The Hebrew word for tabernacle is sukkah. It means “a booth, a hut, a covering, a pavilion or tent.” The Greek word for tabernacle is sk’en’e, which also means “a tent, hut, or habitation.” Following are some examples of the context by which the word tabernacle is used in the New Testament.
1. Jesus tabernacled among us (John 1:14).
2. Peter spoke about his body being a tabernacle (2 Pet. 1:13-14).
3. The apostle Paul told us that our earthly bodies were earthy houses or tabernacles (2 Cor. 5:1-5)
4. The tabernacle of Moses was a tent of habitation (Acts 7:44; Heb. 9:2-8).
5. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tabernacles (tents) (Heb. 11:8-9).
6. The tabernacle of David was a tent or dwelling place (Acts 15:16; Amos 9:11). This tabernacle was the temple of Solomon (1 Kings 5:2-5;8:1-21).
7. Jesus entered the temple on the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2,27-29).
8. The Bible speaks of a heavenly tabernacle (Heb. 8:1-2; Rev. 13:6; 15:5). This heavenly tabernacle will come to earth (Rev. 21:1-3).
9. Jesus was the true tabernacle of God (Heb. 9:11).
So, the booth was a temporary dwelling place. Historically, it was to remind the people of their exodus from Egypt as described in Lev. 23:42-43. Prophetically, the booth points toward the future to the Messianic Age, the Millennium. Spiritually, a booth is supposed to remind us that we are but strangers and pilgrims on the earth, this being a temporary dwelling place (Heb. 11:8-10,13-16; Gen. 23:3-4; 47:9; 1 Chron. 29:10,15; Psa. 39:12; 119:19; 1 Pet. 1:17; 2:11).
To the believer in Jesus, our earthly physical body is only a temporary tabernacle. At the coming of Jesus, we will receive a new and heavenly house, a glorified body (1 Cor. 15:39-44,51-57; 2 Cor. 5:6; 1 Thess. 4:15-18).
THE FESTIVAL OF INGATHERING
Tabernacles is the fall harvest festival. It begins on the fifteenth of Tishrei and concludes on the twenty-second.
Like the other pilgrimage festivals, tabernacles has an agricultural element. It marks the time of the harvest, the final ingathering of produce before the oncoming winter.
Tabernacles is the time when the produce of the field, orchard, and vineyard is gathered in. The granaries, threshing floors, and wine and olive presses are full to capacity. Weeks and months of toil and sweat put into the soil have finally been amply rewarded while all of the three pilgrimages are times of rejoicing. Tabernacles is specifically designated as the season of our rejoicing.
THE FEAST OF DEDICATION
King Solomon dedicated the temple during Tabernacles (1 Kings 3). Therefore, this festival is also called the Feast of Dedication. It was celebrated after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 3:1-4).
THE FEAST OF THE NATIONS
Another name for the Feast of Tabernacles is the Feast of the Nations. Tabernacles will be celebrated by all the nations on earth during the Messianic age, the Millennium (Zech. 14:16-18). The universal concern of God’s plan for the Jewish people reaches back to the covenant with Abraham. In that agreement, God promised in Genesis 12:3 “all families of the earth shall be blessed through his seed.” From Abraham, God would raise up a people, Israel, to be a blessing to the nations. That promise was fulfilled through Jesus as stated in Gal. 3:8,14,16,29. In fact, the greatest evangelism in the history of the world will be by 144,000 anointed Jews of God proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven through Jesus (Rev. 14:1-7).
A fascinating and mysterious pattern becomes evident from the seemingly endless list of sacrifices found in Num. 29:12-35. During the week of Tabernacles, 70 bullocks were offered on the altar. The connection of the 70 bulls to the 70 nations is taken from Deut. 32:8; Gen. 46:27; and Ex. 1:1-5. Again, the association of the nations of the world to Tabernacles is found in Zech. 14:16-19.
When Jacob and his family went to Egypt, there were 70 people who went, and it was there that they became a nation. The nations of the world are associated with Tabernacles in 1 Kings 8:41-43 when Solomon dedicated the temple during Tabernacles. For this reason, the festival is also called the Feast of the Nations.
Another fascinating thing about the sacrifices during Tabernacles is that when the offerings are grouped or counted, their number always remains divisible by seven. During the week there are 182 sacrifices (70 bullocks, 14 rams, and 98 lambs; 7 divides into 182 exactly 26 times). Add to this the meal offerings, 336 tenths of ephahs of flour (48 x 7) (Num. 29:12-40). It is no coincidence that this seven day holiday, which takes place in the seventh month, had a perfect number, seven, imprinted on its sacrifices. Tabernacles is a picture of the Messianic Kingdom (Millennium) as the joy, and the number seven was connected to the sabbath, which was also seen as a picture of the Messianic Kingdom. The sabbath falls on the seventh day of the week.
Although God is concerned for the universal redemption of the nations, those nations who do not turn to God will be judged. Either they will not receive rain (Zech. 14:1-9,16-18), or rain will destroy them and be a curse on them (Eze. 38:22-23). This is why the traditional Bible reading for the second day of Tabernacles is Zech. 14 and Eze. 38:14 to 39:16.
ISRAEL: A LIGHT (WITNESS) TO THE NATIONS
Israel was chosen to be God’s light to the world (Deut. 7:6-8). The mission that God chose for Israel was one of service to God. The reason is very simple. God wanted a people out of the world whom He could use and work through to show His glory to the world. That is why He chose Israel and that is what every follower of Jesus is chosen to be. In doing so, God could reveal His redemptive plan to the whole world so the world could see that God and His Messiah Jesus are light (John 1:1-4; 1John 1:5). Israel was to be a witness (light) to the world (Isa. 43:1,10,12,14; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:1-8). Israel’s mission was to proclaim to the world that the God of Israel is the only true God and there is no other Savior but He (Acts 4:10,12).
Israel as a corporate nation failed in her mission to be a witness to the world. Not only were the people disobedient to the commandment of God, but they also did not become a light to the world. On the contrary, the world as a corporate people have always hated the Jewish people.
As individual members who believed and followed after God, the Jewish people were faithful to their task We only need t consider the faithfulness of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, and the kings such as David and Solomon. In fact, the very Bible you are able to read today was written by faithful Jewish servants of God led by the Holy Spirit of God. Most of all, the greatest light and witness the world has ever known was Jewish. His name is Jesus, the Messiah! Because Israel birthed the Messiah, they, in essence have been a blessing to all nations through Him (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:8,14,16,29).
Although Israel corporately failed in her mission, this is not a permanent failure. It is a temporary setback to her destiny of being a blessing to all nations, which will be accomplished during the thousand year reign of the Messiah known as the Messianic Kingdom or the Messianic Age. Israel still remains God’s chosen people (Rom. 11:25-29), and still has a role to play in the future of the world (Rom. 11:12,15). Isaiah spoke of a future time when Israel would be used by God to bring the message of Messiah to the nations, for the nation of Israel will have a central part in the thousand year reign of Jesus (Isa.62:1-5). Israel will be a blessing to all nations at this time (Mal. 3:12; Eze. 34:23-30; Zech. 8:11-15; Isa. 19:23-25). Jerusalem will be the spiritual focal point of the world and this time will be Israel’s “Golden Age,” during the Messianic era, because the King of Jerusalem, the Prince of Peace, will reign in Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2-4; 52:9-10; 62:7-8; Micah 4:1-3; Psa. 102:18-21; 125:1-2; 137:5-6). The day is coming when a restored and renewed Israel will once again be a light to the nations, for the destiny of Israel is linked to the destiny of the world.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS DURING TABERNACLES
The Scriptures seem to indicate to us that Jesus was born during the festival season of Tabernacles.
In Luke 1:5, Zachariah is a priest of the division of Abijah. What does this mean? Israel was divided into 24 districts at the time of Jesus. Each of these districts sent two representatives to officiate at the temple during the weeks of the year. In 1 Chron. 24, the first division of the priests would serve in the first week of the year, which would be both in the month of Nisan and the month of Tishrei since both months begin the new year.
During the third week in the month of Nisan, the priests from all 24 districts would come to the temple to help during the week of Passover. This would also be the case for the festival of Pentecost and for the festival of Tabernacles when all males were required to go to Jerusalem as specified by God in Deut. 16:16. In 1 Chron. 24:10, we see that abijah was the eighth division of priests. The division of abijah would minister during the tenth week of the year. The weeks of Passover and Pentecost would not be counted because all the priests were required to go to Jerusalem then.
In Luke 1:9-10, we see that Zachariah is burning incense. This is done in the room of the temple known as the Holy Place. As the incense (which represents the prayers of God’s people [Psa. 141:2; Rev. 8:3-4]) is being burned by the priests in the temple, 18 special prayers are prayed. These 18 prayers would be prayed every day in the temple. One of these prayers is that Elijah would come. This is important because it was understood by the people, as God established, that Elijah would precede the coming of the Messiah as stated in Malachi 4:5. These 18 special prayers would be prayed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. In Luke 1113, the angel appeared on the right side of the altar and told Zachariah that his prayer was heard and John the Baptist would be born. John the Baptist was not literally Elijah, but was of the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).
Allowing two weeks for the laws of separation that God commanded in Lev. 12:5; 15:19,24-25 after going back to the house (Luke 123) and then going forward nine months (Sivan [tenth week] + 2 weeks + 9 months) puts the birth of John during the festival of Passover. This is an extremely important point because during the service for Passover, which is called the Passover Seder, the people are instructed by God to go to the door during one part of the service and look for Elijah while the Passover meal is eaten. The cup is called the cup of Elijah. The understanding of Elijah preceding the coming of the Messiah was the basis for the question in Matt. 17:10-13.
In Luke 1:26 during the sixth month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. This should have been around the twenty-fifth of Kislev, otherwise known as Chanukah. If you calculate from the twenty-fifth of Kislev and add eight days for the festival of Chanukah plus nine months for Mary’s pregnancy, this will bring you around the time of the Festival of Tabernacles, or Tishrei 15. On Tishrei 22, known as the eighth day, Jesus was circumcised (Luke 2:22-23; Lev. 12:1-3).
Spiritual Significance. One of the most outstanding truths of the Feast of Tabernacles involves the seasonal rains in Israel. The prophet Joel tells us that the former and latter rain would come in the first month (Joel 2:23). This is because Passover is the first month in the religious or sacred calendar, and Tabernacles is the first month in the civil calendar. So Israel has two first months in the same year because of the special calendar that God set up in Exodus 12:2.
Hosea 6:3 tells us that the coming of the Messiah will be as the former and latter rain on the earth. Since it is possible that Jesus came to earth or was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, the first month of the civil calendar, and died at His first coming during the first month (Nisan) on the sacred calendar; it is also possible that His second coming will also be in the first month of the civil calendar, Tishrei. Jesus could return to earth during the fall of the year.
The rain is a type of the Holy Spirit being poured out upon flesh (Acts 2:1-8,14-21; Joel 2:23,28-29). The Word of God is likened to the rain (Deut. 32:1-3; Isa. 55:8-12; Eph. 5:26).
Jesus is the rain that came down from Heaven as well as the living water and the fountain of living water spoken of in John 4:4-6,10-14,20-24; and Rev. 21:6 and 22:1-5,17. Jesus desires that we drink of the water He gives, which results in everlasting life (John 4:14) that we might be filled (Matt. 5:6).
Rain also speaks of revival, restoration, and returning to God and trusting in Him. Just as the rain came after Elijah prayed seven times for it (1 Kings 18:41-46), the great rain or outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit will come when the believers in the Messiah will earnestly pray to God that it be done. God has already declared that He would pour out His Holy Spirit during the seventh month, which is a spiritual picture of the end of the age. So far, we have for the most part seen only showers of blessing (Eze. 34:26). The greatest outpouring of God’s Spirit is yet to come. The Feast of Tabernacles and the rain speaks of a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God, a universal outpouring of His Spirit. This outpouring will be accompanied by signs and wonders and manifestations of the gift of the Holy Spirit as well as a revelation and illumination of the Word of God beyond all that has ever been seen in the history of the congregation of believers in the Messiah. This outpouring will touch every nation, both Jew and non-Jew. The believer in the Messiah who is living at the time of the latter rain is called to seek the Lord and ask Him to send rain on the people of the earth (Zech. 10:1; Psa. 46:4; 65:9-10; Jer. 5:23-24; 31:10-14).
The fullness of this feast in the seventh month will be experienced at the coming of the Messiah when He will rule and reign on the earth during the Messianic age. This time will be a time of joy for all believers in Jesus and will be the age of Israel’s glory.
