A time for rejoicing
The feast of Tabernacles is a time for rejoicing. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. (Nehemiah 8:17)
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (Isaiah 65:17,18)
It appears, from the historical account, that the eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles was celebrated by the Israelites with rejoicing and hilarity. Today in the land of Israel there is rejoicing over the Law, on the eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles.
The feast of Tabernacles begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. In order to prepare the people for the rejoicing of Tabernacles, Ezra brought the Book of the Law on the first day of the seventh month, on Rosh Hashanah, and began to read so the people could hear and understand the Law given to Moses.
The people were joyous. They were ready to serve the Lord, to perform all the tasks associated with the rebuilt Temple of Solomon. They did not realize how far they had gotten away from the Law of Moses.
As soon as they began to understand the extent of their sins they commenced weeping. They became distraught, unable to respond to the Word of the Lord.
At this point, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites wisely proclaimed a festival. They sent the people out to eat and drink and to give a portion to the poor.
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. (Nehemiah 8:10,11)
The above passage sets forth an important Kingdom principle. God wants a people who are joyful while they practice righteousness. God loves a cheerful giver. God takes little pleasure in us when we are doing His will but hating every minute of it. It is a polluted offering. God will not receive it, unless He sees that this condition of sadness is temporary and is leading to righteousness and joy.
Chapter Nine of Nehemiah reveals that the Israelites still needed to separate themselves from the world and to confess their sins.
Hearing the Word of God, particularly the laws of righteousness, holiness, and obedience, and consecrating ourselves and confessing our sins, requires strength and maturity. Such attitudes and actions are difficult to maintain and practice. They cannot be performed by morose, chafing, grumbling believers.
The new-covenant fulfilment of the last great convocation, which includes Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles, has begun. The Lord’s people are ready to move past Pentecost, and the prospect of more of God, of being filled with all the fullness of God, is a cause of rejoicing on the part of many Christians.
The preaching of the past hundred years has left much to be desired regarding the laws of God. Grace has been stressed to the point of becoming error. Many Christian teachers and their disciples are under the impression that all God’s creatures are commanded to be holy and live righteously with the exception of the members of the Bride of Christ. To many modern Christians the Bride of Christ is a special group of Gentiles who are excused from obeying God’s laws on the basis of "grace."
This disastrous misunderstanding of the Apostle Paul, together with its handmaid, the removing of the Gentile believers to Heaven in a pre-tribulation "rapture," has resulted in the present state of abysmal ignorance concerning the laws of God.
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (I John 2:3)
. . . Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (II Timothy 2:19)
As we press forward into the grace and glory available to us today in the name of Christ, the Holy Spirit is opening our understanding and convicting us of the sinful deeds that are spreading unchecked among the Christian people.
If we begin to grow sorrowful when the Divine fire comes, preferring that we be told pleasant things, that we all will disappear from the earth and watch the Jews suffer while we are occupying a seat in the balcony of Heaven in air-conditioned comfort, we never will attain the first resurrection from the dead. We will not be prepared to meet Jesus when He comes.
If we gird up the loins of our mind, receive as cheerfully as we can the rebuke and correction of the Word and Spirit of God, separate ourselves from the world, confess and repent of our sins, we will be strong enough and prepared to work with Christ during the important period of judgment that is at hand.
One of the purposes of the great tribulation is to separate the tares from among the wheat. If we will with patience keep the Word of Christ, He will guard us through the days to come and we will grow to maturity in the Lord.
It does not matter that Antichrist will be revealed, that the tares will come to maturity. What matters is that the promises of God will keep us from every evil work and we will come to unity and maturity in Christ.
Then God and Christ will enter us and the nations of the earth will realize God indeed has sent Christ and loves the Church as He loves Christ. At that point the nations will stream toward the Body of Christ so they may receive the blessing of God. Woe to them if they do not "keep the feast of Tabernacles"!
When God and Christ pour out Their love and blessing on earth’s peoples, and we are allowed to set the captives free, we will know joy and fulfilment we cannot comprehend in the present hour.
Antichrist and his armies will attempt to cut us off from our ministry to the nations of the earth. But God will spread a table before us in the presence of our enemies. The Lord Jesus Christ will descend from Heaven and destroy Antichrist by the power of His Presence. Then we will be enabled to continue with our appointed destiny—that of bringing the love and Presence of God to the peoples whom God has given into our charge.
Unbelievable, excessively surpassing, wondrous joy is before us. Let us, therefore, in faith in God, accept the present corrections of the Spirit. Whomever Jesus loves He rebukes and chastens. If we will choose to be joyful in the Lord, to rejoice and practice righteousness, we will possess the strength required to undergo the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our life.