Ask anyone what Christmas is, and you'll get an answer.
Everybody knows about Christmas.
The same applies to Easter, the popular spring-time holiday.
Even the U.S. President hosts an Easter egg roll each year
on the White House lawn.
What about the dark and sinister observance of Halloween?
That holiday is world-renowned as well,
even though it celebrates evil and demon spirits.
But ask the average person on the street about the
Feast of Tabernacles, and you'll get some confused looks.
Most, unless they're Jewish, won't even have
a clue what you're talking about.
And yet, the Feast of Tabernacles is not
just observed by Jews.
A growing number of Christians keep this
annual autumn festival every year.
Why do they keep these feast days?
Maybe it's time we peeled back the shroud
of deception covering the Feast of Tabernacles.
Let's uncover the truth about this important holy
day season described in the Bible.
So, what is the Feast of Tabernacles all about?
And why should you care?
I'm going to answer those questions in a few moments.
Be sure to get ready to request your free study guide
offered today, The Holy Days: God's Master Plan.
So, what is the Feast of Tabernacles?
We'll answer that today on Tomorrow's World.
I'll be right back.
♪
Welcome to Tomorrow's World, where we help you make sense
of your world through the pages of the Bible.
Most people today keep the traditional holidays
of Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.
Even if people are not religious, they may see
these as times to gather with friends and family.
But if you asked them, "What is the Feast of Tabernacles?",
they'd probably be confused.
If they've heard of it at all, they might think,
"That's one of those old Jewish holy days
that Christ did away on the cross."
But is it?
The truth is the Bible reveals holy days that God
instituted for His people.
And yes, they're found in the Old Testament.
But it may come as a surprise that they're found in the
New Testament as well.
And the New Testament Christians understood
and observed these days.
Let's go through a brief overview of the biblical
holy days.
First comes the Christian Passover.
It occurs in the springtime, usually in early April.
Passover reminds us that Jesus fulfilled the role
of the Lamb of God slain for our sins.
That's why the Passover is important to Christians.
As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:7,
"For indeed Christ, our Passover,
was sacrificed for us."
In other words, the Christian Passover is the crucial
first step in the plan of God, in bringing redemption
to sinning mankind.
The second of the annual feasts is the Feast
of Unleavened Bread.
For New Testament Christians, these days teach us that we
must change and grow.
Christ's sacrifice sets us free but we can't continue in sin.
We have to resist sin and learn a new way of life,
with God's help.
As Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 5:8,
"Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven,
nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
The third holy day in God's calendar is the
Feasts of First Fruits.
In New Testament times it was called Pentecost,
meaning "fiftieth."
It was called Pentecost because the exact date of this holy day
was calculated by counting fifty days from the starting point
of the Sabbath in the Feast of Unleavened Bread season.
Pentecost occurred in mid-to-late May.
In the holy land, this was the time of the beginning
of the wheat harvest.
For Christians in the New Testament, Pentecost was
the day in 31 AD when the Holy Spirit was poured out
on the early Church.
And that's found in Acts 2:1,
"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were
all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a
rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting."
What we learn from this feast day is that God
is not calling everyone today, only a small
group of firstfruits, the early harvest.
The rest will have their chance later.
The next holy day, or feast day, is called the Feast of Trumpets.
The Feast of Trumpets usually occurs in mid-to-late
September in the Roman calendar and prophetically
represents the triumphant return of Jesus Christ.
He will come to earth a second time.
Only this time He will come in power and glory.
Find out more about it on our TomorrowsWorld.org website.
Just look up the telecast, What is the Feast of Trumpets.
After the Feast of Trumpets comes the Day of Atonement.
The Day of Atonement occurs in the fall as well.
It represents the source of sin, the devil, being
taken away and mankind becoming "at one" with God.
The Day of Atonement was still held in high esteem by
New Testament Christians, as we find in Acts 27.
In this passage, Luke detailed the journeys
of Paul and his traveling companions as they sailed
on the Mediterranean Sea.
We'll read it in the New International Version:
"We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to
a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become
dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement."
How are we to understand this?
Well, as already mentioned, the Day of Atonement took place
usually in late September or even early October.
And that time of year is a stormy season to be sailing
on the Mediterranean.
But the writer, Luke, used the Day of Atonement as a
marker of time that his audience, even Gentile
Christians, would be familiar with.
Why would they care about the Day of Atonement,
unless they were actually keeping it years after the
Church was founded in 31 AD?
The next biblical Feast Day is the one we're
discussing today, the Feast of Tabernacles.
In short, the Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day
period after the Day of Atonement, foreshadowing
1,000 years of peace, prosperity and abundance on earth.
This is still in the future, but it's coming soon.
Jesus Christ will personally reign on the earth.
And all humanity--those who survive the Great Tribulation
and the Day of the Lord-- will enjoy the benefits
and blessings of living under the rule of Jesus Christ.
We'll touch on this holy day season in our next segment.
That brings us to the last feast day of God's biblical Holy Days.
This is called the Last Great Day.
It follows on the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles
and represents the time of the general resurrection.
This is the time when the great masses of unsaved billions
who never had a genuine opportunity for salvation
will be raised to life and offered that chance.
This day is for them.
It's after the 1,000-year millennium.
Their understanding will be opened, God's Spirit will
be made available to them, and they'll be offered eternal life.
So, that's a brief overview of the seven
annual Holy Days as outlined in your Bible.
They're not the Holy Days of the Jews.
They're not just special for Israelites only.
And they're not only taught in the Old Testament.
These are New Testament holy days that have
powerful meaning for Christians today.
To learn more about God's plan for offering salvation
to every person who's ever lived, call for your
free resource, The Holy Days: God's Master Plan.
It will open your eyes to what God is doing
on this earth today.
As the late Roderick C. Meredith writes on page 11:
"God's Holy Days are far more than just days on which we
cease from our normal work.... understanding and observing
these Festivals helps us keep in mind the great master plan
of our Creator whereby He intends to enlighten and
ultimately to save the vast majority of humankind."
If you want to know more, call, click, or write today.
You need this booklet.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
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Call now!
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♪
In the last segment, we learned about the seven annual
holy days that summarize God's plan of salvation.
But what about our original question, just what is
the Feast of Tabernacles?
First, let's examine the word, "tabernacle."
The word "tabernacle" just means "tent."
The book of Exodus mentions that Moses built a "tabernacle"
or "tent" in the wilderness to be the place of worship
of the true God.
As a tent, it was only a temporary dwelling.
It was not the permanent house, or temple, later built
by Solomon in Jerusalem.
To understand the significance of "tents" or "tabernacles"
we have to go back to the nation of Israel as they
came out of Egypt.
After suffering under the oppressive rule of Egyptian
taskmasters, God set them free, around 1446 BC.
They left Egypt and headed for the Promised Land.
But along the way, they dwelt in tents, as they
journeyed through the desolate wilderness.
Compare this with our life today.
We're living a temporary, human existence.
We're only strangers and pilgrims on earth,
as Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:11.
We seek a better future existence in God's Kingdom,
just like the children of Israel were seeking the Promised Land.
In fact, the Apostle Peter used the analogy of tents in
describing his own life.
Notice in 2 Peter 1:12,
"For this reason I will not be negligent to remind
you always of these things, though you know
and are established in the present truth.
Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to
stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must
put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me."
Peter compared his physical body to a tent--good for a
temporary shelter against the rain, wind, and storms of life,
but eventually it wears out.
God wants us to learn and understand that our life is just
a short journey, and that there is something better coming.
Why is this important?
Well, we all have trials and struggles in this life.
We all have pain.
But there is a better world coming.
And frankly, when God's Kingdom comes, Christ is going to reign
not up in heaven, but right here on this troubled earth.
This is where the healing and comforting needs to take place.
This is where the violence, warfare and hatred have to end.
And this is where moral confusion will give way
to a genuine understanding of the right way to live.
In other words, don't be discouraged when you see
bad things happen.
The Feast of Tabernacles teaches us that this
physical life is temporary.
And it teaches us that there will come a time when Christ
will reign on this earth to bring peace and prosperity
to everyone.
There are many prophecies that detail this.
Let's read in Isaiah 2:2,
"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the
mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the
top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills."
When you read of mountains in the Bible, it's speaking
symbolically of governments.
So, this prophecy says that in the future, God's government
will be set up on earth to rule over all other governments.
That's not happened yet.
It's still to come.
Going back to Isaiah 2:
"Many people shall come and say,
'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us
His ways, and we shall walk in his paths.'
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word
of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war anymore."
Do you see this happening today?
Of course not.
Today, in every corner of this globe, our brothers
and sisters cry out for a better world.
In Europe and Africa; Asia and the Middle East;
South America, North America, the Caribbean.
We see corruption, war, poverty, and violence on a massive scale.
It's heartbreaking.
This world is coming to an end.
Jesus Christ will personally stop the hatred and anger
and bloodshed.
Notice in Isaiah 11:1,
"There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse..."
Jesse was the father of David.
The Messiah is spoken of as the son of David.
So, this is referring to Jesus Christ.
"And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord."
This is how Jesus Christ will govern when He returns.
With equity, with justice, and a spiritual insight
that is hard for us to fathom in this world.
Going on in verse 3:
"...He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with
righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide
with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall
strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with
the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
and faithfulness the belt of His waist."
Notice this summary statement in verse 9:
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of
the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Now ask yourself this: Is the earth today full
of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea?
Any sane and rational person would have to say,
"No way."
This world is not being governed by this Book.
But that will dramatically change.
Everyone will learn God's way, and Jesus Christ will
personally be on this earth to make sure that happens.
The point is the Feast of Tabernacles--revealed in
the Bible, which takes place in the fall each year--
is a seven-day period that symbolizes the millennial
reign of Jesus Christ.
And that is good news.
And that millennial period is just around the corner.
There's so much more to this subject, which is
why we're offering this free resource.
It's called The Holy Days: God's Master Plan.
We read on page 36,
"Literally scores of prophecies throughout the Old and New
Testaments speak of the time of Christ's return...
and of genuine peace and safety permeating the earth
because humanity will be learning God's righteous
laws and practicing His entire way of life."
This message gives us hope for the future of the entire world.
You need this booklet.
Order yours, absolutely free by calling, writing,
or requesting online.
Order now.
♪
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
Welcome back.
In the last segment, we discussed the prophecy of
Christ's return to earth.
And when He returns, the world is going to be a
very different place.
Peace and abundance will replace the violence
and oppression of today.
So, let's take it one step further.
What does this have to do with you?
Should Christians keep the Feast of Tabernacles?
To answer that, let's look at what God said to the
ancient Israelites about the Feast of Tabernacles.
We find it in Deuteronomy 14:23.
"...You shall eat before the LORD your God, in the
place where He chooses to make His name abide...
that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always....
Go to the place which the LORD your God chooses.
And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires:
for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever
your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your
God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household."
This is describing the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Feast of Tabernacles takes place in the autumn.
And in ancient Israel, in an agricultural society,
people were intimately connected to the land.
When the time of the summer growing season was over, they
celebrated the bountiful harvest in thankfulness to God.
It's ironic that some mistakenly portray
the feasts of God as a harsh burden.
For those who think that, maybe they haven't ever
actually read what these feasts were like.
Who wouldn't want to celebrate a bountiful
harvest with abundant food and festivities?
And that, for seven whole days.
It sounds like a wonderful time.
If that's a burden, count me in.
What's more, the Feast of Tabernacles wasn't
all just about having fun.
It was a celebration with the backdrop of honoring
God and thanking Him for His wonderful way of life.
And it was about committing to learn to honor Him and hold Him
in awe, for His majesty and power; His love and His mercy.
The Feast of Tabernacles was also a foreshadowing
of the coming reign of Jesus Christ on earth.
So, what does this have to do with Christians today?
The book of Revelation provides a fascinating glimpse into
the 1,000-year time period after Christ returns.
Notice what it says in Revelation 20:4,
"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment
was committed to them....
And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."
This is one of the most straightforward passages
in the Bible about the future millennium.
It will be 1,000 years of Christ reigning on earth.
But as we just read, the glorified saints will
reign with Him.
Why don't you hear about this from most churches?
After all, this was the belief of the early Christians.
The eminent English scholar and historian, Edward Gibbon
wrote The History of the Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire in 1789.
In it, he discussed how the early church looked at the
doctrine of the millennial reign of Christ:
"The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was
intimately connected with the second coming of Christ.
As the works of the creation had been finished in six days,
their duration in their present state, according to a tradition
which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to
six thousand years.
By the same analogy it was inferred, that this
long period of labor and contention, which was now
almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful Sabbath
of a thousand years; and that Christ, with the triumphant
band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death,
or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon earth
till the time appointed for the last and general resurrection."
This is exactly what we've been reading in the Scriptures.
The prophecies of Isaiah and Micah and Revelation
speak of a coming millennial reign of the Messiah.
But again, why don't most churches talk about this?
Let's let Mr. Gibbon himself explain:
"It appears to have been the reigning sentiment of
the orthodox believers; and it seems so well
adapted to the desires and apprehensions of mankind,
that it must have contributed in a very considerable
degree to the progress of the Christian faith.
But when the edifice of the church was almost
completed, the temporary support was laid aside."
The doctrine of Christ's reign upon earth was at first treated
as a profound allegory, was considered by degrees as a
doubtful and useless opinion, and was at length rejected
as the absurd invention of heresy and fanaticism."
In other words, early Christians believed in
the coming millennial reign of Christ.
And it was a fundamental part of their belief.
It gave them hope for the future.
But somewhere along the way, people were told
the Kingdom was in their hearts.
They were told the Kingdom is the church itself.
And over time, the truth of Christ's millennial reign
was lost to many.
But not all.
Today, there are still Christians who keep these days.
There are still Christians who value what the
original Church taught.
And are eagerly looking forward to the triumphant
return of Christ, and His reign on earth.
If God is guiding you to look into these things,
get in touch with us.
Order our free resource, The Holy Days: God's Master Plan.
This is not just a technical issue or
a small doctrinal argument.
It's about the very future of humanity on earth.
Notice what we read on page 37 of this resource:
"During the Millennium, God's laws are to be written in
the hearts and minds of His people all over the earth.
God's laws express His very character--the character
He demands that we develop in order to be kings and priests
forever in His Kingdom!"
What could be better news for this suffering world?
Learn more about the Feast of Tabernacles in this booklet--
get your free copy today by calling, writing,
or ordering online.
Order now.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
In this program, we've examined the Feast of Tabernacles,
and seen why it's important for Christians today.
After all, Jesus Christ Himself kept it.
That's explained in John 7:10.
If we're following in the footsteps of Christ,
should not we walk as He walked?
Not only that, when Jesus returns to this earth, people
all around the world will be keeping the Feast days.
That's found in Zechariah 14:16...
"And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of
all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go
up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord
of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."
This prophecy follows on the heels of the
Great Tribulation, and the Day of the LORD.
And it says that all of those who fought against
Jesus Christ Himself will be observing this Feast.
Just think of it.
Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, agnostics, atheists,
and yes, all who call themselves Christians--all
will be keeping these days.
But what happens if some nations resist?
Well, let's read on in Zechariah 14:17,
"And it shall be that whichever of the families
of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King,
the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in,
they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with
which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to
keep the Feast of Tabernacles."
God knows that His laws are so important, that He cannot
only invite the nations of the world to keep the Feast.
He must make them, for their own good.
And when they finally keep these days, they'll begin to
experience the deep satisfaction of living God's way.
And the blessings from walking in His paths.
So, what is the Feast of Tabernacles?
It's an annual holy day season that God instituted so you
and I could understand just how profoundly rewarding
His way of life is.
And so we can see that there's great hope for the future.
It's not just a theoretical issue.
It's about obeying God, observing His days, and
experiencing the way of life He intends for all mankind.
If you want that way of life for yourself, be sure to order
your free study guide, The Holy Days: God's Master Plan.
Thank you for watching.
And be sure to come back for more Tomorrow's World episodes.
As Gerald Weston, Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, and I
explain the Good News of Tomorrow's World, and the truth,
comfort, and hope it can bring to you and your family.
See you next time.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
The preceding program is produced by the
Living Church of God.
♪