WHY IS CHRIST REQUIRING ALL TO ATTEND?
Why is God demanding everyone upon his return, to keep THE FEAST of Tabernacles. Upon the return of Jesus this order will be among his demands to bring peace and harmony to the world. The world will have unity of religious celebrations based on his word. If Jesus has fulfilled all the Holy Day Laws, meaning they are now unnecessary, why require them after his second coming? Why demand them to be kept during the millennial reign of Christ in the future of all mankind? The prophet Zachariah was inspired to reveal that the coming of the Messiah would involve :
Zechariah 9:9 NKJV 9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
This reveals what the Messiah will do on his first visit. But on his second visit he will :
Zechariah 9:10-14 NKJV 10 I will cut off the chariot ...the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off...His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.' 11 made you like the sword of a mighty man.... 14 Then the LORD will be seen over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet....
Christ's second coming will be with power. He will lead an angelic army to conquer this evil world. He will bring peace by stopping evil forcefully. Christ on his second coming, will not be the gentle lamb. Then the Jewish people will lead the world in the process of repenting and accepting Jesus.
Zechariah 12:10 NKJV 10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
All of chapter fourteen of the prophets' writings are about the Day of the Lord, the return of Christ.
Zechariah 14:1-5 NKJV 1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,... 3 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,... Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.
Jesus will rule the world from Jerusalem and one of his first edicts will be to attend the Feast or else.
Zechariah 14:16 NKJV 16 And 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.
All nations will be expected to send important representatives and others to officially keep the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.
WHY CHRIST WILL FORCE ALL NATIONS TO COME
Coming to Jerusalem is obviously good for the nations. It will produce spiritual growth and unity in the world. It will also be a way of demonstrating to God among the nations that they recognize his authority to lead.
Zechariah 14:17-18 NKJV 17 And it shall be that 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. 18 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.
God will not tolerate religious confusion and division. The world will have unity and peace. One thing that is clear in our present world guided by Satan is that religious confusion and apostasy leads to many levels of cruelty VIOLENCE and evil.
Zechariah 14:19 NKJV 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
God will not tolerate any seeds of evil. Jesus in love, will control all governmental and religious matters. What kind of world is Jesus going to create in the millennium paradise?
Isaiah 2:3-5 NKJV 3 Many people shall come and the saints 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.
The world will be ruled by Jesus. That rule will include one true worship system. This new government ruled by Christ as the permanent king, and the saints will produce peace and prosperity.
4 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.
Even the poorest nations in this the age of Satan's influence spend vast amounts of money on military arms. It is required in this evil world. That waste will end and all nations will in unity, keep the Feast of Tabernacles as a symbol of submission and unity.
JESUS CHRIST REINFORCED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FEAST
During Jesus's last year on earth he attended the Feast at the risk of his life. The WORDLY Jewish leadership had guards looking for him among the caravans of worshipers from Galilee.
John 7:3-8 NKJV 3 His brothers therefore said to Him...6 Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 "You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast,...
Christ had to attend secretly because the truth offended worldly carnal leaders.
John 7:9-10 NKJV 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
Wow, what dedication to keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. But he went further.
John 7:37-40 NKJV 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive;
Christ dynamic and vital messages at the Feast convinced many that he was the Messiah thee promised prophet mentioned by Moses. This frightened the worldly leaders.
for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."
Jesus explains that God will pour out his spirit on all mankind. The Feast and ultimate salvation of all are revealed by Christ message given at the Feast. The Feast of Tabernacles is crucial to the salvation of all nations. Jesus went upon the stage where all the guards could find him yet his message was so powerful to all that he could not be arrested.
John 7:45-46 NKJV 45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" 46 The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"
What a witness this is to the spiritual power of Jesus and the Feast of Tabernacles!
