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Pt. 20 SUKKOT (Feast of Tabernacles)
Those who Are Alive & Remain on Earth Run for
Safety
The question asked through the ages since sin began
is: When will life’s troubles end and the glorious reign of Almighty
begin? The prophetic Word of God has revealed by many predictions the events
surrounding the Day of the LORD when God’s people will see Messiah ben David (Yeshua)
rule as King of Kings.
Paul wrote, “We believe that Jesus died and rose
again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have
fallen asleep [are dead] in Him [Day 1,335, to the Armageddon Battle, Jude
14-15]. According to the LORD’s own word, we tell you that we who are still
alive, who are left till the coming of the LORD, will certainly not precede
those who have fallen asleep. For the LORD Himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of [Michael] the Archangel and with the
trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first [Yom Kippur—Point
18]. After that [a short time later], we who are still alive and are left
[behind] will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in
the air. And so we will be with the LORD forever,” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).
The “Great Tribulation” spoken of by Jesus in
Matthew 24:14-28 is a time of unimaginable turmoil, especially for God’s elect.
“The gospel will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come,” (v.14). Yeshua continued, “So when you see
standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of by
prophet Daniel [12:11]—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains… Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on
the [seventh-day] Sabbath [the weekly day of rest]. For then there will be
great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to
be equaled again,” (vs. 15-21).
“If those [40] days had not been cut short, no one
would survive, but for the sake of the elect [144,000] those days will [through
Divine intervention] be shortened [reduced from full 24 hour days—Revelation
8:12],” (v. 22). Consequently, even the 40 days duration will be a condensed
period of time, as the earth’s axis is set off course and the rotation altered.
Elohim “changes times and seasons,” (Daniel 2:21); “He shakes the earth from its
place and makes its pillars tremble. He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;
He seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and
treads on the waves of the sea,” (Job 9:6-8). Therefore, it is not for mankind
to know the exact day or the hour, which the Father has set by His own authority.
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The “great multitude” of
all nations will have been resurrected with gloried bodies at Yom Kippur and
taken to the safe haven of God’s Sanctuary… Days later, they will wave their
palm branches...
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Romans 9:28 says, “Concerning Israel: Though the
number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be
saved. For the LORD will carry out His sentence on earth with speed and
finality.” The Psalms add, “For His anger lasts only a moment, but
His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes
in the morning,” (30:5) and “a little while, and the wicked will be no
more; though you look for them, they will not be found,” (37:10). “For a
brief moment I abandoned you [Israel], but with deep compassion I will bring
you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but
with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you, says the LORD your
Redeemer,” (Isaiah 54:7-8).
The Wedding of the Groom to the Bride—the New
Jerusalem
Marriage is a covenant ordained and blessed by
Adonai. A loving and committed marriage relationship between a man and woman is
at the center of God’s plan for humanity. In the Garden of Eden, God took
Adam’s rib, created Eve and escorted her to meet Adam where they were joined as
one. Marriage is a blessed arrangement, and that is why at the death of a
spouse, Holy Writ gives the freedom to remarry and become joined once again with
a new partner.
After the fiery demise of earthly Jerusalem, the
adulterous woman, by her lovers, the marriage will take place in Heaven, when
Father, Son, Mother (New Jerusalem) and Bride (shimmering saints, lit with
Shekinah’s glory) are united in the Kingdom. “On that day there will be one
LORD, and His Name [YHVH] the only Name.”
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) is known as the
Festival of Ingathering and the fruit harvest. In Revelation 7:9-17, we see
those who have come out of the midst of the Great Tribulation will “dwell” with
Him forever. The Greek word, sk’enos means “tabernacle, booth,
shelter, or covering,” which portrays the protection of God’s people, Jew
and Gentile alike. In this sense, the “great multitude” of all nations
are invited to the wedding, and they become New Jerusalem’s permanently
protected occupants. “I will betroth you to Me forever,” (Hosea 2:19). The
anticipated union between the saints, New Jerusalem and Michael, as seen in the
lives of Rachel and Leah’s betrothal to Jacob, will then be consummated with
great rejoicing.
The holy saints who endured 42 months on a
treacherous journey through the wilderness finally enter through the gate and
into the Holy of Holies within the City of God wearing their shimmering robes of
righteousness. “I heard what sounded like a great multitude… shouting:
Hallelujah! For our LORD God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and
give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride [New
Jerusalem and her new occupants] has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and
clean, was given her to wear,” (Revelation 19:6-8). The fine linen stands for
the righteous acts of the saints who enter and adorn her with beauty forevermore.
King Solomon dedicated the Temple during Sukkot.
The narrative in Exodus chapter 8 places great emphasis upon the procession of
the Ark of the Covenant [symbolic of God’s throne] to its final resting place.
The synagogue ritual today assigns Psalms 42-43 to the Feast of Tabernacles.
Psalmist remembers with joy how he “used to go with the multitude, leading the
procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the
festive throng,” (42:4).
At the Feast of Dedication in Heaven, the New
Jerusalem, until then empty of residents, sights and sounds, will be honored
with her eternal adornment—the righteous believers and her King. Sukkot is also
called the Feast of the Nations. John wrote, a “great multitude that no man
could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing
before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and
were holding palm branches [a symbol of Sukkot] in their hands… they are before
the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His Temple; and He who sits on
the throne will spread His tent [Tabernacle] over them. Never again will they
hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their
shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes,” (Revelation 7:9, 15-17).
“In Jewish literature, a major theme of the Feast of
Booths (Tabernacles) is Israel’s role in the redemption of the world. The
Talmud explains that the seventy bulls sacrificed during the seven days of the
Feast of Booths were offered on ‘behalf of the seventy nations of the world.’
The same thought is found in the commentary (Midrash) on Psalm 109:4: “At the
Festival of Tabernacles we offer up seventy bullocks (as an atonement) for the
seventy nations, and we pray that rain will come down for them… The celebration
of the Feast of Booths is mentioned on two high points of the history of Israel:
the dedication of the Temple and the return from Babylonian captivity.
When on earth, Yeshua entered the Temple in
Jerusalem on the Feast of Sukkot and was rejected by the religious authorities;
therefore, Jesus told them that where He was going (Temple in Heaven) “you
cannot come.” John followed up with this detail: “On the last and greatest day
of the Feast [of Tabernacles], Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone
is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within Him,’” (John
7:37-38).
While the 144,000 are alive and left behind on
earth to endure the last great trial, the “great multitude” of all nations will
have been resurrected with gloried bodies at Yom Kippur
and taken to the safe haven of God’s Sanctuary. “God’s children… are children of
the resurrection,” (Luke 20:36). Days later, they will wave their palm branches
at the wedding celebration during Sukkot under the shelter of Heaven’s canopy.
As witnesses and celebrants of the marriage of the Lamb to the Holy City, the
New Jerusalem, the great multitude (of all nations—Jew and Gentile alike),
clothed in their white
wedding garments and new bodies shining as brilliant stars, will be assigned as
priests and rulers of the kingdom,
after the order of Melchizedek.
They will enter the City of the living God with great joy as her beautiful
adornment forever.
“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls
full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, Come, I will show you the
bride, the wife of the Lamb. And He… showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming
down out of Heaven from God,” (Revelation 21:9-10). “I saw the Holy City the
New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her Husband,” (Revelation 21:2). Paul said, “The
Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother,” (Galatians 4:26). A
mother cares for and provides shelter for her children, yet the heavenly
Jerusalem to this day remains unmarried and barren without children. The prophet
Isaiah spoke of Zion’s future glory when her children will be born out of the
excruciating birth pains of the last human tribulation.
He wrote, “Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song,
shout for joy, you who were never in labor… Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide… For your Maker is your Husband-the LORD
Almighty is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the
God of all the earth,” (Isaiah 54:1-5).
“Who has ever heard such a thing? Who has ever seen
such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a
moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children,”
(Isaiah 66:8). We have a spiritual Father and a spiritual mother, our future
home, because of an obedient and suffering Savior: “In bringing many sons to
glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,
should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering,” (Hebrews
2:10). “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government
will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” (Isaiah 9:6). “I will be a
Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the LORD
Almighty,” (2 Corinthians 6:18). The saints will be the very sons and daughters
of the Most High God, and live in His home forever. The New Jerusalem will
surround us with her arms of protection, and we will rest in her safekeeping
from the turmoil of earth’s final crisis.
Sukkot—The Feast of Tabernacles Connection
Sukkot, commonly known as the Feast of Tabernacles,
is observed seven days from the fifteenth day of Tishrei to the twenty-first
day. This places the annual Festival in the months of September or October.
Sukkot occurs just five days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and runs
for seven days plus the eighth day Sabbath.
Israel was commanded by YHVH to build a hut (sukkah;
plural sukkot) and to dwell in these temporary structures. “On the
fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular
work. Celebrate a Festival to the LORD for seven days… live in booths for seven
days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will
know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt,”
(Numbers 29:12). That’s why during harvest at Sukkot, the workers would live in
temporary huts in the fields made of leafy roofs.
Jewish scholars associate living in a makeshift
shelter as a remembrance of the 40 years the children of Israel wandered
in the wilderness after leaving their comfortable homes in Egypt, to live in
tents on their way to Canaan. In the last days the October Festival will arrive
during the 40 days of the final period of human history, which the twelve
tribes, leaving behind their familiar surroundings, must endure on their arduous
wilderness journey to the Promised Land. Sukkot is also highlighted as the
Festival of the future reign of Messiah in the new earth, as all nations will
gather each year to celebrate it together.
Daniel’s last vision (12:11-12) discloses two time
periods (1,290 days and 1,335 days) that bracket events of the last great
conflict. Between these two periods (Points 17 & 21) are precise prophetic days,
separated by the abomination that causes desolation set up in Jerusalem and the
visible return of Christ in the clouds (Day 1,335). Once the abomination has
been set up, great turmoil will quickly erupt in the skies and on earth. Five
days after Yom Kippur is the Feast of Tabernacles, when its symbolism meets
fulfillment. Referring to the Appointed Times and Seasons Calendar, from Yom
Kippur (Point 18) to Day 1,335 (Point 21) is 40 days—which the Word calls
“The Time of Jacob’s [Israel’s] Trouble” when the 144,000 elect are scattered to
the wind and are severely tested.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote that Israel’s punishment
comes during the time God plans to destroy the surrounding nations, for if
Elohim brings judgment on Jerusalem (the city called by His Name) He will
certainly pour out His anger upon the Gentile nations: “These are the words the
LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: This is what the LORD says: Cries of
fear are heard—terror, not peace. Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why
do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,
every face turned deathly pale? How awful that day will be! None will be like
it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob [144,000], but he will be
saved out of it. In that day, declares the LORD Almighty, I will break the yoke
off their necks and will tear off their bonds [at Jubilee/Yom Kippur]; no longer
will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and
David their king, whom I will raise up [in resurrection] for them. So do not
fear, O Jacob My servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel, declares the LORD. I
will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of
their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him
afraid. I am with you and will save you, declares the LORD. Though I
completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not
completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not
let you go entirely unpunished,” (Jeremiah 30:4-11).
Deuteronomy (31:16-21) confirms the end-of-days judgment during the great
tribulation against Israel for her sins. The LORD said to Moses: “You are going
to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to
the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break
the covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and
forsake them; I will hide My face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many
disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask,
‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?’ And I
will certainly hide My face on that day because of all their wickedness in
turning to other gods. Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to
the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for Me against
them. When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the
land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and
thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting Me and breaking
My covenant. And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song
will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their
descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into
the land I promised them on oath.”
In spite of this pending disaster, there is a
remnant that will be saved.
Those who are “alive and remain” on earth, the 144,000 of the twelve tribes of
Israel, who have been glorified and sealed for
divine protection against the plagues, must endure the last great conflict that
will continue 40 days, the time of Jacob’s trouble. The booth or sukkah
was a temporary dwelling place. Historically, it was to remind the people of
their exodus from Egypt as described in Leviticus.
Prophetically, the sukkah points toward the wilderness travel and age to
come. Spiritually, a sukkah is supposed to remind God’s people that we
are but strangers or pilgrims on earth; this place is only a temporary dwelling
place. So the believer in Messiah is merely a stranger and pilgrim on this earth.
To the believer in Yeshua, our physical body is a temporary tabernacle. At the
glorification, we will receive a new
and heavenly house, a glorified body.
1
Corinthians 15:39-44, 51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
From
the Messianic Jewish Perspective
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