This October 3rd, Two Thousand & Twenty-Three Years Ago, 15 Days After The Sighting Of The New Moon In The 7th Hebrew Biblical Month of Tishri, The Word Was Made Flesh!

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him. He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Christ spoke these remarkable words while attending the "Feast of Tabernacles," as recorded in the Gospel of John, Chapter 7.

The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October. The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness.

As one of the three feasts that all “native born” male Jews were commanded to participate in, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned multiple times in Scripture, sometimes called the Feast of the Ingathering, the Feast to the Lord, or the Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:13). As one of the pilgrim feasts (when Jewish males were commanded to go to Jerusalem), it was also the time when they brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple (Deuteronomy 16:16). With the influx of people coming to Jerusalem at that time, we can only imagine what the scene must have been like. Thousands upon thousands of people coming together to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and His provision, all living in temporary shelters or booths as part of the requirements of the feast. During the eight-day period, so many sacrifices were made that it required all twenty-four divisions of priests to be present to assist in the sacrificial duties.

We find God’s instructions for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23, given at a point in history right after God had delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. The feast was to be celebrated each year on “the fifteenth day of this seventh month” and was to run for seven days (Leviticus 23:34). Like all feasts, it begins with a “holy convocation” or Sabbath day when the Israelites were to stop working to set aside the day for worshiping God. On each day of the feast they were to offer an “offering made by fire to the Lord” and then after seven days of feasting, again the eighth day was to be “a holy convocation” when they were to cease from work and offer another sacrifice to God (Leviticus 23). Lasting eight days, the Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a Sabbath day of rest. During the eight days of the feast, the Israelites would dwell in booths or tabernacles that were made from the branches of trees (Leviticus 23:40–42).

The Feast of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. Of course, the feasts are also significant in that they foreshadow the work and actions of the coming Messiah. Much of Jesus’ public ministry took place in conjunction with the Holy Feasts set forth by God.

The three pilgrim feasts where all Jewish males were commanded to “appear before the Lord in the place he chooses” are each very important in regards to the life of Christ and His work of redemption. We know with certainty that the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are symbolic of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Likewise, we know that Pentecost, which marked the beginning of the Feast of Weeks, was the time of Jesus’ bodily ascension. And most scholars would agree that the Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of Christ’s Second Coming when He will establish His earthly kingdom.

There are also some who believe that it was likely during the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus was born. While we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, most scholars acknowledge that this tradition was begun in the fourth century AD by the Roman Catholic Church and that the exact day of Jesus’ birth is unknown. Some of the evidence that Jesus might have been born earlier in the year during the Feast of the Tabernacles includes the fact that it would be unlikely for shepherds to still be in the field with their sheep in December, which is in the middle of the winter, but it would have been likely they were in the fields tending sheep at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. The strong possibility that Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles is also seen in the words John wrote in John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The word John chose to speak of Jesus “dwelling” among us is the word tabernacle, which simply means to “dwell in a tent.”

Some believe it is very likely that John intentionally used this word to associate the first coming of Christ with the Feast of Tabernacles. Christ came in the flesh to dwell among us for a temporary time when He was born in the manger, and He is coming again to dwell among us as Lord of Lords. While it cannot be established with certainty that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, some believe there is a strong possibility the Feast of Tabernacles not only looks forward to His second coming but also reflects back on His first coming.

The Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a special Sabbath day of rest. During the days of the feast all native Israelites were “to dwell in booths” to remind them that God delivered them out of the “land of Egypt” and to look forward to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would deliver His people from the bondage of sin. This feast, like all of the feasts of Israel, consistently reminded the Jews and should remind Christians as well that God has promised to deliver His people from the bondage of sin and deliver them from their enemies. Part of God’s deliverance for the Israelites was His provision and protection of them for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, cut off from the Promised Land. The same holds true for Christians today. God protects us and provides for us as we go through life in the wilderness of this world. While our hearts long for the Promised Land (heaven) and to be in the presence of God, He preserves us in this world as we await the world to come and the redemption that will come when Jesus Christ returns again to “tabernacle” or dwell among us in bodily form.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Feast-of-Tabernacles.html

Marvelous to ponder. But first you have to learn about it! I’d already heard this but it’s nice to be reminded of the details.
Thanks Hieronymus.

And Dismas—whose timing was ever quite so good as his?

St. Peter was obviously not manning the Pearly Gates yet. Jesus’s body was still away on business. And yet, Dismas, having just been baptized by Jesus and died minutes later probably had a grand total of **zero** years/months/days to serve in purgatory. So...zoom, up he went.

Did Dismas knock quietly and then just kind of let himself in?

And all the two thirds of Angels still occupying heaven, in all their beauty, brilliance, magnificence, each one unmistakably unique...they’re thinking, Look what the cat dragged in! There goes the neighborhood.

Michael: Soul only?

Dismas: Uhh,... yeah. My body’s in rough shape anyway. The Sabbath was coming, and they had to rush me the two of us along, so the centurion...

Gabriel: Saw that...broke your legs, right?

Dismas: Yep. Not fun. I deserved it though.

Michael: Good answer, D. You’re a quick study.

Gabriel: Welcome to the Big Reward, Dismas. I’m not on duty for the Ascension. That’s happening in about six weeks and...whoo-dogie this place has been busy with all the party prep. But if you want to start earning your keep, I need someone to wake me up when it’s time to assume the Blessed Mother Mary into heaven, soul AND body.

Dismas: Being immaculate does have it’s privileges. Not that I would know. But wow...body too...amazing. I can’t even imagine what that would be like.

Michael and Gabriel: Yes, amazing. Don’t sweat it though, you’ll get yours back eventually. Then there’s us, spirit only, for eternity...

Dismas: How did I already know that? For some reason I’m feeling like I know everything. This is really looking like a good deal that I got.

Gabriel: So, heavy-D, the Apostles are scheduled to start dropping like flies once Mary decides she’s had enough. Except John...remember him? The Apostle who was right with you? He’s gonna be worn out by the time Jesus reels him back in. Should be in about sixty years.

Michael: Back to Mary—you met her right? Or at least got a good look at her? The jeweler and goldsmith needs a rough idea of her hat size. Be sure to make that your first stop after you finish the self-guided newcomer’s tour.

Dismas: No sweat. [Marks up his day planner] Thanks guys. Really nice to meet you.

Research by many biblical scholars shows the crucifixion occurred on Passover, which occurs in the spring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, a high sabbath day. In historical times, before the Jews were driven from the land by Romans, Hebrew months began with the new moon's first sighting. Constantinian day-of-month observances have no real correlation with actual event timing, tho on occasion, do sync up, such as on Easter.

Both the birth and crucifixion of Christ occurred on Hebrew high sabbath days (i.e., "the Lord of the Sabbath") - more evidence of a Divine hand at work behind the scenes.

Scriptures regarding the Annunciation also help to verify the birth of Christ occurred in the fall:

Sometime between May 26 and June 1, Elizabeth would have conceived. She later gave birth to John the Baptist near March 10 in 3 BC (after the gestation period of 9 months and 10 days, a total of 280 days). This would place the birth of Jesus six months later (Luke 1:26-38) in the first half of September, in 3 BC.

https://truthinscripture.net/2016/12/27/jesus-birth-birth-of-john-the-baptist/

Our Gentile traditions (both Catholic & Protestant) are wrong. They were established by those, like Constantine, who had no real understanding of actual events or the significance of their timing. IMO, they used their authority to simply incorporate pagan observance days, probably out of convenience, into a hybrid Christianity in the third and fourth centuries.

Jeremiah (Jeremiah 16:19) prophesied that one day Gentiles would come from the ends of the earth, saying, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit."

And he was right!

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