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Feast of Tabernacles: Peace Finally Arrives
October 13, 2011

The fall holy days begin with the Feast of Trumpets and this is soon followed by the Day of Atonement. These holy days picture the return of Jesus Christ, the reconciliation of God and man, and the banishment of Satan. It is the Feast of Tabernacles that shows the world to come when the world will be at peace. Because evil is in exile, righteousness will abound. The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated for seven days, and for those Christians who observe this day, there may be variances in how we observe this feast. What we tend to have in common is what this feast foreshadows, and a place to begin our understanding is the Book of John.

John 7:1-13
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.

Jesus taught that the results obtained on earth were evil, and that evil would befall him before his time if he traveled to this feast with his disciples. The hypocrisy of self-aggrandizement while foresaking those in need were reasons why Jesus held this view. The purpose of the faith taught by the Bible is not to inflate one's ego. Yet this is a practice that continues even at this time, thousands of years later. We have a practice of defining righteousness not in terms of obedience to God and care and concern for those who are needy. We define righteousness in terms of our actions and how we are better compared to others. In many ways, we are no different than the hypocrites of the ministry of Jesus. We should not be comparing ourself to others but to the measure established in the Bible. The thought process "What Would Jesus Do?" presumes that one has the mind of Christ. Though this is something to strive for, I personally find it arrogant for anyone to claim they have the mind of Christ, because to me this person is claiming to be the spiritual equal of Jesus. It really is a reincarnation of the narcissistic human mind, and begins one down the road to spiritual deception, much like Satan went astray. The time of peace that concludes the Book of Revelation reflects the very end of the Holy Day Season and will be discussed more on the Last Great Day. There is no mistake that the Feast of Tabernacles occurs during the fall harvest season. This is the time of great harvest, when some of the crop is stored as seed for the next year. Great harvest means sufficient food so that all may live. In a spiritual sense, this will occur at that future time. A great celebration is tied to a great harvest, and that is one of the many facets of the Feast of Tabernacles. As we celebrate with the bounty that God has given us, we must be sure to include those who may be less fortunate.

Deuteronomy 16:13-14
Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

This is a celebration tied to lots of food. For countries that have national days of thanksgiving, it may be easy to think of the Feast of Tabernacles as a feast of thanksgiving. And as we pause for this feast, we must be thankful for what God has given us and be willing to share this with others. Sharing the spiritual gifts that God has given us is something celebrated in the final holy day of the year, the Last Great Day.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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