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Defense of the Feasts

Defense of the Feasts: Answering the Objections to God’s Appointed Times

The core objection to observing (or even studying) the Biblical Feasts is the argument that they were abolished or fulfilled entirely by Christ, making them irrelevant for the New Testament Church. Our defense must clearly delineate between the Law (which is fulfilled) and the Prophetic Shadow (which remains instructional).

Objection 1: “The Feasts Were Abolished by the New Covenant.”

This argument relies heavily on Paul’s statement that Christ is the end of the Law.

The Defense: Fulfilling the Law vs. Ending the Shadow

The New Covenant frees believers from the curse and mandatory observance of the Law, but it does not void the prophetic instruction contained within the Feasts.

  • The KJV Distinction: Paul warns against being judged for not keeping the Feasts, not against learning from them:“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17, KJV).
  • The Counter-Argument: Paul confirms the Feasts are “a shadow of things to come” (prophetic). A shadow becomes clearer, not irrelevant, when the actual body (Christ) arrives. The Spring Feasts foreshadowed the First Coming and were fulfilled in their precise season; the Fall Feasts remain a shadow of Christ’s Second Coming, providing a divine framework for the timing of the Lord’s Return. Ignoring the shadow is ignoring the blueprint.

Objection 2: “Jesus and the Apostles Established New Christian Observances.”

The argument here is that the early Church immediately replaced Passover with Easter and the Sabbath with Sunday worship.

The Defense: Continuity, Not Replacement

The early Church did not immediately invent new holidays; they re-contextualized the existing Feasts around the person of Christ.

  • Passover/Unleavened Bread: The Apostles continued to observe this time, but they recognized Christ as the ultimate Paschal Lamb. Paul confirms this continuity:“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast…” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8, KJV). Paul commands them to “keep the feast”—not a new holiday, but the existing structure of the feast, but with a new understanding centered on Christ.
  • The Historical Shift (The “Fable”): The shift from the biblical calendar to the pagan-influenced solar holidays (Easter, Christmas) happened slowly and centuries later as the Church moved away from its Jewish roots and capitulated to Roman/pagan customs for ease of conversion. This is the very “fable” the article is rebuking—the substitution of God’s appointed time for man’s tradition.

Objection 3: “The Feasts are Exclusive to Israel and have no Place for Gentiles.”

This is the argument that God’s covenant with Israel is distinct from the Church (Gentile) covenant.

The Defense: Gentiles are Grafted In

Scripture clearly states that Gentile believers are grafted into the spiritual blessings and root of Israel.

  • The KJV Principle of Grafting: Gentiles share in the covenant blessings of Israel, including prophetic insight:“…the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:6, KJV).
  • The Ultimate Fulfillment: The ultimate prophetic fulfillment of the Feasts happens during the millennial reign of Christ, when all nations will be commanded to observe the Feast of Tabernacles (the final fall feast).“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16, KJV). If the Gentiles are commanded to keep a feast after the Lord’s Return, it strongly suggests the Feasts are a universal, eternal framework for understanding God’s relationship with the world, not merely a temporary code for one nation.

Conclusion: The Feasts are not commands for salvation, but rather prophetic teaching tools that help the watchful Church understand the timing and nature of The Lord’s Return. To discard them is to discard the divine roadmap to the end times.