The Three Feasts Series

THE THREE FEASTS.

The theme from GC this Sabbath is: Spirit of Prophecy and Adventist Heritage. In Mt Olives, it is also the day for the Holy Communion; in the Old Testament, also known as the Passover Feast.

In the Old Testament, God had instructed Israel that their males should go three times every year up to Jerusalem to “appear before the Lord” with an offering. The appearances were commemorated through 3 dedicated feasts. The appointed times were as follows:

The first was the Passover feast ‘Pasaka’ that today we commemorate the way Jesus showed us to do it. Second is the feast of Weeks; and third is the feast of booths.

Memory Text: “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24, NKJV).

Just to build the plot: When the disciples returned from the Mount of Olives, right after Jesus had ascended to heaven, they were filled with joy and triumph. Their Master and Friend had ascended to a position of power over the world and had invited them to approach God in His name with the absolute confidence that God would respond favorably to their prayers (John 14:13, 14).

They knew that Jesus had ascended to prepare a place for them (John 14:1-3). He had opened a way into the heavenly homeland through His blood.

So, it is with us; we are “seeking a homeland,” desiring “a better country” looking “forward to the city whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10, 13-16, NRSV).

Question: t how do we know that Heaven really exists? To get the answer, we must go back to the Old Testament and closely examine the 3 old feasts of the Old testament.

First, there was the Passover feast (also known as the feast of the unleavened Bread), to commemorate how the Lord delivered them from their bondage from Egypt.

Secondly, there was the Feast of Weeks to commemorate the giving of the Torah, the first 5 books written by Moses, the books of the law. It was celebrated 50 days after the Passover feast. In Christian circles, this has come to be known as the Pentecost. The name "Feast of Weeks" was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23:15-16, to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) beginning on the second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance. The term Pentecost derives from the Greek word meaning "fifty." This festivity was held as a means of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest season. In Christian circles, It signifies the coming down of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Christian church.

And the third and last is the Feast of Booths, which celebrated the years the Jews spent in the desert on the way to the Promised Land, and the way God protected them in the desert. (Exod. 23:14-17, Deut. 16:16).

All these three Old Testament feasts have prophetic significance; and Jesus fulfilled them with amazing accuracy.

Number 1: Jesus died on the day of preparation of the Passover. He died on the ninth hour. Why is this important? It is important because, the nineth hour was the moment in which Passover lambs were sacrificed (John 19:14, Matt. 27:45-50). He became our sacrifice, the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. For when Jesus went to the cross, the Priest was still there in the temple; knife in hand; a lamb about to die. But when Jesus declared, “It is Finished.” The priest’s hand began to tremble. The knife fell. The lamb lipped off the place of sacrifice and scampered away. Why? Because the real lamb of God had gone to the cross.

Number 2: Jesus was resurrected on the third day and ascended to heaven to receive assurance that His sacrifice had been accepted (John 20:17, 1 Cor. 15:20). He then came back to earth and dwelt among men and appeared to many for 40 days (Acts 1:1-3); then, 40 days later, He ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God. But he did not leave us as orphans, He sent us the Holy Spirit as flames of fire on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1, 2). Luke 24:49-53. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting His hands, He blessed them. 51 While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.