Transcript [00:03] Shalom. This week's readings really are [00:06] the readings for the Feast of [00:08] Tabernacles. And this year is so [00:10] special. It's really kind of like Feast [00:12] of Trumpets, [00:13] the eve of Feast of Trumpets fell on a [00:15] Friday, and then Feast of Trumpets fell [00:17] on Saturday. Same thing with Sukkot or [00:21] the Feast of Tabernacles this year, the [00:22] eve is on Friday night, and then the [00:25] holiday starts on Saturday. So, it's a [00:28] very special year on this holiday. So, I [00:31] wonder if you know one of the other [00:33] names of the Feast of Tabernacles. [00:36] It has another name, which is Hag HaSif, [00:40] which is the the Feast of the [00:43] Ingathering. And how beautiful is that? [00:46] Because really, we've seen how all the [00:48] other feasts, the spring feasts, going [00:51] from Passover [00:53] through Shavuot, all of those have [00:55] already really been fulfilled in the [00:58] Messiah. But these fall feasts have not [01:01] yet been fulfilled. And we see here the [01:05] the last one, being Feast of Tabernacles [01:08] or Hag HaSif, the the Feast of the [01:12] Ingathering, bringing everything [01:15] to its conclusion with with God bringing [01:18] his people into himself. [01:21] So, of course, we know where all these [01:23] things written about the holidays in [01:25] Leviticus [01:26] 23 and Numbers 29. I'm just going to [01:30] read from Leviticus. I'm looking at [01:32] Leviticus 23. I'll start in verse 33. [01:37] Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, [01:41] "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, on [01:43] the 15th [01:45] of this month is the Feast of Booths for [01:48] 7 days to the Lord. [01:51] On the first day is a holy convocation. [01:53] You shall do no laborious work of any [01:55] kind. For 7 days, you shall present an [01:59] offering by fire to the Lord. On the [02:02] eighth day, you shall have a holy [02:05] convocation and present an offering by [02:07] fire to the Lord. [02:09] It is an assembly. You shall do no [02:12] laborious work. [02:14] These are the appointed times of the [02:16] Lord, which you shall proclaim as holy [02:18] convocations to present offerings by [02:21] fire to the Lord, burnt offerings and [02:23] grain offerings, sacrifices and drink [02:26] offerings, each day's matter on its own [02:29] day. [02:30] Besides those of the Sabbath of the Lord [02:34] and besides your gifts and besides all [02:36] your votive and free will offerings [02:39] which you give to the Lord. [02:41] On exactly the 15th day of the seventh [02:45] month, when you have gathered in the [02:47] crops of the land, [02:49] you shall celebrate the feast of the [02:52] Lord for 7 days with a rest on the first [02:56] day and a rest on the eighth day. [02:59] Now, on the first day, you shall take [03:01] for yourselves the foliage of beautiful [03:04] trees, palm branches, and boughs of [03:07] leafy trees, and willows of the brook. [03:10] And you shall rejoice before the Lord [03:13] your God for 7 days. This is the only [03:17] holiday that we are commanded to rejoice [03:20] before him. [03:22] You shall thus celebrate it as a feast [03:25] to the Lord for 7 days in the year. It [03:28] shall be a perpetual statute throughout [03:32] your generations. You shall celebrate it [03:35] in the seventh month. You shall live in [03:38] booths for 7 days. All the native born [03:42] in Israel shall live in booths. [03:44] So that your generations may know that I [03:48] had the sons of Israel live in booths [03:51] when I brought them out from the land of [03:53] Egypt. I am the Lord your God. [03:57] So Moses declared to the sons of Israel [04:01] the appointed times of the Lord. How [04:03] exciting that we have this appointment [04:07] with God, a very special time to meet [04:10] with him. [04:11] I want to look at [04:13] um Zechariah chapter 14. [04:18] Now, I actually want to read [04:20] this whole chapter because I it has to [04:23] do with this feast. [04:25] Behold, a day is coming for the Lord [04:27] when the spoil taken from you will be [04:29] divided among you, for I will gather all [04:33] the nations against Jerusalem to battle, [04:36] and the city will be captured, the [04:38] houses plundered, the women ravaged, and [04:41] half of the city exiled. But the rest of [04:44] the people will not be cut off from the [04:46] city. Then the Lord will go forth and [04:49] fight against those nations, as when he [04:52] fights on a day of battle. In that day, [04:55] his feet will stand on the Mount of [04:59] Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem [05:01] on the east, and the Mount of Olives [05:04] will be split in its middle from east to [05:07] west by a very large valley, so that [05:10] half of the mountain will move toward [05:13] the north and the other half toward the [05:15] south. You will flee by the valley of my [05:18] mountains, for the valley of the [05:21] mountains will reach to Azel. Yes, you [05:24] will flee just as you fled before the [05:26] earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king [05:29] of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will [05:33] come and all his holy ones with him. In [05:38] that day, there will be no light. The [05:40] luminaries will dwindle, for it will be [05:43] a unique day, which is known to the [05:46] Lord, in either day nor night, [05:49] but it will come about that at evening [05:52] time there will be light. And in that [05:55] day living waters will flow out of [05:58] Jerusalem. Half of them toward the [06:00] eastern sea and the other half toward [06:03] the western sea. It will be in summer as [06:06] well as in winter. And the Lord will be [06:09] king over all the earth. In that day the [06:14] Lord will be the only one and his name [06:17] the only one. All the land will be [06:20] changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon [06:23] south of Jerusalem, but Jerusalem will [06:25] rise and remain on its site from [06:27] Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of [06:30] the first gate to the Corner Gate. [06:32] And from the Tower of Hananel [06:36] to the King's wine presses. [06:38] People will live in it and there will no [06:41] longer be a curse for Jerusalem will [06:44] dwell in security. Now, this will be the [06:48] plague with which the Lord will strike [06:51] all the people who have gone to war [06:54] against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot [06:57] while they stand on their feet and their [06:59] eyes will rot in their sockets and their [07:02] tongue will rot in their mouth. It will [07:04] come about in that day that a great [07:06] panic from the Lord will fall on them [07:09] and they will seize one another's hands [07:12] hand and the hand of one will be lifted [07:15] against the hand of another. Judah will [07:18] also fight at Jerusalem and the wealth [07:20] of all the surrounding nations will be [07:23] gathered. Gold and silver and garments [07:26] in great abundance. So also like this [07:29] plague will be the plague on the horse, [07:31] the mule, the camel, the donkey and the [07:33] cattle the cattle that will be in those [07:36] camps. [07:37] Then it will come about that any who are [07:41] left of all the nations that went up [07:43] against Jerusalem [07:45] will go up from year to year to worship [07:49] the king [07:50] the Lord of hosts and to celebrate the [07:53] Feast of Booths. [07:55] And it will be that whichever of the [07:57] families of the earth does not go up to [08:00] Jerusalem to worship the king, the Lord [08:02] of hosts, [08:03] there will be no rain on them. [08:06] If the family of Egypt does not go up or [08:08] enter, then no rain will fall on them. [08:12] It will be the plague with which the [08:14] Lord smites the nations who do not go up [08:17] to celebrate the Feast of Booths. [08:20] This will be the punishment of Egypt and [08:23] the punishment of all the nations [08:26] who do not go up to celebrate the Feast [08:29] of Booths. [08:31] In that day [08:33] there will be inscribed on the bells of [08:35] the horses [08:36] Holy to the Lord. [08:39] And the cooking pots in the Lord's house [08:41] will be like the bowls before the altar. [08:44] Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in [08:46] Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts. [08:49] And all who sacrifice will come and take [08:52] of them and boil in them. [08:54] And there will no longer be a Canaanite [08:57] in the house of the Lord of hosts in [08:59] that day. [09:00] And I just want to finish with [09:03] the New Covenant and I'm reading [09:06] in 1 Thessalonians [09:08] chapter 5. [09:10] Now I say as to the times and the [09:13] epochs, brethren, [09:16] you have no need of anything to be [09:18] written to you. [09:19] For you yourselves know full well that [09:22] the day of the Lord will come just like [09:25] a thief in the night. [09:27] While they are saying peace and safety [09:32] then destruction will come upon them [09:34] suddenly like labor pains upon a woman [09:38] with child, and they will not escape. [09:41] But you, brethren, [09:43] are not in darkness that the day would [09:46] overcome you like a thief. [09:49] For you are all sons of light and sons [09:53] of day. [09:54] We are not of night nor of darkness. [09:59] So then, [10:00] let us not sleep as others do, [10:04] but let us be alert and sober. [10:08] For those who sleep do their sleeping at [10:10] night, and those who get drunk get drunk [10:13] at night. But since we are of the day, [10:17] let us be sober, [10:19] having put on the breastplate of faith [10:23] and love, [10:24] and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. [10:28] For God has not destined us for wrath, [10:32] but for obtaining salvation [10:35] through our Lord Yeshua, [10:38] the Messiah, [10:39] who died for us, [10:42] so that whether we are awake or asleep, [10:46] what he really means is whether we are [10:49] our physical body is dead or alive, [10:52] we will live together with him. [10:56] Therefore, encourage one another [11:00] and build up one another, [11:02] just as you also are doing. So, with [11:06] those words, I just want to [11:08] um [11:09] to encourage you to keep this [11:12] appointment. Keep this appointed day [11:15] with the Lord, and really it's appointed [11:17] week where we're supposed to be [11:18] rejoicing in him. And also for us, as it [11:22] says, let us not sleep, but let us be [11:26] alert and be sober. I want to wish you [11:31] chag sameach. Shalom.
What does Sukkot—the Feast of Tabernacles—have to do with the Lord’s return? And why does Zechariah describe the nations coming to Jerusalem to celebrate it?
Join LuAnne Sayag from Kehilat HaCarmel on Mount Carmel, Israel, as we explore the connection between God’s appointed times, the gathering of His people, and the coming King.
Through the Torah, the prophets, and the New Covenant, this teaching invites us to rejoice in God, remain spiritually awake, and find hope in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
Scripture readings:
• Leviticus 23:33–44 — The Feast of Tabernacles and the call to rejoice.
• Zechariah 14 — The Lord reigning over all the earth.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 — Faith, readiness, and the hope of salvation.
Whether you follow the weekly Torah readings, are a Christian exploring the biblical feasts, or celebrate Sukkot as a Messianic Jewish believer, open the Scriptures with us.
Stay for the closing reading’s encouragement: our hope in Yeshua and our calling to strengthen one another.
Which verse speaks to you most? Share it in the comments.
Visit our website:
https://www.carmelcongregation.org.il/
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