THE most joyous festival on God’s calendar, the Feast of Tabernacles, begins October 17–18 this year.
While Tabernacles foreshadows generally the Millennial Kingdom and beyond, when God will dwell, or “tabernacle,” with man, there are at least 17 ways that it points specifically to the Rapture:
1. WHEAT GATHERING
Tabernacles, also called the “feast of ingathering,” is when the wheat that has been processed—cut, dried, threshed, winnowed, sifted and ground—is gathered into barns ... moreBy T W Tramm
THE most joyous festival on God’s calendar, the Feast of Tabernacles, begins October 17–18 this year.
While Tabernacles foreshadows generally the Millennial Kingdom and beyond, when God will dwell, or “tabernacle,” with man, there are at least 17 ways that it points specifically to the Rapture:
1. WHEAT GATHERING
Tabernacles, also called the “feast of ingathering,” is when the wheat that has been processed—cut, dried, threshed, winnowed, 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 believers into the Father’s house at the Rapture (2 Thess. 2:1; Matt. 3:12; John 14:2).
2. REJOICING WITH PALMS
Tabernacles is a time of rejoicing before the Lord with palm branches (Lev. 23:40). In Revelation 7, the newly raptured saints are seen rejoicing before the Lord with palm branches (vv. 9–12). What’s more, 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 “nation tribe, people and language” stand before God’s throne (Rev. 7:9). Moreover, Tabernacles will be celebrated by the nations throughout the Millennium (Zech. 14:16), indicating that it has special importance to Gentiles.
4. WEDDING COVENANT
Tabernacles is when the Law, or ‘wedding covenant,’ is read annually as a reminder (Deut. 31:10, 11; Neh. 8–10). The Rapture is when the wedding covenant is consummated.
5. SEVEN-DAY FESTIVAL
Tabernacles is celebrated for seven days, corresponding to the seven-day bridal week (Gen. 29:27). The bridal week foreshadows the seven-year wedding celebration in heaven, after the Rapture.
6. HARVEST COMPLETE
Tabernacles is when the harvest is complete. The Gentile 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 “goodman,” Jesus, returns (Prov. 7:19, 20).
8. SUMMER’S END
Tabernacles is observed after summer, when the harvest is past. After the harvest is when the Jews lament not being saved: “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20).
9. TIME OF RELEASE
Tabernacles is the appointed time of release, or debt forgiveness (Deut. 31:10 AMP). The Rapture is the ultimate release from earthly concerns.
10. SUKKOT
After departing 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 DWELLINGS
Tabernacles is when the Jews remember how they previously lived in temporary dwellings (Lev. 23:42, 43). The Rapture is when believers receive new and permanent ‘dwellings,’ i.e. glorified bodies, and mansions in heaven (1 Cor. 15:53; John 14:2).
12. LIMITED APPEARANCE
In John chapter 7, Jesus attends the Feast of Tabernacles in partial secrecy because His time had not yet fully come, and even His Jewish brothers did not believe in Him (vv. 5, 6). Similarly, 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 foreshadows the Church’s glorification after 6,000 years.
14. TEMPLE DEDICATION
The First Temple was dedicated to God at the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:65). The ultimate 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, it is when the “last trumpet” is sounded (1 Cor. 15:52).
16. LAST DAY
John chapter 6 states four times that the resurrection will occur at the “last day” John 6:39, 40, 44, 54). In the following chapter, the phrase “last day” is applied to the Feast of Tabernacles: “In the last day, that great day of the Feast [of Tabernacles], Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto 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 putting off of 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:
• Ingathering.
• Rejoicing with palms.
• Fullness and completion.
• Gentile celebration.
• Transfiguration.
• Temple dedication.
• Jesus appearing in part.
• The last trumpet.
• The last day.
With the tabernacles–rapture correlations in view, 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-phased event that occurs over the course of years, and includes two groups, the Church and Israel, there may be multiple fulfillments. That said, here is an outline that shows how a Tabernacles Rapture would make sense relative 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 at summer’s end is an awakening blast that the harvest period is drawing to a close.
• The “Days of Awe” leading up to the Day of Atonement represent the final opportunity to be sealed for redemption before the 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 ‘barn.’
• 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 be saying “peace and security” (Mat 24:37; 1 Thess. 5:3). The fall is when the UN, 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, the day after last year’s Feast of Tabernacles.
Having outlined a possible scenario, we understand that no one knows the day of the Rapture, not even the angels (Matt. 24:36). While it could occur on a festival day, there are Scriptures that suggest it may not (Matt. 24:42–44; 1 Thess. 5:1, 2). Nonetheless, the “festival of ingathering” is a time of heightened hope and anticipation for those who long to be with the Lord, and to inhabit a new and perfect tabernacle.
