‘For
seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth
day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by
fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work
on it. Leviticus 23:36 NKJV
This
past week we were treated to an annual occurrence which for some reason I
always look forward to and that is what is called the “harvest moon”. I live in an agricultural valley and believe
it or not, you can see farmers still baling hay in the light of the moon in an
effort to get it in the barn before it is ruined by rain, which lowers the
value dramatically. Of course, there are
many other harvests going on too, as many are picking over the last of their
gardens before the first frost arrives to end the season. This time of year, however, always reminds me
of just how often the subject of “harvest” occurs in the Bible, and especially
as it refers to our expected rapture of the Church.
Of
the seven appointed feasts of the Lord given to the nation of Israel, the last
one, called the Feast of Tabernacles, is arguably the most festive and
celebratory. It is a seven day
celebration of the ending of the harvest, the forgiveness of sins on Yom
Kippur, and a time of feasting as the people are allowed to eat of the tithes
they brought to Jerusalem.
“You
shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year
by year. “And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place
where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new
wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may
learn to fear the LORD your God always. “But if the journey is too long for you, so
that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your
God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has
blessed you, “then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in
your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. “And you shall spend
that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or
similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the
LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. Deuteronomy 14:22-26 NKJV
Originally,
this feast lasted seven days, but it was later expanded to eight, with this
last day given the name “shemini atzeret” which means “sacred assembly”. It is taken from the passage in Leviticus 23
where God institutes this eighth day and refers to it as such. This term is mentioned several times in
scripture, and Jesus also chooses this day to make an interesting announcement.
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. “He who believes in
Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those
believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because
Jesus was not yet glorified. John
7:37-39 NKJV
Why
do I call this interesting? The Holy
Spirit was not given to believers until the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter
two, which most consider to be the day the Church, the body of Christ, was
created. So in truth, this statement by
Jesus was a direct reference to the Church, which had yet to be created, given
before His crucifixion and resurrection.
Another reason I find this last day interesting is the following passage
from Joel which refers to a “sacred assembly”.
“Blow
the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the
people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and
nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from
her dressing room.” Joel 2:15-16 NKJV
Many
have suggested the opinion that this passage might be a reference to the
rapture of the Church when it talks about the bridegroom going out from his
chamber to claim his bride. Although
that may or may not be the case, Jesus, as well as Paul certainly taught that
Christ returning for the Church will mirror the traditions of a Jewish wedding.
“And if
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:3 NKJV
“And at
midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet
him!’ Matthew 25:6 NKJV
For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the
Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV
After
receiving permission to fetch his bride from his father, the bridegroom comes
with a shout and the blowing of a ram’s horn.
It usually would occur at midnight, and he would call out for his bride
to join him for the ceremony. When Paul
tells us in his letter to the Thessalonian church that Jesus will return in the
clouds and call for the Church to join Him, it mirrors this tradition
perfectly. At some future date, known
only by God the Father, Jesus will receive permission to return for His bride,
the Church, and He will call out with a shout and a trumpet blast, for us to
join Him in the air.
Regardless
of whether or not the eighth day celebration, the sacred assembly, proves to be
the time of the Church being caught up to meet her groom in Heaven, we as
believers have much to be thankful for and setting aside a day to celebrate the
gift of eternal life which has been promised to those who have chosen to believe
is certainly a great idea. If you have
never given your life to Jesus and accepted His gift of eternal life which is
free for the asking I would urge you to do it today. The time is short, and as we see the world in
free-fall it is obvious to those who do believe that we could hear the trumpet
blow and be caught up to heaven at any time.
Keep
watching.
