THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES AND ITS CHRISTIAN SIGNIFICANCE
by David Kiern
As the sun sets during the final moments of Yom Kippur, the solemn tone swiftly transitions to excitement and joy. A feeling of lightness and freedom fills the air, and after the fast-breaking dinner, Jewish families begin building their sukkahs.
Wednesday night at sundown, (October 16th, 2024) the Biblical Fall Feasts will culminate with the most joyful holiday on God's calendar—The Feast of Tabernacles!
Also known as the Feast of the Ingathering and the Feast of the Nations, Sukkot is an 8-day celebration remembering God's Divine Presence amongst the Children of Israel after they escaped Egypt and lived in tabernacles in the desert for 40 years. It is celebrated at the peak of the autumn harvest, during which the Jewish people give thanks to God for His abundant provision.
The Feast of Tabernacles is the most joyful of all of the Biblical Festivals. It also looks ahead to the future Messianic Kingdom when God will dwell with man.
During the Holiday, families go “sukkah hopping,” where they visit sukkahs of their extended family, friends, neighbors and sometimes even strangers!
A sukkah is a three-sided tabernacle/booth with a roof made of palm branches, allowing the stars and the moon to still be visible. Normally constructed on a balcony, patio, roof or in the backyard, this temporary booth is a reminder of the fleeting nature of materialism and the freedom that comes in trusting God for every need.
Inside the sukkah, people eat festive meals, play games, sing, dance and study scripture. Generosity and hospitality are two virtues each home tries to embody throughout this week.
CHRISTIAN SIGNIFICANCE
Just as the Spring Feasts laid the blueprint for Yeshua's First Coming, the Fall Feasts foreshadow His return, and reach their prophetic climax with Sukkot! For disciples of Jesus, the Feast of Tabernacles is a foretaste of the Messianic Kingdom, when there will be peace on earth, our hearts will no longer know sin and God will “tabernacle among us.” (John 1:14)
Today, more Christians recognize and participate in the Feast of Tabernacles on some level than at any time since the first century. This is not a brand new phenomenon, but a rebirth of an old practice. Jesus and His Apostles celebrated the Feasts year after year. The earliest followers of Yeshua, both Jew and Gentile, participated in the Biblical Festivals as a natural part of their faith.
For decades, thousands upon thousands of born-again Believers from the nations have traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot alongside the Jewish people. One of the most powerful experiences during the Holiday is the annual “Jerusalem March”. Thousands of Christians from all over the world march through the center of Jerusalem while waving banners and flags, boldly declaring their love and support for the land and people of Israel.
Christians keeping Sukkot is a spiritual phenomenon prophesied long ago. Zechariah had a vision and prophesied that in the future Messianic Kingdom, all nations will come to Jerusalem and worship during the Feast of Tabernacles...
“Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot.”
ZECHARIAH 14:16
In Revelation chapter 7, John had a similar vision as the prophet Zechariah. He saw a future day where all nations appear before God and the Messiah, wave palm branches and worship.
“After these things I looked, and behold, a vast multitude that no one could count—from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues—was standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, saying,‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”
- REVELATION 7
It was during Sukkot that Yeshua boldly spoke to all Israel on the Temple Mount: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38) Yeshua was connecting Himself to the vision from Zechariah 14, when the Messiah’s feet will touch down upon the Mount of Olives, and rivers of living water will flow from the Temple Mount.
From our family to yours, we wish you a joyful Holiday! And, of course, Next Year in Jerusalem!
Jewelry by I AM ISRAEL gives you stylish and elegant ways to wear a piece of the Land of Israel everywhere you go.
This fall, share the miracle of Israel with your friends and family!
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