1. Is there any biblical truth to support and validate the day and occasion you appear before God to worship?
Remember, those who worship God must worship him in spirit and truth. For example the Lord says; “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?
Bring no more futile [vain, worthless] sacrifices; incense [prayer] is an abomination to Me, the new moons, the Sabbaths and the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your [not My]New Moons, and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them, when you spread out your hands, I will hide My face from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:12-15).
2. Are you appearing before the Lord at His appointed [ordained] times?
The Lord said to Moses; “These are the Feasts of the Lord, holy convocations [sacred assemblies] which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Leviticus 23: 4). Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed [ordained] Feasts of the Lord beginning with the Seventh Day weekly Sabbath, the Passover/Unleavened Bread, First fruits, Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles. (Leviticus 23:1-44).
You may have been deceived or misled in believing that these Festivals were designated only for the Jews, and are not relevant to the Gentiles, but I write and speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what the scriptures say in regards to salvation for the Gentiles.
This is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
“Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely exclude me from His people.”
“For this is what the Lord says: To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant – to them I will give within My temple and its walls a memorial and a name better that sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.’
‘And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant – these I will bring to My holy mountain [kingdom] and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:1-7).
Gentiles are instructed to glorify God together with His people, and not in isolation. They are instructed to, “Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.”
Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to Him, all you peoples” (Romans 15:7-11).
Our God is not a God of confusion. “Jesus Christ is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:14-18).
It is unequivocally clear that the times which God ordained for sacred assemblies are still in force. The bible is replete with evidences where both Jesus Christ and the apostles kept the seventh Day Sabbath.
The apostle Paul admonished the brethren to celebrate the Feast of the Passover/Unleavened Bread by saying; “Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth”(1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
It is quite evident that the disciples kept the Feast of Pentecost, because it is written; “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1).
The Apostle Paul who, became converted fourteen years after the original apostles also kept the Feast of Pentecost. It is stated that, “Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible by the day of Pentecost” (Acts 20:16).
On another occasion Paul said, “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (1 Corinthians 16:8).
Jesus Christ kept the Feast of Tabernacles. It is written: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:37-38).
During the millennium survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will have to go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Those who refuse to keep the Feast will be severely punished. (Zechariah 14:16-19).
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