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Chapter Four

THE GREATEST OF THE FEAST DAYS

THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are MY feasts: Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings...” Leviticus 23:2 3 KJV

Yes, the Seventh-day Sabbath was the first of God’s several feast days [appointed times]. The Sabbath’s number one position suggests it must have been the most important and dearest to God’s heart.

Though the New Testament apostles did not literally repeat the command to keep the Sabbath as a special day, observance of it was obvious. Notice the next five references from the book of Acts. These five experiences tell us how the New Testament apostles related to God’s holy Seventh-day Sabbath:

1. “And went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.” Acts 13:14

The Holy Spirit was still calling the Sabbath by its right name, and attending church was still the thing to do.

2. “The Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.” Acts 13:42

Preaching on the Sabbath was still the norm.

3. “And from thence to Philippi...we were in that city abiding certain days and on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made...” Acts 16:12,13

At that time there was no synagogue in this Gentile city.

In the above three texts, we find church attendance, preaching, and prayer services still conducted on the day the apostles knew as the Sabbath.

4. “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures.” Acts 17:2

Another apostolic Sabbath custom was Bible study.

5. “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Acts 18:4

This is evangelism. Acts 18:11 states that this practice continued in this one church for a year and six months.

Although the Sabbath is mentioned a couple of other times in the book of Acts, these texts are sufficient to show that the apostles followed in the footsteps of the prophets, and also in the footsteps of Jesus who also had the same custom (Luke 4:6) and kept the same law (John 15:10).

The same book of Acts also makes the same type of references to the other feast days with approximately the same frequency. For the sake of consistency, we’ll take a look from here through chapter six:

REFERENCES TO THE “OTHER” SABBATHS
(Appointed Times)
Recorded in the book of Acts

“And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.” Acts 20:6

Notice that the Holy Spirit was still calling the Feast of Unleavened Bread by its right name. This feast began at the end of Passover. The Passover began on the evening of the 14th day, while the feast of Unleavened Bread began on the evening of the 15th day and continued for seven more days. Only the first and last days of this feast are Sabbaths. Notice how Ellen White combined the two feasts in her comment on the above text:

“At Philippi Paul tarried to keep the Passover. Only Luke remained with him, the other members of the company passing on to Troas to await him there. The Philippians were the most loving and true hearted of the apostle’s converts, and during the eight days of the feast he enjoyed peaceful and happy communion with them.” AA 390 391

Philippi was a Greek city. Most of the converts in that area had to have been of Gentile origin. The city did not have a synagogue, in fact, still does not. The question some are asking is, “Why were Paul and his converts keeping and enjoying Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread?”

The same question is posed and answered in evangelistic meetings regarding the 7th-Day Sabbath. Why did the apostles meet by a riverside, with their converts of Philippi, on the Seventh-day Sabbath? The answer we have given is, “Because they knew and taught the Sabbath is still binding.” (Acts 16:12,13)

Then to be consistent, why did the apostles meet with their converts of Philippi especially to celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread? To be consistent, a person should say, “Because they knew and taught that the statutes of the feasts are still binding.”

A large question about these other feast days may come from two references Ellen White made regarding one of them.

THE PASSOVER QUESTION

The Passover, Ellen White says, was done away forever! (See DA 652, SD 158, EV 273 274) The question is this:

Was she referring to the Passover evening with its sacrifices or was she referring only to the sacrifice offered on that evening? Allow me to share a few comments of interest regarding this question.

1. “And He said unto them, ‘With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’” Luke 22:15, 16 KJV

In the previous verses, Jesus explained that He would keep the Passover with His people in heaven with grape juice and unleavened bread. In other words, if both the appointed time and also the lamb sacrifice passed away forever, why would Jesus keep it with us in the heavenly kingdom? And why did Paul keep it with his converts at Philippi?

2. “In the spring of A.D. 31, Christ, the true sacrifice was offered on Calvary. Then the veil of the temple was rent in twain, showing that the sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service had departed. The time had come for the earthly sacrifice and oblation to cease.” DA 233; PK 699

These quotes indicate that only the sacrificial law of Passover was dispensed.

3. “This act signified to the heavenly universe, and to a world corrupted by sin, that a new and living way had been opened to the fallen race, that all sacrificial offerings terminated in the one great offering of the Son of God.” 5BC 1109, FLB 201

In other words, both Paul and Jesus referred to an acknowledgement of the Passover on this side of the cross; but neither of them made reference to a continuation of the animal sacrifice. As I read the Ellen White statements in their context regarding Passover’s termination, she was primarily referring to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb.

PASSOVER CAN REFER TO TWO DIFFERENT THINGS

The Bible refers to the evening of the 14th of Nisan (Abib) as the Passover time, but at other times the Bible refers only to the lamb itself as being the Passover.

Examples of the Lamb being called the Passover:

“Take you a lamb...and kill the Passover.” Ex. 12:21

“Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the Lord...” Deut. 16:2, KJV

“Thou mayest not sacrifice the Passover unto the Lord...” Deut. 16:5 KJV

“Then they killed the Passover on the 14th.” 2 Chron. 30:15 KJV

“They ate the Passover.” Numbers 9:5, 10-11 KJV

They were not eating or killing a day, an evening, or a season. It was a lamb that was killed and eaten. Only the lamb is the Passover in the above scriptures.

In other words, sometimes the word “Passover” was referring to only the lamb, and in other scriptures it referred to the appointed time.

Mrs. White does the same thing in the following quote:

“As He (Christ) ate the Passover with His disciples...the national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever.” DA 652

To be consistent, it appears that she is referring to the eating of the lamb as “the national festival of the Jews that passed away. “The feasting (festival) on an unspotted lamb by the Jews was to pass away forever.

On the other hand, if she was referring to a time or the season she might be out of harmony with Jesus and Paul. As I studied her chapter regarding the passing of the Passover in The Desire of Ages, the references to death and sacrifice are the prevalent theme in the context.

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