Although Herbert Armstrong and his followers have maintained that Christians are obligated to observe the Sabbath and Festivals of Torah, they have largely NOT understood them or their purpose. Even though Jesus once said that he came to this earth to fulfill the Law (Torah), and Paul said that they were shadows of the reality found in Christ, they have maintained that all of those symbols pointed to God's "great plan of redemption." Ironically, although that is technically true, they mostly leave Jesus - the central feature of that plan - out of the picture! (See HWA's Pagan Holidays - or God's Holy Days - Which?)
After over eighty years of trying to observe these festivals, modern Armstrongists still don't fully understand the Holy Days they insist we are required to observe. In its latest issue of Beyond Today, the United Church of God proclaims: "Besides His weekly Sabbath, our Creator has revealed seven annual festivals starting in the spring, each one depicting some great event in the ongoing mapping of God’s salvation for humankind...Each represents a decisive turning point in human history." The article goes on to say that "The Feast of Trumpets maps the arrival of Jesus Christ." Continuing in the Armstrongist tradition, they go on to say that "The Day of Atonement maps Satan’s removal," and that "The Feast of Tabernacles maps universal peace and prosperity." Really?
Likewise, the Systematic Theology Project of the Church of God International states that "These seven annual 'appointed feasts' picture God’s plan of salvation for mankind." The document goes on to assert that the understanding that Satan should be associated with the Azazel goat of the Day of Atonement is derived from a book outside of the canon. They state: "In later literature 'Azazel' was considered a name for the chief of the demons, i.e. another name for Satan (1 Enoch 9:6; 10:4)." Regarding Tabernacles, the document states: "This festival metaphorically illustrates the Millennium—the 1,000 years of Christ’s reign on earth. The true harvest of mankind can now take place. Without Satan—the original source of evil finally removed—all nations can now be brought to God. For 1,000 years, a Golden Age shall reign: happiness and peace shall be reality and worldwide salvation shall be possible."
But, do these interpretations of the meanings of these days really conform to what Scripture reveals about its own symbolism? We will demonstrate in this post that the Armstrong Churches of God fundamentally misunderstand what these observances foreshadowed!
In Torah, God revealed his Sabbath to the Israelites by teaching them how to gather manna - the bread from heaven. Likewise, for us, Jesus is both the bread from heaven and our rest. Just as the Sabbath was the sign of the Old Covenant between God and Israel, Jesus is the sign of the New Covenant. Moreover, just as the Israelites were expected to work for six days and rest on the seventh, Jesus represents our rest from our own works. (Compare Exodus 16:1-31, Exodus 20:8-11, Leviticus 23:1-3, Matthew 11:28, John 6:30-41, John 7:37, Hebrews 4:1-11)
Jesus was the young lamb without blemish whose blood was painted over the door posts of our dwellings (these temporary bodies which we now inhabit) to make the destroyer (Satan) not enter our houses. Christ is the Passover Lamb whose shed blood causes death to pass over us. Just as Moses led God's people out of slavery in Egypt, Jesus leads God's people out of slavery to sin. He is also the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth that we must partake of to be reconciled to God. Moreover, Jesus is the wave sheaf offering - the firstfruits of the harvest waved before Almighty God during the days of unleavened bread. (Compare Exodus 12:1-27, Leviticus 23:4-14, John 1:29, I Corinthians 5:7, I Corinthians 15:20 and 23, I Peter 1:19)
Now, just as the wave sheaf represented the first of the firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost represented the rest of the fruits from that first harvest. Christ's sacrifice and offering to God had made it possible for God to harvest even more fruit. In this way, Christ's disciples became part of that first harvest. Prior to his sacrifice and death, Jesus had promised his followers that God would send them a Comforter to assist them in their growth and maturation - until they were ready to be harvested. Remember too, that ALL of the offerings to God associated with these festivals pointed to the offering of Jesus Christ to God. (Compare Leviticus 23:15-22, Deuteronomy 16:9-12, John 14:16 and 26, John 15:26, John 16:7, Acts 2:1-36, I Corinthians 15:23, Ephesians 5:2, James 1:18, Revelation 14:4)
Just as silver trumpets were used to summon the assembly in the wilderness and to summon them to move and to celebrate and to go to war, Jesus has summoned humankind to reconciliation and salvation and has commissioned his disciples to "trumpet" that message to the world. Moreover, the New Testament makes clear that Christ will return to this earth with the blast of a trumpet, and that the dead in Christ will be resurrected at that time. (Compare Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 10:2, 8, 9-10, Numbers 29:1, Numbers 31:6, Matthew 28:19-20, I Corinthians 15:52, I Thessalonians 4:16)
In the Old Testament, Aaron was God's High Priest who performed the annual rituals associated with the Day of Atonement. Christ, of course, is the High Priest of the New Covenant. Unlike Aaron, Jesus presented his own blood before the true altar in heaven. Also, instead of placing all of the peoples' sins on the head of a goat, Jesus himself bore our sins away from us and God's presence. Moreover, by removing our sins from us and God's presence, Jesus has reconciled us to God and made us at one with Him! Also, unlike Aaron's yearly ritual, Christ's atonement was a one-time event that does not ever have to be repeated. Moreover, just as Jesus was afflicted and suffered, his followers are expected to accompany him in his affliction and suffering. (Compare Leviticus 16:1-32, Leviticus 23:26-32, Isaiah 53:1-12, John 1:29, I Peter 4:13, Hebrews 5:1-10, Hebrews 8:1-7, Hebrews 9:1-28, Hebrews 10:1-14)
Finally, the children of Israel were instructed to dwell in temporary shelters for the duration of the last festival to remind them that they had been forced to dwell in temporary shelters while they wandered in the wilderness. In similar fashion, Christ was made to tabernacle in the flesh for a little while so that he could experience what we all experience in these mortal bodies and pay the penalty which our sins have incurred. Moreover, just as the Feast of Weeks celebrated the first or Spring harvest, this festival also pictured the second or fall harvest in the Holy Land. Also, Christ's tabernacling in the flesh paved the way for the great spiritual harvest at the end of the age - the time when the majority of mankind will finally be harvested and receive salvation and life through Jesus Christ! (Compare Leviticus 23:33-43, John 1:14, I Corinthians 15:20-28, II Corinthians 4:7, Hebrews 2:9 and 14-18, II Peter 1:14)
As for the so-called "Last Great Day," we read in the Gospel of John that Christ delivered a specific message on that day. In that account, we read: "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:37-39) Hence, we see that, once again, the day is all about Jesus and salvation through HIM! Unlike the voluminous writings of the ACOGs, this post represents the real Scriptural meaning of these days.
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