The Seven Annual Feasts - Typology

[mark1217]

Could someone point me in the direction of what Ellen White has said regarding the Seven Annual Feasts and their typology. Time and time again I run into this issue with Christians and non-Christians - what law was abolished at the cross and do you follow all the statutes and ordinances and so on.

We have to be able to defend our faith and explain these things simply, clearly, and thoroughly. I'd like to see a really thorough and detailed explanation of each and every single one of the Seven Annual Feasts and their significance. Thank you.

[Light Fox]

Hi,

My recollection is that Samuel Bacchiocchi did a very well-reasoned 2-part study on this issue some years back, called "God's Festivals in Scripture and History." You can access 5 of the 8 chapters of the second book (regarding the Fall festivals) online here:

http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/books/festivals_2/1.html

Since you asked specifically about Ellen White, the answer is that she was largely silent on the issue. The most she said in regards to it was regarding the feast of tabernacles being a time of commemorating God's blessings to the Jews as a people, and "well would it be for us to have a feast of tabernacles in our time."

As far as what was nailed to the cross, there is a helpful article here:

http://www.csda-adventistchurch.to/Binary/essays/efeasts.html

That deals with that question succinctly in it's own section, and provides some valuable historical references for how feast days were viewed by the early church.

The simplicity of the matter is that the annual feasts were types of things that came later, as you've mentioned. The problem with claiming that this was all somehow nailed to the cross is that it ignores what those things were to be met by via antitype. For example, the Day of Atonement didn't meet it's antitype until 1844; over 18 centuries after the death of Christ.

Pentecost (aka the Feast of Weeks) obviously met it's antitype at the Pentecost recorded in the book of Acts, which itself was after the cross.

The Feast of Trumpets was a call to judgment that occurred 10 days before the Day of Atonement to call the people to prepare themselves for it; in 1834, 10 years before the Judgment began, Miller published and began widely distributing the first tract on his teaching of prophecy calling people to prepare themselves for the return of Christ.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread (which began with the Passover supper - a meal, not an actual festival), was a time when the people would put all leaven out of their houses. As Paul describes it, it is a type of the removal of sin / sanctification of the people. When all sin is discovered and removed from Christ's people, this feast will meet it's antitype.

The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the most clear ones in Scripture, being tied to the great harvest - also known as the feast of booths, for the roofless tents that the Jews constructed for purposes of this feast. Being the only one Mrs. White commented on with any great relevance to today, Tabernacles was the feast that came at the end of the Jewish calendar year; the day of atonement had been completed, and the people were clean from their sins. The harvest had been taken in, and they were able to rest from their labors and rejoice in God's blessings. Tabernacles meets it fulfillment at the return of Christ for the harvest of the earth. Closing Tabernacles is "The Last Great Day," which takes no particular effort to explain in an end-times context.

Hope this is of assistance.