The Feasts of the LORD in the Light of Christ

From Shadow to Substance, from Fulfillment to Prophetic Rehearsal

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Introduction: Appointed Times in Redemptive History

From the opening chapters of Genesis to the consummation of all things in Revelation, Scripture reveals a God who works according to appointed times. These divine appointments—called moedim in Hebrew—are not arbitrary religious dates, but moments in which God intersects history to reveal His purposes.

Genesis 1:14 (KJV)
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven… and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”

The Feasts of the LORD, formally articulated in Leviticus 23, function as a redemptive calendar, unveiling God’s plan of salvation, sanctification, empowerment, and ultimate restoration. While these feasts were administered through Moses under the Old Covenant, their origin, meaning, and fulfillment are found in Christ.

This chapter presents a Christ-centered, New Covenant understanding of all seven feasts—honoring their fulfillment in Jesus while affirming their continued value as theological instruction and prophetic rehearsal for the Church.

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Christ and the Feasts: Fulfillment, Not Abolition

Jesus Christ did not come to erase God’s appointed times, but to fulfill their deepest meaning.

Matthew 5:17 (KJV)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

The New Testament consistently teaches that the feasts are shadows, while Christ is the substance.

Colossians 2:16–17 (KJV)
“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Thus, the Church does not keep the feasts as legal obligations for righteousness, but receives them as revealed patterns that proclaim Christ’s finished work and future glory.

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The Spring Feasts: Fulfilled in Christ’s First Coming

1. Passover – Redemption Accomplished

1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”

Passover finds its complete fulfillment in the cross of Christ. The blood of the lamb, once applied to doorposts, now points unmistakably to the blood of Jesus, shed once for all. At the Last Supper, Jesus transformed Passover into the Lord’s Supper, redirecting the feast from Egypt to Calvary.

For Christians, Passover is celebrated not through sacrifice, but through Communion, proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.

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2. Unleavened Bread – Sanctified Living

1 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV)
“Therefore let us keep the feast… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Unleavened Bread speaks of separation from sin and purity of life. In Christ, this feast is not observed ceremonially, but embodied ethically. Believers live out this feast daily as they put away the leaven of malice and wickedness and walk in holiness.

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3. Firstfruits – Resurrection Life

1 Corinthians 15:20 (KJV)
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

The resurrection of Jesus fulfills the Feast of Firstfruits perfectly. His rising guarantees the future resurrection of all who belong to Him. Each year, the Church celebrates this reality with renewed joy and hope, affirming that death has been conquered.

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The Summer Feast: Empowerment for the Age

4. Pentecost – The Gift of the Spirit

Acts 2:1–4 (KJV)

Pentecost marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. What was once a harvest festival becomes the celebration of a greater harvest—the gathering of souls into the Kingdom of God. Pentecost remains a present-tense reality, calling believers to Spirit-filled living and mission.

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The Fall Feasts: Anticipation of the Kingdom

While the Spring Feasts reveal Christ’s redemptive work and Pentecost empowers the Church, the Fall Feasts turn the believer’s gaze forward—toward consummation, judgment, and glory.

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5. The Feast of Trumpets – Awakening and Watchfulness

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV)

The Feast of Trumpets serves as a prophetic alarm, calling God’s people to awaken and prepare for the return of the King. For Christians, this feast is rehearsed as a call to vigilance, holiness, and expectancy—not as date-setting, but as spiritual readiness.

Titus 2:13 (KJV)

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6. The Day of Atonement – Living in Teshuvah

Hebrews 10:14 (KJV)

The Day of Atonement is not repeated in sacrifice, for Christ’s atonement is final and sufficient. Yet its spiritual message remains vital. In Christ, believers rehearse this feast through repentance, self-examination, and continual return to God. Teshuvah becomes a lifestyle flowing from grace, not an attempt to earn forgiveness.

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7. The Feast of Tabernacles – God Dwelling with His People

John 1:14 (KJV)

Tabernacles celebrates God’s desire to dwell with humanity. In Christ, God has already tabernacled among us by His Spirit, and He will one day dwell visibly with redeemed creation.

Revelation 21:3 (KJV)

This feast trains believers to love God’s presence, practice abiding, and long for the Kingdom where God is all in all.

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Historical Theology: Echoes from the Early Church

The Early Church rejected compulsory observance of Mosaic law, yet retained feast theology as Christological and eschatological instruction. Apostolic practice (Acts 18:21; 20:16), the Didache’s call to watchfulness, and the writings of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian reveal a Church that understood sacred times as teaching tools rather than saving ordinances.

These historical witnesses affirm that prophetic rehearsal—when Christ-centered and voluntary—stands in continuity with historic Christian faith.

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Christian Liberty and Guardrails

Romans 14:5–6 (KJV)
Galatians 5:1 (KJV)

Believers are free to rehearse or refrain. No feast observance adds to justification, and no believer is to be judged regarding days. Christ alone remains the center, not the calendar.

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Conclusion: Living Between Fulfillment and Hope

The Feasts of the LORD, understood through Christ, form a discipleship journey:

• Redemption accomplished

• Sanctification lived

• Empowerment received

• Watchfulness maintained

• Repentance practiced

• Presence embraced

Until faith becomes sight, the Church lives between fulfillment and hope—proclaiming Christ’s finished work while anticipating His glorious return.

Luke 21:36 (KJV)
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always…”

Annual Rehearsal of the Fall Feasts

 

Doctrinal Position Paper

Title

A Christ-Centered Doctrinal Position on the Annual Rehearsal of the Fall Feasts

(The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles)

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I. Purpose and Scope

This doctrinal position paper sets forth a biblically grounded, Christ-exalting, and New Covenant–faithful rationale for the voluntary annual rehearsal of the final three Feasts of the LORD—the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)—by Christian believers.

These rehearsals are not observed as requirements for salvation, justification, or covenantal righteousness, but as prophetic teaching instruments designed to cultivate watchfulness, repentance, and abiding communion with God, in anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the consummation of the Kingdom of God.

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II. Foundational Theological Principles

A. Christ Is the Fulfillment of the Law and the Feasts

Matthew 5:17 (KJV)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

The Feasts of the LORD, as revealed in Leviticus 23, are fulfilled in the Person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. They function as prophetic shadows, the substance of which is Christ Himself.

Colossians 2:16–17 (KJV)
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

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B. Christian Liberty and Non-Compulsion

Participation in any feast rehearsal is voluntary and conscience-governed, not compulsory.

Romans 14:5–6 (KJV)
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord…”

No believer is to be judged, bound, or excluded on the basis of participation or non-participation.

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C. Rehearsal as Teaching, Not Ritual Atonement

The biblical feasts are understood as moedim—appointed times of divine instruction. In the New Covenant, they are rehearsed as proclamation and preparation, not as sacrificial observance.

1 Corinthians 10:11 (KJV)
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

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III. Doctrinal Rationale for the Fall Feasts

A. The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)

Doctrinal Emphasis: Watchfulness, Awakening, and the Blessed Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV)
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God…”

Romans 13:11 (KJV)
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep…”

Doctrinal Position:
The Feast of Trumpets is rehearsed as a spiritual alarm, calling believers to vigilance, holiness, and expectancy. It does not predict dates nor invoke ritual obligation, but trains the conscience of the Church to live in readiness for the return of Christ.

Titus 2:13 (KJV)
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

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B. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

Doctrinal Emphasis: Teshuvah (Return), Repentance, and Heart Alignment

Hebrews 10:14 (KJV)
“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”

1 John 1:7 (KJV)
“But if we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Doctrinal Position:
The Day of Atonement is rehearsed not as a repetition of atonement, but as a solemn season of self-examination, repentance, and spiritual realignment. It teaches believers to live continually in the cleansing power of Christ’s finished work.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”

This rehearsal reinforces a lifestyle of repentance without denying the finality of the Cross.

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C. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

Doctrinal Emphasis: God’s Dwelling Presence and Kingdom Hope

John 1:14 (KJV)
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”

2 Corinthians 6:16 (KJV)
“For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them…”

Doctrinal Position:
The Feast of Tabernacles is rehearsed as a celebration of God’s abiding presence now and the future manifest dwelling of God with redeemed humanity.

Revelation 21:3 (KJV)
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them…”

This feast forms believers in presence-centered living and Kingdom longing.

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IV. Safeguards Against Legalism and Error

1. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone

Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)

2. No feast observance contributes to justification

Galatians 2:16 (KJV)

3. Christ remains the center, not the calendar

Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)

4. No condemnation or division is permitted

Colossians 2:18–19 (KJV)

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V. Summary Statement

This doctrinal position affirms that Christian rehearsal of the Fall Feasts is biblically permissible, spiritually beneficial, and Christ-honoring when practiced as voluntary prophetic instruction rather than covenantal obligation.

The Feast of Trumpets trains believers to watch.
The Day of Atonement trains believers to walk in repentance.
The Feast of Tabernacles trains believers to abide in God’s presence.

Luke 21:36 (KJV)
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

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VI. Concluding Affirmation

This position upholds the supremacy of Christ, the sufficiency of His atonement, the liberty of the believer, and the prophetic value of divine rehearsal—until faith becomes sight and the Kingdom of God is fully revealed.

Frankincense (Boswellia sacra)

 

Abstract

Background

The volatile fraction of frankincense (Boswellia sacra) oleogum was extracted, formulated in nanoemulsion and tested against lung cancer A549 cell line. First, the gum was hydro-distilled to isolate the volatile fraction (essential oil), which was analyzed via gas chromatography to identify its major volatile constituents. Then, the oil was formulated in two water-based nanoemulsions which differ from one another in the presence of propylene glycol (PG), which is used in the formulation step as a co-surfactant. The pure essential oil as well as its major volatile compound (α-pinene), its two nanoemulsions and a reference drug (Doxorubicin) were evaluated against lung cancer A549 cell lines and WI-38 normal lung cells. The evaluation included cytotoxicity (MTT and IC50), apoptosis (flow cytometric analysis) in addition to genetic assessments for some intrinsic and extrinsic genes relevant to apoptosis and survival pathways.

Results

Chromatographic analysis of frankincense essential oil revealed that α-pinene is the major volatile compound which constituent about 60% of that oil. Emulsification of the oil using the low energy technique gave nanoemulsions having major intense particles population (85–90%) with z-average diameter below 20.0 nm. Frankincense oil nanoemulsion fabricated with (PG) showed the best cytotoxic activity toward lung cancer A549 cell compared to PG-free nanoemulsion, α-pinene and the reference drug doxorubicin, along different incubation periods. Flow cytometric analysis also indicated that PG-containing nanoemulsion can induce cancer cells toward apoptosis better than the other formula and the pure oils. The same nanoemulsion was found to upregulate the pro-apoptotic genes [DR5, FAAD, Caspase 8 (Cas8), p53, and Bax] and downregulate the anti-apoptotic and reoccurrence genes (Bcl-2, NF-kB, and STAT-3). Most importantly, the PG-containing nanoemulsion had the least cytotoxic effect on the normal WI-38 lung cells.

Conclusions

These results point out to the potentials of frankincense essential oil (rich in α-pinene) and its PG-nanoemulsion as a promising adjuvant from plant-source to potentiate the activity of the systematic anti-lung cancer drugs.

How does frankincense target cancer cells?

Frankincense targets cancer cells through various mechanisms, particularly in lung cancer treatment. Here's how it works:

Key Components:

α-pinene: A major volatile compound in frankincense essential oil, making up about 60% of the oil.
Boswellic acids: A family of pentacyclic terpenoid molecules found in the non-volatile fraction of frankincense, known for their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

Mechanisms of Action:

Inducing Apoptosis: Frankincense essential oil nanoemulsion induces cancer cells to undergo apoptosis (programmed cell death) by upregulating pro-apoptotic genes (DR5, FAAD, Caspase 8, p53, and Bax) and downregulating anti-apoptotic genes (Bcl-2, NF-kB, and STAT-3).
Cytotoxic Activity: Frankincense oil nanoemulsion shows better cytotoxic activity against lung cancer cells compared to pure essential oil and α-pinene.
Inhibiting Cancer Cell Growth: Frankincense has been shown to inhibit the growth of various cancer cells, including lung cancer cells.

Delivery Method:

Nanoemulsion: Formulating frankincense essential oil into nanoemulsions enhances its anti-cancer activity, allowing for better delivery and increased bioavailability. The nanoemulsion particles are small (less than 20 nm) and stable, making them effective in targeting cancer cells ¹.

Offgrid Water System

A comprehensive visual guide to a self-sustaining, gravity-fed off-grid water system. It illustrates how water can be moved from a low-lying source to high-altitude storage without relying on external electricity, utilizing mechanical pumps and natural elevation.

1. WATER SOURCE AND INITIAL CAPTURE
The process begins at the bottom right of the image:
• Capture: A small rock dam or weir is built across a natural stream to pool water.
• Supply Tank: Water flows from the capture point into a settling or supply tank. This helps filter out heavy sediment before the water enters the mechanical system.

2. THE PUMPING MECHANISM (THE "PAPA PUMP")
The heart of this system is the Papa Pump (a brand of hydraulic ram pump) located at the bottom left:
• How it works: It uses the "water hammer" effect. Kinetic energy from a large volume of water falling a short distance is used to pump a smaller portion of that water to a much higher elevation.
• Zero Electricity: This setup is ideal for off-grid living because it is powered entirely by the force of the flowing water itself.

3. HIGH-ELEVATION STORAGE
The water is pushed up the hill through a long pipe into the Storage Tank:
• Gravity Advantage: By placing the main tank at the highest point of the property, the system creates "head pressure." This allows water to flow down to all other points of use via gravity, eliminating the need for electric pressure pumps at the house or fields.

4. DISTRIBUTION AND USAGE
The storage tank feeds several different outlets across the homestead:
• Livestock Watering: Separate lines run to troughs for cattle (top left) and goats/sheep (lower middle).
• Irrigation & Horticulture: A dedicated line feeds a sprinkler system for crops, ensuring food security.
• Homestead Water: Clean water is piped directly to the residential buildings for drinking, cleaning, and bathing.
• Hydro Gen (Hydroelectric Generation): Interestingly, the diagram shows a line passing through a turbine before reaching the house. This uses the falling water's pressure to generate a small amount of electricity for lights or appliances.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR OFF-GRID SUCCESS
• Redundancy: By using a storage tank, you have a "water battery" that provides a buffer if the stream flow fluctuates.
• Simplicity: Fewer moving parts and no electronics mean lower maintenance and higher reliability in remote areas.
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