The Feast of the Tabernacles Essays

The Feast of the Tabernacles Essays The Feast of the Tabernacles Essay The Feast of the Tabernacles Essay Essay Topic: East Of Eden The Feast of the Tabernacles Name: Course: Date: The Feast of the Tabernacles The Feast of the Tabernacles is considered as among the seven annual biblical festivals. The feast was introduced to the Israelites during the exodus. It is considered as a pilgrimage whereby all Jews journeyed to Jerusalem to observe the feast. As one of the feasts observed by the Jews, The Feast of the Tabernacles is considered as a means provided by God in order to fulfill his plan for mankind. This feast is deemed as a banquet that was a celebration of the blessings of God that were provided in abundance in order to coincide with the harvesting which occurred during fall. The Feast of the Tabernacles is also a representation of God’s faith to the Israelites after their exodus from captivity in Egypt, a memorial of their wandering through the wilderness, and life in the tabernacles. Essentially, the deepest meaning to Christians from the feast is the return of Christ and the commemoration of his return for his rule on earth. Literature provides that Jesus was probably born during the fall period that is relative to The Feast of the Tabernacles. The coinciding events, the birth of Christ, and the season of harvesting in the fall were an indication of the abundance of the blessings of God (Stalley, 2000). Christ is termed as man’s greatest gift from God. God provided mankind with Jesus Christ as an indication of his willingness to provide man with an avenue to redeem himself and reunite with God. Essentially it was an indication of the desire by God for man to save himself after the disappointing fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. Hence The Feast of the Tabernacles is essentially fulfilled in the second coming of Christ. The second coming will provide Christ with an opportunity to tabernacle among his flock. This will be made possible as Jesus Christ will assume the title King of kings and Lord of lords and ensuring that he provides rests to all the burdened (Towns, 2002). Mankind is burdened with sin and misfortunes attributable to the fall of humanity. The second coming is termed as the ultimate and climax of The Feast of the Tabernacles. This is because mankind will rejoice at the second coming of Christ as he will provide mankind with the much needed rest from their daily burdens of sin. Additionally, the reunion of Christ with mankind is joyous as this will provide mankind with the chance for eternal redemption and a place with the Creator and Son of God in the Kingdom of God. The symbolic return of Christ is symbolic in that it indicates that achievement of eternal existence and the loss of burdens of sins and achievement of happiness and joy brought about by the resurrection of Christ and his attainment of the throne (Stalley, 2000). The achievement of the eternal life marks a pivotal point for mankind. Hence Jesus could be termed as a symbol of the feast, which is the attainment of eternal life and peace. In addition, his resurrection, ascent and return to earth for a reunion with his disciples is similar to the exodus of the Israelites from the Egyptians where they were held in captive. In addition, it is also a reward from God to the Israelites for their belief in God to lead them to the Promised Land (Morris, 1989). Hence Jesus made a promise to mankind that he would return to save those who had faith in him and who believed in his teachings. More so, it was an indication of His second coming to take his people home. Such a reunion of the body in Christ is also similar to The Feast of the Tabernacles whereby all people brought together their harvests, sacrifices and offerings. In conclusion, The Feast of the Tabernacles is symbolic to the life of Christ and his coming into the world (White, 1971). His birth in Jerusalem is presumed to have occurred during that harvest in the fall, a period which people congregated in Jerusalem in order to celebrate The Feast of the Tabernacles. This was a means of rejoicing to God for his abundance in blessings. Additionally, The Feast of the Tabernacles reaches a climax in the second coming of Christ whereby he indicates the end to human suffering and the achievement of eternal life. References Morris, L. (1989). Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company. Stalley, R. A. (2000). George Edmund Street and the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Dublin: Four Courts Press. Towns, E. L. (2002). The Gospel of John: Believe and Live: Twenty-First Century Biblical. Ed. Mal Couch and Ed Hindson. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. White, J. (1971). The second coming of Christ: Or, A brief exposition of Matthew Twenty-four. Battle Creek, Mich: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Pub. Association.