ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 170

“Should Adventists Observe the Festivals?”

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D.,

Retired Professor of Theology and Church History,

Andrews University

INDEX OF TOPICS OF THIS NEWSLETTER

• How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe

• Update on My Medical Condition:

Remember Me in Your Prayers

• SHOULD ADVENTISTS OBSERVE THE FESTIVALS?

(The Essay of this Newsletter)

• Announcements of Services and Products

* Special offer on the two volumes of God’s Festivals

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UPDATE ON MY MEDICAL CONDITION

The recovery from my colon cancer surgery that took place on February 20, 2007, has been excellent. The new challenge I am facing now is the battle against the liver cancer. The first round of treatments for my liver cancer was completed on April 11, 2007. So far I have received two chemo infusions and one microsphere ablation. Microbeads were placed with a catherer on the right lobe of the liver. I am told that these beads are very powerful like micro atomic bombs. What this means is that I have been feeling the effects of a double dosage of radiation. I feel like a bionic man with plenty of radiation power, but with limited physical strength.

In few days, on April 24, 2007, I will undergo another Pet/Cat scan test that will reveal how much cancer still remains in my liver after this first round of treatments. These results are very important because they will determine the next course of action. With the help of a projector, Dr. Seza Gulec, a leading Nuclear Oncologists who is directing my clinical treatment, will show us on April 30, the cancer situation of the liver before the treatment and after the first round of three treatments. In other cases, the liver cancer was considerably reduced after the first round of treatments. We hope that this will be true in my case. We are looking forward with great anticipation to see the results of the Pet/Cat Scan. I will be sure to share with you the results as soon as they will be made available to us. Our daughter, Loretta, who is a professor of Nursing, will join us for the consultation on April 30, 2007.

Overall I feel quite well. I have not suffered the common side effects of chemo and microspheres. But I do not have yet my usual strength. I am operating at a lower gear. Thank God for granting me enough energy for writing this newsletter and meeting the daily demands of my ministry. Forgive me for failing to reply to some of your messages. As I get stronger, I will take time to respond to your gracious messages.

Thank You for Your Prayers and Orders

Many fellow believers from different parts of the world have sent us get-well cards, flowers, and messages, reassuring us that they are praying for us. We have been overwhelmed by the countless expressions of sympathy. This is of great encouragement to us, knowing that we can count on the intercessory prayers of so many believers.

Please keep my wife also in your prayers because this testing experience is taking its toll on her. On our part we are using the latest conventional and unconventional resources. But, after we have done our best, we can only trust in God to do the rest. Thank you for remembering us in your prayers. We are of good courage because we know that God is on our side.

A special note of thanks especially to those who have ordered my books and recordings during the past three months while I have been grounded by cancer treatments. Prayers are very reassuring, but they do not pay the bills. But the increased number of orders we have been receiving, have helped us to meet our financial obligations.

Frankly, I was concerned, because since I took an early retirement 6 years ago, most of our income comes from the weekend seminars. Every Saturday night people who attend my lectures, are eager to purchase my publications and recordings. Now that the cancer treatments have grounded me for at least another two months, we are solely dependent on the orders that we receive.

We can only thank God for increasing the flow of orders, which have made it possible to pay for the additional medical expenses. Incidentally, natural supplementary products are not cheap. We spent over $5,000.00 during the past three months to purchase a host of supplementary products that are supposed to boost my immune system and fight cancer cells. I hope that they work. The steady incoming orders have made it possible to meet these unexpected medical expenses.

As an expression of gratitude for your prayers and words of encouragement, I wish to extend you a SPECIAL ONE-TIME OFFER ON THE COMPLETE PACKAGE OF ALL MY RECORDINGS. The package consists of SIX ALBUMS for a total of 15 live video DVD powerpoint lectures and 4 CD disks with all my 17 books, articles, and audio lectures. This means that while I am grounded for cancer treatments, you can enjoy all my popular DVD powerpoint lectures in the privacy of your home or in the fellowship of your church.

The special offer is only $100.00, instead of the regular website price of $700.00. This offer sounds too good to be true, but it is true for the next 30 days, until May 15, 2007. For a description of each album and order information, click on this link:

http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/albumoffer.htm If you have a problem ordering online, simply call us at (269) 471-2915. We will take your order by phone.

“Should Adventist Observe the OT Festivals?”

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D.,

Retired Professor of Theology and Church History,

Andrews University

A Summary Statement

For the benefit of those who may not have time to read the whole essay, I decided to place a summary statement at the beginning.

A few of the books that I have authored during the past 30 years, have been used by uninformed people to accuse me of promoting unbiblical teachings. When Women in the Church came out in 1985, it seems that hell broke loose. Feminists accused me of being an Italian chauvinist opposed to the ministry and ordination of women. Nothing could be further from the truth. I firmly believe in the ministry and ordination of women who serve in official capacities in the church. But what my research shows is that the Bible clearly teaches that there is a role distinction between men and women. God has created men to be fathers and women to be mothers. This distinction applies to the home and to the church, because the church is an extended family, not a service organization. The role of a pastor is that of a spiritual father. This means that women should serve in the church as spiritual mothers, not as spiritual fathers. It is as simple as that.

Ten years later in 1995-96 when I published the two volumes on God’s Festivals in Scripture and History, several well-meaning brethren accused me of promoting the ceremonial observance of the OT Festivals. This false accusation was reproposed in the article “Should Christians Observe Israelite Festivals?” that appeared on the April 7, 2007, issue of Adventist Review. The article specifically mentions my name as the only Adventist scholar who believes that Christians should observe the Jewish Festivals.

This statement is grossly inaccurate, for two reasons. First, I have never promoted the ceremonial observance of the OT Festivals. I have even placed a disclaimer on page 3 of the Fall Festivals, saying: “This book does not promote a ceremonial observance of the ancient Feast of Israel. Rather, it proposes to remember during the course of the year the redemptive acts of the Plan of Salvation typified by the Feasts.”

Second, there are several Adventists scholars and church leaders today who are re-examining the spiritual and prophetic significance of the Festivals for our church. Several examples will be cited in the newsletter, including the famous statement of Ellen White “Well would it be for the people of God at the present time to have a Feast of Tabernacles–a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to them” (PP 540-541). This means that I am not the only Adventist scholar studying the relevance of the Festivals for our church today.

MY GOAL

The goal of my research has always been to propose to our Adventist Church the development of a church calendar loosely patterned after the Spring and Fall Festivals. The Spring Festivals of Passover, First Fruits, and Pentecost could become the Adventist Spring celebration of the redemption accomplished by Christ’s First Advent. During the seven Sabbaths between Passover and Pentecost, pastors can invite the congregation to explore more fully the redemptive accomplishments of Christ’s First Advent.

The Fall Festivals of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, could become the Adventist Fall celebration of the events leading to the consummation of redemption. Three special Sabbaths could be linked respectively to the Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. During these three Sabbaths our church at large would be afforded an opportunity to take a closer look at our prophetic message which our pioneers developed by studying the rituals of the Day of Atonement. What I envision is an Adventist church calendar where the prophetic message of the Fall Festivals of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles is explored afresh every Fall during three special Sabbath services. This would provide a practical opportunity every year to re-examine the relevance of our prophetic end-time message and mission.

DOES OUR ADVENTIST CHURCH NEED A RELIGIOUS CALENDAR?

My answer is yes, for two reasons. First, the current Adventist church calendar we receive from the local conferences in the USA, is promotional, not religious. It lists the projects to be supported on any given Sabbath, but it does not mention any event of the Plan of Salvation to be celebrated on any given Sabbath.

Second, most evangelical denominations have a church calendar (“liturgical calendar”) that revolves around Easter and Christmas—two festivals that derive from pagan myths and rituals, not from Scripture. All the Sundays are reckoned with reference to these two festivals. Samples are cited in the newsletter.

By contrast, our Adventist church has a unique opportunity to develop a church calendar patterned after the biblical Spring and Fall Festivals, not pagan festivals. Such a calendar would reveal the unique Adventist understanding of the unfolding of the Plan of Salvation. Especially the Sabbath services associated with the Fall Festivals, would afford a unique opportunity to REMEMBER the relevance of our end-time prophetic message.

WILL THE ADVENTIST CHURCH EVER CONSIDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RELIGIOUS CHURCH CALENDAR PATTERNED AFTER THE FESTIVALS?

The possibility is remote because any attempt to modify traditional practices is strongly rejected by “concerned brethren” as apostasy. Their prevailing assumption is that our pioneers got everything right from the beginning. Thus, any modification of traditional views or practices is unacceptable.

Then, why did I spend two years of my life writing the two volumes on God’s Festivals in Scripture and History, knowing that my proposal to develop an Adventist church calendar patterned after the Festivals, does not stand a chance to be considered seriously? The answer is simple. An Adventist scholar is called to investigate biblical truths, whether they are popular or unpopular, accepted or rejected. The goal is to offer something to think about to those endowed with an open and probative mind. We plant the seed, the harvest is in the hands of God.

A PLEA: PLEASE READ THIS NEWSLETTER BEFORE ACCEPTING OR REJECTING MY PROPOSAL

There is a tendency to draw our own conclusions without taking time to learn the facts. My plea is for you to read first this newsletter before deciding on the merits or demerits of the proposal of developing an Adventist church calendar patterned after the biblical Festival. If you cannot agree with me, no problem. REMEMBER THAT THIS IS ONLY A PROPOSAL. If necessary, let us disagree without becoming disagreeable to one another. This is a sign of Christian maturity.

If this newsletter stimulates your interest for a study of the biblical Festivals, we will be glad to mail you the two volumes God’s Festivals in Scripture and History, together with a free DVD album. For details and order information, see the ad at the end of this newsletter or click at this link:

http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/cart/catalog/index.php?cPath=26_30

Several subscribers have asked me to comment on the article “Should Christians Observe Israelite Festivals?” that appeared on the April 7, 2007, issue of Adventist Review. The article is excerpted from the booklet Festivals and the Christian Church, authored by Angel Rodriguez, Director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference. Incidentally, I highly respect Dr. Rodriguez as a foremost Adventist scholar.

The opening paragraph wrongly states that I am the only Adventist scholar who believes that Christians should observe the Jewish Festivals. The complete text reads: “Should Christians observe the Israelite festivals? This has been a much debated question among Christians but the present prevailing opinion is that they had only a typological significance that was fulfilled in Christ and his work of mediation and judgment. Among Adventist there are some who have concluded that it is necessary to observe the feasts and they have been promoting this practice among church members. In addressing this question, it is necessary to examine the biblical passages in which the subject of the Israelite feasts is discussed in order to determine their nature and purpose. Several Adventist scholars have looked into this subject and the common conclusion they have reached, with the exception of Samuele Bacchiocchi, is that the Bible does not expect Christians to observe the Jewish festivals” (Emphasis supplied).

The statement that I am the only Adventist scholar who believes that the Bible expects Christians to observe the Jewish festivals,” is grossly inaccurate, for two reasons.

I Do not Believe in the Ceremonial Observance of the Festivals

First, I do not believe in the ceremonial observance of the OT festivals. I have stated this fact unambiguously on page 3 of the Fall Festivals, saying: “This book does not promote a ceremonial observance of the ancient Feast of Israel. Rather, it proposes to remember during the course of the year the redemptive acts of the Plan of Salvation typified by the Feast.”

I have never observed the Festivals in accordance to the OT dates and rituals. The three or four times I have observed Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles, it has been with an Adventist Messianic congregation, like the one meeting on our Andrews University campus. The reason I do not believe in the ceremonial observance of the festivals, is that the NT makes it abundantly clear that we no longer abide by the cultic Levitical regulations. Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross brought to an end the sanctuary services, which included specific sacrifices for the celebration of the Festivals.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the fact that the Festivals were harvest celebrations, which were keyed to the Palestinian Spring wheat harvest and to the Fall fruit harvest. These season could fittingly represent great spiritual truths. This means that Passover could not be celebrated if sufficient barley could not be harvested for the priest to wave a sheaf before the Lord (Lev 23:11) on the day after Passover. If because of too much rain or the failure to intercalate the calendar, the barley was not ready, the date of Passover was moved to the following month. Since barley does not ripen in Australia, Scandinavia, or the USA as the same time as it does in Palestine, in most western countries it is impossible to follow the Palestinian agricultural dating of the Festivals.

The focus of my two volumes on God’s Festivals in Scripture and History, is not on the date or manner of observance of the Festivals, but on their spiritual lessons and antitypical fulfilment in NT times. Let us not forget that our prophetic message of the cleansing of the sanctuary and investigative judgment, grew out of an intense study of the Day of Atonement by our pioneers.

Yet, no attempt has ever been made in the history of our Adventist Church to develop a Day of Atonement Sabbath, when our worldwide church takes time to reflect on what Christ is doing in heaven to bring to completion His redemptive mission. The result is that the vast majority of Adventists totally ignore this important truth, because the church offers no practical opportunity to remember on a special Sabbath the antitypical fulfilment of this Festival today. What is true of the Day of Atonement is also true of all the other Festivals, as we shall shortly see. Somehow, we seem to feel that accepting a doctrine intellectually, is more important than experiencing it practically.

Growing Interest for a Rediscovery of the Festivals

Second, there is a growing interest, not only among church members, but also among Adventist scholars for a fresh study of the OT Festivals, in order to understand the spiritual lessons that can benefit our congregations and our church at large. For example, last October 24, 2006, a consultation was held at Andrews University dealing with the topic of Jewish Festivals. I was invited to present a paper entitled “How I Came to Appreciate the Holy Days.”

An insightful paper on “The Prophetic Significance of the Old Testament Festivals,” was presented by Richard M. Davidson, Ph. D., Chairman of the OT Department of Andrews Theolgical Seminary. He wrote: “While it is not mandatory to keep the OT ceremonial festivals today, at the same time it is very beneficial for us to look at the compacted prophecy of the plan of salvation typified in those OT festivals, and marvel at how they have been, or are being, fulfilled in NT times.” The paper survey the antitypical and eschatological fulfilment in NT times of the Spring and Fall Festivals.

The consensus of the consultation was that while it is not mandatory to keep today the OT ceremonial festivals, it is very beneficial for us to explore how the festivals reveal the unfolding of the plan of salvation, from the redemptive accomplishments of the First Advent, to the consummation of redemption at the Second Advent. Again, this has been the focus of my research, which I will summarize shortly.

Another indication of the renewed Adventist interest for the study of the Festivals is the 2003/2004 winter issue of Shabbat Shalom, devoted to “Festivals.” The magazine is published by the North American Division of the General Conference of SDA. The editor is Jacques B. Doukhan, Ph. D., Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Exegesis at Andrews University Theological Seminary. In his editorial, Prof. Doukhan writes: “The feasts help us to remember the past miracle of salvation and . . . to hope for the future. . . . Jewish festivals teach us that enjoying the gift of life and its promises is a mitzvah, a divine commandment to fulfill. “

In the last newsletter I reported on the special Adventist Passover celebration held on April 6-7, 2007, in Los Angeles, California. The event was co-sponsored by the Religious Liberty Departments of the Pacific Union and Southern California Conference. Elder Richard Elofer, President of the Israel Mission, was flown in from Jerusalem to lead out in this special Passover celebration.

The above examples suffice to show that there is a growing interest in the Adventist church for a fresh study of the relevance of the Festivals for today. I may have pioneered this study 12 years ago with the publication of the two volumes on God’s Festivals, but I can hardly be blamed of being the only Adventist scholar today promoting a rediscovery of the antitypical and eschatological significance of the Festivals. The fact is that I am greatly indebted to the groundwork done by other leading Adventist scholars.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FESTIVALS FOR DEVELOPING AN ADVENTIST CHURCH CALENDAR

Why did I embarked 12 years ago into the study of the OT Festivals? A major reason is the painful awareness that our Adventist church has no religious calendar. Our church calendar, usually published by our local conferences and distributed to every family in the USA, is primarily a promotional calendar, listing the various projects and programs to be supported on any given Sabbath during the course of the year. We need a promotional calendar, but we also need a religious calendar to remind us of the significant events of the Plan of Salvation to be commemorated during the course of the year.

Liturgical Calendar of Evangelical Churches

Most evangelical churches have what is called “a church year” or “liturgical calendar” that revolves around two major events, Christmas and Easter. Here is a brief explanation of The Church Year, posted by spirithome.com: http://www.spirithome.com/churyear.html

“Why is it that Christians follow a cycle of seasons and holy days? The main reason is that by following this cycle, called ‘the church year’ or ‘liturgical calendar,’ we can get into the rhythm and flow of the Christian story, to experience it, to learn it, to relive it through the telling and the doing. The church calendar helps the Christian believer to bring their faith into every day of their lives, every time of year.

“In Advent [five Sundays leading to Christmas], we prepare for God’s coming among us. We get ready for the happy occasion by making our own way straight, hearing John the Baptist’s call.

“In Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who is God with us, the ultimate Christmas gift. We remember that by that same Jesus and through the Holy Spirit, God is still with us today, and has not abandoned us in the crush of daily life.

In Epiphany [January 6 in the West], we celebrate Jesus’ revealing Himself to the whole world. Like the three magi with the Christ child, and those looking on when Jesus was baptized, we too are amazed at what God has done, and we realize it was not just for us, but for all.

“Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (which in 2007 is on 21 Feb). In Lent, we take a hard, sober look at our own role in bringing about Jesus’ death. We discover our own sin, and realize how weak and two-faced we are in facing it. We turn to God, who is the only One with the power to forgive us and change us. In the Paschal (or ‘Holy’) Week which ends Lent, we relive Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (‘Palm Sunday’), His last commands and His being seized (‘Maundy Thursday’), then abandoned, and executed (‘Good Friday’), and then the stillness of the tomb. The bleak days of Christ’s death are called by the Latin “Triduum” (‘three days’). Yet even so we look toward Easter morning and the empty tomb, where even death does not stop God’s forgiveness, and in fact helped to put it into effect.”

Most evangelical churches publish their Church Year Calendar, listing for each Sunday the event commemorated and the recommended Scripture reading. For example, this is the Advent portion of the 2006-2007 church calendar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church:

Advent: First Sunday of Advent

December 3, 2006

• Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:1-10 (1), 1 Thess 3:9-13,

Luke 21:25-36. Color: Blue

Second Sunday of Advent

December 10, 2006

• Malachi 3:1-4 or Baruch 5:1-9, Luke 1:68-79 (78),

Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6. Color: Blue

Third Sunday of Advent

December 17, 2006

• Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 12:2-6 (6), Philippians 4:4-7,

Luke 3:7-18. Color: Blue

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 24, 2006

• Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1: 46b-55 (52) or Psalm 80:1-7 (7),

Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45 (46-55). Color: Blue

Christmas: Nativity of Our Lord

December 24, 2006

Set I – Christmas Eve

• Isaiah 9:2-7, Psalm 96 (11), Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14

(15-20). Color: White

Nativity of Our Lord

December 25, 2006

Christmas Day

• Isaiah 62:6-12, Psalm 97 (11), Titus 3:4-7, Luke 2:(1-7) 8-20.

Color: White

The calendar continues linking each Sunday to such events as the Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. As mentioned earlier, the church calendar of most evangelical churches revolves around these major events. Each Sunday is linked to these events by means of assigned Scripture readings (Lectionary).

Puritans Anti-Feasts Attitude

The Adventist church has never developed a religious calendar, though some congregations have adopted Christmas and Easter celebrations. The reason is that our church, like a few other evangelical churches, still suffer today from the radical anti-feast attitude of the Puritans who swept away all religious holy days except Sunday.

The Puritans viewed the church calendar, which was filled with saints’ days and Marian feasts instituted by the Roman Catholic Church, as indicative of the apostasy into which the church had fallen. To rid the church of all the pagan superstitions which had become part of the popular piety, the Puritans did away with all the annual holy days. They believed that other days would compete with, rather than enhance, the observance of the Lord’s Day. But, the Festivals of the Old Testament do not detract from the weekly Sabbath, but add importance to it, since they are patterned after it.

The effect of the Puritans’ rejection of all annual holy days, including Passover and Pentecost, was the secularization of the calendar. Gradually a new nationalistic calendar was developed which celebrates, not God’s saving acts, but national heroes or events: Washington’s Birthday, Independence Day, Mother’s Day, Labor Day, and Veterans’ Day. Even Thanksgiving, which is celebrated in November at about the same time as the harvest Festival of Tabernacles, is detached from its Biblical roots and viewed exclusively as a national holiday. By making our primary feasts nationalistic rather than theological, we have fallen into a cultural pattern which subordinates the Christian faith to nationalistic goals and aspirations.

We do not need to fear the agricultural Feasts of the Spring and Fall harvests of the Old Testament, because it is good and proper to thank the Lord of the harvest. Why should Thanksgiving be celebrated as a secular holiday when we have Biblical reasons for observing it as the Feast of Tabernacles? “Indeed,” to use the words of James Jordan, “how do we dare to keep it out of the Church?”

More important still, we do not need to fear the soteriological cycle of the Biblical Feasts, because they provide us with a marvelous opportunity to rejoice during the course of the year in the specific works of God and Christ for our redemption. The fact that God’s calendar was perverted with the worship of saints, Mary, and pagan practices is not a valid reason for rejecting its proper use. For some Protestants, it seems more important to be unlike the Catholic Church, than true to the Bible. To respect the soteriological cycle of the Biblical Feasts does not mean to fall into legalism, but to listen to the teachings of the Word of God.

Festivals Can Enhance the Adventist Prophetic Message

We noted that the church calendar of most evangelical revolves around Easter and Christmas—two festivals that derive from pagan myths and rituals. By contrast, our Adventist church has a unique opportunity to develop a church calendar patterned after the biblical Spring and Fall Festivals. Such a calendar would reveal the unique Adventist understanding of the unfolding of the Plan of Salvation.

The Spring Festivals of Passover, First Fruits, and Pentecost could become the Adventist Spring celebration of the redemption accomplished by Christ’s First Advent. During the seven Sabbaths between Passover and Pentecost, pastors can invite the congregation to explore more fully the meaning of Christ’s suffering and death, His resurrection, ascension, inauguration of His heavenly ministry, and His sending of the Holy Spirit. Each of these saving acts is relevant to our Chritian life today.

Most Christians wonder: “What on earth is Christ doing in heaven?” A special emphasis Sabbath on Christ’s heavenly ministry, can help believers understand that Christ is not on vacation recovering from His earthly mission, but “He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25). Through His intercessory heavenly ministry, the benefits of the Cross are extended to believers to the end of time.

The Fall Festivals of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles

For the sake of brevity, this newsletter focuses solely on the Fall Festivals of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, because they have special relevance for the Adventist Church. They typify the end-time prophetic message God has called our Adventist church to proclaim to the world. This means that by highlighting these festivals through special Sabbath church services in the Fall of each year, we can constantly remind ourselves of our prophetic message and mission. What I envision is an Adventist church calendar where the prophetic message of the Fall Festivals of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles are remembered on special Sabbath services.

The order of the Feasts is significant because it reveals the sequential order of the unfolding of God’s redemptive acts. The historic events commemorated by the feasts would be completely confused if they occurred in any other order. The Feast of Tabernacles which commemorates the divine sheltering of the Israelites during their journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land, could not have been observed before Passover, which commemorates the deliverance from Egypt.

The fact that all three Fall Feasts fell in the seventh month, may well reflect the importance that Scripture attaches to the septenary cycle as the symbol of the perfection and completion of God’s creative and redemptive accomplishments. The number seven also is woven into the Biblical calendar. The Sabbath is observed every seventh day, the sabbatical year every seven years, the jubilee year every seven weeks of years. Passover opens the religious calendar with a seven-day observance of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. Seven weeks after Passover comes the celebration of the Feast of Pentecost.

The seventh month, Tishri, contains the most holy days of the Hebrew calendar, with the feasts of Trumpet, Atonement, and Tabernacles. The religious calendar closes with the Feast of Tabernacle which lasts for seven days. It appears that just as the seventh day marks the completion and culmination of creation, so the three Fall Feasts of the seventh month point to the consummation and culmination of redemption

The founders of the Adventist church understood that the Spring Festivals were types which were fulfilled in connection with the first Advent of Christ, and the that Fall Festivals are also types that find their fulfillment in the events related to the Second Advent. “In like manner,” writes Ellen G. White, “the types which relate to the second advent [Fall Feasts] must be fulfilled at the time pointed out in the symbolic service.” (The Great Controversy, pp. 399-400).

But, the focus of Adventist pioneers was primarily the typology of the Day of Atonement. They studied with great diligence the ritual of the Day of Atonement in order to establish the antitypical fulfillment of the cleansing of the sanctuary as predicted in Daniel 8:14. Their overriding concern to understand the antitypical fulfillment of the Day of Atonement caused them to overlook the contribution of the Feasts of Trumpets and Tabernacles to the overall understanding of the consummation of redemption.

The result was, for example, that they developed the doctrine of the investigative judgment solely on the typology of the Day of Atonement, largely ignoring the typological function of the Feast of Trumpets. Thus, they ended up squeezing many events on the Day of Atonement: the beginning of the investigative judgment, the judgment process, the completion of the judgment, the final disposition of sin, the Return of Christ, and the destruction of Satan. Moreover, they made no attempt to establish a special Atonement Sabbath Day, when church members at large could learn and experience more fully what Christ is doing in heaven to bring to consummation His redemptive mission.

Our challenge is to build upon the study initiated by our Pioneers, by exploring more fully the prophetic message of the Festivals and their relevance for our Christian life today. More important still, is the development of a church calendar patterned after the Spring and Fall Festivals. Such a calendar would afford an opportunity each year to remember and experience on designated Sabbath days the milestones of the Plan of Salvation.

Did the Festivals Come to an End with Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross?

A major objection against the proposal of this newsletter, is the assumption the annual Feasts came to an end with the sacrifice of Christ, because they were connected with the sacrificial system of the Temple. I held this view for long time myself. But gradually I came to realize that the continuity or discontinuity of the Feasts is determined not by their connection with the sacrificial system, but by the scope of their typology.

If the Feasts had typified only the redemptive accomplishments of Christ’s first Advent, then obviously their function would have terminated at the Cross. But, if the Feasts foreshadow also the consummation of redemption to be accomplished by Christ at His second Advent, then their function continues in the Christian church, though with a new meaning and manner of observance.

It came as a pleasant surprise to discover that the typology and function of the Feasts reach beyond the Cross to the ultimate consummation of redemption. For the sake of brevity, let us look only to Passover. The typology of Passover was initially fulfilled when Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, was sacrificed to deliver us from the bondage of sin. Yet there is still a future and ultimate fulfillment of Passover at the End, when Christ will deliver His people from the great tribulation and invite them to participate in “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9).

Christ Himself pointed to this future fulfillment of Passover when He said: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:16; emphasis supplied). In this statement Christ makes it clear that the ultimate fulfillment of Passover will be at the End with the establishment of God’s kingdom.