenant ceased to be. Sunday-observing Christians believe the new covenant replaces and negates the whole Torah law, from Genesis through Deuteronomy from a legal standpoint. But wait and see what happened with the Sabbath (and consequently the Holy Day requirements). They weren't done away with as so many sincere but misinformed Christians supposed. Something far more interesting happened to the Sabbath/Holy Day commands. But first let's understand the intent of the Sabbath command. To do this, let's read it. Exodus 20:8-11. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day."

God instituted the Sabbath. The heart of the Sabbath was to rest and seek God. The doctor's of the law, the Pharisees went banana's detailing just what work was. 24 chapters were written in the Jewish Talmud defining what was work. They went to such an extreme in interpreting the Sabbath command that they made the Sabbath itself a "works" trip. The Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23 and the Sabbath were shadows for the works of the Holy Spirit in us. The physical Sabbath pictured the spiritual rest we now have in Christ--through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit--and it pictures the coming future rest all of mankind will have in God's kingdom when Jesus returns. [see: http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/Observe%20His%20Sabbath%20Day.htm ]

Let's look at what Paul says about this Sabbath rest we have in Christ. Hebrews 4:1-11. "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did, but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, 'So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' And yet his work has been finished since creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.' And again in the passage above he says, 'They shall never enter my rest.' It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.' For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." True Christians often cease from their own “works”, pursuits that others in the world work for, and pursue Godly pursuits. This verse has special meaning to the Christian, where all things become new, a new walk and way of life that brings peace of mind, joy, inner peace, love.

The kingdom of God is here within us right now. Jesus in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit quiets our souls. The kingdom in its fullness will arrive when Jesus returns. Zephaniah 3:16-17. "On that day they will say to Jerusalem, 'Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." What quiets us but the love of God in us by His Spirit. Isn't this true? The Pharisees were misrepresenting God and what he required of them through the commandments.

Isaiah 11:10. "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious."

Some Christians chose to look at it this way. The Sabbath command under the new covenant has been TRANSFORMED. By the rest we have in Jesus Christ dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit we are in the Sabbath rest Paul spoke of in Hebrews chapter four 365 days of the year. The literal physical observance of the Sabbath was only a picture, a shadow, of the spiritual "Sabbath rest" we have in Christ.

The rejection of the Holy Spirit amounts to breaking the new covenant Sabbath command, because we cease to rest in Christ without God's Holy Spirit in us. In Old Testament Israel Sabbath breaking was punishable by physical death. Paul warns us that rejection of the Holy Spirit results in spiritual death. You can see here that the old covenant Sabbath command is a shadow of the new, a type, a picture of the reality we have dwelling within us. The shadow was physical and temporary, the spiritual is eternal and will not fade away. Colossians 2:16-17. "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however is found in Christ." How much clearer can you get?

Because of unbelief the Israelites that were with Moses never got into their rest in the Promised Land of Israel. But even the Israelites (everyone 20 years old and under with Joshua and Caleb) that did make it into the Promised Land did not experience a perfect rest. The Sabbath rest talked about in Hebrews 4 that we experience in Jesus Christ is something they never experienced. As we just read in Colossians 2:16-17, the literal Sabbath (and also the Holy Day commands) were given as shadows of the great things we would experience in Jesus Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In Deuteronomy we find a description of not dwelling in God's Sabbath rest talked of by Paul in Hebrews 4. In Deuteronomy 28:65 God is describing the frame of mind the Israelites would have as he scattered them all over the world for disobeying him. It perfectly expresses the frame of mind of people without Jesus Christ dwelling in them. They are without rest and peace of mind. Deuteronomy 28:65. "Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, 'If only it were evening!' and in the evening, 'If only it were morning!'--because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see." With the world around us the way it is, without Jesus in us, haven't many of us experienced this attitude of mind? Hasn't this be been our mindset? But this doesn't have to be, with Jesus in us there is “that peace that passeth all understanding,” even in the midst of heavy trial.

In Deuteronomy 23 we also see that the Law of God allowed you to pluck the standing grain by hand to satisfy your immediate hunger. The disciples weren't wrong in what they did, but the Pharisaic interpretation of the law was running against a higher law of mercy God had given. There was no mercy in their extra Sabbath restrictions. Look at the next few verses.

Mark 3:1-5. "Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'Stand up in front of everyone.' Then Jesus asked them, 'Which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?' But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus."

The heart of Jesus is to heal and meet our needs. This rest that comes from Jesus brings spiritual rest and healing. Jesus Christ was and is the spiritual fulfillment of the Sabbath in us--for we rest in Christ. He says, 'Cast all your cares on me and I will give you rest.' In verse 5 we see that Jesus was first angry and then grieved by the hardness of their hearts. Man's traditions are blind to the wounds of others. The needs of man go beyond the importance of the ordinances man tacks onto the law. The ordinances that the Pharisees laid on people added burdens on them, whereas the ordinances of God tended to unburden people. Jeremiah 17:5-8 shows we enter Christ's rest through faith. Let's read it and see what it says. "This is what the Lord says: 'Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Taking all the spiritual “evidence” of the Holy Spirit indwelling some Sunday-keepers and Sunday-keeping groups, let’s look at this from the point of view of the spiritual application of the Sabbath command. The minute God calls a person into the Body of Christ through the evangelism of a Sunday-keeper and/or group, and he puts his Holy Spirit into that person, that person via the indwelling Holy Spirit is now instantly in God’s Sabbath-rest 24/7, the symbolic spiritual application of the Sabbath (which by far is the more important aspect of the command than the letter of the Law in this case). I mean, really folks, if rejecting the Holy Spirit brings eternal death, the second death, as Paul explained in Hebrews 10:26-31 (especially verse 29), and breaking the Sabbath in the Old Testament only brought physical death, which is more important, the spiritual application of God’s Sabbath rest within us by the indwelling Holy Spirit, or the physical observation of the day? In all honesty, I have seen and proven for myself that the Ten Commandment laws of God have not been abrogated. So, should a Sunday-observing person realize that the literal 10 Commandments have not be abrogated (including the Sabbath command), he or she is then responsible for observing the physical Sabbath (in the letter). Obviously, if a Holy Spirit indwelt person does not come to realize the physical Sabbath command has not be abrogated or transferred to Sunday, God (by direct observation of the Holy Spirit within Sunday-keepers) has not required them to keep the Sabbath in the letter of the law. I honestly can’t see any other explanation that fits my observations within both groups of believers, Sunday and Sabbath observing, and I have spent a good number of years attending within both groups (25 within one, 10 within the other).

The apostle Paul told us something very important about God’s Holy Days, something the Jews don’t fully understand, even though they keep and observe them. But they observe them without this important understanding. Let’s see what the apostle Paul had to say about them. It is in Colossians 2:16-17, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat [i.e. food, what you eat or don’t eat] or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath…which are a shadow of things to come…” Paul was telling the Colossian church first of all, not to let those outside the church judge them over their dietary practices, following God’s food laws. Then he mentions new moons, that is, don’t let those outside the church judge you because you are observing God’s sacred calendar instead of the Roman one. Paul next tells the Colossian church not to let those outside the church judge them because they’re keeping God’s Holy Days and Sabbath. Then Paul tells them why, and this is important. He tells them what God’s Holy Days represent, that they are “shadows of things to come.” A shadow of something that hasn’t happened yet is a prophecy, or picture of a future event. Paul is saying that the Holy Days are prophetic pictures or shadows of future events. The spring Holy Days are shadow-pictures of events that have already occurred, Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost. The fall Holy Days are pictures of prophetic events which have not happened yet. The Sabbath has its own unique shadow-picture of a coming event. For a good explanation on that subject, see http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/Observe%20His%20Sabbath%20Day.htm. To see what the Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23 are shadow-pictures of, continue reading.

The Passover (read Exodus 12) was a shadow of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, who paid for the sins of the whole world, past, present and future. He is the real Passover lamb of Atonement, reconciling man to God. Jesus death and shed blood paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Just as the ancient Israelites were protected from the death angel by covering their door-posts with the blood of their Passover lambs on that fateful night back in Egypt, so we who are in Christ are covered by Jesus Christ's blood, and in similar fashion we are protected from the second death. For we have passed from death into life with Christ. The early Christians observed this New Testament Passover service on the 14^th Nisan as it was first kept by Jesus as described in Matthew 26:14-30; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:14-38; and John 13 through 18:1 [Evidence of this is recorded in the "Post & Antinicine Fathers" which has preserved letters of Polycarp and Policrates, successors of the Apostle John in Asia Minor, one of them having actually been trained by John himself.]. This Passover was kept 24 hours before the Jews observed their Passover Sedar meal. Most Christian denominations now observe this as communion or the breaking of bread, observed either on a monthly or weekly basis. The Messianic Jews and the Sabbatrian Churches of God still observe this service on the 14^th Nisan, which is all right. The Bible doesn't prevent us from observing these glorious shadows, but we should understand that they have their ultimate fulfillment in us through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. So if we are in Christ, our sins are covered by his blood and we are saved from eternal death.

Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit the Passover is lived in us 365 days of the year. Let's look at the next set of Holy Days, which came right on the heals of Passover. (By the way, this New Testament Passover or the breaking of bread, along with the ordinance for Baptism are the only two rituals commanded by Jesus for new covenant Christians.) The Days of Unleavened Bread (read Leviticus 23:4-8). The early Christians lived the meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread as well as observing them. In the New Testament, most of the references to leaven show it as symbolizing sin. I think there is only one reference to leaven mentioned in the New Testament which gives it a good connotation, in one of Jesus' parables. It's an apt symbol for sin. A little leaven leavens the whole lump as Paul said, referring to how one habitual sinner allowed to remain in the group would spread his sinning attitude to the whole group--just like a very small amount of leaven will spread throughout a whole batch of bread dough. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. He broadcasts his sinful attitudes around the world, in much the same way we put radio signals through the air, virtually filling the atmosphere with them. Leaven spores are to be found everywhere in the air around us. If you leave bread dough out for a period of time in the open air, it will become leavened all on it's own from the leaven spores in the air. The Egyptians found this out and leavened their bread this way. The Days of Unleavened Bread were days where the ancient Israelites were commanded to remove all leaven from their homes and not consume any leavened product for a seven day period coming right after Passover. This was a shadow of how Jesus living in our lives through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (read all of John 14) continually puts sin out of our lives, convicting us of sin, revealing it, and helping us put it out. Jesus is our Unleavened Bread of Life. That is the other key symbol that is fulfilled by the indwelling of Jesus in us through the Holy Spirit and by the reading of the Word of God. Read John 6 where he said, "I am the Bread of Life. He who feeds on me will never die." Unleavened Bread symbolizes our Christian walk, where we are constantly putting the leaven of sin out of our lives through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and feeding on Jesus our unleavened Bread of Life. How is Jesus our unleavened bread? In John 6 Jesus says that he is the Bread of Life, and that we must all partake of him, eat his flesh. If Jesus is the Bread of Life, it is unleavened bread, for leavened bread represents sin and our sinful life. There was no sin in Jesus, so he must be the Unleavened Bread of Life we are supposed to eat and partake of. What else is Jesus called in Scripture? In John 1, Jesus is called the Word of God, or in the Greek, the Logos, which means the Word. The Bible is the Word of God in print. So when we study God's Word, we are also eating the Unleavened Bread of Life, Jesus in print, the Logos in print. Our Bible studies can and should be a partaking of the Unleavened Bread of Life in print, the Word of God. If you look carefully, these wonderful symbols fill the Bible.

As those know who have observed the Days of Unleavened Bread, all leaven is put out before the actual Days of Unleavened Bread are celebrated. This is symbolic of how we, once baptized in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (i.e. his Passover sacrifice applied to our lives at baptism), must put the leaven out of our lives, that is, repent of our habitual sins, before we can feed upon the Unleavened Bread of Life, who is Jesus Christ. Didn't we in Worldwide learn to put the leaven out before the Days of Unleavened Bread? Then as we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord—feeding on the Word of God we continue to be de-leavened of sin in a lifelong process of Christian growth. It all fits! As I said before, the Messianic Jews and the Sabbatarian Churches of God still observe these days out of custom and deep reverence for what they picture--how Jesus helps us put the sin, the leaven out of our lives, and how we partake of putting Jesus our Unleavened Bread of Life into us. As far as putting the leaven out of our lives, the reality is lived in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit who performs the work of putting the sin out of our lives. It may seem like work to us, but in reality we could never succeed in putting sin out to the degree that we do without God's help through his Holy Spirit in us. Neither could we put on Jesus on our own. John 14 describes how Jesus dwells in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit he gives to us and places within us. Our part is the constant daily study of God's Word, eating, partaking of the Unleavened Bread of Life, the Logos, the Word of God in print. And this fits the Days of Unleavened Bread perfectly, for those observing these days are commanded to eat unleavened bread for seven days. Jesus is our Unleavened Bread of Life. Seven days denotes completeness, i.e. we’re supposed to eat the Unleavened Bread of Life for our entire Christians lives. Or else? What does the OT command state? Or less that soul who fails to eat Unleavened Bread for seven days will be cut off from Israel . That’s a serious command. The spiritual counterpart, being cut off from salvation is far more serious. What constitutes eating the Word of God, Jesus? Study of the Word of God, cf. Matthew 4:4. Prayerful study of the Word of God promotes a spiritual de-leavening process. So we see that seven denotes completeness, and seven days of unleavened bread symbolize a Christian's lifetime commitment to partaking of Christ both through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the serious daily study of the Word of God, which is Jesus in print.

The Day of Pentecost: In ancient Israel , the Law of God was received by the Israelites on Mount Sinai on the day of Pentecost. In the New Testament, the Church was born by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the 12 apostles and the 120 gathered together on this day. Then it was poured out on 3,000 more that very same day. (Read Acts 2:1-47.) The Holy Spirit, now enabled the Law of Christ to be written on their hearts and minds, enabling a more perfect Spirit-led obedience. Matthew 5:17-48 details what law is written on a Christians heart, which is now under the direct influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, putting Jesus in us (cf. John 14). So the Day of Pentecost is another shadow of God's Holy Spirit dwelling in us and what he does in us. It is also the birthday of the New Testament Christian Church, which was born on that fateful day in 30 A.D. The Apostle Paul talked quoting Jeremiah 31 when the Lord said he would make a new covenant between himself and the House of Israel and the House of Judah. Paul in Hebrews 8 showed that the sign of this new covenant being active was the writing of God's eternal law on the hearts and minds of his people. Right now, Paul showed, those who show this sign of having the eternal law of God written on their hearts and minds are already in this new covenant agreement with the Lord. The way the law of God is written on the hearts and minds of God's people is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost, then, the new covenant became fully active in and applicable to Christians. It won't be for the House of Israel or the House of Judah until the Lord returns, as Jeremiah 31 indicates.

Pentecost was also the smaller of the two harvest feasts, which revolved around the two harvest seasons of Palestine . The smaller winter wheat harvest was wrapped up just before the day of Pentecost. The larger harvest feast was in the fall, right after the fall harvest. God planned it this way for a reason. He designed the harvest seasons in Palestine to have a deeper meaning. The early Pentecost harvest symbolizes the harvest of souls in the church age, spanning from Pentecost 30 A.D. all the way to Jesus' second coming. The large fall harvest symbolizes the larger harvest of souls which will occur during the Millennial reign of Jesus and his kingdom on earth, which will start upon his return to earth. When the knowledge of God's expanding plan of salvation for mankind which he revealed in prophecy is taken into account, we see that the Pentecost harvest of souls is the smaller of the two.

The Feast of Trumpets: In Leviticus 23:23-25 it says, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.'" If Pentecost is the earlier spring harvest and represents the harvest of souls up to Jesus Christ's second coming, and as we'll see, the Feast of Tabernacles represents the fall harvest and perhaps the larger harvest of souls, the Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement must represent--prophetically speaking--two events to come just in front of this great fall harvest called the Feast of Tabernacles. What two major events just precede this great fall harvest? The answer is found in Revelation 11:15-18; Revelation 19:11-21--the second coming of Jesus Christ, and Revelation 20:1-3--the putting away of Satan and his demon cohorts, and more importantly, the application of Jesus' sacrifice on the whole surviving world. The first event before the Feast of Tabernacles harvest season can begin--the Millennial rule of Jesus and the kingdom of God on earth, is the second coming of Jesus Christ. The second event is depicted right after the second coming in Revelation 19 and is found in Revelation 20:1-3, the putting away of Satan and by inference (see Zechariah 12-13) all of the demons. The Israelites were commanded to blow the rams' horn at certain special times in the camp of Israel. One type of trumpet blowing was to warn of impending attack and war. The trumpet used was always the rams' horn. And this is the very trumpet specified to be blown during this Holy Day found in Leviticus 23. How fitting that this feast represents the event of the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet in Revelation 11:15-18, and the resulting battle which comes on it's heals in Revelation 19 which depicts the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. That's the prophetic meaning of the Feast of Trumpets that the Messianic Jews understand, and some Jews understand, as well as some Christian groups. (send for Chuck Missler's "Feasts of Israel" cassette series. This series is available online by clicking on http://www.khouse.org). Calvary Chapel and Chuck Missler are one of the major new Christian revivals that firmly believe the Holy Days of Leviticus 23 have prophetic meaning or significance.)

But is there a new covenant meaning to this Holy Day, a shadow of the good things that have been done in us by the Holy Spirit? Yes there is. Symbolically true Christians have already experienced the second coming of Jesus Christ in their lives! How? They have received Jesus into their lives. For them and all true Christians, Jesus has already had his 2^nd coming in their lives through the coming of the Holy Spirit into them. This is a mystery that most of the world and even some Christians don't understand. John 14:15-18, 21,23 states, "If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you...He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him...Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." The Feast of Trumpets is the Holy Day which symbolizes the coming of the Messiah to save the world from genocide and bring the Kingdom of God to physically and spiritually rule over the entire world in love (Zechariah 14:9). Jesus Christ has done that in the lives of true Christians everywhere, and they now live under the government of that glorious kingdom and have actually crossed over into that Kingdom through the indwelling of the Spirit of God who rules in the minds of true Christians (whether they be members of one Christian fellowship or another). The world will experience the joy of living under the government of God in the future after Jesus Christ's 2^nd coming--we can now in type through the power of God's Holy Spirit dwelling in us, giving us peace from within. Jesus Christ has taken over the rule of his true followers--Christians--and rules in their lives, thus he has had his second coming in their lives. This is the symbolic meaning of the Feast of Trumpets for those of us living in this present dimension of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Again, the Feast of Trumpets is a shadow of what Jesus has done in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and also a prophetic shadow of how he will return to save mankind from himself and genocide during a massive world war the likes of which the world has never experienced, and no never will again.

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 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. The actual event is depicted in Revelation 20:1-3, just after Revelation 19:11-21 depicts Jesus' 2^nd coming. So in reality, a spiritual reality, if Jesus Christ has already had his 2^nd 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.) Should a beautiful shadow of such a reality be cast aside? The early Church didn’t.

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, 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 2^nd 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, but Christians should clearly see this day as representing the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ, by mere simple deductive logic--nothing hard about it. Some chose not to. That's O.K. too. This is a secondary matter in the knowledge of Salvation, compared to the gospel of Christ. But they're overlooking a beautiful facet of God's Plan as outlined through His ancient Holy Days, given to Israel to keep in the old covenant.

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).

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. 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 2^nd 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 covenant, with all it's penalties and curses for disobedience. And we see those curses being exacted in society all around us. Read Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 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. The actual meaning of the Holy Days is being fulfilled in true Christians by the Holy Spirit who dwells inside them every day of the year. 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 Torah observant Messianic and Sabbatarian Churches of God, are under this particular understanding. Proper understanding of what the Holy Spirit does within 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! You can still voluntarily physically observe them if you so desire, for the beauty of what they stand for. Many within those churches I just mentioned, as well as the Messianic Jewish-Christian churches do, both new covenant and Torah observant extractions. It is entirely up to you. 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 within us, as Paul stated in Hebrews 4, as well as being a shadow of prophetic events to come.

“The 7th Day Sabbath and Holy Days of Leviticus 23 were shadows---as Paul said---for what the Holy Spirit does within us. This in no way means these “days of worship” should be cast off---and the early Christian Church didn’t cast them off, but observed them (see http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm ).”

Recently I've wondered about Matthew 5:17-19 which states that the Law of God is not done away, and wondered how this squares with others who possess the Holy Spirit and are Christians by definition of not only having the Holy Spirit but show the evidence of being actively led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-17). If taken literally, Matthew 5:17-19 says that Christians need to be observing all the 10 Commandments, including the Sabbath Command, the 4^th commandment, along with the Holy Days, which Leviticus 23 show are part of the Sabbath command. Does Matthew 5:17-19 really imply that those who don't observe the Sabbath and Holy Days are not Christians? But we've just seen that Hebrews 4 gives us another way to interpret Matthew 5:17-19. The Sabbath and Holy Days, according to Matthew 5:17-19 are not done away. But Paul shows us in Hebrews 4 that these days have been transformed and that the reality of them is lived in us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When I was considering all this, I remembered a wonderful person who was our family's cleaning lady when I was growing up. She died recently, and at her funeral I heard one of the most beautiful eulogies a person could have spoken about her. If the minister wasn't just laying it on deep, and I knew Beatrice Berry, so he wasn't, according to his eulogy and what he said about her, she clearly exhibited the fruits of the Holy Spirit. So was she fulfilling Matthew 5:17-19 in her life? She never observed a single Old Testament Holy Day in her life. She didn't even know about them, as far as I knew. Her day of worship and Christian fellowship was Sunday and not the Old Testament Sabbath which is on Saturday. Let's plug what we know about the Sabbath and Holy Days into Beatrice's life and see if she wasn't fulfilling them even without knowing of their importance and deep symbolic meaning. She was a woman who was at peace spiritually, in spite of having three hellion children to deal with as she tried, and succeeded to clean our house. She was in the Sabbath-rest Paul spoke of in Hebrews 4, without a doubt--so she was living in the reality of the Sabbath 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Also with the Holy Spirit dwelling in her, she was covered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and thus was living the New Testament Passover and the deep symbolic meaning of the Old Testament Passover, 365 days a year. The Holy Spirit in her helped her live a life of overcoming sin, so she lived the Days of Unleavened Bread 365 days a year also.

When the Holy Spirit entered her, she was now fulfilling the Day of Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit first anointed Jesus Christ's disciples and entered 3,000 souls, thus starting the New Testament Christian Church. Also when the Holy Spirit entered her, Jesus Christ had his 2^nd coming in her, so she was observing the reality of the Feast of Trumpets. Also when the Holy Spirit entered her, she was no longer under the influence of Satan and his world. Satan no longer had a claim on her life. So now she was also living the meaning of the Day of Atonement in her life. With the Holy Spirit in her, she had now entered into the Kingdom of God spiritually and thus was fulfilling the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles. Without ever having any significant knowledge of God's Old Testament Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23, Beatrice Berry was living the reality of each Holy Day, and the Sabbath as well, each day of her life. The actual observance of the Seventh Day Sabbath and Holy Days is a mere shadow of their fulfillment in us by the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. So my question about Matthew 5:17-19 is answered by the knowledge that we are living the reality of the meaning of the Holy Days and Sabbath by the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit, and thus fulfilling the law in the reality of the spirit, whether we ever physically observe an Old Testament Holy Day or not! Most new covenant Christians don't even understand that. I fully expect to see Beatrice Berry in the first resurrection to immortality at the literal 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. I'm not even sure of the Church denomination she was a part of. Does it matter?

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].

The 7th Day Sabbath and Holy Days of Leviticus 23, as I have demonstrated, have far greater spiritual significance and meaning that Sunday/Christmas/Easter, days with pagan origins. The Sabbath and Holy Days were “days of worship" the early Christian Church were observing quite actively (see http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm ).

(A short paper on the effects of spiritual warfare--battle fatigue, and some good suggestions for countering it.)

First of all let's realize that according to the Bible, we are all in a dangerous spiritual warfare that can tax our abilities more than we realize. Paul states in Ephesians 6:10-13, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Many times we can draw very accurate pictures of spiritual warfare by looking at its physical counterpart, especially in the psychological areas of warfare, what it does to our psyche and ability to fight. All through these verses (through verse 19), Paul shows us the weapons of our warfare come from putting on Christ through prayer and Bible study. But constant spiritual or physical warfare without sufficient re-supply, rest and recuperation has a powerful negative effect on the soldier, be he in an army of this world or a Christian soldier of Jesus Christ. I came across a very good description of what effect continued warfare has on the average soldier in the U.S. Army fighting its way up Italy during World War II. I found this description in the late Ernie Pyle's BRAVE MEN, written and published in 1944. I will quote from pages 84-86. If you see yourself in this description, you are in serious need of spiritual R & R. Oftentimes (during World War II) an army would go as long as 28 days in continuous battle on the front lines, without rest for its soldiers. Ernie describes the psychological result of this continuous warfare on the mind of the average soldier. I'll let Ernie tell it from here. "Outside of the occasional peaks of bitter fighting and heavy casualties that highlight military operations, I believe the outstanding trait in any campaign is the terrible weariness that gradually comes over everybody. Soldiers become exhausted in mind and in soul as well as physically. They acquire a weariness that is mixed up with boredom and lack of all gaiety. To sum it all up: A man just gets damned sick of it all.

The infantry reaches a stage of exhaustion that is incomprehensible to folks back home. The men in the First Division, for instance, were in the lines twenty-eight days--walking and fighting all that time, day and night.

After a few days of such activity, soldiers pass the point of known human weariness. From then on they go into a sort of second-wind daze. They keep going largely because the other fellow does and because they can't really do anything else.

Have you ever in your life worked so hard and so long that you didn't remember how many days it was since you ate last or didn't recognize your friends when you saw them? I never have either, but in the First Division, during that long, hard fight around Troina, a company runner one day came slogging up to a certain captain and said excitedly, "I've got to find Captain Blank right away. Important message."

And the runner said, "I've got to find Captain Blank right away." And he went dashing off. They had to run to catch him.

Men in battle reach that stage and still go on and on. As for the rest of the Army--supply troops, truck drivers, hospital men, engineers--they too become exhausted, but not so inhumanly. With them and with us correspondents it's the ceaselessness, the endlessness of everything that finally worms its way through us and gradually starts to devour us.

It's the perpetual, choking dust, the muscle-racking hard ground, the snatched food sitting ill on the stomach, the heat and the flies and the dirty feet and the constant roar of engines and the perpetual moving and the never settling down and the go, go, go, go, night and day, and on through the night again. Eventually it all works into an emotional tapestry of one dull, dead pattern--yesterday is tomorrow and Troina is Randazzo and when will we ever stop and, God, I'm so tired.

I noticed this feeling had begun to overtake the war correspondents themselves. It is true we didn't fight on and on like the infantry, that we were usually under fire only briefly and that, indeed, we lived better than the average soldier [except for Ernie, who kept up with the front lines, almost as a matter of pride. Only one who had been through this himself could so accurately describe this psychological effect on the soldiers]. Yet our lives were strangely consuming in that we did live primitively and at the same time had to delve into ourselves and do creative writing.

That statement may lay me open to wisecracks, but however it may seem to you, writing is an exhausting and tearing thing. Most of the correspondents actually worked like slaves. Especially was this true of the press-association men. A great part of the time they went from dawn till midnight or 2 A.M. I'm sure they turned in as much toil in a week as any newspaperman at home in two weeks. We traveled continuously, moved camp every few days, ate out, slept out, wrote whatever we could and just never caught up on sleep, rest, cleanliness, or anything else normal.

The result was that all of us who had been with the thing for more than a year finally grew befogged. We were grimy, mentally as well as physically. We'd drained our emotions until they cringed from being called out from hiding. We looked at bravery and death and battlefield waste and new countries almost as blind men, seeing only faintly and not really wanting to see at all.

Suddenly the old-timers among the correspondents began talking for the first time about wanting to go home for a while. They wanted a change, something to freshen their outlook. They felt they had lost their perspective by being too close for too long.

I am not writing this to make heroes of the correspondents, because only a few look upon themselves in any dramatic light whatever. I am writing it merely to let you know that correspondents, too, can get sick of war--and deadly tired." [What Ernie Pyle has described here in 1943 in Italy is clearly known now as battle fatigue, a very real psychological malady. Ernie Pyle transferred over to the Pacific theatre to continue his coverage of the war, this time against Japan. He was killed in action by a sniper on the island of Okinawa. He died a soldier's death, amongst the ones he loved so much, and lived with and wrote about for so long.]

When I was a member of the Worldwide Church of God, we would observe what is called in Leviticus 23 and Zechariah 14:16-19, The Feast of Tabernacles. We would save what amounted to a (second) tithe of our earnings and go to a nice resort area where the church was meeting for the Feast, and then we'd spend it during those eight days. We lived liked kings, ate like them too. We heard eight days worth of spiritually nourishing sermons. The Feast was a spiritual high point, a time of spiritual and physical refreshing. For Messianic Jewish Christians these days can provide the same kind of spiritual refreshing—as observing the other Holy Days can to a lesser degree. For Gentile Christians, Christian retreats can also fill this huge spiritual need we all have for spiritual R & R. It was learned from such observations of Ernie Pyle and those like him, that soldiers needed to be rotated from the front lines on a regular basis, where they could rest and recuperate from the grind of continuous battle. This kept them and the army they fought with fresh and on their toes. The Sabbath for Messianic Jewish Christians, or Sabbatarian Christians, and Sunday for Gentile Christians is an important spiritual recuperation day, or else it should be. Christians should plan on going on Christian retreats on a regular basis, at least once or twice a year, bare minimum. For those who do still keep the Feast of Tabernacles, this time can also be used as a spiritual time of refreshing, before going back into spiritual battle again. If you see yourself in Ernie Pyle's description, you need to do something about it, and fast. You can't go on like that. You'll crack, or become some sort of spiritual zombie, living in that condition Ernie called second-wind daze. If you're doing a work for the Lord, day in, day out, without letup, and are sort of out there on your own (many of us Christian web-publishers are in this boat [or spiritual bomber-aircraft]), you are very prone to this type of burn-out. Pastors and ministers are also very prone to this type of burn-out. It is very real, and comes with the territory, of being in constant spiritual warfare. I clearly saw my own emotions mirrored in Ernie Pyle's description here. It's real. You can't ignore the symptoms, they won't go away. Others will see them in you before you do. But Ernie describes the identifying feelings pretty well, so you can readily recognize them in yourself if they're there. Most churches have planned retreats. If you feel this way, sign up for the next scheduled retreat and take the time to refresh yourself in the Lord before you go back into battle. If you are a pastor, deacon, Christian web designer, writer, or serve others in the body of Christ in any way, others depend on you. It's hard to be an effective tool in the hands of the Lord to help others, if you suffer from spiritual battle fatigue.

Near the beginning I mentioned the Feast of Tabernacles that the Worldwide Church of God kept. I would like to discuss that a little more, since it proved to be such a powerful time of refreshing for those of us who observed it. The beauty of the Feast of Tabernacles wasn't to be found in the legalistic keeping of it, nor with any of the other Holy Days we observed--sundown to sundown [i.e. no work, manual labor, sundown to sundown as spelled out in OT law]. The beauty of observing the Feast of Tabernacles for us was in the Holy Spirit who flared up in born-again believers fellowshipping, working, playing, feasting together at restaurants--that was the beauty that came out of the Worldwide Church of God's Feast of Tabernacles and Holy Day observances.

When burning coals are placed together they multiply heat, fire and energy beyond the sum total of their individual contribution. The inverse of that is when you take a coal away from other coals, it dies down almost immediately. When Holy Spirit led and filled individuals congregate and fellowship, not just in their local church services on a Sunday or Saturday, but at day-long observances of a Holy Day, meals included--spiritual coals of fire share and multiply spiritual heat and energy. I found this especially true, having to get to a rented hall, or sometimes a restaurant with a function room we'd rent, to help the sound crew I worked with to set up for services. Solomon said in Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." When we had these days, using them in such a way--we came out of the world and its influence for a time of tremendous spiritual refreshing and strengthening. Follow with me for awhile. I'm trying to get to the heart of something important here--and it isn't about what some misguided souls would term as the legalistic observing of Old Testament Holy days. It goes much deeper.

The hidden contribution of following the literal application of the biblical "sundown to sundown" requirement of the old covenant Law was that it merely gave us "lively coals of fire" more time to remain together and get refreshed. While some, perhaps many, fell into the legalistic trap, in my personal opinion our old covenant Worldwide Church of God had at least 45 to 50 percent having the Holy Spirit indwelling in them--a probable average of Holy Spirit filled people in any spiritually alive and active Christian church. For those Christian groups that observe the Old Testament Holy Days--Messianic Jewish Christians and some Sabbatarian Christian groups--these observations I'm making here should be heeded so that a huge spiritual resource and opportunity for spiritual refreshment is not lost through lack of understanding and proper application of these spiritual principles. Again, to the Christian churches and denominations that observe traditional orthodox days--you will have to supplement for not having as many days to refresh spiritually [understand something about Christmas and Easter, these two days have become highly secularized and commercialized]--you have to plan to have many periods of time called "Christian retreats" to achieve this same level of spiritual refreshment and rejuvenation outside of the world's evil influence.

Let's look closer at the Worldwide Church of God's Feast of Tabernacles observance and what made it possible for these Christians to achieve this rejuvenation. It takes money to go someplace for eight days. To observe the Feast of Tabernacles the way we did in the old covenant Worldwide Church of God, we saved a biblical 2^nd tithe of our incomes, spelled out in Deuteronomy 14:22-26, which states, "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord shall choose to set his name there [for us, the Feast site locations, for the Jews when this was written, Jerusalem], when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, then thou shalt turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth [desires] after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink [the Bible teaches extreme moderation in alcohol consumption, not total abstinence. Some denominations teach total abstinence which is fine, as long as they don't try to say that that is what the Bible teaches], or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thy household, and the Levite that is within thy gates..." This, Bible scholars know, is a second tithe, a Feast tithe, that Israelites were supposed to save so they would have the funds to travel to Jerusalem and live for the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles, as well as the other Holy Days when they traveled to Jerusalem. [To better understand the old covenant tithe system, log onto http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/gifts4.htm .] I do think we ought to try to recapture the spiritual essence of why it was good, for our continued spiritual benefit.

So to the Messianic's I say this, you have a tremendous resource here in the traditional Holy Days you still observe. But understand, in not being Jewish, Mr. Herbert W. Armsgtrong did not follow the "traditional" way of allowing a Jewish family to fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles requirements by building a Sukkot tent in their backyard--which ignored the greater old covenant command to 'save a 2^nd tithe and take it to the place the Lord had set his name upon and observe the Feast of Tabernacles for eight days'. The "Sukkot tent" custom sort of circumvented the old covenant command to save a second tithe and take it and go to the Feast of Tabernacles for eight days. In circumventing a tithe law--which had fallen into disuse after the destruction of the temple and subsequent wholesale slaughter and scattering of the Levitical priesthood in 70AD--a custom arose which prevented the Feast of Tabernacles from being observed to the fulness of it's original intent. Then from 1934 to 1986 Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, literally applied old covenant law (which was designed and given for the ruling of a theocratic nation) to a Christian church. This enabled that church to practice and taste the fruits of the proper observance of the biblical Feast of Tabernacles. The spiritual fruits of this were stunning, in spite of what some might call the legalistic trappings. As explained just previously, the spiritual fruits of observing the Feast of Tabernacles in its original prescribed manner were that many "lively coals of spiritual fire" came together for tremendous spiritual refreshing and rejuvenation.

Many members of the Worldwide Church of God, not being wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, never had sufficient funds to have a regular family vacation apart from the Feast of Tabernacles, so the Feast of Tabernacles became their family vacation, and the church attending the Feast of Tabernacles became their extended family. Christian singles, often not in great number back home in their local congregations, met other Christian singles in far greater number. Relationships often started, and subsequent marriages took place--all because one man mistakenly applied old covenant theocratic "nation of Israel" laws to a Christian church. The spiritual benefits were huge. Sadly, the casting off of these days, I believe, have contributed to the decreased spiritual vitality of the Worldwide Church of God and it has nothing to do with the casting off of of literal Old Testament requirements. Mr. Armstrong stumbled onto a great spiritual principle through the application of several old covenant laws given to the "nation of Israel". That principle is found in Hebrews 10:25, "By observing one another, let us arouse ourselves to rival one another's love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together as some do, but let us encourage one another, all the more as you can see the great Day is coming nearer." [Goodspeed translation]

The photo below is an old scanned postcard of the Worldwide Church of God Feast of Tabernacles Feast site located in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania (property now sold). You can see for yourself how large the site was. It held up to 4,000 people in the main building. Two very large parking lots are visible, and another large one was below the bottom of the photo at the end of the entrance road leading up to the administration building. We had two services on the two Holy Days of the Feast, and one a day on ordinary Feast days. The Feast lasted eight days, as called for in Leviticus 23.

Recently the tiny Messianic congregation I attend started a mid-week Bible study, which includes a period of group prayer. After about three weeks, I myself, as well as the others have noticed our spiritual walk is more lively, our strength to face the world is increased. Sometimes, just doing what a you can as a congregation to double the amount of time members spend together will yield tremendous spiritual dividends for those who take advantage of these spiritual resources. It’s not like every group can go right out and keep a Feast of Tabernacles. That Feast took tremendous planning on the part of all the ministry and HQ church of the Worldwide Church of God, as well as the combined faithful saving of funds by everyone who attended. Often times, vacation time was used to be able to attend. Parents and children alike had hassles with school departments for taking kids out of school for about 10 days in the fall. The cost of observing this feast was huge, in many ways, but the spiritual dividends were huge as well. As this world grows colder and colder spiritually, as Matthew 24:11-13 says it will, Christian Retreats, Sunday or Saturday church services, mid-week Bible studies and prayer meetings are crucial periods of time for recuperation and strengthening the parts of the body of Christ we are a part of, regardless of the days of worship your group observes or doesn’t observe. Time is a gift of God. Use it wisely. Redeem it, as the times grow more evil.

Worldwide Church of God