THE FALL FEASTS OF ISRAEL TABLE OF CONTENTS

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2 THE FALL FEASTS OF ISRAEL TABLE OF CONTENTS Rosh HaShanah - The Feast Of Trumpets Scriptures 4 Quick Facts 5 Meaning Of The Feast 6 Practice & Traditions 7 Messianic & Prophetic Fulfilment 10 Summary 12 Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement Scriptures 13 Quick Facts 15 Meaning Of The Feast 16 Practice & Traditions 17 Messianic & Prophetic Fulfilment 19 Summary 22 Succot - The Feast Of Tabernacles Scriptures 24 Quick Facts 26 Meaning Of The Feast 29 Practice & Traditions 30 Messianic & Prophetic Fulfilment 33 Summary 38 Further Information About Return To Zion 39

3 Introduction The Feasts of ancient Israel s calendar provide a colourful and educational window into God s dealings with His people in the biblical period. Yet, they are still observed to the present day by many Jewish people in Israel and Jewish communities outside of the Land, the Diaspora. Communities and families are brought together and once more are mindful of the rich biblical fountain these Feasts flow from. A remembrance of covenant, separation, revelation, celebration and, ultimately, redemption. During my years as a resident of Jerusalem, I had the both the privilege and joy to participate in all these Fall Feasts and to gain fresh insights into their meaning and significance for believers. I came to appreciate in a more profound way the dealings of God with Israel, their unique role in history and my place in God s eternal purposes. There is no salvific merit for believers in keeping these Feasts nor are they obligatory upon us in the present gospel era. However, as they are the Feasts of the Lord, there is much for all the Lord s people to gain from going beyond a superficial reading of them to a deeper appreciation of the truths they contain. By understanding God s original intent behind the Fall Feasts and studying them with an eye to spiritual enrichment and remembrance, they can be beneficial as an aid to focussing on the Lord's work in us at present and in the prophetic fulfilment they surely herald in the coming age. These notes were originally published on our website as separate teaching articles but have now been formatted into a convenient portable document for reading and encouraging the reader to study further on the individual feasts presented here. I encourage you to read through these notes and appropriate for yourself the aspects of them that speak most to you, with the hope that they too will bless and edify you as they have for done me at every remembrance of them. Ian Jupp Executive Director, Return To Zion Ministries October 2015 The Fall Feasts Of Israel 3 Return To Zion

4 Scriptures 23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD." Leviticus 23: On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work. Numbers 29:7 The Fall Feasts Of Israel 4 Return To Zion

5 Quick Facts Falls in the Jewish Calendar on the 1st and 2nd of the seventh month, Tishrei. This year, 2015, these dates equate to our September 13th (at sundown) - 15th; observed for 2 days but considered one long day. In Judaism, there is both a religious year and a civic year. The Feast of Trumpets, on the 1st day of the seventh month (Tishrei), marks the beginning of the new civic year. The biblical Feast of Trumpets is more commonly known today as 'Rosh HaShanah', literally the 'Head of the Year'. So called as its occurrence marks the beginning of the new civic year, which is actually in the seventh month of the sacred year. It also signified the ending of one agricultural year and the start of a new one. This year, 2015, will also mark the end of the Shemitah ("release"), a seven year cycle of ancient Israel's agricultural practices. Some modern commentators place much emphasis on the ending of Shemitah cycles and see in them possible prophetic fulfillments, signposting a future messianic return and/or judgement on nations. None of this has explicit warrant from Scripture but prophecy watchers have documented numerous incidences where global or regional events of significance have occurred at precisely such times during a Shemitah year or more pointedly, at its conclusion. Economic woes usually feature heavily in these scenarios. The Feast was not known in biblical times as Rosh HaShanah although there is some evidence in the inter-testamental period that a connection was made between The Feast of Trumpets and a New Year celebration, or a Rosh HaShanah. After the return from Babylon, the post-exilic period, it seems probable that the returned exiles celebrated the Feast of Trumpets in some form as recorded in Nehemiah 8:2-6. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 5 Return To Zion

6 Meaning Of The Feast The blowing of trumpets on this date marked a solemn assembly, rest day and a time of inner preparation for what is the most earnest period of the whole Jewish year, that of contrition and repentance preceding judgement. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, was the climax to this solemnity. From the scriptures above, it called for the blowing of trumpets, most likely a ram's horn, the Shofar, as distinct from the usual long, silver trumpets blown at other times. Additionally, no work was to be undertaken on this day. The sounding of the Shofar would be the means to gather the people for a holy convocation. Sacrifices were offered as prescribed in the Law for the daily offerings and additional ones likely as a Feast day required. Despite the words of Numbers 29:7, "afflict yourselves", it is not sure whether this meant an actual fast day, probably not. More likely, "afflicting oneself" here is the call for repentance and self-denial so that one may reflect on the coming days, The Days Of Awe, that precede the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, ten days later. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 6 Return To Zion

7 Practice & Traditions Rosh HaShanah marks a time of deep soul searching and a call to repentance known as Yamim Noraim or the "Days of Awe", concluding ten days later on the most solemn day in the Jewish year, Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. The readings on the Shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are important as they deal with the themes of confession, prayer, repentance and return to the Lord, in line with the coming necessity to receive God's forgiveness on Yom Kippur. Doing so, would guarantee a supplicant being inscribed in the Book of Life. These three themes of confession, prayer and repentance became central in Jewish belief following the destruction of the Second Temple and its services. They became the substitutes for the prescribed Levitical sacrifices and burnt offerings that could no longer be offered, and in time, have become the established, rabbinical approach to acceptable repentance and forgiveness in lieu of temple sacrifice. On Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the designated Haftarah readings focus on repentance. The 'Shuvah' here, meaning 'Return', is taken from Hosea 14:2; "O Israel, RETURN to the Lord your God..." (emphasis mine) The moving and confessional Haftarah readings for this Shabbat are: Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2: Note: The 'Haftarah' are readings from the Old Testament Prophets following the Torah reading in a synagogue, usually linked in theme to the Torah portion for that week. Blowing shofars in the synagogue are a call to remembrance and repentance in view of the judgement of God, decided on Yom Kippur. It has also been understood as a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and the Jewish people. We can also take meaning from the Trumpets as indicative of Israel's regathering and the coming Resurrection of the Dead, commented on further below. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 7 Return To Zion

8 Four distinct trumpet notes were sounded during this Feast; denoted in the Hebrew as Tekiah, Shevarim, T'ruah and the Tekiah G'dolah, a long sustained note. This last trumpet note, the Great Blast, has prophetic significance as we shall see in a moment. It is crucial to understand why repentance is necessary during this solemn season when according to tradition this season determines whether a person will be forgiven of sin and be inscribed in the Book of Life. On Rosh HaShanah, the Almighty opens books of judgement but nothing is yet finalised. The ten intervening days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are given as days to repent, to make amends, to get right so that one may be found forgiven and in right standing with God when judgement occurs on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. As there is no guarantee where one stands before the Holy One, all Israel should seek to be contrite, confess and return to the Lord, ensuring one's name being recorded in the Book of Life on Judgement Day. The Talmudic Tractate on Rosh HaShanah states there are actually three books recorded by God where a person may find themselves prior to judgement; that of Life, In-Between or the Wicked. Repentance or lack thereof, may eternally change which one a person is recorded in. Linked are the traditional greetings at this time: "K'tivah VaChatimah Tovah", meaning, "may you be written and sealed", (that is, in the Book of Life). The ram's horn has extra significance as the Feast is tied, in tradition, to the remembrance of Abraham's symbolic offering up of Isaac. This event is known in Hebrew as The Akidah. (See Genesis 22). A ram, caught in a thicket, was substituted for Isaac's life and the ram's horn became a symbolic and fitting type, pointing to covenant forgiveness, remembered during Rosh HaShanah and the days following. Jewish tradition also tells of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all having been born and died during this season of Trumpets. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 8 Return To Zion

9 Another tradition has the world's creation during this time as well as Adam's birth and fall. Today, Rosh HaShanah is widely observed across Jewish communities worldwide, regardless of religious inclination, i.e. Orthodox, secular, reform, etc. In addition to the sombre tone of this period, there are also numerous joyful expressions. Nehemiah 8:10 records Ezra reading the Law in the people's hearing, on the first day of the seventh month. The people wept in response but Ezra encouraged them saying: "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared." - This may have given way to the some traditions that are observed today in celebrating Rosh HaShanah. The traditional foods eaten during Rosh HaShanah are sweet. For example, apples and bread dipped in honey, grapes, pomegranates. The sweetness is intended to signify wishes for a "sweet new year." The Fall Feasts Of Israel 9 Return To Zion

10 Messianic & Prophetic Fulfilment When God met with Moses on the mountain, the sounding of a long, loud trumpet accompanied this theophany, a manifestation of God to man. (See Exodus 19:16ff) A theophany will once more occur at the end of the age when Messiah returns, accompanied and preceded by the blowing of trumpets. This will also be the time of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the coming of Christ's Kingdom. The key scriptures below relate how all this ties in with the sounding of the Trumpet. This trumpet is regarded as being the final trumpet, the seventh, that sounds in Revelation 11:15, bringing the gathering of God's elect at the Lord's return. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15: For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4: Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." Revelation 11:15 I find no basis here for a pre-tribulation 'Rapture'. The word 'rapture' does not appear in the Bible text, per se, but is a Latin rendering of the Greek word, 'harpazo', meaning to seize, snatch, catch away. This clearly done so at the coming of the Lord on the final trumpet, ending not preceding the tribulation. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 10 Return To Zion

11 Rapture, as a word, nowadays seems exclusive to an eschatological pre-tribulational position but this 'rapture' and the return of Jesus Christ are one event; they describe the same thing, both in time and meaning. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is often given in support of this position but it is out of context with the rest of the biblical narrative that provides further backing to a single coming of the Lord to gather His people, AFTER the tribulation. In Matthew 24:29-31, Jesus expounds on the events that must take place before His coming; tribulation, lawlessness, persecution of God's people, great deception, etc. There is nothing here at all from Jesus that hints He will come back before those events, remove us, then come back later when all the tribulation is done and dusted. "For the sake of the elect", the days of tribulation will be shortened, Matthew 24:22, but certainly not circumvented or avoided by God's people. The ending of them and therefore the ending of the believers severe trial, is the coming of the Son of Man immediately after those events. The distinction is an important one and to me, the interpretation most fitting to the Scriptures on this matter. He explicitly says in Matthew 24:29 that "Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days...the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven...and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory...with a great sound of a trumpet (Rev. 11:15)... and they will gather His elect from the four winds..." This trumpet blast announces the ending of man's kingdom and lawlessness and the bringing in of Messiah's Kingdom and reign upon earth. This is much like the ending of one year and the welcoming of a new year at Rosh HaShanah. The dead are resurrected, "raised incorruptible and we shall be changed". 1 Corinthians 15:52 The Feast of Trumpets is a powerful, prophetic filled celebration of what is yet to come in the days ahead; both of testing and trial but also forward to the end of man's dominion and the glorious climax of the Lords coming, the believers gathering to Him and the resurrection of the dead. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 11 Return To Zion

12 Summary 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." Revelation 20:12 The Feast of Trumpets is a joyous celebration and remembrance of all the Lord has done. Beyond the external observance, the foods and the symbolism associated with the Feast, there is a divine call to look within ourselves, our walk with God and an urging to get right in any areas of our personal lives that may be out of line with the Lord's purposes and covenant requirements. May you know your name is indeed written in the Lamb's Book of Life! The Fall Feasts Of Israel 12 Return To Zion

13 Scriptures 26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 "Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath." Leviticus 23: "On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work, 8 but you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old: see that they are without blemish. 9 And their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, The Fall Feasts Of Israel 13 Return To Zion

14 10 a tenth for each of the seven lambs: 11 also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings." Numbers 29: But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." Hebrews 9:11-14 The Fall Feasts Of Israel 14 Return To Zion

15 Quick Facts Falls in the Jewish Calendar on the 10th of the seventh month, Tishrei. This year, 2015, these dates equate to our September 22nd, at sundown till the 23rd at sundown plus additional time to ensure the fasting day is not breached too early. At its end, a shofar is usually sounded to mark the conclusion of the fast and solemnities. Yom Kippur, also known as the Day Of Atonement, is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. It is not a feast day in the sense of celebration as other feasts, rather to be a day of affliction of both soul and body. It is the only day of fasting the Mosaic Law prescribes. It is also known as the Sabbath of Sabbaths, given its utter solemnity before the Lord. Ten days before Yom Kippur, the Feast of Trumpets marks the start of the High Holy Days. The ten intervening days between Trumpets and Yom Kippur signify an important time of introspection in preparation for the judgement of God and the writing of one in the Book Of Life or otherwise. On Yom Kippur, the verdict is given to a man's righteous standing and hence it marks an imperative to be right with God when this verdict is given by the Almighty on Yom Kippur for the coming year. On this holiest of days, even secular or non-observant Jews observe fasting and the cessation of work and other activities outside the home. It is in fact a national holiday by statute. Synagogue attendance is very high and in Israel today, traffic is limited to emergency services only. It was on a Yom Kippur, October 6th 1973, that Israel underwent another attack by hostile Arab neighbours, exploiting the national quiet within Israel. It was a war that took Israel several days and loss of life to recover from before turning around the situation and repelling the Arab coalition armies. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 15 Return To Zion

16 Meaning Of The Feast Above all, it is supremely a day to beseech divine forgiveness and that divine clemency be granted. The Day Of Atonement is not a feasting day. There are no foods associated with it as it is to be a day of fasting, which is the afflicting of the body. It is a time to seek forgiveness from God for sins of commission and omission in the past year. To reflect deeply on one's life: actions, words and thoughts with an eye toward the judgement of God. Therefore, the occasion demands an afflicting of one's soul, to be made right before God by following the prescribed means to obtain His forgiveness. In the days when the Temple and the sacrifices were functioning, observance more closely resembled the Biblical commands for the keeping the Day. After the Second Temple's destruction and removal of the burnt offerings, rabbinical Judaism has provided other frameworks for how the same end of forgiveness can be sought and obtained. In the New Testament, the book of Hebrews takes Christ's atoning death as it's chief theme, linking much of its commentary to both the meaning and significance that the Day of Atonement was a shadow of, and that found fulfilment in Christ's death. We could say the death of Jesus Christ was perhaps the most singular important event in human history. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 16 Return To Zion

17 Practice & Traditions In biblical times, when the Tabernacle and then the Temples stood, sacrifice was a daily obligation on Israel's priesthood to maintain. There were daily sacrifices to be performed within the priestly service but on Holy days, like Yom Kippur, special requirements for offerings had to be performed. The central themes of Yom Kippur is of Covering and Substitution; the prescribed sacrifices in Leviticus 23 deal with the removal of culpability before God, both on a personal and national level. The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, once a year, to offer first a substitutionary sacrifice for Himself. It was important that the priest be covered by blood sprinkling on the mercy seat first before he could offer atonement for the sins of the nation. He wore special garments of linen, symbolising purity. No other individual was permitted by the Law to enter the Holy of Holies; it was sacred ground and only the anointed high priest of God, in that office, could so. When that was done, he would enter a second time to offer for the sins of the people. The high priest offered a young bull for his own sins and household and also a ram for the burnt offering. The sacrifices for the people were to be two goats; one for a sin offering and the second as a scapegoat. This was then followed by a ram for a burnt offering. Blood from the offerings was sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, such an act cleansing the High Priest and the people of their sins before God. On the matter of the two goats for the people, these were chosen for the occasion by lot; one would be a sin offering and the other, called 'Azazel' would be released into a desolate place. Upon this second one, Azazel, the High Priest laid his hands, confessed the sins of the nation before driving it out into wilderness. It was the 'scapegoat' - carrying the sins in place of the people, bearing away their sins into the wilderness. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 17 Return To Zion

18 Only when blood had been shed and sprinkled, could atonement be made for the sins of the people. In Mishnah Yoma 8:1, (a Mishnaic and Talmudic tractate), five things are to be abstained from on this day: food and drink, bathing, use of oil on the body (anointing), leather shoes, and sexual intercourse. Leviticus outlines very specific instructions in regard to the sacrifices to be offered on this day; for both the administering High Priest, first, and then secondly the substitutionary offering for the sins of the people. Within the Messianic Jewish community, observance varies dependant upon individual conviction: "Yom Kippur can be somewhat of a conundrum to Jewish believers in Y'shua. Do we fast and confess our sins like the rest of the Jewish community or do we rejoice in the knowledge that we're forgiven in Messiah? Many Jewish believers view Yom Kippur as a time for identification with our Jewish people, introspection for ourselves and intercession for loved ones, knowing all the while that Jesus is the One that makes us at one with God." From Jews For Jesus, Yom Kippur. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 18 Return To Zion

19 Messianic & Prophetic Fulfilment Jesus the High Priest, is the only one who could enter the veil and offer on behalf of those He would redeem. He offered His own blood as a substitute for man's life. Only with the shedding and sprinkling of blood could atonement be made for people under the Old Covenant and the NT: "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:22 It points to Yeshua's removing of the sins of His people, the Church, His Bride, once and forever. Not a repeated, daily or annual offering of Himself to God, but once for all time, covering those who are the called and elect of God. Christ, as the supreme and final High Priest, about whom the OT office of High Priest typifies, sprinkled His blood on the altar in the Holy of Holies. He made intercession for us and has now sat down at the right hand of God: 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God...14 for by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." Hebrews 10:12,14 The blood of animals as a means to procure forgiveness can never satisfy God's demand righteousness. If they could, why would they be offered up year after year? The Day of Atonement was only a shadow, an Old Testament type of the coming fulfilment of those offerings by one, perfect sacrifice, that would forever satisfy the demands of both the Law and the righteousness of God. The mercy seat, which was the covering of the Ark of the Covenant, signifying God's presence, was sprinkled with the shed blood. See Hebrews 10:1-4 The Fall Feasts Of Israel 19 Return To Zion

20 The danger that the Israelites fell into, and into which we can too, is the repetition of certain acts that simply become a mechanistic response, religious and void of any heart change. Merely performing the external rites does not, in God's eyes, effect the forgiveness that was to be offered through those same rituals. The prophets of the Old Testament were are pains to point this out to the religious leaders in Jerusalem and Israel, who put much effort into the superficial practise of outer religion but denied the inner convictions and sincere heart response to God. See Isaiah 1:11ff The means, once and for all, was the offering of Jesus Christ Himself as the propitiation of sin, of all who come to Him as their atonement. It was not the blood of animals, but Christ's own blood, sinless, guiltless, offered up to God as the atonement for His people to which the Old Testament looked toward. This, the writers of the New Testament made abundantly clear. When Christ died on Calvary, the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was rent in two. The shedding of Christ's blood was accepted by God as final, the perfecting of the sacrificial system as a means of atonement for the people. The way was now open permanently for all to come before God, to seek and receive forgiveness by virtue of Christ's shed and sprinkled blood. Since then, God has not sought another means by which the Law maybe satisfied for the atoning of one's guilt before Him. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness and the divine Presence is open to all those who so come to the Lord on these terms. Some see a future, great Tribulation fulfilled through this Feast in national Israel; pressing times that will afflict both body and soul of the Jewish people. This may be alluded to in the Lord's intended dealings with Israel, outlined in Hosea 5:15-6:3: "I will go to My place until...in their affliction they will seek Me earnestly..." The Fall Feasts Of Israel 20 Return To Zion

21 Through such tribulation, Israel returns to the Lord as prophesied in Zechariah 12:10. This day of return is the climax of the soul searching, confession of national sin and heartfelt repentance of Israel before God, leading to forgiveness and the acknowledgement of Yeshua as the Messiah. In like manner, the scapegoat of Yom Kippur may be rightly likened to Jesus as bearing away the sins of His people. The sins of the people were confessed over this goat, symbolically transferring the people's guilt on to the goat. The goat was then sent out alone into the wilderness or designated place to bear away the sins of the people. Our sins were laid upon Him. Jesus' life was offered up outside the city walls, "outside the camp", for our atonement, that we might escape the wrath of God. Isaiah's moving fifty third chapter foresees this prophetic fulfilment: 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. " Isaiah 53:4-6 The Fall Feasts Of Israel 21 Return To Zion

22 Summary For Jewish people seeking remission of sin, it is a tense time: will one be forgiven? Will one's name be written once more in the Book of Life? In practice, there seems no assurance either way of one's status before God. It only encourages more good works and resolutions to do better in the coming year. For the believer, the knowledge of assurance of sins forgiven and right standing with God (righteousness) is not based on what we can do or will do. If the whole redemptive work is of Christ from start to end, then that is sufficient for all time. Religion places the emphasis on what man can do for God. I do not know any other religious belief system, outside of Christianity, that stresses free grace as the means of approaching God. All firmly push individual effort as the means to earn divine clemency and forgiveness. If this is true, then that individual had better hope that what he/she does is sufficient in the final reckoning on Judgement Day. The common basis for man's reckoning himself of right moral standing is solely based on a comparative view of how he performs next to those around or usually below him. No, he is not a murderer, an adulterer, nor evil, but basically a good guy. He prides himself on being balanced, occasionally altruistic and the first to respond to a media appeal for money. He may even attend a church for all his life. Yet in this he errs. He has set his own standard by which he compares himself to, not what God determines as the standard. By the spirit level of his own life, vindication is guaranteed; he takes pride that he is a good man and finds it easy to justify himself against the flaws and misdemeanours of those around him. However, the standard of righteousness is not our neighbour, Mother Teresa, a pastor, nor the most outstanding human being we know or who ever lived; it is Christ, the ultimate Holy One, as revealed in the Scriptures. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 22 Return To Zion

23 Christ is the plumb line, the touchstone, the measure of righteousness that God expects from all people. As none can achieve that standard by their own works, we must let the finished work of Christ be imputed to us and thereby stand covered by His righteousness alone. It is this divine exchange by which, when appropriated to us by God, reconciles us to Him, restoring our original relationship to the Creator. Hostilities end and we are at peace once more with God. Not as the cause, but as the consequence, can we know live out this righteousness daily before God. This is not merely a positional truth, it is to be experientially known too. So, in application of Atonement to the believer, we can see how: - We are no longer culpable for the penalty of sin. - Christ has paid the ransom in exchange for our release from the debt of sin. - Christ has suffered in our place for the punishment that God's justice demands. - Through Christ's atoning death, the Law is satisfied for the believer. - Christ's righteousness is imputed to the believer and in this, he/she stands before God, atoned for. Consequently, we are put back in right relationship with God; justified and reconciled. Through the offering of Jesus' blood for us, we have forgiveness of sin and the way to God, through the Holy of Holies, is now permanently open for all who will call upon His name. Jesus, the great and final High Priest cried: "It is finished..." (John 19:30)...and so it is. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 23 Return To Zion

24 Scriptures 33 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the LORD. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work." Leviticus 23: On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in The Fall Feasts Of Israel 24 Return To Zion

25 booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23: Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them." Zechariah 14:16-17 The Fall Feasts Of Israel 25 Return To Zion

26 Quick Facts Falls in the Jewish Calendar on the 15th of the seventh month, Tishrei. This year, 2015, these dates equate to our September 27th, at sundown, till October 4th at sundown. Seven days in total although in later times an independent but connected eighth day was appended to the Feast. According to Deuteronomy 16:16, Succot, Passover and Shavout, form the three great pilgrim feasts where all males were to go up to Jerusalem and participate in the sacrifices and celebrations of the Temple. Many others came from the other regions of the Land and beyond, the Diaspora, to join in the communal festivities in Jerusalem. Succot is known more commonly outside of Israel as the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a joyful, community oriented celebration where families build booths (Succahs) and eat some or all of their meals in the brightly decorated booths for the seven days of the Feast's duration. The interiors are often fashioned with imagery associated with fruits typical to the produce of the harvest immediately preceding Succot. Colour, imagination in the construction and hospitality to guests symbolise the joys of the week. There is really no other time like it in Israel! In contrast to the sobriety of Yom Kippur, Succot is, above all other Holy occasions, celebrated with joy, as God explicitly commanded that this Feast be enjoined with a sense of gratitude and rejoicing, looking forward to the blessing God would pour out as a result: 14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the LORD your God at the place that the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful." (Emphasis mine) Deuteronomy 16:14-15 This feast is also known as the Feast of Booths on account of the temporary booths, shelters or succah's used during the seven days, prescribed by Leviticus 23:42. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 26 Return To Zion

27 It is furthermore called the Feast of Ingathering, (Exodus 23:16), as it closes an important event in Israel's agricultural calendar: the traditional first gathering of the fruits of the ground and of the grain harvest. Among the reaped produce would be corn, oil and wine. It was important for the people to express gratitude to God for the harvest and to acknowledge that all their provision came from His hand. 13 You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress." Deuteronomy 16:13 In a number of places in the Bible, it is simply known as 'The Feast', because it was so widely known and attended. The Dedication of Solomon's Temple took place during this Feast - God came to 'tabernacle' with man: And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month." 1 Kings 8:2 Succot marks the end of the Fall Feasts that began with the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh HaShanah, fifteen days previously. The whole period of three weeks brought Israel through repentance and atonement to thanksgiving. Throughout the Biblical period, observing Succot appears to be a bit of a hit or miss affair, often falling into a state of neglect. According to Nehemiah 8:17, only when the exiles had returned from captivity, was the Feast re-instituted correctly with the constructing of booths, after centuries of non-observance in Israel, "...for from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so..." See also Ezra 3:4 Consequently, the reading of the Law by Ezra in Jerusalem seems to have effected a remarkable religious awaking in the assembled people. Booths were raised and the national covenant with God was once more renewed at this time. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 27 Return To Zion

28 However, there seems to have been a period when Solomon, at least, ensured the Feast was publicly acknowledged with the Mosaic offerings as recorded in 2 Chronicles 8:13, but without the temporary dwellings commanded, a central requirement for its commemoration. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 28 Return To Zion

29 Meaning Of The Feast Succot looks back to the wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years after God's miraculous deliverance of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage. The hardship endured during those years in makeshift shelters was brought back to their remembrance as they built shelters from palm fonds and other branches. There, in the wilderness, God provided for their daily needs: food, protection and shelter. Remarkable, considering the length of time that the wandering took from the departure out of Egypt to the crossing of the Jordan under Joshua, some forty years later. The temporality of life was foremost presented here - the wilderness years for Israel were a terrible waste and trial. The Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey, was the ultimate destination of those who had been emancipated from Egyptian servitude, not the desert. Therefore, the booths were a continual reminder of transience until the permanence of realising God's promises and full provision in the place that He had chosen for His people. But the booths, more than privation, looked surely more on the protection and merciful sustaining of the Lord, His sheltering of His people as often Scripture alludes to: For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock." Psalm 27:5 And here too: There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain." Isaiah 4:6 It is also a Feast that is to be celebrated with much thanksgiving to God, on account of the bountiful harvest of the fields - an occasion for remembering the Lord's goodness, provision and providence in the necessities of Israel. As such, it is the most joyous event, marked with enthusiasm, song and praise. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 29 Return To Zion

30 Practice & Traditions During the Feast of Tabernacles, Jerusalem was transformed into a glorious riot of colour, noise, activity, dancing, singing, crowded streets and a packed Temple complex. Every possible area was covered in boughs of citron, palm fonds, myrtle and willow twigs. Houses, roads, public buildings, courtyards and gardens all enthusiastically stylised into the motifs of the Feast. It was a time to renew acquaintance with family and friends; to hear and exchange news from those outside the Land; to strengthen national feelings and the sense of the nation's calling and privileges before God. A truly electrifying festive atmosphere pervaded the city throughout the seven days. In the courtyards of the Temple, particularly the Court of the Women, leaders and people danced. Torches were lit and hung up to provide illumination all around. The Hallel Psalms (Psalm ) were recited and response given by those present. From the Court of Women fifteen steps or ascents led up to the Court of Israel. Upon each step a Psalm was read. These were called the Psalms of Ascent from Psalm 120 through to and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written." 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God..." Nehemiah 8: And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days." Leviticus 23:40 A citron, (Hebrew 'etrog'), is held with the boughs of myrtle, willow and palm branch, (the lulav) and brought into the synagogue daily during the Feast. Collectively know as the Four Species, these are then waved in the four directions of north, east, south and west, declaring that God's presence is everywhere. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 30 Return To Zion

31 The etrog must be perfect in form and texture and the Orthodox areas of Jerusalem witness fastidious inspection of the etrog to ensure it is of the highest possible quality. This also means the prices of such a simple citron fruit can be astronomical. Such is the zeal to observe it to the Law. In Biblical times of this Feast, sacrifices were mandated that required bulls (70 in total), rams and lambs to be offered every day. In fact, more burnt offerings were offered during this Feast than any other. To this were also added the regular meat and drink offerings. It must have been quite a spectacle for the worshippers in the Temple area. It was a fitting way to express thanksgiving to God through such quantity of offerings as the yearly harvests were now in. You can find out what the specific animal offerings and quantity were in Numbers 29: The Feast itself is prescribed as seven days duration but a separate eighth day is connected with Succot. This has become known as Shmini Atzeret, the 'assembly of the eighth day.' It does not make use of the Four Species as above but has its own traditions and mode of observance. The rabbis taught that the Almighty had so enjoyed hosting the people during the seven days of Succot, He gave this eighth day to hold them back from returning home and to enjoy one more day with Him. We read in Leviticus 23:36: On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work." Confusingly, in Israel, this eighth day is also called Simchat Torah, 'the Rejoicing of the Law'. This particular day sees the conclusion of the yearly Torah reading cycle, Genesis through Deuteronomy. The last Torah portion is read from Deuteronomy 34 followed by the first chapter in Genesis, beginning the cycle of Torah once more. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 31 Return To Zion

32 Processions are made around synagogues carrying the Torah scrolls, accompanied by singing and dancing. For this reason, and for the joy of having the Law, this particular observance is called a 'rejoicing of the Law'. Prayers at the end of Succot, acknowledged the gathered harvest but also petitioned God for rain in the coming season. In a dry middle eastern climate this was critical for Israel's agriculture. This can also be seen by all the region's religions and cults that placed such great, yet gross idolatrous emphasis on fertility, rain and the harvest. A ritual of a water libation poured out in the Temple, in the period of the Second Temple, bears witness to the importance for bountiful rain through the winter months. It carried more prophetic significance as we shall see when we explore the significance of the water libation in the next section. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 32 Return To Zion

33 Messianic & Prophetic Fulfilment Jesus was present for the duration of a particular Succot in Jerusalem. We find Him among the people in the Temple area teaching: "About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching." John 7:14 But on the very last, significant, day of the Feast, Jesus made two of His most famous, and clearly, prophetic statements. The last day was called 'Hoshana Rabbah', the great Hosannah, the Great Salvation: 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37-38 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 Why are these claims deemed so significant? To understand these in context, we must first look at additional ceremonies that were performed in the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles. The Symbolism Of Water It was a custom at Succot that during the Feast, a priest would draw water from the nearby Pool of Siloam, bring it through the Water Gate to the court then to the altar. This act was accompanied by singing from Isaiah 12:3, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Upon this altar, there were two basins of silver with small openings at each bottom. Into one, was poured wine and into the other, was poured the water libation. Once the water was poured, it flowed through a system of pipes into the Kidron Valley. This water ritual was a remembrance of the water that flowed from the rock for Israel in the wilderness years but also a hint of the Messianic Kingdom when: The Fall Feasts Of Israel 33 Return To Zion

34 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter." Zechariah 14:8 Here, too, we see a foreshadowing of the Holy Spirit that would be poured into those who would believe in Jesus, fulfilled at Pentecost with the birth of the Church. When Jesus cried, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink", He was offering the very Spirit of God, something far more glorious than the traditions of men at hand. It would be life giving, life transforming and life eternal. He drew the attention away from the objects of the ritual and transformed their real meaning to a revelation about His identity and His kingdom mission. The meaning of His message was not lost on those gathered around Him; they understood what He was alluding to and claiming. The pouring out of the water at the altar was also a prophetic gesture, infused with meaning of the coming of the Lord, when "the knowledge of God would fill the earth as the waters cover the sea." Isaiah 11:9 The Symbolism Of Light Additionally, during this time, four great lights were placed upon stands, illuminating the whole courtyard area. People lit torches and carried them up high, circling the Temple. It would have been dazzling to see the light thrown in all directions of the immediate vicinity and beyond the city walls. At this moment, Jesus again personalised the lamps to His own person and mission, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." This is the One that gives light unto the world, as John declared: 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men... 9 the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. John 1:4,9 The Fall Feasts Of Israel 34 Return To Zion

35 It was foreshadowed in the pillar of blazing light that guided Israel through the wilderness years. God was acknowledged as the light of the world. From a portion in Bamidbar Rabbah: "The Israelites said to God, O Lord of the universe, thou commandest us to light lamps to thee, yet thou art the light of the world: and with thee the light dwelleth." See also Luke 2:32 and Daniel 2:22 Jesus intentionally made the connection between Himself and that very light, the wisdom and illumination of God. Not surprisingly, the leaders who heard this statement were highly offended. The Gentiles The Feast of Tabernacles holds a special place for the Gentile nations. The seventy bulls offered during the seven feast days were representative of the seventy Gentile nations, mentioned in Genesis 10. The Talmud explains that for these seventy nations, representative of the whole world, seventy bulls were offered for their atonement before the Lord. Today, many Christians from around the world attend Feast of Tabernacles events and gatherings in Jerusalem to celebrate this Feast. Many of these groups do so from a conviction to adhere to the words of Zechariah: 16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them." Zechariah 14:16-17 Taken literally, in the Millennium reign of the Messiah, Gentile nations will be required to go up to Jerusalem and there to worship the Lord during this Feast. In this period, both Jew and Gentile will worship God and His chosen Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 35 Return To Zion

36 Jerusalem shall be the Kingdom capital and the words of Isaiah will find their fitting fulfilment during the restoration of the earth in these times: the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it..." Isaiah 2:2 It is perhaps for these reasons, that many Gentiles today, have already started to make Tabernacles a time of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, in anticipation of these words. Ingathering Of The Final Harvest And Messiah's Return A major theme we have already covered of this Feast is that of the ingathering of the final harvest of the year. As every other major feast, in one form or another, fulfils Messianic expectation, we again find in Tabernacles a fitting climax to the Lord's redemptive work and Second Coming. Will Jesus return at Tabernacles - where He will 'tabernacle' with man, establish the manifest presence of the Lord, the Shekinah, upon the earth once more? It seems that Tabernacles by its very nature implies that this Feast, more than any other, should be the most likely season in fulfilling His return to earth to establish His Kingdom. Between Shavuot and Tabernacles, the workers were in the fields labouring for the fruit that would be gathered in at harvest time. Likewise, observe the pattern: the planting of the seeds of the Kingdom. Then the labourers in the fields, working diligently to ensure a crop. Then finally, the joyful harvesting of the fruit that had been sown and laboured over. Tabernacles hints at the great reaping of the earth and the ingathering of the redeemed from the four corners of the world - assembled before the Lord, with palm branches in their hands. See Revelation 7:9-17 Tabernacles marks the Lord's return at the close of the Age, after the harvest is gathered. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 36 Return To Zion

37 While it is clear that Jesus was not born on Christmas Day, in all likelihood He was borne during this this feast. This makes more sense given that He would 'tabernacle' among men: And the Word became flesh and dwelt (TABERNACLED) among us..." (emphasis mine) John 1:14 He fulfilled Passover and Shavuot as the true prophetic type. It seems only fitting that the third Great Feast, Tabernacles, Jesus fulfilled by His first coming among us, and surely, at Tabernacles once more, the earth will see His return to once more dwell with man. The Fall Feasts Of Israel 37 Return To Zion

38 Summary The Feast of Tabernacles is truly a wondrous time to remember God's provision and protection of us. We also do well to consider the transience of life, where nothing is permanent in this world outside of God. We are merely steward pilgrims on earth, progressing toward the permanence of God in eternity and the renewing of the heavens and the earth. For this we look and unto this, Succot so succinctly teaches us. See Hebrews 11:9,13 The Lord Himself will fulfil the typology of Tabernacles upon His return and it seems biblically feasible that at this Feast time, He will do so with the great ingathering of His elect into His Kingdom, where once more, the Lord 'tabernacles' with man. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the TABERNACLE of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (emphasis mine) Revelation 21:3-4 KJV The Fall Feasts Of Israel 38 Return To Zion

39 About Return To Zion Return To Zion Ministries mission is to provide sound biblical teaching and strategic analysis and insights into contemporary global events; to declare the full counsel of God concerning His prophetic purposes for His Church, the nations and particular emphasis on the restoration of Israel in these days and our response to His activity today; ultimately the consummation of all things when the Lord "returns to Zion". Zechariah 8:-2-3 To find out more about us and our mandate, please visit our website: Our online content includes articles, teaching, audio, video and guest contributions aimed at informing you about relevant biblical and contemporary issues. In addition, we organise tours to Israel annually. Our website has details of any planned tours in the future and how you can join us for a trip of a lifetime! To make contact with us, please us: [email protected]. The Lord bless you from Zion! The Fall Feasts Of Israel 39 Return To Zion