Questions Concerning Feast Days and Sabbaths
Introduction:
The questions and answers below deal with God’s appointed times for assembling together. Obviously we can assemble any day and at any time to gain a great blessing, but our heavenly Father has appointed specific times (Festivals) in order for us to receive double portion blessings. He has revealed this to us in the sacrifices and offerings that were made on a daily basis (morning and evening), plus upon each of the appointed Festivals. For example: the amount of sacrifices and offerings God instructed to be done upon the weekly Sabbath (Numbers 28:9, 10) was added to the amount offered on a daily basis (Numbers 28:3-6). This is what it looks like:
• Daily – 2 Lambs , one in the morning, one in the evening (Total = 2 lambs). 1.4 kgs flour x 2 (Total = 2.8 kgs). 0.9 ltr oil x 2 (Total = 1.8 ltr).
• Weekly Sabbath – 2 Lambs plus 2 lambs in daily sacrifice (Total = 4 lambs). 2.8kgs flour plus 2.8kgs from daily sacrifice (Total = 5.6 kgs). 1.8 ltr oil plus 1.8 ltr from daily sacrifice (Total = 3.6 ltr).
Throughout Numbers 28 and 29 you will see that the amount of offerings increase as they move from daily (morning and evening) to Sabbath (weekly) to new moon (monthly) and then to the other Feasts (yearly). Since Jesus is being represented here by all the sacrifices and offerings (1 Peter 1:18, 19; John 6:32, 33; Hebrews 10) then we can see that we receive increased blessings of the Spirit of Christ upon these sacred times. It is only with Christ, “the Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5), dwelling in us that the Sabbath can be kept because the Sabbath brings and has in it the presence of Christ—“for all things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16) “and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17).
"And He [God] said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." (Exodus 33:14)
"Come unto Me [Jesus], all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Thus, in the Sabbath we find the presence of God and the holiness which that presence brings to transform us. We find the same sanctifying power in that presence, which sanctified the day, to also sanctify us.
"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed [sanctified] it." (Exodus 20:8-11)
"Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths [plural] ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you." (Exodus 31:13)
"Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths [plural], to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them." (Ezekiel 20:12)
This is what the people of old missed (as well as people now) who claim that these appointed times have been abolished by Christ’s death and are no longer to be kept by Christians. Observing God's appointed times, at the times He has designed, brings us into harmony with God's sanctifying presence, resulting in us be changed back into His gentle image and non-violent likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). Believing God's Law can be changed brings us into harmony with the violent beastly powers of the earth, especially the fourth beast who would "defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws" (Daniel 7:25, New Living Translation). Commenting on the change of the Sabbath to Sunday by the church during the dark ages and how it relates to the two divergent systems of governing (God's vs. Satan's), Tim Jennings writes:
“The historic two days of worship within Christianity—Sabbath and Sunday—stand as two banners, signs, flags, marks, pennants that represent two divergent systems of governing … The Sabbath is a day of rest by its creation: it was made by God for this purpose at the end of creation week. The Sabbath is an evidence of design-law—truth, presented in love while leaving others free—and is a sign of God’s method of governing. Sunday, however, became a day of rest by legislative action, by human authorities making rules. Therefore, Sunday is a mark of imperialism—of law and government that functions like sinful humans who impose rules that require infliction of punishment for disobedience. … Understanding all of this, we can see that Sabbath is a sign of something larger than a day to go to church upon—it is an evidence of a system of governing to which we adhere and live in harmony with God and His government all week long, not just one day in seven. Salvation in Christ is about restoring sinners to holiness; it is not about restoring the Sabbath to holiness ... the Sabbath is a sign of a way of living, a loyalty, an embracing of and transformation back into God’s design, to which we live all week long. Further, every seven days, the Sabbath affords an opportunity for us to exercise our trust in God and rest in Him, thus choosing to identify with His kingdom of love. The real question is, Who do we understand God to be: [1] Creator/Designer whose laws are the protocols upon which life is built and who created the Sabbath for our spiritual health, or [2] an imperial dictator who makes up rules and then enforces those rules with threats of punishment—just like the church of the Dark Ages did for those who violated her Sunday?” (Dr. Timothy Jennings, comeandreason.org).
May we all look deeper into these things, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is” (Hebrews 10:25) and “repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
For more details concerning the change of the Sabbath, please refer to the Questions Concerning Bible Prophecy section).
