The Grand Final – The Fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles
In the previous article, the second one in this series of the Fall Festivals, we studied the sequential fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. It will take place when the heavenly High Priest returns to the earth from the heavenly Temple and every knee will bow before Him. All of Israel will be saved and see her Messiah. [1] What a day! Also, all the dark forces will have to bow to Christ, while Satan, after first being locked up in the abyss for the duration of the Kingdom of Peace, eventually will be cast into the lake of fire forever. After Christ’ return on that last Day of Atonement, therefore, only the Feast of Tabernacles is still waiting for the moment to be revealed of its shadow meaning. The significance of this New Covenant will become a reality. So, in this third article let’s have a closer look at the Feast of Tabernacles.
the time of the Feast of Tabernacles 70 bulls would be sacrificed, as God instructed to do so. This happened until the destruction of the temple. Each bull represented one of the nations on earth, and 70 nations symbolized all nations on earth. Israel was the nation set apart by God – sanctified – as priests for the nations. They were a people of mediators and according to the Biblical promise, the people of God’s Israel will also be mediators in the Kingdom of Peace.
Sunday evening October 13th – start of the Feast of Tabernacles (until evening of October 20)
On the one hand the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated in remembrance of the journey of the people of Israel through the desert. During this journey God came ‘to tabernacle’; in other words, He made a dwelling among them. The construction of the Tabernacle, through which God came to live among His people, began about 3500 years ago on the calendar day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Later God asked His people to live with their families in handmade tabernacles – frail huts usually made of foliage – for seven days during the time of this festival. This reminded them of their temporary tent on earth and of their dependence on God.
When will the Feast of Tabernacles in reality finally be fulfilled? Each one of the earlier feasts has found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. If the final fulfillment of the Day of Atonement has everything to do with His Second Coming, then the Feast of Tabernacles refers to the time when Jesus will reign on earth as King of kings; when He will establish His Kingdom. That is the start of the Thousand Year Reign, also called the Kingdom of Peace.
Although this feast will be fulfilled, the prophet Zechariah predicts that this feast will continue to be celebrated on earth during the Kingdom of Peace. That in itself is not strange, because even the Spring Festivals that have already been completed are still commemorated in their New Testament sense on their calendar days, but also celebrated by putting their meaning into religious practice on a daily basis. [2]
During the Millennial Reign of Peace, the Feast of Tabernacles will not only be celebrated by Israel, but by all the nations on earth. Since Jerusalem is from that moment on the center of global government, all nations and their leaders will come during the Feast of Tabernacles to Jerusalem to join the annual gathering of “the United Nations under Jesus Christ.” [3] nations refusing to come with their delegations to Jerusalem during that festival in the Fall, will be confronted with drought in their country, as the prophet Zechariah prophecised. Although the realm of darkness and its satanic ruler no longer have any power, there may still be some rebellion here and there against the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, but still the world will have a very long period of peace. [4] It will be an age of the visible rule of Jesus Christ on earth as the King of all kings.
Harvest Completed
Around other festivals in the year harvests are gathered, but prior to the Feast of Tabernacles all the harvest of that year has been brought into the barns. God is asking his people to live for a week in a frail dwelling, at a time when the barns in Israel are filled with abundance. This is reminding them Who has saved them from the darkness and slavery of Egypt and Who brought them to the promised land. That has more Biblical depth and meaning than “Thanksgiving Day for Labor and Crop” which is nowadays celebrated by Protestants.
Yes, on God’s Biblical calendar we are still waiting for the fulfillment of the three Biblical Fall festivals. We don’t know the exact times these Feasts will be fulfilled but witnessing the events around us we can expect that the remaining time is quickly shrinking.
The meanings of these three Fall Festivals are closely interlinked. When the heavenly Bridegroom comes to get His Bride for the “Wedding Week” and the Wedding of the Lamb, the Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled. [5] But the moment when the heavenly High Priest finally leaves the heavenly Temple, will be close to the start of the Kingdom of Peace. We expect it to be likely that the fulfillment of these festivals will take place in the Fall, on the calendar days of these festivals, because Christ has also fulfilled the Spring festivals exactly on their God given calendar dates.
Let us prepare ourselves to meet him as the Bride, while at the same time eagerly looking forward to that glorious day!
[1] See, e.g., Isa. 60:21
[2] See, e.g., 1 Cor. 7-8. Paul refers to the Feast of Unleavened Bread and calls on the Corinthians to celebrate this feast as fresh and unleavened dough, with the unleavened bread of purity and truth. That is an instruction as to how we should behave.
[3] See Isa. 60:3
[4] See Rev. 20: 7-8. One more time the devil will “seduce the peoples of the four corners of the earth … to gather them to war”.
[5] See Rev. 19:6-10
