As a kid, I remember well the anticipation of getting ready to go to the Feast each year. We would borrow suitcases from grandparents, get the car loaded up the night before, and set out before sunrise the next morning. We often went to St. Petersburg, Florida, for the Feast since we had family in the area, and all of us enjoyed the beach!

Traveling today isn’t quite the challenge it was when I was a kid. We didn’t have DVD players or a minivan to spread out in. Instead, I had my older brother and sister in the back seat of our family sedan, and only schoolwork and “license plate bingo” (look it up) to keep me entertained.

At any rate, those are great memories and ones I will cherish forever. But they aren’t the reason we keep the Feast. The Feast of Tabernacles is first and foremost a Festival of God and a Festival that has a purpose. That purpose is to remind us of a future time coming to this earth. Jesus Christ is returning to this planet to usher in an existence unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Simply, we refer to it as the Millennium, which is the first 1,000 years of the Kingdom of God.

This will occur only after very difficult times on this earth leading to the return of Jesus Christ (pictured by the Feast of Trumpets). While those called to be firstfruits will be spirit beings once Christ returns, there will still be mortal humans on Earth who have just endured a time of worldwide war, famine and disease. They will be shocked and scared for their very lives. It might take some time for them to understand and adjust to this new government that is based on love and truly has their best interests at heart. A lot of things will change when God’s government is established. Let’s take a look at just three of those things in this article.

A new beginning

Isaiah 2:2 reads, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.” You’ve probably heard this scripture read a lot around Feast time, but why?

In biblical terms, mountains often denote a government, king or ruler; likewise a hill may describe lesser or smaller governments. Simply put, this scripture is a reminder that the government Jesus Christ is bringing with Him at His return will overpower and replace all other forms of government on Earth at that time. Revelation 11:15 says this very clearly, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

It’s interesting to note in Isaiah’s account that when speaking of this new government, it says that all nations shall “flow to it.” After Jesus Christ arrives on the scene, most people will be ready for a form of government that really works!

Ready for a change

The next verse in Isaiah continues with this theme of people wanting a change: “Many people shall come and 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” (2:3). People will want to learn more about not only God’s form of government, but His instructions on how to live life.

We must remember the time we are living in now. It is a time when most people reject God’s laws and instead do what they think is best. This is the result of Satan’s deception and influence on this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). With Satan being removed and unable to influence the world (Revelation 20:1-3), people will begin to see clearly that Satan’s ways—their old ways—didn’t work out so well. They’ll see that it wasn’t just our human systems of government that were bad, it was our human way of thinking.

Simply put, this scripture is a reminder that the government Jesus Christ is bringing with Him at His return will overpower and replace all other forms of government on earth at that time.

God foretold in Jeremiah’s time that a day was coming when people would have His laws—His way of thinking—written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The apostle Paul puts it this way in Colossians 3:8-10, “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” When Christ rules the earth, nearly all of those on it will want to give up their old ways like anger and lies which led to death, and instead seek righteous knowledge that leads to life. More than the knowledge itself, they will have the desire to live this way!

A lasting solution

The section in Isaiah concludes with verse 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.” If we’re living under Christ’s direct supervision, it might sound weird that some nations will be rebuked (corrected). Why would this be?

Once again, we must remember what people will have just experienced in the Tribulation and seven trumpet plagues. It will have been a time of worldwide war, pandemics, riots, starvation and more. There will be a lot of people looking to place blame. They will want to take their hurt feelings out on others. Change will not happen overnight. In Zechariah 14 we read that if nations choose not to obey God, they will receive no rain.

The good news, though, is that people will learn quickly. Once they learn, they will begin to experience a time of peace and prosperity they had always dreamed of, but never had. It truly will be a time unlike anything humans have ever known. It’s a time only possible through the perfect rulership of Jesus Christ.

The changes that Isaiah prophesied about are hard to imagine. What will it be like to have a truly good government? What will it be like when people want to know what God is teaching? How much joy will there be when the whole world begins to experience true prosperity, and an opportunity at salvation?

As you prepare for the Feast this year, don’t forget to enjoy and savor the good memories you are making with family and friends. But beyond that, make sure you remember what the Feast represents, how the world will change and your special calling in being a part of it. Until then, we can all pray: Thy Kingdom Come!