The seventh chapter of John brings us to the Feast of Tabernacles. Most Christians today haven’t even heard of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is quite sad. Deuteronomy 16 tell us that the Feast of Tabernacles is one of the three high Sabbaths of the year with Passover and The Feast of Weeks being the other two. (If you want a complete list of the Sabbaths you can read Leviticus 23). But isn’t that just some old Jewish stuff?

God said in Leviticus 23:41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

Remember God doesn’t change. He didn’t suddenly say, “I’ll give you my son and we can forget everything that came before.” No and neither did Christ. Christ tells us in Matthew 5:17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

When Christ died on the cross He became our Passover lamb. His blood is the blood that causes the Angel of Death to passover us. It is the firstborn that are protected by his blood because only the firstborn that are born in the spirit here. The feast of weeks is 7 weeks and a day after Passover. 7 x 7 is 49 and a day makes 50. Fifty is the biblical number for the Holy Spirit and it is fifty days after the crucifixion (Passover) that we received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day. Thus, the feast of weeks was complete, but what about the Feast of Tabernacles? And why is it a high Sabbath?

The Feast of Tabernacles was a seven day feast to remind us of the time Israel wandered in the desert. Does that mean anything to us today? To answer that let’s back up to Passover.

We become Christian by accepting the Savior, we put His blood on the door post and just as we are told in Exodus, “that selfsame day the children of Israel left Egypt,” we too leave the bondage of sin and the bondage of this world. What Christians seldom realize is they don’t want to let you go and they will come after you when you leave.

Once we are born from above and receive the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God is within us, but we still have to wait to go into the promised land. Our promised land is the kingdom of God on earth. That is the Lord’s prayer after all and the Children of Israel didn’t get to go to the promised land until Joshua came and took them over the river Jordan. So too then we cannot get to that promised land until Jesus returns. Remember Jesus and Joshua are the same name in Hebrew.

Thus, on one level, if you are a Christian you are, spiritually speaking, wandering in the wilderness waiting to go into the promised land. That is why Passover is in the first month and the Feast of Tabernacles is in the seventh. You begin your journey in the first month and it doesn’t end until the seventh, which is spiritual completeness. That seventh month also shows us the feast points specifically to the time right before Christ returns or more specifically, the seven year tribulation. Perhaps the deepest level, and one we are not going to deal with much here, is that it points to the millennium.

So with all that in mind let’s dig in:

John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

“Jewry” is the southern portion of the nation in and around Jerusalem. Remember Galilee is in the north past Samaria.

After what things? After He fed the five thousand and the people sought Him out, but after finding Him, left. They wanted Christ, meaning they proclaimed his name, but their problem was they didn’t put him in their boat, ie heart so before the end they fall away, just like Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. You have to have the Holy Spirit inside of you else you wont make it. Look at the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25.

John 7:2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.

Again this pointing to that period of time right before the end.

John 7:3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.

This is His actual family saying this, James being among them. For his disciples to see His works is only part of it. The other part is Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

 

John 7:4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. (7:5) For neither did his brethren believe in him.

Remember Luke 2:19, Mary kept a lot of what she knew to herself and it is hard for a family to see you as one of God’s chosen. Remember back in chapter 4 verse 44: For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

But why isn’t he showing himself to the world? Because as He said it wasn’t time. Christ will show himself to the world when He rides into Jerusalem riding an ass and again when He returns to establish His kingdom here.

John 7:6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.

Just as we can, they could can accept Christ at any time.

John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 are the chapters that lay out the tribulation. This Feast of Tabernacles here is, in a sense, going to follow the same format.

Matthew 24:9, we will be hated because of HIS name’s sake.

John 7:8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.

As the law commanded.

John 7:9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. (7:10) But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.

Though He said He wasn’t going to go He still followed the law. A person recently mentioned to me that he didn’t think Christ was secretive. Well here is another example of that, but the question we should be asking is why didn’t he let them know he was going? Because it wasn’t time yet.

John 7:11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? (12) And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.

Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: (12) And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

This showing what what it will be like at the end. Look at people today. Some say He didn’t exist, some say He isn’t God, but a good example to follow and others say He was just a prophet. This shouldn’t be a surprise and it is going to get worse.

Do you think the truth was being taught in the temple at that time? The Romans appointed the head priests and they gave it to the highest bidder. Do you think they cared about giving out truth? He turned over their money tables and said it was to be a house of prayer, but they only held murder in their hearts.

It’s going to happen again. It’s happening now. Before even if someone didn’t believe in God they said that Christians and the like were at least moral. Now they call us bigots and haters.

John 7:13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.

Remember Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

John 7:14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.

We are half way through this seven day feast. Thats three and half days.

Christ is in the temple. Remember: 1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Here is our physical example of Mark 13:10-11And the gospel must first be published among all nations.(11)But when they shall leadyou,and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

John 7:15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

Acts chapter 2 lays out how it will be when the Holy Spirit speaks through us and the people responded in much the same way there as they do here.

Acts 2:11-19 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. (12) And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? (13) Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. (14) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: (15) For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. (16) 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: (18) And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: (19) And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

John 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. (17)If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, orwhetherI speak of myself.

The same as when the elect speak. It will not be them, but the Holy Spirit that speaks.

You might not have the scripture memorized, but if you have the Spirit of the Living God inside of you, you will know if what is being presented to you is in sync with God’s Spirit.

John 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Why does God do it this way? Because many believed after Peter and company spoke.

Acts 2:37-38 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Call on HIS name. Put the Father’s word inside of you and not just on your lips. Be a temple of God and not a temple of hot air.

We will pause here for today. Thus far we have the falling away (chapter 6), and the Holy Spirit speaking. When we pick this up we will how things will continue before He touches the Mount of Olives in chapter 8 because when he touches the Mount of Olives, it’s all over friends.