|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
1 Corinthians 5:7-8, "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Truth is, we no longer need to sacrifice a Passover lamb according to this passage. This is actually common knowledge among most Christians of today. The exact same principle therefore applies to all the Jewish feasts as they are indeed fulfilled already, just as the sacrifice of the Passover lamb was fulfilled. As for those who feel they are convicted to keep these feasts, I am not seeking to change your minds. At the same time, I feel I stand justified in that I see no reason for you to seek to change mine. For it is also written...
By the way.. the "sabbath days" mentioned here are ceremonial feast days, and not the weekly Sabbath. See Leviticus 23:23-38 on this. Specifically verse 38 where it declares these "sabbath days" are BESIDES the Sabbath of the Lord. Another easy to see reality in this passage is. MANY like to claim that this passage is speaking of the "Ten Commandments" because the "sabbath days" is mentioned. But when looking at the ENTIRE verse, one realizes that it is impossible for these "sabbath days" to be the same as the weekly Sabbath day. Why? This passage is lumping both the "sabbath days" together along with the "meat, drink, holy days, and new moons." Where in the Ten Commandments does it speak of meat, drink, holy days, and new moons? The Jewish feast days were a shadow of things to come. They pointed forward in a prophetic manner as to what Christ would do when He came to this Earth for us. I ask, why should we embrace or seek to keep feast days that speak of things already done? My faith alone in the "Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world" [John 1:29] already proclaims that which the feast days looked forward to as fulfilled at Calvary. In fact, some of the feast days required the believer to offer sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple did they not? How is that possible today? How was that possible in fact since 70ad when the Jerusalem Temple was completely destroyed by Rome? Scriptures openly declare these feast days "nailed to the cross" in the following passage... Colossians 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;" These feast days / laws of Moses were ORDINANCES penned on paper by Moses himself. Unlike the Law of God written in STONE by His very finger. The ripping of the temple veil in Matthew 27:51 declares in mountainous tones that these feast days were indeed no longer needed. The Temple itself was no longer the residence of the Shekinah glory of the Lord's presence when that Temple veil ripped. Before the rip, no man could enter into the Most Holy Place but the High priest. Anyone else walking in there would most assuredly DIE. Now however, any man can come before the Lord, for the Temple is now YOU, the Christian!
Want it prophetically BLUNT? Daniel the Prophet declares the Feast Days as something that was to STOP the moment Christ died on the cross...
Prophecy itself confirms the feast days CEASED at the time of the cross. In the "midst of the week" (3.5 yrs after Jesus was baptised) the Temple veil RIPPED completely in two. At the exact moment the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world" spoke from His very lips, "IT IS FINISHED"-John 19:30 Picture this... You are looking for your friend who is said to be behind your house working on your car. You look outside and all you see is your friends shadow protruding from behind the house. You can see your friend working on the car by watching the shadow. So you wait patiently for him to finish. Suddenly your friend cry's out that, it is finished. You then walk to the back of the house, and follow the shadow to your friend that eventually leads directly to him. The feast days are no different. They illustrated to the believers a glimpse of that which Christ was to do in the future, and when He cried out, "it is finished" on Calvary, IT WAS! Think about this as well... There we NO Jewish feast days BEFORE the Exodus from Egyptian bondage. And according to prophecy as well as Scripture speaking of the time of fulfillment, they ended perfectly when Jesus "finished" what He came to do for you and me, as well as all those that kept those feast days in faith BEFORE Calvary. Could there be prophetic reasoning for such an end time movement? Is it not being "prophesied" all over the world by false prophets that a "third temple" must be rebuilt? Has it not already been reported that the Roman Catholic church is performing "animal sacrifices" on their altars in Africa?Are we to start offering sacrifices again regardless of the fact that prophecy as well as the reality of Calvary declares it is finished? Does not the "keeping of the feast days" denote a "possibility" that Christ has NOT yet arrived, therefore we need to look for another? Will this be used by Antichrist to gather some of the flock into his camp? That I believe is the main issue here. All I can see coming from keeping the feast days is a faith that may eventually learn to embrace the "old leaven" of the Pharisee's. All the world knows, they do indeed proclaim with boldness that Messiah has not yet come. And all of Christendom can read for themselves...
One last thing before going further. For those that claim Christ Lord and still can't see the Feast Days abolished at His cross. Please look upon this passage with open eyes...
For the SDA brethren that have been pulled into the feast day movement, what saith the prophet of your church? In this ordinance, (The Last Supper) 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 that pointed to Him as the great and only efficacious offering for the sins of the world. He gave this simple ordinance that it might be a special season when He Himself would always be present, to lead all participating in it to feel the pulse of their own conscience, to awaken them to an understanding of the lessons symbolized, to revive their memory, to convict of sin, and to receive their penitential repentance. He would teach them that brother is not to exalt himself above brother, that the dangers of disunion and strife shall be seen and appreciated; for the health and holy activity of the soul are involved. {5BC 1139.5} This ordinance does not speak so largely to man's intellectual capacity as to his heart. His moral and spiritual nature needs it. If His disciples had not needed this, it would not have been left for them as Christ's last established ordinance in connection with, and including, the last supper. 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. Eating of the body, and drinking of the blood, of Christ, not merely at the sacramental service, but daily partaking of the bread of life to satisfy the soul's hunger, would be in receiving His Word and doing His will (RH June 14, 1898). {5BC 1139.6}
Below is an answer to a question I sent "BibleInfo.com" regarding the feast day question. As soon as I received it I felt it would be a good addition to this page as it covers all I shared here and more regarding the Feast days. In order to understand why Christians don't keep these feast days we need to know what they represent and the reasons God had His people keep them. I'll present below the five major festivals of the Jewish calendar year. Then I'll discuss their meanings and the reasons why Christians don't keep each one. There were three festivals to which all Israelite men were required to go up to the tabernacle (later to the temple at Jerusalem). These are marked with a ‡. The months are given according to the Hebrew calendar. I deal with each in the order that they came during the yearly calendar. (1) ‡Unleavened Bread, a week-long event (which immediately followed the Passover supper held the preceding night) in the middle of the 1st month, at the beginning of the barley harvest (Lev 23:5–14) (about the time of our Easter) (2) ‡The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), fifty days after the first sabbath of Unleavened Bread, celebrating the season of the wheat harvest (Lev 23:15–21; Ex 34:22) (3) The Feast of Trumpets on the 1st day of the 7th month, the civil New Year's day. (4) The Day of Atonement on the 10th day of the 7th month, the cleansing of the Temple. (5) ‡The Feast of Ingathering, or the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, in the middle of the 7th month, at the close of the olive and fruit harvest (Lev 23:34–44; Deut 16:13) (This occured only a few days after the Day of Atonement which was celebrated on the 10th day) What did these festivals mean and why do Christians feel that we should not keep them.? (1) ‡The Feast of Unleavened bread: The night before this feast every family celebrated the Passover in their homes. The Passover ceremony was celebrated in this way: Each family (or if the family was a small one, several families) slew the Passover lamb and ate it along with bread that was made with no yeast (leaven). Yeast, in Bible times, represented sin because sin, like yeast when put in dough, fills the entire person. John the Baptist spoke of Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) and Paul points out that "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Cor. 5:7). Since Christ is the Lamb who was sacrificed and His sacrifice has already taken place, then there is no need to celebrate the Passover feast that pointed forward to the coming of God's Lamb who would take "away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) In fact, the exact hour that Jesus died was the time for the slaying of the Passover lamb in the Temple. Matthew 27:51 describes how the "curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." Tradition has it that the Passover lamb escaped from the grasp of the priest and ran away. Jesus gave us the communion service of bread and wine to commemorate His death (Matt. 26:26-35). For Christians, the Lord's supper has taken the place of the Passover. The day after the Passover–the very next day–was the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The prohibition of the use of yeast, as practiced the night before at the Passover celebration, continued for seven days after the Passover. The first day was a ceremonial sabbath. (When this sabbath fell on the weekly Sabbath, the Pharisees of the time of Christ called it a "high day.") Just as with the weekly Sabbath, no one was allowed to work on this day. This sabbath (first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread) was a sabbath of rest, pointing forward to the rest that the Lamb of God experienced in the grave on the day following His crucifixion. On the day after this ceremonial sabbath the priest waved a sheaf of barley–the first fruits–before the Lord. This symbolized the beginning of the harvest season. This action pointed forward to the resurrection of Christ after the Sabbath, and His brief ascension to His Father to receive His approval of the sacrifice of His Son. 1 Cor 15:3, 4 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Cor 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. There is no need for Christians to participate in this festival because the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to which it points have already taken place. The feast has become obsolete. (2) ‡The Feast of Weeks, later called Pentecost, took place 50 days after the waving of the sheaf. This festival celebrated the beginning of wheat harvest. The day of Pentecost, 50 days after Christ's resurrection, marked the beginning of the harvest of Christ's work. It was preceded by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17, 18). There's no need for Christians to celebrate this feast because the reason for the feast came to pass when the disciples began the harvest of souls in earnest. (3) The Feast of Trumpets A feast celebrated on the 1st day of the 7th month (Ethanim, or Tishri), the beginning of the civil year. This 1st day fell on the "new moon" of September or October. This month was always numbered the 7th (see Lev 23:24), according to God’s instructions to Moses to begin the year with the Passover month of Abib (Nisan), as the 1st month (see Ex 12:2); yet the year was still reckoned as beginning with Tishri for civil matters. Tishri 1 was marked by extra sacrifices in addition to the new-moon sacrifices of the other months (Num 29:1–6). It was a ceremonial sabbath, and was celebrated by the blowing of trumpets (Lev 23:24, 25). The tradition of the Jews is that on New Year’s Day (celebrated to this day as Rosh Hashana) everyone is judged for his deeds of the past year, but that one’s doom is not settled until the 10th, on the Day of Atonement, apparently after 9 days of grace (Talmud Rosh Hashanah, 16a).1 Christians don't celebrate the Feast of Trumpets for two reasons: 1) The first day of Tishri is not our New Year's day. 2) This day's intimate attachment to the Day of Atonement. (4) The Day of Atonement. This day occured on the tenth day of the seventh month, the most solemn day of the year. On it all were not only to refrain from work but also to afflict their souls (make sure that all their sins were confessed) (Lev 23:27–32). This probably included fasting, since in NT times it is evidently this day that is referred to as "the fast" (Acts 27:9). On the Day of Atonement all the sins of the preceding year were finally disposed of in the ceremony of cleansing the sanctuary (Lev. 16). All who did not afflict their souls on that day were cut off from Israel (Lev 23:29). The Day of Atonement was to the Jews a day of judgment.1 On this day two goats were brought before the High Priest. He cast lots over them to chose which one would be the Lord's goat. The other goat was called the scape goat and was put aside. The Lord's Goat was killed and sacrificed on the altar. Some of it's blood was taken into the innermost room, called the Most Holy Place. The High Priest sprinkled some of the blood on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant and some on the ground in front it. As the High Priest left the Most Holy Place he wiped some of the blood on the horns of the altar of Incense which stood before the curtain which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. In effect, he was taking upon himself all the sins that the Israelites had confessed throughout the year by bringing their animals for sacrifice in the Temple. Coming out of the Temple, the High Priest placed his hands upon the head of the scape goat and confessed all the sins of Israel upon him. Then the scape goat was led by a strong man out into the wilderness, where he was let go—a fitting symbol of the removal of all sin from the nation. The Lord's goat represented Christ who died upon the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of everyone who has ever lived. The High Priest represents Christ in His role of our great Intercessor in Heaven. He brings our names before the Father and proclaims that we have accepted Him as our Savior. In effect, just like the Day of Atonement was a day of judgment, so the great Day of Atonement in Heaven is a day of judgment for the people of God (read the judgment scene as depicted in Dan. 7: 13, 14 ff). Christ will decide whom, of all who have professed to be His disciples, has really accepted Him and let Him reign in their hearts. When the judgment is finished, then Christ will come and reward His servants for their faithfulness. Rev 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. This annual "day of judgment" prefigured the cosmic judgment of all of God's people. Whoever refrains from, neglects, or refuses to repent of his/her sins at that time will be cut off from God's people. The first part of the Day of Atonement has already taken place—the Lord's Goat (Christ) has already been sacrificed for the sins of His people. The second part—Christ, as our High Priest, entering the Most Holy Place of the Temple in heaven, presenting His blood before the Father—is taking place right now in Heaven. Christ is investigating the lives of all who have professed to be His followers. Those who have been true to Him will be marked as His people. Those who have not been faithful will be rejected. Soon Christ will finish this work and return to reward those who were faithful to Him, by taking them to His eternal Kingom. So Christians don't celebrate the Mosaic Day of Atonement because we are actually passing through the Great Day of Atonement right now. (5) ‡The Feast of Ingathering (the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles) celebrated the ingathering at the end of the harvest, particularly of the grain, olive, and grape harvests. It also reminded the Jews of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. This was the last feast of the religious year and usually came during our month of October, after the autumn harvest was over and the fruit had been gathered in. It was a joyous occasion for all. The Day of Atonement was past; all misunderstandings had been cleared up, all sins confessed and put aside. The Israelites were happy, and their happiness found expression in the Feast of Ingathering (Booths, or Tabernacles) Since the antitypical* Day of Atonement takes place before the coming of Jesus, then this joyous feast, which comes at the end of the harvest, would most likely represent the joy of God's people as they take their places in the New Jerusalem. Their wandering in the wilderness of sin is past. Eternal life in the heavenly Canaan will be the reward of God's people. *An object casts a shadow when standing in sunlight. The shadow is the type, the object itself is the antitype. The Day of Atonement in the ceremonial year is the type; the "investigative judgment" that takes place before Jesus comes is the antitype. Another way to say the same thing is: the Day of Atonement prefigured the judgment in the last days. 1Horn, Siegfried H., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1979. Below is a sermon
taken from "Let There Be Light
Ministries" It is indeed a blessing to read. (You can view it here
as well... http://www.lightministries.com/id321.htm
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 you 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 I As for the name of God. I have had numerous people approach me from all walks of life regarding this issue. Some declare "Jehovah" is the only name we should use. Others declare "Yahweh" for the Father and "Yashua" for His Son. Some have even gone so far as to declare that the name 'Jesus' comes from Zeus, and it is a sin to call our Savior by that name. Fact is, the name 'Jesus' comes from 'Joshua' meaning, "Jehovah is salvation" as you can see by the Strong's concordance reference below. 2424 Iesous {ee-ay-sooce'} of Hebrew origin 03091; TDNT - 3:284,360; n pr m AV - Jesus 972, Jesus (Joshua) 2, Jesus (Justus) 1; 975 Jesus = "Jehovah is
salvation" This fanaticism comes from a misunderstanding of a prophecy within Revlation...
Those that declare a sacred name is necessary have clearly misunderstood the prophecy. Nowhere does it say "literally" that the name of our God is written in our foreheads. Just like it doesn't say anywhere that the name of the beast is literally written in the forehead. It does however speak of His CHARACTER being written in the minds and hearts of His children in numerous areas in His Word. Many of these "sacred name" preachers also adhere heavily upon the modern day prophet Ellen White. As we can see below, she even relates this truth to all those with ears to hear...
Clearly she is stating it is not a "literal name." She IS saying that keeping His commandments is the main issue here. Is it not written in Ezekiel 20:12, "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them." and Ezekiel 20:20, "And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God." This fanaticism is trult designed to get people to once again "FORGET" what the Almighty states is important to remember for that which MAN says is important. Like the priests of old that had the name "Holiness to the Lord" written on the front (forehead) of the miter. (See Exodus 28:36-38) The same goes for the Christian today. We must have the mind fo Christ. Doing so will make our characters emulate the "holiness of the Lord." There is absoultely nothing "sacred" at all in the literal name of the Creator. It's just a name. The character is what we need to strive for. To think that "resiting a name" is all you need to do to assure salvation is Catholicism in theology. It is NOT of "works" as the Scripture so amply proves. My question remains the same. Why would the Almighty ever living God of creation declare we should call Him by one name and one name alone, when this very God is omnipotent and multifaceted? In fact, does not the Word of this very God speak of Him using many different names? So many in fact, that I would be hard pressed to list them all here. Now it is true that in Exodus 6:3 it says...
Fact is however, in this instance the Almighty Father is simply revealing a NEW name to them. Doing a study on this topic in His Word one can see this is a repetitive characteristic of our Heavenly Father. All through Scripture we see the Lord revealing new names for Himself that speak of His love for us in many different ways. In fact, never have I ever come across a verse in the Old or New Testament that declares by only ONE name we are to call on Him. Look at this way. All these names He gives us, are actually new ways to learn of Him as well as trust in Him. Every name given in His Word describes yet another facet of His character to us His children. To call Him by only one name, is to limit His glory as well as limit His effectiveness in the lives of those calling upon Him. He has many names because He has many gifts to bestow upon us. Not to mention the fact that He does many things FOR us. For example. Just listing a few names He has called Himself makes this point very clear.
Looking to His Son Jesus Christ one can see many names being used to describe Him as well.
Looking to His many names one can see that He is a Mighty God. One can actually see His love in just reading the names of this God within the very Word of this very same God. So I ask... Where should we concentrate our efforts? On His name? Or on His Word? You tell me... what does the following passage say to YOU? Psalms 138:2, "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Without His Word, we would have never known of His name. One more fact to consider here. Have you ever noticed how the NAMES OF MAN actually speak of the plans of God Almighty? Notice this... THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE 12 TRIBESIf you translate the meaning of the names of the twelve tribes you will find the story of the Gospel. (Read downwards from the Definition list.)
Another example is known as the "Gospel in Genesis":
So... my question is... How is it possible that the CREATOR of mankind must have yet ONE NAME and the man He CREATED can actually have numerous names that spell out His Truth? Fact remains... to limit the Almighty to ONE NAME is to declare Him a God of limited capabilities. "I saw that God's holy name should be used with
reverence and awe. The words God Almighty are coupled together and used by some
in prayer in a careless, thoughtless manner, which is displeasing to Him. Such
have no realizing sense of God or the truth, or they would not speak so
irreverently of the great and dreadful God, who is soon to judge them in the
last day. Said the angel, "Couple them not together; for fearful is His name."
Those who realize the greatness and majesty of God, will take His name on their
lips with holy awe. He dwelleth in light unapproachable; no man can see Him and
live. I saw that these things will have to be understood and corrected before
the church can prosper." -Early Writings page. 122.1 Final note regarding the "name" issue. Upon the cross of Christ was nailed a sign above His head. This is what it said... Yashua
Hanutzrel
Velemech
Hayehudim
Y H V H It's no wonder the pharasees didn't like that
sign. It proves He did indeed come in His Father's name! Again, am I saying
this is the ONLY name we should use? No. In fact, those that claim this IS the
only name border on the fringes of a CULT theology. I have a "few"
facts regarding this on my "YahCult" page. Just, PLUS.. what of the angel that appears to sister White to say, "Do you wish to see Jesus?" in Early Writings, page 80? Did the Angel say, "Do you wish to see YAHSHUA OR YAHWEH?" No he did NOT! Fact is, if the name Jesus is good enough for an angel, then it's truly NOT a name that offends the Lord when His children use it today. Fact remains. the WORD of God is far more important than even the NAME of God. For it IS written... Psalms 138:2, "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
Should we keep the Feast Days?
