“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:34)

As the Feast of Tabernacles concluded this year, it got me thinking about when I celebrated my first Feast, four years ago. I had just come into the church, and I didn’t understand anything! I thought, like most people who are unfamiliar with them, that the Holy Days were just Jewish traditions. I didn’t think that we would need to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles because of this. But I was wrong.

So what exactly is the Feast of Tabernacles?

I was very confused at first. You see, the Feast of Tabernacles in the Jewish tradition is celebrated to remember the wandering of the Israelites in the desert for forty years before they entered the Promised Land of Canaan. As Christians, we celebrate it to look forward to the Millennium.

What is the Millennium? I discovered that it is the thousand years after Christ returns and the Kingdom of God is established here on earth, during which Satan the Devil will be bound. It is a time when all of the people who follow God’s path will be resurrected and live as spirit beings, just as the Father and Christ do, and will reign with Christ over all the earth, teaching the people still on the earth who don’t know God. It will be a joyous time. And all of God’s people will be together.

During the Feast of Tabernacles we get to go and live in temporary dwellings, attend daily services, and spend those eight days with like minded people! And the cool part is that all of these people are your family... in God! He even tells us that we can do whatever our heart desires during the Feast. And spend our second tithe money how we please (within Godly standards, of course)!

Now what about the Last Day, the Eighth Day of the Feast?

Now that you know about the Feast of Tabernacles, it makes sense, right?

But what about the Holy Day that is the Last Day of the Feast? What does that signify? Well, I’ll tell you what I learned, it’s pretty awesome!

This day signifies when Satan will forever be cast away. We, and all of resurrected historical humanity who accept God’s way, will live in the new heavens and new earth with God the Father and Jesus Christ, forever, as the Family of God. We won’t have to worry about trials, persecution, or attacks ever again.

Who wouldn’t love that?

So how does this all apply to modern day teens and young adults like you and me?

Today we are given a choice. It’s a choice to follow God’s path which leads to the Kingdom of God, or to turn away from it and follow the path to destruction.

Celebrating God’s Feast Days are an instruction to us, from God Himself. It is when we learn about God’s wonderful plan for us, and how we can live God’s way. These are days given to us to celebrate and remember God and just how wonderful and mighty He is. Celebrating the Holy Days is such a joy for us, and God intended it to be!

The Feast is a blessing for us all! It’s something that I am very thankful to God for, especially because of its meaning. It brings hope to me of the future.

I hope that in the coming year you will choose to submit to following God’s way of life and be able to celebrate God’s Feast of Tabernacles with me next year! I’ll be there – will you?