From:	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent:	 Tuesday, September 18, 1997 9:24 PM
To:	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: How to keep the feasts LITERALLY?

From:	 "Tim Brewer" 
To:	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Subject: How to keep the feasts LITERALLY?

>
>From Eddie:
>***************
>
>       The sabbath and Biblical Festivals have a SPIRITUAL 
>application and they are to be LITERALLY kept. However, they should 
>not be kept in a legalistic manner or attitude.
>

This is not meant to be a belligerent question, i really am trying to 
understand.  

How do we keep the feasts literally?

What I mean is, in the Old Testament it gives some directions on keeping 
the feasts ( I have kept Passover for the past few years, along with 
some other feasts here and there).  One of these directions is to "offer 
an offering made by fire unto the lord seven days" (Lev. 23:8)  Are we 
supposed to do this?  And what about killing a lamb for Passover?  And 
smearing the blood on the doorposts?

I am not trying to get bogged down in "the letter of the law" and I know 
this is not a salvation issue, but I am somewhat perplexed.  I don't 
want to follow traditions of men, I want to follow G-d's law.  I want to 
"rightly divide the word of G-d."  How do I say I have to keep the 
festivals, but don't have to make the sacrifices?

-Tim Brewer

>From Eddie:
**************

         Tim,

    Performing sacrifices as an aspect of keeping the Festivals can 
only be done if there is a Temple. Many of the commandments in the 
Torah are based upon having a Temple and living in the land of 
Israel. If you don't live in the land of Israel and since there is 
not a Temple in the land of Israel, you are not Biblically obligated 
to keep something which is not possible to keep.

      The Feast of Tabernacles WILL be literally kept during the 
Messianic Age (Zech 14:16-17).  The sabbath and the new moon will be 
kept during the times of the "New Heaven and New Earth" (eternity) as 
told to us in (Isaiah 66:22-23). 

     Ezekiel 40-48 describes how things will be during the Messianic 
Age when Messiah will teach the TORAH to ALL NATIONS (Isaiah 2:2-4) 
and when there will be a Temple in Jerusalem. In Ezekiel 45 and 46, 
it tells us that the Festivals will be observed during the Messianic 
Age.

     In the book of Lev 23, it tells us that the Biblical Festivals 
are to be "statutes to be kept forever" (Lev 23:14, 21, 31, 41).

      I have expressed my celebration of the Biblical Festivals in 
various ways over the years. I never hear Christians ask the question 
regarding how do you LITERALLY keep Christmas, Easter, Sunday 
worship but yet they do for the sabbath and the Biblical Festivals. 
To being with, purpose in your heart to begin to study and learn about 
the sabbath and the Biblical Festivals and understand why God gave 
them and how they were given to teach about God's eternal Kingdom,  
the coming of the Messiah and our personal relationship with God. I 
have written a book entitled, "The Seven Festivals of the Messiah" to 
help you in this effort. Next, allow the sabbath and the Biblical Festivals 
become a personal reality in your heart and in your life. 
Then, allow the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) lead you in observing 
these things. Finally,  remember that the letter of the Torah kills but the 
Spirit of the Torah brings life.  (II Cor 3:6). Also remember that 
you are not obligated to keep the Festivals according to the manner 
and practices of Rabbinical Orthodox Judaism.

           Last year I celebrated Rosh HaShanah in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 
our Hebraic Roots conference. This year our home fellowship and the 
people in my Sunday church will be celebrating Rosh HaShanah at the 
church. In years past, we kept the holidays by offering teachings of 
the holidays to the general public complete with a dinner. What is 
most important is to begin to realize that the Sabbath and the 
Biblcal Festivals are God given and ETERNAL ordinances. They are to 
be kept today (but not to gain salvation), they will be kept during 
the Messianic Age and they will be kept following the Messianic Age 
for all eternity.  I hope that this answers your question.

                                                  Eddie Chumney

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