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The Feast of Tabernacles
October 3, 2020

The Feast of Tabernacles is a festival that begins with a Holy Day and concludes with a Holy Day known as the Last Great Day. Holy convocations were to be observed on these Holy Days, which were also days not to work, and when presented to the children of Israel thousands of years ago, offerings of fire were to be offered each day, like the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We know that because Jesus died once for all and is our High Priest intervening on our behalf with God, these offerings are no longer needed. With the instruction to have a Holy convocation on the Holy Days, sermons will be offered on the Holy Days. I know many who observe these days have sermons each day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the verses show offerings were offered each day of Feast of Tabernacles, individual celebrations of faith, and Holy convocations occurred on the Holy Days, a group celebration of faith.

The Feast of Tabernacles looks forward to a future time when the Kingdom of God is established on earth, a time of happiness and peace that has never been known on earth. It is in this future time that we see a beautiful description of the Kingdom of God. We can see from the book of Isaiah that this future time rests solely and squarely on the shoulders of Jesus Christ who came from Jesse through David. We know that Jesus Christ had the spirit of God because He was the Son of God. As King of kings and Lord of lords Jesus Christ will rule and judge righteously. No more will the poor person’s needs be ignored or made a political game to score politicians’ points.

In the future time not only will people be at peace with each other but animals will be at peace with each other. Animals that today would attack other animals will instead be at peace with all animals. Animals will no longer fear their natural enemies of today. The wolf and the lamb will be the best of buddies in the Kingdom of God and the leopard will no longer attack the goat. The lion and calf will be at peace with each other and safe among all of these animals will be little children.

During this time Jesus Christ will not only rule, he will be sought by those who previously did not know God. The remnant of Israel will be gathered together at Jerusalem whether they live nearby or on the other side of the earth. All will be returned to Jerusalem. Those who hate the children of Israel will no longer hate the children of Israel. The tribe of Ephraim, which had been envied, will no longer be envied. The nearby nations which threatened Israel, will no longer be a threat. Through miracles that have not been seen since the exodus from Egypt and through the building of a highway to Assyria, the remnant will be returned to Jerusalem.

Isaiah 11:1-16
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

In the Book of Zechariah, we know that God will be king over the entire world with Jesus Christ ruling by his side. We also know that the topography of the land will look differently than it looks today. In this future time we see the area around Jerusalem being described as a plane that goes both north and south of Jerusalem and yet this will be the seat of government for the Kingdom of God.

Unlike today where the Middle East is a place of constant warfare, this Jerusalem at this future time will be a time of peace and any who seek to destroy it seek their own harm. Those who seek to attack Jerusalem will develop diseases and plagues that consume their body. What is being described for us is a wasting disease like a bad cancer or AIDS. When we think of people who have eyes that are sunken and their tongues not able to speak we think of people almost who look like they have come from a concentration camp. That’s how significant a disease these people who choose to rebel will face. There will come a time that people will try to rebel against God and people will come up and try and find Jerusalem and not only will these horrible diseases be given to the people but to the livestock of these people as well. God will not tolerate rebellion.

Unlike today where only a few observe the Feast of Tabernacles, in this future time all will be expected to observe the feast. In this future time those who remain among the nations which attack Jerusalem will come to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles and if a nation does not come to Jerusalem to keep the feast their punishment will be a drought. For example if the family of Egypt doesn’t come to keep the feast Egypt will have no rain and they will also suffer a plague along with anyone else that does not come to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

During this time even the horses will be wearing bells celebrating God. The bells on the horses will read holiness unto the Lord. Throughout Jerusalem and in the house of God there will be pots containing waters and liquids and all of these will be like bowls before the altar of God. Everyone will be able to come in the future time in worship in the house of God. People will not be excluded like they were in the time of ancient Israel. We see mention that there will be sacrifices offered by these people. We know from the book of Hebrews that Jesus Christ died once for all of us. We don’t know how this statement will be reconciled with what is told to us in the book of Hebrews. These may be sacrifices offered by the people when there is no need for sacrifices, or these may be needed to help people learn about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We do know it is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and not animal sacrifices that saves us and the people at this time.

Zechariah 14:9-21
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

With this vision of this future time of incredible happiness, the Kingdom of God, pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles, it is natural to compare our life today to this future time and realize that life today falls short, far short, of this future time. All around us are worries and each day we have needs. We can take comfort in the words of Jesus that he first spoke to a multitude early during his ministry on earth.

The Feast of Tabernacles foreshadows the Kingdom of God, and Jesus frequently spoke of the Kingdom of God. Having lived as a human and tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin, Jesus felt the human tendency to worry about meeting our own needs, and spoke to the multitude about this as one part of his message. Instead of worrying, he told the crowd that heard him that day and tells all who read the words today to instead seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and our needs will be met.

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Today is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and through the Last Great Day we look forward to the Kingdom of God through our observance of this feast. We know that at this future time, God will restore massive amounts of territory to Israel in the area surrounding Jerusalem and that if nations want to be blessed, they will keep the Feast of Tabernacles. We also know that Jesus tells us to instead of worrying, to seek first the Kingdom of God, and God’s righteousness, and our needs will be met.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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