Who Re-established the Jewish Holidays
Into the Church Dispensation?

Who Re-established the​​ Jewish

Holidays Into the​​ Church​​ Dispensation?

JAN LILLEBY

 ​​ ​​​​ No single person invented these Christian holidays; rather, they​​ evolved over centuries through biblical history, early church traditions, and imperial Roman decrees.

Even if the New Testament declares (Paul,​​ in Ephesians and Colossians) that the Law of Moses was abolished, even blotted out, in his time (the two epistles were written 63-67 CE), the Christian Church in general managed to propagate the two main holidays of Jewish origin, namely the Passover and the Pentecost…re-established as “Christian Holidays” and put up in most calendars in the Western world. These holidays have the effects of​​ some collateral damage​​ to them: it can seem like the Law of Moses never actually was abolished. For these holidays were a substantial part of the ordinances of the Law.​​ In addition to these two, the Christmas holiday was​​ invented​​ by the early Church (see list below). Christmas celebration has – over the times – gotten a certain profane looks, by all the commercialism emerging…people spending billions on this celebration. It looks more profane than holy, if you are asking me!

So, I chose to quote Paul’s Doctrine of Faith for the Church in regard to the abolishment of the Law of Moses,​​ Col. 2:13-17, NASB,

“13​​ When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,​​ 

14​​ having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.​​ 

15​​ When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.​​ 

16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-​​ 

17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”​​ 

Verses 16 and 17 are emphasized since they express the core of this Bible passage: All Jewish Mosaic holidays, including Sabbath and New Moon, are taken out (so no one can judge anyone for not keeping these ordinances) – and they were only given originally as a type of “foreshadowing” of what is to come; but as Christ had come, it finally was revealed to Paul that the Law was indeed abolished.

Eph. 2:14-16, NASB, makes it clear that Christ had to take away the Law in order to create the Church-body, often called the “One new man”. The Body of Christ could not have the Law of Moses as basic doctrine for observation, - the Law is portrayed as a WALL and an ENMITY,

“14​​ For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,​​ 

15​​ by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,​​ 

16​​ and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.”​​ 

Below follows a list of how things happened, and through which eventual authority it happened.

​​  

1. Passover (Pascha / Easter)

The Origin:​​ Originally instituted by​​ God in the Old Testament​​ (Exodus 12) to commemorate the Israelite exodus from Egypt. 

The Christian Evolution:​​ The early Church did not invent a new holiday but refocused the existing Jewish Passover to celebrate Jesus as the ultimate "Passover Lamb" who was crucified and resurrected during the festival. For the first few centuries, it was called​​ Pascha​​ (the Greek word for Passover). 

The Official Shift:​​ In​​ 325 CE,​​ Emperor Constantine and the First Council of Nicaea​​ formally detached the holiday from the Jewish lunar calendar. They standardized it to always fall on a Sunday, creating the calculation method used for modern Easter. 

2. Pentecost

The Origin:​​ Like Passover, Pentecost was originally a Jewish festival called​​ Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), commanded in the Old Testament to celebrate the spring harvest and the giving of the Torah. 

The Christian Evolution:​​ According to the New Testament Book of Acts, Jesus’s disciples were gathered in Jerusalem for this Jewish festival when the​​ Holy Spirit descended upon them. This event marks the birth of the Christian Church – that is: the general Christian communities hold to this doctrine, - but is highly refuted by the​​ Dispensational believers, such as Mid-Acts believers and Acts-28 believers. The Church had its birth as Paul wrote Ephesians and Colossians. 

The Official Shift:​​ By the​​ 2nd century AD, early Christian communities recognized it as a distinct 50-day period of celebration following Easter, cementing its spot on the permanent liturgical calendar. 

3. Christmas

The Origin:​​ Unlike the other two, Christmas has no direct Old Testament foundation. The New Testament does not state the date of Jesus' birth. 

The Official Shift:​​ The formal holiday was instituted by the​​ Western Church in Rome. The earliest recorded celebration of Christmas on​​ December 25th is found in an ancient Roman calendar from​​ 336 AD, during the reign of​​ Emperor Constantine. 

The Date Choice:​​ Around​​ 350 AD,​​ Pope Julius I​​ officially declared December 25th as the birth of Christ. Church leaders likely chose this date to overwrite popular Roman winter solstice festivals, like​​ Saturnalia​​ and the birthday of the​​ Unconquered Sun​​ (Sol Invictus), making it easier for the Roman empire to transition to Christianity.

By pointing to these quasi-holidays of the Christian Church, it is not my intent to try to rob the societies in the Western world of their beloved holidays! My only intent is to simply​​ make clear​​ that none of these quasi-holidays are given by the command of God and Christ. They are not holidays we, as believers, MUST observe…or else!

But never the less: please do remember that the original Law of Moses, which commanded to Israel​​ the keeping of these ordinances, are no longer valid. The Law was really abolished by Christ, in order to create the Church, in which Jew and Gentile by faith are made into “One new man”, and has total equality.

CHRIST DID AWAY WITH ISRAEL, FOR WITHOUT

THE LAW OF MOSES, THERE CANNOT BE ANY

ISRAEL OF GOD IN OUR TIME OF THE CHURCH

Have you understood this strict Biblical fact?

The Law was given in order to discipline the new nation of Israel,​​ ahead​​ of their invasion of Canaan, led by Joshua and Caleb. A nation has to have a national juridical valid Law, so to keep “Law and Order” in the land.

But due to the sad ending of Israel, as they refused to turn to Jesus as their Messiah​​ –​​ God had the disobedient nation of His destroyed in 70 CE, using the Roman army for this purpose. They even flattened their precious temple, the center of their worship of God Jehovah. Jesus prophesied of this disaster, and He prophesied of the destruction of the​​ temple and the burning of Jerusalem as well. Mat. 22:7 and His parable of the “Wedding Feast”.

It is a striking fact to notice that in the present Church-dispensation, there is NO TEMPLE in Jerusalem. It goes to firmly illustrate to us that Israel as a nation of God cannot exist as such along-side the Church.

The Church is made up of believers from the entire world, and is international. But Israel was the sole nation by God’s choice, like He told the Hebrews at Mt. Horeb,​​ Exo. 19:5-6, NASB,

“​​ 5​​ 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;​​ 

6​​ and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."​​ 

When Jesus returns from heaven at the end of the 70th​​ Year-Week of Dan. 9,​​ what is called for The Great Tribulation, He shall establish the millennial Kingdom of God in Israel. The NEW LAW for this NEW ISRAEL OF GOD shall be declared and written by Christ and His chosen ministers of Government. See Isaiah 2, and Rev. 20:4.

Only the ordinance of Sabbath shall be brought over from the Law of Moses and made part of the new Law of Christ for the Kingdom.

In Isaiah 2, there is no mention of​​ any sort of feasts or holidays. It​​ will not​​ come any Passover or Pentecost​​ – for Sabbath see Is. 66:23.

Here is an excerpt of​​ Is. 2, NASB,

“2​​ Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.​​ 

3​​ And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths."​​ For the law will go forth from Zion​​ and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.​​ 

4​​ And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and​​ their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.​​ 

5​​ Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.”

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