Written by: Damien Powell
The third of the Fall Appointed Times (Moedim) commanded by YHWH is coming up on Monday the 14th. We celebrated Yom Hakipurrim (Yom Kippur) on Wednesday (9th), which was a time of fasting and denying ourselves. Next on the calendar is, Chag HaSukot: The Feast of Tabernacles, which is a celebration that lasts for seven days and we are to dwell in Succah's (Booths) and we are commanded to rejoice. Also, we are commanded to do no work on the 1st Day and the 8th Day, meaning the celebration starts Monday, October 14th ( NO WORK DAY) and ends next Monday October 21st (NO WORK DAY).
October 21st is the day is 8th Day Closing assembly close out the year on YHWH’s calendar of Holy Days.
We are commanded to dwell in a Succah or booth/hut; which is a temporary dwelling topped with foliage, limbs, branches, and other materials to provide shade while living outdoors or even a tent.
YHWH commands us in Leviticus 23:34-44 saying:
'Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month YHWH'S Chag HaSukot (Feast of Tabernacles) begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to YHWH by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to YHWH by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.
YHWH continues in verse 39 by saying: 'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to YHWH for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, and willows of the stream, and rejoice before YHWH your Elohim for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to YHWH for seven days each year-a LAW forever in your generations; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am YHWH your Elohim.”
As I always point out, that once you have accepted YESHUA as your Messiah and Savior then you have become grafted in as ONE with the native-born Israelite; the Hebrew word is “Ger”, meaning you are grafted into the nation of Yisra’el. So let us all get into the spirit of this beautiful feast to dwell in booths and rejoice before YHWH our Elohim as He commanded us.
Mathew 17:1-4
“And after six days YESHUA took Peter, and James, and John his brother, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transformed before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light. And see, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. And Peter answering, said to YESHUA, “Adonai, it is good for us to be here. If You want, let us make here three booths: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
As we see Peter knew the importance of the booth/tabernacle/succah to build for all three of them and remember Elijah was not a native-born Israelite, he was a Tishbite who ascended to heaven and Peter did not exclude him from the booth. Elijah even equated himself with the lineage of Yisra’el when he said in 1 Kings 19:4
“It is enough! Now, YHWH, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers!”
Hosea 12:9
“But I am YHWH your Elohim since the land of Egypt, again I shall make you dwell in tents as in the days of the Appointed Time”
Genesis 33:17
“And Jacob departed to Sukkoth (Sukkot), and built himself a house, and made BOOTHS for his livestock. That is why the name of the place is called Sukkoth.”
How are we to celebrate this Feast?
We can look to how the Israelites celebrated Chag HaSukot in the days of Nehemiah when they returned from Babylonian exile. Nehemiah 8:13-18 says:
"On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe, in order to study the words of the Torah. And they found written in the Torah, which YHWH had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the hill country and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches and branches of leafy trees to make booths"-as it is written.
So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of Elohim and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim, the whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son on Nun until that day, the Israelites celebrated it like this. And there was very great rejoicing (as commanded). And day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And they performed the Festival seven days. And on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the Right-Ruling.”
Is the Chag HaSukot: The Feast of Tabernacles important?
Yes! Look at Zechariah 14:16-19 which says:
“Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, YHWH Almighty, and to celebrate Chag HaSukot (Feast of Tabernacles). If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, YHWH Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. YHWH will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate Chag HaSukot. This will be the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate Chag HaSukot (Feast of Tabernacles.)”
John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and PITCHED HIS TENT among us, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father, complete in favour, and truth.” Just like when you camp, you have to pitch a tent to dwell in just like we have to pitch a tent/booth/succah to dwell in during Sukkot the Feast of Tabernacles. So we can see the symbolism and importance of this celebration.
Also, during the 1,000 year reign of YESHUA, He will Tabernacle with us by pitching His tent with us again just as He did when He walked the earth. Anyone who does not come to celebrate this feast will have no rain and suffer plagues. Our Elohim will be celebrating His Holy Days as commanded on earth, so we all should get into the practice of celebrating them now to be ready. Everything we do on earth is a dress rehearsal for the finale. Colossians 2:16-17
“Let no one therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a Festival or a new moon or Sabbath which are a shadow of what is to come but the Body of ha’Mashiach.” As we can see from the Zechariah prophecy that ALL nations will have to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, why? Because all of His Days are a shadow of what’s to come; therefore, we must be participate now and rejoice!
Every Holy Day found in Leviticus 23 that we are commanded to celebrate every year for a Law forever points to YESHUA and how important He is to our salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:15
“And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them, and was raised.”
So let us make every effort to be obedient and rejoice to the King for seven days, dwell in tents/booths and not working on the first and eighth day (14th and 21st). HalleluYAH!