What holidays does the bible tell you to celebrate?

Answer 1

The Bible does not instruct people to celebrate holidays. In fact the Bible does speak against participation in holiday celebrations that were widely practiced among the pagan nations. Ephesians 5:10, 11 states: “Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord; and quit sharing with them in the unfruitful works that belong to the darkness, but, rather, even be reproving them.” Here we see from this scripture, that early Christians were instructed to not share in activities of the surrounding influences, but to keep doing only the things that pleased God. Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 reads, “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Be′lial? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? . . . ‘“Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,” says Jehovah, “and quit touching the unclean thing”’; ‘“and I will take you in, . . . and you will be sons and daughters to me,” says Jehovah the Almighty.’” These scriptures show no indication of a command to celebrate any holiday.

However, there is one thing that Christians were instructed to do annually as an observance. We read at Luke 22:19-23, to "keep doing this inremembranceof [Jesus]." When you read this account in your copy of the Bible, you will be reading the account of Jesus' last supper with his apostles. This is the only thing that Jesus instructed his disciples to continue to do on his behalf, annually on this day. In "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" book, it brings out that "this is, in fact, a memorial of Jesus’ death. Each year on Nisan 14 it is to be repeated, as Jesus says, in remembrance of him. It will call to the memory of the celebrants what Jesus and his heavenly Father have done to provide escape for humankind from the condemnation of death. For the Jews who become Christ’s followers, the celebration will replace the Passover."

Answer:

The word "holidays" is the modern term, and running together, of the words; "Holy Days." And God does indeed list and command His to be observed each year... along with His "weekly" one. All of these are referred to in the Bible as God's "Sabbaths."

God's weekly Sabbath is the "seventh-day" of His Divinely-inspired seven-day creation-remembering week, that we call "Saturday" -- or "Saturn's Day" named by men after one of his manypagan gods, Saturn.

The "Holy Days" [holidays] of the Lord are listed forGod's people in Leviticus 23. These are essentially ignored by most men today as being, as the world regards most of the Bible, as irrelevant to anything practical in real life.

"The Lord said to Moses, Give the Israelites instructions regarding the Lord's appointed festivals, THE DAYS WHEN ALL OF YOU WILL BE SUMMONED TO WORSHIP ME." (Lev.23:1 NLT New Living Translation)

At the very outset of these commanded feasts [Holy Days; holidays, festivals]... there is much satanic confusion and great division among men as to just "who the LORD is" who commands these assemblies of His people whom He calls "the Israelites."

To the world, these "commanded feasts" are "Jewish Holy Days"... a phrase that Leviticus 23 doesn't use. But they are commanded by the "Lord" for the "Israelites" -- the CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC and "JACOB" (whose name was changed to "Israel" [Gen.32:28].

In the New Testament of the Bible, John records that the "LORD" from the "beginning" of creation was none other than the WORD OF GOD; Jesus Christ:

"HE CREATED EVERYTHING THAT IS. NOTHING EXISTS THAT HE DIDN'T MAKE." (John 1:3 NLT)

But there aren't that many people who "believe" these simple words. And therein lies the confusion among men... and man's unwillingness to know, understand and observe the "holidays" clearly recorded for "the Israelites" [Abraham's children] in the Bible.

"...Abraham BELIEVED God[Abraham believed Jesus Christ, the Creator God of the Old Testament, as explained above], soGod declared him Righteous because of his FAITH. The REAL CHILDREN of Abraham, then [the REAL ISRAELITES],are THOSE WHO PUT THEIR FAITH IN GOD [put their Faith in the WORD; the LORD, Jesus Christ - emphasis mine]." (Gal.3:6-7 NLT)

"What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would accept the Gentiles, too, on the basis of their Faith. God promised this Good News [the gospel] to Abraham long ago when He said, 'All nations will be BLESSED through you [see Gen.12:3]. And so it is: All who PUT THEIRFAITH IN CHRIST share the same blessing Abraham received because of his Faith. " (verses 8-9 NLT)

So, the "true Israelites" to whom God [Jesus Christ] refers in the Bible, who are GOD'S PEOPLEare not Abraham's "blood-descendants"... but those who possess Abraham's FAITH.

"There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians - you are One in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ[through Faith in the shed blood of Christ; not Abraham's physical bloodline - emphasis mine], YOU ARE THE TRUE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you." (verses 28-29 NLT)

And if you are Christ's through Faith, and heirs of Abraham's promises... you are also bound to the "ETERNALLY" commanded "Holy Days" that God [Jesus Christ]lists andcommands His people to keep in His recorded Word in Leviticus 23.

"...This is a PERMANENT LAW for you, and it must be kept BY ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS [of "Israelites"... God's Faithful]." (Lev.23:41 NLT)

As stated above... this is what the LordJesus Christ commands and is "acceptable tothe Lord."These are the Holy Days [holidays] that He commandsin His Word, the Bible. His name is Jesus Christ; the God of Faithful Abraham, and the God of Faithful Isaac, and the God of Faithful Jacob [Israel].

The world calls them "Jewish Holy Days"... but Jesus Christ calls them HIS!

"...Concerning the Feast of the Lord... even THESE ARE MY FEASTS." (Lev.23:2 KJV)

Jesus tells His people... His servants... that these annual"Sabbath" feasts [and weekly seventh-day Sabbaths] are HIS VISIBLE SIGNS [marks, indicators] that SHOWS THE WORLD WHO HIS PEOPLE ARE!

"Tell the people of Israel [Abraham's Faithful children]to keep MY Sabbath day [not the Jews' Sabbath], for IT IS A SIGN of the covenant [to obey His voice - see Ex.19:5] between Me and you FOREVER. It HELPS YOU REMEMBER THAT I AM THE LORD [Jesus Christ], who makes you Holy. Yes, keep the Sabbath day, for it is Holy... The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day FOREVER. It is A PERMANENT SIGN of My covenant with them." (Ex.31:13-17 NLT)

The "holidays" [Holy Days; Sabbaths; Signs; Remembrances] of God Almightyare recorded in the Bible. But, because the world doesn't "believe" who the Bible says this God is [His name is Jesus Christ]... anddoesn't "believe" that the Bible is of any relevance today to "real Life" -- few people bother to take them seriously, "remember" them or "keep" them.

And in failing to remember and keep God's Sabbaths [His IDENTIFYING Signs]... mankind has forgotten Him, and doesn't know Him. And subsequently, man has lost his own identity as the "Children of God" [see Rom.8:16].

"He was in the world, and THE WORLD WAS MADE BY HIM, and THE WORLD KNEW [and knows] HIM NOT." (John 1:10 KJV)

"...the Sabbath was made for MAN [for all of mankind; Adam and Eve], and not man for the Sabbath: therefore THE SON OF MAN [Jesus Christ] IS LORD ALSO OF THE SABBATH." (Mark 2:27-28 KJV)

God's Holy Days are listed in the Bible... and according to the scriptures,they're clearly "Christ-centered."

"...For even Christ OUR PASSOVER is sacrificed for us: therefore LET US KEEP THE FEAST..." (I Cor.5:7-8 KJV).

"...on the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month IS THE FEAST of Unleavened Bread UNTO THE LORD..." (Lev.23:5-6 KJV).

"...I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, ANXIOUS TO EAT THIS PASSOVER MEAL WITH YOU before My suffering begins... DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME." (Luke 22:15-19 NLT)

When Jesus walked the earth in the flesh... He kept these Holy Days that He commanded in Leviticus 23, right along with His fellow Jews:

"On the Last Day, the climax of the festival [the Feast of Tabernacles, which Jesus kept], Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, 'If you are thirsty, come to Me! If you believe in Me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of Living Water will flow out from within.' (When He said 'Living Water,' He was speaking of the Spirit, that would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesushad not yet entered into His Glory.)" (John 7:37-39 NLT)

But, the list of God's "holidays" in the Bible is one thing. "Belief" and "Faith" in what the Bible says about the Feasts of Christ[and other things]is a whole other issue with men.

"...But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have Faith?" (Luke 18:8 NLT)