‘In Growing Trend, Christians Embracing “Biblical” Holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur’
An animal horn trumpet called a shofar.
The Feast of Trumpets runs from sunset October 2nd through sunset October 3rd in 2024. Which is the first day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar known as Tishri or Ethanim (1 Kings 8:2).
Israel365News (I365) reported the following:
While the trend for some professors of Christ to embrace the biblical holy days has increased in certain areas, the reality is the idea that Christians celebrated the Feast of Trumpets (which the Jews now call Rosh Hashana), the Day of Atonement (which the Jews call Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (which the Jews call Sukkot) is not new. True Christians have kept the biblical holy days since the time of Jesus. Details related to all of them are in the free online booklet: Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? Here is also something from that booklet related to the Feast of Trumpets:
The Feast of Trumpets pictures the future blowing of trumpets and the reality that Jesus will come and establish the Kingdom of God on the earth. The good news of coming Kingdom of God is a big part of what Jesus wants His servants to proclaim now (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20), and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The Feast of Trumpets points to Christ’s victory over this world.
Greco-Roman historians, such as Jerome and Epiphanius (Catholica Omnia Tabulinum De Ecclesiae Patribus Doctoribusque Materia Migne JP Argumentum Patrologia Latina Volumen MPL025 Ab Columna ad Culumnam 1415 – 1542A, pp. 922, 930 and Epiphanius (Ephiphanius. The Panarion of Ephiphanius of Salamis: Book II (sects 1-46) Section 1, Chapter 19, 7-9. Frank Williams, editor. Publisher BRILL, 1987, p. 117-119), recorded that the ‘Nazarene Christians’ continued to keep the Fall Holy Days into the fourth and fifth centuries. They were also kept by the faithful Christians in Jerusalem who claimed the original Christian building in Jerusalem into the fourth century until they were stopped by Imperial authorities (Pixner B. Church of the Apostles Found on Mt. Zion. Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1990: 16-35,60).
The anti-Semite John Chrysostom specifically attempted to stop people from keeping the Feast of Trumpets in the late fourth century (John Chrysostom. Homily I Against the Jews I:5;VI:5;VII:2). However, those trying to be faithful continued to do so throughout history. The Continuing Church of God does so now.
Even Jewish sources noted that early Christians, such as in the second century, kept the Day of Atonement as did Arab sources (for details, see The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance). Here is some information in our free online booklet: Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? related to the Day of Atonement:
Two Goats
In the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement included a ceremony where the Azazel goat was sent to the wilderness (Leviticus 16:1-10). Christians see this sending of the Azazel goat away as picturing the time during the millennium when Satan will be bound and sent away for a thousand years in the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-4). This means that Satan will not be able to tempt and deceive during that time. The Azazal goat was not slain, nor is Satan pictured being slain.
Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, a goat is not sacrificed by Christians to observe this day (cf. Hebrews 10:1-10).
Yet, although Jesus was our Passover lamb sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) and He was slain only once (Hebrews 9:28), we also see a time other than Passover where Jesus is ceremonially slain.
Why?
Many have speculated, but there could be clues along with the fact that this sacrifice happens before the release of the second goat.
The original Passover only resulted in the children of Israel being passed over for their sins. In this age, those who are true Christians claim the sacrifice of Jesus on His final earthly Passover for paying the penalty for our sins. But real Christians are a small minority of the population of the world (Luke 12:32; Romans 11:5).
Since the Bible calls Satan “the god of this age” who has “blinded” the world (2 Corinthians 4:4), most have been blinded and have not yet been covered by the sacrifice of Jesus. Yet this will happen for nearly all who will be called–either in this age or the age to come (Matthew 12:32). Showing the sacrifice, ceremonially after the church age ends, helps demonstrate that the sacrifice of Jesus was not just for those called in the church age, as God’s plan includes offering salvation to all, and not just today’s elect.
By showing the sacrifice prior to the other goat being released, this shows that Jesus was not taking away the sins of Satan.
Jesus took the penalty of all human beings. But it doesn’t apply to humans until after God calls us and grants us repentance (John 6:44) and we come to be willing to repent and we come to believe. Not only in Jesus, but we believe the Son and we believe the Father, that is, we believe what They say. Also, we prove it by repenting, being baptized, being granted the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) and actually trying to live as They would have us live (cf. 1 John 2:6).
Kept Throughout History
The Day of Atonement was kept in the 4th century according to John Chrysostom who preached against it (John Chrysostom. Homily I Against the Jews I:5;VI:5;VII:2).
This can also be seen in Canon 69/70 of the Syrian Apostolic Canons near this time which tried to ban it (Seaver JE. Persecution of the Jews in the Roman Empire (300-438), Issue 30 of University of Kansas publications: Humanistic studies. University of Kansas Publications, 1952, pp. 34-35).
A Muslim document, dated from the period of the fifth-tenth century, states that Jesus and His disciples kept the fast on the same days as the Jews. It indicates that Judeo-Christians were still keeping the Day of Atonement while the Greco-Romans came up with a 50 day Lenten-fasting period that Jesus did not keep (Tomson P. Lambers-Petry L. The Image of the Judaeo-Christians in Ancient Jewish and Christian Literature, Volume 158, 2003, pp. 70-72; Stern SM. Quotations from Apocryphal Gospels in ‘Abd Al-Jabbar. Journal of Theological Studies, NS. Vol. XVIII, (1) April 1967: 34-57). Reports from other historians support this view (e.g. Pines, pp. 32-34). Furthermore, we see historical reports that it was still being kept in Transylvania in the 16th century (Liechty, pp. 61-62).
The old Radio Church of God observed the Day of Atonement (and the other Holy Days) throughout the 20th century. We in the Continuing Church of God continue to observe it today.
As far as the spiritual meanings associated with the Feast of Trumpets, it should be pointed out that since Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah and believe the New Testament, we have greater understanding of the meanings associated with that and other biblical holy days (e.g., see Trumpets: Christian and Jewish Views of that Feast).
Related to the Feast of Trumpets, notice the following which is our latest posted sermon:
Christian vs. Jewish Views on the Feast of Trumpets
What are Christian views of the Feast of Trumpets? Should it be called Rosh Hashana like the Jews began to do centuries after God had His Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23? Jews claim this day was also the 6th day of creation when Adam was made–does the Bible support or confirm this? When is the seventh month of the biblical calendar? What is Tishri/Tishrei/Ethanim? Should the Jewish year that runs from 19 September 2020 through September 7, 2021 be more like 5990 or 5781 as the Jews claim? Is there any connection to the Book of Life like the Jews claim? The Jews also claim that this Holy Day has to do with repentance and judgment–does the New Testament agree? Does the Feast of Trumpets have any connection to the seven trumpets of Revelation? What about a possible connection between the last trumpet and the return of Jesus? Should Christians draw comfort from observing this festival? What have different Church of God writers (like George Kackos and Herbert W. Armstrong) written is the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets? What about Ambrose of Milan? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more (plus also attempts to blow a ram’s horn known as a shofar as well as a silver trumpet known as a chatsotserah).
Here is a link to the sermon: Christian vs. Jewish Views on the Feast of Trumpets.
Related to the Fall Holy Days, we also produced the following sermon:
Fall Holy Days for Christians
Are there holy days or festivals that occur in or near the Fall, autumn of the year, that Christians should observe? Which days did Jesus and the Apostle Paul keep? Does the New Testament show that any of the Fall holy days were kept? Did early Christians keep the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day? What about Polycarp, Melito, and Polycrates? What about Methodius of Olympus? What happened with the sun-god worshiping Emperor Constantine? Did early Christians keep Christmas, Halloween, All Saints Day, or All Souls Day? Is it wrong to mix pagan ceremonial practices with biblical ones? Did John Chrysostom denounce those keeping the Fall holy days in the late 4th century? What about Jerome and the Nazarene? Were the holy days kept during the Middle Ages? What do the holy days listed in Leviticus 23 have to do with Jesus and God’s plan of salvation? What about tradition? What did Ellen White and Samuel Bacchiochi teach about the holy days? What about Church of God leaders? What do the biblical holy days help teach Christians?
Here is a link to our sermon video: Fall Holy Days for Christians.
Although some Evangelicals and most who consider themselves Messianic Jews keep a version of the biblical holy days, they tend to miss a lot of the Christian aspects of them. More on the holy days and their meaning can be found in the free online booklet: Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?
That being said, Christians should keep the biblical holy days as they were part of “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2033, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: OUeåf/y^v„W#eåÿ Ù‘Ìf/NNýy^v„W#eåeåS†NÎ2013^tó2024^t0.
Trumpets: Christian and Jewish Views of that Feast Jews call it Rosh Hashanah and have various ideas about it. What are Christian views and scriptures about the meaning and purpose of this festival? Here is a link to a related sermon: Christian vs. Jewish Views on the Feast of Trumpets.
Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. Two related sermon would be Which Spring Days should Christians observe? and Fall Holy Days for Christians.
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? The ‘Fall’ Holy Days come every year in September and/or October on the Roman calendar. Some call them Jewish holidays, but they were kept by Jesus, the apostles, and their early faithful followers. Should you keep them? What does the Bible teach? What do records of church history teach? What does the Bible teach about the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fall Holy Days for Christians.
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not? What does the Feast of Trumpets, which the Jews call Rosh Hashanah, help teach? Related sermon videos include: The Last Trumpet and the Book of Life and The Trumpet Release. The article has links to hear shofar blasts.
Feast of Trumpets: Why Should You Keep It? What does the Bible say? What does this festival picture? A related sermon is available: Seven Trumpets: Jesus Returns.
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement.” Does it have any relevance for Christians today? What is the Jubilee? Is fasting healthy? Here is a link to a sermon: Christians, the Day of Atonement, and Fasting; here is another sermon: Day of Atonement: How Jesus fulfilled His part for the Atonement. Here is a link to a related article in the Spanish language: El Día de Expiación Su significado cristiano.
The Atonement Plan How does the Day of Atonement tie into God’s plan of salvation? Three sermons of related interest are available: Atonement, Jesus, and Satanand God’s Atonement and Fasting Plan and God’s Atonement Plan.
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians? What is the Last Great Day? What do these days teach? A related sermon video is Feast of Tabernacles from Israel.
The Last Great Day: Shemini ‘Azeret What is the ‘eighth day’ of the Feast? What does it help picture? A sermon on this topic is also available: Shemini Azaret: The Last Great Day.
Christians are to Be Strangers and Pilgrims? Should Christians sojourn? What does the Bible and Feast of Tabernacles teach? A related video sermon is titled Christian Pilgrims.
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law The Bible teaches that every seven years that the law should be read at the Feast of Tabernacles. This is what I did at the first Feast site were I gave an actual sermon (as opposed to a sermonette) in 2006.
Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2020 This is information on the Feast of Tabernacles’ sites for the Continuing Church of God in 2020. The Feast in 2020 Services began the evening of October 2nd and runs (including the Last Great Day) until sunset October 10th.
Messianic Judaism Beliefs Differ from the Continuing Church of God Both groups keep the seventh-day Sabbath, but have important differences in doctrines and practices. Here is a link to a related sermon: Messianic Jewish Beliefs.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
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