FEAST OF TABERNACLES - DAY 1

Fred Coulter - October 11, 2003

And greetings brethren, welcome to the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s a holy day today. And of course the holy feasts of God reveal the plan and the will of God, what He’s working out on the earth. And isn’t it interesting, the very things which teach us and show us the way of God are those things which the world rejects, and yet they claim God. They go to God and ask God to accept their ways, and God does not do that. God accepts His ways. That’s why He gave us His ways – and He is God, and He tells us what to do, and He commands us what to do. And we are to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. That’s what Jesus said.

So here on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, let’s begin as we always do in Leviticus 23. Because as I mentioned, God has put all the holy days in one place in the Bible in a section that it takes faith to be able to use it, and to understand it, and to discern it, and to keep them. And in doing that God has been able to reveal His will to His people, and as we will see by the same process, blind the world that they do not know what God is doing. So it is an amazing thing that God is accomplishing. And brethren, we are a part, as we have understood, we are a part of the greatest thing that God is doing. And you have your part in it like everyone else that has the Holy Spirit of God.

Now let’s come to Leviticus 23 and let’s pick it up right here in verse 33, right after the Day of Atonement, which we just completed. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation…” (Lev. 23:33-36). So as we begin the festival year with Passover being one day, followed by seven days of Unleavened Bread, we end the festival year with seven days of Feast of Tabernacles and one day at the end. So we have one plus seven at the beginning equals eight, and seven plus one at the end equals eight. And that’s all a part of God’s plan and perfection. And it’s very profound and interesting that number eight equals a new beginning, or new creation. So we’ve got a lot to learn. This is going to be a great feast, and a lot of things we are going to learn. Some things, it’s kind of like Jesus said that a scribe would bring some things old, some things new, and that’s the way that God’s word is. So that’s how it will be for the Feast of Tabernacles.

Now he continues here, “…on the eighth day…an holy convocation…” which means an appointed time. An appointed time is the time that God sets. And so here we are according to the calculated Hebrew calendar, which God gave to His church so that they would be able to keep the feasts according to the times that God has set, and the appointments that He has given. And that’s what’s so profound and important concerning it. All other calendar propositions are nothing but vain presumptions of men wanting to one-up God. And no one is going to one-up God. “...It is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.”

“These are the feasts of the LORD,…” And He is the one Who has created them, set the time, gave us the days to do it. “…Which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a [meal] meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD” (vs. 37-38). So He repeats it. And when He repeats it that means it’s doubly important, wouldn’t you say? Now think of that concerning the weekly Sabbath. How many times has God repeated the weekly Sabbath throughout the whole of the Bible – Old Testament and New Testament? And then asked the question: since God repeats it does He mean it, because once is good enough?

Verse 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 the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.” So lo and behold, each one of the holy days are called Sabbaths. So it puts the weekly Sabbath-keepers, who only keep the weekly Sabbath and not the holy days, it puts them kind of in a difficult position to say the least. Because they preach and proclaim the weekly Sabbath and yet God says these are Sabbath days. Very profound and important for us to understand it. And when you go through and read the whole history of the children of Israel, and when you look at the history of the Church of God, and you look at the things that have taken place, human beings - even those within the Church of God, as we covered when we did the Feast of Pentecost on Day 49 about the seven churches - even they get led astray. So it’s an amazing thing.

Now here’s what they were to do then. “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. 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. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:…” Now today we don’t dwell in booths, but we dwell in temporary dwellings. And we understand that just as a tent is a temporary dwelling so also, when you look at it from an eternal perspective, every physical thing on the earth is temporary. So if we leave our homes, or even some who are confined to their homes and can’t get out, you are still living in a temporary dwelling, you still have a temporary life, and these things then show how physical that we really are. And that’s what He wanted the children of Israel to 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. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD” (vs. 40-44). Again, just one little thing, a footnote here: they are not the feasts of the Jews. They belong to God.

Now, we always take up an offering on the holy days, and we all know the scriptures. We’re well rehearsed in them. We understand what God wants and we don’t want to merchandise people. We don’t want to extract from people. We don’t want to abuse the authority that God has given in it. And so just like everything else as we are going to learn today, God has made us free moral agents and we must choose. We must choose whether we love God, whether we obey God, whether we desire to do the things that please Him. So we need to understand that God is a heart-knowing God. And God looks to the heart. And God judges the heart. And God judges by the attitude every single thing that we do. So in bringing an offering before God we are to count our blessings, we are also to realize that as we sow, so shall we reap. And we are to be a cheerful giver and we are to give according as God has blessed us. And so with all of that we’ll go ahead and take a pause right now and take up the offering.

(Pause)

Now you might say the theme of this Feast of Tabernacles will be “The Beginning and the Ending.” Let’s first of all go to Ephesians 1, and let’s understand something profound. And let’s realize how great and marvelous it is that God has revealed these things to us, and God has given us understanding that He hasn’t given to the world, that He hasn’t given to even some churches of God which only obey Him partially, and really do not get in and search the Word of God and understand the Word of God. But here is something that is…what we need to realize, brethren, is this: it’s not a matter of knowledge, it’s not a matter of doctrine, it is a matter of God’s will and Spirit, and our loving God and God loving us. That’s where it is all at.

Now here, Ephesians 1. Let’s understand what a tremendous blessing it is for us to be able to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, for us to be able to understand the Word of God, for us to be able to realize the plan of God, which He has blinded to the rest of the world. Now that’s something. That is profound. We need to realize it.

Now Ephesians 1, let’s pick it up here in verse 2. “Grace be to you,…” And that’s the way Paul started every one of his epistles, because there is the grace of God given in reading the scriptures. There is the grace of God which gives us the understanding of the scriptures, and there are blessings which come from God. And in these things when we read and study the scriptures and yield to God, and grow and overcome with the Holy Spirit in us, we have peace with God. We’re no longer enemies of God. We are no longer fighting and warring against Him and His commandments, you see. “…And peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Directly from heaven above down to each one that has the Spirit of God. That’s a tremendous thing.

And “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in [the heavenly things] heavenly places in Christ:…” (vs. 3). We’re not yet in the heavenly places, but in the heavenly things. That is with the Spirit of God, the Word of God, the love of God, and now we have the whole of the Word of God. Such a tremendous blessing. This is greater than all the physical goods in the world. This is greater than wealth and money. And as David said, “I esteem all Your commandments above gold, yea, fine gold and all Your precepts concerning all things to be right altogether” (Psalm 119:127-128, paraphrased). And that is a spiritual blessing that God gives us, brethren. That is a tremendous thing.

Now notice, “…according as He hath chosen us…” Now you stop and think about it. You have books out in the world. The most important person in the world - you. Well, from God’s perspective anyone who has the Holy Spirit of God, begotten of God the Father, is one of the most important persons in the world – not because of the individual, but because of God. And so therefore we ought to have the greatest hope, we ought to have the greatest attitude, we ought to have the most yieldedness to God because this is a tremendous thing that He’s doing for us. It’s not just a matter, as we have explained, just the external obedience. It’s a matter of God’s Spirit and Christ in you, which we’ll see a little bit later on. But this is an important thing. “…He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,…” Meaning God had a plan before the foundation of the world, and that’s why it says of Christ that He was the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world.

You look at the universe, you look at what God has created here on the earth, and you need to understand that God is not just doing a willy-nilly hap-hazard thing. There is plan, there is form, there is purpose, there is design. And likewise to the pinnacle of His creation – mankind. There is a great purpose in it, and to be called and chosen by you, and to be predestinated, you see. “…Before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:…” Which means this: though there are times we get down, never, ever, ever let any down-time become so discouraging and so depressing that you feel that there is no hope, because that attitude is not of God. That is of Satan the devil, see. God has chosen us “…that we should be holy and without blame [that’s how the grace of God works] before Him in love:...” (vs. 4). See, it can’t be done in any other way than with love. And the love of God is shown through all of His plan.

“…Having predestinated us unto the [sonship] adoption…” Not adoption, but sonship to be the very children of God, you see. “…The [sonship] adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself,…” You belong to God the Father. Now when you really grasp and understand how profound that is then you will understand clearly why God does not want men ruling over His people. Christ is the head of the church. Christ is to rule in you. God the Father is to lead you because He loves you.

Now notice, “…By Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,…” God’s very own will. What an absolute and marvelous blessing that is. “…To the praise and the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved” (vs. 5-6). That is Jesus Christ. We are accepted of God the Father. Now I want you to think in your own mind, and I want you to understand this is a very profound thing. That if you love God with all your heart, and mind, and soul, and being, and you know Jesus Christ is your Lord, and Savior, and Master and you know that He died for your sins, and your sins are covered by the blood of Christ, understand this – you, regardless of your weaknesses, regardless of your frailties, regardless of anything – you are accepted by God the Father through Jesus Christ and are holy and without blame before Him.

Now that should encourage and inspire and uplift everyone of us. And the truth of the matter is, that’s how God wants us to obey Him. Because we love Him. Because we desire to. Because we are inspired to do so. That’s why you can never create the love of God through Gestapo tactics. Never happen, brethren. It will be just like the Third Reich – kaput, destroyed. Never work.

“…Accepted in the beloved. In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;…” (vs. 7). There is not one single thing in the whole universe that is greater than the love, and the grace, and the riches of God’s grace toward those whom He has called. Now we need to let those things sink in. Now if that is not great enough, God goes another step further. Because He doesn’t want us wandering out here like blind people without guides. Remember what Jesus said, “Let the blind lead the blind and they’ll both fall in the ditch.” He wants us to understand. He wants us to realize. He wants us to grasp as much as possible the full significance of what He is doing.

Now notice, “…Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known…” Now this is where we are today, “…having made known unto us the mystery [or, the secret] of His will,…” Now that is a tremendous blessing. You think about it. If you know these things you know the secret, the mystery of God’s will. Now maybe this will help you understand why the unpardonable sin is such a grievous thing. God has made known the mystery of His will, “…according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself:…” His very own plan that He thought of, that He conceived, that He designed, that He created the heavens and the earth for. And you know that will. And we need to learn and understand even more of it. “…That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:…” (vs. 8-10).

Now that’s a tremendous thing brethren. Now as we look down in the world today we need to understand that God is building and putting together the pieces. But the pieces are not perfected until the resurrection. And then it’s all going to come together at once in the first resurrection, which is going to be an astonishing thing that’s going to happen. “In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance [an eternal inheritance], being predestinated according to the purpose of Him…” God has predestinated you according to His purpose to be His very own sons and daughters. Now that’s a magnificent thing indeed. “…Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will…” God is going to do it. “…That we should be to the praise of His glory, Who first trusted in Christ” (vs. 11-12). And you see, the Feast of Tabernacles, as we are going to see, pictures when we are going to be living in the fullness of the kingdom of God as the children of God.

Let’s read on. “That we should be to the praise of His glory,…” All the angels are going to praise God for what He’s doing with His church. All the world will praise God during the millennium of all the work that He is doing. And then when we get into the Last Great Day and the meaning there, tremendous things, brethren. These are secrets of the purpose of God that no one understands but those who have the Spirit of God and love God, and apply themselves to the Word of God.

“In Whom ye also trusted (yes, we first trusted in Christ), after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,…” And that’s what’s the most profound and important thing in this life – the Holy Spirit that is within you. And it’s dwelling in you. And we’ll expand a little bit more on that as we go through the feast. “…Which is the earnest of our inheritance…” It is the guarantee. And when God guarantees something it will be. “…Until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory” (vs. 13-14).

Now let’s understand how God does this. How do we know His will? Well let’s look at the operation here. Let’s come back to Matthew 13 and let’s understand something that makes it possible for us to know. Now we know the scripture which says, “His commandments endure forever.” Now those are not only the commandments that we find concerning the Ten Commandments, but all the commandments of God, the commandments of Jesus, as we have studied, and how important and profound those are. So you put it altogether.

Now to the world, because God is ultimately going to save them in His own time, Christ spoke to them in parables. And He spoke to them in parables so that if they did not desire to know and understand they would not. And if they did desire to know and understand there’s only one way to do so, and that is through Christ Who will make it possible to understand. Now verse 10, “And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (Matt. 13:10-11). See, God is only revealing it to those that He calls at this time. When the Feast of Tabernacles comes to the full, then that veil is going to be lifted from the minds of the people, and then they can begin to understand. But now it’s not given to them.

“For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance:…” And I say this brethren, that we need to let this verse be fulfilled in our lives because we have all the Word of God, and we have the Spirit of God, and we still have peace and time to be able to understand the Word of God, and live by the Word of God, and practice the Word of God, and to come to a deeper, greater understanding of the Word of God. That’s how you end up with more abundance, see. That we be rich in Christ and not in physical goods. That we do not be as Laodiceans, rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, you see. But that we have the abundance of the spiritual understanding of the Word of God. “…But whosoever hath not,…” And we’ve seen this take place, haven’t we? Those who begin to reject the Word of God, what? Loose it. “…But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath” (vs. 12). So you see, that’s exactly what we see has happened in our own lifetime in our experience in the church. And look at in the world. Even those churches in the world that profess Christ, they are loosing more and more, and more, and more, whatever little understanding they did have. See, because you need to keep coming to God and you need to keep growing, you see.

 “Therefore [Jesus said, because they don’t] speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not [they don’t let it enter into their minds], neither do they understand” (vs. 13). Isn’t that an amazing thing? I mean you stop and think about it. What a fantastic thing that God has done that those who love Him and keep His commandments have the understanding, and those who do not can even hold the same Bible in their hands and do not have the understanding. Amazing, isn’t it?

“And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross,…” That means they have not had the circumcision of the heart by repentance and baptism and receiving of the Holy Spirit. Their hearts are waxed gross, “…and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;…” They don’t want to see it. They don’t want to hear it. But as we’ll see, that’s exactly what Adam and Eve did. That’s exactly what the children of Israel did, and that’s exactly what many people in the Church of God have done. “…Lest at any time…” Now here’s the reason in it – because God is going to subject them in hope. And this here is talking giving the reason why there has to be the events of the Last Great Day. So since we’re at the beginning of the feast we’ll go ahead and project forward just a little bit to the end of the feast. “…Lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (vs.14-15). Now is not the time that God is calling everyone. So again, think of the blessings that God has given and that you are holding in your hands, and you have in your mind, and you have understanding in your heart that only God has given.

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them;…” And how much more today when we have the fullness of the Word of God, and we have the understanding of the Word of God, you see. “…And to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (vs. 16-17). So brethren, we are dealing in a tremendous thing.

Let’s see how God gives the understanding. Now, David prayed, in Psalm 119:18, we’re not going to turn there but he said, “Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things out of Your law.” And that ought to be our prayer. Open our eyes that we may see wondrous things out of Your Word.

Now let’s come back to 1 Corinthians 2, and let’s see how God brings us down through time, that we just covered here in Matthew 13. And this is why the world can’t understand it. What is preached in Christ to the Jews is a stumbling block. To the intelligencia of the world it is foolishness. But God is going to make the wisdom of the wise foolishness, and the Jews one day will understand about Christ. And the Jews are a perpetual witness to the world that when you reject God you’re in deep trouble. So likewise with anybody who rejects God today.

Now here’s what Paul wanted. He said, 1 Corinthians 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in [a] demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” That is, through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. And that’s where your conversion should be. That’s where your faith should be. “Howbeit,” he says, verse 6, “we speak wisdom among them that are perfect:…” Now that is, speak the true wisdom of God among those who are converted and have been perfected in that conversion, or spiritually mature. “…Yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to [nothing] nought:…” Whatever they do is going to end. But what we are doing has eternal consequences. “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,…” Which Christ said we we’ll understand. “…Even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory:…” (1 Cor. 1:4-7). So there we are. Before the world God had this all figured out. It’s not a willy-nilly thing that God is doing.

“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Tremendous and fantastic thing, isn’t it? It only comes by loving God. And if you love God you’re going to keep His commandments. And if you love God you’re going to do the things that are pleasing in His sight. “But God…” Now let’s understand something. The words can be preached, the words can be printed, the words can be read but God has revealed them. “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but [by] the Spirit of God” (vs. 8-11). Now that’s a profound thing. And God has given us that understanding, brethren, not because we’re great, not because we’re mighty, not because we’re intelligent, but because we are the off-scouring of the earth, the despised, the rejected by the world. And that’s just the way it is.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world,…” You’re not going to find it in the greatest books that the world has ever written. You’re going to find it in the greatest book that has ever been printed. Written by man, inspired by God. Because man, made in the image of God, He used to write it. But by the Spirit of God. “…But the spirit which is of God; that we might know…” God wants us to grow up into Christ. God wants us to know, to understand, to realize, to grasp, “…the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy [Spirit] Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (vs. 12-13). And the natural man, the natural mind doesn’t receive these things. So that puts us in a very special relationship with God, doesn’t it? And also brings upon us a great responsibility too, doesn’t it? Yes indeed. And also gives to us the blessing of God, and the love of God, and the power of God that we can complete and fulfill what God wants us to do.

Now let’s come to Ephesians 1, and let’s finish off before we start getting into the beginning and the ending, so that we can put it altogether and understand what God is doing. Now let’s come back here to Ephesians 1 and let’s pick it up here in verse 15. “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;…” And here’s what he prayed. And this has to be our prayer. And this has to be our goal. And this has to be our yearning, and desiring, and seeking after, that God would do this for us so that we can understand His Word even more. Because those who have are going to be given more and they shall have abundance, and here’s the only way it’s going to be accomplished. “…That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom [comes from God] and revelation [that comes from God] in the knowledge of Him [which comes from God]: [That] the eyes of your understanding…” Open my mind that I may behold wondrous things out of your law, as David said. “…[That] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,…” And of course then, that’s how God makes known the mystery of His will to us, you see. “…And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,…” (Eph. 1:15-19). And so God gives us that truth, and that wisdom, and that knowledge, and that understanding. So it’s really quite a marvelous thing that God is doing.

Now in this, and in understanding how this is going to be, there’s another profound principle that we always need to follow. Actually two. Number one, when we study the Bible it is line upon line, precept upon precept, line upon line, precept upon precept, a little here, a little there. Number two, as Paul wrote Timothy, that you are to be a workman rightly dividing the word of truth. Rightly putting it together. That’s what’s important. It’s not a matter that we have a pet doctrine, or a special thing that is in our own minds that we are suddenly going to teach God something. No, it is that we have to come to God and He is going to teach us. So this is really a tremendous and wonderful thing that God is doing. So with that we’re going to go ahead and we’re going to go to the very first part of the Bible. Because we’re going to encompass the beginning and the ending, and we are going to learn some very important things, and we are going to review and renew some of the things that we already know.

Now let’s come back here to Genesis 1. Now here we’re going to review a little bit of what we already know. Now this is going to help us understand. Now just like everything else, the most important part of a house is the foundation. And if the foundation is sure and secure then you can build the rest of the house in perfection. You can build it so it will be square and true. But if the foundation is not good, and if the foundation is crumbling or rotting, or lacking, then in order to proceed and build you have to go back and repair the foundation. And after it’s built you have to always realize and understand that the foundation must be maintained. So that’s why we go back to some of the things that maybe we can say, “Well, we know this.” But if we do, thank God for it and never let it become old hat.