Will there be Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth?
The New Jerusalem by Gustave Dore (1832 – 1883)
There is a very good reason why Seventh-day Adventists don’t know much about the Feasts of the Lord. The prevailing position of the Church is that they were nailed to the cross.[1] Why should we spend much time thinking about something that was nailed to the cross? This creates a seemingly paradoxical situation for Seventh-day Adventists. On the one hand we believe the Feasts of the Lord were nailed to the cross. On the other hand, we believe that on the Day of Atonement (one of the Feasts of the Lord), October 22, 1844, Jesus entered the most holy place of the Heavenly Sanctuary to engage in His final act as our High Priest before returning to earth as our King.
If the Feasts of the Lord ended with Christ’s crucifixion, then why ask the question if there will be feasts in the New Earth? The answer to this question is not as simple as it appears. It begins in the first chapter of Genesis on the fourth day of creation.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Genesis 1: 14 (KJV)
Then in Psalm 104: 19 (KJV) we read, “He appointed the moon for seasons.” In both of these texts, the Hebrew word for “seasons” is מוֹעֵד (môʿēḏ, Strong’s H4150). This is the same word that is translated as “feasts” in Leviticus 23 which provides the details on the Feasts of the Lord. Indeed, the times of the Feasts of the Lord were determined by the sighting of the new moon and the ripening of barley in Israel.[2]
The reason why I ask the question if there will be Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth comes from Isaiah 66: 23 (KJV):
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
We have already seen in Psalm 104 that the purpose of the moon was for determining God’s appointed times. Certainly, we will not need the moon in the New Earth to provide light. In Isaiah 60: 19 (KJV) we read:
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
John said the same thing in Revelation 21: 23 (KJV):
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
God stated in Genesis 1 that there would be appointed times. This means that He intended to have appointed times even before sin entered the world. They were not an afterthought in response to sin.
If God planned to have appointed times on the earth prior to the onset of sin, then it is perfectly reasonable to ask if there will be appointed times or Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth when we are restored to perfection. There are, in fact, texts in the Bible that support this notion. One place where this is found is the book of Zephaniah, which is a prophecy about the “Day of the Lord.” The “Day of the Lord” is prophetic of events that would happen around the time of that the prophecy was written. It is also prophetic about the great and final “Day of the Lord” when Jesus returns to this earth. This belief that the “Day of the Lord” prophecies were prophetic for the time they were written and for the final judgment is shared by Seventh-day Adventists, Catholics and even Jews. [3],[4],[5]
In the third chapter of Zephaniah God promises redemption for the “remnant of Israel” (Zephaniah 3: 13). Then, after they have been redeemed, God says in Zephaniah 3: 18 (KJV), “I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly.” The Hebrew word for “solemn assembly” is מוֹעֵד (môʿēḏ, Strong’s H4150) which we have previously see was also translated as “seasons” and “feasts.” This text is telling us that God will have appointed times (i.e. Feasts of the Lord) in the New Earth.
The book of Zechariah also supports the idea that we will observe Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth and it is even more specific than Zephaniah. Like Zephaniah, Zechariah is also a “Day of the Lord” prophecy. In Zechariah 14: 16 (KJV) we read:
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
The context of this verse clearly shows that it is referring to the New Earth. Zechariah is not speaking in general terms about God’s appointed times. He states specifically that in the New Earth we will be observing the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary tries to explain this away as a conditional prophecy. It states,
Chapter 14 is a description of events in connection with the second coming of the Messiah in terms of how this spectacular event would have come about if the Israelites who returned from captivity had fulfilled their destiny.[6]
This statement is not possible for a couple of reasons. First, Zechariah 14: 4 (KJV) says:
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
This very event was witnessed by Ellen G. White in her first vision and is referred to more than once in her book, Early Writings.
“It is at the close of the one thousand years that Jesus stands upon the Mount of Olives, and the mount parts asunder and becomes a mighty plain.”[7]
Does this mean that all of Zechariah 14 except the fourth verse is a conditional prophecy? That does not make any sense at all. The interpretation of Zechariah 14 given by The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary cannot be correct.
The second problem with the interpretation of Zechariah 14 as a conditional prophecy is that it makes the unrighteous responsible for what does or doesn’t happen in the New Earth. They aren’t even going to be there. We are being asked to believe that if the Jewish nation had accepted Jesus as the Messiah then we will be observing the Feast of Tabernacles in the New Earth. However, since the Jewish nation rejected Jesus as the Messiah we are being asked to believe that we will not be observing the Feasts of Tabernacles in the New Earth. God wants all of us to be saved. However, what we do in the New Earth will not be determined by those who are not saved.
So, will we be observing Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth? Isaiah says that we will be coming together at the new moon to worship God. Psalms tells us that God gave us the moon to determine His appointed times. Zephaniah and Zechariah are two witnesses providing testimony that we will be observing God’s appointed times in the New Earth. Zechariah goes so far to say that we will be observing one of the same appointed times that God commanded in Leviticus 23. The evidence from Scripture seems overwhelming that we will be observing Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth.
Posted: January 26, 2025 · Leave a Comment
Will there be Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth?
There is a very good reason why Seventh-day Adventists don’t know much about the Feasts of the Lord. The prevailing position of the Church is that they were nailed to the cross.[1] Why should we spend much time thinking about something that was nailed to the cross? This creates a seemingly paradoxical situation for Seventh-day Adventists. On the one hand we believe the Feasts of the Lord were nailed to the cross. On the other hand, we believe that on the Day of Atonement (one of the Feasts of the Lord), October 22, 1844, Jesus entered the most holy place of the Heavenly Sanctuary to engage in His final act as our High Priest before returning to earth as our King.
If the Feasts of the Lord ended with Christ’s crucifixion, then why ask the question if there will be feasts in the New Earth? The answer to this question is not as simple as it appears. It begins in the first chapter of Genesis on the fourth day of creation.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Genesis 1: 14 (KJV)
Then in Psalm 104: 19 (KJV) we read, “He appointed the moon for seasons.” In both of these texts, the Hebrew word for “seasons” is מוֹעֵד (môʿēḏ, Strong’s H4150). This is the same word that is translated as “feasts” in Leviticus 23 which provides the details on the Feasts of the Lord. Indeed, the times of the Feasts of the Lord were determined by the sighting of the new moon and the ripening of barley in Israel.[2]
The reason why I ask the question if there will be Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth comes from Isaiah 66: 23 (KJV):
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
We have already seen in Psalm 104 that the purpose of the moon was for determining God’s appointed times. Certainly, we will not need the moon in the New Earth to provide light. In Isaiah 60: 19 (KJV) we read:
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
John said the same thing in Revelation 21: 23 (KJV):
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
God stated in Genesis 1 that there would be appointed times. This means that He intended to have appointed times even before sin entered the world. They were not an afterthought in response to sin.
If God planned to have appointed times on the earth prior to the onset of sin, then it is perfectly reasonable to ask if there will be appointed times or Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth when we are restored to perfection. There are, in fact, texts in the Bible that support this notion. One place where this is found is the book of Zephaniah, which is a prophecy about the “Day of the Lord.” The “Day of the Lord” is prophetic of events that would happen around the time of that the prophecy was written. It is also prophetic about the great and final “Day of the Lord” when Jesus returns to this earth. This belief that the “Day of the Lord” prophecies were prophetic for the time they were written and for the final judgment is shared by Seventh-day Adventists, Catholics and even Jews. [3],[4],[5]
In the third chapter of Zephaniah God promises redemption for the “remnant of Israel” (Zephaniah 3: 13). Then, after they have been redeemed, God says in Zephaniah 3: 18 (KJV), “I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly.” The Hebrew word for “solemn assembly” is מוֹעֵד (môʿēḏ, Strong’s H4150) which we have previously see was also translated as “seasons” and “feasts.” This text is telling us that God will have appointed times (i.e. Feasts of the Lord) in the New Earth.
The book of Zechariah also supports the idea that we will observe Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth and it is even more specific than Zephaniah. Like Zephaniah, Zechariah is also a “Day of the Lord” prophecy. In Zechariah 14: 16 (KJV) we read:
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
The context of this verse clearly shows that it is referring to the New Earth. Zechariah is not speaking in general terms about God’s appointed times. He states specifically that in the New Earth we will be observing the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary tries to explain this away as a conditional prophecy. It states,
Chapter 14 is a description of events in connection with the second coming of the Messiah in terms of how this spectacular event would have come about if the Israelites who returned from captivity had fulfilled their destiny.[6]
This statement is not possible for a couple of reasons. First, Zechariah 14: 4 (KJV) says:
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
This very event was witnessed by Ellen G. White in her first vision and is referred to more than once in her book, Early Writings.
Does this mean that all of Zechariah 14 except the fourth verse is a conditional prophecy? That does not make any sense at all. The interpretation of Zechariah 14 given by The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary cannot be correct.
The second problem with the interpretation of Zechariah 14 as a conditional prophecy is that it makes the unrighteous responsible for what does or doesn’t happen in the New Earth. They aren’t even going to be there. We are being asked to believe that if the Jewish nation had accepted Jesus as the Messiah then we will be observing the Feast of Tabernacles in the New Earth. However, since the Jewish nation rejected Jesus as the Messiah we are being asked to believe that we will not be observing the Feasts of Tabernacles in the New Earth. God wants all of us to be saved. However, what we do in the New Earth will not be determined by those who are not saved.
So, will we be observing Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth? Isaiah says that we will be coming together at the new moon to worship God. Psalms tells us that God gave us the moon to determine His appointed times. Zephaniah and Zechariah are two witnesses providing testimony that we will be observing God’s appointed times in the New Earth. Zechariah goes so far to say that we will be observing one of the same appointed times that God commanded in Leviticus 23. The evidence from Scripture seems overwhelming that we will be observing Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth.
References
[1] du Preez, R. Sabbaths, Annual(Ceremonial). Encyclopedia Of Seventh-Day Adventists. November 28, 2021. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=DFQ8&highlight=Sabbaths#fn15
[2] Oliver, JR. God’s Sacred Occasions. pp. 1 – 14. 2023. WestBow Press, Bloomington, IN.
[3] Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 110). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
[4] McHugh, John. “General Judgment.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 22 Jan. 2023. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08552a.htm
[5] Hirsch, Emil G. “Day of the Lord.” The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York and London: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1906. 22 Jan. 2023. https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5009-day-of-the-lord
[6] Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 1116). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
[7] White, E. G. (1882). Early Writings of Ellen G. White (p. 53). Review and Herald Publishing Association.
The New Jerusalem by Gustave Dore is in the public domain.
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