The Holy Days serve as an outline of God’s plan of salvation –– both for the individual and for mankind in general. These festivals place worship and service of God at the forefront of the minds of believers.
Rather than taking over former heathen celebrations which have been adapted into Christian observance or making up celebrations without any precedent, the real human need of regular festive celebrations is met by age-old, God-ordained observances clearly attested in the Bible itself. The days carry a symbolic teaching which looks forward, as well as backward, and places God squarely in the center — the focus of its range of vision. The Holy Days not only teach us God’s plan of salvation, they point directly to our Savior, Jesus Christ!
- Christ is our Passover, the one who died to pay the penalty for our sins.
- It is by putting on Christ that we put sin out of our lives (Unleavened Bread).
- Christ was the first of the first-fruits and it was through His resurrection that we can receive the Holy Spirit as Counselor, Comforter, or Advocate (Pentecost).
- It is Christ who is going to intervene in world affairs on the Day of Trumpets and will become King of kings and Lord and lords.
- Those who have accepted Christ are now at one with Him through baptism, having had their sins forgiven and received the Holy Spirit (Atonement).
- Christ is coming to set up His government in the Millennium and rule this earth, and His people are now preparing the way for and are representatives of that Kingdom by following in Christ’s footsteps (Feast of Tabernacles).
- Finally, Christ shall make salvation available to everyone in the last great step of His plan, which is the ultimate conclusion of His personal sacrifice as our Savior (Last Great Day).
The culmination of the plan of salvation is marked by the renewal of the whole creation in the new heaven and the new Earth (Revelation 21). Death and destruction are now no more; human history is now at an end. The Kingdom of God has become eternal.
