In the “Old Covenant” we looked at the Old Testament law, its purpose and effect on humanity.
In “The Law No Longer Applies” we find that the law is obsolete, dying on the cross.
Passover, Pentecost and Day of Atonement. These are the three most important feasts in the Hebrew calendar. Jesus fulfilled all of the law, including the feasts. Let’s look at HOW Jesus fulfilled the law.
The New Covenant, great commission and Jesus’ enthronement fulfil the Feast of Trumpets.
Now we will find that being One in Christ – abiding in Him, and He abiding in us completes the Feast of Tabernacles.
Therefore, abiding in Him and He in us results in our glorification.
Old Covenant Feast of Tabernacles
LEVITICUS 23:341 “SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SAYING: THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF THIS SEVENTH MONTH SHALL BE THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES FOR SEVEN DAYS TO THE LORD.
Purpose of the feast.
LEVITICUS 23:42-43 YOU SHALL DWELL IN BOOTHS FOR SEVEN DAYS. ALL WHO ARE NATIVE ISRAELITES SHALL DWELL IN BOOTHS, THAT YOUR GENERATIONS MAY KNOW THAT I MADE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DWELL IN BOOTHS WHEN I BROUGHT THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT: I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD.'”
This feast was a remembrance that they dwelt in tabernacles as soon as they came out of Egypt (figuratively the world).
This feast was during the busy time of the autumn harvest; there were at least two (1st and 8th days) and probably three days (weekly Sabbath) when they could do no work. They would often put-up temporary shelters to rest in and find refuge during the days of harvesting.
The feast was For that era.
Some people have said that a statute forever or an everlasting statute means eternity. However, there is a limitation in the scripture above: the phrase, ‘In your generations’. The Hebrew word for generations can also translate as age.
Generations is dôr in Hebrew; it means a revolution of time, an age or generation. See also Num. 29:12–40; Deut. 16:13–17
The feast was to be celebrated physically until the end of the Old Covenant age.
Paul refers to the Millennial, New Covenant age in his epistle to Timothy:
1 TIMOTHY 6:17 COMMAND THOSE WHO ARE RICH IN THIS PRESENT AGE NOT TO BE HAUGHTY, NOR TO TRUST IN UNCERTAIN RICHES BUT IN THE LIVING GOD, WHO GIVES US RICHLY ALL THINGS TO ENJOY.
Therefore, the Feast of Tabernacles as a physical requirement does not go past the Old Testament and Old Covenant era. Under the New Covenant, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit tabernacle inside us.
We experience Passover-Jesus conceived in our spirit.
We experience Pentecost-the baptism of the Spirit.
We experience Tabernacles-intimacy with the Father.
Age Defined in Greek.
The Greek word for age is: aiōn; an age; by implication, the world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future): — age.
This is where we derive the word eon from. We will find when we study the word eternity that this word is sometimes mistranslated as eternity rather than an age.
We have seen that in the New Covenant sin no longer reigns and now grace and righteousness reign.
Also, the law was nailed to the cross and God established a new kingdom for Jesus.
We are under an entirely New Covenant.
In the Wilderness the Tabernacle of Meeting was OUTSIDE the Camp of Israel.
EXODUS 33:7-9 MOSES TOOK HIS TENT AND PITCHED IT OUTSIDE THE CAMP, FAR FROM THE CAMP, AND CALLED IT THE TABERNACLE OF MEETING. AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT EVERYONE WHO SOUGHT THE LORD WENT OUT TO THE TABERNACLE OF MEETING WHICH WAS OUTSIDE THE CAMP. SO IT WAS, WHENEVER MOSES WENT OUT TO THE TABERNACLE, THAT ALL THE PEOPLE ROSE, AND EACH MAN STOOD AT HIS TENT DOOR AND WATCHED MOSES UNTIL HE HAD GONE INTO THE TABERNACLE. AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN MOSES ENTERED THE TABERNACLE, THAT THE PILLAR OF CLOUD DESCENDED AND STOOD AT THE DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE, AND THE LORD TALKED WITH MOSES.
It was also a private meeting place between one man (Moses) and God.
We will find that abiding in God, and Him abiding in us, is not related to you going to church for public worship and teaching of the word but is talking about your personal relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Mountain of Transfiguration and Feast of Tabernacles.
When was Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration?
Although it is not specifically stated in the Bible, it most likely occurred shortly, perhaps a week or two weeks, before Jesus went to the Feast of Tabernacles in Judea.
He travelled from the Mount of Transfiguration to Capernaum ( a two day walk), where his brothers asked him about going to the feast in Jerusalem.
JOHN 7:2-3 NOW THE JEWS’ FEAST OF TABERNACLES WAS AT HAND. HIS BROTHERS THEREFORE SAID TO HIM, “DEPART FROM HERE AND GO INTO JUDEA, THAT YOUR DISCIPLES ALSO MAY SEE THE WORKS THAT YOU ARE DOING
What Happened to Jesus on the Mount.
MATTHEW 17:2 AND HE WAS TRANSFIGURED BEFORE THEM. HIS FACE SHONE LIKE THE SUN, AND HIS CLOTHES BECAME AS WHITE AS THE LIGHT.
Jesus was glorified or transformed.
Glorification and Tabernacles.
The Apostle Peter saw a relationship between Jesus glorification and setting up booths.
MATTHEW 17:4 THEN PETER ANSWERED AND SAID TO JESUS, “LORD, IT IS GOOD FOR US TO BE HERE; IF YOU WISH, LET US MAKE HERE THREE TABERNACLES: ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR MOSES, AND ONE FOR ELIJAH.”
Being Jewish, He was looking ahead to the Feast of Tabernacles.
It is about Jesus Fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles.
In the next verse, God speaks, gently rebuking them, saying that the Feast of Tabernacles is not the focus, Jesus is the focus and whom we should listen to, not the law or the prophets:
MATTHEW 17:5 WHILE HE WAS STILL SPEAKING, BEHOLD, A BRIGHT CLOUD OVERSHADOWED THEM; AND SUDDENLY A VOICE CAME OUT OF THE CLOUD, SAYING, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. HEAR HIM!
The Father says that Jesus fulfils the Feast of Tabernacles. Like every other aspect of the law. Because this feast is part of the Old Covenant ordinances, it was nailed to the cross, as we find in Colossians 2:
COLOSSIANS 2:14,16 BLOTTING OUT THE HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES THAT WAS AGAINST US, WHICH WAS CONTRARY TO US, AND TOOK IT OUT OF THE WAY, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS; 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
Jesus and the Mount of Transfiguration. Matthew 17:1- 13, Mark 9:1–13; Luke 9:27–36; 2 Pet. 1:16–18
Jesus was Glorified on the mount of Transfiguration.
MATTHEW 17:2 AND HE WAS TRANSFIGURED BEFORE THEM. HIS FACE SHONE LIKE THE SUN, AND HIS CLOTHES BECAME AS WHITE AS THE LIGHT.
MATTHEW 17:5 WHILE HE WAS STILL SPEAKING, BEHOLD, A BRIGHT CLOUD OVERSHADOWED THEM; AND SUDDENLY A VOICE CAME OUT OF THE CLOUD, SAYING, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED. HEAR HIM!”
Jesus was Glorified as the Son of Man.
MATTHEW 17:9 NOW AS THEY CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN, JESUS COMMANDED THEM, SAYING, “TELL THE VISION TO NO ONE UNTIL THE SON OF MAN IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD.”
Jesus Supersedes the Law AND the Prophets.
MATTHEW 17:3 AND BEHOLD, MOSES AND ELIJAH APPEARED TO THEM, TALKING WITH HIM.
The Father said to listen to Jesus, ahead of Moses and the prophet Elijah.
What is the Feast of Tabernacles to the Son and Daughter of God?
The Tabernacle is a Dwelling Place Where You Abide.
The word Abide in Greek means to make a home: it is menō; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): — abide, continue, dwell.
JOHN 14:2 IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS; IF IT WERE NOT SO, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU. I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU.
Many people think that John 14 is a story about after you die. Although it can be used in that setting, Jesus is talking about abiding and glorification for the next three chapters.
Jesus Made a Way for Us to Abide (Tabernacle) in Him and Him to Tabernacle in Us.
JOHN 15:4 ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU. AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR FRUIT OF ITSELF, UNLESS IT ABIDES IN THE VINE, NEITHER CAN YOU, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN ME.
Abiding in Him, and Him in Us, Brings Fruitfulness.
JOHN 15:5 “I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. HE WHO ABIDES IN ME, AND I IN HIM, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.
We will see Our Prayers Answered When We Abide in Jesus and Pray According to His Will.
JOHN 15:7 IF YOU ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YOU WILL ASK WHAT YOU DESIRE, AND IT SHALL BE DONE FOR YOU.
We are the Temple of Holy Spirit
Tabernacle is a Mobile Temple
The Feast of Tabernacles is also fulfilled in that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are mobile temples of God, over a billion of us. The Temple of God is no longer in natural Jerusalem, the city He referred to as Sodom and Egypt:
REVELATION 11:8 AND THEIR DEAD BODIES WILL LIE IN THE STREET OF THE GREAT CITY WHICH SPIRITUALLY IS CALLED SODOM AND EGYPT, WHERE ALSO OUR LORD WAS CRUCIFIED.
In the same way as the first tabernacle of Moses was mobile, so also is the true Tabernacle of God – the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 OR DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS IN YOU, WHOM YOU HAVE FROM GOD, AND YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN?
The Feast of Tabernacles and Our Glorification
The Feast of Tabernacles is Linked to the Glorification of Jesus. This was because the Father was inside of Jesus – and Jesus was in the Father, so, therefore, prayers are answered.
JOHN 14:11-13 BELIEVE ME THAT I AM IN THE FATHER AND THE FATHER IN ME, OR ELSE BELIEVE ME FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORKS THEMSELVES. “MOST ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO HE WILL DO ALSO; AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE HE WILL DO, BECAUSE I GO TO MY FATHER. AND WHATEVER YOU ASK IN MY NAME, THAT I WILL DO, THAT THE FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON.
The Glorification of Jesus is Because He is inside of us.
JOHN 17:9-10 “I PRAY FOR THEM. I DO NOT PRAY FOR THE WORLD BUT FOR THOSE WHOM YOU HAVE GIVEN ME, FOR THEY ARE YOURS. AND ALL MINE ARE YOURS, AND YOURS ARE MINE, AND I AM GLORIFIED IN THEM.
We are meant to be glorifying Jesus (who is inside of us).
The Glorification of Us is Because We are in the Father and in Jesus.
JOHN 17:21-22 THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE, AS YOU, FATHER, ARE IN ME, AND I IN YOU; THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE ONE IN US, THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU SENT ME. AND THE GLORY WHICH YOU GAVE ME I HAVE GIVEN THEM, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE JUST AS WE ARE ONE:
We have the glory of God inside of us. Jesus has glorified us! It is not when we go to heaven. He has already done it.
Glorification is Because We are now a Justified Son of God.
ROMANS 8:29-30 FOR WHOM HE FOREKNEW, HE ALSO PREDESTINED TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, THAT HE MIGHT BE THE FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN. MOREOVER WHOM HE PREDESTINED, THESE HE ALSO CALLED; WHOM HE CALLED, THESE HE ALSO JUSTIFIED; AND WHOM HE JUSTIFIED, THESE HE ALSO GLORIFIED.
We are meant to be growing from glory to glory.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 BUT WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACE, BEHOLDING AS IN A MIRROR THE GLORY OF THE LORD, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE SAME IMAGE FROM GLORY TO GLORY, JUST AS BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD.
This growth in glorification comes through suffering with the right attitude.
ROMANS 8:17-18 AND IF CHILDREN, THEN HEIRS—HEIRS OF GOD AND JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST, IF INDEED WE SUFFER WITH HIM, THAT WE MAY ALSO BE GLORIFIED TOGETHER. FOR I CONSIDER THAT THE SUFFERINGS OF THIS PRESENT TIME ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED WITH THE GLORY WHICH SHALL BE REVEALED IN US.
Dating the Requirement to Celebrate The Feast In Jerusalem.
In the previous verses to Zechariah 14:17-19 we find that the timing is the “Day of the Lord”.
ZECHARIAH 14:4 AND IN THAT DAY HIS FEET WILL STAND ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, WHICH FACES JERUSALEM ON THE EAST. AND THE MOUNT OF OLIVES SHALL BE SPLIT IN TWO, FROM EAST TO WEST, MAKING A VERY LARGE VALLEY; HALF OF THE MOUNTAIN SHALL MOVE TOWARD THE NORTH AND HALF OF IT TOWARD THE SOUTH.
Because there has never been a physical splitting of the mountains of Jerusalem, with Jesus standing on the Mount of Olives, there has been an assumption it is in the future.
The Prophecy of Micah.
There is another prophecy when the valley’s split by the Prophet Micah.
MICAH 1:3-4 FOR BEHOLD, THE LORD IS COMING OUT OF HIS PLACE; HE WILL COME DOWN AND TREAD ON THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH. THE MOUNTAINS WILL MELT UNDER HIM, AND THE VALLEYS WILL SPLIT LIKE WAX BEFORE THE FIRE, LIKE WATERS POURED DOWN A STEEP PLACE.
This event prophesied by Micah happened seven centuries before Christ in 701 BC. The valleys never split; the mountains didn’t melt like wax as Micah had prophesied. Micah was prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem in 701BC. There is nothing in scripture that demands the prophecy of Zechariah happens literally.
Zechariah 14 is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, with Jesus coming in judgment over the city at that time. Zechariah’s main prophetic ministry related to the Second Temple period, from 516BC to 70AD. It is, therefore, appropriate that his book should finish on the note that this temple is no longer needed since the Temple is now inside each one of us.
And all the Feasts vanished away at that time:
HEBREWS 8:13 IN THAT HE SAYS, “A NEW COVENANT,” HE HAS MADE THE FIRST OBSOLETE. NOW WHAT IS BECOMING OBSOLETE AND GROWING OLD IS READY TO VANISH AWAY.
1. Like the rest of the law, Feast of Tabernacles has been nailed to the cross and is now obsolete.
2. The Feast of Tabernacles has been fulfilled in Christ.
3. Tabernacles is a shadow of us abiding in Him and Him abiding in us.
4. The fulfilment of the Feast is His glorification on the Mount of Transfiguration.
5. Jesus was justified as the First Born Son of God.
6. Jesus was glorified as the Son of Man.
7. If we abide in Him then we are also glorified sons and daughters of God.
8. Abiding in Him and Him abiding in us results in fruitfulness and answered prayers.
9. Our fruitfulness and answered prayers results in glorification of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.