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As we find ourselves in the middle of Sukkot, it seemed appropriate to circle back and expose a little bit of information regarding this Appointed Time and the separate, yet connected Eighth Day…
For seven days you must present a gift to the Lord. On the eighth day there is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must present a gift to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly day; you must not do any regular work.
Leviticus 23:36
There are, in fact, three seemingly distinct topics that I’d like to discuss. I say ‘seemingly‘ distinct because, as the Spirit showed me, they are all actually quite interconnected. These are; the Eight Day, the Abomination of Desolation and the persecution of the Jewish people in modernity.
Do I have your attention? Okay, let’s start with the abomination of desolation…
“So when you see the abomination of desolation—spoken about by Daniel the prophet—standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one on the roof must not come down to take anything out of his house, and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. …”
Matthew 24:15 – 18
Here we have the record of the Messiah forewarning His disciples of events to come. In fact, the entirety of the dialogue given in Matthew 24 is in the context of the end of the age, as prefaced in verse 3. So why, given how clear these passages seem to be do they bear further discussion? Because, as it happens, there is more than a little controversy and confusion about it.
Let’s start with a look at what Daniel actually wrote about this event;
… He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of that week he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt. On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys, until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”
Daniel 9:27
Now, to be fair, you should go and read this chapter in its entirety to ensure proper context. There has been much written and taught over the ages regarding what Daniel is prophesying here that, quite frankly, is pretty off the rails – but that isn’t the point of this article.
There are those who take this prophecy as having been fulfilled in 70 A.D. and honestly, one can understand why when one grasps what’s being put forth here. Paul goes on to provide us with further insight into this event in his second letter to the congregation in Thessalonica:
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 – 4
Now, I’ll not debate, nor belabor the point, but Paul is absolutely pointing to the prophesy given by Daniel in this passage and, it furthermore points to the theological understanding of his day – that being the age of the first century “church”.
For those in the know, in 70 A.D., Antiochus Epiphanes had the temple desecrated. Pigs were slaughtered on the altar, swine’s blood splashed about the grounds and a statue of Zeus – bearing the face of Antiochus himself, was stood up in the temple as an object of worship. If you want to dig deeper, I provided an two-part series of articles going over the events which Chanukah commemorates and shared the whole, sordid tale as best I could. See Chanukah Parts One and Two.
Here’s the thing – looking at what Paul explicitly stated, the events of 70 A.D. don’t actually bring this to a close… at least not fully. You see, Antiochus did desecrate the temple, and he did stand up a statue of Zeus, with his own face on it as an object of worship… however he did not “take his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.”
Now, there are many who believe that the coming Anti-Christ will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and that, after doing so, he will fulfill this prophecy – and I agree… to a point. This issue I take is that, while there will be tabernacle once again, it will not be built by the Anti-Christ – it will be built by the Jewish people. Whether that takes the form of a tent, as in the days of Moses and of David, or a full-blown stone edifice as in the days of Solomon remains to be seen.
So with that in mind, I’d like to tackle the second topic – the persecution of the Jewish people in modernity.
For most of us, the persecution of the Hebrews, prior to the first coming of Messiah makes perfect sense. I mean, God made it clear all the way back in Eden that one was coming who would crush the head of the serpent. Obviously, if the line which God had clearly chosen through which to bring about this prophesied Anointed One were to be wiped out, then He could not come and fulfill that prophesy.
I’m not saying it’s okay or anything, only that I can see the logic there. Furthermore, in that light the actions of the Pharaoh of the Oppression prior to the Exodus, the actions of Haman in the days of Esther and many other events come into stark clarity. You see it right?
The question then becomes, why – if the Messiah has already come once, and did strike a death-blow to the serpent – does the adversary still seek to persecute, blind and ultimately wipe out the Jewish people?
The answer may surprise you, but it shouldn’t. Because they are still God’s covenant people and the promise of our salvation and redemption will still be achieved through them – specifically through their recognition of Him as THE Mashiach (Messiah).
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! Look, your house is left to you desolate! For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’“
Matthew 23:37 – 39
Make no mistake – that last portion is a direct reference to the recognition of HIM as the Messiah and He stated in no uncertain terms that they would not see him until the recognized this. You think that’s a pre-requisite for His return? You should, because it absolutely is. Moreover, this too was prophesied:
“I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn. …”
Zechariah 12:10
So let’s put this together – if the adversary could have wiped out the Hebrews before the coming of the Messiah, he could have prevented His coming at all. If there are no Hebrews to recognize Him and bless His coming again, then there would be no return – you follow?
So how is any of this relevant to the Eight Day?
Outstanding question. I’m so glad you asked.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days— these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!
Colossians 2:16 – 17
Scripture tells us, as Paul intimates here, that the Appointed Times are, shall we say… ‘prophetic shadow pictures‘ of things to come. Note that although portions of these prophecies had been fulfilled – as we can see in the Passover – that He does not refer to them in the past-tense. Moreover, I could write a series just addressing how woefully off the rails western theology has taken this verse, but again… not the point of this article.
Personally, I find Sukkot to a be particularly interesting observance, specifically because in it, I see a model of all time – from the beginning to the end of the age. Incidentally, I also find it to be the period of Yeshua / Jesus’ actual birth. Born on the first day of Tabernacles to ‘tabernacle among man’, circumcised on the Eighth Day which has layers of prophetic significance of it’s own.
I have previously shared here on DCMG the principle of what I call the “Divine Week“. here, within the Festival of Booths, I see again, a stark picture of this principle as I dwell within a Sukkah for seven days. When one views the world through this lens, the statement Messiah made has such a powerful impact:
“… For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:8
So Yeshua is Lord of the Shabbat, and that is a direct reference to the Millennial Reign… so what’s with the Eighth Day then?
Man! You’re on fire with all the right questions today!
The Eight Day represents… wait for it… eternity! It is otherwise known as “the Last Great Day” because it represents a span of time without end following the conclusion of the one-thousand year reign of Messiah on earth.
All cards on the table; at the end of the thousand years and prior to our entering into eternity, Satan is judged and cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet will be awaiting him. You think he has a vested interest in trying to stop that from happening? You bet your ass he does.
So here’s the thing – as more and more among the Jewish people awaken to the reality of Yeshua as the prophesied Son of David, the Messiah and the rightful King of the Universe, things are going to ramp up. Why? Because the Jewish people are the lynch-pin. What’s more is that the adversary knows this and continues to work to keep them blinded.
Everything that has happened, and will happen, is leading us – ultimately – to the Eighth Day – to eternity in the presence of our Creator. Everything the adversary has done – and will do – is ultimately in an effort to avert this and in so doing, avert his own judgement.
I told you they were all connected.
Until next time,
חג סוכות שמח – Chag Sukkot Sameach – Joyous Sukkot Festival
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You