Sunday meeting-The watchtower study

Today is Sunday, and of course everyone goes to church, I go to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's witnesses. I actually go five times a week. In any event,this meeting was about "You must become nothing but joyful."The theme of this was "You will celebrate the festival to Jehovah...,and you must become nothing but joyful." Dueteronomy 16:15.

I learned so much that, and there is more to learn about Jehovah's festivals and how they affect us today and what they meant for our forefathers. So now of course I have to do research on those festivals, and I am very excited to do so and to learn the meaning that Jehovah wants me to learn. Well, lets see; there are five festivals that the Israelites went too. first, the passover,Nisan 14, festival of unfermented cakes, Nisan 15-21, fify-weeks from that will then be the festival of weeks (pentecost), Sivan 6, day of atonement,Tishri 10, festival of Booths (ingathering, tabernacles) Tishri 15-21.

First we will start out with when Satan led Adam and Eve into rebellion against their creator, he raised two issues of vital importance. First, he challenged Jehovah's truthfullness and the rightness of his way of ruling. Second, Satan implied that humans would serve God only out of self-interest. The latter issue was stated explicity in the time of Job. ( Genesis 3:1-6, Job 1:9,10;2:4,5).

Nevertheless, Jehovah acted quickly to handle the situation, even while Adam and Eve were still in the Garden of Eden. Jehovah, foretold how He would resolve the issues. He foretold the coming of a "seed" who, after having his heel bruised, would fatally bruise Satan in the head. (Genesis 3:15)

When the tribes became a nation (Abraham's grandson Jacob became became father to the 12 tribes of Israel, in 1513 B.C.E. ) Jehovah gave them a system of laws that included various annual festivals. The apostle Paul said that those festivals were "a shadow of the things to come." (Colossians 2:16,17: Hebrews 10:1) They contained forgleams of the outworking of Jehovah's purpose for the Seed. Observing those festivals caused great joy in Israel.

The firstfruits of the Dead: His resurrection forshadowed during another festival. The day after Nisan 14 saw the beginning of the festival of unfermented cakes. On the next day, Nisan 16, Israelites brought a sheaf of the firstfruits of the barley harvest, the earliest harvest in Israel, for the priest to wave before Jehovah. (Leviticaus 23:6-14) How appropriate that in the year 33 C.E. , on that very day, Jehovah thwarted Satan's vicious efforts to silence forever his "faithful and true witness"! On Nisan 16 33 C.E. Jehovah resurrected Jesus from the dead to immortal spirit life. ( Revelation 3:14; 1 Peter 3:18 ) Jesus became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death. ( 1 Corinthians 15:20) Unlike those who were resurrected before, Jesus did not die again. Rather he ascended to heaven to Jehovah's right hand, where he waited until he would be installed as King of Jehovah's heavenly kingdom. ( Psa 110:1; Acts 2:32,33; Hebrews 10: 12,13) Since his installment as King, Jesus is now in a position to bruise the great enemy, Satan, in the head permanently and to destroy his seed. ( Revelation 11:15,18; 20 1-3,10)

Which if we look at it bruising the heal is really nothing compared to a fatal blow to the head which causes death. Like the blood of the passover lamb, Jesus' shed blood provides salvation for many.

Jesus was the Seed who was promised in Eden and by means of whom Jehovah would "break up the works of the Devil." ( 1 John 3:8) When Jehovah spoke to Abraham, He indicated that Abraham's seed would be more than just one person. It would be "like the stars of the heavens and like the grains of sand that are on the seashore." ( Genesis 22:7) The appearance of other members of the "seed" was foreshadowed by yet another joyful festival. Fifty days after Nisan 16, Israel celebrated the Festival of Weeks, the Law about this states: " To the day after the seventh sabbath you should count, fifty days, and you must present a new grain offering to Jehovah. Out of your dwelling places you should bring two loaves as a wave offering. Of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour they should prove to be. They should be baked leavened, as first ripe fruits to Jehovah." ( Leviticus 23:16,17,20)

When Jesus was on earth the Festival of Weeks was known as Pentecost (from a Greek word meaning "fiftieth") At Pentecost 33 C.E. , the greater High Priest, the resurrected Jesus Christ, poured out holy spirit upon the small group of 120 disciples gathered in Jerusalem. Thus those disciples became anointed sons of God and brothers of Jesus Christ. ( Romans 8:15-17) They became a new nation, the Israel of God. ( Galatians 6:16) From small beginnings, that nation would finally number 144,000. ( Revelation 7:1-4)

The congregation of anointed christians was foreshadowed by the two leavened loaves waved before Jehovah each Pentecost. The loaves' being leavened showed that anointed christians wold still have the leaven of inherited sin. Nevertheless, they could approach Jehovah on the basis of Jesus' ransom sacrifice. (Romans 5:1,2) Why two loaves? That may have pointed to the fact that the anointed sons of God would eventually be drawn from two groups - first from natural jews and later form Gentiles. ( Galations 3:26-29)

The two loaves offered at Pentecost came from the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. Correspondingly, those spirit-begotten christians are called firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18) They are the first to have thier sins forgiven on the basis of Jesus' shed blood, and that makes it possible for them to ge granted immortal life in the heavens, where they rule with Jesus in his kingdom. (1 Corinthians 15:53; Philippians 3:20,21; Revelation 20:6) In that position, one day soon they will "Shepherd the (nations) with an iron rod" and see 'Satan crushed under their feet.' ( Revelation 2:26,27 ; Romans 16: 20) The apostle John said: " These are the ones that keep following the lamb no matter where he goes. These were brought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb." (Revelation 14:4)

A Day emphasizing Deliverance: On the tenth day of Ethanim (later called Tishri) ( Ehanim-Tishri corrosponds to September/October on our present day calendar), Israel celebrated a fistival that foreshadowed how the benefits of Jesus' ransom sacrifice would be applied. On that day the whole nation came together for the Day of Atonement to have sacrifices offered in their behalf for the covering of their sins. ( Leviticus 16:29,30)

On Atonement Day, the high priest slaughtered a young bull, and in the Most Holy, he spattered some of its blood seven times before the cover of the Ark, thus representatively offering the blood before Jehovah. That offering was for the sins of the high priest and his house, the underpriests and the Levites. Then the high priest took two goats. One he slaughtered as a sin offering for the people. Some of its blood too was prinkled before the Ark in the Most Holy. Afterward, the high priest laid his hands on the head of the second goat and confessed the errors of the sons of Israel. Then he had the goat led off into the wilderness to carry away the nation's sins in a symbolic way. ( Leviticus 16:3-16,21,22) As those acts foreshadowed, the great High Priest, Jesus, uses the merit of his own life-blood to provide forgiveness of sins. FIrst, the value of his blood is applied to the spiritual house of 144,000 anointed christians, enabling these to be declared righteous and enjoy a clean standing before Jehovah. (1Peter 2:5; 1 Corinthians 6:11) This foreshadowed by the sacrifice of bull. Thus the way is opened for them to reciee their heavenly inheritance. Second, the value of Jesus' blood is applied in behalf of millions of others who exercise faith in Christ, as hown by the sacrifice of the goat. These will be blessed with everlasting life here on earth, the inheritance that Adam and Eve lost. ( Psalm 37:10,11) on the basis of his shed blood, Jesus carries away the sins of mankind, just as the live goat in a token way carried the sins of Israel off into the wilderness. ( Isaiah 53:4,5)

Rejoicing before Jehovah: Atonement Day, the israelites celebrated the Festival of Booths, the most joyful of the festival of the Jewish year. ( Leviticus 23: 34-43) That fesival took place from the 15th to the 21st of Ethanim and concluded with a solemn assembly on the 22nd of the month. It marked the end of the ingathering of the harvestand was a time of thanksgiving for the abundant goodness of God. For that reason, Jehovah commanded the celebrants: "Jehovah your God will bless you in all your produce and in every deed of your hand, and you must become nothing but joyful." (Deuteronomy 16:15) What a happy time that must have been. During that festival the Israelites dwelled in booths for seven days. They were thus reminded that at one time they had dwelled in booths in the wilderness. The festival gave them ample oppurtunity to reflect on Jehovah's fatherly care. ( Dueteronomy 8:15,16)And since all, wealthy and poor alike, dwelled in booths that were similiar, the Israelites were reminded that in relation to the festival, they were all equal. ( Nehemiah 8:14-16)

The Festival of booths was a harvest festival, a joyful celebration of Ingathering of those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ. THe ingathering began at Pentecost 33 C.E. when Jesus' 120 disciples were anointed to become part of a holy priesthood. As the Israelites lived in booths for a few days, anointed ones know that they are mere temporary residents in this ungodly world. Their hope is a heavenly one. (1 Peter 2:5,6)That ingathering of anointed christians reaches its conlclusion during these last days, when the final ones of the 144,000 are gathered. ( 2 Timothy 3:1) It is noteworthy that during this ancient festival, 70 bulls were offered. ( Numbers 29:12-34) The numbers 70 represents 7 multiplied by 10, numbers that in the bible represent heavenly and earthly perfection. Hence, the sacrifice of Jesus will benefit faithful ones from all 70 families of mankind that descended from Noah. ( Genesis 10:1-29) In harmony with that, in our time the ingathering has widened out to include individuals from all nations who exercise faith in Jesus and have the hope of living on a paradise earth.

The apostle John saw a modern-day ingathering in his vision. First, he heard the announcing of the sealing of the final ones of the 144,000. Then he saw "a great crowd, which no man was able to number, " standing before Jehovah and Jesus, with "palm branches in their hands." These "come out of the great tribulation" (armegeddon) into the new world. They too are now mere temporary residents in this old system of things, and they look forward with confidence to the time when the "Lamb....will shepherd them and will guide them to fountains of waters of life." At that time, "God will wipe out every tear from their eyes." ( Revelation 7:1-10,14-17) THe antitypical Festival of Booths will reach its climax after the end of the Thousand Year reign of Christ when they along with faithful resurrected ones are granted everlasting life. (Revelation 20:5)

I am a temporary resident, I cannot wait to be in the new world.

we too can be "nothing but joyful" as we meditate on the meaning of the ancient Jewish festivals. It is thrilling to consider that Jehovah provided foregleams of how his prophecy given back in Eden would be fulfilled and it is exciting to see its actual fulfillment taking place step by step.