A miniscule number of Christians observed the Feast of Tabernacles recently, one of the appointed times of God (the mo’eds of and Lev. 23)—the sacred times of God, or “My feasts,” as YAHWEH declares, not a feast of the Jews, as so many erroneous believe. The fact that pagan-rooted festivals such as Christmas, have been substituted for these appointed times that God gives us to understand more about his plan for humanity, says a lot.
For those returning from celebrating God’s kingdom coming to earth for one thousand years (millennium), the Feast of Tabernacles is a yearly reminder that, “ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 2:3-6.
How can we claim to be “imitators of Christ,” if we don’t walk as He walked. Did Jesus keep the Feast of Tabernacles (FOT). Of course, He did (John 7); not to mention the other appointed times which were an expectation from anyone who followed the Torah like Jesus did.
Now that this year’s Feast of Tabernacles has come and gone, we’re already looking forward to the annual appointed times, 2027. Nevertheless, we still observe our weekly appointed time, which is the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday). As the Feast celebrates the Kingdom of God on earth, there’s a vital period that remains for us. What happens between now and then…when the King of kings, and our Saviour, the Christ, returns to establish His everlasting and world-ruling kingdom?
Will you attend the FOT next year? How many more FOT do you have on this earth? These are very real and relevant questions as we just finished the celebrations. The next Feast of Tabernacles is about a year away. There could be many occurrences in your life that might change your circumstance if you’re still alive.
What will it bring, more trials upon our weary souls? More testing, more joy, or unhappiness. What happens between now and then, and by extension, the sounding of the seventh trumpet? What are you expected to do? What will you be doing?
Be careful to do what you will be doing between now and then. The Bible is replete with examples of what could happen, especially to those of us who are impatient. Christ could return in your lifetime or he may not.
Ex. 32. 1. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them.
There are many lessons from this passage:
We must trust God and be patient. When Moses delayed coming down from Mount Sinai, the Israelites grew impatient…reacting out of fear.
The building of a golden calf shows how quickly people can substitute God for tangible things that offer comfort. A leader’s weakness also surfaced, when instead of becoming more resolute in rejecting such an outrageous idea, Aaron gave in to the demand of the rebellious crowd to please them. Furthermore, he shifted the blame to the Israelites instead of admitting to his failures.
God was angry, and understandably so, after all He had done for them and continued to be with them since leaving Egypt. Moses pleaded with God to extend mercy to the rebellious Israelites, an example of how important prayer and standing in the gap for others can be.
God showed mercy and did not destroy the entire nation, however, their disobedience still brought severe punishment. This is a testament and a reminder to all of us as we walk on our Christian journey that the road ahead is paved with numerous trials. We must be patient, lean on God in everything that we do, trust in Him, be faithful in all things, become overcomers: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Revelation 3:21.
Remember, between now and when Christ returns, the unforeseeable future offers the unpredictable which could make a difference in our destiny. Can you afford that?
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