Messiah in Sukkot Chapter 3
- Living in a privileged time
- Retrospective look at the Ten Days of Awe
- The Heavenly Messiah in Jewish Literature
- Second Coming of the Messiah and the Festival of Booths
- Messiah is the Bridegroom of Israel
Living in a privileged time:
We are presently living in a privileged time in human history. The Jewish Besorat (Good News) of the Kindness and Favor (Grace) of Adonai has been proclaimed all-around the world. Since *Yochanan ben Zecharyah ben Aaron (יוֹחָנָן בֵּן זְכַרְיָה בֵּן אַהֲרוֹן) appeared in the wilderness almost 2000 years ago the Spirit of the Holy One has been bearing witness that Rabbi Yeshua is the Messiah ben Yosef ben David of Israel and the Savior of the whole world.
*John the Immerser.
A New Heart, A New Spirit: Like the Jewish Prophet Yochanan today’s followers of the Messiah of God must bear witness to the truth that Rabbi Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel and of all of the world and that it is only by his *Oral Torah of the Spirit that we are able to fulfill all of the Torat of God that was given to Moses and the Prophets (Hebrews 1:2).
*The gift of Abba Avinu – the indwelling Presence of His Spirit.
The ecclesiastical holy days of the sabbatical month of Tishri (also spelled Tishrei) are a mixed bag. This is so because the Ten days of Yamim Noraim (נוראים-terrible, dire, frightful, fearful, shocking, dread) involve both a joyous time of welcoming in the New Year (Tishri 1-2) and a very somber, solemn reflective time (Tishri 3-9) leading up to Yom Kippur (Tishri 10). So sacred are the first ten days of the sabbatical month (Tishri 1-10) that they have been called the “Ten Great Days of Awe.”
Loving God with all our Being: During this difficult, challenging, and most remorseful (troubling) time—just before the great Joy of Sukkot (Tishri 15-22)—God’s people (Israel) must give an account of whether we have been faithful to Him during the past year, sincerely repent of our sins, and recommit ourselves anew to loving our heavenly Father with “all our heart and with all our soul, with all our strength, and all of our mind.”
Retrospective look at the Ten Days of Awe:
The Ten Great Days of Awe are a time when the Mighty One of Israel convenes a formal court in heaven to examine, test and judge the faithfulness of His people. This ten day observance will receive its full prophetic fulfillment in the seven years of Great Tribulation referred to in the Book of Daniel and the Scroll of the “Unveiling” (Higallut, Revelation). In the Scroll of Unveiling (cf. 2:10) the resurrected, glorified, (immortal) heavenly Messiah says:.
אל תירא מפני מה שאתה עתיד לסבל. הנה עתיד השטן להשליך אנשים מכם לכלא כדי שתנסו, ותהיה לכם צרה עשרת ימים. פ
אַל תִּירָא מִפְּנֵי מַה שֶּׁאַתָּה עָתִיד לִסְבֹּל. הִנֵּה עָתִיד הַשָֹטָן לְהַשְׁלִיךְ אֲנָשִׁים מִכֶּם לַכֶּלֶא כְּדֵי שֶׁתְּנֻסּוּ, וְתִהְיֶה לָכֶם צָרָה עֲשֶׂרֶת יָמִים. פ
“Do not fear what you are going to suffer. Behold the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison, in order that you may be tested, and you shall have trouble for ten days.”
This likely near future (21st century) time of testing, will be a period of time like Israel and the world has never experienced before. It will occur immediately after a yet future (unknown) day and hour of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Teruah (Tishri 1-2).
At that time (Tishri 1-2) the followers of the (resurrected, immortal) Messiah Yeshua will be translated alive into heaven; exactly as has the prophets Enoch and Elijah were translated alive into heaven before. Also at this time all of those followers of the Messiah who have died in the past will be resurrected from the dead and will receive a new, immortal, glorified body. We will all, first the dead and then the living in Messiah, instantly become like our Master, the Messiah; we too shall be perfect (שלמים-shelamim) as Avinu Shebashamayim (our heavenly Father) is perfect (שלם-shalem)—-we shall then be the (glorified) immortal, invincible, incorruptible sons (and daughters) of God our Father.
No person who has already believed in the Rabban Yeshua, our Messiah ben Yosef, as their Master and Savior before this time will ever experience the seven year period of Great Tribulation (Jacob’s Trouble) that shall follow (Tishri 3-9) during the intermediate years (7 years) of days (7 days).
As the Messiah’s resurrected and translated (perfected) followers this assembly (of Jews and gentile God-fearers) will safely be transported into heaven; where we shall remain a very safe distance away from the horrors (7 year time of testing) that will occur on earth.
A Second Chance: If you have not believed on the Messiah Yeshua ben Yosef before that (yet future) time of resurrection and translation—that will occur on an (unknown) future day and hour of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Teruah—you will receive a ‘second chance’ to believe in the Jewish Besorat (Good News) of the grace (kindness and favor) of Adonai Avinu – when you go through the seven year time of God’s Intermediate 7 days (7 years) that are foreshadowed in our present observance of Yamim Noraim (10 days of awe).
*The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the yet future Great Tribulation is foreshadowed in the prophetic template of the seven Intermediate days (Tishri 3-9) that are included in Yamim Noraim (i.e. the ten days of awe, Tishri 1-10).
The Heavenly Messiah in Jewish Literature:
At present the heavenly Messiah is the resurrected and ascended Messiah Yeshua ben Yosef who in his ascended state as an immortal presently sits at the right hand of the Majesty (Adonai Avinu) as our heavenly Messiah. Therefore there are three different manifestations of the Messiah Yeshua: The Messiah ben Yosef (the Suffering Messiah); The Messiah ben HaElohim, the resurrected, and ascended son of God (the Heavenly Messiah); and the returning Messiah ben David (the Conquering Messiah). Key elements in the Jewish Ethiopian biblical canon that pertain to this revelation are found in 1 Enoch:
The “Son of Man”: In 1 Enoch of the *Book of Enoch סֵפֶר חֲנוֹךְ (also known as the Similitudes or Meshaliim of Enoch) the text shifts the concept of the Messiah away from an earthly king to a transcendent being.
*Enoch is the writing of a very conservative group (the Essenes) who traced their spiritual and leadership roots back to the legitimate line of Zadok, the high priest who served under King Solomon during the First Temple period.
Preexistence: 1 Enoch states that the Messiah’s name “was called before the Lord of Spirits before the sun [was] … created.”
The Ancient of Days: This imagery draws heavily from the biblical Book of Daniel (Chapter 7), where a celestial figure “like a son of man” comes before the Ancient of Days to receive an everlasting kingdom.
Object of Worship: When he reveals himself for judgment, all nations and the inhabitants of the earth will fall down, worship, and praise him alongside the Adonai shel Rochot (אדוני של רוחות) “Lord of Spirits.”
Second Coming of the Messiah and the Festival of Booths:
Feast of Booths #1. The Feast of Booths marks the change of seasons, the close of the sabbatical year and the anticipation of rain and the winter equinox (Deuteronomy 31:10).
Feast of Booths #2. The 15th of the seventh month occurs at full moon. This was when the sacred month had attained its full strength.
Feast of Booths #3. The Festival of Booths follows five days after the Day of Atonement, after the sin of Israel has been removed and its covenant relation to El Yisrael is restored. In the near future, at the end of the seven year Great Tribulation period, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), all Israel will acknowledge Yeshua ben David to be Israel’s True (Real) Messiah. At that time all of our people will look on Yeshua (Zechariah 12:10):
ושפכתי על־בית דויד ועל ׀ יושב ירושלם רוח חן ותחנונים והביטו אלי את אשר־דקרו וספדו עליו כמספד על־היחיד והמר עליו כהמר על־הבכור׃
ושפכתי על בית דויד ועל יושב ירושלם רוח חן ותחנונים והביטו אלי את אשר דקרו וספדו עליו כמספד על היחיד והמר עליו כהמר על הבכור׃
“Whom they have pierced and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born.”
Deliverance from Annihilation: At this time Messiah Yeshua ben David will come out of the heavenly temple (the heavenly Messiah) with his glorified kedoshim (holy ones) and holy angels to save a (yet future) remaining Jewish populace from complete annihilation by an anti-semitic (hate-filled) global leader who will rule the whole world; a foreshadowing of this event is found in the Scroll of Esther.
Judgment of the False Messiah: Upon returning to earth from heaven the Messiah ben David will order the false messiah (world ruler) to be thrown alive into the lake of fire (the permanent hell), then he will set up his kingdom rule on earth from his capital city of Jerusalem.
Messiah is the Bridegroom of Israel:
The Restoration of Israel: As the Bridegroom of Israel (Eternal High Priest; God’s proxy – cf. Psalm 110) the Messiah ben David will declare the sins of Israel atoned for, announce Jubilee, order the safe return of all Jews to Israel, allot lands to the returning Jews (according to our tribal ancestry) and arrange for the immediate celebration of the Feast of Booths.
The Most Joyous Sukkot Ever! This time of unprecedented celebration will mark the beginning of the 1,000 year (millennial) reign of the Conquering Messiah Yeshua ben David and the commencement of all our people (Israel) rejoicing in the Holy Land in his fulfillment of all the Promises of the Torah; referred to as the restoration of Israel (the restitution of all things).
To expedite this time of out-poured grace (God’s favor, kindness) on his people, the Messiah ben David will order the gentile nations to arrange the speedy return of all the Jewish people of the world to the liberated land of Israel. With these near future events in mind let’s study Malachi 4:5-6:
הנה אנכי שלח לכם את אליה הנביא לפני בוא יום ה’ הגדול והנורא׃ והשיב לב־אבות על־בנים ולב בנים על־אבותם פן־אבוא והכיתי את־הארץ חרם׃
הִנֵּה אָֽנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֵת אֵלִיָּה הַנָּבִיא לִפְנֵי בֹּוא יֹום ה’ הַגָּדֹול וְהַנֹּורָֽא׃ וְהֵשִׁיב לֵב־אָבֹות עַל־בָּנִים וְלֵב בָּנִים עַל־אֲבֹותָם פֶּן־אָבֹוא וְהִכֵּיתִי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ חֵֽרֶם׃
“Behold I am going to send you Elijah, the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD (Adonai), And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”