Zion and the Feasts

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Jesus established the spiritual Zion by keeping the feasts of the new covenant.
Jesus established the spiritual Zion by keeping the feasts of the new covenant.

Zion and the feasts are inseparable. It is because Zion is the place appointed for God’s feasts to be celebrated holy. In the Old Testament times, the Israelites were blessed in Zion by offering sacrifices on the feasts according to the Law of Moses. Today, the saints are blessed with eternal life when they keep the feasts of the new covenant in spiritual Zion. Spiritual Zion was established by Jesus with the feasts of the new covenant in the New Testament times. There are seven annual feasts of God—the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits (Day of Resurrection), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles; and there is the Sabbath as a weekly feast.

Meaning of Zion

Zion was originally a hill in Palestine, and David, the second king of Israel, conquered the fortress of Zion and made it the capital. When King Solomon built the temple of God in that area, Zion came to refer to the place where the temple of God was located.

In the New Testament times, Jesus, the spiritual King of David[1], established spiritual Zion. In regard to this, the Old Testament prophesied that God would dwell in Zion forever[2] and give the blessing of eternal life.[3]


Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; . . . There the LORD will be our Mighty One. . . . the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

Isaiah 33:20–24


Zion mentioned here is spiritual Zion. It is because the forgiveness of sins and eternal life began to be given as Jesus came in the New Testament times.[4] The greatest characteristic of the spiritual Zion is that it is a place where God’s feasts are celebrated. The Bible teaches that God is with us in Zion and gives the forgiveness of sins. Since the wages of sin is death,[5] only when we receive the forgiveness of sins can we be freed from death and have eternal life. In order to receive salvation, we must find Zion, the true church that keeps the feasts of God. For this, we must first know about the feasts of God.

Feasts Kept in Zion

Among the feasts God commanded us to keep, there are the Sabbath, a weekly feast; and there are annual feasts kept in three times—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.[6] In the book of Exodus, the Feast of Weeks is called the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Tabernacles is called the Feast of Ingathering.[7] There are not only three annual feasts, but seven in total (Leviticus 23). The three feasts are representative feasts among the seven feasts grouped into three times. So God’s annual feasts are called the seven feasts in three times.

In the first time, there are the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread; and in the second time, there are the Day of Firstfruits and Pentecost; and in the third time, there are the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.

God instituted the feasts according to Moses’ work from the Exodus to the establishment of the tabernacle. These feasts were not just the history of the past, but served as prophecies about what Jesus would do in the future. Since Jesus came as a prophet like Moses, the work of Moses was a shadow of Jesus’ work.[8][9] The origin of the seven feasts established according to the work of Moses and their fulfillments are as follows.

Passover

  • Date: Evening of the 14th day of the first month by the sacred calendar
  • Origin: The Israelites, who had been slaves in Egypt, were freed by the power of the Passover (Exodus 12).
  • Fulfillment of the Prophecy: The Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, are a shadow of human beings spiritually being slaves to sin in this sinful world.[10] The Israelites were freed from Egypt through Moses by keeping the Passover with the flesh and blood of the lamb. This prophesied that God’s people would be freed from the sinful world through Jesus Christ by keeping the Passover. On this day, Jesus, who is the reality of the Passover lamb,[11] gave the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the bread and wine that represent His flesh and blood, and established the new covenant.[12][13]

For details, refer to: Passover

Feast of Unleavened Bread

  • Date: The 15th day of the first month by the sacred calendar
  • Origin: After celebrating the Passover, the Israelites left Egypt the next day and went through hardships until they finished crossing the Red Sea.[14]
  • Fulfillment of the Prophecy: To remember this suffering, the Israelites kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread by eating unleavened bread for seven days.[15][16] Jesus fulfilled the prophecy by going through hardships from that night after keeping the last Passover with His disciples and by being crucified the next day. In the New Testament times, we share in Christ’s sufferings by fasting on this day.[17]

For details, refer to: Feast of Unleavened Bread

Day of Firstfruits (Day of Resurrection)

  • Date: The day after the first Sabbath [the first Sunday] following the Feast of Unleavened Bread
  • Origin: The Israelites safely crossed the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army that followed them drowned in the sea.[18]
  • Fulfillment of the Prophecy: Moses’ going into the Red Sea with the people represents Jesus’ going into the tomb; and their landing from the sea represents Jesus’ resurrection. Just as a sheaf of the first grain was offered to God on the day after the first Sabbath [on Sunday] after the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the Old Testament times,[19] Jesus was resurrected on Sunday as the firstfruits of those who had fallen asleep.[20][21]

For details, refer to: Day of Firstfruits and Day of Resurrection

Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)

The apostles boldly preach the gospel after receiving the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost.
The apostles boldly preach the gospel after receiving the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost.
  • Date: The 50th day after the Day of Firstfruits
  • Origin: The day Moses went up to receive the first set of the Ten Commandments.[22]
  • Fulfillment of the Prophecy: On the Day of Pentecost, the 50th day from the day Jesus was resurrected, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit.[23] As a result, a great revival took place in the early Church.

For details, refer to: Feast of Weeks and Pentecost

Feast of Trumpets

  • Date: The 1st day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar
  • Origin: While Moses was staying on Mount Sinai for forty days to receive the Ten Commandments, the Israelites worshiped the idol of a golden calf. When Moses saw this, he threw the tablets of the Ten Commandments and broke them, and that day, 3,000 people were killed.[24] Afterwards, the people repented of their sins and took off all their ornaments, and Moses prayed for the people. As a result, he was able to receive the second set of the Ten Commandments on the 10th day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar.[25] God appointed the day Moses received the second set of the Ten Commandments as the Day of Atonement, and ten days before it as the Feast of Trumpets, so that the people could prepare for the Day of Atonement by blowing the trumpet of repentance.
  • Fulfillment of the Prophecy: When Moses was so long in coming down from Mount Sinai, the Israelites became corrupt and worshiped a golden calf. It was a prophecy that as years passed after Jesus left, churches would become corrupt and celebrate the days of sun-god in the New Testament times. Just as trumpets were sounded to announce the Day of Atonement, the Advent Movement urging for repentance took place.

For details, refer to: Feast of Trumpets

Day of Atonement

  • Date: The 10th day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar
  • Origin: The day Moses came down from the mountain after receiving the second set of the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.[24]
  • Fulfillment of the Prophecy: As the Ten Commandments were given again on the Day of Atonement, Christ’s work of mediation was resumed on the Day of Atonement on October 22, 1844 (the 10th day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar). On the Day of Atonement of the Old Testament, the high priest sent the scapegoat into the wilderness after placing all the sins of the Israelites on its head by laying his hands on it.[26] This is a prophecy that Satan represented by the scapegoat, will be thrown into the fiery hell after being imprisoned in the abyss, bearing the sins of all people.

For details, refer to: Day of Atonement

Feast of Tabernacles

  • Date: From the 15th day to the 22nd day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar
  • Origin: After coming down from Mount Sinai after receiving the second set of the Ten Commandments, Moses delivered to the Israelites God’s will to build the tabernacle. For seven days, starting on the fifteenth day of the month, the people brought in overflowing materials for the tabernacle.[27]
  • Fulfillment of the Prophecy: On the Feast of Tabernacles, the Israelites built tents out of thick branches and rejoiced for a week.[28][29] Since the materials for the temple and tree branches represent the saints who will be saved,[30][31][32][33] the Feast of Tabernacles is a prophecy about the gospel work of gathering the saints who will be saved.

For details, refer to: Feast of Tabernacles

The True Church Keeping the Feasts

The members of the Church of God keep the Passover of the new covenant holy.

In the Old Testament times, the Israelites were blessed by keeping God’s feasts in Zion, following the Law of Moses.[34] In the New Testament times, the church that worships holy and keeps[35][36] the seven feasts in three times, following the examples of Jesus, is the spiritual Zion where we can be blessed with eternal life.

Today, the World Mission Society Church of God is the only true church that keeps the feasts of God as the Bible teaches.

See also

Related videos

  • Sermon: Zion Where the Feasts Are Celebrated

References

  1. ↑ "Luke 1:31–33".
  2. ↑ "Psalms 132:13–14".
  3. ↑ "Psalms 133:1–3".
  4. ↑ "John 10:10".
  5. ↑ "Romans 6:23".
  6. ↑ "Deuteronomy 16:16–17".
  7. ↑ "Exodus 23:14–17".
  8. ↑ "Deuteronomy 18:18–19".
  9. ↑ "Acts 3:20–24".
  10. ↑ "John 8:32–34".
  11. ↑ "1 Corinthians 5:7".
  12. ↑ "Matthew 26:17–28".
  13. ↑ "Luke 22:7–20".
  14. ↑ "Exodus 14:1–25".
  15. ↑ "Deuteronomy 16:3".
  16. ↑ "Leviticus 23:5–6".
  17. ↑ "Mark 2:20".
  18. ↑ "Exodus 14:26–31".
  19. ↑ "Leviticus 23:10–12".
  20. ↑ "1 Corinthians 15:20".
  21. ↑ "Mark 16:9".
  22. ↑ "Exodus 24:12–18".
  23. ↑ "Acts 2:1–4".
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Exodus 32:1–28".
  25. ↑ "Exodus 34:1–35".
  26. ↑ "Leviticus 16:8–10".
  27. ↑ "Exodus 36:3–5".
  28. ↑ "Leviticus 23:39–43".
  29. ↑ "Nehemiah 8:9–18".
  30. ↑ "Revelation 3:12".
  31. ↑ "Isaiah 2:20–22".
  32. ↑ "Isaiah 60:21".
  33. ↑ "Isaiah 61:3".
  34. ↑ "Leviticus 23:1–2".
  35. ↑ "Romans 12:1".
  36. ↑ "John 4:23-24".
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