The Feasts of Israel

Transcription

1 The Feasts of Israel A Study of the seven Feast of Moses Lesson 6 The Word Become Flesh and Tabernacled Among Us. Leviticus 23:33-44 Leviticus 23:4 These [are] the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. The Seven Feasts of Moses Overview The Spring Feasts are all prophetic of Jesus first coming and He fulfills them on the actual day they are commemorated. The Feast of Passover is celebrated on the 14th of Nisan on the Jewish calendar and Jesus, our Passover Lamb was crucified on the 14 th of Nisan. The Feast of Unleavened Bread starts on the 15th of Nisan and runs until the 21st and Jesus, the sinless (unleavened) bread of life was in the grave on this feast day. The Feast of Firstfruits is celebrated on the first Sunday after Passover and celebrates the beginning of the growing season and Jesus, the Firstfruit of those that will be resurrected, was raised from the dead on this feast day. The Feast of weeks, in the Hebrew called Shavuot; in the Greek called Pentecost, (meaning 50 days) is celebrated 7 weeks, 49 days, after the Feast of Firstfruits. It is a time to celebrate the beginning of the harvest. It also commemorates the giving of the law on Mount Sinai and is considered the birthday of the Jewish religion. It is prophetic of the mystery known as the Church and the Church, which is born on Pentecost in Acts chapter two. The Fall Feasts are prophetic of Jesus second coming. The Feast of Trumpets, in the Hebrew Rosh Hashanah, is celebrated on the 1st of Tishri and is considered the Jewish New Year and is prophetic of the trumpet blast that will announce the rapture and the start of the seven years of Tribulation. The Day of Atonement, in the Hebrew Yom Kippur, is celebrated on the 10th of Tishri and is considered the highest holy day in Judaism. It is prophetic of the time during the tribulation when the Jews will acknowledge that Jesus is their long awaited Messiah. The Feast of Tabernacles, also called the Feast of Booths or Sukkot, which is the Hebrew for Booths, is celebrated for 7 days from the 11th through the 18th of Tishri and commemorates the 40 years of wondering in the wilderness as told in the book of Exodus. The Feast of Tabernacles Historic Background Leviticus 23:33 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 Speak to the children of Israel, saying: The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary

2 work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. 37 These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day 38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD. 39 Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD. We have here the institution of the feast of tabernacles, which was one of the three great feasts at which all the males were bound to attend, and celebrated with more expressions of joy than any of them. As to the directions for regulating this feast, observe, It was to be observed on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (v. 34), but five days after the day of atonement. We may suppose, though they were not all bound to attend on the day of atonement, as on the three great festivals, yet that many of the devout Jews came up so many days before the feast of tabernacles as to enjoy the opportunity of attending on the day of atonement. Now, The afflicting of their souls on the day of atonement prepared them for the joy of the feast of tabernacles. The more we are grieved and humbled for sin, the better qualified we are for the comforts of the Holy Ghost. The joy of this feast recompensed them for the sorrow of that fast; for those that sow in tears shall reap in joy. It was to continue eight days, the first and last of which were to be observed as sabbaths, days of holy rest and holy convocations, v. 35, 36, 39. The sacrifices to be offered on these eight days we have a very large appointment of, Num. 29:12, etc. During the first seven days of this feast all the people were to leave their houses, and the women and children in them, and to dwell in booths made of the boughs of thick trees, particularly palm trees, v. 40, 42. The Jews make the taking of the branches to be a distinct ceremony from the making of the booths. It is said, indeed (Neh. 8:15), that they made their booths of the branches of trees, which they might do, and yet use that further expression of joy, the carrying of palmbranches in their hands, which appears to have been a token of triumph upon other occasions (Jn. 12:13), and is alluded to, Rev. 7:9. 1 In the days of Ezra the scribe, right after the Israelites return from the Babylonian exile, the books of Moses were read for the first time in multiple generations. It was during the fall feasts that this reading occurred and it is interesting to see the instructions for the Feast of Booths read and followed. 1 Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (Le 23:33 44). Peabody: Hendrickson. 2

3 Numbers 8:13 Now on the second day the heads of the fathers houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written. 16 Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner. Current Jewish practices From a Jewish writer I found the following teaching on the Feast of Booths or Sukkot. It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year (The Day of Atonement) to one of the most joyous. Sukkot is so unreservedly joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as Z'man Simchateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing. A sukkah (singular for booth) may be any size, so long as it is large enough for you to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in it. The roof of the sukkah must be made of material referred to as sekhakh (literally, covering). To fulfill the commandment, sekhakh must be something that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or two-by-fours. Sekhakh must be left loose, not tied together or tied down. Sekhakh must be placed sparsely enough that rain can get in, and preferably sparsely enough that the stars can be seen, but not so sparsely that more than ten inches is open at any point or that there is more light than shade. LEV 23: 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days According to Jewish tradition the four items mentioned in verse 40, the fruit, palm branch, two willow branches and a myrtle branch are joined together and waived before the Lord each of the seven days of this Feast. According to ( ) interpretation, the (fruit, usually a lemon or lime called) etrog, which has both a pleasing taste and a pleasing scent, represents Jews who have achieved both knowledge of Torah (the word of God) and performance of mitzvoth (good deeds). The palm branch, which produces tasty fruit, but has no scent, represents Jews who have knowledge of Torah but are lacking in mitzvot. The myrtle leaf, which has a strong scent but no taste, represents Jews who perform mitzvot but have little knowledge of Torah. The willow, which has neither taste nor scent, represents Jews who have no knowledge of Torah and do not perform the mitzvot. We bring all four of these species together on Sukkot to remind us that every one of these four kinds of Jews is important, and that we 3

4 must all be united. 2 In Torah and mitzvoth we have the word of God and the bearing of fruit. Can you see a relation in this teaching to Jesus parable of the four soils? Many Americans, upon seeing a decorated sukkah for the first time, remark on how much the sukkah (and the holiday generally) reminds them of Thanksgiving. This may not be entirely coincidental: I was taught that our American pilgrims, who originated the Thanksgiving holiday, borrowed the idea from Sukkot. The pilgrims were deeply religious people. When they were trying to find a way to express their thanks for their survival and for the harvest, they looked to the Bible for an appropriate way of celebrating and found Sukkot. This is not the standard story taught in public schools today (that a Thanksgiving holiday is an English custom that the Pilgrims brought over), but the Sukkot explanation of Thanksgiving fits better with the meticulous research of Mayflower historian Caleb Johnson, who believes that the original Thanksgiving was a harvest festival (as is Sukkot), that it was observed in October (as Sukkot usually is), and that Pilgrims would not have celebrated a holiday that was not in the Bible (but Sukkot is in the Bible). Although Mr. Johnson claims that the first Thanksgiving was "not a religious holiday or observance," he apparently means this in a Christian sense, because he goes on to say that the first Thanksgiving was instead "a harvest festival that included feasts, sporting events, and other activities," concepts very much in keeping with the Jewish religious observance of Sukkot. 3 Prophetic of Israel at Jesus Second Coming (The Feast of Tabernacles) is the third feast in the seventh month. It was both a memorial and prophetic holy season. It followed the great Day of Atonement by only a few days. As a memorial, it spoke of their days of wandering in the wilderness when they dwelt in booths. It points prophetically to the time when God will have fully removed their sin, and they will dwell again safely in the Promised Land. 4 Zechariah 12: 10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. Zechariah 13:1 In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. Micah 4:4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5 For all people walk each in the name of his god, But we will walk in the name of the LORD our God Forever and ever. Psalm 27:4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me 2 Rich, Tracey R. ( ) Judaism 101, Sukkot, jewfaq.org, web 2 Sep Rich, Tracey R. ( McGee J. Vernon, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, Leviticus Chapters 15-27, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 4

5 in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. Ezekiel 37: 21 Then say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 24 David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. 25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 28 The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore. After the great Day of Atonement when there was made a full expiation of their sins, and the harvest and fruit of the land were gathered in, there was observed this very joyful occasion. They were to dwell in booths to remind them of the wilderness wanderings, but also to point them to the future. Hebrews 11 tells us that they all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off. They were persuaded of them and they embraced them. They were looking forward to that day when they would not dwell in booths as in the wilderness, but they would be in the millennial age. That is the hope for this earth. This holy season will be observed during the Millennium: 5 Zechariah 14: 16 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. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Prophetic of Jesus First Ministry Some view Jesus birth as likely to have occurred on or about the Feast of Tabernacles with the manger being a type of the booths that the Jews would have constructed for this celebration. In the Gospel of John we read, And the Word became flesh and dwelt 5 McGee J. Vernon, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, Leviticus Chapters 15-27, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 5

6 among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) The Greek word dwelt is the same as the word for tabernacle. Jesus left His home, His first estate, to tabernacle with men. If this view is correct, then Jesus may make His second appearance on the same day of the year as His birthday of His first advent. In the gospel of John we see Jesus celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. John 7:2 Now the Jews Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world. 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him. 6 Then Jesus said to them, My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come. 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, Where is He? 12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, He is good ; others said, No, on the contrary, He deceives the people. 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. Why did Jesus seemingly mislead His brothers concerning His attendance to this Feast? I contend that Jesus was teaching you and I that the Feast of Tabernacles is prophetic of His second coming. Notice that first He is not believed in by His brothers (the Jews). During the seven days of the feast, analogous to the seven years of the tribulation, the Jews begin to seek Him. Some proclaim Him to be good, like the 144,000 witnesses will do during the tribulation period, while some will reject Him. All will be in fear of proclaiming Jesus because of their fear of the world and what its leaders will do. Jesus attends the feast in secret, like a thief in the night. John 7:14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, How does this Man know letters, having never studied? 16 Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me? 20 The people answered and said, You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You? 21 Jesus answered and said to them, I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. 25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from. 28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, You both know Me, 6

7 and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me. 30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done? Jesus teaching in the middle of the Feast is analogous to the middle of the seven-year tribulation. Some of the Jews believe in Jesus as the Christ while others find reasons to reject Him. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; is this an allusion to the antichrist who will deceive many Jews during the Tribulation? On the eighth day, (eight is used often in the bible to represent a new beginning) Jesus stands in the temple and loudly declares Himself. John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. The Rock In the Wilderness The generally joyous character of this feast broke out on this (the last) day into loud jubilation, particularly at the solemn moment when the priest, as was done on every day of this festival, brought forth, in golden vessels, water from the stream of Siloah, which flowed under the temple-mountain, and solemnly poured it upon the altar. 6 This act of pouring out water during the Feast of Tabernacles was a reminder of the wilderness wanderings and the water that God brought forth from the rock on two separate occasions to provide for the people. Exodus 17:1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, Give us water, that we may drink. So Moses said to them, Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD? 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me! 5 And the LORD said to Moses, Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he 6 Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Jn 7:37). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 7

8 called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us or not? Numbers 20:1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink. 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals. 9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock? 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. 12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. 13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them. (Num 24; 27:14; Deut. 32:51) God was not only providing water for the Israelites physical needs, He was giving you and I a model of Christ who declares Himself to be the living water. Just like the rock in Horeb, Jesus was first struck so that we could partake of the living water. At His second coming, like the rock at Kadesh, Jesus will speak the words that will give us the eternal water of life. Moses interferes with this analogy that the Holy Spirit was giving us, as a consequence Moses was kept from entering the promised land. Additional verses that show that Jesus is the rock in the wilderness; 1 Corinthians 10:10 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. John 4:5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink. 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with 8

9 Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. 11 The woman said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock? 13 Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Isaiah 48:16 Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me. (See the Trinity clearly evident in this verse) 17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. 18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me. 20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob! 21 And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out. 22 There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked. God gave the Israelites water from a rock in the wilderness so that they could live and enter the Promised Land. Jesus declares Himself to be the rock and the water of life that brings us into God s promised kingdom. The ultimate culmination, fulfillment, and conclusion of all seven feasts will occur on a single day in the future, witnessed to us by the Apostle John. Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. 6 And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. 9

10 Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. 6 Then he said to me, These words are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. 7 Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. This is the fulfillment of the great Feast of Tabernacles. For seven days in the seventh month they were to rejoice. This speaks of the final and full rejoicing of God s earthly people. (His heavenly people will be with Him in the New Jerusalem.) 7 Future Feast Dates; The Fall Feast Dates for 2012; Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets) begins at sunset Sunday, September 16, 2012 and ends at nightfall Tuesday, September 18, 2012 September 18 to September 25 are the Days of Affliction. Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) begins at sunset Tuesday, September 25, 2012 and ends at nightfall Wednesday, September 26, 2012 Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) begins at sunset Sunday, September 30, 2012 and ends at nightfall Tuesday, October 2, 2012 The Spring Feast for 2013; Passover (Includes the Feasts of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits) begins at sunset Monday, March 25, 2013 and ends at nightfall Tuesday, April 2, The Feast of Pentecost 2013; Shavuot (Pentecost) begins at sunset Tuesday, May 14, 2013 and ends at nightfall Thursday, May 16, McGee J. Vernon, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, Leviticus Chapters 15-27, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 10