Messiah in Sukkot Chapter 2
- When the Eternal One dwells on Earth
- The Dawn of the Festival
- The Commonwealth of Israel
- Feast of Ingathering (Chag HaAsif)
When the Eternal One dwells on Earth:
ושמעתי קול גדול מן הכסא – אומר: הנה משכן האלוהים עם בני אדם וישכן עמהם; המה יהיו לו לעם והוא האלהים יהיה עמהם, וימחה כל דמעה מעיניהם והמות לא יהיה עוד; גם אבל וזעקה וכאב לא יהיו עוד. פ
וְשָׁמַעְתִּי קוֹל גָּדוֹל מִן הַכִּסֵּא – אוֹמֵר: הִנֵּה מִשְׁכַּן הָאֱלֹהִים עִם בְּנֵי אָדָם וְיִשְׁכֹּן עִמָּהֶם; הֵמָּה יִהְיוּ לוֹ לְעַם וְהוּא הָאֱלֹהִים יִהְיֶה עִמָּהֶם, וְיִמְחֶה כָּל דִּמְעָה מֵעֵינֵיהֶם וְהַמָּוֶת לֹא יִהְיֶה עוֹד; גַּם אֵבֶל וּזְעָקָה וּכְאֵב לֹא יִהְיוּ עוֹד. פ
And I heard kol gadol (קול גדול-a great voice), out of the throne saying, “Behold, the Mishkan of God (משכן האלוהים) is with men, and He will dwell with His people, and God Himself will be with them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; and mourning, crying, pain will cease to exist.”
The Feast of Booths (Sukkot) is the seventh of the Mosaic festivals. In the fall month of Tishri – there are two remaining fall feasts of Moses given to the nation of Israel (Leviticus 23:33-43):
Extended Feast of Sukkot #1. Shemini Atzeret;
Extended Feast of Sukkot #2. Simchat Torah.
Sukkot points forward to the great yet unfulfilled hope of Israel: the in-gathering of the Gentile nations to God through the rule of His Messiah. Sukkot is a time of thanksgiving for the completed harvest. The ultimate harvest being the international harvest of the souls of countless men, women, and children—from all of the nations, peoples, and families of the wold—who shall come to faith in God through believing in the besorah (Jewish good news) of His Grace (kindness and favor). In reference to this great spiritual “harvest” to come: Sukkot is called “the feast of in-gathering” (Exodus 23:16; 34:22).
Among the Seven Mosaic feasts, the Feast of Booths is the third of three obligatory pilgrim feasts which every Jewish male (age 13 on) was required to observe each year before the Presence of the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem (Exodus 23). The elite status of Sukkot is indicated by its being designated “The Feast” (1, 2, 3) and “The Feast of HaShem” (Leviticus 23).
Josephus, Philo and the Rabbis elevate Sukkot above all the other feasts.
The design of the Feast of Booths appears in the language of the prophets. This narrative design includes: the unique services of the feast; its position in the Jewish Calendar; and the names by which it is to be designated. Referring to Israel’s past the festival is named the Feast of Booths (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Zechariah declared that one day all the nations of the earth will annually be required to observe the “Feast of Booths” in Israel.
This requirement of international veneration of the feast will be enforced throughout the entire one thousand year reign of the Messiah on earth (Zechariah 14:16-21):
והיה כל־הנותר מכל־הגוים הבאים על־ירושלם ועלו מדי שנה בשנה להשתחות למלך ה’ צבאות ולחג את־חג הסכות׃ והיה אשר לא־יעלה מאת משפחות הארץ אל־ירושלם להשתחות למלך ה’ צבאות ולא עליהם יהיה הגשם׃ ואם־משפחת מצרים לא־תעלה ולא באה ולא עליהם תהיה המגפה אשר יגף ה’ את־הגוים אשר לא יעלו לחג את־חג הסכות׃ זאת תהיה חטאת מצרים וחטאת כל־הגוים אשר לא יעלו לחג את־חג הסכות׃ ביום ההוא יהיה על־מצלות הסוס קדש ל ה’ והיה הסירות בבית ה’ כמזרקים לפני המזבח׃ והיה כל־סיר בירושלם וביהודה קדש ל ה’ צבאות ובאו כל־הזבחים ולקחו מהם ובשלו בהם ולא־יהיה כנעני עוד בבית־ה’ צבאות ביום ההוא׃
And all the remnant of all the nations that came to Jerusalem went up each year to worship the King, Adonai Tseva’ot (the LORD of armies), and to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of armies, there will be no rain on them. If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot. In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD.” And the cooking pots in Beit HaShem will be like the bowls before the altar. Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of armies; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the House of the LORD of armies in that day.
The Dawn of the Festival:
As was the case at Pesach and at Shavuot, the altar of burnt-offering was cleansed during the first night-watch and the gates of the Temple were thrown open immediately after midnight. The time from the first evening of Sukkot until the beginning of the ordinary morning sacrifice was occupied in examining the various sacrifices and offerings that were to be brought during the day.
Early in the morning the Levites with their musical instruments crowded the Fifteen Steps—a number that indicates the presence and work of the Ruach HaChesed; the Spirit of Kindness and Favor (Grace)—that led from the Court of Israel to that of the Court of the Women. There at the place of the *Fifteen steps stepped Two priests with their Silver Trumpets:
*Fifteen=Fullness of Grace
Two=Witness
Silver=Metal of Redemption.
Trumpets=Message
Together=“Witness to the Message of God’s (Divine) Redemption and Fullness of Grace”
Trumpets of the Divine Redemption #1. In the morning, as soon as the first cock crowed at dawn, two priests blew a threefold blast on the silver trumpets. This sent an order to the army of HaShem Tseva’ot to wake up and assemble before His Presence at the Temple.
Trumpets of the Divine Redemption #2. Another sounding of the trumpets occurred on the tenth step (the step of sanctification).
Trumpets of the Divine Redemption #3. A threefold blast was sounded as they entered the “Court of the Women.”
Trumpets of the Divine Redemption #4. Still sounding their trumpets, the two priests marched through the Court of the Women to the Beautiful Gate.
Trumpets of the Divine Redemption #5. At the Beautiful Gate the priests turned around and faced west toward the Holy Place. The assembled then declared to all Israel (cf. Ezekiel 8):
“Our fathers when they were in this place turned their backs on the Sanctuary of HaShem. Their faces looked toward the east as they would worship the sun; but our eyes look toward HShem. We are HaShem’s. Our eyes are fixed upon HaShem.”
Trumpets of the Divine Redemption #6. As the priests advanced, with festive trumpet-sound and call, marching on toward the outer court {This symbolized the witness of the Spirit of Chesed (Grace) being conveyed to the uttermost parts of the four corners of the earth to the Court of the Gentiles} the priests then turned around once more (a second time) and faced west toward the Holy Place declaring now to the Gentile World:
“Our fathers when they were in this place turned their backs on the Sanctuary of HaShem. Their faces looked toward the east as they would worship the sun; but our eyes look toward HaShem. We are HaShem’s. Our eyes are fixed upon HaShem.”
The Commonwealth of Israel:
Sukkot points to the future when all the Gentile nations of the world will join Israel as the Commonwealth of Israel by recognizing the Messiah of HaShem as the King of all the earth and thereby gaining entrance into the Holy One’s covenant with Abraham (cf. the “integrated” covenantal history of Shechem, Genesis 34, Joshua 24 that foreshadows this future alliance in the messianic era).
Inheritance of the world #1. The total number of bulls sacrificed during the entire seven days of Sukkot, “seventy,” is prophetically related to “the seventy nations” of Genesis 10 (i.e. the future Commonwealth of Israel).
Inheritance of the world #2. It should be noted that there were seventy persons in Jacob’s family who were sent out of the Promised Land into Egypt (Exodus 1:5). Therefore, the number of our family God sent into Egypt (the world) was equal to the number of the first (seventy) nations.
This indicates that the Jewish faith is a missionary faith. As HaShem’s servants we are called to serve not just our own family of Israel but also – all of the nations, peoples, and families of the world. We (the people of Israel) are called to be a royal nation of priests and kings. We are not called to lord it over the other nations and peoples for it is a true saying:
“We are called to be a nation of Shepherds” (i.e. Servant-leaders).
Therefore, the global sacrifice of seventy bulls sacrificed during Sukkot is made on behalf of the seventy nations, symbolizing all the nations, peoples, and families of the world. This speaks of the time of the messianic age when HaShem’s Covenant of Grace (Chesed) that was first established with our father Abraham will one day bring blessing and peace to all the nations and people of the world.
Feast of Ingathering (Chag HaAsif):
Known also as the Feast of the Ingathering (חג האסיף-Chag HaAsif), due to its association with the fall harvest, the Festival of Booths also commemorates the forty years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness (Exodus 23:16). Sukkot looks back to when the Presence of the Holy One led our nation and people through the wilderness appearing to us as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was during those forty years that the Avi’ad (Eternal Father) made Israel to dwell in booths while He miraculously provided for our every need (Leviticus 23:43):
למען ידעו דרתיכם כי בסכות הושבתי את־בני ישראל בהוציאי אותם מארץ מצרים אני ה’ אלהיכם׃
“So that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am Adonai Eloheikhem (the LORD your God).”
Hoshana Rabbah (the Great Day).
The Feast of Booths is celebrated for seven days from 15-21 Tishri (a separate holy day is celebrated in Israel on the “eighth day,” Tishri 22). The first and eighth days are Sabbaths where no work can be performed. The seventh day of the feast is called Hoshana Rabbah (הושענא רבה-the Great Day), while the eighth and last day of Booths is called Shemini Atzeret (“eighth day of solemn assembly”). Another holiday, Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in Torah) is celebrated in Israel on the same day as Shemini Atzeret, Tishri 22. However, if observed outside Israel, Simchat Torah is observed on the following day, the ninth day, on Tishri 23.