[Word of God]

The Prophetic Significance of Tabernacles

Israel's Feast of Tabernacles as a Type of the Rapture

Traditional Jewish expectations point to the arrival of Elijah (and his fellow witness of Rev. 11) on the feast of Passover. Since we are told that the two prophets of Rev. 11 witness for 1260 days, and that the Beast has power over the saints for 1260 days, we should assume these are the first 1260 days of the seven year tribulation. From the time the Temple is made desolate on day 1260, the power of antichrist is broken and the time of God's Wrath ensues ... since the saints are not appointed to wrath, there will be no saints during the second half of Daniel's 70th Week, the time of God's Wrath.

If Elijah shows up as expected on Passover, and witnesses for 1260 days, the end of the witness period of Rev. 11 would be on the Feast of Tabernacles -- the power of the antichrist over the saints is ended on day 1260 because the saints are raptured directly after his Abomination of Desolation. These two coinciding prophetic time frames are a compelling clue that the Rapture shall fall during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Daniel's 7 year treaty equals 2,520 days, the "midst" of that period falls on day 1260.There is no reason to think that the 1260 days specifically mentioned in Revelation 11 are any other than the 1260 days of the first half of Daniel's 70th Week.

And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (7 yrs) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease: and on a corner of the alter desolating abominations even until the end. Daniel 9:27

After the 1260 days, the witnesses of Rev. 11 are killed, and the "man of sin" breaks the treaty and moves into the rebuilt temple. If Elijah and his fellow prophet begin their end time witness, their 1260 day ministry, on Passover (and the first half of Daniel's 70th week commences with a peace treaty due to be broken in 1260 days) then day 1260 will fall on the eve of the Feast of Tabernacles. The midpoint of the tribulation, should it begin at the same time as Elijah shows up on Passover, will be the Feast of Tabernacles. One has only to look at the Bible account of the Transfiguration to see the typological allusion to the Feast of Tabernacles, and this feast day's future fulfillment at the rapture.

Jesus and three of his apostles went up to the mount where the Transfiguration was to occur. The apostles slept . Upon waking, Peter saw Jesus changed and glorified, talking with Moses and Elijah. Significantly, these are also the two witnesses who will prophecy in the Tribulation for 3 and 1/2 years. Upon seeing Jesus changed, Peter excitedly suggested that they make three "tabernacles", temporary dwellings, for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. As Peter was speaking...

Behold a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from out of the cloud said, This is my son, the beloved, in whom I delight; hear him. When the disciples heard this they fell on their faces and were greatly terrified. And coming near, Jesus touched them and said Rise up and do not be terrified. And lifting up their eyes, they did not see anyone except Jesus alone (Matt17:4)

The account of the Transfiguration can be seen as a foreshadowing of the Resurrection-- of not only the witnesses of Revelation 11, but also of all the "dead in Christ". Moses and Elijah are assumed to be the two witnesses who will prophecy for the first half of Daniel's 70th week, the two men who will be killed by antichrist at the midpoint of the Tribulation. The description of the Transfiguration and the resurrection of the two prophets killed in Jerusalem during the tribulation mid-point are tellingly similar. Compare the coinciding elements of Matthew 17, and Rev. 11: 11:

And after three days and a half , the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. And a great fear fell on the ones beholding them. And they heard a great voice out of heaven saying to them, Come up here, and they went into the heavens in a cloud.

At the Transfiguration, Peter beheld Jesus changed. At the resurrection of the Revelation prophets, they also will be changed. All who become Christ's will have the same kind of body as His--perfect and glorified. An earthly body of flesh and blood would not live forever in the kingdom of God (I Cor. 15:48). The two witnesses receive their immortal bodies and rise up into the clouds, a description that is astoundingly similar to the resurrection of all the dead in Christ (I Thessalonians). These passages are two descriptions of the same event.

The Lord himself will come down out of heaven with the command shout of the archangel's voice, and with God's trumpet. And the dead in Christ will rise again first, then we who remain alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to a meeting with the Lord in the air.

This description of the Rapture in 1Thessalonians is far too similar to Revelation 11:11 to be ignored. The two prophets of Revelation proclaim God's word, they are among the "dead in Christ" that Paul explains will be the first to rise in the resurrection.

The resurrection of the two witnesses and the resurrection of all the dead in Christ clearly occur at the same time! How economical of God!

We know that the witnesses have power for 1260 days during the Tribulation. Because everyone is able to "have a worldwide holiday, and give gifts to each other" when the prophets are killed (Rev 11), the 1260 days of their witness will be the relatively uncatastrophic first half of the Tribulation. According to the description of Rev 11, the two witnesses will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 and 1/2 days after they are killed at the tribulation mid-point. All of the saints, including the Revelation witnesses, will rise 3 and 1/2 days after the midpoint of Daniel's 70th Week.
Rejoice Those Tabernacling in Heaven...Woe to the Earth 2 Thessalonians 2: 3 says that the resurrection of the saints cannot happen until two events occur.

The first event is called the apostasy or "falling away". This term describes how many Christians suddenly will turn from their faith in Jesus, and be caught in Satan's end time lie. This falling away is the result of the "End Time Deception". This Great Lie of the End Times is dealt with in the rest of our website.

The second event is the "revealing of The Man of Sin". Paul describes how the man of sin is revealed in the very next sentence, "He will go in to the Temple of God, and display himself as God". This is the abomination of desolation, which does not occur until the mid-point of the tribulation. The rapture does not occur until after this "revealing"...this point alone should show why there cannot be a pre-Trib rapture.

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place --let him who reads understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything from his house...Matthew 24:15

This warning seems strange to those unfamiliar with the Jewish feast days... why would people be on their rooftops? Jewish men were required by Mosaic law to gather from every part of Israel, in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. This festival was celebrated while the Jews lived in temporary booths, tabernacles, dwellings set up to be lived in for the entirety of the feast. Because of the incredible number of people in the city, streets and court yards, even the roof tops of houses were utilized to accommodate everyone. Jesus warns the reader of Matthew 24:15 that the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel, will occur DURING THE WEEK OF THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. We know that the midpoint of the Tribulation will be during Tabernacles, and by counting back 1260 days, we can know that the Tribulation will begin in the week around Passover.
Jesus' secret entry to the Feast of Tabernacles
AN ALLUSION TO JESUS' SECRET RETURN FOR THE FAITHFUL The prophecies concerning the END of Daniel's 70th week, and the defeat of the Antichrist, refer to a "sign of the coming of Jesus in the heavens". All eyes will see the sign before Jesus physically returns to the Mount of Olives. This physical coming of Jesus will not be a secret, or a surprise. The prophecies connected with the coming of Jesus as a "thief in the night" refer to the secret coming of Christ for his Church. The Bible account of Jesus' secret arrival at the Feast of Tabernacles alludes to the secret coming of Christ to gather His faithful.

Analysis suggests that the resurrection of the faithful will take place during the observance of Tabernacles in the Fall, in the Jewish month Tishri. The disciple John writes an account of what Jesus did on the Feast of Tabernacles during His life in Israel. Considering the mounting evidence that the resurrection of the saints fulfills the typology of Tabernacles, John's description is astounding.

When the Feast of Tabernacles drew close, Jesus' brothers "after the flesh" suggested that He do miracles in Judea (John 7: 2-5) :

It was time for the Tabernacle Ceremonies, one of the annual Jewish holidays... "Go where more people can see your miracles" they scoffed.. If you're so great, prove it to the world!" For even his brothers didn't believe him.

The description of Jesus's brothers as being "after the flesh" is important. They are symbolically like the Jews of modern time who do not believe that Jesus is the messiah. Jesus told his brothers that His time had not yet come, and He told them to go up to the feast by themselves. Jesus then waited to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles in Galilee, which means a "circuit or circle". In the midst of the feast, 3 and 1/2 days from its beginning, Jesus then went up to Jerusalem "not openly, but as it were in secret" (John 7:9). Jesus will again come to the Feast of Tabernacles secretly, "as a thief in the night". The midst of the Feast of Tabernacles is the 18th day of the seventh month. The number "18" symbolizes the combination of the perfection of order,"10", plus "8" the number of resurrection. It is remarkable that the Bible contains 8 accounts of individual resurrections, (besides the Lord or the saints), 3 in the Old Testament, 3 in the New Testament and 2 in the book of Acts. There are 8 songs in the Old Testament, (besides the Psalms), the eighth song, last in order to the first seven, is Isaiah 26, which declares, ". . .My dead body shall rise, Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust.." Jesus, sometimes referred to in the Bible as "the first fruit of the resurrection", rose from the dead on the 18th of Nisan, by necessity the 8th day or first day of the new week.

The resurrection of Jesus was, significantly, on the Feast of First-fruit, (not currently observed in modern Judaism) . The resurrection of the dead in Christ will occur during the "harvest of the final fruit", the "Feast of Ingathering" (Exodus 23:16) all names for the Feast of Tabernacles. The apostle John saw this harvest in Rev14:13-16, calling it "the harvest of the righteous".

The description of the events occuring after the abomination of desolation adds to our theory that the rapture will take place at the "harvest of final fruits" : "Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the millstone; one will be taken, and one will be left."

The harvest of the wine and oil takes place in the Feast of Tabernacles. Wine is always symbolic in scripture for joy in the spirit of God, while oil typically signifies God's anointing or grace. Tabernacles foreshadows the "ingathering" of the saints, for there could be no more appropriate time for absolute joy among God's people, saved by grace, than the resurrection.

The Feast of Tabernacles reminds the believer in Christ that his earthly physical body is only a temporary tabernacle.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle is taken down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For indeed in this we groan, greatly desiring to be clothed with our dwelling place out of heaven. ( 2 Corinthians 5:1)

The book of Job, the oldest book in the Bible also describes the change over to immortality, as Job himself declares a physical resurrection:

For I know that my redeemer is living, and He shall rise on the earth at last and even after they shall corrupt my skin, yet this: In my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not a stranger's: though my reins be exhausted in my bosom.

As Jesus was changed at the Transfiguration, so we all will one day change-over to immortality, (I Thess. 4:15-18). This feast day of the seventh month will be fulfilled at the rapture and the glorification of the saints of all the ages.

http://www.mt.net/~watcher/taber.html





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The Sukkah with its 'open' roof .... The Chuppah with its open roof
'rapture through the temporary' .... 'rapture to the eternal canopy'





51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52In 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.

53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.


1 Corinthians 15:51-53







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 Corinthians 5:1





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waving the lulav & etrog = reaching up of the menorah


http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:pDYCx6tdPaMxDM:http://bp2.blogger.com/_UUV07MANj-w/SEi7tSlbCtI/ AAAAAAAABHs/7CN9DgeBJVk/s320/cohanim.jpg

Blessing of the Cohanim is the lulav-menorah pointing upward

This post has been edited by Voice: 18 October 2008 - 03:43 PM

[Word of God]

signet, on Oct 19 2008, 11:10 AM, said:

Baruch Ha Shem...


http://www.ancient-h...2_blessing.html

Thank you Signet for that beautiful link which adds beauty
and understanding to the topic of the Chag HaSukkot and
it's 'Neviut' (Prophetic consequence)

[Word of God]

Voice, on Oct 19 2008, 12:06 PM, said:

signet, on Oct 19 2008, 11:10 AM, said:

Baruch Ha Shem...


http://www.ancient-h...2_blessing.html

Thank you Signet for that beautiful link which adds beauty
and understanding to the topic of the Chag HaSukkot and
it's 'Neviut' (Prophetic consequence)

Posting in honor of Signet, a valued, gentle and loved forum member

http://www.christian...ndpost&p=338326

A Messianic Midrash—The Miracle at Sukkot 

 

 


This is an archived article. It originally appeared on September 1, 2003. Some information may be outdated.

The Feast of Tabernacles had ended. The crowds had dispersed and those who had traveled to Jerusalem from the outlying regions were making their way home. The sukkahs were being cleared away along with well-shaken lulavs, bent and broken from the joyous celebration. Jerusalem was returning to its usual bustling pace. People were still talking about the spectacular light that had shone from the Temple and cast a glow upon the whole city. However, it was difficult for the man who sat by the entrance to the Temple courtyard to understand these conversations. He had never beheld the giant candelabra shining into the night. And although he had felt its warmth and heard it crackle, he had never even seen fire. For this man had been born blind. "I was blind when the festival began and now it's over, and I am blind still," he thought. "And so it shall probably be until the end of my days; I shall sit here, begging for a few measly coins always." He nodded in the direction of the sound of someone walking into the Temple. "The Lord bless you," he said to the wind.

Later that day, he heard a group of people approaching. The group paused before him and the blind man heard one of them ask, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?" The beggar steeled himself for the answer to come. He didn't think he could bear it if the rabbi were to say something about his parents, whom he loved and who had always shown him compassion, even though they must have been disappointed that their child was…well, broken.

As these thoughts went through his mind, he heard the rabbi reply, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." The beggar was astonished and then he had another thought, but he was too afraid to speak it: "This must be the man called Jesus." He had heard rumors and rumblings about Jesus for weeks. People spoke freely about him in front of the beggar, for they must have assumed that just because he couldn't see, there must be something wrong with his hearing. So the blind man had heard plenty. Some had called Jesus a lunatic or a liar, but many were saying that he was the Prophet who was to come, that he was the Messiah, the Anointed One.

The teacher continued, as if to answer the blind man's unspoken question, "Who are you?" Softly he said, "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."

When he had said this, the blind man heard the sound of someone spitting on the ground, and then there were hands firmly but gently rubbing what smelled and felt like clay on his eyes. Under ordinary circumstances, the beggar was sure he would have pulled away, but he sat there, unmoving, until the man spoke again and said, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." The beggar silently got to his feet and began to stumble in the direction of the pool. When he reached it, he knelt down, drew in a breath and began dousing his eyes with water. And as he washed away the mud, it was as if he were wiping away darkness. The first thing he saw was light, blurred by tears…


John, a first-century Jewish man who believed in Jesus, recorded this Sukkot miracle.1 Jesus' healing of the blind man shocked the people of that day, not only because the act itself was so amazing, but also because the timing of the act was especially significant. It is no coincidence that Jesus performed this miracle immediately after Sukkot, for he used both the healing and the holiday to make some earthshattering statements about himself. Thousands of years later, people are still grappling with the meaning behind this miracle. A close look at the history of Sukkot, how it was celebrated in Jesus' day and the meaning of light in the Hebrew Scriptures, will help us discover what Jesus meant when he said he was the "light of the world." Sukkot—celebrating God's presence and provision

Since the time of Adam and Eve's drastic choice in the Garden of Eden, humanity experienced exile from God's immediate and intimate presence. And then God called Abraham, and promised to make his descendants into a great nation, a nation through whom all other nations would be blessed (Genesis 12). The patriarchs of our faith lived as nomads,2 dwelling in temporary shelters (sukkot), looking ahead to the time when God would provide a land for them and restore them to paradise, just as he had promised. Likewise, their successors, upon exodus from slavery in Egypt, lived in sukkot during forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

Though they dwelt in these flimsy shelters for forty years, God provided constant reminders of his watchcare: the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night signified his presence with his people. God also made a holy place for himself in the midst of the people: the tabernacle, a place where the Israelites could be reconciled to him through sacrifices. Yes, we wandered for forty years—but we did not wander alone.

God instituted Sukkot so that we would remember his presence with us during that time, and so that we would rejoice in his provision:

"Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD'S Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days.…after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.…Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'" (Leviticus 23:34; 39-43)


Yet Sukkot doesn't just look to the past; it also offers us a glimpse of the future, when God's promise to Abraham will be fulfilled and all nations of the earth will be blessed through the nation he first chose. There is a key passage in Scripture that talks about this time to come:

Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. (Zechariah 14:16)

According to Scripture, the joy we experience during Sukkot is just a taste of greater joy to come. "Indeed, the whole symbolism of the Feast, beginning with the completed harvest, for which it was a thanksgiving, pointed to the future. The Rabbis themselves admitted this."3 Sukkot at the time of Jesus

Those living at the time of Jesus recognized the prophetic significance of Sukkot and so the ceremonies celebrated in those days had prophetic implications. One of the greatest of these rituals was the illumination of the Temple.

Over the years, the Temple became central to Sukkot. In fact, King Solomon chose the Feast of Tabernacles as the time to dedicate the first Temple. As the people celebrated, God's shekinah glory filled the Temple. God showed his goodness and mercy by coming once again to dwell in the midst of his people, just as he had in the wilderness.

Years later, however, the ark of the covenant was captured and the glory of the Lord departed from the Temple. Yet the Temple remained the focus of the feast through splendid ceremonies such as the illumination rite.

According to the Mishnah, four 75-foot candelabra stood within the court of the women. Each candelabrum had four branches, and at the top of every branch was a huge bowl. Four young men bearing tengallon pitchers of oil would climb ladders to fill the golden bowls and set them alight.

Picture sixteen beautiful blazes leaping toward the sky from those enormous golden lamps. Note that the Temple was on a hill, so the glorious glow was a sight for the entire city to see. The light was to remind the people of how God's shekinah glory had once filled his Temple. And it looked forward to a time when that glory would return.

This time of returning glory was associated with the coming of the Messiah:

This festive joy, of which the origin is obscure, was no doubt connected with the hope of the earth's great harvest—joy in the conversion of the heathen world, and so pointed to the days of the Messiah.4


It was believed that in the time of the Messiah all nations would worship God, in accordance with the prophecy in Zechariah and the promise God made to Abraham, that in him all nations of the earth would be blessed. The Jewish people in Jesus' time were expecting this day with great anticipation. With the illumination of the Temple, they rejoiced over greater light that was to come.
The Light of the World

And it was into this scene that Jesus entered. Prior to his encounter with the blind man, Jesus was teaching in the court of women soon after the Temple illumination ceremony. Perhaps he was even standing right next to those magnificent candelabra when he declared to all who were gathered there, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."5

Light has always been a sign of God's revelation and his presence. From the burning bush that Moses encountered to the pillar of fire that the Israelites followed, to the shekinah glory that once rested in the Temple, the presence of light has long been equated with the presence of God.

And so light was associated with the Messiah, God's Anointed One:

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious,…Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest…(Isaiah 9:1-3)

The light was meant to symbolize the presence of God. That day in the Temple, Jesus said that he was the presence of God, right there, in their midst. At the same time, he was declaring that he was the Messiah. He was the Light that the people had been waiting for.

A few days after Jesus spoke these stunning words in the court of the women, he gave sight to a blind man. Perhaps those who had listened to his words and were familiar with the Scriptures, were not surprised at this miracle. After all, earlier in his ministry Jesus had quoted the words of Isaiah 61 as applying to himself:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he anointed me to preach [good news] to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind…" (Luke 4:18)


The meaning of Jesus' words and deeds was certainly not lost on the people. Some chose to accept what he said and believed he was the Messiah, and some chose to reject him, asking, "What kind of Messiah could come from Galilee?" Apparently, they chose to ignore the Isaiah prophecy mentioned above—for where does it say the Messiah, the light of the world, would come from?
Conclusion

There are different types of blindness. There is a physical blindness that longs for physical light and there is another kind of blindness wherein a person shuts his or her eyes to things that they do not want to believe. If you look at the accounts of Jesus' life and death, you'll see that he came to take care of both kinds of blindness.

The religious leadership of Jesus' day refused to believe in the Sukkot miracle.

…They summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know [Jesus] is a sinner." He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"…Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." The man answered, ". . . Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." (John 9:24-33 NIV)

What the religious leadership had missed, a blind beggar found. "His day of ingathering had dawned."6 For him, the joy of the Feast of Tabernacles was a personal reality, for he had been in the presence of the light of the world.


1. John 9:1-11 (All Scriptures NASB, except where noted.)

2."Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth" (Genesis 33:17).

3. Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1976, p. 149.

4. Ibid. 165

5. John 8:12

6. McQuaid, Elwood. The Outpouring. (New Jersey: Friends of Israel 1990), p. 11

http://jewsforjesus....miracleatsukkot

This post has been edited by voice: 04 October 2009 - 11:21 AM

[Miki]

Voice, on Oct 18 2008, 08:06 PM, said:

signet, on Oct 19 2008, 11:10 AM, said:

Baruch Ha Shem...


http://www.ancient-h...2_blessing.html

Thank you Signet for that beautiful link which adds beauty
and understanding to the topic of the Chag HaSukkot and
it's 'Neviut' (Prophetic consequence)

The Hebrew word for "keep" is "shamar" which literally means "to guard". A related word is "shamiyr" which means "thorn". When the shepherd was out in the wilderness with his flock, he would construct a corral of thorn bushes to protect the sheep from predators, a guarding over of the sheep.[/quote]

Interesting..I've never thought of the normal hedge of protection as a thorny one. I knew it was mentioned at the valley of Achor..but never considered it might be a general term.[/font]

[MMarc]

Just like Jesus returned to keep the 7 day feast of Unleavened bread (wedding) with the OT resurrected saints.

Likewise Jesus returns to keep the 7 day feast of the ingathering/Tabernacles with the OT and NT resurrected saints.