Passover—the cross of Christ
Passover—the cross of Christ
Unleavened Bread—water baptism of repentance
Firstfruits—the born-again experience
Pentecost—the baptism with the Holy Spirit
This is as far as we have gotten. Notice that each of these four Jewish observances has a spiritual fulfillment in the Christian life.
There are three more feasts that are beginning to take place now. If the first four celebrations had a spiritual counterpart in the Christian redemption, it stands to reason that the remaining three feasts also will have a spiritual counterpart in the Christian salvation.
The Blowing of Trumpets—this is the coming of the King, Jesus, to declare war against His enemies. It is the beginning of the installing of the Kingdom of God on the earth. It is the Jewish New Year. It is taking place now.
The Day of Atonement—this ceremony speaks of the removing of sin from the creation of God. It will last until the final judgment, and perhaps beyond as new people are born. It is beginning now.
The Feast of Tabernacles—this marks the entering of the Father and the Son into those who have kept Christ's commandments and in whom Christ has been formed.
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. (Galatians 4:19)
Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." (John 14:23)
The Book of Hebrews speaks of our need to enter the rest of God. The rest of God is that state of being where we always are conscious of God's will, and have the desire, wisdom, and strength to perform it.
Every Christian who expects to be transformed into immortality when the Lord Jesus appears must be living in the rest of God. Sin and self-will shall not be tolerated in the Kingdom of God.
Christ will assist us in the program of entering God's rest if we ask Him to do so. We do not have to attempt to enter God's rest in our own wisdom and strength.
Now, if we are to always able to know God's will and to perform it, it is clear we must have gained victory over sin and self-will.
By the way, sin is not the Goliath that Satan has presented to our mind. Sin usually is nothing more than a collection of nasty little satanic bondages that like to pretend they are invincible. It is composed of unclean spirits who are seeking to find fulfillment and rest through us. The problem is, we and not they suffer the consequences of their actions.
They are not invincible or necessary. We can turn away from most of them just by making up our mind that we are not going to serve them any longer.
There usually are a few "kings" of evil in each human personality, some of them inherited; some of them acquired. We may have to fight them all our life. If we do not give up, they finally will flee.
As for the destruction out of us of self-will, all that is required is a bit of patience while we are enduring tribulation. We must never break out of the prison God puts us in or cast aside the cross we are required to bear. Our suffering is God's means of destroying our self-will.
The Book of Hebrews presents the land of Canaan as a picture of the rest of God into which we are to press. The Israelites became tired of fighting and made slaves of those whom they were to destroy.
It is customary for us Christians to do that. We may get as far as the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and decide the next stop is Heaven.
It is not. The next stop is the rest of God, meaning complete victory over sin and self-will.
Would we bring our sin and self-will into Heaven?
The Spirit of God is the one who points out the enemy who is in us. As we confess our sin, the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to overcome it. This is an eternal judgment on Satan. We are to continue to confess and turn away from the sins the Spirit points out to us until we are free to hear God's will for us and to do it.
It just is not that difficult. Now is the time to go through the spiritual reality of the Jewish Day of Atonement. Try it and see for yourself!