Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles starts on the fifteenth day in the month of Tishri and ends on the twenty second day in Tishri (Sept-Oct). This year Tabernacles starts at 6:00 P.M. on Sunday Oct. 13 and ends at 6:00 P.M. on Sunday Oct. 21. It is an eight day feast. In Lev. 23 v.33-36, God reveals the establishment of His appointed time called Sukkot or Tabernacles. This appointed time commemorates the time when Israel traveled in the wilderness, as God led them. During this time God lived with His people in His own Tabernacle. He also provided a cloud of covering that shaded the people by day and a cloud of fire to warm His people by night. God also provided food and water for the people. As a result of these provisions and the shelter that God provided, He commanded the families to live in temporary shelters annually for the week of this festival. Just what does this feast mean for us? I feel that one of the meanings of this season is that this is a time where God will give fresh direction in ministries and start moving them toward some un-chartered areas. This is a season where the new direction that He was preparing you for will start to come into view. He will want you to step out, as He leads. It may be a new spiritual or physical direction or both. This is evident in the lives of the Israelites in the wilderness, as He led them by a pillar of fire at night and a cloud by day. Again, this is a wonderful season to step out, as He leads. He may anoint some of His people to change locations i.e. to move. This is a time where God will clear out obstacles in the way of His people in order for them to move, much like one would clear out brush going through a jungle. This is a time when God will make a change of locations smoother than one could ever imagine. This is a time when preparations for a move are completed and He stirs up one to move. Just like He moved His people out of Egypt, He tells some of His people to move now! He creates an opening that one needs to take complete advantage of. Again, this is a time where He could lead some to other locations, in His position as the head of the army. Praise Him! This is definitely a time to stay up with the moving of the Holy Spirit and take advantage of His window of opportunity. This also a time where all the preparations that He put you through pay off as release happens. (Please see John Chapter 7).
Also, this feast is also known as the Feast of Nations. During this festival, seventy sacrifices were offered with each being understood as a representation of each of the seventy nations of the known world at that time. As I mentioned above this is a time where God wants some of us to move out. Where? To the nations. (More opportunities outside USA?).The possible locations where He could send you during this season may be more than you expect. Just open your heart to His leading and don’t close any door of expectation. He could open doors to nations that are impossible, according to man. He may send you somewhere that you least expect.
Also, another key truth of this festival is the use of the number seven. A fascinating thing about the sacrifices during Tabernacles is that when the offerings were grouped together or counted, their number always remains divisible by seven. During the week of Tabernacles or Sukkot, there are 182 sacrifices (70 bullocks, 14 rams and 98 lambs, divides by 7 into 182 exactly 26 times). Add to this the grain offerings, 336 tenths of ephahs of flour (48 X 7) (Numbers 29 v. 12-40). This use of the number seven, which means completion, is that God wants to complete some things that He started in your life, during the year.
Another theme for the appointed time of Sukkot is called The Festival of Ingathering. This time of year marks the times of the harvest, the final ingathering of all produce before the coming winter (Ex. 23 v. 16). Prophetically, this symbolizes the last days of God’s ingathering of all the wheat (saints) into His garner (barn) prior to His Kingdom (Matt. 13 v. 30). This 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.
For this harvest to come, it requires the latter rain to produce the crops (James 5 v. 7-8). The rain is a type of the Holy Spirit pouring out on all flesh (Acts 2 v. 1-8, 14-21; Joel 2 v. 23, 28-29). This is a time where there is a tremendous anointing being poured out by God, to get people saved. Just expect God to put you into key situations where there are unsaved people. You will find that God will engineer Divine Encounters to bring strangers into your life for the express purpose of bringing them to salvation. Be in an attitude of expecting God to move in a salvation outpouring and be ready to be used to deliver the words of salvation. Rain also speaks of revival, restoration and returning to God. This is a great time for people who have strayed away to return unto Jesus-to repent and be restored. During this time especially, God will draw believers by His Spirit to repent and preach His word to others. Be aware of this season.
This feast is a time of celebration for the abundance God has given, so expect more abundance now as we go towards this feast.
In Zechariah 14 v. 16 – 21, the word talks about the Millennium period of time, a period of 1,000 years. The chapter talks about some of the effects that will take place in people’s lives that do not come to Jerusalem to keep this feast. In v. 17 and 18, the word mentions that the ones that don’t come won’t have any rain. This feast is a period of time where God- really wants to pour rain down, the rain of His Spirit on us in a greater way. Rain speaks of refreshing and moisture for those who are dry. This is a great season of refreshment to finish the year in power. In his first inspired sermon after receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the apostle Peter summed up God's instruction for mankind: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19-21) In Zec.14:21, God says that no Canaanite will be there during this feast in Jerusalem. This is a promise to you that God will take the deceitful enemies out of your life. Claim and believe this, especially during this season.
The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes the restoration process of the creation to peace and harmony with God. This feast pictures the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ over the earth after His second coming And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years( Revelation 20:4).
This period is often called the Millennium, which simply means "1,000 years."
As I mentioned earlier, it is called the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:16 it celebrates the great harvest of humanity when all people who are alive on earth will learn God's ways. Humanity will at last be restored to a right relationship with God. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
Notice the words of the prophet Zechariah: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16).