Time to say no to Pagan Santa and Pagan Easter Bunny and yes to God.
For Christmas and Easter, we released a few teachings on why these two holidays are some of the most pagan festivals known to man. You can read them here, but in essence, even though most people claim that they only focus on Jesus (Real name Yeshua) and promote Christ, taking part in Pagan festivals and claiming it is for God, is something God forbids His people to do.
After researching and publishing those teachings, my wife and I made a conscious choice to say NO to the Pagan practices that have crept into Christianity and start going back to the Word and doing what God instructed us to do - Follow Him.
Let's get into the ultimate guide to God's Ordained Times
The Feasts Given to Moses
The first time we see God giving us times to celebrate is in the book of Leviticus. Here, Moses is up on Mount Sinai with God, receiving the Laws.
Lev 23:2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
After this verse, we get a list of the appointed times (This list will also be summarized afterward & we will share how to observe the festivals a bit later in the teaching):
- The Sabbath
- Definition: An intentional rest day, just as God did during creation.
- Occurrence: Every 7 days on a Saturday
- First Introduction: Lev 23:3 “ ‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD.
- The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
- Definition: Celebration of the Exodus out of Egypt, remembering all the signs done to the Egyptians due to Pharoah's stubborn heart. Unleaved bread because of the haste at which Israel had to leave. It also symbolizes a Christian's responsibility to live a sin free life, the leaven symbolizes sin.
- Occurance: Passover: 14th of the 1st Month. Unleavened Bread: 15th - 21st of the 1st Month.
- First Introduction: Lev 23:4 Lev 23:5 The LORD’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. Lev 23:6 On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Lev 23:7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Lev 23:8 For seven days present a food offering to the LORD. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’ ”
- Offering the Firstfruits (Known as First Fruits)
- Definition: A reminder to the Israelites of God’s provision in the Promised Land. Israelites would bring their first fruits to the Priests to be dedicated to the Lord. This is also a symbol of Yeshua being given as a first fruit from God.
- Occurance: The Sunday after Passover/Unleavened Bread Festival and the Normal Sabbath on the Saturday.
- First Introduction: Lev 23:10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. Lev 23:11 He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
- The Festival of Weeks / Pentecost
- Definition: Also known as Pentecost, this is where people brought the best of their Harvest and gathered together in Jerusalem at the Temple.
- Occurance: 50 days from First Fruits. It is called the feast of weeks because we have to count 7 weeks from the First Fruits Festival.
- First Introduction: Lev 23:16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD (+More guides on how to celebrate given until Lev 23:22)
- The Festival of Trumpets
- Definition: A reminder to all about the second coming of Yeshua and the day of judgment. A trumpet should be blown or a big noise made. It is also a sabbath.
- Occurrence: 1st Day of the 7th Month.
- First Introduction: Lev 23:23 The LORD said to Moses, Lev 23:24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Lev 23:25 Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the LORD.’ ”
- The Day of Atonement
- Definition: Atonement is made for your sins. It is also a Sabbath day.
- Occurrence: 10th Day of the 7th month.
- First Introduction: Lev 23:27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the LORD. Lev 23:28 Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God.
- The Festival of Tabernacles
- Definition: It also is to commemorate when God led Israel out of Egypt, into the Wilderness as a cloud by day and a fire by night. They slept in tents for this time, until they reached Mount Sinia, where they built the Tabernacle. The start and end dates are Sabbaths. Most Orthodox religions advocate sleeping in tents/camping during this time. It also foreshadows the Millennial Kingdom and the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
- Occurrence: 15th day of the 7th month, lasting for 7 days.
- First Introduction: Lev 23:35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. Lev 23:36 For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.
In Summary, we have 7 festivals that God instructed us to celebrate:
- The Sabbath
- The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
- Offering the Firstfruits (Known as First Fruits)
- The Festival of Weeks / Pentecost
- The Festival of Trumpets
- The Day of Atonement
- The Festival of Tabernacles
All of these Festivals were put in place to remember what God has done in the past and also act as a rehearsal of God’s future plans that are yet to happen.
An interesting fact, which is out of the scope of this teaching, is that before Moses received these festivals, they were observed long before this time - by people like Abraham. This shows the consistency of Yehovah, and how He never changes!
New Festivals, or New Testament Misunderstanding?
Pentecost is considered by modern Christians as a 'new' celebration. It was the day the Holy Spirit was poured out onto God's people. However, if you read the scripture, this is not a 'new' festival at all. It was also given to Moses as part of the appointed times. Pentecost's original name is the Feast of Weeks.
The reason so many foreigners were present for Pentecost and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is because The Festival of Weeks required all people from every city to gather at God's Temple.
Regarding Passover, we have an entire teaching on this Festival, which Christians now call 'Easter'. You can read it here.
God orchestrated Yeshua's coming perfectly. Yeshua died on Passover, exactly according to God's times. He also rose on the First Fruits Festival, and then the Holy Spirit descended on His people on Pentecost/Festival of Weeks. Everything lined up perfectly, which truly emphasizes how important these times are to God. Do you think any of these events happened on the festival days by accident?
Ask yourself this question - If we celebrate Pentecost, which is an Old Testament Festival, why are we not celebrating the other appointed times?
Aren't These Jewish Feasts?
God gave these commandments and festivals to Moses to give to all tribes of Israel. Even as a Gentile, you are adopted into sonship and grafted into Israel if you believe in Yeshua, this makes you an Israelite and therefore all of God's Word is meant for you.
The only reason these are known as 'Jewish' feasts is because the word Jew refers to people descending from the tribe of Judah. Judah is the only tribe that decided to obey these festivals, even though they are given to all God's people and tribes. More on the 12 tribes in the next chapter, about King Jeroboam.
God also calls these times as 'His appointed times'. These times were followed even in the time of Abraham, indicating these laws and times have been followed since the creation of the world. There is multiple occasions where Paul, Peter, and the rest of the disciples also are recorded observing His Law and Festivals (Check out Acts 2:1-4, 18:21, 20:6,, 1 Cor 16:5-9 ,5:7-8, etc...). Paul even asks the disciples to not let anyone judge you for keeping the feasts. We have a teaching on that here. If Yeshua's death brought the end of the Law and Festivals, why did Paul and Co continue to celebrate them?
If Yeshua and all his disciples followed these festivals, why are we not? Why are we only celebrating the Festival of Weeks / Pentecost in churches, but not the others? Why are we all making our own religion, instead of trying to be like Yeshua?
King Jeroboam - The Blueprint of Today's Society
Coming back to today, the two biggest Christian times are Christmas and Easter. As we have written on this site, both are Pagan in nature but have a coat of paint that implies that they are Christ-centered. People have cast aside God's actual festivals, labeling them 'Old', 'Jewish', or 'Not Relevant'.
Well you know the saying, history always repeats itself, and we are repeating the sin of one very famous Israelite, King Jeroboam.
King Jeroboam was the first king of Israel. Back in the day, King Solomon (First Son of David), went off his rocker a little bit. He started marrying many wives from many nations and made alliances with all the surrounding pagan empires. This was all strictly against God's Word.
As punishment for all these shady dealings, God told Solomon that he would no longer be King of the 12 tribes of Israel, and neither would his son Rehoboam. Instead, God would break Israel into 2 kingdoms. One would be called the Kingdom of Israel, and consist of 10 of the 12 tribes. This would form the North side. The other kingdom would be called Judah, and consist of the remaining 2 tribes (Judah and Benjamin). This formed the south side. God, in his mercy, would still allow Solomon and his son to rule Judah, but give the Kingdom of Israel to another.
So King Jeroboam became the first King of Israel, which now consisted of 10 tribes. This is one of those Old Testament stories which has stuck with me forever, because similar to Matthew 7, where God will tell believers who cast out demons in His name ' I never knew you', this story follows a similar path...
1Ki 12:25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.
1Ki 12:26 Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David.
1Ki 12:27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”
1Ki 12:28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
1Ki 12:29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
1Ki 12:30 And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.
Here, Jeroboam decides to make life easier for his people, in verse 27 he rationalizes that to continue worshipping the Lord, his people will have to travel into Judah's territory to go to the Temple. He thinks this will turn people over to Rehobaom, and they will leave his kingdom. Jeroboam decides to build a Golden calf, and place them in his Kingdom, so his people do not have to enter Judah, and have something to worship.
Not only this, but he went on to appoint priests who were not of the Levi tribe.
1Ki 12:31 Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites.
And then comes the biggest part:
1Ki 12:32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made.
1Ki 12:33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.
Jeroboam made his own festival, with his own people, in his own region, all in the name of God.
Do you see the parallels in today's society?
Jeroboam decided to appoint a festival for God that he made himself - We have appointed Easter and Christmas, which are man-made celebrations, and dedicated it to God.
Jeroboam appointed who he wanted as priests - We have allowed people and institutions to shepherd us, who are not after God's Heart and are willing to bend God's Word to fit the masses
Jeroboam made people worship a fake idol in the name of God - We worship God with pagan holidays meant for the Sun and other Pagan Gods, and claim we do it for God.
How did Jeroboam turn out you might ask?
1Ki 13:34 This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth
His Kingdom fell apart, and He is forever remembered in the Bible as the man who committed a great sin towards God.
Appointing our own ways of worship and ordaining our own special days was a detestable thing in the eyes of God. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, if He is the same God of Jacob/David/Solomon/Paul, and He and His Word do not change, why do we think today is any different?
An Argument to Not Keep the Festivals Today
A good rebuttal to the idea of keeping the festivals today is falling into a trap that Jeroboam fell into - Setting up festivals outside of the Temple. This is also backed up by various scriptures, e.g:
Deu 16:5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you
The place where all these festivals were to take place was the Jerusalem Temple. This was built for God, with instructions given by Him. It was God's dwelling place amongst believers. Before the temple, the Tabernacle served as His dwelling place.
However, in 70 AD, the Roman Empire invaded Jerusalem. They razed the temple to the ground. This actually nullified a lot of Law's from the Torah, and continues to nullify them to this day.
This is a good argument, however, we find in scripture that Israel encountered this problem before. God has always foretold how the Israelites would be scattered around the world, finding themselves in different cultures. One famous example would be Daniel:
Dan 1:8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Dan 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
The Law of God exempted people who were too far to journey to Jerusalem's Temple, however, if it was possible, they were instructed to do it. We see this with Paul in the New Testament, who frequently journeyed back to Jerusalem for the feasts. He also instructed the Church of Corinth to maintain observance of the festivals.
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
However, there are also cases where Paul was too far from Jerusalem, but he still observed the feasts:
(I am not sure why, but the NIV translation has removed the part about Paul keeping the feasts, so I have put both here. The KJV is the more accurate translation)
Act 18:21 (NIV) But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.
Act 18:21 (KJV) But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.
So it seems that keeping the festivals is more about remembering God than anything else. Even though we cannot bring offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem anymore, the feasts and festivals are still to be observed as best as possible, just like Daniel did in foreign lands, and Paul did when he was evangelizing in Asia. This makes sense, as all of the festivals given are all centered around remembrance of God, both of what was done before and what will be done in the future.
Ultimately God sees your heart, just like he saw Daniel's and Paul's hearts, if your true intention is to honour his festivals (Even if you don't do it perfectly), that is an incredible thing. You are saying no to worldly festivals, pretending to honour God, and saying yes to God's times. You are avoiding the sin of Jeroboam.
Practical Ways to Celebrate God's Festivals Today
If you have made the choice that you want to start honouring God in the way He wants, here are some practical ways you can observe these festivals. We will go in our original order from above:
- The Sabbath
- The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
- Offering the Firstfruits (Known as First Fruits)
- The Festival of Weeks / Pentecost
- The Festival of Trumpets
- The Day of Atonement
- The Festival of Tabernacles
Observing The Sabbath
We have a whole teaching on how to observe the Sabbath here. In summary, it is a Holy day of rest, on a Saturday, which recurs every week. You are not allowed to do 'regular' work, which is defined as work you do to make a living.
Everything else is fine, go to the beach, pray, gym, it doesn't matter. NB - do not believe the Jewish Oral Law / Talmud which says you cannot carry things or leave your house or things of that nature. This is heresy and what Yeshua spoke against the Pharisees about this when He healed on the Sabbath.
Note - A Sabbath starts at Sundown of the previous day, and ends at sunset the next day.
Observing The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
These two are tied together. You do not eat leaven (Which is found in yeast) for 7 days, and you also remove all leaven products from your house (Symbolizing you getting rid of sin). The first day of the festival (Passover) is a Sabbath, and the last day of Unleavened Bread is also a Sabbath.
Unleavened bread is amazing and I encourage you to make it! Our family also includes a lamb dish with this, just like it was done during the original Passover of Egypt.
Observing First Fruits
Previously, offerings of meat, drink, and grain were made at the Temple/Tabernacle, but since Yeshua came, we celebrate the First Fruits by celebrating Yeshua being the first fruit, so we can be part of the harvest.
For our family, we plan on dedicating a meal and drink to the Lord by praying over it, and spending time thanking Yeshua for his sacrifice.
Observing The Festival of Weeks / Pentecost
The day is a Sabbath, and study the Scripture surrounding the Holy Spirit being poured out on God's people, as well as the 10 commandments & Laws that were given to Moses. I also encourage gathering with believers on this day to fellowship together.
Observing The Festival of Trumpets
The day is a Sabbath. This day reminds us that Christ is coming back and that is the scripture that should be focused on (Revelation, Gospels, etc.). Traditionally, you should fellowship together and blow a trumpet (If you are hardcore traditional, then use a Shofar, pictured below) or make a loud noise to symbolize how Yeshua will return with the trumpet of God.
Observing The Day of Atonement
The day is a Sabbath and is to foreshadow judgment day. This day should be dedicated to repentance. You are also obliged to fast for the entire Sabbath.
Observing The Festival of Tabernacles
This last one, in my opinion, is the most fun. This is a full week (7 days), with the start and end dates being Sabbaths. The idea is to stay in a 'temporary' dwelling, just like the Israelites did when they wandered the wilderness after the Exodus. It is a time to fellowship with other believers and remember that time, as well as the foreshadowing of the Millenium reign of Yeshua.
As you may have noticed, following these festivals is not difficult, and has deep spiritual meaning. It is no wonder God puts such high value on them, as they pay tribute to the past, and foreshadow the future.
Conclusion
In a world where traditions and practices often stray far from their origins, it is crucial to return to the instructions God laid out for His people. The appointed festivals in the Bible are not merely "Jewish feasts" but are God's sacred times, given to all who follow Him. They serve as powerful reminders of His faithfulness in the past, His provision in the present, and His promises for the future.
By choosing to observe these festivals, we align ourselves with God's Word and reject the man-made traditions that have infiltrated Christian worship. These appointed times are more than rituals—they are opportunities to honor God, deepen our relationship with Him, and live in obedience to His commandments.
While the destruction of the Temple has changed how these festivals are observed, their spirit remains intact. As demonstrated by Daniel, Paul, and other faithful followers throughout history, it is the heart of worship and remembrance that truly matters to God. Even when perfect observance isn't possible, our desire to honor Him in His way carries great significance.
As we embrace these festivals, let us remember the incredible work of Yeshua and the eternal plan of our Creator. By turning away from worldly celebrations and returning to God's appointed times, we draw closer to Him, reject the sin of Jeroboam, who made his own version of festivals to honour God, bringing ruin, and stand firm as part of His holy people.
Let this be a call to action: a return to God's Word, His times, and His ways. May we celebrate His festivals with joy and reverence, as we prepare for the ultimate fulfillment of His promises in His eternal Kingdom.
