Welcome to the 2025 Feast of Tabernacles!

Welcome to the Feast of Tabernacles. We are thankful to gather for this joy-filled celebration of life, lived as God intends for it to be, full of purpose, peace, and abundance. You know, the word rejoice first appears nine times regarding relationships at the Feast of Tabernacles. An example in Deuteronomy 16, verse 14, God instructs, and you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates. God wants our lives to experience joy as we grow in godly obedience and service to Him and to each other. For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight. God designed our bodies and minds to live richly blessed lives in incredible environments that He created just for us. Each feast site is fitting for joyful praising of God for His calling and for His wonderful creation. For eight days He provides us with opportunities to rejoice and to share time with each other. God's annual festivals portray the way to real living—life God's way, the way of life that brings joy for everyone. Instead of a common drab, dead-like existence, the Apostle Paul encourages us to really live as God intends. In Romans 6, he says, Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. The Feast of Tabernacles on Eighth Day celebrates human freedom from slavery, bondage, and death, released by Jesus Christ to live joyful lives God's way. Abundant life springs from a proper relationship with the God family, and the coming millennium will be a thousand years of godly living by those who had previously spent their lives doing time in an age of darkness and sadness. What a contrast God's way will bring to their lives. As it says in Isaiah chapter 35 and verse 10, The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads, and they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. We observe this feast as living testaments that God's way brings to one's life purpose, meaning, and joy. As we each anticipate being a mentor to future generations under Christ's reign, have you ever wondered what exactly will I teach to people during the millennium? Well, the answer is we will teach the same thing that God has always taught us. In Deuteronomy chapter 28 and verse 1, it begins with, God says, These autumn festivals proclaim future joy for a humanity that is yet to know God. We celebrate their future by living our lives with his godly, loving mindset now. You and I have been given an early opportunity to come to know God and to develop his mindset today. In James chapter 1, speaking of us, of his own will, in verse 18, he said, He brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

God's will for us is stated here firmly. It is now our responsibility to wholeheartedly achieve his will, growing to be firstfruits of his kind so we can serve with Christ at the time when this festival represents. Between now and the coming millennium, humanity will experience its most tragic epoch, almost annihilating itself. Isaiah chapter 24 and verse 5 speaks to this time, The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. You know, just like in the Egypt of old, God will then plunge the earth into darkness, and that state will reflect a society that's bereft of God and godliness. In Ezekiel chapter 32 and verse 7, it says, When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens and make its stars dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark upon you, and bring darkness upon your land, says the Lord God. During that event of universal darkness, the sounding of the seventh trumpet will occur, and Jesus will return as the light of the world. He says in Luke chapter 17 and verse 24, For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also shall the Son of man be in that day.

You know, lightning at night is bright. It's actually five times hotter than the surface of the sun at times. In Isaiah chapter 60 and verse 1, he speaks of the remnant of Israel is told, Arise, shine, for your light is come, and the glory, the brightness of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the Lord will arise over you, and his glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. In stark contrast to spiritual darkness, culminating in so much death and suffering, Jesus brings bright, global, spiritual and physical renewal. And the result is one thousand years of joyful living in the light of Jesus Christ, assisted by his bride, the church, which is presently making herself ready, as Jesus speaks of in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 7. We can rejoice at the soon-coming Garden of Eden-type restoration of relationships between the Creator and those He created, and also the restoration of a Garden of Eden-type environment and how exciting that will be. During God's feasts here, we also rejoice in our being able to live God-blessed lives today. And as we perform the work that's assigned to the church now, we at the same time excitedly look forward to our future Millennium roles in support of Jesus Christ in the next stage, beyond today. God has long anticipated our entering His divine Kingdom and serving with Christ during the time that this feast pictures. In Ephesians chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, it says, "...blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to sonship as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory." There has never been, nor ever will be again, such a privilege as is given to those of the first resurrection, first fruits in the kingdom of God, always with Christ, made like Jesus Christ, and being His wife. Let's conclude with reminding ourselves of the dynamic role that God is preparing for you and me during the millennium that this feast portrays. It's found in Revelation chapter 20, verses 4 and 6, "...and I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him for a thousand years." Do we still need more to rejoice about? Well, Jesus provides us with a great reason for even more rejoicing. It's found in Luke chapter 10 and verse 20. Jesus says, "...rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Let's all rejoice together with God and with each other as we celebrate lives being lived God's way, today, tomorrow, and forever.

Happy feast! I saw the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from everything. Those who look on him are reading. They'll never be ashamed. They'll never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard me and saved me from my enemies. The Son of God surrounds his saints. He will deliver them. He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me. Come, exalt his name, together glorify the Lord with me. Come, exalt his name, forever. O, taste and see that the Lord is good. O, blessed is he who hides in him. O, fear the Lord. O, all you saints, he'll deliver you everything. He'll deliver you everything. Magnify the Lord with me. Come, exalt his name, together glorify the Lord with me. Come, exalt his name, forever. Let us bless the Lord every day and night. Never in praise may our innocence rise. Let us bless the Lord every day and night. Never in praise may our innocence rise. Let us bless the Lord every day and night. Never in praise may our innocence rise. Let us bless the Lord every day and night. Never in praise may our innocence rise. Come, exalt his name, together glorify the Lord with me. Come, exalt his name, forever. And confide the Lord with me. Come, exalt his name, together glorify the Lord with me. Come, exalt his name, forever.