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Bible Holy Days Calendar

 

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Intro &

Sabbath Rest

The ancient ways carry purpose 

and should not be forlorned.

.

. Respect is what we owe Love is what we give. . . . .

The Biblical Holy Days are more than just an ethnic tradition. 

They are a treasure trove of our CREATOR'S Wisdom. 

They teach the BIG picture, the really B-I-G picture, 

as a spiritual opera of a-l-l humankind’s evolution 

as if it were one grand stage play from chaos to eternity. 

And sometime in the future,

 almost tomorrow, 

they are Holy Days 

which we will a-l-l celebrate forever 

(Lev.ch.23; Isa.66:23, Zec.14:16-19).   

            Today in the western world it is easy to read our Bibles, watch spiritual shows on TV, or surf the Internet for information.  But it was not always like that.  During the middle ages, houses of worship developed beautiful Biblical pictorials brought to life in the vivid colors of stain glass windows.  Because books were scarce and most people could not read, stained glass windows along with painted wall or ceiling murals were used by church scholars and teachers to educate the faithful.   

            In ancient times our CREATOR designed a formal sacrificial system to be used for the portable Tabernacle, and the permanent Temple in Jerusalem, to educate and guide the faithful in HIS Kingdom lessons, and wisdom, (Books of Exodus and Leviticus).  In this system HE used everyday objects to picture a higher spiritual reality of life.  One picture is worth a thousand words (such as witnessing the sacrifice of the Passover lamb).  The scribes and the teachers of the day would be explaining the spiritual meaning behind the symbolism of the Temple events. 

[ Pictures show the portable Tabernacle of Moses time (illustration courtesy of Selah Art), 

and the permanent Temple in Jerusalem. Click for more Temple info ]

            There is no wasted motion in the activities of YAHWEH, and there is a picture of a higher spiritual purpose designed into every movement of all the Temple observances.  When all the Holy Days are seen throughout the year, they join together in a great Spiritual Opera of YAHWEH’S plan of restoring HIS Kingdom to Earth.  I call them a Spiritual Opera, but these Holy Days have been given many titles throughout the centuries such as: “GOD’S Calendar of Redemption,” “GOD’S Calendar of Redeeming Grace,” “The Sacred Calendar of the History of Redemption,” etc.

            These Biblical Holy Days are universal "appointed times" when YAHWEH meets with HIS people, a-l-l HIS people.  They are listed in Leviticus ch.23. Not to be confused with secular or traditional 'holidays,' or Jewish holidays, these are "Holy Days," because they are ordained by YAHWEH. 

            These are not worship days to appease some angry god.  Our CREATOR cares about us. In the Heavenly Kingdom these Holy Days took a great deal of planning to produce their multifaceted Kingdom lessons. They are more than just an ethnic tradition. They are a treasure trove of our CREATOR'S Wisdom. They teach the BIG picture, the really B-I-G picture, as a spiritual opera of a-l-l humankind’s evolution as if it were one grand stage play from chaos to eternity, complete with interlocking spiritual symbolism on many levels, which are still current today. (Their multifaceted lessons are detailed in our book The Mystical Rites of our CREATOR.) 

            These are Holy convocations, a time to put the daily drone of our material pursuits aside, and take a day to honor and pay respect unto our CREATOR.  We show love and respect for our Heavenly FATHER, through study, thanksgiving, songs of praise and dance, and joyous feasting with friends and family.  This in turn will strengthen your mind, body and spirit. 

It’s not: What would Jesus do?

It’s: What did Jesus do?

"Keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you."  - 1 Corinthian 11:2

            If you are going make a spiritual commitment, it's a no-brainer, regarding the spirit; you gotta get behind something that endures forever!  The "appointed times" listed in Leviticus chapter 23, are Holy because they are the Holy Convocations ordained by our CREATOR for a-l-l humanity.  Leviticus ch.23 clearly states, four times, that the Feasts “are a statute forever” (vs.14, 21, 31, 41).  And they are an everlasting sign between YHWH and a-l-l HIS people.  Furthermore, the head of the New Covenant faith, Yahshua-Jesus, observed these Holy Days and so did His Apostles, and so should His followers!  As a matter of fact as you will read about in the next pages Yahshua not only observed them, but as prophecy foretold, He fulfilled them - exactly.                                      [ Click for more info: Holy Day background ]

 All the spiritual lessons point to YAHWEH’S Kingdom.  We acknowledge the Holy Days out of respect to our CREATOR.  And we if watch, HE teaches us their higher spiritual lessons.  Understanding the lessons bring us peace:  Peace of the mind, peace of the heart, peace for the growth of the spirit, peace in our house, peace in our community, and peace to our nation.  

            YAHWEH is trying to help and guide us, and in HIS infinite wisdom HE designed the Holy Days to have many in-depth and multilevel meanings, all with perfect symmetry leading to one place - HIS Kingdom.  They have historical lessons - which we should honor by their remembrance.  They teach current day character building lessons - which we should learn.  They are a “shadow of things to come” as they picture a prophetic, Messianic message of hope.  They are future prophecies of events (some on a planetary scale) yet to unfold (Col.2:16-17) - which we all should watch for.

            Believers are commanded to grow in knowledge and grace (2Pet.3:18), to be a living sacrifice . . ., transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . (Rom.12:1-2).  The Holy Days are a personal, spirit-training series of Heavenly lessons, with subtle instructions which picture a greater spiritual truth.   Just as any skilled professional is required to take additional training or annual refresher courses.  These are the annual spiritual refresher courses designed by our CREATOR, for all of HIS Believers to practice their spiritual training and maintain a high level of performance - lest we forget and lose our way. 

           GOD is not just for the priests!  HomeWorship can and should be performed by every Believer in our CREATOR.  Even if one does participate in a religious revival, and promises to make changes in their lives, they slide back into old habits once they are away from the highly charged revival meetings, because the spiritual connection is not properly continued at home.  

            There are two seasons of Holy Days, the spring, and early-fall. And when all the Holy Days are seen throughout the year, they join together in a great Spiritual Opera of YAHWEH’S awesome master plan of restoring HIS Kingdom to back Earth.  They are the Holy Days which we will a-l-l celebrate forever (Isa.66:23; Zec.14:16). 

Click for Holy Days Calendar

Remember, YAHWEH’S plan for humanity’s destiny gives us a-l-l hope for the future. These Bible prophecies make up the same prophetic "story of hope" told to Adam and Eve, which was passed it on through their descendants as an oral history all the way to Noah. After the flood, Noah taught this same oral history to his descendants which eventually populated the whole Earth (Gen.9:19). And after the Exodus, this same story of hope was Divinely dictated to Moses on Mt. Sinai. 

              All humanity should be aware and follow the CREATOR’S Holy Days, because planetary spiritual events happen on these days that affect everyone - Believer or not!  As further proof of YAHWEH’S sovereignty, and solid evidence of HIS faithfulness to HIS creation, HE has engineered nearly every major spiritual event in history to occur on a Feast day.  Strange anomalies?  The critics may argue, but many will believe, in the interest of diplomacy I will call them “Coincidental dates?” and list some of them on the appropriate days.  

The SABBATH 'Rest'

"And on the seventh day

God ended His work which He had done,

and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it,

because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."

- Genesis 2:1

           The Sabbath 'rest' is so great a blessing that it is observed weekly. The word Sabbath means to rest, to stop, to cease from labor - it is humankind’s day of rest. It is a day to spend with loved ones and is wonderfully summarized in Ecclesiastes 9:7-10. It is a day to gather with family and friends, and learn the ways of our CREATOR. The traditional greeting is "Shabbat Shalom" which means peaceful Sabbath.

            The history of the Sabbath extends all the way back to the Creation. After a hard 6 days of work, YAHWEH rested for a day. The 7th day was the only day that our CREATOR personally blessed, and sanctified (Gen.2:1-3), thereby making it the first and original Holy Day. It was so special that it was the only Holy Day carved in stone as one of the Ten Commandments (Exo.20:8-11). And, it is so special that it was the first Holy Day repeated - one more time - here in Leviticus 23:3. One would think if someone tells you something very important, three times, it would be remembered. But Satan has been busy...

            It was a hot button issue in ancient times and it still is today. First, allow me to state: IT IS NOT THE JEWISH SABBATH! It is YAHWEH’S Sabbath (Exo.16:23)! Our CREATOR gave us, a-l-l of us, the Sabbath to liberate us from the slave-masters clock that never stops.

            Work-work-work, 24/7, it never stops, and it’s never finished. From the pagans point of view, there is no profit in such idleness of a Sabbath's rest. Man’s work is no different then the ox’s, they are all regarded as beasts of burden, drones, robots or slaves to the system - bor-r-r-ring. From the Egyptians to the Greek and Roman cultures, every day was a workday, time and work just simply roll on one sunrise after another - bor-r-r-ring. And today’s blind servitude to the corporate consumer-culture is not much different, profit is everything - and it too is getting bor-r-r-ring!

            Think about it, the Biblical Sabbath divided time and altered the world as we know it. The Sabbath rest honors’ humanities labor, by honoring the rest from labor. Both the powerful and the powerless become irrelevant, as even the ox is liberated and given the same days rest. It was an idea thought so abnormal and so absurd that the Jews took a lot of heat over the centuries for stubbornly observing it, and bringing this universal transcendent idea to the world.

            The Sabbath stands for brotherly peace. But studying the history of the observance of the day, pictures a lot of conflict. First there is the blood shed to suppress such revolutionary thinking. Once the word about the Sabbath rest was out, Satan slowly began to use the day as a wedge to divide people, by promoting the idea that Sunday is a better worship day, not Saturday. It was one of the issues that tore ancient Israel in two. Soon after the civil divide, the Sunday keeping northern kingdom of Israel was wiped off the map, never to be heard from again. 

            Fighting over it is a sucker bet!  Satan always enjoys spilling innocent blood, and then collecting the spirits of the torturers, through the worship day controversy.  Is it Saturday?  Is it Sunday?  In Satan’s religious bag of dirty tricks this is “numero uno!”  And later, as the population grows, another group will come along and - at the point of a sword - say, “it’s Friday!” 

            The three main religions of the world (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) all worship the same CREATOR, and all have their own point of view on the Sabbath.  Even amongst them there are divisions on the point of view.  The ancient Israeli Saturday vs. Sunday debate spilled over into the Christians.  It was a major factor in tearing ancient Israel apart, and the bloody controversy raged on through the centuries dividing the Christian faith. 

            Today, it still is a dividing issue among the minority Christian Sabbatarians and the majority Sunday keepers, but at least in modern times there are no death penalties enforcing church doctrine.  Unless you are an Arab Jew or Arab Christian, the Muslims do not take kindly to its members leaving the ersatz club. 

            The Sabbath commandment is the longest commandment of all the 10 commandments given (Exodus 20:2-17).  There is no wasted motion in YAHWEH’S Universe and HE spelled out this commandment v-e-r-y clearly.  It is almost as if HE knew that this command would be a problem.  The Judeans of the southern kingdom of Ancient Israel were united in their observance of the Biblical Sabbath.  They did not only observe it, but because of “the gentile problem,” they surrounded it and took it hostage!  And then they lobotomized it!

            The religious authorities, by adding on man designed Jewish civil law, used the Sabbath to control the people, they smothered its original spiritual essence.  It was already the longest most specific commandment in the Torah, now it’s going to get even longer.  They used it to micro manage people lives.  Almost every aspect of life is governed by a set ritual, and then they demanded ritual purity - or else we all lose GOD’S favor.  Many of these Jewish civil laws are still in effect today, some to the point where advice is given on how much toilet paper to pre-rip before the Sabbath to see you through the day. 

            The Commandment is very simply worded, six days you work . . ., one day you rest . . ., and no one does work for you - not even the ox!  Ripping toilet paper is not work, normally one does not make their living at it.  This type of religious control over peoples lives is not what our CREATOR had intended the Sabbath for.  One needs only to read the Gospels of the New Testament to know that this turned the Sabbath into a burden on the people (Mat.3:7, 5:20, 23:1-36; Luk.11:37-54, 18:9-14; Jno.8:44).  The message is: Adding onto Heavenly Laws is a no-no!  

            Technically speaking: Humanity should learn the historical examples, but they do not.  The simple fact is, it’s a no-brainer, you don’t mess with the Laws of the Heavens.  All the Prophets kept them; the head of the church, Yahshua, kept them; the Apostles kept them; the first Christians kept them; and there is no New Testament reference stating, “. . . the LORD hath given you Sunday.” 

            Because of "the problems with the Jews," and in the interest of world peace, as the Christian church drifted west, it drifted into Sunday worship. A few centuries later, the Muslims, because of "the problems with the Christians and the Jews," drifted into Friday worship. This is a really thorny issue best left to the professionals, the Bible says in Isaiah 66:23, that the Messiah will set things straight.

            Since I do not do resurrections, or walk on water, I will leave the Sabbath 'Day' debate to another forum. For our concern, all three Sabbath-rest worship days, with all their warts, supposedly worship the same CREATOR, and the basic home observance rites would be similar, such as: take the day off, spend time with family, share GOD’S Grace with a family meal and table fellowship, prayer, singing and dancing, etc. 

The weekly Sabbath observance teaches us that at least for one 24-hour period you are free from your slavery to the mundane self-centered material world, and spend this time with your loved ones.  It is a simple day of family sharing.  A day to take a news break and stop any activity which is normally engaged in for your livelihood.  It is a time to rest, reflect and refocus on our higher spiritual values, and deepen our relationship with our CREATOR and our family.

            It is a day to set some time aside for Bible study.  Today polls show, that happiness is . . .  a frequently read Bible.  In a recent survey commissioned by Tyndale House Publisher, nearly 90% of frequent Bible-readers said they feel at peace all or most of the time, compared to 58% who read the Bible less then once a month.  Overall, people can find a higher degree of meaning and happiness through regular Bible reading.  

            Scriptures call these Holy convocations “the Feasts of  YAHWEH.”  Feasts in our present English means food or banquet.  The Hebrew word for feast is “hag or chag,” which means to revolve, to circle, to reel to and fro, to dance, to rejoice, to celebrate, to be giddy or happy. 

            The model Sabbath day and Sacred meal are the basis used as the center of all the Holy Day activities - except for the day of fasting.  Besides setting some time aside for Scriptural study, most of the Holy Days have a lively festive atmosphere, and Ps.149-150 tells us to “Praise the LORD” by being happy - play music, sing songs, and dance.  This festive form of “praising the LORD” gives life to prayers through Sacred songs and dance. 

HEALTH BENEFIT: There is no wasted motion in YAHWEH'S Universe, and these Holy Days teach many mind, and body, health improvement lessons. Scriptures say, "Great peace have they which love thy Law," Ps.119:165. Today, polls show, happiness is... a frequently read Bible. Overall, people can find a higher degree of spiritual meaning and happiness through regular Bible reading.

            "The Sabbath rest, old idea is a modern elixir." Our CREATOR knows that much of the illness people have is caused by stress of daily life. Today’s mental stress responds well to the spiritual exercises of a 'personal' Sabbath days rest with loved ones. 

            Health lessons are revealed in all the Holy days. The Holy Days of Unleavened Bread teach us personal cleanliness. The Day of Pentecost teaches us morality and discipline. The lessons of forgiveness and fasting for the Day of Atonement is great therapy for the mind and body. During a fast, the bodily energy needed to digest food is redirected to heal weak areas of the body. And the festival of Tabernacles gets everybody dancing.  

           The Holy Days can also include worship in Sacred dance (Ps.150). It is prayer in motion - loaded with health benefits. Encourage friends and the spectators to join in.  It’s fun . . ..  It’s refreshing . . ..  It’s good exercise . . .. And it’s something our CREATOR likes . . ..              

[ Click for more info: Holy Day Observances ]

Click for: Spring season of Holy Days

Click for: Early-fall season of Holy Days

From the book  The Mystical Rites of our CREATOR  ISBN 0-9675266-0-4

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