What Is the Feast of Tabernacles?

Ask anyone what Christmas is, and you’ll get an answer. Everybody knows about Christmas. The same applies to the popular springtime holiday of Easter—the President of the United States even hosts an Easter egg roll each year on the White House lawn. Halloween is world-renowned as well, even as it celebrates evil.

But ask the average person on the street about the Feast of Tabernacles, and you’ll get some confused looks. Most, unless they are Jewish, won’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Yet the Feast of Tabernacles is not just observed by Jews. There are also Christians who keep this annual autumn Festival—and look forward to it with great anticipation every year. Why do they keep these feast days? And why should you care?

Let’s uncover the truth about this important Holy Day season described in the Bible. What is the Feast of Tabernacles?

God’s Holy Day Calendar—From Passover to the Last Great Day

Many people today, if they’ve heard of the Feast of Tabernacles at all, might think, That’s one of those old Jewish observances that Christ did away with on the cross. But is it?

The truth is that the Bible reveals that God instituted Holy Days for His people. And yes, these days are found in the Old Testament. But it may come as a surprise that they are also found in the New Testament—and that Christians have understood and observed them from Christianity’s earliest beginnings in the first century AD. Let’s go through a brief overview of the biblical Holy Days and Festivals.

Passover—Christ’s Sacrifice

First comes the Christian Passover. It occurs in the springtime, in late March or early April. Passover reminds us that Jesus was the Lamb of God slain for our sins. That’s why the Passover is important to Christians—as the Apostle Paul wrote, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). In other words, the Christian Passover is the crucial first step in the plan of God: Christ’s sacrifice providing redemption to sin-sick humanity.

The Days of Unleavened Bread: Getting Rid of Sin

The second of the annual Festivals is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For New Testament Christians, these seven days teach us that we must change and grow. Christ’s sacrifice sets us free from the penalty of sin, but we must not continue to practice sin. We must resist sin and learn a new way of life, with God’s help. As Paul wrote, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (v. 8).

Pentecost: Receiving God’s Holy Spirit

The third Festival in God’s calendar is the Feast of Firstfruits. In the New Testament it is called the Day of Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth.” It is called that because its date is set by counting 50 days, beginning with the Sunday during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which puts Pentecost in late May or early June. In the Holy Land, this was also the time of the wheat harvest.

In AD 31, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early Church, it happened on the Day of Pentecost. “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1–2). What we learn from Pentecost is that God is not calling everyone today—just a small group of firstfruits, the early harvest. The rest will have their opportunity later.

The Feast of Trumpets: Heralding Christ’s Return

The next Holy Day is called the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September or early October on the Roman calendar, and it prophetically represents the Day of the Lord and Jesus Christ’s triumphant return to this earth in power and glory.

Atonement: Satan Banished and Man Drawing Closer to God

Ten days after the Feast of Trumpets comes the Day of Atonement. It pictures the removal of the devil—the source of sin in our world—and humanity’s becoming “at one” with God. The earliest followers of Jesus Christ were very familiar with the day, as we see in Luke’s account of the journeys of Paul and his companions as they sailed on the Mediterranean Sea. “We came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea…. The voyage was now dangerous, because the Day of Atonement was already over” (Acts 27:8–9, Modern English Version). The Day of Atonement takes place during a time of year when the Mediterranean Sea is often stormy and sailing it can be dangerous. But notice that Luke used this Holy Day as a marker of time for his audience, which included Gentile Christians, who were familiar with the Holy Day because they, too, were observing it.

The Feast of Tabernacles: Christ’s Reign on Earth

The next biblical Feast is the one we’re focusing on in this article, the Feast of Tabernacles. In short, the Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day period foreshadowing a thousand years of peace, prosperity, and abundance on earth. This Millennium is still in the future, but it’s coming soon. Jesus Christ will personally reign on the earth. All humanity—those who survive the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, as well as their descendants—will enjoy the benefits and blessings of living under the rule of Jesus Christ. We’ll come back to this Holy Day season later.

The Last Great Day: “Judgment Day”

That brings us to the last of God’s biblical Holy Days, the Last Great Day. It follows on the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles and represents the time of the general resurrection. This is the time when the unsaved billions, those who never had a genuine opportunity for salvation in this age, will be resurrected back to physical life and offered that chance. This day is for them. It represents the time after the Millennium of Jesus Christ’s rule on earth, and at that time, those billions of human beings will have their understanding opened, God’s Spirit will be made available to them, and they’ll be offered eternal life (see page 12 of this issue).

So, that’s a brief overview of the seven annual Holy Days as outlined in your Bible. They’re not just the Holy Days of the Jews. They’re not just special days for Israelites only. And they’re not only taught in the Old Testament. These are New Testament Holy Days that have powerful meaning for Christians today.

But what about our original question—just what is the Feast of Tabernacles?

The Feast of Tabernacles Explained in Detail

A Tabernacle Reminds Us: Life Is Temporary

First, let’s examine the word tabernacle. The word tabernacle simply means “tent.” The book of Exodus mentions that Moses built a “tabernacle” or tent in the wilderness to be the place of worship of the true God. As a tent, it was only a temporary dwelling. It was not nearly as permanent as the house—or temple—that was later built by Solomon in Jerusalem.

To understand the significance of “tents” or “tabernacles,” we must go back to the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. After they had suffered for decades under the oppressive rule of Egyptian taskmasters, God set them free sometime around 1446 BC. They left Egypt and headed for the Promised Land. Along the way, they dwelt in tents as they journeyed through the desolate wilderness.

Compare this with our lives today. We are each living a temporary, human existence. We are only sojourners and pilgrims on earth, as the Apostle Peter writes (1 Peter 2:11). We seek a better, future existence in God’s Kingdom, much as the children of Israel were seeking the Promised Land.

In fact, the Apostle Peter used the analogy of tents in describing his own physical life. Notice: “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me” (2 Peter 1:12–14).

Peter compared his physical body to a tent—which, as it is continually barraged by the rain, wind, and storms of life, eventually wears out. God wants us to understand that human life is just a short journey—and that there is something far better coming after it.

Why is this important? Well, we all have trials and struggles in this life. We all have pain. But there is a better world coming. When God’s Kingdom comes, Christ will rule not from up in the heavens, but right here on our troubled earth. This is where the healing and comforting needs to take place. This is where the violence, warfare, and hatred must end. And this is where moral confusion will give way to a genuine understanding of the right way to live.

In other words, we should not despair when bad things happen. The Feast of Tabernacles teaches us that our physical life is temporary, and it assures us that there will soon come a time when Christ will reign on this earth to bring peace and prosperity to everyone.

It Pictures the Millennial Reign of Christ

Many prophecies detail this. Consider: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills” (Isaiah 2:2).

“Mountains” are used symbolically in the Bible to refer to governments, so this prophecy tells us that, in the future, God’s government will be set up on earth to rule over all other governments. That clearly has not happened yet, but is still to come:

Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:3–4).

Do you see this happening today? Of course not. Today, in every corner of the globe, men and women cry out for a better world. In Europe and Africa, Asia and the Middle East, South America, North America, the Caribbean, Australasia—everywhere—we see corruption, war, poverty, and violence on a massive scale. It’s heartbreaking. But this time of suffering will soon come to an end. Jesus Christ will personally stop the hatred, the anger, and the bloodshed.

We read from the Prophet Isaiah, “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse.” Jesse was the father of David, and the Messiah is described as David’s son, so this is about Jesus Christ. We read next that “a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1–2).

This is how Jesus Christ will govern when He returns—with equity, with justice, and with profound spiritual insight: “With righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Isaiah 11:3–5).

In summary: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (v. 9).

Obviously, the modern world is not being governed by Christ and the Bible—nor has any era of human history experienced the joy and tranquility offered by the government of God. But that will dramatically change. Everyone will learn God’s way, and Jesus Christ will personally reign on this earth to make sure that happens. The Feast of Tabernacles revealed in your Bible pictures and symbolizes His millennial reign—and that is good news. That millennial period is just around the corner.

The Feast of Tabernacles Is for Christians

So, let’s take it one step further: What does this have to do with you? Should Christians keep the Feast of Tabernacles? To answer that, let’s look at what God said about the Feast of Tabernacles to the ancient Israelites: “You shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make his name abide… that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always…. You shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household” (Deuteronomy 14:23, 25–26).

This describes the Feast of Tabernacles. In ancient Israel, an agricultural society, people were intimately connected to the land. When the summer growing season was over, they celebrated the bountiful harvest in thankfulness to God. It’s ironic that some mistakenly portray God’s annual Feasts as a harsh burden. Perhaps they have never read what these Feasts were like. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate a bountiful harvest with abundant food and festivities—and to do so for seven whole days? It sounds like a wonderful time. If that’s a burden, lay it on me!

What’s more, the Feast of Tabernacles wasn’t only about having fun. It was a celebration to honor God and thank Him for His wonderful way of life. And it helped people learn to honor Him and hold Him in awe for His majesty, power, mercy, and love. The Feast of Tabernacles was also a foreshadowing of the coming reign of Jesus Christ on earth.

So, what does this have to do with Christians today? The book of Revelation gives a fascinating glimpse into the thousand-year time period after Christ returns. Notice: “I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them…. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

This is one of the most straightforward passages in the Bible about the prophesied Millennium—a soon-coming golden age of Christ’s reign on earth and the glorified saints reigning with Him.

Why don’t you hear about this from most churches? After all, this was the belief of the early Christians. The year 1789 saw the completed publication of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, written by eminent English scholar and historian Edward Gibbon. In it, he discussed how the early church looked at the doctrine of the millennial reign of Christ:

The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days, their duration in their present state, according to a tradition which was attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years. By the same analogy it was inferred, that this long period of labour and contention, which was now almost elapsed, would be succeeded by a joyful sabbath of a thousand years; and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had been miraculously revived, would reign upon earth (1862 edition, p. 176).

This is exactly what we’ve been reading in God’s word. The prophecies of Isaiah, Micah, and Revelation tell of a coming millennial reign of the Messiah. But why don’t most churches talk about this? Gibbon explains on the same page:

It appears to have been the reigning sentiment of the orthodox believers; and it seems so well adapted to the desires and apprehensions of mankind, that it must have contributed in a very considerable degree to the progress of the Christian faith. But when the edifice of the church was almost completed… the doctrine of Christ’s reign upon earth was at first treated as a profound allegory, was considered by degrees as a doubtful and useless opinion, and was at length rejected as the absurd invention of heresy and fanaticism.

In other words, the first Christians believed in the coming millennial reign of Christ—and it was a fundamental part of their belief. It gave them hope for the future. But somewhere along the way, people were told instead that the Kingdom of God was in their hearts, or that it was the church itself. Over time, the truth of Christ’s millennial reign was lost to many.

But not to all.

Today, there are still Christians who observe these Holy Days. There are still Christians who value what Christ and His original disciples taught and are eagerly looking forward to the triumphant return of their Savior—and to His reign on earth.

After all, Jesus Christ Himself kept the Feast of Tabernacles. That’s explained in John 7:10. If we are following in the footsteps of Christ, should we not do as He did?

A Feast for All Nations When Jesus Returns

When Jesus returns to this earth, people all around the world will be keeping the Holy Days. We read, “It shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

This prophecy tells of a time on the heels of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord—and it says that all who fought against Jesus Christ will be observing this Feast. Just think of it: People who were once Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, agnostics, atheists—and, yes, even followers of the mainstream, counterfeit Christianity—will all be keeping these days.

But what happens if some nations resist? Well, let’s read on: “Whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (vv. 17–18).

God knows that His laws are so important that He cannot only invite the nations of the world to keep the Feast—He must make them keep it, for their own good. Because when they finally keep the Feast of Tabernacles, they’ll begin to experience the deep satisfaction of living God’s way and to enjoy the blessings that come from walking in His paths.

Thanks to God’s Holy Days, we can see that there is great hope for the future. He instituted the Feast of Tabernacles so you and I could understand just how profoundly rewarding His way of life is. It’s not just a historical or theoretical issue—it’s about obeying God, observing His Holy Days, and experiencing the way of life He intends for all mankind.