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Tabernacles: Season of Joy
Paula White-Cain
God has a pattern that unlocks His promises
and brings us into His presence.
In the Old Testament, we see that God the Father
designed seven feasts, as expounded upon in Leviticus 23.
They all point to Jesus and the things that
will happen in the New Covenant.
These seven feasts are God’s own holy days
with specific instructions given for their observance.
They’re also known as “holidays”, and each
individual holiday has a special way it is celebrated.
Let’s look at one special holiday in
particular: the feast of Tabernacles.
The overall theme of the feast of Tabernacles
is a beautiful picture of the unity of the saints and the true Church coming
forth.
On this special holy day, every Israelite had
to leave their dwelling place and assemble together in small, humble booths for
fellowship and worship.
They had one common purpose in mind: to keep
the feast of the Lord in its season, and to celebrate the ingathering of the
wines and oils.
God had provided, and the purpose was the
celebrate his provision – all together, like a family.
We have been bought back from Satan and death
to God by the blood of Jesus.
The Messiah has come and now sits on the right
hand of the Father, and He lives to intercede for us day and night. He is our
high priest!
We are no longer separated by the veil as in
the Old Covenant. We have the right to boldly come before the throne of grace
anytime, 24/ 7, 365 days a year.
God wants a relationship with you through His
son Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man! First, salvation is
provided entirely by the death of Jesus on the cross.
He came that we might be rescued, made whole,
made well and completely healed, and live lives for Him on earth that brings
Him glory.
In the Old Testament, we see seven feasts
designed by God the Father. They’re expounded upon in detail in Leviticus 23.
They all point to Jesus and the things that He
will usher in during the New Covenant.
These seven feasts are God’s own holy days
with specific instructions given for their observance.
They’re also known as “holidays”, and each
individual holiday has a special way it is celebrated.
Let’s look at one special holiday in particular:
the feast of Tabernacles.
Each of the seven feasts has a process of
observance with a theme that leads into the next feast – much like the seasons
changing.
For example, the Day of Atonement reveals the
necessity of prayer to position yourself to have right standing with God
through repentance.
The day of Atonement has its own sets of
instructions in the Bible for how the holiday is celebrated.
The Day of Atonement leads to the Feast of
Tabernacles, also called Sukkot.
The Feasts of Israel were built on the
Foundation of the law and God’s Blood Covenant with mankind.
They were physical “rituals” to help the
children of Israel understand and align with spiritual truths.
They were also prophetic pictures of the glory
to come in Christ Jesus and all that He would bring forth in the New Covenant
and in the End Times.
During Atonement, we are honoring Him in the
commemorations He designed and desires. Our obedience brings us into intimate
encounters with the living God.
These feasts are more than a ritual or a
tradition – they are an encounter with the founder of the feasts in our hearts
and being.
“Then will the Lord be jealous for His land,
and pity His people” Joel
2:18
What a HUGE word… “THEN”. When is it then?
After the repentance and cleansing of the Day
of Atonement. After the time of fasting and prayer, we receive the unlimited
blessing of the “Feast of Tabernacles”, which is the restoration of ALL that
God has promised!
Tabernacles is called “Sukkot.” It begins this
year on October 8, and is a seven-day holiday, lasting until October 15.
There is an additional day called “Schmini
Atzeret” as part of the holiday as outlined in Leviticus 23:36; Numbers 29:35.
The Feast of Tabernacles is our season of joy.
It corresponds to the fruit harvest. It is a time of celebration of the
blessings of the Lord.
Sustenance and provision for the coming year
comes at this time from the Lord.
Everything that you ever worked hard for in
those times was released during this time – all the planting, all the tending,
all the weeding, and all the watering…
The Feast of Tabernacles was when the fruit of
all the labors was harvested. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as
“the Feast of Ingathering.”
In Biblical times, Sukkot was considered the
most important of all the holidays, referred to simply as “the Feast” (1 Kings 12:32).
It was a time of many sacrifices (Numbers 29:12-40).
THIS IS the season we are COMMANDED to REJOICE
for the BLESSING of God’s provision and care for our lives. It is literally
“party time” – a great time of Thanksgiving to God!
It may be most important for you to remember
that each feast of the seven feasts has powerful prophetic implications.
They each contain imagery and symbols
foretelling Jesus’ return.
“Sukkot” (or the Feast of the Tabernacles)
anticipates the Second coming of Jesus wherein He will institute His kingdom
and all the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during the
festival (as outlined in Zechariah
14:16).
Today, Sukkot is a time for remembering God’s
sheltering presence and provision for us for the year to come.
God has a pattern that unlocks His promises
and brings us into His presence.
The feast of Tabernacles is a special holiday,
with prophetic implications to our lives, the church and even the Second Coming
of Christ.
When we study His feasts, we come into contact
with Him. Let’s celebrate our season of joy!
Evangelist and Senior Pastor
of New Destiny Christian Center in Orlando, Florida, Paula White-Cain is a
celebrated author and teacher, beloved grandmother, mother and mentor, popular
TV personality, entrepreneur and spirit-led preacher of God’s Word. By sharing
her story of overcoming tragedy and finding restoration through the power of
Christ, she has impacted people from every walk of life in more than 120
countries.
As a child, White-Cain’s world
was thrown into a tailspin when her father committed suicide. The tragedy
turned her family upside down, and Paula’s childhood was marred by sexual and
physical abuse. But at the age of 18, Paula was introduced to the Bible, and
her life began to transform: soon after, she gave her life to God, and received
a vision that she was to preach the gospel of Christ around the world.
Pastor Paula began ministering
in the inner cities of Washington, DC, in the late ’80s; by the early ’90s, she
served in post-riot Los Angeles, sharing Jesus with children whose neighborhoods
had been hardest hit by violence. She went on to lead multiple mega-churches,
including one of the largest churches in America, and she founded Paula White
Ministries, a global media ministry.
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