Rejoice!
Today at sundown begins one of the most beautiful and joy filled appointments. A glimpse of eternity written on God’s calendar. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot.
It’s a seven-day feast celebrating God’s provision, presence, and protection, followed by an extra eighth day called Shemini Atzeret.
It’s the fall harvest festival, the grand finale of the agricultural year. Sukkot marks the final harvest, and prophetically, it points to the ultimate harvest still to come. It’s a picture of the day when God gathers His people from every nation, the great ingathering of souls before the end of the age,the harvest of righteousness.
In the Old Testament, God commanded Israel to celebrate this feast for seven days, building small shelters called sukkahs to remember how He provided for them in the wilderness after leaving Egypt (Leviticus 23:33–44).
These little booths reminded them that life is temporary, that comfort fades, but God’s presence never does. When Israel lived in tents in the wilderness, God chose to dwell in one too, the Tabernacle. That’s His character. He doesn’t live apart from His people. He comes down into the middle of their mess and journeys with them.
But this feast was never meant to stay in the past. It isn’t just an ancient Jewish tradition. It’s part of our spiritual inheritance. Scripture doesn’t call them “the feasts of Israel.” It calls them “the feasts of the LORD.” (Leviticus 23:2) And through Jesus, we’ve been grafted into that same covenant family, adopted into Israel’s story of redemption. (Romans 11:17, Ephesians 2:19)
These are His appointed times, prophetic pictures of His plan to redeem all of humanity through the Messiah. Every feast tells part of God’s story, and Tabernacles is the grand finale.
Out of all seven biblical feasts, Sukkot is the only one where God specifically commands His people to rejoice. “You shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.” Even when life is hard, this feast is about choosing joy, because God’s provision is enough. It’s literally called “The Season of Our Joy.” (Deuteronomy 16:14–15) Imagine dancing, music, fruit offerings, and waving palm branches in the temple courts. A celebration bursting with gratitude that God Himself was their covering.
The word tabernacle means “to dwell.” In the wilderness, God’s presence lived in a tent right in the midst of His people. When John described Jesus’ coming, he chose that same word “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” — John 1:14
That wasn’t coincidence. It was prophecy fulfilled. When Jesus came to earth, He was God dwelling among humanity. Emmanuel, “God with us.” The living, breathing Tabernacle of Heaven.
During Sukkot, the priests drew water daily from the Pool of Siloam and poured it out at the altar, praying for rain and spiritual refreshment. It was in the middle of this very ritual that Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” — John 7:37–38 He was stepping right into the heart of that ceremony and saying, “I am the Living Water you’ve been praying for.”
That same week, during the great illumination ceremony when massive golden lamps lit up Jerusalem, He declared, “I am the Light of the World.” — John 8:12 Standing in front of those glowing lampstands, He claimed to be the true Light that the ritual only symbolized. God’s glory dwelling among His people.
The Feast of Tabernacles looks forward to the time when Jesus returns and reigns as King, when He once again dwells among His people. (Revelation 21:3) Zechariah 14:16–19 tells us that after Jesus returns, all nations will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate Sukkot. And if they refuse, there will be no rain for that nation. This will happen during the Millennial Reign of Christ, the thousand year period when Jesus rules from Jerusalem.
It’s powerful, because it shows that the Feast of Tabernacles isn’t just historical or “Jewish.” It’s eternal.
So as the Feast of Tabernacles begins, I’m pausing to remember, everything we build here is temporary. Our homes, our plans, our comforts. But His presence is forever and when we abide in Jesus we can rest in that.
He tabernacles with us now through His Spirit, and one day, He’ll dwell with us face to face. 💜🤟✝️