Today’s Topic: Feast of Tabernacles
Scripture: Leviticus 23:34-43
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
This is the last of the seven feasts established by God to Israel. The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyous and celebratory feast. The Feast of Tabernacles goes by other names also such as the Feast of Booths, Festival of Booths and Feast of Ingathering. In Hebrew the Feast of Tabernacles is called Sukkot or Succoth. The feast is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month and runs for seven days (Levit. 23:34). So in the Jewish calendar it runs from Tishri 15 to Tishri 22. Now just based on the title we are talking about tents or tabernacles. This celebration reminds the Israelites of their time after being brought out of Egypt and in the wilderness they dwelled in tents. Now there was to be a holy convocation on the first day and the eight day because both of these days would be Sabbath days. In addition they thank God for provisions and the fall harvest. Now that was a small overview of this because the significance to the saints is lengthy but I want to keep it simple for all of us to understand. To show you how important this feast is, let’s look at Zechariah 14:16,17:
“And it shall come to pass (prophecy) 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 (Jesus), the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of the tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the Earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King (Jesus), the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain”
This is a very powerful prophecy that speaks of the Millennium Kingdom when Jesus Christ will rule for 1,000 years from His throne in Jerusalem. All of the nations of the earth will be commanded to come and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Now if they refuse to come, which means they are not trusting in the Lord for substance and living, then the Lord will withhold rain from that nation as punishment. This rain is natural and spiritual. The spiritual rain that will be withheld will be that God will not pour out the Holy Spirit on those who refuse His offer of salvation. But look at what John says about this “rain” or water, John 7:37-39:
“In the last day, that great day of the feast (Feast of Tabernacles), Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst (water) let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)”
So this water, this life giving water is the Holy Spirit that will be poured out on everyone that believes during the Millennial Reign of Christ. Because remember back in Zechariah it spoke of everyone else that is left of the nations that came against Jerusalem.
The Feast of Tabernacles is also symbolic or shadow of the current tabernacles which leads us to our final tabernacles in 2 Corinthians 5:1:
“For we know that if our earthly house (flesh) of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed (righteousness) we shall not be found naked. For while we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”
So this tabernacle, just like the tabernacles the children of Israel had in the wilderness is temporary because we have an eternal house not made by hands. Our eternal house is immortal.
At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun
