Biblical Festivals Q&A

This week we are continuing our look into the Biblical festivals found in Lev. 23 that occur in the fall. Last week we discussed the High Holy Days and how they were a picture of the Birthpains, or tribulation period and the coming of the Messiah. This week we are going to talk about the Feast of Sukkot. This feast commemorates the time Israel spent in the wilderness as G-d led them. They lived in temporary shelters called "sukkot" in Hebrew. During this time G-d "lived" among them in the Mishkan and took care of all their needs. This is a week-long festival and the people were commanded to make "sukkot". In the Temple there was an elaborate ceremony involving "living water" being "poured out"over the altar. This festival would take hours to develop and teach but we'll look at a few highlights. The major prophetic themes of this festival is the coming Messianic Kingdom, the birth of the Messiah, the dedication of the Temple, and the future protection of Israel in the wilderness during the Birthpains. So let's look at these quickly. This feast portrays the Messianic Kingdom.

After Yom KIppur, there are 5 days till Sukkot. These will be the days that Messiah will judge the survivors of the Birthpains in Jerusalem as seen in Mt 25. Once that is over, as He says in this chapter, the believers "enter into the Kingdom" and His reign on earth begins. There are 70 bulls that are sacrificed during this week and on the first day there are 13, then 12 then 11 and so on. These bulls symbolize the 70 nations ordained by G-d in Dt 32 and Exo. 1.5. They diminish in number telling us that the influence of the nations will diminish in the Messianic Kingdom. This festival also teaches us about the birth of Yeshua.We know that John the Baptist was conceived in June (Lk 1) and six months later Miriam (Mary) conceived Yeshua.

This is around the feast of Chanukah. There is a wonderful connection between Sukkot and Chanukah that will be developed some other time. Three months later, around Passover, John is born. Six months after that is the feast of Sukkot and the birth of Yeshua. Let's look at some of the concepts associated with His birth. It called the Feast of the Nations, the Feast of Lights, and the "season of our joy" and these are all terms associated with His birth. The term "sukkot" means "stable" (Gen 33) and we know that He was born in a "sukkah" or stable. We also know from history that King Herod died in September and Yeshua had already been born, so all these reasons rule out a December 25 birth, which any encyclopedia will tell you is of pagan origin.

This festival teaches the wedding supper and the blessings associated with that. From Yom KIppur you count 75 days and it brings you up to Chanukah and the dedication of Ezekiels Temple. Dan 12.11-12 talks about this. The 1290 days in v11 is from 30 days before the mid-point of the Birthpains when the False Messiah will set up the Abomination of Desolation around the feast of Purim plus 1260 days of the 2nd half of the Birthpains. The 1335 days in v12 is from the mid-point of the Birthpains which is Nisan 10 on the religious calendar to Yom Kippur the last day of the Birthpains, when Yeshua returns to stand on the Mt of Olives (Zech 14).

From Tishri 10 (Yom Kippur) you count 75 days and you come to Chanukah, a feast that teaches the dedication of the Temple and new altar after the Maccabean revolt. So, the last two weeks answer to the question about the High Holy Days should give you a good start to developing a biblical view of eschatology. The reason these things are not taught is because people have believed that the Law has been "done away with" and these festivals have been "replaced" with pagan dates and concepts. You can stay in darkness if you want to or you can go somewhere where the Truth is taught...it's your choice.If you would like more information about all this contact us at our e-mail address: otmin@sbcglobal.net. Now, go and study!