(This essay is part of our book titled “Reasons for Christians to Celebrate the Biblical Feasts”. It is available from Amazon.com and on our web site at www.moedministries.com. This series of essays is designed to give the Christian an understanding of the Biblical Feasts and how they are connected to Jesus the Messiah.)
The Feast of Tabernacles is marked by special sacrificial offerings. Among them were 14 male lambs each day. This number is two times seven. Seven again is the number for spiritual completion but two is the number of division. What is the division here? The answer is in the other sacrifices. There was a succession of bulls sacrificed starting with thirteen on the first day and ending with seven on the last day. This totals 70 bulls which just happens to be the number of the nations as they were determined after the Tower of Babel (Deut. 32:8). As they sacrificed the bulls, Israel was acting in her divinely appointed role of priests to the nations (Ex. 19:6). The division is between Israel and all the gentile nations. Israel has been separated out as God’s portion among the nations (Deut. 32:9).
The Feast is observed after the harvest has been brought in (Ex. 23:16), after “you have gathered in the labors out of your field.” Jesus said that we are the workers in the field; that we have a harvest to bring in (Matt. 9:37-38). He also has a final harvest that He will bring in (Rev. 14:14-20, Matt. 13:36-43). After the harvest, we have a huge party. The wedding supper of the Lamb is ready. Blessed are those invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Revelation 19:6-7 MKJV 6 And I heard as the sound of a great multitude, and as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself.
If this isn’t enough, there are special observance every seventh year and every fiftieth year. The fiftieth year, of course follows the seventh seventh (49th) year. Every seventh year is a Sabbath year, again we see the number of spiritual completion. Every fiftieth year is the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25). In the year of Jubilee, prisoners are set free and land is returned to the family who originally owned it. Jesus proclaimed a Year of Jubilee when He began His ministry (Luke 4:18-21 quoting Is. 61). Jesus fulfilled the first part of this chapter in His first coming; He did not fulfill the part about the Day of Vengeance of our God (verse 2). This will be the harvest referred to as the winepress of His wrath (Is. 63:1-13). The grape harvest begins in late July and continues conveniently enough until right before the Feast of Tabernacle. The proclamation of the Year of Jubilee occurs on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement which occurs just five days before the Feast of Tabernacles. On the subsequent Feast of Tabernacles, everyone, men, women, children and the stranger, gathers in Jerusalem to hear the King read the Torah! (Deut. 31:10-13) One of the first acts of Jesus who is the Living Word, will be to read His Written Word to all those He has gathered to Himself in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:3 MKJV 3 And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com
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