In this issue:
Adventism and The Gay Movement
Why I am Against Feast-keeping
How To Keep The Feasts
David Clayton
Some Christian believers today still celebrate these feasts which God gave to Israel in the time of Moses. They believe that feast keeping is helpful and that it is a part of God’s plan that they should continue to celebrate them. While they don’t do it exactly as the Hebrews did, complete with animal sacrifices and every single ritual and ceremonial, they still commemorate the exact dates, and go through the basic motions of celebrating these feasts.
But does God still require feast-keeping of his people? What did God really have in mind when he gave these feasts to the Hebrews? We will try to answer these questions as we take a closer look at these feasts and what they meant.
Overview of the feasts
There were seven feasts which were celebrated each year by the Hebrews. The first of these took place in the first month of the year and the last one took place during the seventh month. The Hebrews went through this sequence over and over. Every year they started with Passover on the 14th day of the first month, and they continued on until the feast of Tabernacles on the 15th day of the seventh month.
What the feasts represented
The first meaning of the feasts is that they represented landmarks in the history of the Israelite nation on the journey from Egypt to Canaan.
Secondly they represented events in the ministry of Christ in his work of saving humanity. It is very important that we should understand this. There are many Christians who think that all that Jesus did was that he died on Calvary and at that point his work was finished, but this is not true. The seven feasts of Israel teach us that it was not all finished at Calvary. The entire system of the Old Testament and of the law, was representative of Christ and his work, but these feasts were specifically designed to represent and to illustrate seven great events in the ministry of Christ for the salvation of men. These feasts had specific details as to how they were to be observed. All of those details were full of meaning. God intended that as we looked at these feasts, we should learn lessons concerning the ministry of Christ.
The third thing that these feasts represent, is Christ’s ministry manifested through the church. Each step in the ministry of Christ on behalf of his people, has a corresponding effect in the lives and experiences of his people and of his church down here on earth. So whenever Christ fulfills any of these feasts, we, his people, get the benefit, and it is manifested in our experience.
The Passover
the Passover was the first of these feasts and it says in Leviticus 23:5,
In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S Passover. (Lev 23:5)
The first meaning of the Passover was commemorative of something that happened in the history of Israel. On the night that they were delivered from Egypt, God told the Israelites to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the lintel and on the sides, of the doorpost of each house. That night the angel of death passed through Egypt and killed the first born in every house, but those who had the blood sprinkled on the doorpost were safe and those houses were not touched that night. Anybody who thought he did not need that blood and who did not apply it, would have a death in his home that night. This was called the Passover, because the angel of death passed over that night.
In Exodus 12:1,2, it says:
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exod 12:1-2)
This feast was an illustration, it was commemorative of something that happened in Israel’s past, but it was also an illustration, or a prophecy, of the death of Christ.
God said of the Passover, “this is the beginning of months to you.” What God is saying to us, is that the plan of salvation began with the death of Christ, when the real Passover took place. This was the “beginning of months,” the start of Christ’s work of saving mankind. Some Christians believe that every benefit which Jesus brings to the human race, was already available before Christ arrived. This idea is very strongly advocated in the feast keeping movement. They believe that the benefits of the Passover, the Wavesheaf, Pentecost, and all the other feasts were all available since creation. In other words, the coming of Jesus was basically a non-event. It made no difference to the experience of humanity or God’s people. But God’s words show us that the Passover experience is the beginning of the plan of salvation. The period before Christ came was the age of illustration, shadow and type. But when Jesus came this was the beginning of reality, the start of God’s program of saving man.
So we can see clearly that every year in these seven great festivals the plan of salvation was rehearsed over and over as in a play. The Israelites themselves might not have understood this, but God intended that we who live in the gospel age should understand very clearly.
All Benefit
It is interesting to consider that the blood of the Lamb saved both Israelite and Egyptian alike. The benefit was not exclusively for the Hebrews, it was for all who would put the blood of the Lamb over the doorpost. Israelites represent the people of God, and Egyptians represent the people of the world. But here we see the lesson very clearly taught that Calvary is not just for the benefit of God’s people, but for the benefit of the entire world! This truth is very clearly taught in 2 Corinthians:
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2Cor 5:19)
So we see this amazing truth; it is the entire world that has been reconciled to God through Christ. According to the word of God the worst humans that we can think of, the worst mass murderers, brutal killers, have all been already reconciled to God! It says God does not impute their trespasses to them. Some of these people have a list of sins so long, they could not be written in an entire book. But the word of God says clearly that God did not impute, or charge them with these sins. When and where did this reconciliation take place? It was at Calvary! The blood of the Lamb was for Israelite and for Egyptian alike, the blood of Christ covered everybody. In other words we might say, “this man is not a Christian, so he is not reconciled to God,” but this is not the truth. Being reconciled to God does not depend upon our acceptance. Paul says in the last part of the verse that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, we are to tell people that they have already been reconciled to God. In other words we are asking people to accept God’s reconciliation. Romans 5:10, stays the same thing:
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom 5:10)
When were we reconciled to God? God did not say we must first accept him before reconciliation could take place, it was when we were enemies that God reconciled us to himself, and it was the death of his son which accomplished this reconciliation. Not something that we did, but something that God did through his son. The real problem is that people either do not know this, or do not believe this. As ambassadors of Christ it is our responsibility and our privilege to tell people of this good news and to encourage them to accept this reconciliation so that they may experience the blessings that come with it.
Reconciled, not Saved
Calvary is what God has done for the whole world. But it is very important that we should understand that Calvary is not salvation! If Calvary were salvation, obviously the entire world would be saved, but obviously that won’t happen. Calvary is the door to salvation, it is an opening with no barriers through which every person on planet Earth may pass, but those who fail to pass through that door, still remain in the lost state, even though all barriers to salvation have been removed. Paul teaches this very clearly in 1 Corinthians 15.
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1Cor 15:16-17)
Even though Jesus died for our sins on the cross, if he is not raised from the dead, his death alone cannot save us. Most Christians focus on the cross as the end-point of their faith. A very large number of Christian songs center on the cross, it is the theme of many books and sermons. The point is, as wonderful as the cross is, it is not the place for us to stop because the cross alone does not provide salvation. There is more to it. The cross has reconciled us to God, and what this means is that the barriers have been removed. But if we stop with the cross we remain at the same place as the rest of the world.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom 5:10)
The verse clearly says, we were reconciled by the death of God’s son, but it is his life that saves us. Not his death, but his life. This is what the Bible teaches. Christ opened the door when he died for me, and now I need to step through that door and receive his life, because in receiving his life that is where salvation becomes a reality. This leads us to the startling conclusion that billions are reconciled to God, but they will still be lost.
Applying the Feasts
Sadly, it is equally true that millions are saved, but are still powerless. Many have moved from the cross, or from the Passover on to the experience represented by the unleavened bread (death to self), and they may have moved on to the experience of the Wavesheaf (resurrected with Christ), but have gone no further. Yet if we don’t step with Christ into each of those experiences, we fail to obtain the benefit that Christ has obtained for us, in fulfilling each feast in his ministry.
Seventh-day Adventists have a clear teaching which supports this fact, but for some reason many seem unable to see the consistency in understanding the feasts in this way. Adventists teach that nobody could receive the benefits of the Day of atonement before the year 1844. In other words the day of atonement signifies a special work to be done by Christ, for the first time in the history of the planet. Adventists acknowledge that the benefits of the Day of atonement could not have been experienced by the early apostles, by the reformers, by the patriarchs and Prophets, and in fact those benefits can only be experienced by those who actually pass through the experience of the day of atonement. This makes sense, but if we say it is true of the day of atonement, what about the other six feasts? How can we be so inconsistent as to suggest that the same principle does not hold true for the other six feasts?
The feast of unleavened bread
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. (Lev 23:6)
Leven is a substance which changes the nature of whatever it is united with. The most familiar kind of leaven is yeast which is used to cause dough to rise. It takes a little while, but yeast eventually changes the nature of the dough completely. Dough is bread before it is baked, and bread is actually a symbol of Jesus Christ himself. On the day after Jesus died he lay in the grave, completely unaffected by sin, and in death, completely free of it. Unleavened bread represents the life of Christ without any corrupting agency, without any element of sin. Christ was dead, dead to sin, and the experience he passed through is the experience that he provides for his people.
Hebrews 9:26 says,
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Heb 9:26)
Jesus put away sin, but from whom did he put it away, was it from himself? No he never succumbed to sin. When it says he put away sin, it is evident that he put it away from his people. Those who are able to accept what Jesus did, do enter into that experience. Many Christians continue to have some familiarity with sin, but that is not God’s purpose, and this is not what Jesus provided for us. It is lack of knowledge, and lack of faith which causes many of us to still be under the dominion of sin.
On this day represented by the feast of unleavened bread, what happened to Israel? They had passed through the Passover the previous night and now, on this day they left Egypt forever! There were never to go back to Egypt, and Egypt represents a state of sin. In Egypt you are under the control of hard taskmasters, you are under the control of Satan and sin. Your lifestyle is that you work for Satan and you work for sin, every of your life. But the time comes when you receive what Jesus did for you, you believe, and you leave Egypt. You leave the state of sin and you leave it forever. That is what God did for the Hebrews in Egypt, and that’s what Jesus did for the church when he died.
So the Hebrews left the experience of Egypt behind forever, and God warned them that they should never go back there.
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. (Deut 17:16)
It seems strange that God should have to instruct them about this. They had been slaves, mistreated and beaten in Egypt, why would any of them want to go back there? But several times the Hebrews wanted to return to Egypt when they found the way difficult on the journey to the promised land! Unfortunately the same thing happens to many Christians. God delivers us from sin, but many times we begin to remember the sinful things that gave us pleasure and we forget the bitterness and the hardship which we suffered when we served sin. Many Christians backslide because of the things of Egypt.
So when we leave Egypt it’s the end of the relationship with the old life and its ways. Paul tells us in Romans 6:7,
For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Rom 6:7)
That’s what happened when Jesus died, he died to make it possible for us to die with him and it is clear that when we are dead we are delivered from sin. Sin has no more power over us.
Firstfruits or wave sheaf
The Wavesheaf was fulfilled on the third day, the day when Jesus was raised from the dead.
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Lev 23:10-11)
So the feast of Firstfruits or Wavesheaf, represents the experience of Jesus in being raised from the dead. He went back to heaven and was accepted by God as the first part of the harvest of the earth. Jesus was the first human being that was ever saved to eternal life. He was not only the best part of the crop but he was the first part of the crop, and when he went back to heaven God accepted humanity in his Son. This is why the Christian church began with such glory and such a wonderful demonstration of the power of God. It was because humanity had been accepted by God. It was the beginning of a new age. This is symbolized by Israel coming out of the Red Sea, they were baptized in the Red Sea and symbolically they came out of the grave passing from death to life. On the other side of the Red Sea Moses said to them,
…. Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (Exod 14:13)
In the Christian experience it is the same, God takes us to death and resurrection, symbolized by water baptism, and God says to us, “the sins that have tortured you and plagued your life, will never bother you again.” This is the reality of how it should be for the Christian. Jesus was resurrected to a new experience as the new creation, and we were resurrected with him. This is what Paul tells us in Romans 6.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:10-11)
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:4)
We are identified with what happened to Jesus. We inherit what he experienced. He died to sin, we died to sin. He was raised to new life, we are raised to new life. He lives unto God, we live unto God. This is not something that we can do, it happens to us because we have received of his life and that life is being lived through us. The challenge is to believe, to trust God enough to receive what he has done for us in his son. This is when salvation came to God’s people, when we were raised to newness of life with Christ Jesus.
Actually for many Christians it is not like that and it was the same with the Israelites. Though they were free from Egypt, they never left the habits and the mindset of Egypt. They were constantly longing for the things of Egypt, and this was the biggest reason for all the failures that they experienced on the journey towards the promised land. They failed to trust God, and their hearts were set on the things they had left behind.
The reason why Christians struggle with sin, is not that sin has not been defeated, it is not that we are not strong enough, it is not that we don’t fight hard enough, it is that we don’t believe the truth that we have been delivered. Our hearts are still connected to the things of Egypt and because of a lack of connection with Jesus, we do not believe in our deliverance. That is always the problem, and this is why the solution is that we understand and receive, “righteousness by faith.” Ultimately when we get it right, it will be because we have learned to trust God and Jesus completely. This is always the answer.
Pentecost
The fourth Festival was the Feast of Weeks, or the feast of Pentecost. It was called the “Feast of Weeks,” because it took place seven weeks after the Passover.
And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD. (Lev 23:15-17)
It seems strange that God should say, that the bread should be baked with leaven, because as we have seen, leaven is often used as a symbol of sin. But leaven can also be used as a symbol of something good. The main characteristic of leaven is that it gradually changes the nature of whatever it is mixed with. This can be good, or it can be bad. Mixing with something bad will have a harmful effect, but mixing with something good will have a positive effect. So in the case of Pentecost what God is saying, is that something good was to be infused into humanity which would work like leaven, starting small, but eventually accomplishing a tremendous change for good.
A careful reading of the record of the Exodus from Egypt, will reveal that the law was given to Israel on Mount Sinai, 50 days after the Passover in Egypt. In other words, the Pentecost of the Israelite nation was Mount Sinai. How does this correspond to what happened at the true, anti-typical Pentecost? On the day of Pentecost God poured out his spirit upon his people, but the apostle Paul explains the true significance of what happened when he quotes the prophecy of Jeremiah, explaining that this was the writing of the law of God upon the hearts and minds of his people.
For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. (Heb 8:8-11)
In other words, at the Exodus God wrote 10 Commandments upon stone and give them to Israel as a rule by which they should live. This was the first Pentecost. However at the true Pentecost, God infused the nature and the character of Christ into his people by putting the Spirit of Christ into their hearts.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Gal 4:6)
In this way God produced righteousness in his people not by an external set of rules, but by changing their natures from the inside so that by nature they would live in harmony with what God wanted. It is clear that what happened at Mount Sinai was only a legal representation of the greater event which took place in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. At Mount Sinai the legal law, or the written law was given to a select nation, a particular group of people, chosen to represent God in the world before Christ came. At Pentecost the new nature of Jesus Christ was infused into his people, a group of people who were set apart from all nations by the fact that they had the spirit of Christ in them. One group received a legal set of rules, the other group received the very nature of God. Many professing Christians make the law the goal to be attained, and they see the gift of the spirit as the means by which they are to achieve obedience to the law. The law is central for them. But this is turning the way of God upside down. The law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, the law is not the goal, it is a means to help us to find the true goal (Gal. 3:24). Christ is the goal and when we have received his spirit in our hearts we have found the end of the journey (Rom 10:4). At Pentecost Jesus poured heaven upon his people, he gave them what Mount Sinai only symbolized.
The Curse of Unbelief
After Pentecost there was a gap of four months when nothing happened, then in the seventh month God started again with the fifth feast, the Blowing of Trumpets. In the Bible the number seven, over and over again, represents completeness, or perfection. So it is logical to conclude that the feasts which take place during the Seventh month, represent the final events in the plan of salvation.
The four month gap between the first four feasts and the last three corresponds to the 40 years that the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness. During those 40 years, in spite of the amazing start that they had to their journey, all that happened to Israel was continual defeat. They wandered around in that wilderness for 40 years although this was totally unnecessary, but unbelief kept them there. They had been delivered from slavery, they had passed through the Red Sea, they had received the law of God and had been established as the people of God, and yet with all of that, for 40 more years they wandered around in the desert. It was only when all those who were unbelievers had died that they finally made it in.
This gap also represented something in the history of the Christian church. It represented the time between Pentecost and the time of the end, basically the period that we refer to as the dark ages. Right after the experience of Pentecost, the church should have gone straight into the heavenly Canaan, just as the Hebrews should have gone straight into Canaan right after receiving the law at Mount Sinai, but the same problem afflicted both groups. Israel refused God’s instructions to enter Canaan, at Kadesh Barnea, and so they had to wander in the wilderness for 40 unnecessary years (See Numbers chapter 14).
It is hard to believe that the apostolic church suffered because of unbelief but they did. As we read the history of the church in the book of Acts, we can see that there was division among the believers, friction arose, in the church. Many of the early Christians, especially the Jewish Christians were not happy with the apostle Paul, and it is clear that very early in the history of the church, “grievous wolves” began to arise among the brethren, and that the mystery of iniquity began to work. The Christian church began to copy the Jewish system of religion so closely that in one generation the power of the Spirit all but disappeared entirely from the church. Human organization took the place of the Holy Spirit. The development of the Papal apostasy and the emergence of the man of sin was only the logical outgrowth of the wrong principles which were allowed to develop in the Christian church from very early on.
The blowing of trumpets
However, this terrible condition was not to last forever, and in the Seventh month, God was again to begin to work for his people in special ways, finally bringing their journey to a happy end.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. (Lev 23:24-25)
This event began on the first day of the seventh month and lasted for ten days. Clearly, this is the beginning of the end. What does this represent in the history of Israel? It represents the moment when Israel was finally about to enter the promised land. All those years of wandering in the wilderness were finally over, and the moment of the end had arrived. It is the same with the experience of the church, it is at the time of the end that these final feasts begin to have their fulfillment.
In Joshua chapter 6 we read,
And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. (Josh 6:13)
Here we see the record of what happened when the time finally came for the Israelites to enter the promised land. This is an account of the assault on Jericho, the first city that was conquered as the Israelites began their invasion of Canaan. The blowing of trumpets represents the beginning of the final assault before God’s people enter the heavenly Canaan. The pattern is inescapable.
This blowing of trumpets signifies a great awakening movement and a work of preaching the gospel all over the world with great power. It is the beginning of the final assault in overthrowing God’s enemies as we approach the gates of the heavenly Canaan. This work on earth corresponds to something which Christ does in heaven. Let us not forget that these feasts are first and foremost, events in the ministry of Christ. As Christ accomplishes this work, there is a corresponding awakening and an empowering of his people on earth. This is how the final preaching of the gospel is to be accomplished.
The day of atonement
And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. (Lev 16:29-30)
The Day of Atonement was the 6th feast, which took place 10 days after the blowing of trumpets began. What did this day of atonement represent in the history of Israel? It is difficult to find an event which corresponds exactly to the day of atonement, but there is an event which Joshua and the children of Israel participated in before they conquered Canaan which seems to correspond to that event.
At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. (Josh 5:2-5)
Here we see that before the Israelites conquered Canaan, every single person who was a part of that Israelite army had to be fully identified as an Israelite. They could not defeat the enemy unless it was clear that they belonged to God. Circumcision was a mark of identification of God’s people and so there was a massive ceremony when all those who had been born in the wilderness were circumcised. All those of the previous generation who had left Egypt circumcised, had died in the wilderness. Circumcision represents the experience of being born again, the experience of having a new nature through the power of the Holy Spirit.
It seems that this experience corresponds to the experience of the day of atonement. In the day of atonement God is going to do something special for his people, He is going to remove whatever has been keeping us weak and powerless. This is not going to be simply a supernatural work of Christ, it is something that will involve the corporation of his people. Our faith is to be involved, we will believe in what Jesus has done, and is doing, and therefore we will be enabled to receive this experience. It will be a complete renewing of God’s people. This time, according to the type, there will be no more failure. This is what prepares God’s people for entrance into the promised land
The feast of Tabernacles
The final feast was the feast of Tabernacles.
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. (Lev 23:39-40)
This feast was to take place after the harvest of the land had been gathered in. The people were to leave their homes and live for one week in temporary dwellings, built of tree branches and bushes. During that time they were to rejoice before the Lord, and wave palm branches about. There is no clear-cut event in the history of the Exodus which corresponds to this Feast of Tabernacles. Some have suggested that it corresponds to the time they wandered in the Wilderness, but this does not make sense. First of all, it does not fit the time-table, this feast is the very last one. Secondly, it is after the harvest is gathered in; there was no harvest for Israel for the 40 years that they wandered in the wilderness. Thirdly, it certainly was not a time of rejoicing for Israel.
It seems that this Feast represented the entrance of Israel into the Promised land. Some elements of this feast do not apply to the experience of the Hebrews, but they apply to spiritual Israel in the antitype. The Israelites certainly rejoiced and praised God when they finally entered Canaan, and for many of them, at first, they had to live in temporary dwellings until they were able to settle down permanently.
The antitype of this event is the entering of God’s people into the heavenly Canaan. Notice that this feast of Tabernacles is to take place after the harvest of the land has been gathered in. It is after the harvest of earth has been reaped and God’s people are taken to heaven to live in a temporary home for a thousand years. We find the fulfillment of this event described in the book of Revelation:
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (Rev 7:9-10)
Notice, these people are waving palm branches before the throne of God. It seems that this is a clear reference to the Feast of Tabernacles. We will be with Christ in a temporary home for a thousand years, after that time, we will return to our homes on planet Earth.
This is the true meaning of the feast days. They present an unmistakable outline of the great work of Christ on behalf of his Church. Today, we truly keep the feasts by participating in the real events, and experiencing the realities which Christ has made available to us, not by practicing representative rituals from 3000 years ago. It is time that we move from shadows to the reality.
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Adventism and The Gay Movement
Lest anyone think that the winds of culture have not also penetrated Seventh-day Adventism on this issue, sadly, I must inform you otherwise. We must continue to defend the pillars while appealing to men and women in love.
The reality here is that in Seventh-day Adventism today a new hermeneutic, necessary to advocate for women’s ordination as church overseers (that is redefining spiritual gender roles), has become normative. And this same hermeneutic (the same logic) is used to advocate for accepting openly gay and lesbian individuals as members in good standing (that is redefining sexual gender roles). This hermeneutical linkage has been noted by secular sources as the following quote from a 2015 Time Magazine article points out:
“And there is another, just as fundamental, obstacle. So far no Christian tradition has been able to embrace the LGBT community without first changing its views about women. The same reasoning that concludes that homosexuality is sin is also behind the traditional evangelical view that husbands are the spiritual leaders of marriages and men are the leaders in churches. . . .
“It is not an accident that the women’s-liberation movement preceded the gay-liberation movement,’ (Episcopal Bishop Eugene) Robinson says. ‘Discriminatory attitudes and treatment of LGBT people is rooted in patriarchy, and in order to embrace and affirm gays, evangelicals will have to address their own patriarchy and sexism, not just their condemnation of LGBT people (Elizabeth Dias, “A Change of Heart: Inside the evangelical war over gay marriage,” Time, Jan. 26, 2015, pp. 47-48)
This “same reasoning,” which is actually reasoning that negates the law of God, is active inside of Adventism. Several SDA professors and/or ministers, who are clear advocates for women’s ordination as church overseers, are simultaneously and openly advocating for the acceptance of practicing homosexual/lesbians as members in good standing. There was the 2016 baptism of an openly practicing lesbian into the Chico SDA church by Ginger Harwood. That should never have happened. Back before that there was a 2013 sermon entitled “Repenting of Our Patriarchy & Heterosexism” by Trisha Famisaran, an assistant professor of theological studies at LaSierra University. The title of that sermon lets you know her position. We also note the 2014 week of prayer sermon at PUC entitled “Adam and Steve” by pastor Jonathan Henderson which negated the law of God as he argued that God calls audibles. It was very well received at PUC and that is shameful.
Is it any wonder that the student leaders of PUC issued a 2017 statement that affirmed “without reservation” that members of the LGBT community have “their rightful place within our campus, our church, and community” and should have “freedom from judgment and condemnation”? There was also a recent 2017 sermon by John McLarty of Green Lake SDA church entitled “What to do with real people” where he advocated for voiding the texts which forbid homosexuality because they were just cultural restrictions and times have changed. I have also dealt with theology majors at SAU, future pastors, who are favorable to the LGBT agenda.
The new interpretation of Scripture, which is necessary to support women’s ordination as church overseers, is bearing baleful fruit and will continue to do so. Meanwhile preachers who speak against it (i.e. Doug Batchelor and Stephen Bohr) are being marginalized and censored by conference officials.
Understand brothers and sisters these are the last times and these things are just a drop in the bucket in terms of what is coming. Again one would have to turn a blind eye to deny the connection that Time magazine is speaking about here. If you doubt it why don’t you let Daneen Akers, the director and one of the producers behind the film, “Seventh-Gay Adventist,” explain it herself:
“Of course, this is almost the exact same case with the role of women in the church. And one of our goals with the film is that homosexuality can be much like women’s ordination: we don’t all agree and we interpret the Genesis stories and Pauline writings a bit differently at times, but we still agree to stay in fellowship with each other while we keep dialoging. Nobody is going to disfellowship me because I advocate for women’s ordination” (Daneen Akers, ‘Who Cares?’ March 6th, 2012 Newsletter).
A Striking Dream
When I was sixteen years old, I was not a Christian. I attended church, yes, because it was the thing to do. All my family did, but I had no personal conviction, no true relationship with God. Yet, one night I had a striking dream which was so vivid and real that the impression remains with me today.
At this time, I was attending high school in Montego Bay, but I lived in Falmouth 26 miles away. Each day I would have to travel this 26 miles to and from school and sometimes I would travel by bus. The bus was what we called a “country bus,” in Jamaica. A huge machine capable of carrying anywhere between 50 to 75 passengers depending on how tightly the conductor would cram it.
In my dream, I was sitting on this bus, travelling from Falmouth to Montego Bay. There was the usual collection of people on the bus, people going to market, school children etc. I was sitting in a seat by the window and in my dream I fell into a doze. Suddenly, I awakened to realize that I was alone on the bus. This seemed strange to me for while I had been dozing, I was aware that the bus had not stopped, yet now, there was not a single person on the bus. I was alone. As this thought sank into my mind, I looked at the driver’s seat, for the bus was still moving and although everyone was missing, surely I had company in the driver. But what I saw sent a chill through me. There was no one sitting in the driver’s seat. The steering wheel was moving with a life of its own!
Suddenly the bus began to pick up speed. I can still vividly recollect the swaying of the bus from side to side as it rocketed around the corners with the steering wheel turning rapidly first to the left, then to the right as something directed the bus’ course. I realized it had suddenly become night, for I remember seeing the lights from the bus flashing on the trees outside the window as we sped past.
Suddenly a thought fixed itself in my mind. “Look behind you.” It was an urgent thought, but I was afraid to obey. Something told me that something unpleasant awaited me when I turned around so I was afraid to turn, but more afraid not to, so I turned my head and looked over my left shoulder as I was sitting on the right side of the bus. My eyes travelled down the aisle between the empty seats and came to rest on the last seat, the long seat at the back of the bush which went straight across. There was somebody sitting there!
I could make out the form of the person, but I could not see his face. He was wearing a shiny black raincoat with a shiny black rain hat on his head, but he had his head bowed so all I could see was the hat. But as I sat there staring, he started to raise his head very, very slowly. Gradually his face began to appear and the first thing I saw was his teeth. There was a grin which stretched across his face from ear to ear. The head went up a little bit more and what I saw next revealed the identity of this person. The eyes, when they appeared were glowing and red as blood. Instantly I knew who it was. The words flashed into my mind, the Devil!
My horror knew no bounds, but I could not move. I sat rooted to my seat as he very slowly arose from his seat with his eyes fixed on me and that awful grin never leaving his face. I sat transfixed, incapable of movement as he started towards me with deliberate silent steps, like a snake gliding towards its prey. When he was about two feet from me, he made a lunge towards me with his hands stretched out to grab me and he cried out in triumph, “I have you now!”
A cry was torn from my throat in that instant, “Jesus, help me!” It was an instinctive, unthought of appeal. It just sprang to my lips without premeditation and I heard myself cry rather than thought of what I was saying. But instantly there was a flash of light and everything disappeared. The bus and the devil were no more and I found myself standing at a place called Salt Marsh where there was a junction in the road. The main road was the road from Falmouth to Montego Bay, but the other road led to a place called Chatham. I realized that it was no longer night, but it was late evening, some time after sunset, and it was beginning to get dark.
I barely had time to gather my wits and to recognize that I really had escaped the horror of the bus when I saw a girl approaching me from the direction of Chatham. I recognized her as an acquaintance of mine named Cherry, a girl from Falmouth. She greeted me and asked me if I was going home. I told her that I was, and she invited me to follow her. So we started off walking on the road to Falmouth which was about six miles away. After a while I found myself lagging behind. There was something strange about the road. The road itself was beautifully paved and smooth but it was a winding road and as I lagged further and further behind I noticed that it seemed to grow hazy and indistinct and just disappeared into nothingness after a while. The girl herself seemed to be made of smoke or fog. Her shape grew wavy and indistinct and I dropped further behind as my uneasiness increased.
Suddenly I heard a voice from the sky over my head. At that time I had a teacher who taught me Spanish at my high school, Cornwall College. He had a very deep voice. I heard his voice saying, “Clayton, do you want to get home safely?” I immediately stopped and answered, “yes sir.” “Well then, do not follow the girl any further. Stay where you are and I will send two messengers to guide you. They will take you home.” So I stood there for a few moments while I watched the girl disappear into the darkness.
The road from Salt Marsh to Falmouth was bordered on both sides by Mangrove swamps. As I waited, two little boys emerged from the swamp on the left side of the road. One took my right hand and the other took my left. They led me to a path among the trees at the side of the road and we started off on this path which led through the swamp. It was strange that while I was on the bus, it had been night. When I was at the crossroads and later, following the girl, it had been late evening, growing dark. Now, walking with the boys among the trees it was broad daylight. There were shadows among the trees, but I could see patches of bright sunlight filtering between the leaves and I knew I was finally on the sure road home.
I awakened from this dream at this point, covered in perspiration. I was sure that it was a message from God and I never forgot it. The meaning of most of it seems too plain to be misunderstood.
Why I am Against Feast-Keeping
I am an outspoken critic of feast-keeping. Some who are not feast-keepers are disturbed about the fact that I frequently speak against the feasts. Many are of the opinion that it does not hurt if people want to observe the feasts of the Mosaic Law as long as they do not try to impose the practice on others. I do not agree. I am not trying to force people to bend to my understanding, but as long as I see something which I believe to be harmful to the practice and understanding of the gospel, I will exercise my right to speak about it and to expose its dangers. Here are some of the reasons why I consider feast-keeping to be contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ:
1. Nobody keeps feasts for any reason other than because the law requires it. This is the only reason why those set dates are chosen on which to celebrate feasts. It is based on what the law teaches. All feast-keepers that I know, defend their practice on the basis of the requirements of the law.
2. Feast-keeping creates a link to the law of Moses. The return to Moses exercises a harmful influence in the Christian church, enticing believers back towards the religion of forms and ceremonials. Just as the sacrificing of a Lamb would be a tacit rejection of Christ’s sacrifice, it is the same with the practice of any other typical service representing the work of Christ.
3. Feast-keeping places one under a logical obligation to keep all the rest of the law (Gal 5:3).
4. There is no difference in principle between feast-keeping and animal sacrifices. If one may be acceptable for a Christian then so may the other.
5. In the early church, Jewish believers continued to practice the ceremonies of the law, including feasts. Paul made allowance for this in writing to Jewish believers, but was strictly antagonistic towards the practice when dealing with Gentile believers.
6. Jews had cultural and national reasons for practicing the law, it was not merely religious, therefore Paul was tolerant towards those Jewish believers who still practiced those ceremonies (including sacrificing animals).
7. Everything in the law was a representation of the kingdom of God. When carefully examined, everything was a type, representing the greater reality. When Jesus arrived, the moment had come for the typical system to be replaced by the reality. It was not a question of some things remaining and some being replaced – it was the replacement of an entire system with another. I will give examples:
● Physical Israel was replaced with spiritual Israel
● Physical Jerusalem was replaced with Jerusalem above
● The rituals and ceremonies were replaced with The real events in the life of Christ
● Feast days were replaced with The key events in Christ’s ministry
● The Ten Commandments written on stone, were replaced with the character of Christ implanted in the heart (the letter vs the spirit).
In Israel and in the system which governed it, God
modeled the true kingdom of God which Christ was to set up. One was a model,
the other was the reality. When Christ arrived, the moment had come for the
model to be replaced with the true. Therefore, no part of the model remains in
force and it is a backward step to continue to interact with the model in the
age of the reality.
The underlying misconception which creates confusion concerning the Old and the
New Testament, is the false idea that all which Jesus came to make available to
us was already available during the Old Testament age. This would make the
incarnation of Jesus almost irrelevant and certainly it would mean that the New
Testament system cannot be different from the old, but that the differences are
only superficial.
The Miracle Tree
Lenworth Frankson
The Moringa plant is sometimes called the “miracle tree,” “drumstick tree,” or “horseradish tree.” It has small, rounded leaves that are filled with nutrition. The leaves of this amazing plant are packed with protein, calcium, beta-carotene, Vitamin C, potassium and much more. It has been used medicinally and as a food source for hundreds of years. Its leaves have been used in traditional medicine as well, for many years to cure a variety of diseases.
Moringa’s rapid growth and nutritional value makes it very appealing for impoverished areas like Malawi, Senegal, and India. In these areas, Moringa may be the most nutritious food locally available and it can be harvested throughout the year. For those living in third-world countries, it may very well prove to be a valuable source of nutrition. I had a Moringa tree growing in my yard recently and I am amazed at how resilient it is and how rapidly it grew.
The Moringa nutritional profile is very impressive and that is one of the main reasons it is so appealing to many. Oil from the seeds is used in foods, perfume, and hair care products, and as a machine lubricant. Moringa is used to treat anemia, arthritis and other joint pains, stomach and intestinal ulcers, headaches, heart problems, high blood pressure, kidney stones, fluid retention, thyroid disorders as well as bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections. The leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach as well as dried and powdered,to be used in soups, cereal, shakes and condiments. The immature green pods (drumsticks) are prepared similarly to green beans, while the seeds are removed from more mature pods and cooked like peas or roasted like nuts.
Lower Blood Sugar Levels
Moringa leaves are filled with vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, and more. One hundred grams of dry Moringa leaf contains; 9 times the protein of yogurt; 10 times the vitamin A of carrots; 15 times the potassium of bananas; 17 times the calcium of milk and 12 times the vitamin C of oranges. Moringa leaves are rich in antioxidants including vitamin C, beta-carotene, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic acid has been shown to slow cells’ absorption of sugar and studies have found it to lower blood sugar levels.
Moringa leaf powder has high concentrations of Calcium, Potassium, Zinc, and Vitamin E, which can lower your blood pressure. It is well known that high blood pressure increases your chance of getting heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, or congestive heart failure. Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. As we age our blood pressure tends to rise but living a healthy lifestyle can delay or prevent this rise in blood pressure.
The key nutrients needed by high blood pressure sufferers are Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, and Vitamin E, all of which Moringa leaf powder contains. Calcium is needed for smooth muscle relaxation and contraction and an increased consumption can have a direct effect on blood vessels. It is always better to get your calcium directly from a nutritious balanced diet than from supplements. Studies have found that compared with artificial supplements, dietary calcium has twice the benefits for keeping blood pressure low and thus, using Moringa leaf powder as one of your daily sources of calcium can be very beneficial for your body.
Moringa’s high potassium content tends to lower the sodium content. Potassium is thought to act by increasing sodium excretion in the urine, which helps blood vessels dilate, and changes the interactions of hormones that affect blood pressure. The Vitamin C found in Moringa can support the body’s production of nitric oxide, which is critical to normal functioning of blood vessels. The main thing is simply that the better your blood vessels work, the lower your risk of hypertension.
Reduce Inflammations
Inflammation is a protective tissue response to injury or destruction of tissues. It is your body’s response to stress whether from a deficient diet, unhealthy lifestyle (excessive stress, lack of sleep and exercise), or environment (pollution). One of the most promising uses for Moringa extract is in the treatment of various types of acute and chronic inflammation. Inflammation has many causes but diet seems to contribute the most. In preventing and reducing inflammation and therefore diseases, diet and nutrition go hand in hand. There are many ways why we can be deficient in anti-inflammatory nutrients. A diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes leads to better nutrition.
Moringa naturally contains anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving nutrients which include Vitamins A, B1, and C, arginine, betasitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid, chlorophyll, glutathione, histidine, indole acetic acid, indoleacetonitrile, kaempferal, leucine, quercetin, rutin, selenium, tryptophan, zeatin, zinc and methionine. A 1996 research study published in Pharmaceutical Biology demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties of Moringa extract in the treatment of both acute and chronic forms of inflammation. The Moringa extract was ingested by laboratory rats as a treatment for both edema (swelling) and carrageenan-induced inflammation; while the results for the acute inflammation were markedly better than those obtained for the chronic variety, both types of inflammation were significantly reduced by the treatments in the course of the study. Maintain Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Moringa leaf has been shown to help lower cholesterol, which is a factor in the development of heart disease.
People on a high sugar, high-fat diet are likely to experience increases in cholesterol levels. A study published in the online journal of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) showed that people on a high-fat diet who regularly took the crude leaf extract of Moringa had their blood cholesterol level increase, reduced by 14.35 percent, their liver cholesterol level increase reduced by 6.4 percent, and their kidney cholesterol level increase reduced by 11.09 percent.
Another study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology involving rabbits, showed that Moringa assisted in keeping bad cholesterol down, while increasing good cholesterol levels. The Moringa leaves reduced cholesterol levels by 50 percent and lowered the atherosclerotic plaque formation by 86 percent.
Purify Water with Moringa
Crushed Moringa seeds can be used to purify and clarify water for domestic use, which would also include lowering the bacterial concentration in the water making it safe for drinking. The Moringa powder joins with the solids in the water and sinks to the bottom. By using Moringa seeds people need not be dependent on expensive water purification systems. Using Moringa to purify water replaces chemicals such as aluminium sulphate, which are dangerous to people and the environment, and are expensive. The treatment removes 90-99% of bacteria contained in water. Water from varying sources will need different amounts of Moringa seed powder because the impurities present will not be the same. It’s good to have a couple of Moringa trees growing in your yard but if this is not practical or possible you can easily purchase bags of the seeds on eBay.
How to Purify Water
1. Allow the Moringa seed pods to dry naturally on the tree before harvesting them.
2. Remove the seed husks, leaving a whitish kernel.
3. Crush the seed kernels to a powder with a stone or mortar.
4. Mix the powder with a small quantity of clean water in a small cup.
5. Pour the mixture through a tea strainer or sieve into a cup. It’s best to cover the strainer with a piece of clean cloth.
6. Add the resulting milky fluid to the water you wish to purify.
7. Stir quickly for 30 seconds, then slowly and regularly for five minutes.
8. Cover the water and do not disturb it for at least an hour.
9. The clean water may be siphoned or poured off the top of the container.
50-150 mg of ground Moringa seed treats one liter of water, depending on how clear the water is. You will have to experiment with the amount of seeds and stirring times to find what works the best for you. Moringa seeds have even been found to work better for water purification than many of the conventional synthetic materials in use today.
Moringa oils and fiber have a detoxifying effect to help scrub your bowel of waste and toxins allowing you to fully absorb nutrients from the foods you eat. It also has anti-bacterial properties that may help to rid your body of H. pylori, a bacterium linked to gastritis, ulcers, and gastric cancer. You can use the fresh leaves in your meals by tossing them into a salad, blend them into smoothies, or steam them like spinach. Another option is to use Moringa powder, either in supplement form or added to smoothies, soups, and other foods for extra nutrition. You can also use organic, cold-pressed Moringa oil although it’s very expensive. The leaves appear to get the most market attention, and the seeds are also in high demand. Practically all parts of the plant are used to treat some type of disease for inflammation, infectious disorders, and various problems of the cardiovascular and digestive organs, while improving liver function and enhancing milk flow in nursing mothers. The use of Moringa is becoming more popular these days, the reason being that it is getting more exposure to “healthier living” agendas.
The continued use of Moringa for food and medicinal purposes in separate and distant parts of the world testify to its beneficial effects. Moringa is a recent discovery of modern science although some cultures have been using it for hundreds of years. Science is proving Moringa to be the powerhouse of nutrients. About ninety nutrients are so far known to exist in Moringa, with the possibility of more to be identified. Moringa has no known impurities, with no adverse reactions ever recorded.
With such a profound tract record and resume, isn’t it time for us to start adding Moringa to our daily diet, if we haven’t started already?
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Open Face
March 2018
Open Face is dedicated to the promotion and the restoration of apostolic Christianity. In particular to the restoration of those truths which have been cast down to the ground and trampled underfoot by the papacy, and adopted by her daughters.
Our purpose is to motivate our readers to commit themselves wholly to the task of personal preparation for the coming of the Lord, and to the taking of the final warning message to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
Open Face is published bi-monthly, and is sent free of cost to all who desire to receive it.
Editor: David Clayton
Publishing committee: Howard Williams
Karleen Williams
Jennifer Clayton
David Clayton
P.O. Box 23, Knockpatrick
Manchester, Jamaica W.I.
Phone: (304) 932-4543
Jamaica: (876) 603-0821
email: vidclay@gmail.com
Website: http://www.restorationministry.com
