The Christian Life is not Hard - it is Impossible!

[Vine Abider]

10 minutes ago, other one said:

I do think Romans 10 tells us how to get that leading.

Please elaborate - do you mean by calling and believing on the name of the Lord and declaring Him?

[other one]

2 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

Please elaborate - do you mean by calling and believing on the name of the Lord and declaring Him?

 

2 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

Please elaborate - do you mean by calling and believing on the name of the Lord and declaring Him?

Believing he was raised from the dead (must have died) and publically declaring him as your Lord.   It says following that verse that one is justified by the heart in believing and saved by the mouth in confessing Lordship.   Of course, one truly has to have Jesus as their Lord for this to work, or they simply make themselves out to be a liar and we all know that liars go into the fire.

[Hinds Feet]

On 5/22/2025 at 2:06 AM, Marilyn C said:

Hi Hinds Feet,

I do love reading and learning about God`s Feast for they are a timeline for Israel as to their final fulfillment. Those Feasts are not for the Body of Christ, however.

Yet let's think about this.  Jesus was crucified on Passover.  He rose again on FirstFruits.  The Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost/Shavuot.  These are the spring festivals, and all of them carried events very significant for the Body of Christ.  What about the fall festivals?  You have the Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  What events will happen on those days and how will they receive their fulfillment?  Whatever happens on those days, I believe those who don't celebrate them, might not be ready for what happens.

I think about what God told us concerning these times in that they are His feasts, His "appointed times".  Heehee!  Think about doctors appointments.  You can't just walk up in a doctor's office and expect everything to be ready for you the moment you get there.  Yet on days where you have an appointment, the wait for the doctor to see you is shorter if not immediate, and everything is prepared.  It is sort of the same with these feasts as well.  We are to present ourselves to the LORD on these days.  Then I think about what Jesus said when He was weeping over Jerusalem...

 

"For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

 

Which again, Jesus was crucified on Passover.  The days leading up to that Passover, were the days the people were to examine the unblemished lamb that would be the Passover lamb.  God was in their midst, and they didn't know it.  And Israel were celebrating the feasts.  How much more unawareness will we have due to not celebrating these appointed times?  Will Jesus be like a thief in the night to us?  Overall, this is an example on how God's laws discipline us spiritually.  The Church today is by in large undisciplined, because we reject a great deal of God's commands.  Now I'm not saying we are justified by the Law.  I am saying Jesus' nature enables us to keep the heart of God's commands.  This is the Law of Christ.  The same laws given to the people from an outward perspective, were supposed to be the laws God writes on our hearts.

Edited May 23 by Hinds Feet

[farouk]

23 hours ago, lrs68 said:

Amen!

It's truly sad because while at the same time they're doing really good things to help many in need but so far away from the purpose and true source of why they should be doing these things.

@lrs68   Ephesians 2.10 and James's Epistle also are searching, on the subject of works.

Salvation itself is of course 'not of works', (Ephesians 2.9).

[Alive]

It's important that we realize where the good works come from. Paul makes a distinction in 'our works' and what God does in and through us.

Ephesians 2:9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Quote

 

[enoob57]

For the family to ponder:
We know that 'ALL' things here are slated for destruction by fire

2 Peter 3:11 (KJV)

[11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

[12] Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

[13] Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

So that the things that are used in works shall be no more... AND
All knowledge of such things to even the thing itself and what was done with it shall cease

Isaiah 65:17 (KJV)

[17] For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

1 Corinthians 13:8 (KJV)

[8] Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

John actually was shown this time

Revelation 21:4 (KJV)

[4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

[5] And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

As we have been given the s/Spiritual essence of new birth and God, Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit within we are able to know that what is true above and applied to the here and now is:

The things themselves and the processes by which they are used is not up for eternal keeping

BUT the essence of the heart

that is made s/Spiritually alive is made able to fix upon what is done to the promise of what will be-which is that which has never been next to sin but is the newness where sin never has been nor even considered... 

Jude 23 (KJV)

[23] And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Here is the impossible- nothing of here or the use of it will be kept... one might say what of the judgment seat of Christ and the talents? This is before the removal of all things present and newness of all things promised... but the judgment, at the bema, is where the value of the heart actually lies:
to the things present, 1^stcreation,
or
the things promised, (eternal state), which is not yet come into being even at the judgment seat itself! Our God is able to take us into this place of righteousness where sin never has been nor ever will be for sin had no place with God in all eternity... The narrow path and few that find...

[Marilyn C]

10 hours ago, Hinds Feet said:

Yet let's think about this.  Jesus was crucified on Passover.  He rose again on FirstFruits.  The Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost/Shavuot.  These are the spring festivals, and all of them carried events very significant for the Body of Christ.  What about the fall festivals?  You have the Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  What events will happen on those days and how will they receive their fulfillment?  Whatever happens on those days, I believe those who don't celebrate them, might not be ready for what happens.

I think about what God told us concerning these times in that they are His feasts, His "appointed times".  Heehee!  Think about doctors appointments.  You can't just walk up in a doctor's office and expect everything to be ready for you the moment you get there.  Yet on days where you have an appointment, the wait for the doctor to see you is shorter if not immediate, and everything is prepared.  It is sort of the same with these feasts as well.  We are to present ourselves to the LORD on these days.  Then I think about what Jesus said when He was weeping over Jerusalem...

 

"For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

 

Which again, Jesus was crucified on Passover.  The days leading up to that Passover, were the days the people were to examine the unblemished lamb that would be the Passover lamb.  God was in their midst, and they didn't know it.  And Israel were celebrating the feasts.  How much more unawareness will we have due to not celebrating these appointed times?  Will Jesus be like a thief in the night to us?  Overall, this is an example on how God's laws discipline us spiritually.  The Church today is by in large undisciplined, because we reject a great deal of God's commands.  Now I'm not saying we are justified by the Law.  I am saying Jesus' nature enables us to keep the heart of God's commands.  This is the Law of Christ.  The same laws given to the people from an outward perspective, were supposed to be the laws God writes on our hearts.

Hi Hinds Feet,

Yes, it is wonderful that the Lord has fulfilled some of the Feasts He gave to Israel. And we, the Body of Christ are so blessed to receive from that too. 

However, the Feasts are for Israel to be `a stature forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.` (Lev. 23: 14)

There are still a few more Feasts to be fulfilled and that will be for Israel. 

 

[Dennis1209]

22 hours ago, Hinds Feet said:

Yet let's think about this.  Jesus was crucified on Passover.  He rose again on FirstFruits.  The Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost/Shavuot.  These are the spring festivals, and all of them carried events very significant for the Body of Christ.  What about the fall festivals?  You have the Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  What events will happen on those days and how will they receive their fulfillment?  Whatever happens on those days, I believe those who don't celebrate them, might not be ready for what happens.

I think about what God told us concerning these times in that they are His feasts, His "appointed times".  Heehee!  Think about doctors appointments.  You can't just walk up in a doctor's office and expect everything to be ready for you the moment you get there.  Yet on days where you have an appointment, the wait for the doctor to see you is shorter if not immediate, and everything is prepared.  It is sort of the same with these feasts as well.  We are to present ourselves to the LORD on these days.  Then I think about what Jesus said when He was weeping over Jerusalem...

 

"For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

 

Which again, Jesus was crucified on Passover.  The days leading up to that Passover, were the days the people were to examine the unblemished lamb that would be the Passover lamb.  God was in their midst, and they didn't know it.  And Israel were celebrating the feasts.  How much more unawareness will we have due to not celebrating these appointed times?  Will Jesus be like a thief in the night to us?  Overall, this is an example on how God's laws discipline us spiritually.  The Church today is by in large undisciplined, because we reject a great deal of God's commands.  Now I'm not saying we are justified by the Law.  I am saying Jesus' nature enables us to keep the heart of God's commands.  This is the Law of Christ.  The same laws given to the people from an outward perspective, were supposed to be the laws God writes on our hearts.

As my citation indicates, I believe I gleaned and copied the following from Marilyn sometime back. Where she and I may differ is that the church is grafted into the first five feasts. I suspect Yom Kippur is representative of a remnant of Israel being saved as a nation. I think Tabernacles (the Wedding Feast) is for the church, and saved Israel are guests and attendants, as represented by the Ten Virgins parable. Could be wrong. But anyway, @Marilyn C did a nice job putting it together. 

The way in which Jesus fulfilled the Jewish feasts is a fascinating study. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jewish prophet Amos records that God declared He would do nothing without first revealing it to His servants, the prophets (Amos 3:7). From the Old Covenant to the New, Genesis to Revelation, God provides picture after picture of His entire plan for mankind and one of the most startling prophetic pictures is outlined for us in the Jewish feasts of Leviticus 23.

The Hebrew word for “feasts” (moadim) literally means “appointed times.” God has carefully planned and orchestrated the timing and sequence of each of these seven feasts to reveal to us a special story. The seven annual feasts of Israel were spread over seven months of the Jewish calendar, at set times appointed by God. They are still celebrated by observant Jews today. But for both Jews and non-Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, these special days demonstrate the work of redemption through God’s Son.

The first four of the seven feasts occur during the springtime (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks), and they all have already been fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament. The final three holidays (Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) occur during the fall, all within a short fifteen-day period.

Many Bible scholars and commentators believe that these fall feasts have not yet been fulfilled by Jesus. However, the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) for all believers in Jesus Christ is that they most assuredly will be fulfilled. As the four spring feasts were fulfilled literally and right on the actual feast day in connection with Christ’s first coming, these three fall feasts, it is believed by many, will likewise be fulfilled literally in connection to the Lord’s second coming.

In a nutshell, here is the prophetic significance of each of the seven Levitical feasts of Israel:

1) Passover (Leviticus 23:5)—Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified during the time that the Passover was observed (Mark 14:12). Christ is a “lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19) because His life was completely free from sin (Hebrews 4:15). As the first Passover marked the Hebrews’ release from Egyptian slavery, so the death of Christ marks our release from the slavery of sin (Romans 8:2).

2) Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6)—Pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.

3) First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10)—Pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in 1 Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead.”

4) Weeks or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:16)—Occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2). The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter’s great sermon and his first proclamation of the gospel.

5) Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24)—(Rosh Hashanah)The first of the fall feasts. Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when the Messiah Jesus will appear in the heavens as He comes for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:52).

6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27)—(Yom Kippur)Many believe this prophetically points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they “look upon Him whom they have pierced,” repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1–6, 25–36).

7) Tabernacles or Booths (Leviticus 23:34)—Many scholars believe that this feast day points to the Lord’s promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world (Micah 4:1–7).

Should Christians celebrate these Levitical feast days of Israel today? Whether or not a Christian celebrates the Jewish feast days would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Colossians 2:16–17 tells us, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Christians are not bound to observe the Jewish feasts the way an Old Testament Jew was, but we should not criticize another believer who does or does not observe these special days and feasts (Romans 14:5).

While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Jewish feast days, it is beneficial to study them. Certainly, it could be beneficial to celebrate these days if it leads one to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection and the future promise of His coming. As Christians, if we choose to celebrate these special days, we should put Christ in the center of the celebration, as the One who came to fulfill the prophetic significance of each of them.^[1]

^[1] Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2014–2021).

`The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are my feasts.` (Lev. 13: 2)

Convocations - an assembly, a rehearsal of the past, but looking to the future fulfillment. These have special dates and help us to work out God`s timeline for Israel and their eventual National Deliverance. As we learn the times and dates concerning the 7 years and beyond, we can have a good idea of when the rapture will be - before the beginning of the 7 years.

Passover 

This commemorated Israel`s deliverance from Egypt. Each family celebrated the deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, and symbolically re-enacted the first Passover as they ate their own special meal. The celebration continued for seven days as they commemorated the Exodus and wilderness wanderings by eating unleavened bread, recalling the haste with which they left Egypt, when they did not have time to let the bread rise. (Ex. 12: 11 - 30, Lev. 23: 4 - 8, Num. 28: 16 - 25, Matt. 26: 17). The Firstfruits is also celebrated with the barley harvest at the end of the seven-day Passover festival. (Lev. 23: 9 - 14).

The Feast of Weeks. 

This Festival is seven weeks after Passover, when the Jews celebrate the gathering in of the wheat harvest. The priests offered symbolically two loaves made from new flour of the new harvest. The Feast later became associated with the giving of the Law, (two tablets) to Moses as Mount Sinai in that month. (Lev. 23: 9 - 22, Deut. 16: 9 - 12).

Trumpets 

A time of reckoning with God. This two-day celebration marked by the blowing of trumpets to greet the civil New Year, was also the beginning of the most solemn month of the year. The Israelites prepared themselves for Yom Kippur, (Day of Atonement which comes ten days later) by praising God, whose standard they had failed to meet, and recounting His greatness, love and mercy. (Lev. 23: 23 - 25,  Num. 1 - 6).

Day of Atonement 

Yom Kippur, the most holy day in the Jewish year. Here Israel confessed the nation`s sins, and asked forgiveness and cleansing. A scapegoat was sent into the desert carrying symbolically the people`s sin. The High Priest entered the Most Holy Place of the temple on this day alone with blood and fire from the altar. (Lev. 16, 23: 26 - 32, Num. 29: 7 - 11).

Tabernacles

Commemorated Israel`s wanderings in the wilderness. It is a joyful harvest festival. During the seven-day celebration the people thanked God for protecting them in the wilderness and for the harvest. For seven days they lived in shelters made of branches, to remind them of their time living in tents in the wilderness. (Lev. 23: 33 - 44, Num. 29: 12 - 40, John 7: 2).¹

¹ Marilyn C (Worthy Forum)

 

[Marilyn C]

10 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

As my citation indicates, I believe I gleaned and copied the following from Marilyn sometime back. Where she and I may differ is that the church is grafted into the first five feasts. I suspect Yom Kippur is representative of a remnant of Israel being saved as a nation. I think Tabernacles (the Wedding Feast) is for the church, and saved Israel are guests and attendants, as represented by the Ten Virgins parable. Could be wrong. But anyway, @Marilyn C did a nice job putting it together. 

 

 

 

 

Hi Dennis,

So kind of you. Now dear bro, when have you sacrificed a lamb and celebrated Passover? Was that Feast given to us or Israel? And where does God`s word say we are grafted into the first 5 feasts?

Just some questions to make us think. 

 

[Dennis1209]

14 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

Hi Dennis,

So kind of you. Now dear bro, when have you sacrificed a lamb and celebrated Passover? Was that Feast given to us or Israel? And where does God`s word say we are grafted into the first 5 feasts?

Just some questions to make us think. 

 

Good morning from up above, where the weather and everything else rotate correctly (circular reasoning). 😊LOL

You are correct, the festivals were given to God’s chosen people (a chosen people for His own through Abraham, after disinheriting the nations) to celebrate and observe. Are we not also grafted into those feasts by the blood of Christ?

1.      Redemption, the purchase price, Kinsmen Redeemer.

2.      Sanctification, burial, baptism.

3.      Harvest, Christ first of the harvest.

4.      Pentecost, receiving the Holy Spirit.

5.      Saved, Rapture, harvest.

I see a prophetic timeline in the feasts for Israel and the church, with the next prophetic event fulfilling the Rapture of God’s children of all time. I would also call the feasts the redemptive plan and story.

The sacrificial system will be restored in Christ's millennial reign, and that seems odd given Christ’s atonement. I think that will be a memorial and celebration of the above, looking back in time at what Christ did for Israel and us, its meaning, and God’s plan and purpose for redemption foretold. As always, I am not dogmatic in my views.