The Feast of Tabernacles is called Sukkot in Hebrew. Like all the other biblical feasts, its celebrations start in the evening because, in Israel, every feast and every new day begins at sunset and ends at sunset the next day. God designed it that way in the Book of Genesis.
For over 3200 years we have kept the Sukkot feast just as God gave it to us with all his instructions, including the command to build tabernacles on this sacred day, a task we take very seriously.
This beautiful custom instructs each family to erect a tabernacle (tent) at their home, wherever there is space in their yard, however, the majority of the population of Israel live in apartment buildings and must erect their small tabernacles on their sun terraces or balconies.
When neither of these options is available, people simply build tabernacles right on the street. This conveys a powerful message of community and togetherness, bringing neighbors and sometimes even complete strangers together to celebrate what Sukkot represents to our nation.
The festive week of Sukkot is such a beautiful time in Israel. Everywhere you go, you see decorated tabernacles erected all around, showing that the people of Israel have not forgotten who was and still is their Tabernacle.
In every scripture written about Sukkot, God emphasizes one thing: to rejoice! Rejoice alone, with family, and teach our children to rejoice. We’re told to rejoice with our neighbors and our friends and also to help the widows and the orphans, enabling them to rejoice even in their need.
Deuteronomy 16 and Leviticus 23 both speak extensively about Sukkot, what it means and how it is to be celebrated. There are countless messages and teachings about this feast in the Bible, but it is important to see The Feast of Tabernacles is not only biblical but also prophetic. It is a prophetic feast because it is one of the feasts that are still to be fulfilled in the last days.
Nothing that God says is random, and everything carries a deep meaning. The minute we start diving into it and studying about it, it fills us with tremendous joy, while taking us deeper in our walk with God.
As we walk throughout the land of Israel during this festive Sukkot week and read the teachings and messages from the Bible, we know the Lord will release heavenly blessings over our lives.
The Bible is living and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that will touch us even today if we will only dive into God’s eternal words and explore the powerful meaning of the Sukkot feast.