Question: Dear Bob, Atonement is coming up in two days, and my Jewish friend is honoring it with her family. I won't be there, but what I am wondering is, If I joined others on the Feast days, would I be "severed from Christ" as Gal. 5:4 says?

Answer: Gal 5:4 speaks of attempting to be "justified by the Law", which is not operating in the "sphere of Grace". No child of God is ever "severed from Christ". But we lose blessings when we do not walk "in the sphere of Grace". As long as you know what the "Feasts of Israel" represent, I think it would be fine for you to join your friends in their celebration of the "Feasts". Maybe little by little, and very gently, you could help them understand the great Truths that the Seven Feasts of Israel represent.

Here is a "synopsis" of the Seven Feasts of Israel:

The Seven Feasts of Israel - Leviticus 23:5-32
Spring Feasts				Fall Feasts
Passover Fulfilled!	Unleavened Bread Fulfilled!	Firstfruits Fulfilled!	Pentecost Fulfilled!	Trumpets Unfulfilled	Atonement Unfulfilled	Tabernacles Unfulfilled
"Last Supper"	Jesus in the tomb	Resurrection!	Acts Ch 2	Rapture	Second Advent	Millennium

1. Feast of Passover- Fulfilled! Fulfilled by Jesus (Yeshua) at His crucifixion on Nisan 14 (the Day of Passover) in the spring of 33 A.D. By believing in Him, the "death angel" "passes over" us and we have Eternal Life.

--- Matthew 26:2 "Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified".

Jesus ate the "Passover" meal with His disciples, and was taken, tried, and crucified on "Passover Day", the "14th day of the first month"!

2. Feast of Unleavened Bread- Fulfilled! Fulfilled by Jesus, who died on the Cross for us on "Passover day", and was in the tomb for three days and three nights during the "Feast of Unleavened Bread". Every time the Jews kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they were celebrating the "Bread of Life which is broken for us". "Leaven" speaks of "sin" in the Scriptures, and "Unleavened Bread" speaks of Jesus, the only sinless man who ever lived. The seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread began on Nisan 15, in the spring of 33AD, with Jesus in the tomb, Jesus is the "Bread of Life" which was "broken" for us!

--- John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst".
--- John 6:48 "I am that bread of life."
--- 1 Corinthians 11:24 "And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you.....".

3. Feast of Firstfruits- Fulfilled! Fulfilled by Jesus at His Resurrection on Nisan 17 in the spring of 33 A.D.

--- 1 Corinthians 15:20 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept".

Jesus is the "Firstfruits of the Resurrection", and He rose from the dead on the Feast day that always spoke of Him rising from the dead.

4. Feast of Pentecost- Fulfilled! Fulfilled by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, in Acts Chapter 2, on Sivan 7 in the summer of 33 A.D.

--- Acts 2:1 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting."
Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2 was the ceasing of the Jewish Age - seven years before it was due to end, and the "beginning of the Church Age" (The "mystery Age", which was hid in Christ, Eph. 3:1-11).

The Church Age began 50 days after the Feast of "Firstfruits", when Jews from 14 named nations were gathered together in Jerusalem for the Feast of "Pentecost", in Acts 2:8-12!

- - - - - - - A gap of 1,980 years or so has allowed the Light of Israel to go forth into the nations for the Gentiles to be evangelized.

- - - - - - - - - - - - WE ARE HERE in 2012 - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next three holy days on the Hebrew Calendar are the Fall Feasts of Israel, soon to be fulfilled.

5. The Feast of Trumpets- Unfulfilled ....(as of yet). The Feast of Trumpets speaks of the Rapture of the Church (The end of the "Church Age") and the resumption of the "Jewish Age" for its last 7 years.

For the Church, "Trumpets" speaks of being caught up together and meeting Christ in the air and traveling with Him to the third heaven for 7 years:

---1 Thess 5:1-17 "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (go before) them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord".

--- Rev 4:1 "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter".

For the Jews, "Trumpets" speaks of a regathering of many Jews to the "Holy Land" and a resumption of the "Jewish Age" and sacrifice system. We see this as the "Seven Year Tribulation" that we read about in the Book of Revelation, where the "Antichrist" allows the Jews to have "peace" for 3 1/2 years, but breaks his "7 year peace treaty" at the mid point and begins to attempt to exterminate all the Jews.

--- Rev 12:1 "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: (The Nation of Israel)

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. (Satan used "King Herod" to do this, in Matt 2:13 "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him".)
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. (Satan indwelt Antichrist, and his world empire)
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, (One third of the angels fell with Satan) and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child (Jesus) as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, (Jesus) who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (Resurrection of Jesus)
6 And the woman (The Nation of Israel) fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (In the last 3 1/2 years, God will protect many of the Jews who come to believe in Jesus".)

6. The Day of "Atonement"- Unfulfilled ....(as of yet). Speaks of the Second Advent of Christ, when we return with Him to earth to stop the war of Armageddon, remove all the unbelievers, and regather ALL of Israel to the Promised Land, where Jesus will rule the nations of this earth, with a "rod of Iron" (See www.biblefood.com/millennium.html)
The Second Advent of Christ will be the fulfillment of Daniel 9:24:

--- "Seventy weeks (490 years) are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy".
The Jewish nation and "all Israel", who live through the Great Tribulation, will be saved! - Zech. 12:8-13:1, Rom. 11.
The sign of the Son of Man will be seen in the heavens. (Matt. 24:29-31)
He will deliver His people at Jerusalem. (Joel 2:28-32 Zech 14:4 & 5)

Jesus offered Israel the Millennium, but they rejected Him. Jesus died on the Cross 483 years after the prophesy of Daniel began - 7 years short of the Millennium. When the Church is removed, the Jewish Age will resume, to complete these 7 years, to fulfill the 490 year prophesy given by Daniel.

7. The Feast of Tabernacles- Unfulfilled ....(as of yet). Tishrei 15 will come five days after that final epic Second Advent of Christ, and Day of Atonement for the Nation of Israel. "Tabernacles" speaks of the 1,000 year reign of Christ on this earth, with Israel as the "Top Nation", and Jesus, the Messiah, on the throne in Jerusalem.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Again, for more information on the Millennium, see www.biblefood.com/millennium.html

I hope this helps, and may the Lord bless you and your witness to your friends,

  Yours "in Christ",

  Bob Jones