Pagan Feasts and Holidays

When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?' You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God"
 Deuteronomy 12:29-31

Ever since the Lord dispersed the nations at the tower of Babel, the ethnic groups of the world have been decidedly influenced by the Babylonian gods they eventually followed. Each god has a mystery religion that is celebrated at a specific time using pagan ceremonies and ritual feasts (i.e., Yule Day/Christmas, Quadragesima/Lent, Eoster/Easter, Lupercalia/Valentines, Beltaine/May Day, Samhain/Halloween, etc). This is part of the "mystery of Babylon" that the Lord has commanded His people to "come out" of throughout the Scriptures (Ezra 6:21; 10:1; Is. 52:11; Jer. 51:6; 2 Cor.6:17; Rev. 18:4).

As a way of setting His people apart from the pagan religions of Babylon and Egypt, God commands us to observe His feasts and not the pagan feasts of this world. Specifically, He commands us not to use pagan rituals in our worship of Him or partake of pagan feasts in His name (Deut. 12:1-4, 29-32; Ex. 34:13-18; Jer. 10:2-4). In other words, God's people are not to mix ceremonies or sacraments from pagan feasts into their worship of Him. To do so is considered to be eating and drinking from both the "table of the Lord" and the "table of demons", which the Apostle Paul commanded the gentile church at Corinth not to do (1 Cor. 10:14-21).

The council of Jerusalem also took this position when they commanded the gentile believers at Antioch not to celebrate (eat) at pagan tables. Instead, the council told them to attend synagogue on the Sabbath and learn God's table laws from the Torah (Law) of Moses (Acts 15:19-21).

In His message to the church of Pergamos, Yeshua (Jesus) refers to this unholy mixing as the "teachings of Balaam" which are the same as the "teachings of the Nicolaitans" (Rev. 2:12-15). In His message to the church of Thyatira, Yeshua (Jesus) also rebukes His people for allowing the woman Jezebel to teach His bond-servants that observing pagan rituals in the house of the Lord is acceptable to God (Rev. 2:18-20). Given that the book of Revelation spans the history of the church, it appears that pagan rituals have been mixed into Christian holidays and celebrations down to this very day.

Consequently, this mixing of holy and unholy celebrations is undoubtedly part of the great apostasy that causes many in the church to fall away from the faith in the last days (2 Thess. 2:3-11). Unfortunately, this great falling away is manifesting right now as these forms of pagan worship not only serve as the basis of openly occult celebrations, but they also provide the ritual format of most Christian holidays.

As God pours out this truth on the church, there is a body of New Covenant believers who are coming out of the Babylonian forms of pagan celebration and returning to the biblical feasts of the Lord. This journey out of Babylon is an exciting quest that stirs the human heart to return to the Lord and walk in all His ways. As a result, we (the bride) are making ourselves ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (i.e., the Feast of Tabernacles) where their will be no pagan mixture (Rev. 19:7).

Norm Franz, Ascension Ministries   http://www.ascensionministries.net/index.php

 

The Feasts of the Lord

"The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'The Lord's appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations - My appointed times are these" Leviticus 23:1-3

 

God's Appointed Times

As a way of making His redemptive plan known to mankind, God has established 'appointed times' of celebration that are to be observed as feasts to the Lord. Even though many refer to these celebrations as Jewish feasts, God specifically says that they are set apart as His feasts.

God describes His feasts as "holy convocations" that we are commanded to "proclaim at the times appointed for them." This means that we can not just celebrate them willy-nilly any old time we choose, but on specific days during specific seasons.


The imagery portrayed in these holy convocations (miqra) is that of a sanctified people who are called out of the world to celebrate God's redemptive events. Each event is celebrated as a feast which serves as a "rehearsal" in preparation for the "appointed time" of its fulfillment in Messiah. Simply put, the Feasts of the Lord are "rehearsal dinners" that celebrate God's plan of redemption in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).


It's important to note that, throughout history, the holy-days (holidays) a person observed identified them with the God they served. Therefore, as we approach the end of the age and the great end time harvest, God (Yahweh) is using His feasts to separate the righteous wheat from the unrighteous tares (Matt. 13:24-30; Rev. 14:14-20). In other words, God is calling His people to stop observing the pagan feasts of this world and return to His feasts as a way of setting themselves apart from the end time mystery of Babylon (Rev. 18:4).

God's appointed times total eight in all. One weekly observance called "the Sabbath" or "Shabbat" and seven annual feasts. The annual feasts consist of four spring feasts that celebrate Messiah's first coming as the Lamb of God who died for our sins and three fall feasts that celebrate His second coming as King of kings and Lord of lords who will judge the nations and establish His kingdom on the earth.


In fact, as we move toward the return of Messiah (Christ), we must understand what each of the fall feasts represent in order to recognize the sequence and the timing of end time events (i.e., rapture, wrath, thief in the night, Armageddon, wedding supper, etc). Therefore, we encourage New Covenant believers to learn what prophetic event each feast represents and how to properly celebrate them. This will not only help them better appreciate God's redemption in Messiah, but it will also give them a more accurate understanding of events surrounding the coming of the Lord.