The Feast of Tabernacles / September 2002

They will pull their kids from school. They will use their prized vacation time or endure the loss of pay. They will load their vehicles with their grubby and rugged clothing. They will lock their houses and have friends collect the mail. They will drag a trailer or carry a tent traveling a great distance to get there. They will enter into a camp with only a few restrooms far from the comforts of their home. They will expose themselves to more than a week of crisp fall mornings and use the shivers to wake-up. They will sit huddled in the cool evenings and let smoke from a campfire cure them. They will endure the hot sun of the afternoon and the suddenness of a thunderstorm at any time of day or night. The long days will rob them of relaxing sleep. Personal grooming pleasures will be replaced by an occasional cold shower. Each day will be a bad hair day. Their privacy will be trodden down by a stampede of fellow campers. They will eat their breakfast standing. They will drink coffee after spilling part of it down their pants leg. They will also pray, dance, sing, and learn. It will be the time of their lives. It will be …

What is the Feast of Tabernacles?

For those of you who are not sure what the Feast of Tabernacles is, lets review the basic Biblical feasts. Beginning with Passover in spring, the Feast of Unleavened Bread extends for seven days. During these seven days, on the first day after the first weekly Sabbath, the Feast of First Fruits occurs. It is one day. Counting from that day for seven weeks, you come to the Feast of Weeks, commonly called Pentecost. These are the spring and summer holidays. In the fall, at the month of Tishri (generally our September time frame) are the summer/fall holidays. On 1 Tishri is Yom Teruah (the day of trumpets) which is commonly called Rosh HaShanah (the head of the year). This is referred to as Jewish New Year. On the 10th of Tishri is Yom Kippur (day of atonement). This is a single day of fasting, when the observers "afflict" their souls. Then beginning on 15 Tishri extending for seven days is the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. In the Hebrew, it is called Sukkot [Soo-coat]. There is an eighth day attached to the festival called Shemini Atzeret, commonly called Hoshanah Rabah. It is also called the "great day of the feast."

How do you observe it?

For several years now, Lion and Lamb Ministries has joined with B’nai Shalom Messianic Congregation of Oklahoma City to host a Feast of Tabernacles in Chandler, Oklahoma. Instead of just building a ceremonial sukkah (booth) in our backyards, we have decided to do as the Scripture says. We get up out of our houses and go camp out in our tents and trailers for the entire eight days of the holiday. Brethren from all over the U.S. and other countries have come each year to join us. Instead of remembering our ancestors in the wilderness, we are experiencing the elements of the wilderness. We have a main assembly tent and provide day teaching workshops and full evening programs. The worship team leads us in music while the dancers lift our souls. But, it is not just a big revival or church service that is experienced. Joy and rejoicing are the commandment of Tabernacles. Therefore, skits and humor are part of the worship. Some of our skits reveal true creativity and talent. These are coupled with both physical and spiritual food. The evening meal is prepared for the entire camp at the camp kitchen and dining tent. This is not your standard camp food of burgers and hot dogs. Instead, these are full meals ranging from teriyaki chicken rice bowls to chicken fried steak, and lamb and lentil stew. During the week, we have a chili cook-off championship with a trophy presentation. On the last night, campers are given the opportunity to sing, do a skit, or share their musical skills with the entire camp. Everyone goes home vowing to return next year.

The results have been amazing. The best way I can sum up the experience is in the words of a small child who attended their first Tabernacles. "This is a lot more fun than Christmas ever hoped to be." Consider what the child has really said. His definition of joy and family fun, the best time he has every had in his life, is the very first thing that we are going to do in the coming kingdom when the Messiah returns. This is a child that is ready to enter the kingdom of God. This is a child who is ready, willing, and able to join the Messiah in His kingdom. I wonder if we adults have such enthusiasm for the coming kingdom.

How many people observe this?

We are not the only ministry or congregation doing this holiday in this fashion. A recent survey of the internet found more than 50 locations offering the feast for Messianic believers. This list does not include your average Messianic Congregation or Jewish Synagogue and its local celebration. Our festival here in Chandler started out small. Six years ago, 45 brethren joined us. The second year we had 90. The third year we had 160. The fourth year 350 attended. Last year we peaked at 550. This year we have registered 675 (100 youth, 100 kids, and 475 adults). Next year, there will more, and we are only one of the growing locations. Remember, this is not a conference or a revival at a convention center for a weekend. These people are coming for eight days and nights, during the school year. They are using their vacation time and making major family adjustments. Why has this festival been so successful with growing numbers each year? Why are others doing the same in their areas? The answer is going to surprise you.

Why is the Feast of Tabernacles the fastest growing celebration in the Messianic Movement?

The Feast of Tabernacles is successful and personally fulfilling because it is what the Lord said to do. Instead of a weekend Bible conference in some big hotel, it is how the Lord said to do it. We do it when the Lord said to do it. We do where the Lord said to do it. Get out of your house, stay in your tent. Let’s share together and eat the same food. Let’s enjoy the sunset and the moon rise. The moon is full at the beginning of the festival, which gives the camp light by night. We sing late into the night as much as we desire and we enjoy the fresh air. We get rained on (which is fun) and we huddle together (which is more fun) when it is cold. The kids have fun! The teens have fun! But there is something more significant than all of us having a lot of fun.

The Lord attends the Feast of Tabernacles. He says that He walks around in the camp and is a participant at every conversation. When people begin to sense His presence, and they do, the rejoicing moves into high gear beyond a normal camping experience. I share this to inspire you, to cause you to think about your faith and how you observe it. My point is simple: Let’s do it the way the Lord said to do it. You will discover, as I have, that our faith works, our faith is real. The kids and teens can see it is real, it’s real for them too. When we share in the experience of our ancestors, we experience God in the camp. We identify with our ancestors. We see ourselves as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Spiritually, this is profound for our faith.

What are the names for the Feast of Tabernacles?

The Feast of Tabernacles has a number of names and parts to it. Let’s review those quickly so that we can discuss the real meaning of the feast. The Hebrew name for the feast is Sukkot (sometimes spelled Succot). Sukkot means booths or huts. A sukkah is a booth. Tabernacles means tents or temporary shelters. Therefore, the Scriptures refer to the event as the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

The festival is actually seven days with a final eighth day called Hoshanah Rabbah. The eighth day is called the "Great Day of the Feast" or the "Great Feast." The Hebrew title for the eighth day is "Shemeni Atzeret." But the combination of the seven days with the eighth day are simply referred to as Tabernacles.

How did God establish this festival?

Here is how God commanded Moses for this holiday.

Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, "On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work."

Leviticus 23:34-36

"On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day. Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native–born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 23:39-43

The fifteenth of the seventh month occurs in the common calendar months of September and October. The commandment calls for us to leave our houses and live in a camp with our brethren and use temporary shelters. The first and eighth days are high sabbaths in addition to the weekly sabbaths.

How was the Feast of Tabernacles observed in Israel?

In ancient times, the fall feasts were very significant for temple ceremonies. The Feast of Tabernacles was one of three pilgrimage festivals (the others were the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks). The men of Israel would travel to the temple and build their booths around Jerusalem. Solomon’s temple was dedicated at the Feast of Tabernacles. 1 Kings 8 details the dedication service of the first Jerusalem temple.

According to Moses, the temple service for the Feast of Tabernacles was very elaborate and contained more altar sacrifices than any other holiday by comparison. On the first day of Sukkot, thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs, and one male goat were offered up in addition to a meal offering and the daily offerings. On the second day of Sukkot, it was the same except the number of bulls was reduced by one to twelve. Each day of Sukkot that followed continued to reduce the bulls by one until on the seventh day only seven were offered. At the end of seven days of Sukkot a total seventy bulls, fourteen rams, ninety-six lambs, and seven male goats were offered. All throughout this week, the temple was not closed. Instead, great lights were set up in the court of women that would illuminate the entire temple area. This light was to remind Israel of how the Lord’s presence was a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night to be a light in the camp. But on the eighth day they had a special water ceremony for the altar. This day was called Hoshanah Rabah (the Great Salvation); it was the great day of the feast.

The Water Ceremony

The water ceremony was in many respects the conclusion of the holiday. Everything has built to this day and this particular ceremony. The renown men of Israel, every priest, teacher, scribe and leader was in the temple to observe this one ceremony. It was a rare moment in the life of Israel each year.

The sequence of the water ceremony involved a single priest being dispatched from the temple down to the Pool of Siloam. Siloam means "sent." The priest was "sent" from heaven (the temple mount) down to Siloam, the lowest part of Jerusalem (the earth). With a golden pitcher, the priest would draw water from the pool. This water was called "Yeshua" which means salvation. It is also the Hebrew name of Jesus. The priest would then ascend back up to the temple with the sound of a flute and joy. The prophet Isaiah wrote these words explaining the meaning of His name (God is my salvation) and this water ceremony.

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.

Isaiah 12:2-3

This process of descending and ascending is a major prophecy of the Messiah. The Messiah descended and ascended just like the priest who bears the "living waters" called "salvation." The writer of Proverbs knew that this ascending and descending process was about God and His Son.

Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know!

Proverbs 30:4

As the priest with the water entered the court of Israel, the silver trumpets are sounded to focus everyone’s attention. The priest and a companion priest walk up the ramp of the altar and position themselves atop of the altar at the south western corner. The first priest carries the gold pitcher with the water; the second priest carries a silver pitcher with wine. Two funnel goblets are set at the edge of the altar with the drain spout letting the fluid flow down the side of the altar. One funnel is for the water, the other for the wine. In synchronous manner, the priests pour out their pitchers into the corresponding funnels. Beginning low and slow, the priest raise up the pitchers keeping aim on the funnels. This is done so all may see the "outpouring." Those witnessing the ceremony observe the parallel streams on the side of the altar of water and wine.

This ceremony symbolizes God’s response to a prayer that has been prayed during all of Sukkot. The prayer is for God to "save" us and "pour out" His Spirit upon us. The Apostle John records for us what happened with Yeshua at this ceremony.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:37-39

Yeshua associated the "waters of salvation" called by His same name to God’s redemption. He was saying that He was the redemption - the salvation. The outpouring of the waters symbolized the outpouring of the Spirit that would come with the redemption. John qualifies Yeshua’s statement by saying that the Spirit was given later (at the Feast of Weeks - Pentecost).

This witness of the water and the wine was further evidenced at the death of Yeshua.

The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs; but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

John 19:31-35

When blood and water flowed from the body of Yeshua, it matched the witness of the altar water ceremony. It symbolized God’s redemption (the blood/wine) in parallel with the water (the outpouring of the Spirit).

Looking back to Yeshua’s entrance into Jerusalem, the people laid out palm branches. They cried out, "Hosanna, Hosanna!" which means "God save us!" The palm branches and the cry of Hosanna comes from the Feast of Tabernacles. This is how the celebration of booths led to the Passover - the Feast of Redemption.

What does the Feast of Tabernacles have to say about the Future?

The Feast of Tabernacles is spoken of in the future. The reference to the tribulation saints described in the Book of Revelation is about the Feast of Tabernacles.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;

Revelation 7:9

And I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them."

Revelation 7:14-15

The palm branches reveal the setting for the tribulation saints. They are gathered for the Feast of Tabernacles - the Feast of Ingathering. This is why the Lord’s throne is spread like a tabernacle over them.

From the Old Testament, the prophet Zechariah speaks of this festival as the first event upon the Lord’s return to Jerusalem after the Day of the Lord.

Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

Zechariah 14:16

Apparently, God intends to use the Feast of Tabernacles as the reference counter for the number of years in the millennial reign. The Feast of Tabernacles, therefore, will commemorate not only the exodus of Egypt (our ancestors) but also the greater exodus of us (the tribulation saints - the final generation) leading into the promised kingdom. This is consistent with God’s promise concerning the kingdom of David. King David served as the king of Israel for 40 years and had the greatest amount of territory in Israel’s history. God’s promise is to raise up David’s booth (tabernacle) in the same manner in the Messiah’s kingdom.

"In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name," Declares the Lord who does this.

Amos 9:11-12

What does the Feast of Tabernacles have to do with us in the present?

But back to our present age, the Feast of Tabernacles is an important piece in the jigsaw called the end times. Many of our brethren are aware of the Lord’s second coming and believe that God will gather us up in an event called the "rapture." This is the belief that the church has a special escape to heaven while us poor Jews will have to tough it out here on Earth in the Great Tribulation. This is called Pretribulationism. It’s false and not true. This false expectation is the product of a distorted identity of who are the elect of God. The church has defined themselves as something separate from believing remnant Israel and God’s covenant made with Israel. The true teaching of how to prepare for Yeshua’s second coming is found in the identity of Israel and in keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. The word "rapture" is made up by churchmen; the word "gathering" is in the Scripture.

The Scriptures describe a great gathering of God’s people at the end. It is not a rapture of the church. It is the gathering of the whole house of Israel (house of Judah and the house of Israel) from all the nations where they have been scattered. It includes those Gentiles that join with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses described it this way.

So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Deuteronomy 30:1-5

Secondly, this gathering is referred to as an exodus from the nations, greater than Egypt. The prophet Jeremiah describes it this way.

"Therefore behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers."

Jeremiah 16:14-15

"Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil."

Jeremiah 23:7-8

Ezekiel described the rejoining of the two houses and the Gentiles (their companions with them).

And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, "For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions"; then take another stick and write on it, "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions." Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when the sons of your people speak to you saying, "Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?" say to them, "Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.’" And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. And say to them, "Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.’"

Ezekiel 37:16-22

This great gathering at the end of the ages is the gathering Paul refers to at the end of the age of the Gentiles when "all Israel" is saved.

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob."

Romans 11:25-26

Paul’s quote from Isaiah 59:20 is in the context of when Zion will be glorified - the millennial kingdom. Paul is saying that the saving of all Israel comes at the end of an age (our present one) and just prior to the coming kingdom. It is in keeping with the promise of the land to Abraham called the "greater Israel." Only King David came close to seeing this kingdom described.

While the church has jumped on the return of the Lord with a special rapture for themselves, the Scripture has laid out a plan for Israel, scattered in the nations, to be gathered and brought back to the land for the kingdom. The only way that this can truly happen is for God to resurrect all of the believers from the past and rapture those who are still alive, together. The context of this great final event is modeled by the fall feasts. The Feast of Trumpet calls all of us to be gathered. The prophecies of the resurrection and the rapture say a great trumpet will be sounded that gathers us. The definition of our future resurrection and rapture is based on a Biblical feast taught by Moses, not by churchmen distorting the words of Paul. Yom Kippur speaks of the day of the Lord, when we are silent as God judges the world. Next is the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Ingathering and the first celebration of Messiah’s rule on the Earth. It is the very context of the Wedding of the Lamb. Again, the church has failed to understand the work of the Messiah as consistent with festivals and has created an imaginary scenario to fit their own definition.

To understand the events of the second coming best, you would be well advised to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) and not listen to churchmen glorify themselves. Consider these additional points that speak of how Sukkot played a key role in past events. When Jacob returned to the land of his fathers Abraham and Isaac, he first camped in Sukkot after resolving his conflict with Esau.

And Jacob journeyed to Sukkot; and built for himself a house, and made booths for his livestock, therefore the place is named Sukkot.

Genesis 33:17

When the Children of Israel first left Egypt in the Exodus, their first camping place was Sukkot.

Then the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses, and camped in Sukkot.

Numbers 33:5

There is no idle word or sentence in the Scripture. This is not a coincidence; this pattern of first going to Sukkot is consistent in the Scripture. Therefore, it is foretelling us what will be happening.

What do we learn at the Feast of Tabernacles?

When we go to observe the Feast of Tabernacles today, what is it that we are to learn?

We learn about the past. We learn about our ancestors and how they were freed from Egypt by escaping to the wilderness. In the wilderness, we were led by the Lord. He was a cloud by day and a fire by night. He gave us bread to eat. He gave us meat and water. He gave us His instructions, the Torah. He made us a free people. We remember living in booths and becoming a community of believers.

We learn about our Messiah. We learn that the living waters come from the Rock of our Salvation, that the true bread of heaven was He who is sent by the Father. We learn that eating this bread satisfies all hunger and drinking this water satisfies all thirst. We learn how to assemble together and worship together under the instruction of the greatest Torah teacher, Yeshua HaMeshiach.

We learn about our present situation. We learn how to be hot, then cold, get sweaty, tired, shower in cold water, spill our coffee and drop our food, and still rejoice in the Lord. We learn that life is really being with God and that His presence is more important than things passing away.

We learn about our future. We learn how to prepare for the greater exodus, when we will all leave the nations and go to Jerusalem to be with the Lord. We learn how to prepare for the Great Tribulation which will be like the great and terrible wilderness. We learn how to put off the slavery of this world and how to become free for the kingdom. We learn that we are safer in a tent with the Lord in the camp, than in a well stocked fortress with the Lord in heaven.

Many brethren today have a strong sense that we are at the end of the ages, that this is the time for the Lord to draw near. I agree. I believe we are the last generation. I believe we should prepare for His coming. But, building a fortress in a remote country location, stockpiling it, and thinking that there is a huge governmental conspiracy against us is not preparing for the coming of the Lord. It is trying to save yourself. It is not following God’s plan for deliverance. Only God CAN and WILL save us. He says we will have to join Him in a camp called Sukkot with others. He says that He can protect you and yours in a tent better than you can in a fortress. Now, if we truly believe the Lord is coming, then let us believe Him and follow Him to the promised land.

If you will not leave Egypt, you can not go to the Promised Land. If you won’t leave your house to join the camp of the righteous, then don’t expect God to lead you to safety and walk into the kingdom at the end of the Great Tribulation.

I hope and trust that you are growing in your Messianic faith. I hope that you will plan to be part of a Feast of Tabernacles this year and in the future, especially the first one in the kingdom. We need to practice this feast though; we need to understand this gathering process. Personally, I don’t think we have many more practices left before the real thing happens.

YAVOH, He is Coming is a monthly newsletter published as an outreach ministry of Lion and Lamb Ministries
The ministry is a non-profit organization with an end time prophetic message in a Messianic Jewish context.
Subscription to YAVOH, He is Coming is without cost and supported only by donation.

Permission is granted to reprint any article in YAVOH, He is Coming with attribution given to YAVOH, He is Coming.

Editor - Monte Judah
Electronic Editor - Ephraim Judah

Lion and Lamb Ministries
PO Box 720968
Norman, OK 73070
Phone: (405) 447 4429
Fax: (405) 447 3775
E-mail: info@lionlamb.net
Web: lionlamb.net