Feast of Tabernacle
(Sukkot)

In the Old Testament, the feast of tabernacle was a time that the crops of the land have gathered in from the threshing floor and wine vat. The Israelites took foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches, boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, rejoiced before the Lord. (Leviticus 23:39-40)

The set up of booths was to commemorate the time in wilderness when the Israelites left Egypt.

Leviticus 23:43 (NASB1995)
so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Later in Jewish interpretations, the feast of booths is celebrated for the promise of God to dwell with Israel in the future as it had in the past.

Haggai 2:5-9 (NASB1995)
5 ‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’ 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts. 9 ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the Lord of hosts.”

Zephaniah 3:15 (NASB1995)
The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more.

The feast of booths is known as the feast of tabernacles, because tabernacle means to dwell.

The tabernacle, i.e. God’s Sanctuary, is the place that holds the presence of God.

This feast implies the expectation of the dwelling of God among men.

Zechariah 8:3 (NASB1995)
Thus says the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’

Ezekiel 37:26–27 (NASB1995)
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. 27 My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Isaiah 24:23 (NASB1995)
Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed,
For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.

This dwelling will also be in greater way as a canopy for defence and protection.

Isaiah 4:5 (NASB1995)
5 then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.
6 There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.

The word “canopy” in original Hebrew is חֻפֶּה (Strong’s 2646. Chuppah) which means chamber and defence.

John 1:14 (NASB1995)
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Birth of Jesus

The birth of Jesus was the first fulfilment of the Feast of Tabernacle.

Jesus, the Son of God, literally dwell among men.

As John wrote, Jesus tabernacled among us.

Millennial Reign With Christ

At the second coming of Jesus – after the marriage supper with the Church and the defeat of the beast, false prophet and Satan – the millennial reign of Jesus Christ begins.

This is the final fulfilment of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Those who were martyred, and those who had not received the mark of the beast, and those who had not worshipped the beast, would reign with Christ for 1,000 years.

Revelation 20:4-5 (NASB1995)
4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

As mentioned, God’s presence will be like a canopy (Strong’s 2646. Chuppah) which in original Hebrew means chamber and defence.

This word was also used in Psalm and Joel to describe the bride-chamber.

Psalm 19:5 (NASB1995)
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber [2646. Chuppah];
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

Joel 2:16 (NASB1995)
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber [2646. Chuppah].

This confirms the feast of tabernacle will be fulfilled after the Bride of Christ entered the marriage supper and came out with Christ at the final victorious battle. Hence marks the beginning of millennial reign with Christ.

This will be the final fulfilment of what Scripture prophesized that the presence of God dwell in all men, both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Amos 9:11–12 (NASB1995)
11 “In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David,
And wall up its breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom
And all the nations [Gentiles] who are called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.

Zechariah 2:11 (NASB1995)
Many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.

Isaiah 2:2-3 (NASB1995)
2 Now it will come about that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.

3 And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 66:18 (NASB1995)
For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.

Isaiah 56:6-7 (NASB1995)
6 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath
And holds fast My covenant;

7 Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

By then, all the enemies of the Lord will become a footstool for His feet. He will be King over all the earth, and all the kingdom of the world will be His.

Psalm 110:1 (NASB1995)
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

Hebrews 10:12-13 (NASB1995)
12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.

Revelation 11:15 (NASB1995)
Then the seventh angel sounded; 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 will reign forever and ever.”

Since with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3:8), the “day” here in Zechariah could point to 1,000 years which is Christ’s Millennial reign.

Zechariah 14:9 (NASB1995)
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.

Are you ready to reign with Jesus Christ?

Are you ready to be enthroned as a king to reign with the King of kings?