[Darris] Every year of His life, Jesus observed
seven festivals, and so did His Church that followed. Have you ever heard of the Feast of Tabernacles? How about the Days of Unleavened Bread? Ever hear of the Day of Atonement? Perhaps you can't name these biblical festivals,
and maybe you have never heard of them. But that's all right. Because I am going to tell you about each
of them in this program. And I will show you how Jesus Christ, your
Savior, not only observed these festivals - He is at the center of each of them. By observing these festivals, you are celebrating
the very life and work of Jesus Christ. They are a key to developing a closer relationship
with Him. You also can learn how God will bring salvation
to the entire world. Join us on Beyond Today as we reveal Christ
in the biblical festivals. [Announcer] Join our host, Darris McNeely
and his guests, as they help you understand your future on Beyond Today! [Darris] Jesus Christ is one of the most misunderstood
and misrepresented figures in all history. He is certainly the most well known, but there
is a lot to learn about His life, His teaching and His example. One truth is essential. It's that Christ kept the biblical festivals
as part of His worship and teaching about the Father. And these festivals show Christ's central
role in the process of salvation. It's important that we see these biblical
Holy Days in their proper New Testament perspective. That perspective points to Jesus Christ. Jesus, who sits at the right hand of the Father,
is the main agent of God's plan of salvation for mankind. Right at this point now, some of you may be
thinking, "but those are Jewish feasts. They have nothing to do with the New Testament
or Christianity today." Unfortunately, that's a widely held belief
- but it's wrong. These festivals do not belong to the Jews
alone. They belong first to God and Jesus Christ. These are God's festivals. They also belong to Christians who desire
to follow Jesus' example, and they have everything to do with Christ and His Church today. Let's step through the biblical festivals
and let's learn how Jesus Christ is represented in each one. These New Testament festivals, they are grouped
into three periods of the year, all connected by one feature - Jesus Christ. And they show us how to worship God as our
Father, in the same manner that Jesus did. Passover The first of the festivals is Passover and
Days of Unleavened Bread. The Passover began at the story of the Exodus
from Egypt but it is more than an Old Testament observance. We see that it is mentioned 28 times in the
New Testament. Now what is the New Testament Passover all
about? It is all about the One who is so profound,
so holy, so important, that without Him, there is no hope for mankind - Jesus Christ. From the beginning, the Passover pointed directly
to Jesus Christ. He is our true Passover Lamb. And as we observe the New Testament Passover
in the spring - in the northern hemisphere - we understand that the central role Jesus
has is in the removal of our sins. The Scripture says in 1 John: "And you know
that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin" (1 John 3:5). Multiple Old Testament scriptures predicted
the life and death of a Messiah. Christ's death by crucifixion fulfilled many
of these scriptures in incredible detail. It is one of the great proofs of the validity
of the Bible and of who Jesus was. Just before Jesus' last Passover, the Jewish
high priest, Caiaphas predicted that Jesus would "die for the people, and not that the
whole nation should perish" (John 11:50). Christ's death fulfilled the ritual of the
slaughtered lamb, and it opened a new dimension of understanding to the festivals. Notice how the apostle Paul understood and
how he taught this New Testament application to a group of Gentile Christians in the city
of Corinth. He wrote: "Therefore purge out the old leaven,
that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed
for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with
old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). In this passage that describes the first of
the biblical festivals we see the essential role Christ has in properly understanding
and observing these days. Now let's look at the Days of Unleavened Bread. Days of Unleavened Bread The Days of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day
festival which begins right after Passover. Just like Passover, Jesus Christ is the central
focus of the Days of Unleavened Bread. Christians observe this festival knowing that
it's a time to focus on putting sin out of their lives and overcoming sin. Leavening, for the purpose of the spring festival
season, represents sin. Again the apostle Paul refers to it as "the
leaven of malice and wickedness" (1 Corinthians 5:8). There are other scriptures that refer to leaven
as hypocrisy (Luke 12:1) and false teaching. During this New Testament festival, leavening
is portrayed as a type of wickedness that Christians strive in their lives to overcome. God's instruction in keeping this festival
is to eat unleavened bread for seven days. This is a piece of unleavened bread. It's typically called a matzo. It's very flat. It hasn't risen. There's nothing to it other than just flour,
water and a little salt. The Days of Unleavened Bread and this piece
of bread ties deeply into something very significant out of this festival. You see, these days picture the promise of
the risen Christ. Jesus promised that He and the Father would
make Their home in our hearts (John 14:23). In fact, it is Christ in us who is the hope
of our glory (Colossians 1:27). And as we eat unleavened bread during this
festival, we are reminded that Christ is the ultimate example of sincerity and truth. And a Christian, desires with all their being
to have that Holy One living in them. Observing the Days of Unleavened Bread also
reminds us that it is not our righteousness that causes us to overcome sins. Rather, it is the righteousness that comes
as a result of Jesus living His righteous life in the hearts of His people, empowering
us to conquer sin. Again Paul writes, "I have been crucified
with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for
me" (Galatians 2:20). The New Testament observance of the Days of
Unleavened Bread teaches us about the resurrected Christ who died for our sins that we may have
the hope of eternal life. It explains that by letting Christ live in
us, we can be transformed. Only by taking on Jesus' character can we
truly overcome sin. Now this is a fascinating subject and we're
just getting into it. Do you want to know more about the biblical
Holy Days? I can't tell you everything in this short
program. But I can offer you a free study aid that
we've created called, God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. This free offer can be yours. With it you can study deeper into what the
Bible reveals about the festivals God gave to mankind. These festivals describe in step-by-step detail
God's plan for all mankind. You can learn much more about these festivals
in our Bible study aid: God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. To request your personal copy, please call
us at toll free: 1-888-886-8632. Again, that's 1-888-886-8632. Or, go online to BeyondToday.tv to read or
download this study aid. Pentecost: Christ empowers His Church Now let's look at the next festival, the Feast
of Pentecost. Pentecost was eagerly celebrated in Israel
because it signified the completion of the early harvest, the very first harvest from
the fields. It was a time of an early harvest of the first
grains of the new season - a lot like what I am holding in my hand. A priest would take a sheaf of grain - like
this - and in a special ceremony, he would wave it before God as an offering. And Israelites could be assured of food for
their families when God's blessing was on them. Pentecost signaled a good year ahead for an
Israelite. It was a great festival of both hope and joy. In the New Testament, we see a deeper and
a more profound parallel to this. When Jesus was about to ascend to heaven following
His resurrection, the apostles were perplexed because their risen Lord was being taken from
them. But Jesus had already promised them that He
would not leave them as orphans (John 14:18). He promised that both He and the Father would
come to the disciples by and through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-23). Jesus repeated this promise in Luke, where
He said: "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but [wait] in the city of
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). That power is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples
on Pentecost as we read in the second chapter of Acts. And suddenly with that event, the disciples
became the Church of God. No longer were they a dazed and bewildered
group of men and women - they were now the firstfruits of the people of God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they
would now be able to truly overcome sin. And through that same power, God's Church
would take the gospel to the entire world. This all became possible because of the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He fulfilled His promise by empowering the
Church with the Holy Spirit. As Christians today celebrate this festival,
we are reminded of the transforming power of God's Holy Spirit. By this power, the life of the risen Christ
in us, we have hope and joy to carry out the same work Christ did while on this earth - the
work of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. We have covered two of the annual biblical
festivals: the Days of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Pentecost. We will now briefly cover each of the next
four Holy Days, which come in the fall of the year. As we examine them, we will again notice the
pivotal role Jesus Christ has in fulfilling each of these days. Trumpets: Announcing Christ's return The next biblical festival uses an interesting
symbol - a trumpet, or called as well, a shofar. Trumpets and the blast of a horn such as this
were used in the Bible for several purposes. They were used to call the people of God to
assembly (Numbers 10:1-10). They were also used - the blast of a horn
- to announce the beginning of this first Fall Holy Day (Leviticus 23:24). Trumpets were also used to announce the coronation
of a king (1 Kings 1:39-40). All of these purposes find their ultimate
fulfillment in the New Testament teaching that Jesus Christ will return to the earth
as King and assemble His people together at the sounding of a great trumpet blast. Furthermore, the New Testament clearly shows
that at what is called the first resurrection, with the blowing of a great trumpet, "the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and
with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first" (1
Thessalonians 4:16). There's another passage in the book of 1 Corinthians. It says this: "Behold, I tell you a mystery:
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Perhaps a key scripture is found in the book
of Revelation, where it says that: "...the seventh angel sounded." Again, sounding a trumpet: "And there were
loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:15). The Feast of Trumpets pictures the moment
when Jesus Christ steps into our world and imposes His Kingdom in place of every human
government. It also pictures the resurrection of what
is called in the Bible the "dead in Christ" (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and the change to a
glorified spirit life - becoming a spirit being in the family of God. It is pivotal point in God's purpose for human
life on this place called Earth. The Bible shows us Christ's return will not
be welcomed by the armies and the leaders of this world. In fact, the coming of Christ is accompanied
unfortunately, by a time of war. The "kingdoms of this world" will not willingly
yield nor submit to Jesus Christ. There is a reason the Lamb of God with a robe
dipped in blood and wielding a sword will "strike the nations." The kingdoms of this world are currently controlled
by a powerful spirit being called in the Bible, Satan the Devil. This evil being is the real power behind the
scenes of all human folly. Before the righteous reign of Jesus Christ
can begin on this earth, Satan - himself must be decisively dealt with. This next step in God's plan is told through
the next festival, the Day of Atonement. Atonement: Christ sends Satan away The Day of Atonement is the most unusual of
the Holy Days. It is a day on which God's people do not eat
food or drink any liquids. It's called a "fast" (Leviticus 23:26-32;
Acts 27:9). In ancient Israel, on this festival, once
a year a ceremony took place and an offering with a High Priest and two specially chosen
goats. One goat was killed and its blood was offered
within the Holy of Holies - that sacred room within the Temple where only the High Priest
could go once a year on this special once-a-year festival. The second goat was not killed but it was
led out into the wilderness and it was released. This goat represents Satan, the one who departed
from God and who is responsible for all evil in this world. Satan is the one Jesus called a "liar" and
a "murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44). His evil presence and influence must be removed
from the human family before the peace of God's Kingdom can begin. The modern observance of this Day of Atonement
- the way that we keep it today, without the goats - today's observance pictures the time
when Christ returns to the earth. He will commission an angel to banish Satan
into the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3). Satan will not be allowed to deceive the nations
for a thousand years. This world will not know true peace until
Satan, the ultimate deceiver, is put away. With this done, the eyes of mankind will be
opened. The light of God's truth will spread over
humanity and a spiritual healing will come upon all peoples from all walks of life. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the One
who has crushed the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15, NIRV) is central to the ultimate fulfillment
of this day. Now the real work of God's Kingdom can begin. Tabernacles: Christ's millennial rule After Jesus returns, there will be a 1,000-year
period of peace and prosperity (Revelation 20:1-6). The earth will be changed, not through the
achievement of mankind, but through the power of God. The biblical festival called "Tabernacles"
pictures this time - which many call "The Millennium." Jesus is key to understanding the Feast of
Tabernacles. He observed this Feast while He was on the
earth, and He told His disciples to observe the Feast as well (John 7:2-14). In Old Testament times, the Israelites would
gather in Jerusalem and dwell in small huts or booths made from leafy branches of trees,
and they would rejoice in the worship of God (Leviticus 23:40). The Old Testament links the reign of Christ
on the earth with the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-21). In the book of Revelation, it tells us that
Christ will reign on the earth for 1,000 years. Christ's reign will create what human government
has not been able to accomplish for thousands of years - which is a lasting peace, true
justice and a chance for godly knowledge to flourish within the human family. Isaiah the prophet explains this period in
many of his exciting prophecies. The period is often called the Millennium. Let's note two of them. In Isaiah 2, it says, "He shall judge between
the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation" ( Isaiah
2:4) In Isaiah 35, we read: "The eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and
the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and
the thirsty land springs of water" (Isaiah 35:5-7). These scriptures will be literally fulfilled
when the One who sits at the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ, returns to the earth. These three festivals, they all occur within
a three-week period during the months of September to October every year: the Feast of Trumpets,
the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. But there is one more, and its meaning is
the greatest of all hope for mankind. Have you ever wondered about those who died
never having accepted Jesus Christ as Savior? What about them? Is there hope? What does the Bible say about this group of
people? The final biblical festival of the year explains. But before we go there, let me once again
offer you our free Bible study aid, God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise of Hope for All
Mankind. This guide, along with our bi-monthly magazine,
The Good News, will help you study deeper into this subject. We would be happy to sign you up for a free
Good News subscription. You will receive helpful articles on prophecy,
Christian living, and other material to help you in your biblical studies. You can request both by calling: 1-888-886-8632. Again, that's 1-888-886-8632. Or, you can go online and read our literature
at BeyondToday.tv. It's also available for download to your iPad,
your Kindle or your Nook. The Eighth Day: Jesus offers salvation to
all Following the Feast of Tabernacles is a final
feast day (Leviticus 23:36). It is designated as an Eighth Day, distinct
from the Feast of Tabernacles. Now this festival has a profound meaning in
the plan of God. Many today worry about loved ones who died
without receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. They worry about loved ones who died before
they repented and were baptized in faith. Their concern is that after, their loved ones
are lost, doomed forever in an ever-burning hell fire. But God is a God of love. He will never allow any human being to be
lost without first being given a fair opportunity to hear the gospel. He will even save those who have gone to their
graves without the knowledge of God. In the prophecy of Ezekiel 37, we read of
a great resurrection of people who died without having understood God's great plan. In that prophecy it says: "I prophesied as
He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet,
an exceeding great army..." And they say... "Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and
we ourselves are cut off" (Ezekiel 37:10-11). The prophet is seeing in vision, a resurrection. But God's comforting words to them follow
on. God says: "Behold, O My people, I will open
your graves and cause you to come up from your graves...then you shall know that I am
the LORD... I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall
live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have
spoken it and performed it" (Ezekiel 37:12-14). These verses, along with other biblical passages,
tell us that there is a time coming when those who died without the full knowledge of God
will be given their opportunity for salvation. They will finally recognize Christ for who
He really is, our Lord and our Savior. Non-Christians who have lived their entire
lives without ever hearing His name, they will be given the opportunity to both accept
His sacrifice as payment for their sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The book of Revelation tells us of a resurrection
at the conclusion of the 1,000-year reign of Christ. These are called "the dead, small and great"
(Revelation 20:12). They will stand before God and have the books
of the Bible opened to their understanding. They will have the opportunity to confess
belief in God and Christ and enter eternal life. The meaning of this final festival is that
there is a time yet coming in God's timetable in which those who have never had the opportunity
to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be raised from their graves and given
an opportunity to hear the truth. Those who have never known the truth will
someday come to know God and understand His great plan. The great meaning of this Eighth Day festival
is this: Every human who has lived will have a chance to know the only true God and Jesus
Christ whom He sent. God "desires all men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). The Holy Days of God give us an overview of
God's great plan of salvation. The fulfillment of these days is dependent
upon the One who became a man, who died for our sins and who now sits at the right hand
of the Father. His name is Jesus Christ. Let me remind you about ordering your free
copy of: God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise of Hope for All Mankind and your free subscription
to The Good News magazine. Please call us toll free: 1-888-886-8632. Once again, that's 1-888-886-8632. Or, you can go online at BeyondToday.tv and
read both. We look forward to hearing from you! Also, while visiting our BeyondToday.tv website
we invite you to watch BT Daily. These are short daily videos on important
Bible topics and breaking news items. Join us throughout the week, on the Web, for
BT Daily and get additional analysis on prophecy, the Bible and God's plan for humanity. And, you can watch Beyond Today and BT Daily
anytime on YouTube, or on our Roku Channel. And, the United Church of God has hundreds
of Sabbath-keeping congregations meeting on Saturday across the United States and around
the world. Go to BeyondToday.tv - click on the "Contact"
tab to find a congregation near you. Call one of our pastors and share your story
with them. We have an extra minute to discuss this topic
today. I have an important question to ask fellow
presenter, Steve Myers. Steve, what is it that people can learn by
keeping these biblical festivals? [Steve] They can learn a tremendous amount. Hard to explain in just a minute, but, just
imagine the word, holy. Holy Days - they are God's Holy Days. We forget sometimes what that word really
means. It's something unique. It is something special. These are days that are unique for us as men,
as women. It's unique to God. It's special to God. It's something special to God because it reveals
what God's plan is all about for mankind. And so He maps it out for us to make it very
clear that it all starts with Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. That we need God's Holy Spirit - Pentecost
reminds us of that. And as we move through the Holy Days, the
unleavened bread, from Passover to Unleavened Bread--putting sin out of our lives, needing
God's spirit to do that at Pentecost, moving to Trumpets and Atonement and the Feast of
Tabernacles--they map out the steps that God has in mind for us. And then, most importantly I think at the
end, we have the Eighth Day that makes it very clear that God isn't prejudice against
people. Everyone will have an opportunity, all of
mankind, who ever lived will have an opportunity to have the Bible opened to them. God's Word will come to life and they will
have an opportunity to choose life. And so what an amazing blessing it is when
you see how Christ fits into all of the Holy Days. Something that I think everyone needs to check
into and find out what the Bible is really teaching us about God's special plan. [Darris] And I think it's that Eighth Day,
that meaning that all will have an opportunity to know Jesus Christ and to have an opportunity
for salvation that is the greatest hope that can be made possible. This program has laid out for you a lot of
information. What is it that you need to do? Well first, write for our free offer of the
study aid, God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise For All Mankind. This booklet will take you deeper into the
Bible and it will show you how Jesus Christ is central to the biblical festivals. Next, you really need to examine your beliefs. You may keep Christmas, Easter and other religious
holidays but you are finding them lacking. You know something is missing. It's time that you ask some hard questions
about what you have accepted and what you have been doing all your life in a religious
sense. And finally, call us to find a church near
you that keeps these biblical festivals. Find out why many people are turning to the
Bible to understand how to truly worship God. Isn't it time to do something with what you
are learning here on Beyond Today? We do look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for watching, for Beyond Today, I'm
Darris McNeely. [Announcer] For the free literature offered
on today's program, go online to BeyondToday.tv. Please join us again next week on Beyond Today!
