Can You Know God's Plan?

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Only a few realize that these biblical festivals are a teaching tool God uses to reveal His plan.

In early October my wife and I will join thousands of other Christians in a weeklong celebration. We'll gather at locations from Argentina to Australia, from Canada to Cameroon, from Malawi to Mexico, in a biblical observance that's been around for at least 3,400 years.

Although it will be a family time, with lots of family activities, greeting old friends and making new ones, our primary focus will be on learning more about God. We'll hear a number of biblically oriented messages and presentations addressing what God is doing— right now, in the near future and throughout the history of mankind.

The celebration in which we'll be participating is the biblical Feast of Tabernacles. Most who identify themselves as Christian have never heard of it. Although this feast is mentioned several times in the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ., many have probably read right over the words with it never registering.

Yet Jesus Christ Himself observed this Feast, even risking death at the hands of His enemies to travel to Jerusalem to keep it (John 7:1-14 [1] After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
[2] Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.
[3] His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
[4] For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
[5] For neither did his brethren believe in him.
[6] Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
[7] The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
[8] Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
[9] When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
[10] But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
[11] Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?
[12] And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
[13] Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
[14] Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.

See All...). The apostle Paul thought God's festivals so important that he left the fledgling church in Ephesus, telling them, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem" (Acts 18:21But 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.
See All...).

So why has so much of Christianity ignored the biblical festivals? Most take the position that these celebrations were only for the Jewish people or ancient Israelites—though God Himself proclaimed them "the feasts of the Lord" and said, "These are My Feasts" (Leviticus 23:2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
See All..., emphasis added throughout). God tells us they are His feasts, not those of some particular cultural, religious or ethnic group.

Some think these have no relevance at all to Christians. Yet the apostle Paul, using language plainly showing he was referring to another of God's biblical feasts, told the mostly non-Jewish Christians in Corinth, "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
See All...).

Are we missing out on a message from God? Yes. By ignoring His biblically mandated celebrations and observances, we have lost sight of what God is doing.

Only a few realize that these biblical festivals are a teaching tool God uses to reveal the great plan He is working out with human beings here below. For example, the first of God's annual festivals is the Passover, when God directed that a lamb be slain (Exodus 12:3-14 [3] Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
[4] And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
[5] Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
[6] And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
[7] And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
[8] And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
[9] Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
[10] And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
[11] And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover.
[12] For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
[13] And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
[14] And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

See All...; Leviticus 23:4-5 [4] These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
[5] In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.

See All...). What did this signify?

John the Baptist recognized that Jesus was "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
See All...)—making it possible for us to be saved from eternal death. Paul understood that Christ was "our Passover, [who] was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
See All...).

The first and most foundational step in God's plan of salvation, "foreordained before the foundation of the world," was that we could be redeemed by "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18-20 [18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
[19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
[20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

See All...). Similarly, God's other festivals go on to reveal the other major steps in His great plan through which He is working with mankind.

In this issue we examine how God's feasts reveal how He will at last bring about the kind of world for which man has always hoped and dreamed—a world in which suffering will be no more.

Visit our Web site at www.ucg.org/feast if you'd like to learn more about the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles. Perhaps we'll see you there! GN