When is the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Sukkot in 2023?
The Feast of Tabernacles, according to most calendars will start at sundown on Friday, September 29th, 2023, and end at sundown on Friday, October 6th, 2023.
What is the Feast of Tabernacles?
The Feast of Tabernacles is a very important Biblical Feast and is one of only three Feast where the Israelites were commanded to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate and observe the appointed time. We can see the commandment in the book of Leviticus.
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 23:39-43 KJV
The Feast of Tabernacles is a beautiful picture of God dwelling among His people. Our blessed hope is that Jesus, our Saviour, will soon return, where He will dwell with us forever. This is the ultimate fulfillment of the appointed time. However, it should be noted, there has already been a partial fulfillment during the first advent of the Messiah.
What really makes the Feast of Tabernacles interesting is that it seems to be the only Feast wherein during the Kingdom of Messiah, the entire world will be expected to observe it, or be punished through the withholding of rain! This is extremely fascinating. We can see this prophecy in the book of Zechariah.
16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. Zechariah 14:16-17 KJV
To Israel, the Feast of Tabernacles was a reminder of how God brought them out of Egypt, and how they dwelt in tents or booths in the wilderness for forty years, and how God was among them and eventually brought them into a land of their own. The Sukkot, which is a temporary dwelling, is also a reminder to us all, that just like the Sukkot, our lives here on earth are also temporary. In the book of Nehemiah, we see a beautiful picture and example of the Feast of Tabernacles being lived out by the Israelites who had recently returned to the land after the Babylonian captivity.
13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. 14 And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: 15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. 16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner. Nehemiah 8:13-18 KJV
For the Christian, the Feast of Tabernacles is a reminder of how the Son of God walked the earth and gave His life as a ransom for many. How he paid for our sins on the old wooden cross, becoming the Passover Lamb of God, and how He is coming again to gather us to Himself, where we will be comforted for all eternity.
We can see a picture of our great King reigning and ruling and dwelling among His people in the book of Revelation.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Revelation 20:4-6 KJV
Oh, how we long to see the fulfillment of this great Feast of Yehovah. Oh, how we long to tabernacle with our God and He with us! Maranatha, come quickly, LORD Jesus, come quickly.
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