_{From a New Testament Perspective}

Feast of Tabernacles

Year of Jubilee

Read Leviticus 25:8-17.
Every 50th year was a Jubilee year (literally "shouting"). The trumpet, blown on the Day of Atonement, sounded throughout the land proclaiming the year of Jubilee.

It was a year of liberty, freedom from debt, release of prisoners, reuniting of families, lifting of oppressions, setting free of slaves, restoring of lands and properties.

The 120th Jubilee is at hand (120 x 50 = 6000 years since Adam). The number 120 in the Scripture speaks of "the end of all flesh" (Genesis 6:3; 2 Chron.5:12-14; Acts 1:15; 2:4).

The Day of Atonement in the Church is also the fulfillment of the Year of Jubilee and begins the greatest ministry prior to the 2nd Coming of Christ (Hab.2:14; Isaiah 35; 40:5).

Feast of Tabernacles

Lev.23:33-44; Deut.16:13-17; Num.29:12-35.
The Feast of Tabernacles began on the 15th day of the 7th month, and lasted until the 21st, with the 22nd an additional Sabbath. It is the consummation of all the Feasts of the Lord. It pictures the final ingathering of souls in the end of the age.

The Ceremony

• 15th (1st day of the Feast)...close of the fruit harvest (Lev.23:39).

• 15th...gathering of palm fronds, willows and leafy branches to build booths (v.39).

• 15th and 22nd...days of rest (v.39).

• Burnt offerings, sacrifices for 7 days (v.36-37).

• Rejoicing for 7 days (v.40).

• Dwelling in booths for 7 days (v.42).

Following the Day of Atonement the harvest of the grape and olive took place and with it a transition from the somber mood of "The Fast" to a holiday of great rejoicing and celebration.
For this the people were told to build booths out of branches and palm leaves and live in them during the festival. Historically this was commemorating them living in "tabernacles", and God "tabernacling" with them (Ex.25:8), during the journey to the Promised Land. It was also celebrating the ingathering of the fruit.

Significance of the Number 7

The Feast of Tabernacles is the 7th feast. For 7 days 70 bullocks, 14 rams, 98 lambs and 7 goats were offered...numbers, both in groups and collectively, all divisible by 7. The number 7 (perfect completion, rest - Genesis 1:31-2:3) is impressed upon this final feast.

Character of the Feast

Festival of Rest
The Feast lasted for 7 days in the 7th month...the number of rest and perfection (Hebrews 4:9).

Festival of Unity
See Ezra 3:1-4. Everything in this final Feast is a corporate experience and is pre-picturing the effect of the Body of Christ in unity!

Festival of Dedication
It is also known as the Feast of Dedication because Solomon dedicated the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (2 Chron.6:2-7:10). It speaks of the dedication of the Church in the last days and the glory of the Lord filling it (Ephesians 2:21-22)

Festival of Joy
There was great rejoicing in this Feast (Deut.16:13-14; Neh.8:9-17; Psalm 126). To express the joy the Lord had commanded, Israel added something to the celebration - the water pouring ceremony. This outpouring of water developed into an outpouring of intense, and sometimes riotous, joy. It was during this time that Jesus made a prophetic declaration:

"Now on the final and most important day of the feast (note verse 2), Jesus stood forth and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me...Out from his innermost being springs and rivers of living water shall flow (continuously). But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed - trusted, had faith - in Him were afterward to receive. For the (Holy) Spirit had not yet been given; because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honour)" John 7:37-39 (Amp.).

The Lord used the water-pouring to picture the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon, and the outflowing from, the believer. It was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost but also speaks of the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles in the last day Church (Isaiah 12).

Festival of Light
Again, Israel had added to the celebrations of this Feast. By Jesus' day they would flood the Temple with light at the Feast of Tabernacles and the spiritual leaders of the people would hold bright torches and dance and sing praises to God well into the night and the city would be filled with light. So it became known as the festival of light. Jesus said "I am the light of the world" during the Feast of Tabernacles! (John 8:12; 7:2). The Church is now the Temple of God - the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).

Festival of Harvest
Read Exodus 23:16;34:22. Following the fall of the Autumn rains, which bring the fruit (the grape and the olive) to full ripeness, comes the great and final harvest of the year - the harvest of their wine and oil.

• The Autumn Rains
  Rain speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival, restoration and refreshing (Hosea 6:1-3). Joel 2:23-32 foretells the outpouring of the Holy Spirit using, as a picture, the rainfalls that fell during the feasts. The Early Church experienced the "Spring Rains" of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-21). The last day Church will know not only the "Spring Rains" of Passover and Pentecost but will experience the outpouring of the "Autumn Rains" of the Holy Spirit, experiencing all that the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles pre-pictures.

• The Wine
  The joy of the Lord, fullness of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:13-18; Ephesians 5:18).

• The Oil
  The anointing, empowering of the Holy Spirit (Psalm 89:20-29; 104:15).

• The Great Ingathering
  The Last Day Harvest...multitudes gathered into the Kingdom of God because of the revelation of His glory in and through the Church (Joel 3:14; Matt.13:30,39).

Festival of the Nations
See Zechariah 14:16-18. The harvest in the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Church is a harvest of people - from every nation, tribe and language (Rev. 7:9-10).

The 8th Day

At the close of the 7 days another Sabbath was added...the 8th day (Numbers 29:35-40). 8 is the number of new beginnings (Gen.7:13; 1 Sam.16:10-13). The Feast of Tabernacles brings us right to the 2nd Coming of the Lord Jesus, and the resurrection of the saints of all ages (1 Cor. 15:20-26; 1 Thess. 4:13-17). The Sabbath of the 8th day speaks of the Millennial Rest (Rev.20:2-7).

"...'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them...'" Revelation 21:3 (NKJV).
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