Automatic Transcript Generated
Speaker 1
Gloria is asking how long is a generation in the Bible? Do we still need to follow the feasts that the Jews followed in the Bible, or were they done away with when Jesus died on the cross?
Speaker 2
All right, my friend Gloria, I think that’s a really great question. It’s actually two questions, which is cool. I like that. Bring it on. So to answer your first question, as far as how long is a generation in the Bible, the quick answer is 40 years. And you’ll find that if you look in the book of Psalms, chapter 95, verse ten. And so if you go to Psalms 95, verse ten, it reads I don’t know if it’s going to be on the screen, psalm 95, verse ten. For 40 years I was grieved with that generation and said, it is the people who go astray in their hearts and they do not know my ways. So this is King David is speaking about the Israelites when they wandered in the desert for 40 years. And there’s another verse during that time. You’ll see in Numbers 30 213, again, where God talks about that he wanted this generation to pass and that’s why it was 40 years that they wandered in the desert. So biblically speaking, that’s a time frame as far as that goes. And just so you know how a lot of people think, well, that was kind of mean of God, like he wanted all the people to get out of here in that time.
Speaker 2
But if you read in Deuteronomy, chapter eight, verses four and five, it talks about God’s long suffering and how he called them during that 40 years to repent and to do the right thing and turn back to Him. But they were just stiff necked people. So it wasn’t that God was just waiting to wipe them out or whatnot, but God waited those 40 years being grieved because he kept calling to that first generation, but they didn’t respond to God’s calling. So he had to wait for the next generation where Joshua stood up as leader of Israel. And we see that at that time they went into the promised land. So as far as your question about the feast days, that’s a really valid question because it’s interesting when you look at feast that it talks about. Like if you go to Exodus chapter twelve, verse 17, and it’s talking about the feast of unleavened bread. And so Exodus chapter twelve, and again in verse 17 and it reads, I’ll go ahead and read it there it talks about and you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread, for in this self same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt.
Speaker 2
Therefore you shall observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever. Now, you might think it says forever or an everlasting ordinance, meaning like it’s always supposed to be observed. And that’s a very logical thing to come conclusion to come to when you read that, however, you have to look at a few things in this verse that it’s saying. One, you have to look at the fact that it says as an ordinance. Now, when you look in the New Testament and it talks about that Jesus took the law that was contained in ordinances and that was what was nailed to the cross. You see that in colossians? 214. So the ordinances of the Old Testament, like the feast of unleavened bread, feasts of booth, these kinds of feasts, these were ordinances as part of the law of Moses. This is not the law of God. The law of God was written in stone by God’s finger on two tables. It was placed inside of the Ark of the Covenant in the most holy place in the sanctuary. It was basically the heart of the sanctuary, the heart of where God desired to dwell with his people.
Speaker 2
However, these ordinances which were called the law of Moses, if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verses 24 through 26, basically, actually before we do that, we jump to that, I want to show you Colossians. 214 because it says something very interesting just so that you get a clear picture. So Colossians. 214, the handwriting, so handwriting, not God’s finger, moses handwriting of ordinances that was against us, very key, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. So those feast days that are ordinances written by Moses, those are what was nailed to the cross. But when you look at again, so just remembering that those things were against God’s people, if you look in Deuteronomy 31, verses 24 through 26 again, it’s just so you know what it’s talking about. Because a lot of people get confused because they don’t read the Old Testament, so they’re not sure what was nailed to the cross. So in Deuteronomy 31, verses 24 through 26, it says, and it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, so on paper, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the levites which bear the Ark of the Covenant, saying, take this book of the Law and put it in the side of the ark.
Speaker 2
So again, it’s not inside of the Ark like the Ten Commandments were, which were God’s law. This is Moses’s law, handwritten on paper or scroll and it was put on the outside next to the ark as a witness against thee. Again. So just very clear, the ordinances or those feast ceremonial laws, those were laws that Moses wrote and they pointed forward to the Messiah. They were to teach something about Jesus who would come as their savior. But when Jesus died on the cross, jesus fulfilled all those pieces. That’s why we don’t keep sanctuary services, we don’t keep feast days anymore because Christ fulfilled those as the perfect Lamb of God, who gave himself for us. So I hope that answers your question. Anything else?
Speaker 3
It’s interesting in the Bible how Jesus, like in Matthew 24, I think it’s verse 34, jesus says most assuredly say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. And he’s talking about even end times events. So sometimes I think even generation can mean something way longer, like maybe an entire dispensation. But yeah, I think you’re dead on, Tina, in your explanation, especially in the context of the Jewish law.
Speaker 2
Yeah, and what’s interesting is Jesus gave that prophecy in Matthew 24 that this generation wouldn’t pass in 80 30. And we know that Jerusalem was destroyed in 80 70, exactly 40 years later because it was a dual prophecy. So, yes, it was a literal generation, but it was also like a spiritual generation. He was saying that there’s going to be a generation, spiritually speaking, that’s going to bring about the second coming of Christ.
Speaker 3
Exactly. So, yeah, that’s where it’s amazing how the Bible can have multiple fulfillments. And if we get too literal, put it too much in a box, we think the Bible is inconsistent, when really it could be doubly consistent, doubly right, dig deep. Awesome. Next question. Sir, we got to say some hellos.
Speaker 1
Yeah, we do. But Landa, did you have anything to add on that one?
Speaker 4
I don’t know. The thing is I’m sorry, guys, I kind of just got excited. So I used to keep the feast days, and I’m sure I don’t know, you guys have been a part of those things before in the past, but it’s just like I’m always amazed how people are so adamant to keep the feast days, but they’re not adamant to keeping the exact rules and regulations of those like slaughtering of the lamb or other things like that or the cleansing period that you need to go through to go through all that stuff. When I’ve been to these other places, assemblies or other churches, I’m just kind of like, well, you’re telling me that I have to keep these, but at the same time, you’re not keeping all these things yourself because you know what? Jesus Christ was the ultimate lamb. He was the ultimate sacrifice. And I think there’s many amazing lessons, and children should learn more and more about those feast days and how they represent Jesus. And we may be doing a bad job of that, but to say that we need to keep the feast days. That definitely has been. Jesus has already fulfilled all those things, thank goodness.
Speaker 4
Because I wouldn’t be any good at slaughtering a lamb at this point in my life. My stomach wouldn’t do well with that.
Speaker 3
That’s such a good point.
Speaker 1
Yeah. And you think, too, there is a lot of benefit in understanding what the feasts were about, and especially when you think about a lot of the holidays that we celebrate traditionally today in America. Or I should say commonly they aren’t. Like, the feasts have a more biblical usefulness than what, say, Christmas and Easter often do. Easter efist about the resurrection. That’s different. But if it’s about bunny rabbits and eggs, that’s not about the Bible. So there’s a beauty, I think, in celebrating the feast in the sense of learning about using it as an opportunity to learn about biblical things, but to say that we have to keep it as a matter of our salvation.
Speaker 4
Can I share one beautiful example how to maybe teach your kids? So somebody taught this to me and my brother when we were, like, 18 and getting into this, but they said, Go home and just cleanse your house of leaven, right? So we went home, and we were still living with our parents at that time, and we threw away all the bread and everything. And my mom was furious. She was like, but she wanted to follow God too. But she was like, what are you guys doing? And we got rid of all the bread, and we were like, so stoked. We did it, all this stuff. We go back, we talked to that guy a few days later. He’s like, did you get rid of everything? We’re like, yeah. Our mom was so mad. And then he’s like, did you know there’s leaven, even in dust? And we both looked at each other like, my brother and I, and we were like, well, how could we get it out of our house if it’s in dust? And that’s when he pointed to us that you can’t get sin out by yourself. You have to have Jesus Christ to take that sin out of your life.
Speaker 4
That was so powerful for us. When I realized, I can’t take that leaven out myself. I need Jesus Christ to do it, because there could be a small little corner of that dust there that I didn’t notice that he will, and he’ll take it out eventually in a nice, kind way. Sometimes not so kind. Maybe he’ll just throw it out.
Speaker 3
That’s a brilliant illustration, and I think a lot of the Jewish laws are supposed to end that way, where you keep it fulfilled, you do everything, and you still realize, wow, this still doesn’t get all the way. Even the sacrifices didn’t quite forgive. All this ends, and we really need Jesus.
Speaker 4
Yeah. Amen.
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In His Service
BibleAsk Team
