A Challenge to All
Feast-Keepers
Let’s hear from you all you Feast-keepers. How
many of you render tithe and offerings totalling one third of your income per
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of
Tabernacles?
"God
required of His ancient people three yearly gatherings. "Three times in a
year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He
shall choose; in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and
in the Feast of Tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy
God which He hath given thee." No less than one third of their income
was devoted to sacred and religious purposes." {3T
395.3}
This document is based on Testimonies, Vol. 3, Aug. 25, 1874, pp. 381-396, entitled Tithe and
Offerings. What follows is a direct challenge to every person who claims to be
a Feast-keeper. I challenge them one and all to write to me and vow before God
that they observe this ancient rite associated with the laws of Moses, which
Ellen White said is still binding on God’s people today. I will publish their
vow with their approval.
What about the Old Testament statutes? There were both statutes
and ordinances. The statutes were given to strengthen the Ten Commandments. These include tithing, health
principles, etc. Notice Ellen White’s definition of things governing
EVERYDAY LIFE versus the Feast Days!
“In consequence of continual transgression, the moral law was
repeated in awful grandeur from Sinai. Christ
gave to Moses religious precepts which were to govern everyday
life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the Ten Commandments.
They were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be binding upon men in every
age as long as time should last. These commands were enforced by the power
of the moral law, and they clearly definitely explained that law”—Manuscript
12, 1894 (1 Bible
Commentary, 1104).
·
There
were definitely statutes (laws) that were given to guard the Ten Commandments.
·
Those
statutes explained the principles of those commandments.
·
Christ
gave those religious precepts to govern everyday life, not
annual feasts and holidays.
·
Thos
statutes are binding upon men in every age as long as time lasts.
·
These
commandments are enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly
explain that law in greater depth.
· They explain
the Sabbath more deeply in its relation to Hebrews 4, where we are to be dead
to self and alive only to the cause of Christ in the earth.
One of those statutes has to do with tithe and
offerings. Here is what
Ellen White says is our duty by way of tithes and offerings relative to
specific laws of Moses which are still binding. Here is an excerpt from the
following article. Ellen White is reapplying the most rigorous laws binding
upon the Hebrews by her saying: "There are even more urgent necessities
upon the Israel of God in these last days than were upon ancient Israel. There
is a great and important work to be accomplished in a very short time. God
never designed that the law of the tithing system should be of no account among
His people; but, instead of this, He designed that the spirit of sacrifice
should widen and deepen for the closing work." {3T
396.1}
DO YOU KNOW ANY FEAST KEEPERS WHO GIVE A THIRD OF THEIR INCOME
TO THE LORD'S WORK? I know some true reformers WHO DO.
"God required of His ancient people three yearly
gatherings. "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the
Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles: and they
shall not appear before the Lord empty: every man shall give as he is able,
according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which He hath given thee."
No less than one third of their income was devoted to sacred and religious
purposes." {3T 395.3}
----- Original Message -----
From: Ron
Beaulieu
To: Adventist-fm@yahoogroups.com
Sent:
Sunday, March 13, 2011 5:43 PM
Subject:
Re: [Adventist-fm] Those who despise the Jewish economy despise Christ
When it comes to Legion's (Gar's) pocketbook,
the ancient custom of given NO LESS than a third of one's income to God, IS A
RIOT!
"God
required of His ancient people three yearly gatherings. "Three times in a
year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He
shall choose; in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and
in the Feast of Tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy
God which He hath given thee." No less than one third of their income
was devoted to sacred and religious purposes." {3T
395.3}
----- Original Message -----
From: Gar
To: Adventist-fm@yahoogroups.com
Sent:
Sunday, March 13, 2011 4:12 PM
Subject:
Re: [Adventist-fm] Those who despise the Jewish economy despise Christ
What a riot!
Gar
Ron responds:
Gar posted the following E.G. White quote on
an SDA Internet forum:
“There are many in this age of the world who act as if they were at liberty
to question the words of the Infinite,
to review His decisions and statutes,
endorsing, revising, reshaping, and annulling at their pleasure. We are never
safe while we are guided by human opinions, but we are safe when we are
guided by a ˜Thus saith the Lord. We cannot
trust the salvation of our souls to
any lower standard than the decisions of
an infallible Judge.” (Lift Him Up, p.
106)
Ron responds: It appears that Gar, an adamant
advocate of Feast-keeping violates the above statement himself when he responds
to Ellen White’s statement on tithes and offerings saying: What a riot! He thus revises, reshapes and
annuls. What hypocricy!
On Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 5:06 PM, Ron Beaulieu
<rsbeauli@telusplanet.net
> wrote:
Here is what Ellen White says is our
duty by way of tithes and offerings relative to specific laws of Moses
which are still binding. Here is an excerpt from the following article. Ellen
White is reapplying the most rigorous laws binding upon the Hebrews by her
saying: "There are even more urgent
necessities upon the Israel of God in these last days than were upon ancient
Israel. There is a great and important work to be accomplished in a very short
time. God never designed that the law of the tithing system should be of no
account among His people; but, instead of this, He designed that the spirit of
sacrifice should widen and deepen for the closing work." {3T 396.1}
DO YOU KNOW ANY FEAST KEEPERS WHO
GIVE A THIRD OF THEIR INCOME TO THE LORD'S WORK? I know some true reformers WHO
DO.
"God required of His ancient
people three yearly gatherings. "Three times in a year shall all thy males
appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of
Tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: every man shall
give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which He hath
given thee." No less than one third of
their income was devoted to sacred and religious purposes." {3T 395.3}
Ron
Let’s hear from
you all you Feast-keepers. How many of you render tithe and offerings totalling
one third of your income per the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of
Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles?
Isa 1:13 Bring
no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and
sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even
the solemn meeting.
Isa 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my
soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary
to bear [them].
Folks,
“…of the sect of the Pharisees" … these Judaizing
teachers asserted that in order to be saved, one must be circumcised and must
keep the entire ceremonial law. {AA
188.2}
“But there is
a law which was abolished, which Christ ‘took out of the way, nailing it to His
cross.’ Paul calls it the law of commandments contained in ordinances.’ This ceremonial
law, given by God through Moses, with its sacrifices and ordinances, . . to be binding upon the Hebrews until type met
antitype in the death of Christ as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the
world. Then all the sacrificial offerings and services were to be Abolished.
Paul and the other apostles labored to show this, and
resolutely withstood those Judaizing teachers who
declared that Christians should observe the ceremonial law.—Signs of the Times, September 4, 1884.
The annual Sabbath DAYS (PLURAL) were
a SHADOW. They were fulfilled in Christ. Gar is misrepresenting the truth on this
issue just as he does on corporate responsibility.
“While the
Saviour’s death brought to an end the law of
types and shadows, it did not in the least detract from the obligation of
the moral law.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, 365.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:16 Let no
man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or
of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
Col 2:17 Which are a
shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
What about the
Old Testament statutes? There were both statutes and ordinances. The statutes
were given to strengthen the Ten Commandments. These include tithing, health principles,
etc. Notice Ellen White’s definition of things governing EVERYDAY LIFE
versus the Feast Days!
“In consequence
of continual transgression, the moral law was repeated in awful grandeur from
Sinai. Christ gave to Moses religious
precepts which were to govern everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the Ten
Commandments. They
were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be
binding upon men in every age as long as time should last. These commands
were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly definitely
explained that law”—Manuscript 12, 1894 (1 Bible Commentary, 1104).
“The Jewish ceremomial law
has passed away.”—Review and
Herald, October 10, 1899.
“While the Saviour’s death brought to an end the law of types and shadows, it did not in
the least detract from the obligation of the moral law.”—Patriarchs and
Prophets, 365.
“His lessons to His disciples are received by all who
would become His disciples, to the end of time. These lessons discharge His
followers from the bondage of the
ceremonial law, and leave them the ordinance of baptism to be received by repentance
and faith in Jesus Christ as the only One who can take away sin.”—Review and
Herald, June 21, 1898.
Some love bondage games. The Jews carried it to the
point of masochism.
“When Jesus at His ascension entered by His own blood into the heavenly
sanctuary to shed upon His disciples the blessings of His mediation, the Jews
were left in total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings.
The ministration of types and shadows had
ceased.”—Great Controversy, 430.
“There are two distinct laws brought to view. One is
the law of types and shadows, which reached to the time of Christ, and ceased when type met antitype in His death.”—Signs of
the Times, July 29, 1886.
"Christ has taken His people into His church. He has swept away every ceremony of the ancient type. He has given no
liberty to restore these rites, or to substitute anything that will recall the
old literal sacrifices. The Lord requires of His people spiritual sacrifices
alone. Everything pertaining to His worship is placed under the superintendence
of His Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Father would send the Holy Spirit in
His name to teach His disciples all things, and to bring all things unto their
remembrance that He had said unto them. The curse rests upon Jerusalem. The
Lord has obliterated those things which men would worship in and about
Jerusalem, yet many hold in reverence literal objects in Palestine, while they
neglect to behold Jesus as their advocate in the heaven of heavens.”—Review
and Herald, February 25, 1896
The ceremonies included the Feasts, Feast days, Holy
Days etc.
“There are two distinct laws brought to view. One is
the law of types and shadows, which reached to the time of Christ, and ceased
when type met antitype in His death.”—Signs of the Times, July 29, 1886.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:16 Let no
man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or
of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but
the body [is] of Christ.
What about the
Old Testament statutes? There were both statutes and ordinances. The statutes
were given to strengthen the Ten Commandments. These include tithing, health principles,
etc. Notice Ellen White’s definition of things governing EVERYDAY LIFE versus
the Feast Days!
“In consequence
of continual transgression, the moral law was repeated in awful grandeur from
Sinai. Christ gave to Moses religious
precepts which were to govern everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the Ten
Commandments. They
were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be
binding upon men in every age as long as time should last. These commands
were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly definitely
explained that law”—Manuscript 12, 1894 (1 Bible Commentary, 1104).
“The Jewish ceremomial law
has passed away.”—Review and
Herald, October 10, 1899.
“While the Saviour’s death brought to an end the law of types and shadows, it did not in
the least detract from the obligation of the moral law.”—Patriarchs and
Prophets, 365.
“His lessons to His disciples are received by all who
would become His disciples, to the end of time. These lessons discharge His
followers from the bondage of the
ceremonial law, and leave them the ordinance of baptism to be received by repentance
and faith in Jesus Christ as the only One who can take away sin.”—Review and
Herald, June 21, 1898.
Some love bondage games. The Jews carried it to the
point of masochism.
“When Jesus at His ascension entered by His own blood into the heavenly
sanctuary to shed upon His disciples the blessings of His mediation, the Jews
were left in total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings.
The ministration of types and shadows had
ceased.”—Great Controversy, 430.
“There are two distinct laws brought to view. One is
the law of types and shadows, which reached to the time of Christ, and ceased when type met antitype in His death.”—Signs of
the Times, July 29, 1886.
"Christ has taken His people into His church. He has swept away every ceremony of the ancient type. He has given no
liberty to restore these rites, or to substitute anything that will recall the
old literal sacrifices. The Lord requires of His people spiritual sacrifices
alone. Everything pertaining to His worship is placed under the superintendence
of His Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Father would send the Holy Spirit in
His name to teach His disciples all things, and to bring all things unto their
remembrance that He had said unto them. The curse rests upon Jerusalem. The
Lord has obliterated those things which men would worship in and about
Jerusalem, yet many hold in reverence literal objects in Palestine, while they
neglect to behold Jesus as their advocate in the heaven of heavens.”—Review
and Herald, February 25, 1896
The ceremonies included the Feasts, Feast days, Holy
Days etc.
“There are two distinct laws brought to view. One is
the law of types and shadows, which reached to the time of Christ, and ceased
when type met antitype in His death.”—Signs of the Times, July 29, 1886.
Should we keep Pentecost today? Considering the
evidence, we find that Pentecost began to be fulfilled during Christ’s life,
and has been in the process of fulfillment ever since. The first great antypical fulfillment is well-known: It occurred in Acts 2,
at the time when the Feast of Pentecost was observed the same year in which
Jesus died on Calvary. Forty days after His ascension
on wave sheaf day, He ascended to heaven; and, ten
days later, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and began witnessing
with great power. Read Acts 2 carefully. All the details of that antitypical
fulfillment are there. The Spirit of Prophecy is equally clear in locating the
antitypical fulfillment as beginning at that point in history (AA 35-46; SR
241-247).
But Pentecost—as an experience—has been in a state of
continual fulfillment ever since. As the servants of Christ journeyed outward,
they carried with them the message of a dying, risen, soon-coming Saviour to
all the world. That message continues on
in our time. The hallmark of Pentecost is the early
rain experience. We are to have that experience today. It is not something for
the future. We are to have it now. It is empowerment for witnessing. And what
are we to witness to? The fact that there
is salvation in Jesus Christ, and that salvation
consists of forgiveness of sin and empowerment to obey the Ten Commandments
(Rev 14:12).
The Third Angel’s Message has always been the message
for mankind, the pathway to heaven, but in these last days—when the law of God
is almost totally ignored—it has special application. The rabbis were correct
in noting the possible relationship (in
Deuteronomy) of Pentecost to the giving of the law.
Not only has Pentecost been in operation for nearly
2,000 years, but it will achieve a final climax in the closing up of the Third
Angel’s Message (GC 611-612; also read 4T 303; 8T 246; ML 58). The Loud Cry will be the concluding
fulfillment of the
Pentecostal experience, as the latter rain is poured
out upon God’s faithful ones.
Should we then keep Pentecost today? No,—but we
should strive to enter into the experience of Pentecost! Put away your sins and
seek God for help in ministering to others. Gather together to plead for souls,
and dedicate your lives anew to Him. That is
always in order—any time of the year. But let us not
gather to “keep Pentecost.”
You see, whereas the ancients were to gather for this
feast in the early summer, we today are to gather around the sanctuary in
heaven, and plead for souls. That is our appointed work. That is what Pentecost
points us to. For it is Pentecost which teaches us the way into the heavenly
sanctuary. Those who reject His first coming will reject Him in His crucifixion
as their Saviour, and they will then reject the Pentecostal pleading for a
deeper experience and the winning of souls—which will lead them into the
sanctuary experience:
“I was pointed back to the proclamation of the first
advent of Christ. John was sent in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare
the way for Jesus. Those who rejected the testimony of John were not benefited
by the teachings of Jesus. Their opposition to the message that foretold His
coming placed them where they could not readily receive the strongest evidence
that He was the Messiah. Satan led on those who rejected the message of John to
go still farther, to reject and crucify Christ. In doing this they placed themselves where they could not receive the
blessing on the day of Pentecost, which would have taught them the way into the
heavenly sanctuary. The
rending of the veil of the temple showed that the Jewish sacrifices and ordinances would no longer be received. The great Sacrifice had been offered and had been accepted, and
the Holy Spirit which descended on the day of Pentecost carried the minds of
the disciples from the earthly sanctuary to the heavenly, where Jesus had
entered by His own blood, to shed upon His disciples the benefits of His
atonement. But the Jews
were left in total darkness. They lost all the light which they might have had
upon the plan of salvation, and still trusted in their useless
sacrifices and offerings.
The heavenly sanctuary had taken
the place of the earthly, yet they had no knowledge of the change. Therefore
they could not be benefited by the mediation of Christ in the holy place.”—Early Writings, 259-260.
“Christ was standing at the point of transition
between two economies and their two great festivals. He, the spotless Lamb of
God, was about to present Himself as a sin offering, that He would thus bring to an end the system of types
and ceremonies that for four thousand years had pointed to His death. As He ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted
in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice. The national
festival of the Jews was to pass away forever. The service which Christ established was to
be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages.
The Passover was ordained as a commemoration of the
deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. God had directed that, year by
year, as the children should ask the meaning of this ordinance, the history
should be repeated. Thus the wonderful deliverance was to be kept fresh in the
minds of all. The ordinance of the Lord’s supper was given to
commemorate the great deliverance wrought out as the result of the death of
Christ. Till He shall come the second time in power and glory, this ordinance
is to be celebrated. It is the means by which His great work for us is to
be kept fresh in our minds.”—Desire of Ages, 652-653.
“On the fourteenth day of the month, at even, the
Passover was celebrated; its solemn, impressive ceremonies commemorating the
deliverance from bondage in Egypt, and pointing forward to the sacrifice that
should deliver from the bondage of sin. When the Saviour yielded up His life on
Calvary, the significance of the
Passover ceased, and the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was instituted as a
memorial of the same event of which the Passover had been a type.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, 539.
Was Ellen White
a false prophet in the Desire of Ages statement below?
Dying to sin in
Christ and rising to newness of life in Him—is far different than keeping the
Passover! The one accepts Him; the other questions whether He was the real
Messiah to come. Think about it; it is true. That is why we are told that those
who attended the ritual services after Calvary—even one day after—were on the
wrong track: “They were not conscious that type had met antitype, that an
infinite sacrifice had been made for the sins of the world. They knew not that there was no further value in the
performance of the ritual service.”—Desire of Ages, 774.
Christ was the foundation and antitype of the whole Jewish
economy of sacrifices, ceremonies, feasts, etc. All these symbols or
types pointed, as a shadow, to Christ. When He was crucified in 31 AD or
"cut off" in the midst of the last week--3 1/2 years after He had
begun His gospel ministry--type met antitype. Thus Christ caused the
sacrifice, oblation, feasts, and all the other types in the Jewish economy to
cease to be literally kept and performed.
These ceremonies and types were given to point forward to
Christ as being the Messiah. But since Christ has already come, and type
has met antitype, these types would only possess spiritual significance, and
not the command to be literally kept; they would continue pointing to Christ,
but would not bear the penalty of sin if not literally kept. And any
today who advocate that God's people must literally resume keeping any of the
Jewish economy's types, are actually denying that Christ is the Messiah, the
antitype of all in the Jewish economy!
Christ realized He was the antitype of the Jewish feasts,
etc., and hence, during His ministry, He did not keep many of the feasts; yet
Christ was not a commandment breaker--He was "without sin" (Hebrews
4:15).
"As the sons of Joseph made preparation to attend the
Feast of Tabernacles, they saw that Christ made no movement signifying His
intention of attending. They watched Him with anxiety. Since the
healing at Bethesda He had not attended the national gatherings."
Desire of Ages, p 450.
"Christ was the foundation of the whole Jewish economy, which was a symbol prescribed in
type for the religious faith and obedience of all people" Manuscript 130,
November 27, 1901 (Manuscript Release #499, p 1).
"We have yet to learn that the whole Jewish economy is a compacted prophecy of
the gospel. It is the
gospel in figures..." Manuscript 130, November 23, 1897 (Manuscript
Release #313, p 1).
"They (Jews) did not realize that type met antitype in
the death of Jesus Christ....they could not see the perfect fulfillment of the Jewish economy, instituted and
established by Christ and pointing to Him as the substance."
Fundamentals of Christian Education, p 398.
"Judaizing teachers were opposing the work of the
Apostle (Paul), and seeking to destroy the fruit of his labors....
Thus the
emissaries of Judaism succeeded in alienating many of the Christian converts from
their teacher in the gospel. Having gained this point, they induced them
to return to the observance of the ceremonial law as essential to salvation....Christ,
the true foundation, was virtually
renounced for the obsolete ceremonies of Judaism." Life of
Paul, p 188-90.
There were also differences between the feast sabbaths and
the seventh day Sabbath. On the feasts sabbaths booths of tree branches
(during the feasts of tabernacles) could be built (Leviticus 23:39-42).
Or you could prepare or cook your food (Exodus 12:14-20). But on
the seventh day Sabbath not even sticks were to be gathered (Numbers 15:32-36).
Also on the seventh day Sabbath all of your food was to be prepared and
cooked on the sixth day, or the preparation day, before the seventh day Sabbath
(Exodus 16:33). Also the feast sabbaths were written by the finger of
Moses and placed in the side of the ark of the testimony (Deuteronomy 31:26)
showing that these were temporary. While the seventh day Sabbath was
written by the finger of God and placed in the middle of the ark of the
testimony underneath the mercy seat (Exodus 30:5 and Exodus 40:20) showing that
these were eternal. So clearly the feast sabbaths and the seventh day
Sabbath are not the same. The feast sabbaths were a shadow or type to be
done away with at Christ's death, while the seventh day Sabbath was not a
shadow but was to continue on after Christ's death.
And yes Paul did state, "Let us keep the feast" (1
Corinthians 5:8). But keep it, how? Literally or spiritually?
It was not literally but spiritually because he continues, "Neither
with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth."
And yes Sister White writes that well would it be for the
people of God at the present time to have a feast of tabernacles (Patriarchs
and Prophets, p 540). But was she stating that we should keep this feast
today literally or spiritually? The whole context here is the great
benefit that the children of Israel received because they associated together.
So she said, "We sustain loss when we neglect the privilege of
associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of
God and we decline in spirituality." Patriarchs and Prophets, p 540-541.
Ellen White did not advocate keeping the feast days literally
today, but advocated not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together on
other days than just the Sabbath day. She referred to the blessings
received when God's people associated together anciently as an example.
That is why she states in Testimonies, vol 6, p 39-40 that the holy
convocations today for God's people are not the literal convocations or feast
days of ancient Israel but are the camp-meetings. So camp-meetings for
God's people today are the equivalent of the feast days, or the holy
convocations, of ancient Israel.
Now some will then state that it was only the animal
sacrifices or offerings that were done away with and that is why we still keep
the feast days today. But circumcision was not an animal sacrifice, nor
was it an offering. It was a law or type to be performed just like the
feast or other non-sacrificial types until the anti-type came. And after
Christ's death circumcision then took on a spiritual meaning, meaning to circumcise
your hearts. And the same with the feasts. They are very important
spiritually today, pointing to Christ as the Messiah and His ministry, but are
not literally to be kept under the penalty of sin.
So just like with the law of circumcision being advocated
anciently, if any come unto you today telling you that, Ye must keep the feasts
and keep the law, they are only troubling God's people with words, and are
trying to subvert and Judaize souls. And you can quote to them the same
words in Galatians 5:1, 2 that you are to stand fast in the liberty wherewith
Christ has made you free and that you are not to be entangled again in the yoke
of bondage. "And behold I say unto you that if ye keep the feasts
Christ shall profit you nothing." There is no harm in transposing
the word feasts for circumcision because it's the very same principle found in
Galatians 5:1, 2.
If any one today keeps the feasts Christ shall profit you
nothing, and your spiritual exercises are an affront and insult to God!
"...Christ discharged His disciples from the cares
and burdens of the ancient Jewish obligations in rites and ceremonies.
These no longer possessed any virtue; for type was meeting antitype in
Himself, the authority and foundation of all Jewish ordinances...
"It was Christ's desire to leave to His disciples an
ordinance that would do for them the very thing they needed--that would serve
to disentangle them from the rites and ceremonies which they had hitherto engaged
in as essential, and which the reception of the gospel made no longer of any
force. To continue these rites
would be an insult to Jehovah." Bible Commentary, vol 5, p 1139-1140.
Anciently, each feast day occurred at a specific time each
year, and corresponded to the work of the high priest in either the first or
the second apartment of the sanctuary. There was to be no feast day which
overlapped onto another feast day (i.e. the feast of Tabernacles being
celebrated during Passover), but each had their specific set period
corresponding to the sanctuary service. Since Christ, our High Priest,
has entered into the second apartment, or the most holy place, in the heavenly
sanctuary, signalling that we are now in the antitypical day of Atonement, then
for anyone to advocate that we should keep any other feast day during this
antitypical day of Atonement, are seeking to overlap feast days. Thus
they are actually denying that we are in the antitypical day of Atonement, and
are declaring that Christ is no longer interceeding in the most holy place!
So today, there are to be no feast days celebrated while Christ is
interceeding in the most holy place during this antitypical day of Atonement!
But after Christ's ministerial work is ended, and the antitypical day of
Atonement is ended, and we are living on the new earth, there is recorded that
we will resume keeping certain feast days--such as the feast of the New Moon
(see Isaiah 66:23).
Besides, we are in captivity and strangers in this world
until Christ comes to free us and take us to heaven, and then give us the new
earth after the wicked are forever destroyed by the cleansing fire of God.
Anciently, the Jews could not keep the feasts while under captivity, but
resumed after they were freed and in their promised land. The same today!
"During the captivity of the Jews, they could not be
observed; but when the people were restored to their own land, the observance
of these memorials was once more begun." Desire of Ages, p 447.
Do you want to be held in bondage to the types in the Jews
religion and continue hindering the gospel of Christ, or do you want to be free
in Jesus Christ--the Antitype--and work to spread the true gospel and hasten
the coming of our Saviour?
"Some in the church were still striving to mold
Christianity after the old customs and ceremonies that were to pass away at the
death of Christ....They saw that they had been held in bondage by the Jewish
customs and traditions, and that the work of the gospel had been greatly
hindered..."
Life of Paul, p
211.
—rwb