Feast of Tabernacles: September 28, 2015

The Feast of Tabernacles, which began at sundown yesterday, is also known as Sukkot or Feast of Booths.  It is the last of the Fall Feasts.  It follows Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement or Day of Purging), which follows Yom Teruah, Feast of Trumpets.  Nowhere in the Old Testament are these holy days described as Jewish Feasts.  Instead, they are called God’s Appointed Times (see Leviticus 23).

Years ago, the verse that peaked my interest in God’s Appointed Times was Zechariah 14: 16 (KJV).  “And it shall come to pass, that everyone 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.”

The Feast of Tabernacles is an eight day event.  It ends October 5 at sundown this year.  The first and the eighth days are “no work days,” special Sabbaths.

Can (and should) Gentiles who believe in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew), study and participate in these special days?  The Bible says that Gentile believers are “grafted in” (Romans 11: 13-25).  Paul referred to Jewish and Gentile believers as the “One New Man” in Messiah.

God’s Appointed Times are prophetic.  Many believe that the Feast of Tabernacles is a reference to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and the Millennium. Since God’s Appointed Times are divine appointments (moedim) and convocations (dress rehearsals), it makes sense to learn about them and show up at the rehearsals.

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Of special note is the “Transfiguration,” during which Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus on the mountain in front of Peter, James, and John.  This probably occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles because Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias” (Mark 9: 6).

Yom Teruah, Feasts of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah

Miniature Ram’s Horn

Many people regard Yom Teruah as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  But not everyone.  Tishri (September time frame) is the seventh month on the Biblical calendar.  The first month, Nissan, is around March/April.  The Biblical New Year is Nissan 1, which falls on April 8 in 2016.  Notice that in Leviticus 23, the Hebrew months are simply called the first month, the second month, etc.  Naming the months came later–after the Babylonian captivity.

The fourth month is named after the Babylonian god Tammuz.  Why?  After the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple, the Hebrews were in Babylonian captivity–and under Babylonian influence–for seventy years.  The Hebrew secular calendar, which designates Tishri as the head of the year, reflects Babylonian influence.

Yom Teruah begins at sundown Sunday, September 13, 2015, with a series of blasts on the shofar (ram’s horn).  This is why it’s called the Feast of Trumpets, although “feast” is misleading.  The Feast of Trumpets is a moedim, one of God’s Appointed Times.  Yom Teruah is the first of the Fall Feasts.  It is a “no work” day and a holy convocation.  A convocation is a dress rehearsal.  Convocations are prophetic.   All of the Spring and Fall Feasts are moedims, divine appointments with God.

Many believe that Yeshua (Jesus) will return during the Yom Teruah, also known as the “Day of the Shout” and “the day that no man knows”).

The following verses in the New Testament might refer to Yom Teruah.  “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (I Corinthians 15: 51, 52 KJV).  “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught  up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4: 16, 17 KJV).

Others believe that the Second Coming will occur at Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) because the shofar is blown at the end of the day.  This might the “last trumpet” that Paul refers to in I Corinthians 15: 52.  Or maybe not.  Needless to say, it’s controversial.

No one knows for sure when Yeshua is going to return, but I do believe that the answer lies in the Fall Feasts.  Jesus fulfilled the Spring Feasts with his First Coming.  He will fulfill the Fall Feasts with his Second Coming.

For more information about the Hebrew calendar and the Babylonian connection, please click on the following link: http://www.nehemiaswall.com/yom-teruah-day-shouting-became-rosh-hashanah.

A Shaking? What Shemitah Means for Israel, US – Inside Israel – CBN News – Christian News 24-7 – CBN.com

Check out this article on CBN.  I agree that we are in for a great shaking.

For Israel, the High Holy Days this year mark the end of a significant seven-year cycle and a rare fourth blood moon. Some believe that combination could have a huge impact on Israel, the U.S., and the world.

Source: A Shaking? What Shemitah Means for Israel, US – Inside Israel – CBN News – Christian News 24-7 – CBN.com