FEAST OF TABERNACLES

FEAST OF TABERNACLES

May 20, 2012, The Year of our Lord

Pastor Carolyn Sissom

Leviticus 23: 33-34

The Seventh Feast of Jehovah is Tabernacles.  "Jesus Christ is revealed in the fullness of the Godhead bodily, the Lord of this feast, the Booth in whom the Father lived, moved and had His being...

Applied to the Christian, we receive the full adoption and redemption of our bodies, becoming a tabernacle for the fullness of God."  (Understanding Types, Shadows and Names by: Kelly Varner)

With the closing harvest (fruit) of the year, the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant set aside 7 days unto the Lord, on the 15^th to the 21^st day of the 7^th month.  Jesus is made the surety of a better Testament...is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

As we are studying the Book of Revelation on Tuesday morning, the framework of Revelation is provided largely in a successive series of seven.

Seven is the number of completion; perfection; all finished; rest. “In Mathematics, a series of sevens is referred to as heptads.  All of the heptads (series of sevens) are marked by what A. M. Farrer called ‘cancelled conclusions’ the final and irrevocable judgment and /or blessing, which in the Book of Revelation we expect to be executed in the last member of each heptads.”(F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary)

The Sevent Feast, Tabernacles,  is figurative of the Shekinah Glory, the offerings were all washed and burnt by fire; the rest of God;  Jesus tabernacles in a people; the Appearing (Coming, Parousia) of the Lord whether in visitation; or His Second Advent.

At Jesus’ first advent, He proclaimed the Jubilee principle on the “Sabbath-(7^th day), at the beginning of His ministry.  Luke 4: 16-21:”…he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day…he opened the Book of Isaiah where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Jesus is the Liberator and Deliverer!  Jubilee is fulfilled in Him.    By and through Him there is coming forth a new creation man (Eph. 4: 13-24) with His same anointing.  When we compare this passage in Luke, it is to be noted that Jesus stopped reading at Isa. 61:2a.  “The day of Vengeance of our God…” was not read by the Lord. 

1. Isa. 61: 1-2a, points to His first advent.
2. Isa. 61:2b, “The day of Vengeance of our God", was fulfilled at the Cross through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.  Jesus has already dealt with sin and Satan.
3. Isa. 61: 2b-11, points to the time of His Second Advent;  and Jesus fulfilled in his brethren, a ministry created in His image.

Isa. 61: 10-11:  “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.  For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

God’s people become the nation of priests He always intended them to be.  He who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood has made us to be a kingdom of priests to serve God the Father.  Israel in the wilderness, after the experience of redemption from Egypt was called to be a kingdom of priests to God.  The New Testament people of God, having been freed from their sins are similarly designated as a kingdom and priests.

“The church has still not become that vital, living manifestation of Christ in the earth that she should be.”(George H. Warnock, Feast of Tabernacles)

The full implication of Tabernacles is that the Body of the believer will be changed to become the tabernacle of God and a manifestation of His Glory.     11 Cor. 5: 1-5:  “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven; if so be that ‘being clothed we shall not be found naked…”

The Hebrew word for “Tabernacles” is “Sookhaw’ and means, “a hut or lair, booth, cottage, covert, pavilion, tabernacle, tent, a den made of entwined boughs; to fence in, cover over, protect; defend, hedge in or shut up, join together, set.” 

There were various trees used to make these booths:

1. Palm – symbol of victory.
2. Willow- symbol of weeping. 
3. Myrtle – symbol of joy.
4. Olive- symbol of anointing.

In the O.T., there were Palms and willows, but in the N. T. there were only Palms (total victory).

The booths were to help the nation to remember:

1. The blessing of the Lord in sending the rains for the harvest. (Joy)
2. The initial deliverance of the Lord when he brought them out of Egypt and they dwelt at Succoth (“booths”).  Tabernacles reminded them of Passover; the end reminded them of the beginning. (Mt. 21: 1-11) 

The seasonal rains in Palestine pertain to this Feast and are symbolic of the outpouring of the Word and Spirit.

1. The Early or Former rain---This was the spring rain for the Feasts of Passover and Pentecost.  This pointed to the fruit harvest of the Feast of Tabernacles.  This speaks of the outpouring of the Word and Spirit upon the early church (beginning of church history); also the outpouring in the early walk of the believer. (Deut. 11: 10-15; Lev. 16:4; Joel 2:23)
2. The Latter Rain--- This was the fall rain that brought the Fall Harvest (fruit) to maturity. (Zech 10:1; Hos. 6:3; 10:12; Jas. 5:7; Joel 2: 12-21).  This speaks of the outpouring of the Word and Spirit upon the Latter-day church (end of this age); also the outpourings in the Latter walk of the believer (Tabernacles).

The flow of this church, Eastgate Ministries, is in the same river at the Latter Rain Movement which began in the 1940’s.   In 1951, George H. Warnock, one of the Father’s of the Latter Rain Movement, wrote a book, The Feast of Tabernacles, which is now a Christian classic.

I was born in 1940 and would have been 11-years old in 1951.   

I had no prior knowledge of this movement when the Lord Himself began to flow through me with His Holy Spirit in the 1980’s.  By vision and revelation, by visitation and "appearing of the Lord to me", I was flowing in the River of the Glory, The Eastgate, The Overcomer, the Sons of God, Beyond Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles, the Holy of Holies, The Heavenly  Jerusalem, The Church of the Firstborn, and the Mountain of the Lord.  I didn't know there were others on the Mountain with me until 1998.  

In 1998 was when I made the connection with George H. Warnock and Kelly Varner’s teachings,   Barney and Joanne Fuller gave me one of Brother Warnock’s books in 1997.    The Latter Rain movement has now evolved in the 21^st century into the Third Day Church.  We have had many refreshings from the Lord since 1940; the Charismatic Renewal, the Faith Movement; the River; the Prophetic Revelation Movement;  the Golden Glory Revival, and many others.  These refreshings are "the rain of the Holy Spirit" to prepare the earth for the Harvest.

In Deut. 16:16, Feast of Tabernacles is the third meeting with God.

Heb. 9:11:  'but Christ being come "an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building."

George H. Warnock, Feast of Tabernacles:  “…the Lord’s coming is a spiritual visitation in the midst of His people, as well as a literal and bodily visitation.  James therefore associates the bestowal of the latter rain with the ‘coming of the Lord’.  “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.  Behold the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.  Be ye also patient; establish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draws near.’ (James 5: 7, 8) The truth concerning the latter rain is sandwiched between these two statements concerning the ‘coming of the Lord’.

The word commonly translated ‘coming’ in the new Testament is ‘Parousia’, which signifies ‘presence’, or being along side…that the word signifies ‘presence’ more than the act of one’s arrival, is evident from 2 Pet. 1: 16,17.  In this passage Peter describes the glorious visitation of God on the mount of transfiguration as the ‘coming’, the ‘Parousia’ the ‘presence’ of Christ.  Now Christ had already come in the flesh; the four men had walked together up the mountain; but here was a ‘coming’ of the Lord not previously known.  And so he says, ‘for we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory.  This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’.  The apostle associates the power and coming of Christ with the glory of God that appeared in the hour of Christ’s transfiguration.  In fact, the Lord Himself explains that this visitation of the Glory was in reality the very Kingdom of God. (Lk. 9:27.)

Matthew describes this as ‘the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Mt. 16:28.)  Mark refers to it as ‘the kingdom of God come with power.’ (Mk. 9:1.) and Peter combines the two statements in the words, “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’.”(George H. Warnock, Feast of Tabernacles, P. O. Box 652, Cranbrook B.C. Canada VIC 4J2)

 I have been in expectation of the outpouring of the Glory and the Harvest since the year 2000.  It is good that James sandwiches begins this passage in James 5: 7-8, with "Be patient"; then after the "early and latter rain", "be ye also patient".

I find it worthy to note that after Jesus, proclaimed to the disciples that they would see the Kingdom of God in their lifetime:   (Lk. 9: 28)  “and it came to pass about eight days after these sayings that he took Peter, John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray....they saw His Glory and the two men (Elias and Moses) who stood with Him.  

The former rain and the latter rain in the first month (Joel 2:23) is the prediction of the outpouring of the book of Acts (early rain) and something more!  The “former rain moderately” is literally “the Teacher rain, the teacher of righteousness.”  From 1900-1975 we saw the outpouring of restored truth, but this is but showers of blessing compared to what is coming.

As we were teaching on Tuesday morning in the Book of Revelation, an interpreting angel was sent to John to interpret what he was seeing.  An interpreting angel was also sent to Daniel.  Let us pray the Lord will release interpreting angels to release present truth to the saints.

The Harvest was the result of the rain.  No rain, no harvest.  The early rain fell in the 1^st-3^rd months.  It was dry in the 4th-6^th months.  The end of the 6^th and in the 7^th month, the “latter” rain fell.  The Feast of Tabernacles is the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year.  The barley is figurative of the Jew and the wheat is figurative of the Gentiles.  The Harvest of the Feast of Tabernacles is a world wide harvest.

There will be plenty of corn, wine and oil in this feast, the Word, Joy and Spirit.

The most peculiar thing about the Feast of Tabernacles was the specified offerings which were offered from the 1^st to the 8^th day of the Feast.  These were stamped with the number seven.  Jesus fulfilled all the offerings of the Feast of Tabernacles.  That there were seven is figurative of the completed work of Christ that there will be no more offering for sin. (Hebrews 10: 4-16)

The Feast of Tabernacles was a Feast of:

1. Unity – Israel left all and came together (one, yet individual). (Eph. 4:13)
2. Joy –for the harvest. (Rom. 14:17)
3. Ingathering – final harvest. (Rev. 14:15)
4. Rest – enter the land. (Heb. 3:18)
5. Glory – of the new order.  (Rev. 21:23)
6. Restoration – as in the days of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah. (Joel 2:25)
7. Appearing of the Lord –In the Church and then in the air. (1 Thess. 3:13)

Taught by:  Pastor Carolyn Sissom

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.

www.eastgateministries.com

Scripture from K.J.V.; Bibliography:  Feast of Tabernacles, George H. Warnock; Principles of Present Truth on Leviticus by: Kelly Varner; F. F. Bruce Bible Commentary, F. F. Bruce, Study of the Book of Revelation by:  Carolyn Sissom