The Olive Branch Sukkot 2017 2017.10.07 Feasts of the Lord Spring - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Olive Branch Sukkot 2017 2017.10.07

Feasts of the Lord Spring Fall Feast of Unleavened Bread Day of T rumpets (Chag HaMatzot) (Yom T eruah) Day of Firstfruits Day of Atonement (Yom HaBikkurim) (Yom Kippur) Feast of Weeks/Pentecost Feast of T abernacles (Chag Shavuot) (Chag Sukkot)

Feasts of The LORD One of the things I love about the Feasts of the LORD is they focus us on the LORD and his Messiah. Every thing that is of the LORD will always Glorify the Father. This is in stark contrast to the T raditional Holidays which are materialistic and all about us.

Feasts of The LORD Passover and The Feast of Unleavened Bread point us directly at Messiah who became our sacrifice and whose body did not see corruption in the grave. Understanding Passover made Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross so much more real and meaningful.

Feasts of The LORD Firstfruits is about Messiah being the Firstfruits of the Resurrection and gives us the promise of our future resurrection. Understanding Firstfruits made it clear that he is our source and sustainer, and that we are to give the Firstfruits of all our increase (that he gives to us) back to the Father.

Feasts of The LORD Shavuot is when we received the T orah and when Messiah sent the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel. The Law and the Spirit were given on the same Day! What an incredible coincidence…. Understanding Shavuot leads you to understand the unity of the Law and the Spirit, that there is one Bible, one faith, one way to the Father.

Feasts of The LORD Yom T eruah is all about the 2nd Coming of the Messiah at the Last T rump! Every year at Yom T eruah we have to ask, “Is this the year of his return?” It gives tremendous expectation and focus on his coming.

Feasts of The LORD The Day of Atonement is all about God’s Holiness and the forgiveness of our sins that he freely gives us by his grace. Understanding the Day of Atonement makes us search our heart and confront sin in our lives, to strive for holiness in all areas of our life.

Feasts of The LORD Everyone of these Mo’edim is all about what God has done for us. They all draw us closer to him. It’s all about him, not about us. That’s the lesson I want my children to learn.

Feasts of The LORD What about Sukkot? Is it all about him, or is it all about us? It is just about living in a Sukka for a week, feasting, and fellowshipping with other Christians? I am concerned Sukkot in the US is transforming more toward a traditional Holiday, much like Hanukkah has become Jewish Christmas.

Feasts of The LORD For some reason, Sukkot in the US is all about going camping. This is a uniquely US experience. I’ve never really liked going camping, so Sukkot has been a bit hollow for me. It has left me feeling - there must be more!

Feasts of The LORD Let’s search the scriptures to see what Sukkot really is about. As we do several themes are going to develop.

Exodus 23:14-17 14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) 16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. 17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

Exodus 34:21-23 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 23 Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

Feast of Ingathering The first mention of Sukkot is in Exodus 23 and 34, where it is called the Feast of Ingathering (at the end of the year). It is called the “end of the year” even though it is not. It gives a sense of “finality” to Sukkot. The concept of Ingathering is immediately recognizable as the “catching away” of the Saints that occurs at the “end of the age.”

Sukkot Themes Final Ingathering End of the year (age)

Leviticus 23:39-43 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

Key Points about Sukkot “…fifteenth day of the seventh month…” Exactly two weeks after the new moon is sighted on Yom T eruah, which means Sukkot is always on a Full Moon, which was good for Harvest Time.

Key Points about Sukkot “…fifteenth day of the seventh month…” The seventh month is the Sabbath Month. Shabbat is the end of the week, which is why they call the seventh month the end of the year.

Key Points about Sukkot “…fifteenth day of the seventh month…” What happened on the seventh day of creation? God rested, everything was finished. What happens after the 7th Millenia? It’s all over, God pushes the reset button. Again, the theme of finality.

Key Points about Sukkot “…gathered in the fruit of the land…” This is the Fall Harvest - the grape harvest, the final harvest of the year. Again, the theme of the “Final Ingathering” of the saints.

Key Points about Sukkot “…a feast unto the LORD…” This is not a Jewish Feast or a Christian Feast. It is a Feast unto Yehovah! The Feast ( הָ֖והְי־גַח־תֶא ) is one of the three Pilgrimage Feasts .

Key Points about Sukkot “on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath” This is a poor translation (KJV). The Hebrew is not Shabbat, but Shabbaton ( ןוֹתָבַּשׁ ). It means a day of solemn rest, but it is lower in status to the weekly Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:39-43 40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

Key Points About Sukkot “… boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook…” These are the four species of plants etrog ( גורתא ): a citron lulav ( בלול ): the frond of a date palm tree haddas ( סדה ): myrtle boughs aravah ( הברע ): branches from a willow tree

Key Points About Sukkot “… ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days…” Sukkot is seven days long, just like the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the Spring “…It shall be a statute for ever in your generations…” How long is forever????

How Long is Forever? Did you know during the reign of the Messiah in the Millennial Kingdom, that the only Feast mentioned is the Feast of Sukkot!! This is recorded in the Book of Zechariah.

Zechariah 14:2-4 2 For y I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle,… 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south…

Zechariah 14:16-17 16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

Zechariah 14:18-19 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Sukkot Themes Deals with Nations or Gathering of Nations

Leviticus 23:39-43 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Key Points About Sukkot “…Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths…” Booths (sukkot תֹ֥כֻּסּ ) are temporarily dwelling places. It reminds us we are sojourners in this land.

Key Points About Sukkot “…when I brought them out of the land of Egypt…” Because Sukkot is a reminder of coming out of Egypt, it is tied to the First Commandment Exodus 20:2 - I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.