Sermons in the Year 2025
The Feast of Tabernacles and the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ

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All Scriptures quoted in this article are from the New King James Version (NKJV), unless otherwise noted (https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/).

Dear Church,

The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes God dwelling in the flesh among mankind. The Bible calls this “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us.”

The occasions when God, in human flesh, dwelt among mankind can be listed as follows:

God became man, bearing the name Jesus, dwelling among mankind to reveal God to humanity and to grant redemption to mankind. He took upon Himself the punishment for humanity’s sins and died on the cross, offering His own life as a sacrifice for sin. His atoning death was prophesied in Isaiah 53.

This event took place during the Feast of Tabernacles in 7 BCE—on October 8, 7 BCE, according to the Julian calendar, and on October 6, 7 BCE, according to the Gregorian calendar [1]. The Bible verses below help us understand this.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2)

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

• God, in human flesh, bearing the name Jesus, will establish the Millennial Kingdom on earth after the End Time. This event was prophesied in the Old Testament through the following passages: Isaiah 2:2–4; 11:1–10; Micah 4:1–5. In the New Testament, it is implied in these verses: Matthew 19:28 and Acts 3:19–21. Revelation 20:1–6 is the prophecy concerning the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom. At that time, the Lord Jesus Christ will live among mankind and reign over all nations on earth.

• God, in human flesh, bearing the name Jesus with the title “the Lamb,” will establish the Eternal Kingdom on earth, in the new heaven and new earth. At that time, God and the Lamb will dwell together on earth among mankind forever and ever. This event was prophesied in the Old Testament: Isaiah 66:22–24. It was also prophesied in the New Testament: 2 Peter 3:12; Revelation 21–22.

• Please note that the phrase “new heavens and a new earth” in Isaiah 65 refers to the restoration of heaven and earth to their original state at the beginning of creation. That event takes place before the Millennial Kingdom is established and is different from the “new heaven and new earth” that will be recreated after the Millennial Kingdom.

• God, in human flesh, bearing the name Jesus, will dwell in reality among the Church forever by bringing the Church into heaven with Him. Thus, the Lord Jesus may come to take the Church into heaven during a Feast of Tabernacles, and from that time on, He will always be with the Church—everywhere and at all times.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

The fourth meaning is entirely consistent with the teachings of the Bible. After all, all seven feast days of God in the Old Testament are related to the salvation that the God grants to mankind through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a remarkable point that all seven feasts are connected to the coming of the Christ to take the Church out of the world.

Although the Feast of Tabernacles is listed last among the seven feasts, it is actually the first feast to be fulfilled in the New Testament time frame. This also illustrates the truth that “the last shall become first.”

We give thanks to the Lord, for He has granted our Church, at the very beginning of this new civil year according to the Hebrew calendar, the opportunity to gather in expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus during the Feast of Trumpets. From now on, during each feast, we will come together to remember the blessings that God has bestowed upon us through the meaning of each feast. At the same time, we will prepare ourselves for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Church, for we have learned that it is a day appointed by the God, and that day must be one of the feast days.

Today, as we gather together for the first time to commemorate the Feast of Tabernacles, let us learn about this feast together. It is our hope that this will also be the last time we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles—before the Lord Jesus Christ comes.

The command to proclaim and observe the Feast of Tabernacles was given by God to the people of Israel and was recorded by Moses in Leviticus 23:33–44. The Hebrew noun “סכּה” (sukâ – H5521) /sook-kaw’/ means “a booth or shelter, including a temporary tent, small house, place of refuge, covered shelter, tabernacle, or animal’s den.” When used in the plural form, as in Leviticus 23:34, it is translated as “tabernacles.”

The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the three major feasts among the seven feasts of God. These are the three feasts during which every year all the men of Israel were required to go to Jerusalem, bringing offerings to present to God. They are the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles.

“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.” (Deuteronomy 16:16, Reference Exodus 23:14-17).

The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the “Feast of Ingathering” (Exodus 23:16; 34:22) to indicate that the celebration takes place when the final harvest of the year has been completed. It is also called the “Feast of the Self-Existing and Eternal One” (Leviticus 23:2, 4) and the “Solemn Feast” (Leviticus 23:37) to emphasize the solemnity of the celebration.

The main Bible passages related to the Feast of Tabernacles include Leviticus 23:33–44 (command to dwell in tabernacles and rejoice), Numbers 29:12–40 (regarding offerings presented to God), and Deuteronomy 16:13–17 (regarding rejoicing with all people during the feast, including foreigners and the poor). Nehemiah 8 records the first solemn observance of the Feast of Tabernacles by the people of Israel after returning to Jerusalem from the 70-year Babylonian exile.

The purpose of the Feast of Tabernacles is for the descendants of Israel to always remember that God delivered their ancestors out of Egypt and caused them to live in tabernacles for forty years.

“You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:42-43)

It is also the occasion for the people of Israel to give thanks to God after the final harvest of the year. Additionally, it serves to help them remember that God is always with them, for when they dwell in the tabernacles, God also dwells in the Tabernacle among them.

Thus, the Feast of Tabernacles enables the people of Israel to express gratitude to God through the offering of sacrifices and to remember that He is always with them in every circumstance.

The Feast of Tabernacles is observed continuously for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of Tishrei, the seventh month according to the Hebrew calendar. The first day of the feast is a holy Sabbath, during which the people are not to work. The people offer sacrifices to God and rejoice together throughout the seven days (Leviticus 23:36, 40). The main activities include:

• Erecting and dwelling in the tabernacles: Everyone erects tabernacles from tree branches and leaves (without using dead wood or cloth), symbolizing the tabernacles that the people of Israel used as dwellings during their journey through the wilderness. People eat, sleep, and live in the tabernacles throughout the seven days.

• Offering sacrifices: Each day, offerings of animals are presented to God. The sacrifices include 70 bulls offered over the seven days (decreasing daily from 13 to 7); 14 rams offered each day in pairs; 98 lambs offered over seven days (14 each day); and 7 male goats as sin offerings, one offered each day, together with grain offerings and drink offerings. This is the feast with the greatest number of sacrifices (Numbers 29:12–38; Leviticus 23:36–37).

• Procession with branches: “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook” (Leviticus 23:40a).

• Rejoicing before God and reading the Law: “and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (Leviticus 23:40b).

The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated most magnificently during the prosperous reign of King Solomon.

During the Babylonian exile, the people of Israel were unable to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. The main reason was the absence of the Temple, which made it impossible to offer sacrifices according to the law (Jeremiah 7:34; Lamentations 2:6). However, the memory of the Feast of Tabernacles was preserved through oral tradition and Scripture. The feast became a symbol of the longing for the restoration of the people and the land of Israel.

After the people of Israel returned from Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, the Feast of Tabernacles was restored with great vigor as a symbol of national restoration. Nehemiah 8:13–18 describes the first celebration after the exile, marked by great joy. The people gathered, and the Pentateuch (the first five books of Scripture) was read aloud. They erected tabernacles in the square and on the rooftops. They rejoiced for seven days. From then on, the Feast of Tabernacles was observed annually, becoming central to the life of the people of Israel, even though the Second Temple, rebuilt after the exile, was less magnificent than the First Temple built by King Solomon.

In present-day Israel, the Feast of Tabernacles is still a major seven-day celebration, but it has been adapted to the absence of the Temple by focusing on family and community gatherings. The main activities are:

Erecting temporary tabernacles: Each family erects a temporary tabernacle in their yard or on a balcony. The roof is made of leaves or reeds, allowing the moon and stars to be visible through it. The tabernacle is decorated with fruit and lights. Families eat the three main meals inside the tabernacle and, if possible, also sleep there. The purpose is to remember the fragility of life, to recall that God is always present among them, and to express gratitude to God for His provision.

Waving the four species: The people of Israel use four species during the Feast of Tabernacles [2]. These four species include the etrog /es-rohg/ (also called the Jewish citron), a palm frond (also called a date palm branch), two willow branches, and three myrtle branches. The branches are bound together.

• The etrog fruit, flawless with a yellow rind and fragrant aroma, symbolizes a heart that is pure and honest before God, possessing understanding and wisdom. It is the only one among the four ritual species with a strong fragrance, representing God’s delight when humanity lives a life of love, holiness, and righteousness.

• The palm frond symbolizes uprightness and righteousness.

• The two willow branches represent the lips offering praise and thanksgiving in prayer to God.

• The three myrtle branches symbolize the eyes of the flesh and the enlightened mind.

Taste symbolizes learning, and fragrance symbolizes good deeds. The etrog has both taste and fragrance. The palm frond (lulav) has taste but no fragrance. The myrtle branch has fragrance but no taste. The willow branch has neither. Each represents a different type of person: some have both learning and good deeds, some have only one, and some have neither. True community is reflected when all are bound together and dwell under one roof.

During the Feast of Tabernacles, the people of Israel hold the etrog in the right hand and the branches in the left hand to wave during processions and daily prayers. The waving is done in four directions—east, west, south, and north—then upward and downward, symbolizing God’s presence everywhere. The meaning of the waving is to offer thanks to God after the harvest, to ask for His blessing on the land, and to express the desire to be connected with God.

Rejoicing and doing good deeds: eating, singing, dancing, giving gifts to the poor in the community, and publicly reading the Pentateuch.

Today, the Feast of Tabernacles remains a symbol of joy for the people of Israel, an opportunity to express gratitude to God and to anticipate the Messiah. The feast is celebrated annually in the fall, wherever Jewish people live. Even without the Temple for gatherings and without the sacrificial rituals, the Feast of Tabernacles is still observed in synagogues and homes.

The prophecy in Zechariah 14:16–19 indicates that during the Millennial Kingdom, all nations on earth will go up to Jerusalem to observe this feast.

For the Church of God, the Feast of Tabernacles serves as a reminder that life on this earth is temporary and full of trials, yet God is always with us. We are called to respond to His love and protection with concrete acts of gratitude. Moreover, this feast points to the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in John 14:3: He will return to take us to heaven so that we may be with Him forever.

We are now entering the Feast of Tabernacles 2025. May the Lord Jesus Christ come to take us during this Feast of Tabernacles.

O Lord Jesus! Please come! Amen!

May the Word of God sanctify us and strengthen us. May we all stand firm in faith and remain faithful to the Lord until the day Christ returns. May the love, grace, and fellowship of the Triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—cover all of you. Amen!

Huỳnh Christian Timothy
Huỳnh Christian Priscilla
10/06/2025

Notes:

[1] https://preachingfromthebible.net/the-birth-date-of-the-lord-jesus/

[2] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/lulav-and-etrog-symbolism/

About Using “God” or “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as “*God” or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.