Sukkot Feast of Tabernacles Messianic Teaching

Posted on October 26, 2015October 27, 2015 by Joel Allen

26 Oct

an article by Joel Allen

Sukkot, The Feast of Tabernacles

What do the Scriptures say about it?
[Lev 23:33-43 KJV] 33 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 34 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. 35 On the first day [shall be] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein]. 36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a solemn assembly; [and] ye shall do no servile work [therein]. 37 These [are] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day [shall be] a sabbath, and on the eighth day [shall be] a sabbath. 40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. [It shall be] a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God.

When is it?
Lev 23:34 … “The fifteenth day of this seventh month…”
What are we commanded to do?
1. Keep the first day and the eighth day Holy as regular Sabbaths, doing no servile work or the things associated with the seventh day Sabbath.
2. Keep it at its time and season on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Tishrei/Hebrew Calendar).
3. Have holy convocations on the first day and the eighth day. This is a calling of the assembly or community of like-minded believers to assemble together and rejoice together. If no one is able to convocate then call together your own family or travel to where another group of believers are assembling and keeping this feast Holy.
4. Build a Booth or Sukkah. This is a temporary shelter usually made of wood and natural elements such as tree limbs, dried flowers, gourds, pumpkins, or even tents. We dwell in booths or sukkot so…” That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

How do I celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles? What are some practical ways to enjoy and teach this feast to my children?

It is important to know that Sukkot along with all of the Feasts of the Lord are only shadows and not substance. What do I mean by that? Paul tells us in the letter to the Colossians that dietary laws, the sabbaths, and holy days (feast days) are a shadow but the substance is the Messiah.

[Col 2:16-17 KJV] 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.

This is also echoed in the book of Hebrews…

[Heb 10:1 KJV] 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, [and] not the very image of the things…

That being said, take a deep breath and tell yourself to relax. Tell yourself you won’t get all of this overnight but little by little. It is very sad when I see people starting to get excited about the Feasts of the Lord but only to get frustrated by details. To make matters worse I also see believers that have been learning about the feasts for a longer period of time and they are not gentle with those that are new to the feasts and they overwhelm people with too much information. Let’s remember the focus. The focus is the substance. The substance is the Messiah.

Some people find a group of believers that are camping and celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. There are many great camps throughout the United States. Traveling and camping for eight days can be costly but the reward oftentimes far outweighs the cost. Some people setup a sukkah or booth in their yard or deck and decorate it. You can also eat meals outside as a family underneath the sukkah or maybe go out at night and try stargazing underneath your booth. All of this should accompany explaining and teaching to your children (if you have some) as to why you are doing this. A great importance on all of the feasts are to pass them on as a heritage to your children and grand children.

Idioms in Scripture about Sukkot:

Feast of Ingathering- This is a time when the pilgrims of Israel must return to Israel for the last of three pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot). This is when the tithes of the land were brought in and the males presented themselves before the Lord in Jerusalem. [Exo 23:16 KJV] 16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.[Exo 34:22 KJV] 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. This is also prophetic of the Messianic kingdom when Yeshua returns to Jerusalem and reigns for a thousand years (AKA the Millennial Reign). At this time the nations will be required to come up to Jerusalem and keep the Feast of Tabernacles or plagues will be poured out upon them. [Zec 14:16 KJV] 16 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.

Feast of the Nations- It is during the days of Sukkot that 70 bulls are offered up as an atonement for the nations. 70 in the Bible is connected to “nations.” It was 70 souls of Jacob that went into Egypt and became a nation called “Israel.” We can also see this fulfillment in Zech. 14:16-21

Feast of Booths- Sometimes the Feast of Tabernacles is called the Feast of Booths in the Bible. This is the same feast but translated differently. You can see the naming of booths and the name given to a place by Jacob called Sukkot (also spelled succoth). [Gen 33:17 KJV] 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

Sukkot- This is the Hebrew name for this Feast because it is the Hebrew name for the booths or temporary shelters that were made. The singular form is a “sukkah” while the plural form is “sukkot.” You can see this name in Genesis 33:17.

Arba Minim- The Four Species of Sukkot :

“And you shall take for yourselves on the First Day the fruit of a beautiful tree, the branches of date palms, branches of the myrtle tree, and branches of the willow tree, and you shall rejoice before YHVH for Seven Days.” (Leviticus 23:40)

There is a great tradition that originates from the gathering of specific species of trees and fruits that teach us about the nations in this Feast of Ingathering. These are the breakdown of those four specific species:

Etrog- Shaped like a heart it symbolizes the driving force behind all of our actions.
Lulav- The Lulav comes from a date palm, the fruit has a good taste, but no smell. It symbolizes someone with knowledge of the Torah but no good deeds.
Hadas- The myrtle has a wonderful smell but no taste, this symbolizes the good deeds, but not knowledge of the Torah
Arava- The willow branch has neither good taste or smell. This symbolizes someone who has neither good deeds or knowledge of the Torah.

Sukkot is also called the Sabbath of the Feasts. This is because Sukkot is the seventh feast that occurs in the seventh month and it lasts seven days. The eighth day is not technically Sukkot but a separate holiday known as Shemini Etzeret (the Eighth Day).

However you celebrate the Feast of Sukkot or on what calendar, may you do it with joy as this season is a time that God commands His people to rejoice before Him. At Yom Kippur God commands our souls to be afflicted while during Sukkot He commands us to be full of joy! If we repent during the Feast of Trumpets, seek YHVH’s redemption at Yom Kippur then we will be able to rejoice during Sukkot. It’s always in that order. This Sukkot may your joy be full!

Teshuvah & the 10 Days of Awe

Posted on August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 by Joel Allen

19 Aug

an article by Joel Allen

We are in the season known as Teshuvah. This occurs every year in the Hebrew month Elul and usually falls in the summer month of August. Teshuvah is a period of time between Elul 1 and Yom Kippur that is a traditional observance calling God’s people into repentance and returning back to the Father’s heart. Typically this season is called a 40 day journey of repentance and reflection on your life for the past year as you head toward Yom Kippur, which is also known as Yom Hadin or the “day of judgment.” Most scholars agree that the Messiah Yeshua is coming again in the fall season of Holy Days according to the Biblical calendar. So the timing of God’s people returning to Him in prayer, worship, and repentance right before His return I believe is quite remarkable and timely. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of this very meaningful but traditional observance of the Jewish people?

So I wanted to share with you in this article some treasures that I have come to know about Teshuvah as I have been observing it for a while now and have been blessed, along with my family as a result. Also what I have found is that this season is not always exactly 40 days depending on the calendar but is mostly 39 days but is always referred to as 40 days according to the Rabbis. Sometimes we see this in scripture where a rounding of numbers takes place. For instance when Yeshua sent out the 70 disciples to preach the kingdom it was actually 72 according to many scholars, and some translations still translate it as 72 instead. Okay moving on…

You will notice in the chart I made above that Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) falls within the days of Teshuvah. In fact, it falls on the first day of Tishrei or the seventh Hebrew month. Traditionally, this day is called in Judaism, Rosh Hashanah, which means the head of the year and is one of four New Years celebrated in Judaism. However, according to Leviticus 23 this Feast day is known as Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets or the Feast of Blowing. From Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur is 10 days and marks the final 10 days of Teshuvah. These 10 days are traditionally referred to as the “10 Days of Awe.” These are the most intense days of fasting, praying, and repenting leading up to the climax of return, which is Yom Kippur. This was a time that traditionally though t that YHVH would draw His ear close for the prayers of the repentant.

[Isa 55:6 ESV] 6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

It was on Yom Kippur that the High Priest (Cohen HaGadol) would enter into the Holiest of Holies and sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, as an atonement for the nation of Israel. This could only happen one time a year on Yom Kippur. Traditionally it has been taught that on Yom Teruah the Books of Remembrance before YHVH were opened and you were inscribed in the book if your deeds were righteous but you would not be inscribed if you did not repent of your wickedness. These 10 days of Awe were the time of Judgment with the books opened but once Yom Kippur closed at sunset the books were closed for another year. It was during Yom Kippur that men would traditionally tear their outer coats in an outward sign of repentance and mourning and place ashes on their heads. Some would beat their chests violently in a show of repentance and pain. It is the Prophet Joel that saw hypocrisy in what the religious men were doing as they were only doing the outward things to be seen of men while their hearts were still full of wickedness.

[Joe 2:12-13 ESV] 12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

How do we know this is talking about Teshuvah and Yom Kippur? We can see that YHVH is called His people back to Him with weeping and fasting. We can also look at the Hebrew word for “return” used twice in these verses. It is the Hebrew word “shuv” (שׁוּב shuwb) which is Strong’s number H7725 and is the three letter verbal root for Teshuvah.

With Teshuvah the theme is always drawing near to God so that He will draw near to you. It is the step we make first. He doesn’t draw near to us but we draw near to Him first and then He comes running just like the Prodigal Son’s Father when he saw his wayward son return, coming just over the hilltop. The Prodigal Son’s Father never went to the pig pen pleading with his son while he was in his rebellion and sin. However, the moment the son realized his sin he made Teshuvah and the Father ran to him. Listen to the words of James as he talks about this season:

[Jas 4:6-10 ESV] 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Here is where it gets really interesting… Do you know what constellation is in the sky during Teshuvah? No I am not advocating the horoscope or star readings but I do believe that the stars, including the constellations were named by YHVH and He placed them and named them to tell a story…

[Psa 147:4 ESV] 4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

The constellation clearly seen in the sky during Teshuvah is called Virgo, the Virgin Maiden. Also known in Hebrew as Betullah. Why am I bringing this up you may ask? The Month Elul is named so because of a Hebrew acronym which spells out:

[Sng 6:3 ESV] 3 “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…” Which in Hebrew is Ani, L’dodi, V’dodi, Li

E- alef- Ani

L- Lamed- L’dodi

U- Vav- V’dodi

L- Lamed- Li

Jeremiah 31:21 … Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities.”

We can clearly see that the stars point to a Virgin Maiden during a season that God is calling for His Bride to shuv or return to Him. What’s even more remarkable is that the constellation that precedes Virgo is Leo, or the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!!! It is as if He is pursuing His bride in the sky during this season. And if that wasn’t enough, the next constellation is Libra, or the Scales of Judgment. Remember that the Bride is making Teshuvah and it ends on Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment! Wow. Isn’t our God amazing to leave us so many witnesses to His sovereign ways and plan? I hope this season you will join us and the Jewish people making Teshuvah. I pray it will never be a show but a time of true repentance as we prepare for the Return of the King!

Shalom-

Feasts and Festivals

Posted on December 25, 2012February 19, 2015 by Joel Allen

Feasts & Festivals

Basic Overview of the Feasts of YHWH-

1. The Spring Feasts- Consisting of Passover (Pesach), Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot), First Fruits (Yom Bikkurim), and Feast of Weeks (Shavuot). The Messiah came over 2,000 years ago and fulfilled these feasts in their entirety down to the closest detail, jot and tittle. This was a covert mission as Messiah Ben Yosef, the suffering servant who became our Passover Lamb and our sin atonement who was sinless (without Leaven) and the First Fruits of the resurrection from the dead. Click here to buy the Spring Feasts Family Guide from Restoring the Way.

2. The Fall Feasts- Consisting of the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This will be the fulfillment of the Messiah Yeshua’s return as Messiah Ben David, the conquering king to rule the nations with a rod of iron and to make His enemies a footstool. He will return with a blast of the trumpet and the shout of the archangel on Yom Teruah, gather His elect unto the Day of Atonement, and we will Tabernacle and reign with him for 1,000 years or the Millennium of the Lord in the New Jerusalem. Click here to buy the Fall Feasts Family Guide from Restoring the Way.

*The other minor feasts/holidays consist of: Chanukah, Tu b’Shevat, Purim

**The cultural holidays consist of: Yom haShoah and Yom Yerushalim