Why Do we keep The Biblical Feasts?

J. I. Roe
Aug 16, 2025
3 min read

The Moedim of Adonai: Eternal Appointments for Ha’Derech

Introduction

The moedim—the appointed times of Adonai—are not merely “Jewish holidays.” They are Elohim’s own calendar, His sacred appointments with His people. In Leviticus 23 He declared:

“These are the appointed times of Adonai, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times… a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” (Lev. 23:2, 14, 21, 31, 41)

The Hebrew phrase chukat olam means a perpetual law. These feasts are eternal, not temporary or symbolic.

Yeshua and the Apostles Kept the Moedim

Yeshua himself honored the moedim:

Pesach – He ate the Passover with his disciples (Luke 22:7–15; John 2:13).
Sukkot – He went up to Jerusalem in obedience to the Feast (John 7:2–14).
Chanukah – Even at the Feast of Dedication he was present in the Temple (John 10:22–23).

Yeshua never abolished the moedim. He lived them as Torah faithfulness and left us an example to walk as he walked (1 John 2:6).

The apostles continued likewise:

Acts 2 – Shavuot, when the Ruach Ha’Kodesh was poured out.
Acts 18:21 – Paul: “I must by all means keep this feast in Jerusalem.”
Acts 20:6 – He kept Unleavened Bread.
Acts 20:16 – He hurried to Jerusalem for Shavuot.
1 Corinthians 5:7–8 – Paul urged Gentiles: “Therefore let us keep the Feast.”

The early believers, Jew and Gentile, walked in the rhythm of Elohim’s calendar.

Why We Do Not Offer Sacrifices Today

The Torah requires that offerings be made only in the place Elohim chose (Deut. 12:5–14), upon His consecrated altar, and only by Kohanim in ritual purity (Lev. 17:8–9). Since the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE:

There is no authorized altar.
Priestly purity cannot be restored without the ashes of the red heifer (Num. 19).

Thus sacrifices are suspended, just as Hosea foretold:

“The children of Israel will remain many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar…” (Hos. 3:4)

Yet the moedim themselves are not suspended. We honor them today through prayer, Torah study, remembrance, symbolic acts, and obedience—offering instead the “sacrifice of praise” (Hos. 14:2; Ps. 51:17; Heb. 13:15).

The Prophets Confirm Their Future

The moedim will continue in the Messianic Kingdom:

Zechariah 14:16–19 – All nations will ascend to Jerusalem for Sukkot.
Isaiah 66:22–23 – From month to month and Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will worship before Adonai.

This proves the moedim are eternal: past, present, and future.

The Hypocrisy of Rejecting the Moedim

Here lies the contradiction. Many Christians dismiss the moedim as “legalism” or “Jewish,” yet faithfully keep Christmas and Easter—festivals never commanded in Scripture, many rooted in paganism. They condemn obedience to what Elohim declared eternal, while upholding man-made traditions.

Yeshua rebuked this very spirit:

“You set aside the commandment of Elohim in order to keep your tradition.” (Mark 7:9; cf. Matt. 15:6)

This is hypocrisy:

Rejecting Elohim’s calendar while embracing human calendars.
Judging Torah-keepers for obedience while enforcing unbiblical customs.
Abandoning prophetic feasts filled with Messiah’s meaning while clinging to traditions that never pointed to him.

Walking in Ha’Derech

As Ha’Derech—the Way—we do not expose hypocrisy to condemn but to call people back to truth. Our task is to witness by example. The moedim reveal Messiah’s mission:

Pesach – His death as the Lamb.
Shavuot – The gift of the Spirit.
Sukkot – The future Kingdom.

To walk in the Narrow Way is to align with these eternal appointments.

Conclusion

We do not sacrifice today because the Temple and altar are absent, yet the moedim remain binding. They were kept by Yeshua and his talmidim, declared eternal in Torah, prophesied for the future, and filled with the substance of Messiah. Rejecting them while embracing man-made holidays is hypocrisy.

The moedim are the rhythm of Elohim’s Kingdom. To walk in Ha’Derech is to live in step with His appointed times—past, present, and forever.