The Feast of Tabernacles

by Wayne Blank

"Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month [see Bible Calendar and Bible Months], when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto The Lord [see also YHVH, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD] seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before The Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto The Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am The Lord your God." (Leviticus 23:39-43 KJV)

The Dual Meaning of The "Autumn Harvest"

Harvest Time

According to God's calendar, the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Tishri) is the beginning of a Holy festival to the people of "Israel" (see Physical and Spiritual Israel). It's known variously as the Feast of Tabernacles or Festival of Tabernacles, the Feast of Ingathering or Festival of Ingathering, the Feast of Booths or Festival of Booths, Succoth or Sukkot.

In contrast to Yom Kippur, or Day Of Atonement, that is observed 5 days earlier with solemnity and fasting, the Feast of Tabernacles is held with feasting and celebration. It's unique in that the people of Israel were to construct and live in temporary shelters, also called booths, during the week of the festival. The English-language word tabernacle means a temporary or movable building or shelter.

The Feast of Tabernacles was also known as the Feast of Ingathering because it occurs at the time of the major harvest of crops (the spring harvest of the crops was smaller than the autumn harvest, just as the "spring" harvest of salvation will be smaller than the "autumn" harvest - as mentioned above, see Seasons Of The Harvest). An abundant harvest and living in temporary shelters are the two profoundly symbolic themes of the festival.

As with all of the Holy Days of The Bible, the Feast of Tabernacles has great and joyous significance to Christianity (see also Christian Living). It symbolizes the first 1,000 year period, often called the "Millennium," that will follow immediately after the Return Of Jesus Christ.

The Dual Meaning Of The God-Commanded Biblical Holy Days

The spring (from Jerusalem's perspective, in the northern hemisphere) Holy Days symbolize the events related to the First Coming of Jesus Christ:

Passover - The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ to pay for the sins of all humanity. (Exodus 12:13, John 1:29) (see Passover In Egypt and The Lamb Of God)
The Days of Unleavened Bread - the removal of sin from the lives of converted, repentant people. (Exodus 12:15, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8) (see Unleavened Bread and What Is Sin?)
Pentecost - the "first fruits" harvest, the coming of God's Holy Spirit upon conversion. (Leviticus 23:16-17, Acts 2:1-4) (see Pentecost and The Holy Spirit In Your Life)

The autumn (from Jerusalem's perspective, in the northern hemisphere) Holy Days symbolize the events related to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ:

The Feast of Trumpets - The Return of Jesus Christ. (Leviticus 23:23-25, Matthew 24:30-31) (see The Feast Of Trumpets and The Return Of Jesus Christ)
The Day of Atonement - the judgment and sentencing of Satan after his removal as "the god of this world." (Leviticus 23:26-32, Revelation 20:10) (see The Escape Goat and The Day of Atonement)
The Feast of Tabernacles - the first 1,000 years after The Return of Christ. (Leviticus 23:33-36, Revelation 20:2-4) (see Scenes From The Millennium)
The Last Day - the 8th day of the Feast of Tabernacles picturing the later physical resurrection of the vast majority of humanity who were not resurrected to spirit at the Return of Jesus Christ. (Leviticus 23:39, Revelation 20:5,11-15) (see The Eighth Day and What Happens When You Die?)

The temporary shelters that are built and occupied during the Feast of Tabernacles picture human physical bodies which are "constructed" and "lived in" during our mortal lifetimes. The apostle Paul referred directly to the reality of the symbolism:

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved [see also "Thou sowest not that body that shall be"], 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 we shall not be found naked. For 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." (2 Corinthians 5:1-4 KJV)

The joy of the time of the festival portrays a time when Satan will no longer be around to cause the terrible evil and religious confusion that he does now. Unlike the first 6 "days" (i.e. the 6,000 years of recorded earth history from Genesis 1:2) of humanity's laborious bondage to sin, the 1,000 years will be a Sabbath of rest and re-creation.

Fact Finder: Will those who repented and were converted throughout history prior to His Return actually rule the earth with Him during the first 1,000 years after His Return?
Revelation 20:4
See also "To Meet The Lord In The Air" and When Will You Be Judged?

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