Gospels Part 017
Today we will continue the examination of Jesus Christ role in the annual Holy Days as part of the Know Your Sword Series.
Following the Feast of Tabernacles is another, separate Feast day, that we call the Eighth Day. What does this day have to do with Jesus Christ? In John 7:37-38, an account of Jesus Christ’s last Feast of Tabernacles on earth, we find Jesus declaring the significance of this day.
“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.’”
He was talking about His return to earth, when He freely offers the Holy Spirit to those who will believe in Him. Jesus died for all of mankind, but only a tiny fraction of all those who have ever lived have ever had the opportunity to know about Him and accept His offer of receiving the Holy Spirit.
During Christ’s 1,000-year reign, all of mankind will be offered God’s Spirit. But beyond that, the Bible reveals there will come a future time when Christ offers that Spirit to all those who rise in a resurrection of the dead from all past ages. In Revelation 20:11-12, we read what happens after the thousand-year Millennium is completed:
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away . . . and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
This period is also referred to as the White Throne Judgment. But who will be doing the judging of these billions of people during this time?
Romans 14:10 tells us:
“But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
So, who is making the judgment at this time? As it says here, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.
And let’s notice Christ’s own words in John 5:22, 26-27:
“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son . . . For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.”
So, Jesus Christ will do the judging because He has lived as a physical human being and knows what it’s like. He’s not some judge far removed from the reality of this physical human existence. He’s lived it. He’s walked a mile (or two) in our shoes. He will be a perfectly fair and honest and wise and understanding judge.
We understand that this Great White Throne judgment isn’t talking about a time of immediate condemnation, but is a judgment period over some time, since the Book of Life is opened—meaning an opportunity is opened for people to receive God’s Spirit and have their names written into it.
So, Jesus Christ will also carry out the central role of this final Feast, that of lovingly and mercifully offering billions of people an opportunity for salvation and to have their names inscribed in the Book of Life.
In conclusion, we see from this brief outline of the Holy Days that the seven Feasts of the Bible are “a shadow of things to come,” and Jesus Christ is at the center of all of them. Christ is our Passover, He is the true Unleavened Bread that purifies us, He is the Giver of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, He is the coming King whose arrival is announced by the blast of the trumpets, He is the one who banishes Satan for a thousand years, and He is the one who tabernacles with mankind as King of kings ruling over the entire earth. Finally, He is to judge mankind and offer the great majority an opportunity to have their names written in the Book of Life.
This is why God’s Church kept these Feasts. This is why these holy Feasts are still to be kept—to remind us of the great plan of God, as well as the central role Jesus Christ has in carrying out that great plan. He is the common thread in all of them, for it is through Him that God’s great plan will come to pass. You can be absolutely sure of it!
If you’d like to learn more about all the biblical Feasts and their meaning, search ucg.org for “Holy Days.” There you can find dozens of articles and sermons explaining its meaning in depth. Also download or request our free study aid, God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.
© Scott Ashley, 2025. All rights reserved.
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Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
