Note: I want to say in the beginning here that this is only a short version of the plan of Salvation for all of mankind. There are so many scriptures to testify of these writings. To learn of God it is a must to get into the Bible and study it diligently, study, pray, pray for God to give you His Holy Spirit, if you do God will truly guide you. I use the New Scofield Reference Edition in my writings, I have heard it is out of print now and hard to come by and that saddens me greatly. The New International Bible (NIV) that is widely accepted for the most part in Christianity is written by scholars who have the belief in going to Heaven or going to Hell, and this really hides or shades the true meaning of the Bible, for example the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior as well as the plan of Salvation for ALL of mankind. Pastor Mark
We know and hear the plan of salvation that is usually accepted by Christians of today. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and when you die you will go to Heaven. If you don’t accept Jesus in this life when you die will go to hell and be tortured there forever and ever. Does this sound like an all loving Creator who has multitude amounts of grace and mercy for his creation? (2 Peter 5:8) quotes, “Your enemy the devil (Satan) prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”). Do most people even believe that there is a Satan? Think about this, if there is a Satan (and there is), and we can’t see him, touch him, or even believe that he is and mankind will be judged to eternity in Hell not even knowing or believing there is a Satan. (Revelation 12:9) says “The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, (who leads the whole world astray).” And he is doing a good job of that in today’s society, and we are condemned by God with a foe that is so powerful against us? Does that sound like a fair all loving God who will condemn us when we are no contest in this life against our adversary? True professing Christians know and believe Satan exists but the multitudes of humanity don’t. And if the normal Christian beliefs that are in America are true, you must admit God is losing the battle against Satan in saving souls, churches are getting fewer and there are fewer converts who are coming to Christ in America anyway. There must be a Master Plan of God for saving all of humanity. There has to be some sort of timing, as in another article on this website, How Big is your God? How mighty is Your Savior? I am here to tell you there is a plan of God for saving most of us anyway, it will still be our choice God will not force that, but He will give all of us an opportunity to come and know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be saved in the order that God has ordained.
God in the Old Testament set up Holy Days for His nation of Israel that was the plan for Israel at that time to understand that there is sin and come to know and worship their God. They did not have the Holy Spirit so could they really come to know God? Absolutely NO! And God knew this. The Holy Days were a forerunner to let Israel and the world through Israel know that God was God and only One God.
Also, Jesus Christ would have to come and die for the sins of the world (John 1:29} before the Holy Spirit would be given. Now there are a few exceptions in the O.T., who did have the Holy Spirit, God called Moses, and all of the Prophets, they needed it to understand and do God’s bidding in his plan of salvation and without the Holy Spirit they are void of understanding of God and His ways, as it is with mankind in today’s society. Please see (1 Corinthians 2:9-12) I hope you will read the whole chapter to see I am not taking the scripture out of context. And the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is just a part of God’s master plan in saving all of humanity. Mankind needed the creator of the world to come and die for that creation and that Creator is Jesus Christ as (John 1:3) states “Through him (Jesus Christ) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made”. Our Jesus is the creator of the world so wouldn’t it make sense that He would be the only one to pay the price for our sins? From Adam until the end of time Jesus is mankind’s Savior. Please see 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.
There are around 360 prophecies of Jesus coming and dying on the cross in the Old Testament. What happened in O.T. times were a foreshadow or meaning of what would take place in the New Testament as well. Notice King David, the trials he went through, the prayers he prayed, was also used as a prophecy about Christ’s sacrifice. Read (Psalm 22), it talks about the sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross. (Isaiah 53), the whole chapter is another one. All through the Psalms speak of Christ and many other places. So as with King David’s writings about himself they are being used dually for his life as well as in Jesus’ life. Another example is used in (Galatians 4:21-31) please read. Abraham’s sons Isaac and Jacob was another dual analogy, one son a slave the other son free, as we are now In Christ. So with many scriptures having a dual meaning in the Old Testament there is also dual meanings with the Holy Days given to Old Testament Israel. I believe absolutely that God is a God of love as it says in (John 3:16-17) …Christ did not come to condemn the world but to SAVE it. So again what is God’s Plan for all of humanity coming to Christ and being saved?
Lets’ list the Holy Days.
The 1st one is Holy Day (HD) is the (1) Passover, they kept all Holy Days and the Sabbath from sunset to sunset, the Second Holy Day (and it follows the day right after Passover), it is the (2) Days of Unleavened Bread, they were to keep this Feast for 7 days. Then comes the day of (3) Pentecost, after that came the fall festivals, the (4) Feast of Trumpets, the (5) Day of Atonement, the (6) Feast of Tabernacle’s, and finally, (7) The Last Great Day. These are found in (Leviticus 23).
Seven is a number that means complete in the Bible. Is this interesting that God has 7 Holy Days! Could it mean a complete Plan of God for saving all of mankind maybe? Of course it is. Let’s look at each Holy Day and see what God has in store for us to learn from them.
The first (HD) is the Passover, (Lev. 23: 4-5), this is where in the O.T. they sacrificed a year old lamb “without blemish” for the sins they committed in the past year.
Second (HD), is the Days of Unleavened bread, verse 6-8.The nation of Israel was to get all the leavened products out of the houses and possessions due to the fact that God relates sin with leaven. See (1 Corinthian’s 5:8) ;( 1Cor. 11: 23-26)
The third (HD) is Pentecost, (Lev. 23: 15-22), they would wave two loaves of bread, and present offerings to the Lord, as they did in all of the Holy Days, other than Atonement. We will learn more about that later.
The fourth (HD) is the Feast of Trumpets, (verses, 23-25), that is the Feast of blowing the trumpet.
The fifth (HD) is the Day of Atonement, this is a 24 hours period, sunset to sunset, as instituted by God in (Genesis 1), and they would Fast, abstain from food and drink. It is also when the Priest would lay their sin on one of the goats, one goes into the wilderness and the other one is sacrificed.
The sixth (HD) is the Feast of Tabernacles; they would travel to God's Temple at Jerusalem and present offerings and live in temporary dwelling for seven days. They would eat well, drink strong drink and enjoy the harvest season to the full.
And finally the seventh (HD) is The Last Great Day, (Leviticus 23:39) “On the first day shall be a Sabbath (the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles) and on the eight day (the Last Great Day) shall be a Sabbath”.
This is a brief description of the Holy Days God instituted but is there a dual meaning? I say, there has to be, God cannot lose the battle of saving souls to Satan, no way. But you can rest assured Satan wants you to believe that. And once you understand God’s Plan of salvation you will see this for yourself.
Question? The 1st Holy Day was the Passover, let’s discuss this.
When did Jesus die on the cross? Would you believe on the VERY day of Passover?
Coincidence or is there a Plan of God starting here? Sin had to be paid for by someone worthy, and that would be Jesus. Please read WHY JESUS on this website, (back to this article), or else the rest of God’s plan couldn’t continue and we would be all doomed to death, or as some believe Hell. (Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death”, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” So Jesus had to come and save mankind 1st, (to pay the penalty of death through sin) then the rest of God's Plan could continue.
Ok, the next Holy Day, the 2nd, was the 7 days of Unleavened Bread. Again the number 7 is complete, the seven-day week is one example, and the 7 Days of Unleavened Bread represents 7 days of coming out of sin. (2 Peter 3:8) says, “But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Some Christians believe that mankind from Adam until present is around six thousand year time period and I am one of them. God’s plan of salvation for mankind as in the representation of the Days of Unleavened Bread, it will take seven thousand years to fulfill. The next 1000 years I believe, we are at six thousand years now, will happen when Christ returns to save the world from itself and Christ our King of Kings will reign on this Earth for the last thousand years of Gods 7,000 year plan. Nowhere in the Bible speaks about a rapture that takes the Christians to Heaven, let’s see what it says about Christ's 2nd coming, (Zechariah14:4), “And his feet shall stand in the day upon the Mount of Olives’ which is before Jerusalem on the east …”look at (verse 9), “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be ONE Lord, and his name one.” Does that sound like a rapture theory, I think Not.
Let’s rethink here, Christ died for the sin of the world, (John 1:29) the seven days of Unleavened Bread will be fulfilled, 7,000 years of completely coming out of sin for all of mankind, more about this later, then what is the next or 3rd Holy Day?
Pentecost!
After Christ died on the Cross, 50 days later, at Pentecost, “the 3rd Holy Day in line, was when the Holy Spirit came to the Church. Again, Christ died at Passover, on the very day of Passover, and now on the very day of Pentecost, the 3rd Holy Day, God’s Holy Spirit came. In each case when the Holy Day was upon us, right on schedule in New Testament time’s things happened. Let’s restate the facts Please, Christ died on the PASSOVER, the Days of Unleavened Bread, all of mankind coming out of sin, a 7,000 year plan, and now PENTACOST, the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Church. Folks it happened on the very day. Coincidence?
I don’t think so; it sure looks like there is a plan going on here.
Well, two thousand years have gone by since the Church began and the Holy Spirit came, what is the fourth Holy Day in God’s Master plan coming? The Feast of Trumpets (see Leviticus 23:23-25)and what can this mean in our dual meaning of the Holy Days? The 2nd coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, (1 Corinthian’s 15:51-52) “Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, (the ones dead in Christ Now), but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the TRUMPET will sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.” (Revelation 11:15), “And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The Kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever.”
And this is what the world, the Christians of today anyway, are waiting for, the 2nd Coming of Our Lord and Savior, the Kings of Kings, Lord of Lords, and this will start the beginning of saving all of mankind. Christ will return the 2nd time and set up His Kingdom, please don’t believe the lie Satan is telling everyone that this is a bunch of nonsense. Now at his 2nd coming the true Church of Jesus Christ will be saved and receive immortality, and assist Jesus in converting the world during those 1,000 years to Jesus, then after the 1000 year Kingdom the rest of mankind that is physically dead will be resurrected and have the opportunity to receive Jesus as their Savior and be saved too. More about this later. Back to the Holy Days please, but after the Trumpet blows what is the next Holy Day coming and what does it represent?
The fifth Holy Day, the Day of Atonement, as some called it the day of fasting. After the trumpet sounds and Christ returns, he will lay all the sin of the world, that was laid on him 1st at the cross, (John 1:29) and Christ will put it back of the father of all sin, which is Satan the Devil. Please see John 8:44), and now let’s read (Leviticus 16:21-22), “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send it away by the hand of a fit man (Christ) in to the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon it all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited; and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness” and this relates to putting all of the sin of mankind back on Satan’s head, let’s read more about the Day of Atonement, (Revelation 20: 1-3), And I saw an angel come down from heaven (Christ) , having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil land Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season. Why? To see if all of the converted souls during the 1,000 year reign will stay true to Jesus and His Kingdom.
Again the Day of Atonement, (Leviticus 16: 15) ”Then shall he (the High Priest) will kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people and bring its blood within the veil and do with that blood as he did with the bloods’ of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat.” This is the dual prophecy of Christ offering himself to the Father after he was resurrected for the sin of the world. (John 20: 11-18) tells the whole story, Please read it, but I will quote verse 17 for this point, “Jesus said unto her, (Mary) Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and to your God.” Christ went to the mercy seat and presented himself in Heaven to God the Father for the Sin of the world. (John1: 29).
In Old Testament times the nation of Israel kept the Day of Atonement to atone for their sins they committed during the past year, and this duals in prophecy of Christ dying for mankind and laying the sin of the world back on Satan’s head where it belongs.
Let’s continue to The sixth Holy Day, the Feast of Tabernacles, and what a wonderful Feast this represents, in Old testament times the nation of Israel, lived in booths, temporary dwellings representing our temporary bodies in this life, and they celebrated a Feast of enjoyment seven days which represents the 1000 year reign of Christ in the Kingdom of God where Satan is bound until the 1000 years are over. (Revelation 20: 7) please read the entire chapter, “And when the thousand years are ended, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison”. The Kingdom of God is all about Christ the Savior of the World reigning in Righteousness and bringing peace to all nations. For a thousand years no wars, pain, suffering as we are so aware of in this society gone mad.
Last but not least by any means, the 7th Holy Day, the Last Great Day. After the 1000 years with Christ reigning and Satan is loosed just for a little bit, the 7th Holy Day represents when all of mankind from Adam until the 7,000 years are over will have an opportunity to come to Christ. Let’s read John 7:37, “In the last day, THAT GREAT DAY OF THE FEAST, (speaking of the 7th Holy Day) Jesus cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He BELIEVETH ON ME, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water”. All of mankind shall have the opportunity to come to Jesus Christ. You’re Fathers, Mothers, Brothers, babies that have died young, all who have ever lived and didn’t know Christ will be resurrected and have a chance to come to know Jesus. What a marvelous plan, what a beautiful plan, what an Awesome plan. WE have a Wonderful Savior, a Mighty Savior, and his name is Jesus Christ saving the whole world unto himself and after all of this as the 7 Holy Days are all fulfilled, in (Revelation 21 and 22) please read, speaks of “The New Heaven and the New Earth”, and all of this because of the total Sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world, and as it states in, (John 1:29) He (Christ) is the Creator of the Earth and isn’t it fitting that He (the Same Christ) is the Savior of the whole Earth from Adam until the end. What a plan of salvation for all of mankind. So please be at Peace for the ones in your family that never new Christ in this life and has died. There are so many great people through history that never had an opportunity to come to know Jesus Christ, and God knows that, as Christ says in (John 14:27) Christ speaking here “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:..” God through the saving Grace and Power of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice will get all of humanity in his wonderful Family forever and ever. (Revelation 21:4) “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”. How beautiful is the Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ for mankind.
Is this too beautiful! What a God and what a Savior mankind has,
Do you see why we will Praise Him forever and ever? He SAVED US ALL! Amen! AMEN!
God Bless You all, and Peace be unto You, (John 8: 32) Christ speaking “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
Free Indeed! God's Holy Days show us the Truth about God’s Plan of Salvation for all of Mankind. Thank you for studying with me and God Bless You and your Family! Pastor Mark