The most joyful feast on God’s calendar, the Feast of Tabernacles, begins October 17-18 of this year.

While Tabernacles generally prefigures the Millennial Kingdom and beyond, when God will dwell, or “tabernacle,” with man, there are at least 17 ways that it specifically points to the Rapture:

1. GATHERING OF WHEAT

Tabernacles, also called the “feast of ingathering,” is when wheat that has been processed—cut, dried, threshed, sifted, and ground—is gathered into barns or granaries (Ex. 23:16; Deut. 16:13). The gathering of wheat into barns is a picture of the “gathering” of the faithful to the Father’s house at the Rapture (2 Thess. 2:1; Matt. 3:12; John 14:2).

2. REJOICING WITH PALM TREES

Tabernacles is a time of rejoicing before the Lord with palm branches (Lev. 23:40). In Revelation 7, the saints shown in heaven during the tribulation are holding palm branches (vv. 9-12). Furthermore, it is said that God will spread His “tabernacle” over them (v. 15).

3. FEAST OF NATIONS

Tabernacles is called the “Feast of Nations.” The Rapture is when people from every “tribe, people, and language” stand before the throne of God (Rev. 7:9). Furthermore, tabernacles will be celebrated by the nations throughout the millennium (Zech. 14:16), indicating that it has special significance for the Gentiles.

4. MARRIAGE COVENANT

Tabernacles is when the law, or 'marriage covenant' is read annually as a reminder (Deut. 31:10, 11; Neh. 8–10). The Rapture is when the marriage covenant is consummated.

5. SEVEN-DAY FESTIVAL

Tabernacles is celebrated for seven days, corresponding to the seven-day wedding week (Gen. 29:27). The wedding week anticipated the celebration of seven years of marriage in heaven after the Rapture.

6. HARVEST COMPLETED

Tabernacles is when the harvest is complete. Gentle Ruth married the Jewish redeemer Boaz, a picture of the Rapture when the harvest was complete (Ruth 2:21, 23 DRB). 7. FULL MOON

Tabernacles begins at the full moon, signifying the fullness of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:25). The full moon is also when the proverbial “husband” or “good man,” Jesus, returns (Prov. 7:19, 20).

8. END OF SUMMER

Tabernacles is observed after the summer, when the harvest has passed. After the harvest is when the Jews lament that they were not saved: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20).

9. TIME OF RELEASE

Tabernacles is the appointed time for deliverance, or forgiveness of debt (Deut. 31:10 AMP). The Rapture is the ultimate release from earthly concerns. 10. SUKKOT

After leaving Egypt, the Israelites first camped at a place called Sukkot, the Hebrew word for Tabernacles (Ex. 12:37). The departure from Egypt is a picture of the Rapture.

11. NEW MANSIONS

Tabernacles is when the Jews remember how they previously lived in temporary dwellings (Lev. 23:42, 43). The Rapture is when the faithful receive new and permanent 'mansions', namely glorified bodies and mansions in heaven (1 Cor. 15:53; John 14:2).

12. LIMITED APPEARANCE

In John chapter 7, Jesus participates in the Feast of Tabernacles in partial secrecy because His hour had not yet fully come, and even His Jewish brethren did not believe in Him (vv. 5, 6). Likewise, the Rapture is a limited appearance at a time of Jewish unbelief.

13. TRANSFIGURATION

Jesus’ transfiguration “after six days” occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles (Matt. 17:4). The transfiguration after six days prefigures the glorification of the Church after 6,000 years.

14. DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE

The First Temple was dedicated to God at the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:65). The last Temple, the Church or Body of Christ, will be dedicated at the Rapture (Eph. 2:20-22).

15. LAST TRUMP

Since Tabernacles is the last festival of the biblical year, the seventh festival of the seventh month, this is when the “last trumpet” is blown (1 Cor. 15:52). 16. LAST DAY

John chapter 6 states four times that the resurrection will occur on “the last day” (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54). In the next chapter, the phrase “last day” is applied to the Feast of Tabernacles: “On the last day, that great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink’” (John 7:37).

17. EIGHTH DAY

Tabernacles is the festival with a special eighth day that is observed afterward (Lev. 23:36). The number eight signifies a turning away from the flesh, a new beginning, and rescue from judgment (Gen. 17:12; 1 Pet. 3:20), themes that describe the Rapture.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of:

• Gathering.

• Rejoice with the palms of my hands.

• Fullness and completion

• Gentle celebration.

• Transfiguration.

• Dedication of the temple.

• Jesus appearing in part

• The last trumpet.

• The last day.

In view of the Tabernacles-Rapture correlations, it is important to keep in mind that no one knows how the fall festivals will be fulfilled. Since the Second Advent is essentially a two-phase event that occurs over the course of years, and includes two groups, the Church and Israel, there could be multiple fulfillments. That said, here is an outline that shows how a Tabernacles Rapture would make sense in relation to the other festivals:

• The Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, in late spring marks the beginning of the extended harvest period called the Church Age.

• The Feast of Trumpets in late summer is a burst of awakening that the harvest period is drawing to a close.

• The “Days of Awe” preceding the Day of Atonement represent the final opportunity to be sealed for redemption before judgment is set.

• The full moon at Tabernacles signifies the fullness of the Gentiles and the conclusion of the Church Age—the time when the “wheat” is gathered into God’s “garden.” ’

• The post-rapture judgment could begin immediately, or a few weeks after Tabernacles, around the anniversary of Noah’s Flood. Scripture says it will be like the “Days of Noah,” and that people will say, “Peace and security” (Matt. 24:37; 1 Thess. 5:3). The fall is when the United Nations, the organization founded on the anniversary of Noah’s Flood, meets to discuss matters of “international peace and security.” This year, the call for peace is amplified as Israel is embroiled in a spiraling war that began, coincidentally, with Hamas’s “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation the day after last year’s Feast of Tabernacles.

Having outlined one possible scenario, we understand that no one knows the day of the Rapture, not even the angels (Matt. 24:36). While this could occur on a festival day, there are scriptures that suggest it cannot (Matt. 24:42–44; 1 Thess. 5:1, 2). However, the “feast of gathering” is a time of heightened hope and expectation for those who long to be with the Lord and inhabit a new and perfect tabernacle.

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*Visit the author’s website: www.theseasonofreturn.com

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: No one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return (Matt. 24:36). However, a convergence of biblical signs and timelines suggest that it is near. To escape the judgment in store for a God-rejecting world, you must know Jesus as Lord and Savior. If you have not already done so, call on His name and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead, and you will be saved (Rom. 10:13).