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15-21 Etanim-the 7 month

Lev.23:34-43, (…) On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before Jehovah your God for seven days.(…)Live in booths for seven days; All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. This is one of three pilgrim feasts (besides the Pesach-the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks) that every Israelite had to come to Jerusalem. It is a harvest feast of the olives, figs.

There are four kinds of fruits God ordered them to bring that day: Etrog- fruit from a precious tree: has a sweet, good flavour and beautiful aroma-it symbolizes a person who knows the Torah and performs it. Lulav – not developed palm branch-has a sweet fruit but without aroma- it is someone who knows the Word but does not have deeds. Myrtle-without flavour, but with nice aroma-like people who don`t know the Torah, but make good things. Willow twigs- without flavour and aroma- people who don`t know the Torah and don`t do good works.

John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (…). The Greek word skene- translated here as dwelling, means literally to dwell in a tent. It suggests that just in the first day of Sukkot Jesus dwelled – was born and came into this world. So, Sukkot is the real Christmas.

Sukkot tells about entering the Promised Land and dwelling in the houses God gave to Israelites. This feast wasn`t celebrated in the dessert. The Israelites had to live in tents in the Promised Land, celebrating what God gave them in the new land.

The tabernacle of Moses, according to the tradition, was finished in the Sukkot. Then the glory of Jehovah descended and settled down with the people of Israel.

2Cor. 5:1-10, We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.(…) therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body, we are away from Jehovah: we live by faith , not by sight. Our earthly bodies are the tents where we live and the Holy Spirit during our journey to the promised land- heaven. Like the Patriarchs. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebr.11:9-16, on this earth we are just the pilgrims.

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive (…) John 7:37-39. On the last day of the Sukkot they prayed for rain for good harvest in the next year. That day Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit, who brought this rain for good harvest of God.

Zmam Simkhatenu- time of joy, Sukkot is the time of weddings. Time for the Lamb Wedding, Rev. 19:1-9 (…) For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. The bride is everyone who choses to have time in life to serve God. Those who chose to do well but not the best things-that is serving God-will be just guests, Luke14:15-24. In the Matthew Gospel chapter 25, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins. All were the brides-but only five of them became wives. Why? Because of life choices they didn`t have enough oil-the Holy Spirit. They didn`t serve God and that`s why at the end He announced He didn`t know them.

During the feast of Sukkot Jesus will come again in the visible way on the earth- as the king of Israel. These feasts will be celebrated particularly in the Millennium Kingdom. Would it be because of Jesus victory over antichrist? Zech.14(…)Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.(..)If this feast is celebrated during the Millennium Kingdom- when Jesus with His Bride will reign on the earth, why would we think and behave as if it didn`t have to be celebrated also now? These are not the Jewish feasts. These are the feasts of Jehovah.


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