Feast of Booths
“Say to the people of Israel, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and for seven days is the feast of booths to the Lord. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. Seven days you shall present offerings by fire to the Lord; on the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. Leviticus 23: 34-35
“You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, when you make your ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine press; you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place which the Lord will choose; because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful. Deuteronomy 16: 13-15
“At the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release, at the feast of booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Deuteronomy 31:10
“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days; and you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord, thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; and their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil,…
On the second day, twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish… also one male goat for a sin offering…
On the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish….also one male goat for a sin offering…..
On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish…also one male goat for a sin offering….
On the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish…also one male goat for a sin offering…
On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish…also one male goat for a sin offering…
On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish…also one male goat for a sin offering…
On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work, but you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish…also one male goat for a sin offering Numbers 29:12-38
The total number of burnt offerings (not including the continual burnt offering) 70 bulls, 14 rams, 98 lambs and 7 goats, taken cumulatively or in groups was always divisible by seven. On the eighth day a further 7 lambs plus one bull, one ram and one goat were offered. Altogether 199 beasts were slain during this feast.
It is interesting to note that there are 199 days total in the sanctuary year; first of Nissan to end of Feast of Booths.
The feast of tabernacles: This was the last feast of the religious year…after the autumn harvest was over and the fruit had been gathered in. It was a joyous occasion for all…At the feast of Tabernacles they were to “rejoice.” It was altogether the happiest occasion of the year, when friends and neighbors renewed fellowship and dwelt together in love and harmony. SDA B.C. vol. 1 pg 805
In like manner the types which relate to the Second Advent must be fulfilled at the time pointed out in the symbolic service. Under the Mosaic system the cleansing of the sanctuary, or the great Day of Atonement, occurred on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month…which in the year 1844 fell upon the twenty second of October… “The Great Controversy” by E.G. White pg 399 & 400, last paragraph.
Calculations:
The feast of Booths/Tabernacles begins 5 days after the Day of Atonement on the 15th day of Tishri
5 x 33.898 = 169.49 (However this date could vary given the variation of the sunset times; civil, nautical, astronomical and end of day, a variation of 5 apx hours from 3pm to 8pm or 7 years, 5 x 1.41 = 7)
1844 + 169.49 = 2013.49
God has a plan, an appointed time of the end:
- Job 14:5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with thee, and thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.
- Exodus 13:10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year. (Speaking of Passover)
- Daniel 8:17-19 So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened and fell upon my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 18 As he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and set me on my feet. 19 He said, “behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation; for it pertains to the appointed time of the end.
- Daniel 11:29 “At the time appointed…
- Exodus 23:15 “You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread…at the time appointed…..
- Daniel 11:35, 36 and some of those who are wise shall fall, to refine and to cleanse them and to make them white, until the time of the end, for it is yet for the time appointed, 36 “And the king shall do according to his will; he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is determined shall be done.
- Habakkuk 2:3 For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end---it will not lie. If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
- Job 14:5 “Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with thee, and thou has appointed his bounds that he cannot pass,… and v. 13) Isaiah 25:1 “plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
- Isaiah 46:9-10 …for I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done saying, “my counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose….I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. (Also see: Is 14:24-27; 22:11; 23:9; 37:26 and Is. 24:4-20 speaking of Feast of Booths end time)
- Jeremiah 5:24 They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’
- Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. (Feast of Booths was to be the most joyful of all and Feast of First Fruits/Weeks was also to be a joyous occasion.)
Ellen White writing in the Great Controversy states that “One saying of the Savior must not be made to destroy another. Though no man knoweth the day nor the hour of His coming, we are instructed and required to know when it is near.” She writes this in response to those who use the argument “No man knoweth the day nor the hour”. (from pp 370,71) She also writes “We are further taught that to disregard His warning, and refuse or neglect to know when His advent is near, will be as fatal for us as it was for those who lived in the days of Noah not to know when the flood was coming. Noah was told that he had 120 years to preach before the flood to destroy mankind. He was given a specific time, not a day or hour but a time. See also in G.C. pp 623 where the day and hour are given.
- G.C. pp 360 Are we never to know that period, whilst He Himself exhorteth us not only to read Daniel and the prophets, but to understand it? And in that very Daniel, where it is said that the words were shut up to the time of the end (which was the case in his time), and that ‘many shall run to and fro’ (a Hebrew expression for observing and thinking upon the time), ‘and knowledge’ (regarding that time) ‘shall be increased.’ Daniel 12:4 Besides this our Lord does not intend to say by this, that the approach of the time shall not be known, but that the exact ‘day and hour knoweth no man.’ Enough, He does say, shall be known by the signs of the times, to induce us to prepare for His coming, as Noah prepared the ark.”---Wolff, Researches and Missionary Labors, pages 404,405.
Things Revealed
Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. 4. But you are not in darkness, brethren for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do but let us keep awake and be sober.
A Pattern Not a Prophecy:
The sanctuary was not only a calendar of feasts and sacrifices but as we can see by not only the Cross but 1844, a point in time (in the history of mankind). It was also a plan of events not only for Jewish sacrifices and festivals but a plan for the great events of salvation for this world. All of which point to the Lamb.
Silence in Heaven
Let's have a look at Revelation 8:1-5 (NKJV) When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (One hour = 1.41 Sanctuary years so 1/2 hour would be 7 months. Now it reads "about" so perhaps less or more) And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. (Trumpets waiting to blow) Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the alter. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden alter which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. ( Saints are still praying for themselves and for others...Probation not closed yet! Could it be that the "silence in heaven" was due to the fact that all of heaven is emptied, that the Angels (please see Matt. 13:39, Joel 3) have come to earth to help us or to finish the work because God loves us so much and He knows we are weak and can't do it all by ourselves. They; all heaven are coming to our rescue, all of heaven emptied on our behalf. How loving a Savior we serve. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the alter, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thundering's, lightnings, and an earthquake. (Probation ended)
But for 6 1/2 to 7 months ALL heaven will be working with us for the salvation of the lost, our families, kids, friends all for whom we have prayed for so many years. I don't know about you but I would love to be a part of that movement. It is all in His Wonderful hands. What a God we serve. Praise the Lord!!!!!