Why We Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles
Published on: 15.8.2023
By: David Parsons, ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem is preparing to host thousands of Christians in Israel once more for our joyous and colourful celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, from 29 September to 6 October 2023. Some may ask why these Christians are coming up to Jerusalem to keep this Feast? After all, isn’t this a “Jewish holiday”?

The answer lies in the universal significance of this ancient biblical festival, which has past, present and future relevance for all nations.

Every biblical holiday given to the Jewish people has these three aspects. Israel was commanded to observe the holiday in the present in order to remember something God has done in the past, and because of some future prophetic purpose hidden within each festival.

Thus, Jews begin Shabbat each week by lighting of two candles, which stand for “Keep” and “Remember”. In so doing, they remember today how God rested on the seventh day of Creation while also looking forward to the Millennial rest promised for the whole earth.

Likewise, Passover and Pentecost look back on the great Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the law at Sinai, while their hidden prophetic purposes were fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the Church fifty days later.

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Succot, is the third great annual pilgrimage festival when the Jewish people gather together in Jerusalem not only to remember God’s provision in the Wilderness but also to look ahead to that promised Messianic age when all nations will flow to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
A Feast for all People

Tabernacles is unique from the other pilgrimage festivals in that not just Jews but all nations were also invited in ancient times to come up to Jerusalem at this season to worship the Lord alongside the Jewish people. This tradition first arose from the command given to Moses that Israel should sacrifice seventy bulls at Succot, which were offered for the seventy nations descended from Noah (see Numbers 29:12-35).

When Solomon later dedicated his Temple at Succot, he also called on the Lord to hear the prayers of all the foreigners that would come there to pray (2 Chronicles 6:32-33). Thus, Jerusalem and the Temple itself were destined from the start to be a “house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13).

A second unique aspect of Succot is that it is a feast of joy. It is a fall harvest feast to be marked with great rejoicing in the ingathering of the fruit of the land. Israel also was called to instruct the nations in the laws of God and the people were to take joy in this task. Thus, Succot also serves as a harbinger of the joyous last-days ingathering of the nations.
The Past: Remembering the God of Provision
Sukkoth in Kfar Etzyon, Gush Etzyon, Israel.

The most visible symbol of Succot is the small hut or booth which the Israelites were commanded to dwell in for the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43). Jewish families across Israel build these booths on their patios and balconies, and decorate them with colourful fruit, ribbons and pictures. Some families eat their meals in the succah and even sleep there at night.

These flimsy booths serve as a reminder to Israel that they once dwelled in makeshift huts during their forty years in the Wilderness. It was a harsh environment and they were totally dependent on the Lord. Yet during that time, God was ever faithful to provide water, manna, quail and everything else needed to sustain them in the barren desert. He even was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night – a shade from the noon-day sun and then warmth and light in the darkness.

Indeed, He is Jehovah Jireh, the “Lord who Provides”, and He even provided Himself a sacrifice for our salvation (Genesis 22:14). So, there is every reason for Christians to also celebrate the faithful provision of the Lord in our lives at Succot.
The Present: Celebrating His Presence Today

Succot also marks the ingathering of the harvest at the end of the summer season, providing sustenance for the coming winter. This includes harvesting the ripened dates, grapes, figs, olives and pomegranates – among the seven species native to the Land. There also is at present a great harvest of souls from every corner of the world into the Kingdom of God. This too gives us reason to celebrate, as Christians from around the globe gather to worship the Lord together in Jerusalem at Succot.

It may surprise some, but Jesus also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. The Book of John, in chapter 7, tells us that one year the disciples went up to Jerusalem for Succot but Jesus stayed behind and then came up secretly. Then on the last “great day of the feast”, he stood in the Temple courts and cried out: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38)

So, Succot is a time for Christians to rejoice in the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our earthen vessels.
The Future: Entering the Joy of the Lord

The prophet Zechariah foretells of a time when all nations will ascend to Jerusalem from year to year to “worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16). Thus, we keep Succot now because of that future prophetic purpose hidden in this unique festival which will soon be revealed – and it has to do with the second coming of the Lord.

Throughout the Messianic Age, the entire world will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles because it will mark the return of Jesus to the earth. For a thousand years, we will look back on the day of his appearing to take up the throne of David in Jerusalem and to judge the world in righteousness and peace.

At that time all nations will be required to join in this yearly gathering, but for now it is voluntary. Yet when Christians flock to Jerusalem now to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, it serves as a powerful statement of faith that we believe that day is coming when the earth will finally be at rest in Messiah, the King of Israel.

For the past forty-three years, thousands of Christians from all over the world have come up to Jerusalem each fall to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. They come with much expectancy to take part in a dynamic worship experience, knowing the One we worship will soon be sitting on His throne in this great city. Indeed, celebrating Succot now gives us a foretaste of the joy of the age to come.

為什麼我們慶祝住棚節
發佈於：2023年8月15日
作者：David Parsons，ICEJ 副總裁兼高級發言人

「上來攻擊耶路撒冷的列國中所有剩下的人，要年年上來敬拜大君王－萬軍之耶和華，並守住棚節。」 撒迦利亞書 14:16

耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館正準備在2023年9月29日至10月6日期間再次接待以色列的數千名基督徒，慶祝住棚節的歡樂和豐富多彩。有些人可能會問為什麼這些基督徒要來到耶路撒冷慶祝這個節期？ 畢竟，這不是「猶太節期」嗎？

答案在於這個古老的聖經節日的普遍意義，它對所有國家的過去、現在和未來都具有重要意義。

給予猶太人的每一個聖經節期都包含這三個方面。以色列被吩咐在當前慶祝這個節日，以便記住上帝在過去所做的事情，並且因為每個節期中都隱藏著一些未來的預言目的。

因此，猶太人每週都會點燃兩根蠟燭來開始安息日，這代表「保持」和「記住」。 透過這樣做，他們今天記住了上帝如何在創造的第七天安息，同時也期待著為整個地上應許的千禧年安息。

同樣，逾越節和五旬節回顧了偉大的出埃及和西奈山頒布的律法，而它們隱藏的預言目的在耶穌的死亡和復活以及五十天後教會的誕生中得到了實現。

住棚節，或稱“Succot”，是一年一度的第三個大型朝聖節期，猶太人聚集在耶路撒冷，不僅是為了紀念上帝在曠野中的供應，也是為了展望那個應許的彌賽亞時代，屆時所有國家都會湧向耶路撒冷，迎接彌賽亞時代的來臨。敬拜主。

全民慶典

住棚節與其他朝聖節期的獨特之處在於，在古代，不僅猶太人，而且所有國家也都被邀請在這個季節來到耶路撒冷，與猶太人一起敬拜主。這一傳統最初源於摩西的命令，即以色列人應在蘇格獻祭七十頭公牛，這些公牛是為挪亞後裔的七十個民族獻祭的（見民數記29:12-35） 。

當所羅門後來在住棚節奉獻聖殿時，他還呼求主垂聽所有來到那裡祈禱的外邦人的祈禱（歷代志下 6:32-33）。 因此，耶路撒冷和聖殿本身從一開始就注定要成為「萬民禱告的殿」（以賽亞書 56:7；馬太福音 21:13）。

住棚節的第二個獨特之處是它是一場歡樂的慶典。 這是一場秋季豐收的慶典，人們會因收穫大地的果實而感到無比的喜悅。 以色列也被呼召去教導各國關於上帝的律法，而人民也會因這項任務而感到高興。 因此，住棚節也成為各國歡樂的末世聚集的預兆。

過去：記住供應之神

住棚節最明顯的象徵是以色列人被吩咐在住棚節的八天里居住的小茅屋或攤位（利未記 23:33-43）。 以色列各地的猶太家庭在他們的露台和陽台上建造這些攤位，並用色彩繽紛的水果、絲帶和圖畫裝飾它們。 有些家庭在棚子吃飯，甚至晚上也睡在那裡。

這些脆弱的攤位提醒以色列人，他們在曠野的四十年裡曾經住在臨時搭建的小屋裡。 那是一個艱苦的環境，他們完全依靠主。 然而在那段時間裡，上帝一直信實地提供了水、嗎哪、鵪鶉和其他一切需要的東西來維持他們在貧瘠的沙漠中的生活。他甚至白天是雲柱，晚上是火柱——遮蔽正午的陽光，然後在黑暗中溫暖和光明。

確實，祂是耶和華以勒，「供應的主」，祂甚至為我們的拯救獻上了自己的祭物（創世記22:14）。 因此，基督徒也有充分的理由慶祝主在我們住棚節生活中的信實供應。

現在：慶祝祂今天的同在
住棚節也標誌著夏季結束時收穫的豐收，為即將到來的冬季提供食物。 這包括收穫成熟的棗子、葡萄、無花果、橄欖和石榴——這片土地的七種原生植物。目前，來自世界各個角落的大量靈魂也進入了上帝的帝國。這也讓我們有理由慶祝，來自世界各地的基督徒聚集在耶路撒冷的住棚一起敬拜主。

也許有些人會感到驚訝，但耶穌也慶祝了住棚節。 約翰福音第七章告訴我們，有一年，門徒上耶路撒冷去蘇格，但耶穌留在後面，然後偷偷上來。 然後在最後一個「住棚節」，祂站在聖殿院子里大聲喊道：「人若渴了，可以到我這裡來喝。信我的人，就如經上所說，從他心裡要流出活水的江河來。」 （約翰福音 7:37-38）

因此，住棚節是基督徒因聖靈住在我們的瓦器中而喜樂的時刻。
未來：進入主的喜樂

先知撒迦利亞預言，有一天，萬民每年都會登上耶路撒冷去「敬拜大君王萬軍之耶和華，守住棚節」（撒迦利亞書 14:16）。 因此，我們現在慶祝住棚節是因為這個獨特的節期中隱藏著未來的預言目的，這一目的很快就會被揭示——而且它與主的第二次降臨有關。

在整個彌賽亞時代，全世界都會慶祝住棚節，因為它將標誌著耶穌重返地上。 一千年後，我們將回顧祂在耶路撒冷顯現，登上大衛王的寶座，並以公義與平安審判世界的那一天。

屆時，所有國家都將被要求參加這一年度聚會，但目前這是自願參加的。然而，當基督徒現在湧向耶路撒冷慶祝住棚節時，它是一個強有力的信仰聲明，我們相信這一天即將到來，全地將最終在以色列王彌賽亞的手中得到安息。

在過去的四十三年裡，每年秋天，來自世界各地的數千名基督徒都會來到耶路撒冷慶祝由耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館主辦的住棚節。他們滿懷期待參加一次充滿活力的敬拜體驗，因為他們知道我們敬拜的那一位很快就會在這座偉大的城市坐在祂的寶座上。 事實上，現在慶祝住棚讓我們預嚐了未來時代的歡樂。