T he Saints find themselves home at last during the millennium. It is the time when the Kingdom of God is established on the whole Earth. It represents the fulfillment of the Promised Land. I am going to pursue the subject of the Feast of Ingathering a.k.a Tabernacles from this perspective.

Further reading is provided in the main article on the last of the three feast Seasons where there are links to the other Autumn/Fall festivals.

A PROMISED LAND

At its most basic level the Kingdom has always been a Promised Land. The first that we know of the Kingdom of God is the Promised Land. That is how it was presented to Abraham. With the emergence of the children of Israel from Egypt it started to become a reality, and forty years later it started to become a place occupied by God's people according to His promise to Abraham. They were home at last. As with the Canaanites, the return of Christ is not a welcome event by the present occupants of the Promised Land. This changes at the Millennium, by which time the King and His new government are now welcomed with great celebration.

FULFILLED BUT ONLY IN PART

So ancient Israel was the Promised Land in name but was it also the Promised Land in nature? Scripture shows us that this was only a precursor to the real fulfilment of that promise: Hebrews 4 [KJV] begins, Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. . .. That was written to Hebrews i.e. Israelites. However that is not the end of the matter.  Galatians 3 ends this way in KJV, And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise showing that the promise is not yet fulfilled. It also show us that Abraham's seed includes Galatians (gentiles since this book was written to them) hence the promise is counted spiritually.

Talking about the saints Matthew says, And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11 [KJV]).

Concerning the kingdom of heaven :

• Christ said that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17)
• Qualifications to enter are spelled out in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) e.g. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
• Christ gave us an example to pray for it,  After this manner therefore pray ye. . .  [10] Thy kingdom come. . . (Matthew 6:9-10 [KJV])
• Not all who say Lord, Lord belong there (Matthew 7:21)
• It starts small but eventually covers the globe like leaven (Matthew 13:33)
• It is priceless in value (Matthew 13:44-46)
• Like fish caught in a net we get a random opportunity, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind
• But only those fit will be kept (Matthew 13:47-49)
• We must produce worthy of it, according to the Parable of the Talents, or what we have will be taken away (Matthew 25:29-30)
• It is difficult for the rich to enter (Mark 10:23)
• Make it your top priority (seek ye first . . .), and everything else will come (Luke 12:31)
• Jesus himself will serve us at the reception (Luke 12:37) when we endure to be there.

In the Beatitudes of Matthew 5, since the poor in spirit receive the kingdom of heaven, and the meek inherit the earth and both will ever be with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:17) when resurrected, then it stands to reason that even though it is called the Kingdom of Heaven everybody will be on the Earth. Since these things have not yet happened then it must be in the future and that is what is found in the description of the Millennium.

We are future kings, priests and temple

The heading above is speaking of the hope and life of Christians. God promises that Christians are to be His spiritual temple. Our function as priests are a part of the larger subject of worship . We are to be a priesthood dedicated to offering spiritual sacrifices.

We are also to be kings.

For further details on our roles as the king you can go here. As kings we will reign on earth.

And the time period of the reign is 1,000 years.

We refer to this thousand years as the millennium.

Sukkot/Tabernacles

In this section I want to draw attention to the fact that a sckkot or booth falls very short of what a tabernacle can be. One easy distinction to make is that the Tabernacle had an ark, a spiritual component, but regular booths had none. I believe that this is important for how we see ourselves as the temple of God as opposed to a plain old booth.

Now sukkot (succot) is important as a place of separation and it is above all temporary. After Jacob had separated from Laban and separated from Esau he came and made temporary accommodations at Succot.

And later it was the place where Israel separated from Egypt.

The book of Ecclesiastes is read at Sukkot each year and we know that Ecclesiastes focuses on the vanity of this life. As far as I can tell it goes back to antiquity. I do not believe that it is an accident. The connection between Sukkot and Ecclesiastes is undeniable: both express an appreciation of the transient nature of this life. The plural form of sukkah is sukkahs or sukkot. If you check the word used for tabernacles or boots in Leviticus 23:33-34 you will get something like Strongs H5521: cukkah (sook-kaw') n-f. a hut or lair. It appears to be singular but the explanation found for its use given later was that it was their individual tent/booth not God's sole, one and only Tabernacle, hence the plural form in the name of the current celebration is appropriate. Sukkot is one of the Autumn/Fall festivals that God commanded Israel to observe in the Promised Land. They were commanded to come before Him at three time periods, two of them (Passover-Unleavened Bread and Pentecost) were in the Spring and the final one (Trumpets-Atonement-Sukkot-Eighth day) was in the Autumn.

Exodus 23 comes soon after Exodus 20 when the commandments are given and is part of the same set of instructions. These are original instructions from God. Notice that at that time there is nothing said about booths. The celebration is called the feast of Ingathering. The focus is on the harvest and it specifically relates to the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. It is from this original definition that we get the association with the major harvest of the Jewish year. The Tabernacles period in most people's minds (and it was in mine too) seems to be the seven days that they stayed in booths and the eighth day, but the whole period from Trumpets on is also called Tabernacles in the Bible and represents the major harvest of mankind.

The connection with booths came later. You will recall that there was no Levitical priesthood at Sinai. It was just Aaron (or rather his family) who was consecrated in Exodus 28:1-2. The Levites arose as a result of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32-34.

Because of that Levi was chosen to be an extension of Aaron's priesthood.

So in Exodus 23 there was no Levitical priesthood hence no instructions to Levites, but by Exodus 38 we have This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest (Exodus 38:21 [KJV]). These instructions to Levites must therefore have come after. However contrary to what I had believed for most of my life, the book of Leviticus was written to priests and not to Levites.

The English name Leviticus comes from the Latin Leviticus, which is a translation from Ancient Greek Leuitikon, which is their name for the priestly tribe of the Israelites called Levi in English. The Greek expression was spawned from the rabbinic Hebrew torat kohanim, which means law of priests. The Hebrew word torah literally means direction or instruction. The construct state in Hebrew allows you to take two nouns and use them to create a new noun. Torat is the construct state of torah. Kohen (plural kohanim) is the Hebrew word for priest. The two are combined in torat kohanim to produce law of priests which is understood to be the rulings and teachings of the priests. I think that I am therefore justified in considering the book of Leviticus to be directed at priests and hence dependent on their prior existence.

This is a convenient place to make the point that It is difficult to see how these instructions could have been practised in the wilderness. The wilderness journey was a period of austerity where they lived in tents and did no farming. Notice that verse 39 says Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath (Leviticus 23:39 [KJV]). It seems more likely that this instruction was intended for people who had permanent homes and that only occurred after they entered the Promised Land. In addition it would have taken considerable effort to find goodly trees in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8 points out that the wilderness was a difficult place to live but it was for a purpose: to teach them faith.

I want to get back to my main point which is that the booths came with the Levitical Priesthood and that spawned from rebellion. As I have alluded to before, the Levitical Priesthood came after Exodus 32:1–4 (the Golden Calf) which caused their protracted stay in the wilderness. The attitude of rebelliousness which evidenced itself at Sinai eventually led to Israel refusing to enter the Promised Land and consequently being cursed to wander in the wilderness. God was concerned that they would forget the harsh conditions of the wilderness when they got to comfortable homes and that is highly likely the reason for the booths. By the end of seven days, whether it was a goodly tree or not, the branches would be wilted and in some cases the leaves would fall off. They would show definite signs of decay and that they were going back to the earth that they came from. By resting in the booth daily they would experience the relentless rot that that creeps in with time. They would be confronted with their mortality and remember the ones that died hopelessly in the wilderness because of rebellion. There seems to be a general assumption that these booths were made only of goodly trees, but the Biblical reference for that eludes me as I do not see it in Leviticus 23:40-43, which was quoted earlier. According to Leviticus 23, It seems to me that you could try to secure your booth with a variety of branches, the focus being on the more temporary parts of the tree. The palm branches appear to be a veiled reference to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In ancient times the branches of palm branches were used to pave the way of the coming king and that is why they were used in the triumphal entry. They might even have been carried in procession on the first day of the Feast because that part of the instruction (Leviticus 23:40) highlights the first day, which was a non-work day or Sabbath. It was on that day alone that they were expected to erect the structure hence it had to be makeshift. To repeat myself, it was a Sabbath hence work had to be minimal, and the instruction does not say that you could start before. The millennium begins with the coming of kings led by the greatest King, Christ. The issue of booths is raised in a second instruction. When Nehemiah rediscovered the Feast after the return from the captivity he wrote, And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written (Nehemiah 8:15 [KJV]). This indicates that the booths were also made of branches not specifically identified in Leviticus 23 i.e. it was not limited to four trees.

While the celebration with booths, which gave rise to the name Sukkot and translated is as Tabernacles, is a genuine celebration given by God, it is not an original festival. That was added by God, but later, so I derive the core meaning from the original definition of the festival. From the way that the scriptures are written the booths may even be a completely new festival to replace the original one that was given before the Golden Calf.

God's original intention was to harvest all of Israel after bringing them out of bondage which would picture deliverance from Satan into the Millennium. Because of the Golden Calf attitude (rebelliousness which is akin to idolatry) a whole generation died in the wilderness and the allegory gets broken. The allegory has to do with harvesting not letting generations die. The booths feast is given without a detailed explanation as to meaning (it was a reminder of the wilderness) and is devoid of anything to do with God's harvests. The meanings that have been ascribed are not from God but from people's imaginations. Rebellious Israel was given a feast to suit their nature i.e. makeshift, temporary and transient, as that is the destiny of rebellious men. It was commanded for Israel. I do not see it commanded for Christians. For Christians there is the Festival of Ingathering although the lesson is clear: be a part of the ingathering or be a shoddy tent that outlives its usefulness. The tent is only intended to be a passing phase in each Christian's life, but for us the issue is ingathering. During a passing phase we have temporary shells that should be goodly because we are of Christ, but that is not our focus.

The Millennium

The Millennium represents the greatest harvest of humanity, however we need to be very careful about using the following scripture to prove that.

By some interpretations of the scripture before the Day of the Lord also means before the millennium, and from the internal evidence of verse 31 is more likely an event that precedes the millennium. This is brought out by Peter when He was speaking of the last days in Acts 2:16-17 [KJV], But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel [17] And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams . The last days here is not the millennium. On the other hand the scripture by Isaiah does indicate that the spirit be poured upon us from on high when Israel is restored in the Millennium.

Isaiah was a prophet based in Judah (in the south) but who prophesied to the northern ten tribes called the kingdom of Israel before they were scattered by God and became lost. He goes even further:

Ezekiel supports that. He spoke to the northern tribes long after they had been exiled by the Asyrians and they have never been back to Israel. That will happen in the Millennium. This is what he tells them:

These all speak of harvesting Israel, so there is more of a contrast of Ingathering against Sukkot, than an alikeness between them. Ingathering shows God's intention to gather all to Him while Sukkot is there to remind of booths and the fate of all things that outlive their usefulness as with Israel in the wilderness. These two streams come together in the Millennium. Israel, those who prevail with God are gathered, while the incorrigible who live in booths are destroyed. Tabernacles do include the Tabernacle which is a booth but that is not the stated intention of the name (Leviticus 23:33-43).

Millennial kings, priests and temple

To appreciate the millennium we need to explore these roles - kings, priests and the temple. These all contribute to the ingathering. For priests and the temple you can peruse the article on worship, which presents those topics in some detail. Bear in mind however, that elements of millennial worship may well be different because of differences in the priesthood. Worship relates to the spiritual relationship that we have with God but Christ also promises His saints a civil relationship which is vested in the king. For my thesis on the king you can go here. These roles (kings, priests and temple) are combined in the resurrected saints.

Even in this life our bodies are referred to as a tabernacle (1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:15, I Corinthians 6:19-20, Ephesians 2:20-21, 1 Peter 2:5) i.e. a booth or tent. But what kind of tent? Like all tents bodies are like a house that can be occupied and furnished and the occupant can leave. When we are resurrected we get a new body. But the body of a Christian is markedly different from an ordinary tent. We know that in our bodies/tabernacles we have the law (Hebrews 8:10) represented by the 10 Commandments in the Ark; Christ the bread of life represented by the manna in the Ark (John 6:31-35, John 6:49-51) and evidence of our seal or identity with God represented by Aaron's rod that budded. Aaron's rod that budded came about when Korah rebelled against whom God chose to be priests (Numbers 16:1-50). Each family had to bring a rod and Aarons rod budded to show God's choice (Numbers 17:8). This also went into the Ark in the tabernacle and identified who were to be priests or in other words who God allows to come close to Him (John 6:44). That choice is also in us because ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light (I Peter 2:9 [KJV]). That rod has to be there because we can come boldly unto the throne of grace, Hebrews 4:16. Because of the length of an expose on that subject I will simply suggest that the rod is the Holy Spirit or Comforter. The value of goodly trees is brought out in I Corinthians 6:19-20 because it tells us that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The booths that Israel built at Sukkot had no ark or anything else to indicate spirituality. They were a reminder of what died in the wilderness, but if a Christian had to build a booth it would have to be picture something better, looking to a better future. The millennium shows us how goodly this physical life can be when filled with the Holy Spirit. Ecclesiastes shows us how pointless it is otherwise. In any case the transformation or ingathering cannot stop at Sukkot.

The Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting was a sacred tent where God met His people (Exodus 33:7-10). Notice that this tent was being used before the design given in the mount was constructed. A tent was the dwelling place of a nomadic person so wherever the people went God was with them. Two Hebrew phrases (ohel moed and ohel haeduth) are used in the Bible to identify this tent: the tabernacle of the congregation (Exodus 29:42; Exodus 29:44), literally the tent of meeting and the tabernacle of witness (Numbers 17:7) or tent of witness. The basic Hebrew term mishkan translated as tabernacle (Exodus 25:9) comes from a verb which means to dwell .

The Tabernacle contained the ark of the testimony (Exodus 25:16, 22; Numbers 9:15). It is called the tabernacle of witness (Numbers 17:8); the house of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:18); the temple of the Lord (Joshua 6:24); a sanctuary (Exodus 25:8).

The Old Testament mentions three tents or tabernacles. First, the book of Exodus (Exodus 33:7-11; Exodus 34:34-35) shows that before the structure that God gave the plans to Moses for was constructed, Moses used to meet with God at a tent and God spoke with him face to face. This tent appears to be in an arbitrary place on the outskirts of the camp (Exodus 33:7-10). Apparently, only Moses actually entered the tent to meet God. Joshua, Moses servant (Exodus 33:11), protected and cared for the tent. There were priests (Exodus 19:24) before the Aaronic priesthood began in Exodus 28:1 and young men of the children of Israel offered sacrifices (Exodus 24:5) not Aaron. It did not contain an ark or any other sacred items, and there was no named priesthood. To replace this God arranged for a more permanent structure but after the Golden Calf was made in Exodus 32, God refused any longer to dwell in their midst and those young men could no longer officiate. The first tent was then on the outskirts of the camp but Moses then pitched it far away from the camp (Exodus 33:7) and it seems the name was changed from Tent of Meeting to Tabernacle of the Congregation. Prior to this God had said And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God (Exodus 29:45 [KJV]).

The second tabernacle was the sanctuary (Exodus 25), which God instructed Moses to build in (Exodus 25:8) and that contained the ark of the testimony (Exodus 25:16, 22; Numbers 9:15). At this point God said that he wanted it that I may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8). Even though the instructions were given in Exodus 25 it was not actually set up until Exodus 40. This tabernacle, sometimes referred to as the Sinaitic Tabernacle, was built in accordance with directions given to Moses by God (Exodus 25-40). Unlike the Tent of Meeting, it stood at the centre of the camp (Numbers 2). Third, the Davidic Temple (actually built by Solomon) replaced the second tabernacle  as an even more permanent structure erected in Jerusalem for the reception of the ark (2 Samuel 6:17).

The whole of Israel were to be a priesthood (as is demonstrated by everyone originally being able to kill the Passover and the young men officiating with offerings) therefore when they turned from God and there was no intermediary between them and Him, He had to distance Himself. Later, once the priesthood was re-established through Aaron and acted as a buffer (intermediary), He could once again be in the centre.

Aaron was made responsible for the second Tabernacle (Leviticus 10:7). The cloud descended on the first tabernacle when Moses came to inquire of God (Exodus 33:9), but the cloud stayed on the second and permanent tabernacle once it was pitched and the glory of the Lord filled it so Moses could not enter it (Exodus 40:34-35; Exodus 40:38)! As we saw from Exodus 33:9 the cloud formerly allowed Moses to pass. Also notice:

There is a change in priesthood here. Aaron becomes High Priest and the formal intercession to God for this earthly tabernacle is vested in Him. The kingdom of priests becomes a representation within the Temple. They are represented by the twelve loaves (Israel) and the candlestick (the Church) and there is a separate altar for them within the tent. The Temple represents the dwelling-place of the priesthood. The High Priest used to live there. Only the priests (including Levites) interacted with it (Numbers 3). The camp of Israel has this tabernacle as its centre (Numbers 2). Since the Holy of Holies is the place where God is, the natural progression in holiness is from chosen people to priesthood in order to reach God. You had the people in the sanctuary (meaning the general compound where they offered sacrifices) but on the outside at the brazen altar, then the priests on the inside of the tent with the Golden Altar, and finally you reached the Most Holy Place. So I ask myself, is the millennial priesthood the Aaronic Priesthood? I think not. Why is that important? The answer is in Hebrews 7, which talks of Melchizedek. That is the important priesthood for the millennium. We (the resurrected saints) will not be Aaronic priests. This physical tabernacle is not the objective. The Tabernacle is a picture of God and we must be fully transformed to that image and harvested with God, and leave the temporary sukkot behind.

Other considerations

Let me interject here with another observation. An altar is a high place, a portal to God. Altars have four horns. This suggests that it represents everywhere because four winds and four quarters are repeatedly used to represent everywhere.

The base of the brazen altar is on the earth where the blood of the saints is.

Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6), so for mankind Christ is the only portal in the universe to God. One of those ways is identified by the veil but another way is the altar. The altar represents everywhere, and is Christ in the sense of the portal, just as the High Priest is Christ in the sense of one responsible for everything holy in God's relationship with us. The fire on the altar is also Christ in a different sense. Many things in the Tabernacle represent Christ. God is fire (Deuteronomy 4:24, Deuteronomy 9:3, Hebrews 12:29) God's word is a fire (Jeremiah 23:29), Christ came, to send fire on the earth (Luke 12:49), the Holy Spirit is represented as fire (Matthew 3:11, Acts 2:3) and there are numerous other reference which associate God's presence with fire (Exodus 14:19; Numbers 11:1-3; Judges 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10, 12; 2 Kings 2:11) including the famous burning bush (Exodus 3:2-5, Acts 7:30). The priest is really keeping the way open to God as part of his responsibility for holy things by interacting with the altar and the veil. One base of the altar (that of the brazen altar) is rooted in the Earth and the other base (that of the golden altar) is rooted in the Holy Place just outside of the veil. The physical interaction is in the courtyard at the brazen altar. The spiritual connection is at the Golden Altar that only sees prayers represented by incense. The former end sees blood sacrifices (i.e. physical) but this latter end only sees incense (prayers i.e. spiritual) but no carcasses. That seems important to me.

The Tabernacle is what gives access to God but this is also what resurrected firstfruits do. Wherever we are there will be access to God. We will be a tent but with an Ark of the Covenant inside us not a disposable one like what Sukkot stands for. In addition the Bible tells us that Israel will dwell in the land of Israel, so that they surround Jerusalem, and have free access to it and the Temple there. One main criterion to be an Israelite is to be descended from Israel but there is another key. You must be circumcised. Anybody can become circumcised and become a Jew by that means. If you become circumcised you can be a Jew even though you are not born of the line of Jacob. The people who are not circumcised will live scattered around the world and will need leadership to become compliant with God's Law. They too will be part of God's kingdom because the whole earth will be God's kingdom. Remember that Daniel said And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever (Daniel 2:44 [KJV]). Circumcision provides access to the Tabernacle. God's law expressed in the Ten Commandments does not require that you become a Jew to be in the Kingdom but access to the Temple requires it. Knowledge will be everywhere but to be endowed with the Holy Spirit will always require us to build a spiritual relationship and in the Millennium that appears to necessitate offering sacrifices at the Temple described by Zerubbabel. I do not believe that Canaanites will die out, they will become converted to Israelites, people who love and worship God.

From the original kingdom of God (Israel) we appreciate God's intention to have a holy nation where all are kings and priests. This is to be the nature of Israel in the Millennium, i.e. everyone will provide civil and spiritual leadership dictated by His Law. Even so there are those who are mortal and those who are immortal living together and the immortal will take on the greater role;  And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: [21] And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Isaiah 30:20-21 [KJV]). All the others will have the potential to be immortal, unlike this world where many are blinded. The Millennium is about the true Promised Land becoming a reality for the first time. I do not know if physical circumcision will be necessary but it appears that way to me. People from all over the world will conform and commit to God's Law and reap the same blessings promised to Israel. So in parallel to the Melchisdek priesthood of the resurrected saints and those with the Holy Spirit, there also appears to be an Aaronic Priesthood to assist in the transition for mortal people.

Action and reaction

The prosperity of the Millennium will not happen by magic just like the evils of today do not happen without a cause. Israel was cursed because they robbed God. We are cursed now because of Satan and following his ways but we will be blessed in the Millennium because we worship God.

The kings, the priests and the Tabernacle will focus the world on worshiping God and therefore He will bless the world. David will once again be king of Israel and he will bring it peace and prosperity as he did before.

Many people miss the significance of this and ask so what is that to me? Why should I care if Israel is blessed? Anybody can be an Israelite. It is a covenant of circumcision and obedience. The book of Romans explains it thoroughly and makes this point.

God does not say that He will bless the Jew alone but will bless the Jew first because of His promise to Abraham. The whole world will be blessed starting with the example of Israel. They will lead the transformation to serving God and everyone else will follow and obey all God's laws and be circumcised inwardly if not outwardly as well.