Is the Feast of Tabernacles Really About the Millennium?

Usually these posts more-or-less reflect the consensus of Wascana Fellowship. This one is about a more personal view of the Fall Festival season mentioned in the Old Testament. In other words, this view does not necessarily represent the overall views of members of Wascana Fellowship. Feel free not to be persuaded by what follows. 🙂

After spending almost 30 years in Herbert W. Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God I had some very fixed ideas about the relationship between the Old and New Covenants and the prophetic meaning of the Holy Days given to ancient Israel. After every one of the spring festivals has literally come to pass in the life of Jesus Christ, who can blame anyone for getting excited about the apparently as-yet-unfulfilled autumn festivals?

Herbert Armstrong’s focus was on the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ on earth, so he assumed that the 7-day Feast of Tabernacles referred to this period of time. The way he organized it is more-or-less represented in the chart linked below.

Herbert W Armstrong View of Fall Feasts

While I no longer hold the view that these days are required celebrations, I admit to still feeling that they have a strong symbolic meaning linked to Jesus’ work in the past, present and future. I believe they already have a partial fulfilment in what Jesus has done for us. I also believe it is still possible for them to have literal fulfulment in the future.

I do not, however, entirely agree with Herbert Armstrong’s strong Millennium focus, nor with a pre-Millennial Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is about bringing reconciliation to the entire “land” or “community,” not about individualistic salvation. Atonement is about the “judgment” part of salvation. After Atonement, sin has left the land entirely, never to return. Satan is cast into the lake of fire, along with Death and Hades. Atonement, to me, pictures the time of Satan’s judgment and the “Great White Throne Judgment” before a “new heavens and a new earth.” Sin’s time on earth is finished.

If my conclusions are correct (hey, I’m only human), the Feast of Tabernacles is about the rest of eternity in which Jesus reigns in peace and harmony – forever. Jesus, God’s “Tabernacle” remains among His (all remaining) people – forever. We will always be His people, and He will always be our God, tabernacling with us forever. See the chart linked below for some of the reasoning behind this view.

Proposed Alternate View of Fall Feasts

For those of you celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, Happy Feast!