Israel's Feast of Wandering Remembrance

The Lord Jesus
And Israel's Feast of
Wandering Remembrance

On the fifteenth of Tishri, the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, the seventh and final feast of the Lord recorded in Leviticus 23, commences. It usually occurs in mid-September or sometime in October on our normal calendar and is one of the most important in the minds of many Jewish people of all the high holidays. During Sukkot, the Hebrew name for “tabernacles,” Jewish people world wide erect little “huts” or “booths” from bulrushes as a reminder of the temporary housing erected by their forefathers during the Exodus wanderings. Samples of the fall crop are hung in each family’s booth to acknowledge God’s faithfulness in providing for His people. Tremendous festivities and historical remembrances are conducted during the entire seven-day feast which includes a daily descent of priests and tens of thousands of worshippers from the Temple Mount to pause briefly at the Pool of Siloam. A pitcher was filled with water, and the procession continues via a different route back to the Temple Mount. During Israel’s years with a Temple, in the midst of great ceremony, the high priest of old poured the water out of the pitcher onto the brazen altar typifying and foreshadowing the coming outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon Heaven’s great sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ. It did not speak of His anointing while on earth but the Spirit’s intercessory travail within the soul of our Lord who “cried,” with bitter tears as He faced the cup and stared death and hell in the face to redeem fall mankind.

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: Lev. 23:33-35 - And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

The Feast of Tabernacles, which begins Friday, October 6 and continues through sundown Saturday, October 14th, begins some five days after the Great Day of Atonement. The last chapter of Zechariah proclaims the institution of the Feast of Tabernacles, which will be faithfully kept in the coming Millennial Reign.

Zech. 14:16
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Jerusalem will be the principal city of the world, from which Jesus will rule and reign, and David will reign under Him. The nations of the world will come at the appointed time each year, and will do so in order to worship the Lord. It will be a time when peace will cover the Earth, and because the Prince of Peace will be reigning, the Lord Jesus Christ. ALL false religions will be gone! Their sponsor, Satan, will be locked away; sickness will be no more; neither will privation, want, or hunger ever touch the brow of one single soul. There will be no more war, nor man's inhumanity to man. The world will see what it should be like, and in fact, what it will be like, when Christ rules and reigns, as He definitely shall!

The feast of Tabernacles contains many elements within it's structure of worship and ceremony that point to this coming time of great blessing upon Earth! There will actually be three classes of people on the Earth at that time. There will be the Glorified Saints, which will include every Saint of God who has ever lived, from the time of Abel, until the last person is raptured in the Great Tribulation. These will be those who are in the First Resurrection of life. All Saints with Glorified Bodies will be very much like Christ. In fact, John said, "Beloved, NOW are WE the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when HE SHALL APPEAR, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

There will as well be natural people on the Earth just as there are now, and always have been, who will be redeemed, but will not have Glorified Bodies. These are the individuals who are born during the time of the Millennial Reign, or who accept Christ during that time. They will have families, just as at the present. Also, there will be many of that time, regrettably so, although forced to serve God as far as keeping the laws are concerned, who still will not give their hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus and will be unsaved. There will be some during this time who will insist on taking peace from the Earth, and will be summarily executed. But otherwise, the redeemed of the Earth will remain youthful, and in fact, will not die, by virtue of the fruit that will grow on the trees that will line the river, which flows from the Sanctuary.

Ezekiel 47:12
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

Rev. 22:1-2
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. [2] In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

ALL of these prophetic events still yet future are tied in TYPE to the Great Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Ingathering and the Feast of Booths; ALL these titles find their fulfillment in CHRIST!

At the time of the writing of the Law, this particular Feast could not actually be kept until the Children of Israel were safely in the land of Promise, which would be years later. The Tabernacles, when they at long last would finally be erected, with the Feasts being kept, were to be TEMPORARY affairs, as would be obvious. It was done in this fashion, and we speak of the temporary structures, and the requirement that the people live in these structures for some seven days and nights, in order that Israel may not forget their deliverance from Egypt, and thereby thank the Lord for their present Blessings.

Even though under the New Covenant there is not a "requirement," of such habitations, the SPIRIT of celebrations that took place during Israel's days of Tabernacles, or "Sukkot," should never be diminished! There should be NUMEROUS gatherings and occasions when we thank the Lord for that He has done for us, in delivering us from the terrible bondages of sin and shame!

The greatest time of peace and prosperity the world has every known, and one hundred times over that, all and without exception, are predicated, on the Sacrifice of Christ! We as believers, just as Israel of old did as well, tend to forget the cause and the reason for our great Salvation. We attribute it to one thing or the other, always being careful to give God the glory, or so we think! The truth is, unless we understand that every SINGLE thing we receive from the Lord, beginning with Salvation, continuing with the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, plus ALL freedom, prosperity, everything, and without exception are given to us because of that Jesus has done at the Cross!

The History Behind This Great Feast

The modern celebration of Sukkot should not and prayerfully does not lose the prophetic significance or remembrance of the temporary housing erected by the Jewish Patriarchs and forefathers during the Exodus wanderings. During modern times of Sukkot, the Hebrew name for “tabernacles,” Jewish people world wide erect little “huts” or “booths” from bulrushes as symbols of this reminder. Samples of the fall crop are hung in each family’s booth to acknowledge God’s faithfulness in providing for His people.

Tremendous festivities and historical remembrances are conducted during the entire seven-day feast which includes a daily descent of priests and tens of thousands of worshippers from the Temple Mount to pause briefly at the Pool of Siloam. A pitcher is filled with water, and the procession continues via a different route back to the Temple Mount. During Israel’s years with a Temple, in the midst of great ceremony, the high priest of old poured the water out of the pitcher onto the brazen altar typifying and foreshadowing the coming outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon Heaven’s great sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ. Ironically, it did not speak of His anointing while on earth but instead the Spirit’s intercessory travail within the soul of our Lord who “cried,” with bitter tears as He faced the cup and stared death and hell in the face to redeem fall mankind.

· Matt 26:39- And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

· Isa 53:12- Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

· Heb 5:7- Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

The same Spirit that prayed through Christ prays through us today with the same "supplication," "travail," and passion. The Holy Spirit has been given to every child of God to be our life as well! He dwells in us, not as a separate Being in one part of his nature, but as the very life of God IN US, the HOPE OF GLORY! He is the DIVINE power and energy by which our lives are maintained and strengthened. All that we as a believer are called to be or DO, only the HOLY SPIRIT can and will work!!!! Those who do not yield themselves to the ministry and power of the Holy Ghost will hinder this great power. The pouring out of the water at Sukkot is a type of weakness, but not weakness in a bad sense, but a great sense! When WE are weak, the HOLY SPIRIT is strong! When we "POUR OUT" all of our own efforts and strength, then HE can pour out His power and grace upon us. Let the reader clearly understand that first and foremost, the Spirit of God is a Spirit of PRAYER, promised by Zechariah as the SPIRIT of grace and of supplications," and as such give us as believers the grace for supplication. He was sent forth to CRY "ABBA FATHER," as the spirit of adoption for a new race of pilgrims who seek a city whose builder and maker is God!

Zech. 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

The Spirit of God inside of us GROANS with the reality that this road we travel on Earth is but a temporary path for an eternal goal! This is the message of Tabernacles - that as Israel of old dwelled in "temporary" dwellings, so too today do we "dwell" in both a temporary dwelling place on EARTH but also in a temporary "BODY" which houses the Spirit of God and our souls but for a season! Paul said these bodies we have are just that - temporary houses, not made with hands, but made ETERNAL in the heavens! For this reason we GROAN, earnestly DESIRING to be clothed upon with our house which is FROM HEAVEN! (At least the true child of God does so!)

2 Cor. 5:1-21
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [2] For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: [3] If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. [4] 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. [5] Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. [6] Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: [7] (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) [8] We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. [9] Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Child of God, this WORLD is NOT our home, we're just a passing through; our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; the ANGELS beckon me to heaven's open door and if the HOLY GHOST LIVES INSIDE YOU AND I TODAY we can NEVER FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE! Glory to God. It's not time to be putting down stakes on earth - it's time to be making reservations for the sky! It's not time to be looking for a hole in the ground to hide in; it's time to be looking for a hole in the sky to FLY IN! Glory to God!

The Pouring Out of Water At Sukkot: Type Of The Early Rains, And The Great Declaration Of Christ On The Last Day of The Feast

James 5:7 - Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

The pouring out of water was not the only type and picture of the coming outpouring of the Holy Ghost; the promise of the early rains also gave those celebrating Sukkot pause to think of harvest and the results of God's blessings by way of plentiful and bountiful RAINS! In Israel, the rains usually stop in March, and there is no rain for almost seven months making it vitally important God send the “early” rains in October and November, which is the general time of celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Without the rains, there will be no spring crop, and famine becomes a tremendously real possibility. In light of this, Sukkot becomes a celebration of intercession where the nation asks Jehovah God to provide life-giving water. This is a type of the intercession of Christ when He ascended to glory and asks the Father to send back the Holy Ghost! When our Lord stood and cried, “If any man THIRST, let him come unto ME and DRINK,” it was in connection with the great Feast of Tabernacles, signifying the fact that the Holy Spirit will come to THOSE WHO ASK and fill every heart and every thirsty soul.

John 7:37-39 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

He spoke it on the closing day of the feast, when more than likely, the Temple Mount would be glutted with people, speaking to many who would never recognize that ALL of this ceremony was in reality , a figure or a symbol of the very ONE who was in their midst, the Lord Jesus Christ. How regrettable Israel of old did not recognize it; how regrettable that Israel TODAY still does not recognize it even though thousands will erect physical "sukkahs" and celebrate this great feast this week without knowing the Son of God!

Israel didn't know because their leaders functioned in UNBELIEF, refusing to recognize the Lord Jesus Christ, even through the evidence as to Who He was, was incontrovertible and debate. Millions are being led astray today as well because they have the wrong type of leadership! It is said by some that on this day, the last day, this great dady of the Feast, when Jesus uttered forth this great statement found in John 7:37-39, that is was precipitated by a Priest holding a golden pitcher, who went to the Pool of Siloam. he filled it there with water, returned with it to the temple, and was then joined by another Priest who had a golden pitcher of wine, with both of them ascending the steps to the Great Altar.

They then both poured their respective vessels on the Great Altar, and it was at this moment, when the water mixed with the sine touched the fires of the Brazen Altar, a type of the Cross, that Jesus cried aloud, "If any man THIRST!!"

The great crowd, possibly numbering tens of thousands, if not more, would have stood in silence as the two Priests ascended to the Great Altar, watching the water and the wine being poured on the burning flame. So the cry of the Master must have charged through the people with a POWER that they had never sensed before!

This was the cry of the Son of God in the clearest possible way that HE ALONE was the source of life and blessing – that He could meet every need of the human heart. What He said would be accompanied by the greatest moving of the Holy Spirit that these people during His time ever had known, witnessed, felt, or observed. He in reality WAS the "feast of Tabernacles," the INCARNATE God-man, GOD IN THE FLESH, the GLORY of Heaven hidden inside a human tabernacle. And in just a few days from this declaration, He would make it all possible, by what He would do at the Cross of Calvary!

As stated, the Feast of Tabernacles speaks of the coming Kingdom Age – a time of new beginning that will be ushered in at the Second Coming of Christ who will herald a time on Earth without the ravages of the curse of sin. In that day, the earth will give her full bounty, all animals will be docile, armies will no longer march, every man will sit under his own fig tree, and righteousness will become a reality in the earth. Israel never asked the Lord Jesus for this since their outright rejection of Him as Her Messiah so long ago as a nation, thus she has found and NOW FINDS herself in a barren place even to this day.

One day however, Israel will cry out to God and receive this living water that only comes from the Spring of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ! When this takes place spiritually speaking the words of Isaiah will not only become a physical reality in the land of Israel, but in the hearts of every single Jewish person left alive after the Great Tribulation; it is also the call of the gospel to the sinner today – both Jew and Gentile – that those who are thirsty in spirit can come and find refreshing for a parched heart and thirsty soul. Mister, the drugs you put partake of can never quench a thirsty heart; the whiskey, the hard liquor, the beer, the alcohol can never heal the hurting soul or quench the hungry heart; lady, having a lover a day and sleeping with strange men to find a sense of fulfillment will NEVER quench the deep recesses of your soul crying out for GOD! ONLY GOD through the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the HOLY GHOST, typified as living waters, can QUENCH YOUR THIRST!

Isa 35:7-8- And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

The Biblical Roots Of The Feast Of Remembrance

As those of you who study your Bibles know, some 1,500 years before the birth of the Messiah, the seven feasts of the Lord, as outlined in Leviticus 23, foretold, in type, the major redemptive works of the life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The four spring feasts related to His first coming:

· His death is predicted in the Passover;

· His body not decaying and the fact His life was a spotless sacrifice was seen in the Feast of Unleavened Bread

· His resurrection is illustrated in the Feast of Firstfruits

· The Commencement of the Church, His Body, and the advent of the New Covenant as well as the last days outpouring of the Holy Spirit and harvest took place on the Day of Pentecost, are typified in the Feast of Weeks.

The three fall festivals portray events associated with the Lord’s Second Coming:

· The Feast of Trumpets depicts the Rapture of the Church

· The Day of Atonement points to the day Israel is literally “atoned” or saved as a nation after going through one of her worst times of Judgement, the Great Tribulation Period.

· The Feast of Tabernacles speaks of the Millennium Reign of Christ when the earth will literally “REST” for 1,000 years under the rule of the Messiah, who will once again tabernacle among men, wipe away every tear, and bring in the utopian age or “golden age” of which the prophets dreamed of since the dawn of time.

There is strong evidence that Christ was actually born in the Feast Of Tabernacles in type and fulfillment of God’s promise to send a redeemer who would “dwell in our hearts” through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Matt 1:23- Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Because Christ came and tabernacled among those who have placed their Faith in what He did at the Cross, so now God through the personage of the Holy Ghost has come to “LIVE” and “DWELL” in those same hearts!

1 Cor 3:16 - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you

2 Tim 1:13-14 - Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

This is the New Covenant message of the Feast of Tabernacles! God has come to dwell with and IN Man through the person of His Son Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost. So NO Virginia, there is NOT a Santa Claus, but there is A CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD, who was not “born” on Christmas Day as sadly many wrongly believe. I don't mean that last statement in a callous way; it really don't matter whether we celebrate it in December or September - the issue is that HE CAME PERIOD, born of a virgin to DIE on a bloody cross and redeem the fallen sons of Adam for a hellish plight called SIN that destroys the souls of men and separates man for God eternally.

Exodus 23:16 - And the feast of harvest, the First Fruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field.

Exodus 34:22 - And thou shall observe the feast of weeks, of the First Fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

The Terms SUKKOT and TABERNACLES

The terms, “Sukkot,” and “Tabernacles,” which give us even deeper understanding of the real meaning of this tremendously important Jewish feast. The Feast of Tabernacles is known by at least two names in Scripture. The English word "tabernacle is from the Latin “tabernaculum” meaning "booth" or "hut." Israel acquired this name for the feast from the biblical requirement for all Israelites to “dwell” in tabernacles or temporary shelters during the seven-day time of festivities. It was to be an annual reminder of God's provision during the 40-year wilderness sojourn when Israel lived in similar shelters. The second term, known in Scripture as the "Feast of Ingathering", was given to the feast since it was observed after all crops had been harvested and gathered.

Exodus 34:22 - And thou shall observe the feast of weeks, of the First Fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

Celebrated just five days after Israel’s most solemn feast, Yom Kippur, the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, was celebrated with great festive joy. It’s easy to understand this joy as Israel commemorated God's PAST goodness and provision during their wilderness sojourn, and God's PRESENT goodness and provision with the completion of harvest. Sukkot is actually noted for its “first” day and “last day,” (eighth) day which are known by the same name - Shemini Atzeret Three portions of Scripture outline the biblical observance of the Feast of Tabernacles which teach us as believers that our dwelling place here on this earth is merely temporary!

No matter what kind of house we live in, it is made of temporal, decaying, corrupting materials. It will waste away and some day, perhaps decades or even centuries will cease to be. In addition to our physical homes, the believer’s BODY is also a temporary dwelling! The body of fallen man is a body the Bible describes as a temporary “tent” or “tabernacle,” corruptible, and will, just like our physical homes, one day decay and cease to exist. The believer’s pilgrimage through this world is only temporary; we are marching to to our permanent home in HEAVEN where we will live for ever more. This attitude belongs to ALL those, who like Abraham, “looked for a city whose builder and maker was God!”

Hebrews 11:8 -10 - By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. [9] By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: [10] For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:14-16 - For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. [15] And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. [16] But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

This was never more illustrated in graphic terms as during the time of Sukkot, when the people were to live in booths and rejoice before the Lord with branches. (Lev. 23:33-43). Israel's celebrations were but memorials to point them to their Redeemer, and ultimately to point them to Christ!

Leviticus 23:39-44
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. [40] 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. [41] 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. [42] Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: [43] 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. [44] And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

Numbers 29:12 - And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days:

Regrettably and sadly, by the time of Christ, these feasts had become "feasts of the Jews." This means they had long since ceased to be the Feasts of Jehovah. He was shut out; Israel no longer wanted or desired Him in the since they wanted Him on "their" terms, not His. That has ever been the problem or man. Religious man wants God, hence all the religions of the world; but man wants God on terms devised and birthed out of his own mind and brain. The fact the instructions for this great feast including the many commands as "the Lord spake unto Moses, saying," should illustrate to us that our source of redemption must not come in any shape or iota from MAN! Man must hear what God has to say, and DO what God has to say!

As one commentator wrote concerning Israel's feast of her remembrance of wanderings, the prostitution of the Gospel and the exploitation of believers, has ever been the bane of the Ministry! The term "prostituting" refers to putting the gospel on the level of man; in other words, Preachers preach what the people want to hear instead of what God "speaks" to our hearts to share with the people as He did Moses so long ago in the institution of Sukkot.

The Holy Ghost warns us through Paul that in the end times that men would grow ever increasingly willing to sacrifice truth for the tickle of words and fables that would pacify men's flesh instead of convicting their hearts.

2 Tim. 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Men do not want sound doctrine in these wicked times we live! There has been a departure from the leading of the Holy Spirit in lieu of ungodly church hierarchy and governments making decisions based upon humanistic determinations instead of Holy Spirit led ones;! the acceptance of humanistic psychology as the answer to the aberrations and sins of men instead of the cross of Christ, which has been completely rejected in some circles and at the very least shunned in most others! There has been an explosion of what we'd term the "word of faith" doctrine which is responsible for the "Jesus died spiritually doctrine," and other false doctrines promoting false faith in a false God produced by a false spirit!!!!!! True faith is not "faith in faith" or "faith in a formula" or anything else; it's faith in the Cross, but when a movement denigrates or denies the validity of such, then all that is left is a false and vain human philosophy and tradition!

There has also been the denial of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance; there has also been an onslaught of a mixture of the message of Grace i.e. a message of Justification by Faith but Sanctification by SELF and works! There has been a complete denial of the Word of God as the criteria for ALL things. The attack upon true unity based upon Godly principles and foundations in lieu of a unity gospel, which attempts to 'wed' false religions to Christianity, such as Islam and Catholicism!

Then there is the greed gospel, which places money, not CHRIST, as the emphasis of all things. We are living in times when these issues are coming in full acceleration against the True Church of the Lord Jesus!

In St. John Chapter 7, when Jesus was asked to go up to "the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles," He answered and said, "My time is not yet come;" and when He did go up, it was "privately," to take His place outside of the whole thing, and to call upon every thirsty should to come unto HIM and DRINK!

Mackintosh said this:

"There is a solemn lesson in this. Divine institutions are speedily marred in the hands of man; but how deeply blessed to know that the thirsty soul that feels the barrenness and drought connected with a scene of empty religious formality, ahs only to flee to CHRIST and DRINK FREELY of His exhaustless springs, and so become a channel of blessing to others!"

And thus the message of Tabernacles, the feast of Israel's remembrance of her wilderness wanderings. As stated Tabernacles is the SEVENTH of Seven great feasts of the Lord; four, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost, have been prophetically fulfilled. The last three are at the very eve of fulfillment. And just as surely as the first four were fulfilled, just as surely will these last three be fulfilled!

The rapture of the church is soon to take place (Trumpets, which proclaimed the conclusion of the Church, and the beginning of the full restoration (ATONEMENT) of Israel). The full Restoration of Israel will signal the fulfillment of the Great Day of Atonement, which has included all who would come, from the time that Jesus died on the Cross, but which will then include Israel! This will take place at the Second Coming which will herald the Millennial Reign, which will fulfill the Great Feast of Tabernacles!

Jeremiah 8:20 - The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.

I pray you know this Christ today! He is coming friend and coming SOON! Our lives are but a vapor and the very fact we write what we do is but a grace given to us by God that we don't take lightly or for granted. I pray over each word I type that the Holy Ghost will anoint and "WATER" these words with so much anointing and unction that should you be reading this and not be right with the Lord your heart will so smite you with Holy Ghost conviction you will stop immediately and make things right with JESUS!

Sadly, many will cry as Jeremiah of old, "the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Neighbor, I pray that is NOT your prayer today! If it is, there is still hope if you're reading these words. Don't put the decision to get things right off another day. The tabernacles we live in are but TEMPORARY just as the tabernacles Israel dwelt in so long ago were temporary.

It's getting late neighbor and it's harvest time. The Feast of Tabernacles is also known as the Feast of Ingathering which in reality preaches us to the reality of the late hour we live. Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles this upcoming week knowing you are celebrating HIS PROVISION for us THROUGH CHRIST! Praise God, Praise God. I feel this neighbor! This IS truly our THANKSGIVING celebration as we give thanks to God for His unspeakable gift! God bless.

1 Cor. 15:57 - But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Cor. 9:15
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

This sermon is taken from our brand new study: The Feast of Tabernacles: