COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE
There is a movement happening all around us – a growing group of believers who are being called out of the world and her ways. A departure from Babylon; (spiritual Egypt if you will) leaving the error of her fornication.
Revelation 18:4
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” Link
As Revelation 18:4 states, we are to come out of Babylon, and this study will be an important portion of what that journey actually looks like. Let’s quickly review the reason for Mystery Babylon’s coming destruction, as well as those attached to her and her ways:
According to the book of Ezekiel, she will be destroyed for this reason:
Ezekiel 23:29-30
“…and the shame of thy fornication shall be exposed: and thy ungodliness and thy fornication brought this upon thee, in that thou wentest a-whoring after the nations, and didst defile thyself with their devices.” Link
The word ‘devices’ is defined as: Link
Something devised, or contrived:
- Plan, procedure, technique
- A scheme to deceive
- Desire or inclination
As we know, Satan is the deceiver and he has certainly done his job with the masses, leading them to disobeying the commandments of Yahuah, particularly his Sabbath and feast days, part of the very core of our walk and our show of allegiance to The Most High. Has the enemy used its devices by planning a scheme to deceive the world, especially believers? Absolutely. Brothers and sisters, a big part of coming out of Babylon is by no longer celebrating pagan festivals, especially those under the guise of attempting to serve the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What are we saying? It’s time to drop man-made traditions that inherently serve another god, because he tells us not to worship him in the same way the nations do:
Deuteronomy 12:30-32
“Take heed to yourself that you be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before you; and that you inquire not after their elohiym, saying, How did these nations serve their elohiym? even so will I do likewise. You shall not do so unto YAHUAH ELOHAYKA: for every abomination to YAHUAH, which he hates, have they done unto their elohiym; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their elohiym. What thing soever I command you, guard to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.”
Christmas and Easter are perfect examples of pagan festivals that were mixed into the faith and ended up replacing in the minds of many, our scriptural command to keep his true Sabbath and feast days. Tonight, we will be going over the 3 fall feasts that are upon us; how, why and when to do so.
Many will also say, “God knows my heart” and he knows I’m not worshiping the christmas tree and so on. We’ve seen this before, where the children of Israel were impatient with Moses being gone 40 days on Mt. Sinai, they wanted to make a feast to Yahuah, their way:
Exodus 32:1-5
“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to Yahuah.” Link
We know what happened after this… It’s time we did things his way.
THE FEASTS ARE FOR US TODAY
Unfortunately, 90% + of ‘believers’ have bought into the lie that the feasts are just “Jewish holidays” and not for the church. Sadly, this is so far from the truth. We know the scriptures say this:
Numbers 15:15-16
“One ordinance shall be both for you of the assembly, and also for the stranger that sojourns with you, an ordinance forever in your generations: as you are, so shall the stranger be before YAHUAH. One Torah and one manner of law shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourns with you.” Link
and
Leviticus 19:34
“But the stranger that dwells with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for ye were strangers in the land of Mitsrayim: I am YAHUAH ELOHAYKEM. Link
Brothers and sisters, whether we are blood descendants or not, it does not matter; we are branches of the vine of Israel through faith and of the covenant through belief in Yahusha, the Son of The Most High. HalleluYah!
John 15:1-6
“I AM the Vine of Truth, and my Father is the Husbandman. Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the Vine, ye are the Natseriym (branches): He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Leviticus 23 states these are his feasts:
Leviticus 23:4
“These are the feasts of YAHUAH, even holy assemblies, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed times.
One word of caution. As people continue to come out of the apostate church system, many have unfortunately gone to the other side of the gutter, Judaism which is filled with added man-made traditions that are just as bad as the system they left. Growing up in Judaism, I know oh to well of all the added traditions. Some seem harmless, but we must remember that we were instructed not to add unto his word:
Deuteronomy 4:2
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may guard את eth-the command ments of YAHUAH ELOHAYKEM which I command you.” Link
I will be sticking to scriptures at all costs and I recommend the same for you and your family.
WHEN?
Unfortunately the calendar discussion seems to bring about more contention and frustration than any other topic within this awakening and growing community. Let me be clear, I will be merely sharing the best understanding I have at this point, and I have no desire to debate, strive about, or belittle anyone else’s calendar, I am simply here to share what I know at this time. I could have just skipped over the calendar part, but I really want you all to be able to calculate these dates for yourself. There are many ‘what if’ scenarios and we all need to be able to pinpoint his feasts; Yahuah has made his calendar to be easily discerned by all.
As a preface, we must realize, that it was prophecied in Daniel 7:25, that the 4th Beast, or 4th Kingdom (Rome) would be given the power to deceive many; particularly with time (calendar). Yes, Yahuah has allowed this to serve his purpose (more on this another time).
Daniel 7:23 & 25
“Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And he shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Link
This has come to pass. Not only has Rome changed the commandments of Yahuah, but it also controls the world’s calendar; time, at least in human aspects. The current calendar that the world operates on is the Gregorian calendar, created by Pope Gregory XIII and introduced in 1582, which replaced the Julian calendar, another of Rome’s devices. Link
“The reform also altered the lunar cycle used by the Church to calculate the date for Easter” (Wikipedia)
This was a major move in altering the observance of Passover in favor of the pagan festival of Ishtar (easter). The one time this word easter is used is in Acts 12:4, however, when we look at the Greek, the word used was ‘pascha’ which is Passover. This is one of many deceiving ‘devices’ of the Beast. Link
With this in mind, we must go by Yahuah’s calendar as he described in the scriptures. While Rome’s gregorian calendar is solar only, The Most High’s is a Luni-Solar, using the Sun for Days, the continuous 7 day Sabbath for weeks, the Moon for months and a combination of the aforementioned and the Stars for years.
Let’s quickly go over some passages to prove this method, so we can attempt to calculate the correct days of observance:
Genesis 1:14
“And Elohim said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for appointed feasts (moedim), and for days, and years” Link
As it is plain to see and hear, the lights above are for signs in heaven, appointed feasts (the main part of this study) and days and years. This is a broad and generalized command that can be taken in many directions, so let’s dig deeper.
Day: Evening and Morning (The Sun)
Jubilees 2:9
“And on the fourth day he created the sun and the moon and the stars, and set them in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon all the earth, and to rule over the day and the night, and divide the light from the darkness. And ELOHIYM appointed the sun to be a great sign on the earth for days and for Shabbaths…” Link
Genesis 1:5
“And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Link
Per the very first page of scripture, a day is calculated by an evening and a morning. I know there’s much contention about even this, but I’m going with what the first page of our scriptures say.
Weeks: Sabbath cycle of 7
How is one to count a week per the Torah?
Leviticus 23:15
“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:” Link
This is how we properly arrive at Shavuot, called the ‘feast of weeks’, also known as “Pentecost”, meaning 50, as the only way to arrive at 50; is to count the day after the first sabbath, then 7 additional sabbaths (7×7 = 49 + the 1 day we initially counted = 50).
Considering the Sabbath is part of the measurement of the week:
Jubilees 2:18
“And he gave us a great sign, the Shabbath, that we should work six days, but guard the Shabbath on the seventh day from all work.” Link
Weeks are measured in 7’s, no more, no less.
Jubilees 6:30-32
“And all the days of the commandment will be two and fifty weeks of days, and these will make the entire year complete. Thus it is engraven and ordained on the heavenly tablets. And there is no neglecting this commandment for a single year or from year to year. And command you the children of Yashar’el that they observe the years according to this reckoning three hundred and sixty four days, and these will constitute a complete year, and they will not disturb its time from its days and from its feasts; for everything will fall out in them according to their testimony, and they will not leave out any day nor disturb any feasts.” Link
364 days divided by 52 weeks = 7, our unit of measuring a week.
Surely, per the Torah, weeks are calculated in intervals of 7 days by the fixed 7th day Sabbath.
Months: The Moon
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 43:6-8
“He made the moon also to serve in her season for a declaration of times, and a sign of the world. ‘From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that decreases in her perfection. The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully in her changing, being an instrument of the armies above, shining in the firmament of heaven” Link
Also consider:
Enoch 74:1-3
“THEN I saw another progress and regulation which he effected in the law of the moon. The progress of the moons, and everything, Uriy’el showed me, the holy angel who conducted them all. Their stations I wrote down as he showed them to me. I wrote down their months, as they occur, and the appearance of their light, until it is completed in fifteen days.” Link
While we are here, let’s also take a look at Enoch to see when the New Moon day is, as we will need to know the correct interpretation of what constitutes a New Moon in order to start the month and get the feast days correct:
Enoch 77:6
“And when the moon rises one-fourteenth part appears in the heaven: the light becomes full in her on the fourteenth day she accomplishes her light. And fifteen parts of light are transferred to her till the fifteenth day (when) her light is accomplished” Link
This solidifies the full moon is not considered the first day, as some would ascribe.
Enoch 77:11-12
“During all the period during which the moon is growing in her light, she is transferring it to herself when opposite to the sun during fourteen days [her light is accomplished in the heaven], and when she is illumined throughout, her light is accomplished full in the heaven. 12. And on the first day she is called the new moon, for on that day the light rises upon her” Link
The New Moon is the first visible sliver per Enoch (light rises upon her), as it says the first day, she is called such and we also learned that on the 15th day her light is accomplished, or full (full moon).
Now that we have established that the Sun is for days, the 7th day Sabbath is for weeks, and the Moon is for months, let us move forward with calculating the right days based on Yahuah’s calendar alongside the most important, the why and how we celebrate. This study will be a quick overview of each of the 3 Fall feast days. There is so much to learn about each one; specifically how they all pertain to our messiah Yahusha. Alongside this, there is so much prophetic implication in each one, that we could spend 2-3 hours on each feast day, so for this study, we will do a brief overview of each. I would highly encourage you all to do further study when time permits.
Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)
The Commandment
Leviticus 23:24-25
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.You shall do no servile work therein: but you shall offer an offering made by fire unto Yahuah”
When
I will be making references to the gregorian calendar dates, only so you can understand what I am saying and learn when to celebrate them based of what you know now. The first day of the 7th month starts with the New Moon sighting. Here is further evidence:
Psalm 81:3
“Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day” Link
Considering this feast is the only one celebrated on the first day of the month, it is safe to assume this is speaking of the Feast of Trumpets.
Take a look at the picture below. The evening of the 18th of September will be the sighting of the New Moon crescent. From the Evening of the 18th to the evening of the 19th will be the Feast of Trumpets. This is the first day of the 7th month of Yahuah’s calendar.
How/Why
Now that we have established when, let’s talk about how, or rather, what we actually do!
Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) is the day of blowing the Shofar, or also, the day of shouting, or making loud noises; a sounding of the alarm if you will. We will be gathering together on the evening of the sighting of the New Moon and when we do, we will be making a lot of noise!
To sight the New Moon, on Sept 18th at sundown, look to the west. It should appear something like this (a very slim sliver):
Hopefully we will all have clear skies that night, but if perchance you don’t, celebrate anyway, this month, there is no other possibility of another day being the New Moon. If you have your Shofar ready, let her sound off with all you have; this is a warning to all, that the day of Yahuah is near and judgement is impending. Some believe this is the day of the great Trumpet blast that starts the Day of Yahuah (commonly known as the Day of the Lord) A great reminder of our need to repent and attach ourselves to him and his ways.
Psalm 47:5-9
“Elohim is gone up with a shout, Yahuah with the sound of a Shofar. Sing praises to Elohim, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For Elohim is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. Elohim reigns over the heathen: Elohim sits upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the Elohim of Avraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto Elohim: he is greatly exalted.” Link
The Feast of Trumpets is a day of no work, including buying and selling (causing others to work). Again, this lasts from the evening of September 18th, until the evening of the 19th. This is a feast day unto Yah and is also speculated to be the real timing of the birth of Yahusha (more on this another time).
The day calls for an offering made by fire to Yahuah. While we will be sharing a meal with friends and loved ones, we should consider that we are not in a time of animal sacrifices, and no a physical temple to bring offerings, as Yahusha has put them to rest (we do know there will be offerings in New Jerusalem when she’s here). We turn to scriptures to guide us on what we should do in a time like this:
1 Peter 1:5
“You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Elohim by Yahusha Ha’Mashiach” Link
More specifically:
Hebrews 13:12-15
“Wherefore Yahusha also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to Elohim continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Link
The Feast of Trumpets should be a joyful day of blowing the Shofar, or making a loud noise, not working, sharing a meal with family and friends but most importantly, giving Yahuah the praise to his name with our lips and hearts. HALLELUYAH!
Day of Atonement
The Command
Leviticus 23:27-32
“Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto Yahuah. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before Yahuah your Elohim. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. Link
When
The Day of Atonement is celebrated from the evening of the 9th day of the month until the evening of the 10th day of the month. Take a look below:
The day of the 27th of September is the 9th day of Yahuahs 7th month. So we will be celebrating the Day of Atonement from the evening of the 27th until the evening of the 28th of September.
How/Why
Not many know this, but the Day of Atonement stems from the Book of Enoch, where the Fallen Angel Azazel is made the scapegoat – as he was the original cause of sin and rebellion of the 200 watcher-class angels, and the leading astray of mankind. Let’s take a look:
Enoch 10:4-8
“And again Yahuah said to Raphael: ‘Bind Azâzêl hand and foot and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dûdâêl, and cast him therein. 5. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. 6. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. 8. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azâzêl: to him ascribe all sin” Link
We see: Azazel, Sin, Judgement and the Desert. With these terms in mind, let’s take another look at the Torah, regarding this most somber day. All of Leviticus 16 is about the Day of Atonement and I’d recommend all of you reading it on your own, but for now, we will pull a few passages from it:
Leviticus 16:7-10
“Then he shall take the two goats and set them before Yahuah at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for Yahuah and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahuah and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before Yahuah to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness (desert) to Azazel” Link
Once a year, only the High Priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies in order to obtain forgiveness for the people. Also, during this day, one goat was sacrificed for sins while the other was sent out to wander the wilderness, or desert if you will, as Azazel was judged to abide in. Regardless of this past ritual, praise be to Yahuah for sending his beloved son, Yahusha to atone once and for all, our sins and to be fully reconciled back to him, HALLELUYAH!
1 John 2:1-2
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yahusha Ha’Mashiach the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Link
Let’s take a look at the word ‘propitiation’.
Strongs concordance defines propitiation as: Link to Strongs
- an appeasing, propitiating
- the means of appeasing, a propitiation
Strong’s Definitions (Strong’s Definitions Legend)
ἱλασμός hilasmós, hil-as-mos’; atonement,
Merriam-Webster Dictionary says: Link to Merriam-Webster
1. “The act of gaining or regaining the favor or goodwill of someone or something”
Something that propitiates or appeases, specifically: an atoning sacrifice
Brothers and sisters, we were bought with a heavy price. This is a day to remember what Yahusha has done for us; he was reviled, mocked, spit upon, beaten and even laid down his own life down for us. This is a day of ‘afflicting one’s soul’. Some say this is a day for fasting (as depriving one’s self from our very basic needs, such as food and water is afflicting) and others say no. As for me, I do believe that fasting and a broken and contrite heart is the proper way to conduct ones self on this High Holy day. As with all maters, take counsel with Yahuah in prayer for direction.
In my opinion, this is a proper day for reading Psalm 22 and perhaps some of the gospel accounts of his crucifixion. Here is a snippet of what he suffered for us, which should cause some affliction of your heart:
Psalm 22:13-18
“They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” Link
Truly, what an amazing thing he’s done for us; let us never forget. On a lighter note, one of the most exciting future implications of the Day of Atonement comes with the Year of Jubilee. The Jubilee was the releasing of the captives and all debts to be forgiven. Many believe this will be the announcement of the coming 2nd Exodus:
Leviticus 25:8-10
“And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.” Link
Considering there is a massive prophecy about these end times; a time where many would wake up and come back to his Torah with all their hearts – that this would be the marker in time right before we are regathered and given our inheritence, this implication is very exciting!
Deuteronomy 30:1-5
“AND it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, whither YAHUAH ELOHAYKA has driven you, And shall return unto YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul; That then YAHUAH ELOHAYKA will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, whither YAHUAH ELOHAYKA has scattered you. If any of yours be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will YAHUAH ELOHAYKA gather you, and from thence will he fetch you: And YAHUAH ELOHAYKA will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers.” Link
Oh what a day that will be! So to recap, from the evening of the 27th of Sept. to the evening of the 28th, do not work, buy or sell and if you feel led, abstain from food and keep this as a somber time of prayer and supplications to Yahuah through his son Yahusha.
Sukkot
(Feast of Tabernacles)
The Command
Leviticus 23:34-36
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto Yahuah. On the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire unto Yahuah: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire unto Yahuah: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.” Link
When
This year, Sukkot will begin on the evening of the 2nd to the evening of the 3rd of October. This period would consist of the ‘First day’ and the evening from the 9th to the 10th of October is the ‘Eighth day‘. These two time periods are considered Shabbat’s but they both happen to fall on regular Shabbats anyway this year. On these two days there is no work to be done, except meal preparation. Those two days are days of ‘holy convocations’ or gatherings which we will talk about what we can do to celebrate shortly. Take a look below: The evening of the 2nd of Oct. through the evening of the 9th of Oct. we are to remain in our ‘temporary shelters’ or booths, and the 10th of Oct. is another gathering.
How/Why
Growing up, this was my favorite festival of all. I remember when my dad and grandfather would build the Sukka outside and then my grandmother and I couldn’t wait to bring it to life with the palm branches, fruits and other fun decorations to commemorate that great week! This feast is literally the most fun of all of Yahuah’s seven feast days. Part of the commandment in the Torah regarding this day is to rejoice! It truly grieves my heart for those who call the Torah a burden, as they don’t know what they are missing out on.
Deuteronomy 16:13-15
“You shall keep the Feast of Cukkoth (Tabernacles) seven days, after that you have gathered in your threshing floor and your wine: And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Leviyiy, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within your gates. Seven days shall you keep a solemn feast unto YAHUAH ELOHAYKA in the place which YAHUAH shall choose: because YAHUAH ELOHAYKA shall bless you in all your increase, and in all the works of your hands, therefore you shall surely rejoice.” Link
For many, this is a time to gather in large groups and literally go camping for a week (plus a bonus 8th day). The main basic concept about this feast, is to remember the time in the wilderness when the children of Israel had to dwell in temporary shelters, or booths:
Leviticus 23:42-43
“Ye shall dwell in Cukkoth (booths) seven days; all that are Yashar’el born shall dwell in Cukkoth: That your generations may know that I made the children of Yashar’el to dwell in Cukkoth, when I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim: I am YAHUAH ELOHAYKEM.” Link
If you don’t have a group to Sukkot with, no worries, just put up a tent or lean-to, or any type of temporary shelter in your backyard and spend some extra time with Yah, away from our comfy modern lifestyles in Egypt. This is a good thing for us to do, after all, we are waiting for the greater exodus, aren’t we? I hope we all are ready to give up these modern comforts at his command (myself included). Quite frankly, this is just straight up good training for the days ahead. Will we be ready? Or will we be murmurers and complainers like the first Exodus?
Last year, I had a friend help me build a Sukka like I had back when I was a child. This is where we had our Sukkot dinner (thanks again Gavin!)
Then we decorated with all sorts of fun stuff! Here’s the command:
Leviticus 23:40
“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 YAHUAH ELOHAYKEM seven days.” Link
We had plenty of these items to gather in Southern California where I grew up, but we don’t have those types of plants in SW Missouri, so I improvised with some other items. We had a most excellent time, praise be to Yahuah!
Most of us are far removed from an agricultural lifestyle, however, Sukkot is a festival of the harvest:
Leviticus 23:39
“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 YAHUAH seven days: on the first day shall be a Shabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Shabbath” Link
Just as we were commanded in the Feast of Trumpets to offer a sacrifice, we are also commanded to do the same with Sukkot:
Leviticus 23:36
“Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YAHUAH: on the eighth day shall be a holy assembly unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YAHUAH: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein” Link
Once again:
Hebrews 13:15
“By him (Yahusha) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to Elohim continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name”
Many have no idea, but Abraham was the very first person to celebrate this day! This is a longer passage, but very interesting and really gets to the heart of this most amazing celebration:
Jubilees 16
“20 And he built there an altar to YAHUAH who had delivered him, and who was making him rejoice in the land of his sojourning, and he celebrated a feast of joy in this month seven days, near the altar which he had built at the Well of the Oath. 21 And he built Cukkoth for himself and for his servants on this feast, and he was the first to celebrate the Feast of Cukkoth on the earth. 22 And during these seven days he brought each day to the altar a burnt offering to YAHUAH, two oxen, two rams, seven sheep, one he goat, for a sin offering, that he might atone thereby for himself and for his seed. 23 And, as a thank offering, seven rams, seven kids, seven sheep, and seven he goats, and their fruit offerings and their drink offerings; and he burnt all the fat thereof on the altar, a chosen offering unto YAHUAH for a sweet smelling savour. 24 And morning and evening he burnt fragrant substances, frankincense and galbanum, and stacte, and nard, and myrrh, and spice, and costum; all these seven he offered, crushed, mixed together in equal parts and pure. 25 And he celebrated this feast during seven days, rejoicing with all his heart and with all his soul, he and all those who were in his house, and there was no stranger with him, nor any that was uncircumcised. 26 And he blessed his Creator who had created him in his generation, for he had created him according to his good pleasure; for he knew and perceived that from him would arise the plant of righteousness for the eternal generations, and from him a holy seed, so that it should become like him who had made all things. 27 And he blessed and rejoiced, and he called the name of this feast the Feast of YAHUAH, a joy acceptable to EL ELYON. 28 And we blessed him forever, and all his seed after him throughout all the generations of the earth, because he celebrated this feast in its season, according to the testimony of the heavenly tablets. 29 For this reason it is ordained on the heavenly tablets concerning Yashar’el, that they shall celebrate the Feast of Cukkoth seven days with joy, in the seventh month, acceptable before YAHUAH a statute forever throughout their generations every year. 30 And to this there is no limit of days; for it is ordained forever regarding Yashar’el that they should celebrate it and dwell in Cukkoth, and set wreaths upon their heads, and take leafy boughs, and willows from the brook. 31 And Avraham took branches of palm trees, and the fruit of goodly trees, and every day going round the altar with the branches seven times a day in the morning, he praised and gave thanks to his ELOHIYM for all things in joy.” Link
What a passage! A few things to note. This celebration was made for the fair climate of the land of Israel, and in our dispersion, this isn’t realistic for all (love you brother Frank in Alaska :D). My only suggestion would be to do what you can, when you can, and as always, take it to Yah in prayer.
Yahusha’s Declaration During Sukkot
John 7:37-38
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Yahusha stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Link
What a prophetic image, pointing to the Tree and the river of life proceeding out of the midst of New Jerusalem, where Yahuah and Yahusha will ‘Tabernacle’ (dwell) with us!
Revelation 22:1-5
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for Yahuah Elohaynu gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
HalleluYah!
Lastly, it is also very interesting that this will be celebrated by all nations during the Reign of Yahusha and his saints:
Zechariah 14:16-19
“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, Yahuah Tseva’oth, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahuah Tseva’oth, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith Yahuah will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Link
Can you even begin to imagine what that would look like? All the nations of the earth assembling around New Jerusalem, camping, singing, eating, drinking, blessing, dancing and celebrating our creator? WOW, just wow! Brothers and sisters, I hope this was an encouragement to you and your family and I pray that you will be keeping his Feast days (regardless of what calendar you observe) and praise him for all he has and will do for us for all of eternity.
All esteem and glory to Yahuah through Yahusha.
May:
Yahuah bless you and keep you,
Yahuah make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you,
Yahuah lift up his countenance upon you and give you Shalom
(Numbers 6:24-26)
