Leviticus 23:33-36 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.’”
In God’s timing, Sukkot is scheduled to run from Tishri 15-21 (Hebrew calendar). Tishri 1 (Hebrew calendar) is declared when the new moon is sighted.
In September 2018 (Gregorian calendar), per the sighting of the new moon, “The Feast” is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 25th and proceed through Tuesday, October 2nd. On a secular Gregorian calendar, “The Festival” will begin on Sunday, September 23rd.
Tabernacles is the last of the seven of God’s appointed feasts or festivals. This holiday is known by many names. It is called the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, the Festival of Tents, or the Feast of the Harvest because it was after the harvest in the fall. Simply put, it was also called “the feast” or “the festival”.
Exodus 23:14-17 Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.
God makes it very clear. The Jewish men are required to come to the Temple three times a year. The Lord tells the Jewish men two times in the verses above, “Come to the Temple three times a year.”
Tabernacles is the last of three festivals where men are required to make a road trip to Jerusalem and go to the Temple. Sukkot is a thanksgiving for the fall harvest.
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Again, the Lord God makes it crystal clear. He tells the Jewish men twice in Exodus 34. Appear before the Lord three times a year at the Temple.
Exodus 34:23-24 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
God does offer three promises when the males are obedient and go to Jerusalem three times per year. This is a window into the future. The verses above in Exodus 34 imply there will be a Temple and the Jewish men will be coming three times a year. God’s promises above mirror later prophecy given in Scripture.
The United Nations is not going to like this. The geographical size of Israel will expand. The nations of the world will be kicked out of Israel.
…no one shall covet your land… We know the desire of the nations that surround Israel in the 21st century. The nations want the Israelis out of the physical geography they occupy. History tells us nations have repeatedly tried to remove Israel as a country and take the land. Prophecy tells us the nations will try again to capture assets and kick out the Jewish people.
To the nations, good luck with removing Israel from their land.
Jeremiah 24:6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not uproot them. -LORD God
