I) DAY OF ATONEMENT -- YOM KIPPUR (7th month / 10th day)

“And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:” Leviticus 16:29.

The Jewish people believe about this day (“Yom Kippur”) that “it is sealed who shall live and who are to die.”  “Jewish Encyclopedia,” volume 2, page 286.  On this day was the only Commanded fast (Acts 27:9).  It is called a “Sabbath of rest” in Leviticus 23:32.  It was the only day during the year, aside from the weekly Sabbath, on which all work was forbidden (Leviticus 23:28).  Priests entered into the Holy Place with the blood of a slain animal, but Christ by His Own blood (Leviticus 16:2-3; Hebrews 9:12).  According to Leviticus 16:3, a sin offering and a burnt offering were presented together for this feast.  The sin offering was brought first and demanded a nobler victim (a bullock), then the burnt offering.  Thus, we see that only God (Christ) could die for His broken Law.

As the bullock represented the value of the sacrifice to be made, so the Goat represented the fact that Christ would take our sins upon Himself and die in exchange for us.  The bodies of these beasts were burned “without the camp,” so Christ “suffered without the gate” (Leviticus 16:27; Hebrews 13:12).  We must leave our sins “without the camp,” through the power of the atoning blood of Christ, or else we have failed to give them over to Christ Who will eventually pass them on to the “scapegoat [Satan].”  Aaron made atonement for himself (Leviticus 16:6), making himself a fit representative of Christ, free from sin, for the Lord’s goat was “for the people [us]” (vs. 15), not the sinless Christ.

The contrast (Leviticus, Chapter 16) between the two goats (vs. 7), representing Christ and Satan, is quite noticeable.  The Lord’s goat was slain (vs. 9) because God’s Law must be justified, while the “scapegoat” was not slain; but left to die out in the wilderness (outside the camp, “camp” equaling Heaven). The blood of the Lord’s goat was carried into the Sanctuary and sprinkled because of its cleansing power; while the “scapegoat’s” blood was not shed, for it had no cleansing power.  The fat of the sin offering was always burned on the altar as was the Lord’s goat (vs. 25), and all burnt offerings typified a spirit of self-sacrifice, full consecration, and a constant dependence upon the atoning blood of Christ.  This is why the burnt offering is “a sweet savoir” unto the Lord.  By contrast, the “scapegoat” dies in the wilderness (of sin).  The blood of the Lord’s goat cleanses the Sanctuary [removes sin forever] (vs. 19), while the “scapegoat” would only contaminate it (vs. 26).

“[1111] As the high priest laid aside his pontifical dress, and officiated in the white linen dress of a common priest, so Christ emptied Himself, and took the form of a servant, and offered Sacrifice, Himself the Priest, Himself the Victim. As the high priest, after performing his service in the Holy of Holies, came forth to the waiting congregation in his pontifical robes so Christ will come the second time clothed [1112] in glorious garments of the whitest white,” 1BC:1111-1112.

“[355] In the sin-offerings presented during the year, a substitute had been accepted in the sinner’s stead; but the blood of the victim had not made full atonement for the sin.  It had only provided a means by which the sin was [356]

“transferred to the Sanctuary.  By the offering of blood, the sinner acknowledged the authority of the Law, confessed the guilt of his transgression, and expressed his faith in Him Who was to take away the sin of the world; but he was not entirely released from the condemnation of the Law.  On the Day of Atonement the high priest, having taken an offering for the congregation, went into the Most Holy Place with the blood, and sprinkled it upon the Mercy-Seat, above the tables of the Law.  Thus the claims of the Law, which demanded the life of the sinner, were satisfied.  Then in his character of mediator the priest took the sins upon himself, and leaving the Sanctuary, he bore with him the burden of Israel’s guilt.  At the door of the Tabernacle he laid his hands upon the head of the scape-goat, and confessed over him ‘all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat.’  [Leviticus 16:21].  And as the goat bearing these sins was sent away, they were with him regarded as forever separated from the people.”  PP:355-356.

“[357] Then by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of Heaven.  Thus the Sanctuary will be freed, or [358]

“cleansed, from the record of sin.  In the type, this great work of atonement, or blotting out of sins, was represented by the services of the Day of Atonement, -- the cleansing of the earthly Sanctuary, which was accomplished by the removal, by virtue of the blood of the sin-offering, of the sins by which it had been polluted.

“As in the final atonement the sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the records of Heaven, no more to be remembered or come into mind, so in the type they were borne away into the wilderness, forever separated from the congregation.

“Since Satan is the originator of sin, the direct instigator of all the sins that caused the death of the Son of God, justice demands that Satan shall suffer the final punishment.  Christ’s work for the redemption of men and the purification of the universe from sin, will be closed by the removal of sin from the Heavenly Sanctuary and the placing of these sins upon Satan, who will bear the final penalty.  So in the typical service, the yearly round of ministration closed with the purification of the Sanctuary, and the confessing of the sins on the head of the scape-goat.

“Thus in the ministration of the Tabernacle, and of the temple that afterward took its place, the people were taught each day the great truths relative to Christ’s death and ministration, and once each year their minds were carried forward to the closing events of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the final purification of the universe from sin and sinners.”  PP:357-358.

“[266] As the sins of the people were anciently transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary by the blood of the sin-offering, so our sins are, in fact, transferred to the heavenly sanctuary by the blood of Christ.  And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded. . .

“It was seen, also, that while the sin-offing pointed to Christ as a mediator, the scape-goat typified Satan, the author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly [267]

“penitent will finally be placed.  When the high priest, by virtue of the blood of the sin-offering, removed the sins from the sanctuary, he placed them upon the scape-goat.  When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration, He will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgement, must bear the final penalty.  The scape-goat was sent away into a land not inhabited, never to come again into the congregation of Israel.  So will Satan be forever banished from the presence of God and His people, and he will be blotted from existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners.”  4SP:266-267.

J) FEAST OF TABERNACLES -- SUCCOTH (7th month / 15th - 23rd days)

“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.”  Leviticus 23:34.  This Feast lasted 8 days, counting the Holy Convocation (Leviticus 23:36).

“From the fifteenth to the twenty-second of the same month, the people and their rulers kept once more the Feast of Tabernacles.”  PK:665.

Still today, Messianic Jews celebrate this Feast in the hope that Messiah will return on the first day of this Feast.  The reason is because of John 1:14, in that this is when Messiah will “tabernacle” with us.

The Hebrew word “sukkot” (also spelled, “Succoth”), which literally means “booths,” or “huts,” is rendered in the “Latin Vulgate” as “tabernacula,” from which we derive the English designation of this Feast as “Tabernacles.”  The word “Succoth” means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings which were/are built and inhabited during this festival.  This Feast also commemorates the 40 years that the Nation of Israel wandered in the desert before entering the Promised Land.  It is also traditionally the day in which Solomon dedicated the First Temple.

There are two separate names of the feast which reflect its dual meanings and functions.  With reference to the harvest, it is called “the Feast of Ingathering” (Exodus 23:16; 34:22) because it is a thanksgiving celebration for the blessings of the harvest.  With reference to the history of Israel, it is called “the Feast of Booths” (Leviticus 23:34 & 43; Deuteronomy 16:13 & 16; 31:10; Ezra 3:4) because it commemorated God’s protection of the people as they dwelt in booths during their sojourn in the wilderness.  The temporary booths fitly symbolize the human need to depend upon God for His provision of food, water, and shelter.  This applies to our spiritual life as well, for without the life-giving provisions of Divine Grace, our spiritual life would be a scorching desert.  Both of these features are preserved in the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles.

“In the seventh month came the Feast of Tabernacles, or of ingathering.  This feast acknowledged God’s bounty in the products of the orchard, the olive grove, and the vineyard. . . This feast was to be pre-eminently an occasion of rejoicing.  It occurred just after the great Day of Atonement, when the assurance had been given that their iniquity should be remembered no more. . . As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God had wrought for their fathers, and His miraculous preservation of them during their journeyings from Egypt, so should we gratefully call to mind the various ways He has devised for bringing us out from the world,” PK:540.

Observant Jews erected booths from “the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook,” Leviticus 23:40.  They build/built their temporary “booths” in the traditional way, leaving deliberate gaps in the branches to view the stars at night, and for the wind to blow through during the day.  These “booths” were to remind them of the temporary housing erected by their forefathers during the Exodus wanderings.

At the end of the eight days, the Jews leave their temporary dwellings to return to their permanent homes.  This is one of the reasons some suspect that this feast, rather than the Feast of Trumpets, is suggestive of the Second Coming of Christ.  It also may be a representation of the birth of Messiah, which would put His birth month as our October; for we know He was not born on December 25th (see my Bible Study:  “CHRISTMAS (And The Lord Of The Moon).”

In the Gospel of John, John introduces the nature and mission of Christ by employing the metaphor of the “booth” of the Feast of Tabernacles.  He explains that Christ, the Word, Who was with God in the beginning (John 1:1), manifested Himself in this world in a most tangible way, by pitching His tent in our midst:  “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, as of the Only Son from the Father,” John 1:14.  The Greek verb “skenoo,” used by John, means “to pitch tent, encamp, tabernacle, dwell in a tent.”  The allusion is clearly to the Feast of Tabernacles when the people dwelt in temporary booths.

“[447] The Feast of Tabernacles was the closing gathering of the year. . . [448] This feast was not only the harvest thanksgiving, but the memorial of God’s protecting care over Israel in the wilderness.  In commemoration of their tent life, the Israelites during the feast dwelt in booths or tabernacles of green boughs.”  DA:447-448.

In the Revelation of John, John points out that the themes of the Feast of Tabernacles serve not only to reveal the nature and mission of Christ, but also to depict the glorious destiny of God’s people.  In Revelation 7:9-17 and 21:1 to 22:5, the major themes of the Feast of Tabernacles are effectively used to portray the final ingathering of God’s people in their harvest home.  The redeemed are described as bearing palm branches, which is a feature of Tabernacles (Revelation 7:9).  Their song, “Salvation belongs to our God,” Revelation 7:10, recalls the cry of hosanna from Psalm 118:25, which was sung at this feast.

The reference to God erecting a booth over His people with His presence (Revelation 7:15), is a clear allusion to God’s protection over Israel in the wilderness.  The promise of “springs of living water” (Revelation 7:17; 22:1), and of the continuous light of God’s glory (Revelation 21:23), are allusions to the two central ceremonies of the feast, water pouring and the night illumination, both of which from the time of Zechariah had assumed a Messianic significance. And, the ultimate fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles is in the new earth when the saints are gathered in their harvest home and God will shelter them with the “booth” of His presence for all eternity (Revelation 21:3).

Samples of the fall crop would be hung in each family’s booth to acknowledge God’s faithfulness in providing for His people.  This feast was one of rejoicing (Leviticus 23:40) and fellowship, and represents the time when the great ingathering of God’s people shall take place (Matthew 8:11).  All misunderstandings were to be cleared up, grievances and sins confessed, and put aside.  Love and harmony were to be sought between all observers.  This feast clearly yearns for the day when “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God,” Revelation 21:3.

In an interesting side note:  At the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:4; Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33), Peter makes the suggestion to Christ that the disciples make from the brushwood (or trees) nearby, “tabernacles,” or “booths,” for the Feast of Tabernacles was not far away.  Peter may have meant that they should just stay up there on the mountain and celebrate the feast right there, not needing to go to Jerusalem for the feast.

It is in connection with the “last day” of the Feast of Tabernacles that John records a fascinating event.  “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.”  John 7:37.  This Feast also involved a daily processional to the “Pool of Siloam” to fetch water for the Temple.  This ceremonial procession is the setting for the events of the Book of John, Chapter 7, where Jesus offers them “living water.”  This procession involved four types of branches:  the willow, the myrtle, the palm, and a citrus (Leviticus 23:40).  The willow has no smell and no fruit.  The myrtle has smell, but no fruit. The palm has no smell, but bears fruit. The citrus has both smell and bears fruit.  This sounds reminiscent of the four soils of the first “kingdom parable” of Matthew, Chapter 13, doesn’t it?

From PP:412 we read: “The flowing of the water from the rock in the desert was celebrated by the Israelites, after their establishment in Canaan, with demonstrations of great rejoicing.  In the time of Christ this celebration had become a most impressive ceremony.  It took place on the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the people from all the land were assembled at Jerusalem.  On each of the seven days of the feast the priests went out with music and the choir of Levites to draw water in a golden vessel from the spring of Siloam.  They were followed by multitudes of the worshipers, as many as could get near the stream drinking of it, while the jubilant strains arose, ‘With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.’  Isaiah 12:3.  Then the water drawn by the priests was borne to the temple amid the sounding of trumpets and the solemn chant, ‘Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.’  Psalm 122:2.  The water was poured out upon the altar of burnt-offering, while songs of praise rung out, the multitudes joining in triumphant chorus with musical instruments and deep-toned trumpets.

“The Saviour made use of this symbolic service to direct the minds of the people to the blessings that He had come to bring them.  ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast,’ His voice was heard in tones that rang through the temple courts, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. . .’  ‘This,’ said John, ‘spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.’  John 7:37-39.  The refreshing water, welling up in a parched and barren land, causing the desert place to blossom, and flowing out to give life to the perishing, is an emblem of the divine grace which Christ alone can bestow, and which is as the living water, purifying, refreshing, and invigorating the soul.  He in whom Christ is abiding has within him a never-failing fountain of grace and strength.”

Here it is in 2SP:343-345:  “[343] The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated to [344] commemorate the time when the Hebrews dwelt in tents during their sojourn in the wilderness.  While this great Festival lasted, the people were required to leave their houses and live in booths made of green branches of pine or myrtle.  These leafy structures were sometimes erected on the tops of the houses, and in the streets, but oftener outside the walls of the city, in the valleys and along the hill-sides.  Scattered about in every direction, these green camps presented a very picturesque appearance.

“The feast lasted one week, and during all that time the Temple was a festal scene of great rejoicing.  There was the pomp of the sacrificial ceremonies; and the sound of music, mingled with hosannas, made the place jubilant.  At the first dawn of day, the priests sounded a long, shrill blast upon their silver trumpets; and the answering trumpets, and the glad shouts of the people from their booths, echoing over hill and valley, welcomed the festal day.  Then the priest dipped from the flowing waters of the Kedron a flagon of water, and, lifting it on high, while the trumpets were sounding, he ascended the broad steps of the temple, keeping time with the music with slow and measured tread, chanting meanwhile:  ‘Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem!’ {Psa. 122:2}.

“He bore the flagon to the altar which occupied a central position in the Temple Court.  Here were two silver basins, with a priest standing at each one.  The flagon of water was poured into one basin, and a flagon of wine into the other; and the contents of both flowed into a pipe which communicated with the Kedron, and was conducted to the Dead Sea.  This display of the consecrated [345] water represented the fountain that flowed from the Rock to refresh the Hebrews in the wilderness.  Then the jubilant strains rang forth:--

“ ‘The Lord Jehovah is my strength and song;’ {Isa. 12:2} ‘therefore with joy shall we draw water out of the wells of salvation!’ {Isa. 12:3} All the vast assembly joined in triumphant chorus with musical instruments and deep-toned trumpets, while competent choristers conducted the grand harmonious concert of praise.

“The festivities were carried on with an unparalleled splendor.  At night the Temple and Its Court blazed so with artificial light that the whole city was illuminated.  The music, the waving of palm-branches, the glad hosannas, the great concourse of people, over which the light streamed from the hanging lamps, the dazzling array of the priests, and the majesty of the ceremonies, all combined to make a scene that deeply impressed all beholders.”

“Once a year, at the Feast of Tabernacles, the children of Israel called to mind the time when their fathers dwelt in tents {Leviticus 23:42} in the wilderness, as they journeyed from Egypt to the land of Canaan.  The services of the last day of this feast were of peculiar solemnity; but the greatest interest centered in the ceremony that commemorated the bringing of water from the rock.  When in a golden vessel the waters of Siloam were borne by the priests into the temple, and, after being mingled with wine, were poured over the sacrifice on the alter, there was great rejoicing.  A multitude of voices, mingled with the sound of the trumpet and the cymbal, united in ascribing praise to the Most High God; for in their minds the water flowing from the smitten rock was associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which they expected to receive when the Messiah should come.”  RH, November 17, 1885, paragraph 2; [1RH:565]; 2SP:343.

“The priest had that morning performed the imposing ceremony which represented the smiting of the rock in the wilderness.  That rock was a symbol of Him Who by His death would cause living streams of salvation to flow to all who are athirst.  Christ’s words were the water of life.  There in the presence of the assembled multitude He set Himself apart to be smitten, that the water of life might flow to the world.  In smiting Christ, Satan thought to destroy the Prince of life; but from the smitten rock there flowed living water.”  DA:454; 2SP:346.

There is reason to believe that Jesus may have been born on this festival day, for it was foretold in the prophecies.  Psalm 118, verses 26-27, is a Psalm that was sung by the Jews during the processions of the Feast of Tabernacles.   The Psalm announces “He that cometh in the Name of the Lord,” verse 26, forms a clear allusion to the Coming of the Messiah, set in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles, in verse 27:  “God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light:  bind the sacrifice with cords [branches], even unto the horns of the altar.”  The Church Fathers saw in these passages a representation of the Coming of the Messiah through the typology of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Gregory of Nissa (living about 330-395 A. D.) remarks that, “The prophet David tells us that the God of the universe, the Lord of the world has appeared to us to constitute the solemn Feast in the thick branches of foliage.”  Gregory of Nissa, “Pychnazomena,” commenting on Psalm 118:27, translated by Jean Daniélou (note 7), page 344.  “The thick branches of foliage” refer to the Feast of Tabernacles, which was celebrated in “booths” made of leafy branches.  These “booths” are seen as foreshadowing the Incarnation, which made it possible for Christ to dwell among us.  If, as it is generally agreed, Christ’s ministry began when He was about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23), and lasted three and one-half years (Dan. 9:24-27) until His death at Passover (March/April), then by backtracking we arrive much closer to the Feast of Tabernacles (September/October), a more correct time of year for the Shepard’s to be out in the fields with their flocks than the false Roman Catholic churches December, today’s celebration of Christ’s birth.

The overcrowded conditions at the time of Christ’s birth (see Luke 2:7) could be related not only to the census taken by the Romans at that time, but also to the many pilgrims that overran the area because of, and especially during the Feast of Tabernacles.  Barney Kasdan notes that: “The Romans were known to take their censuses according to the prevailing custom of the occupied territories.  Hence, in the case of Israel, they would opt to have the people report to their provinces at a time that would be convenient for them.  There is no apparent logic to calling the census in the middle of winter.  The more logical time of taxation would be after the harvest, in the fall.”  Barney Kasdan, “God’s Appointed Times” (Baltimore, MD, 1993), pages 95-99; for the obvious reason that this would be when the people had in their hands the revenue of their harvest.  Also, this was the only festival pilgrimage in the Fall and afforded a reasonable time for the Roman authorities to take advantage of the gathering of the Jews for this census during the Feast of Tabernacles, since they would be gathering where they wanted them anyway.

In view of the Messianic themes of the Feast of Tabernacles, it would have been logical for Christ’s birth to coincide with this feast.  Take for example that important events of the plan of salvation are consistently fulfilled on the Holy Days that prefigured them.  Christ died on the Cross at the time when the “Passover” lamb was sacrificed (John 19:14).  Christ arose at the time of the “waving” of the sheaf of barley as the first fruits of the coming harvest (“Feast Of Frist Fruits” First Corinthians 15:23).  The outpouring of the first fruits of God’s Holy Spirit took place “when the day of Pentecost was fully come,” Acts 2:1.  By the same token, Christ could well have been born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, since the Feast typifies God’s Coming to dwell among us through the incarnation of His Son.

In contrast to the Feasts of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, which both were a time of introspection and repentance, the Feast of Booths was a time of rejoicing.  The festive atmosphere reflected the Israelites’ thankfulness for both material and spiritual blessings.  The explicit reason for rejoicing is given in Deuteronomy 16:15: “because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.”  It is not surprising then that the Rabbis called the feast, “The Season of our Joy,” and “the Feast of the nations.”  “The feast was to be preeminently an occasion for rejoicing.  It occurred just after the great Day of Atonement, when the assurance had been given that their iniquity should be remembered no more.  At peace with God, they now came before Him to acknowledge His goodness and praise Him for His mercy.  The labor of harvest being ended, and the toils of the new year not yet begun, the people were free from care, and could give themselves up to the sacred, joyous influences of the hour.”  PP:540.

The reason for the rejoicing was not only because of the material blessings of the harvest gathered in, but also because of the spiritual blessing of God’s protection and abiding presence.  The foliage of the “booths” during which the Israelites lived for seven days during the Feast, reminded them that God will protect the faithful remnant during the time of trouble by sheltering them with the cloud by day and the flaming fire by night (Isaiah 4:6).

Such themes relate perfectly to the terminology used by the angel to announce Christ’s birth:  “Fear not:  for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people,” Luke 2:10.  As “the season of our joy,” the Feast of Tabernacles provided the ideal settings for the breaking of “good tidings of great joy” for all the people, since the feast was also a celebration for all the nations:  “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.”  Zechariah 14:16.

Jerusalem was more crowded at the Feast of Tabernacles than at any other time of the year.  Pilgrims arrived from different parts of the empire for this festive celebration.  They erected “booths” on their roofs, in the courtyards, in the streets and squares, as well as in the gardens.  The city and neighboring hillsides had a most picturesque appearance.  When the evening of Tishri 15th arrived, the priests blasted their trumpets on the Temple Mount to announce to Israel the opening of the Feast of Tabernacles.  So also it could be that this will be the timing of the Second Coming of our Lord.

There were two major ceremonies of the Feast of Tabernacles -- the water procession and the illumination of the Temple.  During the first night-watch, explains Alfred Edersheim, “the altar of burnt-offering was cleansed and the gates of the Temple were thrown open immediately after midnight.  The time till the beginning of the ordinary morning sacrifice was occupied in examining the various sacrifices and offerings that were to be brought during the day.”  Alfred Edersheim, “The Temple, Its Ministry and Services” (London, 1984), page 241.12.

“While the morning sacrifice was being prepared, a special procession was organized for the joyous water-drawing ceremony, which was rich in symbolism and high drama.  The procession of faithful worshippers began at the Temple, led by a priest who carried a golden pitcher.  A band of liturgical flutists enhanced the wonder of the ceremony with their cheerful music.  When the Temple procession reached the pool of Siloam, the priest filled his golden pitcher with water.  Journeying back to the Temple, the cortege would pass through the Water Gate (its name being derived from the ceremony).  The Water Gate had special eschatological significance because some rabbis identified it as the south gate of Ezekiel’s Temple through which the water of life would flow to all the land.”  See Exodus 47:1-5, “M. Sequal,” 6:3, m. Mid 2:6; “Talmud Sukkah,” 3:3-9).

The procession was timed to arrive back at the Temple just in time for the morning sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering.  A threefold blast of trumpets welcomed the arrival of the priest who was joined by another priest who carried the wine for the drink-offering.  The two priests ascended together the “rise” of the altar and placed two magnificent silver basins on the southwest corner of the altar.  One of the bowls was used for pouring the water from the pool of Siloam and the other for the pouring of the wine offering.  Both bowls had a hole, which allowed the water and wine to flow to the base of the altar.  As soon as the priests began pouring the water and the wine, the Temple music began. The people chanted “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3.  Then the “Great Hallel,” consisting of Psalm 113 to Psalm 118, was chanted antiphonally to the accompaniment of flutes.

Edersheim explains that, “As the Levites intoned the first line of each Psalm, the people repeated it; while to each of the other lines they responded by Hallelu Yah (Praise ye the Lord).  But in Psalm 118 the people not only repeated the first line, ‘O give thanks to the Lord,’ but also ‘O then, work now salvation, Jehovah’ (Psa. 118:25), ‘O Lord, send now prosperity’ (Psa. 118:25); and again at the close of the Psalm, ‘O give thanks to the Lord.’  As they repeated these lines, they shook toward the altar the Lulavs which they held in their hands -- as if with this token of the past to express the reality and cause of their praise, and to remind God of His promises.”  Alfred Edersheim, “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” (Grand Rapids, MI, 1959), page 159.  The morning service closed with a procession around the altar by the priests, who chanted “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord:  O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.”  Psalm 118:25.  On the seventh and last day of the Feast, the priests made the circuit of the altar seven times, each time chanting the Psalm and crying “Hosheanah” (save now).  This is why the last day was called “the Great Hosanna.”  Muslims do not know why they march around their Kaaba 7 times.  They borrowed (like everything else in their religion) it from the Jews; who they insistently to hate.

Most probably it was right after the symbolic rite of the water-pouring ceremony at the altar, after the people had sung some of the verses of Psalm, Chapter 118, praying for the Lord to send salvation, that according to John 7:37, Jesus stands up on the last day of the Feast and His voice was heard loud and clear throughout the Temple “saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink,” John 7:37.

The water of the rock of Horeb, commemorated by the water libation of the Feast of Tabernacles, pointed to Christ.  “And did all drink the same spiritual drink:  for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them:  and that Rock was Christ.”  First Corinthians 10:4.  As the rock of Horeb was struck for water, Christ was too struck as the rock would be struck, so that the Living Waters might flow from Him to anyone who believes.  God has always provided life for His people, but now He provided His Own Son as the Life of His people.

From DA:448-449 we read: “[448] The Feast of Tabernacles was the closing gathering of the year.  It was God’s design that at this time the people should reflect on His goodness and mercy.  The whole land had been under His guidance, receiving His blessing.  Day and night His watchcare had continued.  The sun and rain had caused the earth to produce her fruits.  From the valleys and plains of Palestine the harvest had been gathered.  The olive berries had been picked, and the precious oil stored in bottles.  The palm had yielded her store.  The purple clusters of the vine had been trodden in the wine press.

“The feast continued for seven days, and for its celebration the inhabitants of Palestine, with many from other lands, left their homes, and came to Jerusalem.  From far and near the people came, bringing in their hands a token of rejoicing.  Old and young, rich and poor, all brought some gift as a tribute of thanksgiving to Him who had crowned the year with His goodness, and made His paths drop fatness.  Everything that could please the eye, and give expression to the universal joy, was brought from the woods; the city bore the appearance of a beautiful forest.

“This feast was not only the harvest thanksgiving, but the memorial of God’s protecting care over Israel in the wilderness.  In commemoration of their tent life, the Israelites during the feast dwelt in booths or tabernacles of green boughs.  These were erected in the streets, in the courts of the temple, or on the housetops.  The hills and valleys surrounding Jerusalem were also dotted with these leafy dwellings, and seemed to be alive with people.

“With sacred song and thanksgiving the worshipers celebrated this occasion.  A little before the feast was the Day of Atonement, when, after confession of their sins, the people were declared to be at peace with Heaven.  Thus the way was prepared for the rejoicing of the feast. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever’ (Psalm 106:1) rose triumphantly, while all kinds of music, mingled with shouts of hosanna, accompanied the united singing.  The temple was the center of the universal joy.  Here was the pomp of the sacrificial ceremonies.  Here, ranged on either side of the white marble steps of the sacred building, the choir of Levites led the service of song.  The multitude of worshipers, waving their branches of palm and myrtle, took up the strain, and echoed the chorus; and again the melody was caught up by voices near and afar off, till the encircling hills were vocal with praise.

“At night the temple and its court blazed with artificial light.  The music, the waving of palm branches, the glad hosannas, the great concourse of people, over whom the light streamed from the hanging lamps, the array of the priests, and the majesty of the ceremonies, combined to make a scene that deeply impressed the beholders.  But the most impressive ceremony of the feast, one that called forth greatest rejoicing, was one commemorating an event in the wilderness sojourn.

“At the first dawn of day, the priests sounded a long, shrill blast upon their silver trumpets, and the answering trumpets, and the glad shouts of the people from their booths, echoing over hill and valley, welcomed [449] the festal day.  Then the priest dipped from the flowing waters of the Kedron a flagon of water, and, lifting it on high, while the trumpets were sounding, he ascended the broad steps of the temple, keeping time with the music with slow and measured tread, chanting meanwhile, ‘Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.’  Psalm 122:2.

“[449] He bore the flagon to the altar, which occupied a central position in the court of the priests.  Here were two silver basins, with a priest standing at each one. The flagon of water was poured into one, and a flagon of wine into the other; and the contents of both flowed into a pipe which communicated with the Kedron, and was conducted to the Dead Sea.  This display of the consecrated water represented the fountain that at the Command of God had gushed from the rock to quench the thirst of the children of Israel.  Then the jubilant strains rang forth, ‘The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song;’ ‘therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.’  Isaiah 12:2, 3.”  

The second major ceremony is in the context of the illumination of the Temple where Jesus proclaims: “I Am the light of the world:  he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  John 8:12.  Most Bible commentators maintain that the setting of Jesus’ self-proclamation as the “Light of the World” is the celebration of the nightly illumination of the “Court of Women” that took place during the Feast of Tabernacles.

The “Mishnah,” in 5, 3-4, offers us this graphic description of the ceremony:  “There were there golden candlesticks [in the Court of Women] with four golden bowls on the top of them and four ladders to each candlestick, and four youths of the priestly stock and in their hands jars of oil holding a hundred and twenty logs which they poured into all the bowls.  They made wicks from the worn out drawers and girdles of the priests and with them they set the candlesticks alight, and there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect the light of the Beth ha-She’ubah [Court of women].”  These festivities lasted all night with singing and playing of harps, lyres, cymbals, and trumpets.  The climactic moment came at sunrise when two priests reached the gate that led to the east (the gate Beautiful) while blowing their trumpets.  Once through the gate with a multitude of worshippers, the priests turned their faces toward the west and chanted this ancient prayer:  “Our fathers when they were in this place turned with their backs toward the Temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they worshiped the sun toward the east; but, as for us, our eyes are turned toward the Lord.”

The meaning of the illumination of the Temple was similar to that of the pouring of the water.  The light shining out of the Temple into the darkness around, was seen as a symbol not only of the Shekinah [God’s glory manifested in the Most Holy Place above the Ark], which once filled the Temple, but also of the “great light” which “the people that walked in darkness” were to see, and which was to “shine” upon them that dwell in the land of the shadow of death (see Isaiah 9:2).  It seems most probable that it was in the context of this illumination ceremony that Jesus stated (mentioned earlier): “I Am the light of the world:  he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  John 8:12.

By proclaiming Himself as the “Light of the World,” Christ revealed Himself to be the fulfillment of the Messianic pillar of fire that guided the Israelites through the wilderness. The enormous candelabra burning in the “Court of Women” reminded the people of that “Light,” which had guided their ancestors.  Jesus had also spoken of Himself as “the Bread of Life,” John 6:25, and “the Rivers of Living Water,” John 7:38, and lastly He reveals Himself as “the Light of the World,” John 8:12.  Whereas the light of the candelabra placed in the “Court of Women” brightened all of Jerusalem, the light emanating from Christ enlightens the entire “world.”

Eschatologically then, the Feast of Tabernacles serves to represent God’s protection of His people through the trials and tribulation of this present life until they reach the Heavenly Promised Land.  My favorite Bible Commentator alludes to this spiritual meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles for our Christian life today when she writes: “Well would it be for the people of God at the present time to have a Feast of Tabernacles -- a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to them.  As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God had wrought for their fathers, and His miraculous preservation of them during their journeying from Egypt, so should we gratefully call to mind the various ways He has devised for bringing us out from the world, and from the darkness of error, into the precious light of His grace and truth.”  PP:542.

K) SHOULD WE KEEP THE FEAST DAYS TODAY?

To understand the times of the Feasts is to help us to understand most probably the timing of our Lord’s Second Coming.  We would do well to acknowledge their significance.  By contrast, keep in mind that the Feast Days were to be keep at the Temple in Jerusalem.  That is not possible today.  It’s as if in 70 A.D. when both the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed, it is as if God is saying, you didn’t listen to Me in 31 A.D. at the death of Christ, maybe now you will.  However:

According to Luke 22:16, speaking of the Passover Feast, Christ tells us that we will be “eat[ing] of it” one day “in the Kingdom of God.”

According to First Corinthians 5:8, Paul, considering the “Passover” Feast, states, “Therefore let us keep the feast.”  However, if we look at the Chapter from the beginning, we can see that Paul is relating that a certain man (see verse one) should be ousted from the Church.  And by using the phrase, “old leaven,” Paul is saying, just as we used to keep the old Feasts, now we have put them aside and no longer keep them.  It doesn’t make sense for Paul to be saying, “put away from among yourselves that wicked person,” verse 13, and then say but keep the “Passover.”  The context is about open sin in the Church and getting rid of it/him.  If anything, the “Passover” is just an illustration Paul is using to show NOT to keep it.  Not to put up with open sin in the Church.

However, you might bring up Acts 18:21, stating, that if Paul told us the Feasts are done away with, why did Paul “keep this feast?”  And also Acts 20:16, which states, “to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.”

According to First Corinthians 11:23, although Christians use this and the following verses to promote the “Communion Service,” Christ instructed the Apostles to celebrate Passover on “the same night in which He was betrayed.”  Then Paul, in verse 26, teaches us we should continue to keep the Passover in order to “shew the Lord’s death till He Comes.”  Has He Come yet?

Consider First Corinthians 9:19-23:  “(19) For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. (20) And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; (21) To them that are without law, as without law (being not without Law to God, but under the Law to Christ), that I might gain them that are without law. (22) To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak:  I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (23) And this I do for the Gospel’s sake.”

Then consider that even the Holy “Spirit [was telling Paul], that he should not go up to Jerusalem.”  Acts 21:4.  If the Feasts were still required, this is not Godly council.  Compare with later on in Chapter 21, verses 11-12.

Now I know that you may not buy that, but consider the following.  Consider Paul’s actions with Timothy in Acts 16:3.  He “circumcised him,” even though Paul had known that “circumcision” was no longer needed.  See Romans 2:28-29.  However, the problem was Paul attempting to reason with these Jews and their belief system of Acts 15:1, “Except ye be circumcised. . . ye cannot be saved.”  Therefore, in order for Paul to be able to minister to them, he had Timothy be “circumcised.”

According to Acts 18:13, the Corinthians accused Paul of “worship[ing] God contrary to the Law.”  This is not speaking of the Law of Ten Commandments, or else there would have been no leg for Paul to stand on.  Rather, this is speaking of the Law of Moses, in particular, the Feasts and circumcision.  How can we know this.  Consider the following.

In Acts 21:21, we find the Jews accusing Paul of teaching that “the Gentiles [were] to forsake [the Law of] Moses. . . not to circumcise. . . neither to walk after the [Jewish] customs.”  Which he was doing as we shall see below.  These Jewish friends even counselled Paul to “keepest the Jewish Law [of Moses].”  Acts 21:24.  But Paul “concluded that they observe no such thing.”  Acts 21:25.  However, to keep the peace, and so he could later preach Christ to them, Paul complied with their requests.  See Acts 21:26 and the above First Corinthians 9:19-23.  But as we read further, Acts 21:28, they still accused Paul of “teacheth all men every where against the people, and the [ceremonial] Law.”  Let’s see where they get this from.

According to Paul’s teachings in Colossians 2:14, Christ blotted “out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us,” when He sacrificed Himself, “nailing” the “ordinances” “to His cross.”  The Greek for “ordinances” is “G1378; dogma,” meaning, “law;” which can be “ecclesiastical [Church law]; civil [manmade law]; or ceremonial [animal sacrifice].”  Thus, the “law” here is the “ceremonial Law;” given by God Himself.  Thus, only God Himself can have it canceled.  Compare with Ephesians 2:15 (Greek, G1378).

Then we go to Colossians 2:16, where no one is to judge you in regards to “an holyday.”  The Greek is “G1859; “heorte,” meaning “feast day.”  Therefore, the judging of “meat” offerings, and “drink” offerings, and “feast days” kept, and “new moon” sightings in order to begin the “Feast Day” observances, and the ceremonial “High Sabbath” celebrations when the Biblical Sabbath fell upon the prescribed “Feast Day” celebrations, are now no longer to be observed, because Christ has come, died, and fulfilled that “Ceremonial Law,” thus, making any judgment for no longer observing them in error.  How can we know this for sure?  Because Paul is quoting Ezekiel 45:17, which is CLEARLY speaking of the “Ceremonial” offerings and days of observance.

If we go to Hebrews 9:9 we can learn that the “Ceremonial Law,” i.e., services, were “a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices.”  Thus, once Christ was crucified, the sacrifices and oblations cease.  For when we finish Paul’s statement in Hebrews 9:10, these were to be done “until the time of reformation.”

Thus, when reading Colossians 2:16, Paul is telling his Colossian brethren not to be concerned when someone judges them for not performing the “meat” offerings and “drink” offerings, etcetera.  For why else would they be judging them?

This all came down to us way back in Daniel 9:27, speaking of the appearance and sacrifice of Christ, “in the midst of the week,” where we learn that Christ “shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,” at His death.  There would be no more need for the sacrificial system, since that system was only pointing to Christ and His sacrifice for sins.  And the “oblation” spoken of here, refers to (Hebrew, H4503) “gifts; presents; tributes; offerings.”  These are the things done on the “Feast Days.”  And when Christ died, they were to die with Him.

To explain it again, if we go to Galatians 4:9-10, we learn that Paul is telling them that to go back to “observ[ing] days, and months, and times, and years [Day of Atonement],” they would in essence be going back “in bondage.”  The main argument for observing the Feast Days is that they are not advocating the sacrificial system of sacrificing animals again.  But only that we observe the days themselves.  Whereas, here in the Book of Galatians, Paul is telling us not to be observing them either.  And in Galatians 4:21, Paul asks them again why do they “desire to be under the Law” all over again?  Confirmed in Galatians 5:1:  “ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”  I also acknowledge that this instruction was mainly speaking of “circumcision.”  By contrast, “circumcision” has nothing to do with the instruction against keeping “days, and months, and times, and years.”

From 6T:39-40 (PH130:10) we read:  “[39] In the days of Christ these feasts were attended by vast multitudes of people from all lands; and had they been kept as God intended, in the spirit of true worship, the light of truth might through them have been given to all the nations of the world.

“[40] With those who lived at a distance from the tabernacle, more than a month of every year must have been occupied in attendance upon these holy convocations.  The Lord saw that these gatherings were necessary for the spiritual life of His people.  They needed to turn away from their worldly cares, to commune with God, and to contemplate unseen realities.

“If the children of Israel needed the benefit of these holy convocations in their time, how much more do we need them in these last days of peril and conflict!  And if the people of the world then needed the light which God had committed to His Church, how much more do they need it now!”

“When the Saviour yielded up His life on Calvary, the significance of the Passover ceased, and the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was instituted as a memorial of the same event of which the Passover had been a type.”  PP:539.3.  Remembering that it is a meal, not a Roman Catholic wafer.

“Anciently the children of Israel were Commanded to keep three annual feasts each year:  the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Weeks.  The Lord gave directions that on these occasions their gifts and offerings were to be consecrated to Him, and none should appear before Him empty-handed.  But in our day it has become fashionable to observe these festal occasions in a manner that would divert the mind from God instead of bringing glory to His Name.  Those whom God has blessed with prosperity should acknowledge the Giver, and feel that where much is given much will be required.”  RH, December 11, 1879.