WHY DO CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES?

By: Jehu & Christine Chan, ICEJ Singapore National Directors

The biblical importance behind this Feast

The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the seven Feasts of the LORD. It is important to understand that these Feasts are of the LORD. God said, “these are My feasts” (Leviticus 23:2b), and he commanded the Israelites through Moses to observe these Feasts throughout their generations. When we celebrate these Feasts, we are reminded of what God has done in the past and will perform in the future. Let us explain the significance of these Feasts and why Christians should celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

These Feasts are holy convocations. The Hebrew word for “feast” is “mo’ed,” and one of its important meanings is “appointed time.” The Hebrew word for “convocation” is “miqra,” which is translated as “rehearsal.” So, the seven Feasts of the LORD are God’s appointed times and dress rehearsals for significant events, as ordered and predetermined by God.

Our God is a God of pattern and order. He created the heavens, the earth and all the living things in six days, and then He rested on the seventh day. The number “7” in Hebrew numerology denotes completion. These seven Feasts of the LORD are not only the appointed times for the dress rehearsals, but also represent God’s pattern and order for the first coming of Jesus, as the Lamb of God and His second coming, as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).

The first four feasts were already fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming. He first came as the savior of the world, the Passover Lamb of God, the sinless Son of man. The second feast is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The third feast is the Feast of First fruits, and the fourth feast is the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost as we know it. The remaining three Feasts are to be fulfilled at the return of Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

We are rehearsing the return of Jesus when we participate in the last three Feasts, the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and finally the Feast of Tabernacles where God will tabernacle with us during the millennium period.
The Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day celebration (Leviticus 23:34). The Jewish people are commanded to dwell in booths to remind them that God “brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 23:43). Seven again is a number of completion. Could this signify the completion of an important event in the timeline of God? Could this be the beginning when God tabernacles with man in Jerusalem during the millennium years? Only Abba Father knows, and with the passing of time we will also know.

The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is a holy convocation, a holy rehearsal, a Sabbath day of rest (Leviticus 23:35). The Feast of Tabernacles is also the dress rehearsal where nations gather in Jerusalem to “worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16b). Annually, the ICEJ organizes the Jerusalem March as a dress rehearsal for the fulfilment of Zechariah 14:16. Come to the Feast of Tabernacles to experience the joy of marching with the nations on the main streets in the heart of Jerusalem. You will have the unique opportunity to demonstrate your love for Israel and her people, as you shower them with gifts and more importantly, with your presence.

There is another holy convocation on the eighth day, only this time, it is especially mentioned as “a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.” (Leviticus 23:36). The number “8” points to a new beginning. Could this be the dress rehearsal for the sacred creation of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1) at the completion of the millennium years? Again, only time will tell.

When God said, these Feasts are “appointed times” (Leviticus 23:4b), we believe He is calling His people to assemble on these appointed times to meet with Him. These appointed times are God’s open invitations or “seasonal portals” to receive His blessings. We believe your presence in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles is positioning yourself in the right place at the right time to receive God’s blessings.

There are special places located geographically that attract angelic presence and activities. In Genesis 28:10-19, Jacob stepped into a “certain place” and “behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” This place is called Bethel, the House of God where Jacob received his special revelation from God that his descendants shall be as the dust of the earth, and through him all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Jerusalem is another anointed place, a geographical portal where revelation from God is released.

We believe coming to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, where seasonal and geographical portals come into alignment, will bring amazing blessings and revelation from God for your life. Come with heightened expectancy to the Feast of Tabernacles, especially in this 70th year of Israel as a reborn nation. This is your appointed time to commune with your God.
We receive amazing understanding of the Word and love for our Jewish brethren every time we come to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Those who came with us also experienced miracles of healings, restored relationship with Abba Father and deeper understanding of the Bible.

Come and celebrate with us, the Feast of Tabernacle in Jerusalem. You will certainly be blessed!