It is no secret that I enjoy the Biblical holidays, also known as God’s holidays. I celebrate all of them. The Lord Jesus did the same when He was here on earth.
I grew up not knowing anything about the Biblical holidays. I was unfamiliar with them other than Passover. I knew that Bible story very well - about the Israelites and their exodus from Egypt.
At some point, I discovered that Jesus died on Passover as the Lamb of God. Though meaningful, I didn’t give it much thought.
As I got older, I wanted to know more. I knew there were holidays, holy days, mentioned in the Bible that God told His people Israel to keep, but I knew almost nothing about them. After learning about them, I was amazed! All seven of them clearly pointed to Christ and His redemptive plan for His people.
Naturally, I began to wonder... why do most Christians not know about these holidays?
Most Christians are not taught the Biblical holidays, at home or at church. The things we learn, especially as young children, have a strong impact on us for life. I am thankful I was raised in a Christian home where I was taught the Bible and heard Bible stories.
Being raised in Baptist churches, I was not taught the Biblical holidays. As I got older, I attended some Anabaptist churches, and I wasn’t taught the Biblical holidays there either. I had to read and study on my own to know more about them.
God told His people Israel to keep these holidays, and the more I thought about it, I realized that is likely why most Christians know little to nothing about them.
Christians have the entire Bible, Old and New Testament. All of it is God’s Word.
Perhaps Christians are not reading and studying God’s Word like they should?
I wanted to know more, so I read and studied about the Biblical holidays.
Later, I realized something else. The Roman Catholic Church did not like early Christians having anything to do with the Hebrew foundation of their faith. (remember, Christianity began in Jerusalem, not Rome.)
Slowly, but surely, Christians drifted away from the Hebrew foundation of their faith and began to follow the Catholic church instead. This is a large reason why many Christians today do not make connections to the Hebrew Bible. The Catholic church did that on purpose, sadly.
This is why most Christians are ignorant and even hesitant to learn about the Biblical holidays.
These holidays are rich, precious, and beautiful. These are God’s holidays.
I love Passover because it reminds me of the shed blood of the Lamb, the shed blood of Christ that purchased our salvation. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! Hallelujah!
This year, I thought about all of the Biblical holidays. Which one is my favorite, I thought?
It didn’t take me long to figure that out.
The 5th Biblical holiday, the Feast of Trumpets, is probably my favorite!
As mentioned above, each one points to Christ.
Christ died on Passover.
Christ was buried on Unleavened Bread.
Christ rose on Firstfruits.
The Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost.
The Feast of Trumpets points to the return of Christ when He blows the trumpet to take His children home.
Why is that holiday my favorite?
Allow me to share.
If I was a girl, growing up in a family where the Biblical holidays were celebrated, I likely would have been given a plastic toy shofar to blow.
And I would have probably blown that until I drove my Dad nuts. I can hear my Dad saying:
“Okay Erin, that’s enough.”
You get the idea. I love blowing my shofars! I have two of them, and they are not cheap plastic things. They are real shofars made from ram’s horns. One is small and the other is larger. I love blowing my larger one!
Beyond blowing shofars, there is another reason why I love this Biblical holiday so much.
We were redeemed on Passover by the blood of the Lamb, something I love to remember every year. Christ’s blood purchased our salvation.
Those who belong to God have been paid for by the blood of Christ. We are redeemed when we repent of our sin and give our life to God.
But our physical body has not yet been redeemed. That will not happen until Christ comes to take His people home. We are still waiting for the redemption of our body.
The apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans 8:
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
Romans 8:22-23
All of creation groans with us for that day.
When will that day take place?
The Bible says no man knows the day or the hour, a Hebrew idiom for the Feast of Trumpets.
We do not know the exact date Christ will come to take His people home, but I believe it points to this Biblical holiday.
I grew up believing that Christ could come back on any random day. But now that I understand the Biblical holidays, I understand that God has appointed times. I believe Christ will come back some year on the Feast of Trumpets!
We were redeemed by the blood of Christ on Passover.
Final redemption will happen on the Feast of Trumpets.
That is why I love this Biblical holiday so much.
This year, the Feast of Trumpets is on September 24th.
Will Christ come back this year?
No one knows for sure.
One thing I do know is that I will be blowing my shofar in eager anticipation of that glorious day!
As Christians, we sing songs with lyrics like these:
One of these days, it will literally happen!
Final redemption.
It’s coming for those who belong to God.
That’s a promise.
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