Many of my fellow Seventh-day Adventists use these 3 reasons to throw out the holy convocations of the Lord:
1. Keeping the Jewish customs and ceremonies is a denial of Christ.
2. If you go back to observe obsolete ceremonies, you have to do all things of the law.
3. The annual Jewish Feasts were specifically designed by the Lord to be kept in the land of Israel (only Israel).
All 3 of these are easily shown to be false, or based on false assumptions.
The number one false assumption, the one that kept me from embracing the feasts for so long, is the assumption that the feasts are part of the “ceremonial law”. This is not true. Please re-read Leviticus 23. Notice clearly how the 4th commandment is linked very closely to the feasts (while not actually being a feast itself). Notice too that all the feasts are called by God to be “holy convocations… My feasts”.
#1 This statement is true. However, there is no inspired quote showing that the feasts are part of the “Jewish customs and ceremonies”. God calls the feasts his, and explicitly says that they are statutes, and the statutes are to last forever.
#2 The feasts are not ceremonies.
#3 Jesus specifically told the woman at the well in John 4:21 “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.” Paul kept the Passover years after the cross at Philippi “At Philippi Paul tarried to keep the passover.” (LP p.196)
The confusion also results from the fact that SOMETHING was abolished at the cross. Most SDAs pick and choose what they think was abolished, saying the 10 commandments and the statutes regarding unclean food, tithe, sexual relations etc. are still in force after the cross, but saying that wearing blue threads, sacrificing, and keeping the holy convocations are all abolished.
The fact is, Daniel 9:27 shows clearly what was to be abolished – the sacrifices and oblations.
Jesus kept the feasts “I will keep the passover” (Matt. 26:18). How can it be a denial of him to do as he did?!
Let’s study to show ourselves approved unto God.
Sabbath blessings to you, Brother.
Here is a document that may be of interest to you. It is a study that I have done on the feast day question.
http://www.narrowwaymedia.org/documents/1
May God grant you wisdom as you read.
In Christ,
Lee