The Feast of Booths or Tents, Succot – Exodus 23:14-17, Leviticus 23:33-36 and 42-43, Deuteronomy 16:13-15
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The Old Covenant's high days were "types and shadows" – they were symbolic of things
to come. It is true that literally, many of them pointed to things that had happened
to Israel in the past, but it is nevertheless quite easy to see that they also pictured
things and events that were to come. Because of this, as well as for other reasons,
those days and their symbolism are an interesting and worthwhile object of study.
This essay is a part of a series on the Old Covenant's holy days or high days (its annual Sabbaths, as well as the weekly Sabbath). This present part concentrates on the Feast of Tabernacles and its symbolism and prophetic message (the Feast of Booths or Tents, Succot – Exodus 23:14-17, Leviticus 23:33-36 and 42-43, Deuteronomy 16:13-15). Links to some of the other parts in this series can be found in the "Additional reading" section towards the end of this essay; for more, look under the heading "High days" on the index-page keyw-h3.htm.
The essay
ex07c.htm has more on John 7:37 and the Last Day of the Feast, the "great" day;
the essay
ex08c.htm has more on the "Assembly on the Eighth Day".
Those days are mentioned in Leviticus 23. This essay takes a closer look at the biblical record regarding one of those high days, the Feast of Tabernacles and its symbolism. (That day is also called the Feast of Booths or Tents, or Succot, and is found mentioned in such Old Testament passages as Exodus 23:14-17, Leviticus 23:33-36 and 42-43, and Deuteronomy 16:13-15.)
The meaning of the word "tabernacle" will be explained in more detail later in this essay, but in short: It is copied from the Catholic Vulgate version which used the Latin noun tabernaculum, "tent", as a translation for certain Hebrew words which meant such things as "thicket", "booth" and "tent".
Today, the Jews often call that feast Succot (or Succoth, Sukkot or Sukkoth), from the old Hebrew cukkowth or cukkoth, plural of cukkah which meant "a booth".
Leviticus 23:33-36 records an instruction that was in Old Covenant times given to ancient Israel, regarding the Feast of Booths ("Feast of Tabernacles"):
Leviticus 23:33 And the Lord said to Moses, 34 Say to the children of Israel, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month let the feast of tents be kept to the Lord for seven days. 35 On the first day there will be a holy meeting: do no field-work. 36 Every day for seven days give an offering made by fire to the Lord; and on the eighth day there is to be a holy meeting, when you are to give an offering made by fire to the Lord; this is a special holy day: you may do no field-work on that day. (BBE)
"The fifteenth day of this seventh month" – that was in September-October, after the fall harvest period. Verses 42-43 have more:
Leviticus 23:42 For seven days you will be living in tents; all those who are Israelites by birth are to make tents their living-places: 43 So that future generations may keep in mind how I gave the children of Israel tents as their living-places when I took them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (BBE)
So, those seven days were a reminder of the time when the Israelites had left Egypt but were still living in tents in the wilderness. This is important to remember.
During the seven days of that festival, the Israelites were to live
in ceremonial tents (or huts or leaf cottages). Yes, that was seven days,
not eight (Leviticus 23:34). The booths were put away at the end of the seventh
day, before the eighth day which was a separate high day.
The origin (etymology) of the word "tabernacle" and the phrase "the Feast of Tabernacles" is simply that the Catholic Vulgate version used the Latin word tabernaculum as a translation of the Hebrew words ohel, cukkah, cikkuwth, cok and sok which meant such things as "thicket", "booth" and "tent".
In Leviticus 23:34, the Latin Vulgate version has the word tabernaculorum, genitive plural of the noun tabernaculum which simply meant "a tent". Here is the passage in question, as it appears in more understandable translations:
Leviticus 23:34 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. (NASB-95)
Leviticus 23:34 Say to the children of Israel, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month let the feast of tents be kept to the Lord for seven days. (BBE)
A note: The modern-day English word "tabernacle" has a totally different use and meaning than the old Latin noun tabernaculum. Today, "tabernacle" is often used as a name of religious buildings of various kinds. That has nothing to do with the Old Covenant's "Feast of Tabernacles" which is better called "the Feast of Booths" because of the ritual booths in which the Israelites lived during the seven days of that feast.
Based on the Hebrew text of such passages as Leviticus 23:34 and 42 and Deuteronomy 16:13 and 31:10, the Jews call the Feast of Booths by the name Succot or Succoth. (Old Hebrew cukkah, "booth", in plural form cukkowth or cukkoth, "booths".)
Deuteronomy 16:13-15 records more instructions that the Lord through Moses gave to the Israelites, regarding that feast:
Deuteronomy 16:13 "You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths seven days after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; 14 and you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns. 15 "Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you shall be altogether joyful. (NASB-77)
Again, the Succot (Feast of Tents, Feast of Booths or Feast of Huts, "Feast of Tabernacles") was for seven days. Leviticus 23:42-43 (quoted earlier) tells us that that seven-day period was a reminder of the time when the Lord had taken the Israelites away from Egypt (but had not yet let them into the Promised Land, so that they were still in the desert, living in tents or huts).
Jewish tradition tells us that the ceremonial tents or booths were put away before the end of the seventh day of that memorial-ritual. The following, eighth day was a separate high day and not a part of the Feast of Booths.
A note: Often, the temple in Jerusalem was symbolically called "Tent",
because originally, during the wilderness wandering and even some time after that,
the sanctuary was portable, similar to a big tent. But, that has no direct connection
with the ritual huts that were used during the Feast of Booths. For more on why
the Old Covenant's sanctuary was called "Tent" (Hebrew ohel, cukkah,
cikkuwth, cok or sok, Greek skênê, Latin tabernaculum),
look under the heading "Tent"
on the index-page
keyw-t1.htm.
No. That claim is in clear conflict with what the Bible says. But, some preachers have, for whatever reason, turned things upside down and claimed that the Feast of Booths supposedly "symbolised the kingdom of God", or something like that.
Again, the seven days during which the Israelites were to live in ritual booths, were a reminder of the time when ancient Israel had left Egypt but were still in the wilderness, and had not yet reached the Promised Land. We read:
Leviticus 23:42 For seven days you will be living in tents; all those who are Israelites by birth are to make tents their living-places: 43 So that future generations may keep in mind how I gave the children of Israel tents as their living-places when I took them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (BBE)
In those old-covenantal rituals, it was only when those seven days came to their end, that the ritual booths were removed, accompanied by great rejoicing. After the end of the seven-day Feast of Booths, there was another, separate feast, on the following (eighth) day. On that day, during that separate feast, there were no ritual booths.
The seventh and last day of the Feast of Booths was called the "great" day of the feast. The essay ex07c.htm has more on that "great" day. The separate high day which was on the following, eighth day, was called the Shemini Atzeret, "the Assembly on the Eighth day". The essay ex08c.htm has more on that eight day and its eventual symbolism.
Again, the seven days of the Feast of booths were reminder of the time when the ancient Israelites were still in the wilderness, and had not yet reached their promised permanent place of dwelling in the Promised Land.
It is true that the earthly Promised Land was a symbol of the heavenly Promised Land (Hebrews 11:16 and so on, see below), and yes, it is likewise true that the earthly Jerusalem where the Feast of Boots was kept, was symbolic of the heavenly Jerusalem. But again, those seven days with ritual living in booths or huts, pictured the Exodus and the following time when the Israelites had not yet made it to the land of their inheritance and were because of that "sojourners", living as foreigners in a land that was not their own.
The apostle Paul made a symbolic reference to that matter (in connection with the New Covenant's better Promised Land):
Hebrews 11:13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. (NASB-77)
So, it could be said that the Feast of Booths had a certain kind of connection to an entry into a Promised Land (both earthly and heavenly) – but again, those seven days of ritual living in temporary dwellings pointed to a time when the Israelites had left Egypt but had not yet made it to the land of their inheritance but were still sojourners, in the wilderness. There is more on this, later in this essay, in the parts which discuss some of the rituals that were practised in the Old Covenant's sanctuary, during the seven days of that feast.
And, as was mentioned earlier, those ritual booths were put away at
the end of the seventh, last and "great" day of that feast. After that came the
eighth day, which was a separate high day. What that in its turn day symbolised
and pointed to, is another matter. The essay
ex08c.htm has more on the Shemini Atzeret, "the Assembly on the Eighth
day". The essay
ex07c.htm has more on the seventh and last day of the Feast of Booths.
Some have called the Feast of Booths "a feast of harvest", but if we stick to the biblical definition, it is Pentecost that bears the name "the Feast of Harvest". This will be explained below. Also, it will be considered what the Hebrew phrase chag ha-aciyph in Exodus 23:16 and 34:22 really meant – whether the meaning was "a Feast of Ingathering", or "a Feast of Assembling", or something else.
The Old Covenant's high days were tied to the different harvest periods in the land of Canaan. During the Passover season, the first-fruits of the early harvest of (winter-) barley were reaped and then ceremonially offered as a sacrifice. During the Feast of Harvest (Pentecost) in the spring, the first-fruits of the early harvest or (winter-) wheat were ceremonially reaped and offered. The Feast of Booths, however, was slightly different. Passover and Pentecost in the spring were first-fruits seasons, but the Feast of Booths in the autumn was not. And also: Passover and Pentecost began harvesting seasons, but the Feast of Booths was kept when the fall-harvest had already been finished.
Exodus 23:14-17 records this instruction regarding the Old Covenant's three feast seasons:
Exodus 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) 16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. 17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD. (KJV-1769)
That is echoed in Exodus 34:18-23:
Exodus 34:18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. [...] 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 23 Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. (KJV-1769)
("Three times a year" – two of them in the spring, the Passover season and Pentecost, and one in the fall, the Feast of Booths season.)
Please note that two separate feasts are mentioned in both passages – first "the feast of harvest" (23:16) or "the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest" (34:22), the same as Pentecost, spring-time – and then "the Feast of Gathering" (23:16 and 34:22), the same as Feast of Booths, fall-time, at the end or "turn" of the year. (KJV-1769 has "ingathering"; there is more on that, later in this essay.)
The point again: Some have called the Feast of Booths "a feast of harvest", but in the Bible it is Pentecost that bears the name "the Feast of Harvest". In the Passover- and Pentecost seasons in the spring, there were special rituals in connection with the beginning of the early barley- and wheat-harvests, but the Feast of Booths had no such rituals and it was kept after the harvesting had already been finished. Consider even the fact that the Feast of Booths pictured the time when the Israelites were still in the desert and ate manna and neither sowed nor harvested. Read on, for more on this.
There is a symbolical connection between those things, and what happened to the ancient Israelites. As was explained earlier, the Feast of Booths pictured the time when the Israelites had left Egypt but were still in the wilderness. During those forty years, there was no sowing or harvesting for the Israelites. But, when they crossed over the river Jordan into the Promised Land, in the Passover season (which had harvest-related rituals), manna ceased and the Israelites began eating of the fruit of the Promised Land – see Joshua 5:10-12.
(And again, as was explained earlier, the earthly Promised Land served as a symbol of a heavenly Promised Land.)
In other words: What does the old Hebrew word aciyph in those verses really refer to – "gathering" as in harvest work, or "gathering" in the meaning "being assembled together", or something else?
Most bible-translators have made it in to "ingathering" (gathering in a harvest), but that does not have to be correct. Let us consider some of the details in regard to that matter.
The Hebrew phrase chag ha-aciyph, and the noun aciyph, occur only two times in the Bible – in Exodus 23:16 and 34:22. So, we cannot find the meaning by comparing with some other passage.
The noun aciyph was related to the verb acaph, which meant such things as "to gather", "to receive, "to remove", "to be taken away", "to be removed", "to assemble", "to be gathered". It is worth noting that there are many Old Testament passages where the verb acaph refers to people being gathered together.
We cannot know with certainty what the phrase chag ha-aciyph in those two verses really meant and pointed to. But, as was mentioned earlier, we know that the Feast of Booths was not a feast of harvest the way Pentecost was. (The first part Exodus 23:16 mentions "the Feast of Harvest"; the first part of 34:22 mentions "the Feast of Weeks" – both are references to Pentecost.) Read on.
Yes, Exodus 23:16 and 34:22 contain even the verb acaph in the context, and not only the noun aciyph. The Feast of Booths, in those verses called chag ha-aciyph, was kept at the "turn" of the year, when the Israelites had gathered in (acaph) in their fall harvest. But, do the noun aciyph and the verb acaph in those verses refer to one and the same thing? Or, could it be that chag ha-aciyph means "Festival of Assembling", and that the verb acaph in the context merely refers to the timing – the fact that that festival took place after the fall harvest?
Again, the Feast of Booths was symbolic of the time when the Israelites were taken away from Egypt, into a wilderness where they then stayed for forty years. During that desert sojourn, they neither sowed nor harvested. Instead, they ate manna. That raises the question, could it be that the phrase chag ha-aciyph referred to something else? Such as – well, let us again read the passage which spells it out what the Feast of Booths actually symbolised:
Leviticus 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 40 And you shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 And you shall keep it a feast to the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (AKJV)
Point: This passage clearly states the reason why the Israelites were to keep the Feast of Booths. No harvest connection is mentioned. The reason given was, "that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt" (verse 43). That was the reason for that feast, and its symbolism. It was connected to the time when the Lord freed the Israelites and took them away from Egypt. And again, that liberation – the Exodus – was followed by the forty years of living in booths, during which period the Israelites ate manna and did not sow or harvest.
Consequently, we face the question, what does the phrase chag ha-aciyph in Exodus 23:16 and 34:22 actually refer to? We cannot be certain, but it seems that the meaning may have been "a Feast of Gathering" in the meaning "assembling". In short: The Israelites were told to assemble together each year, for observing the Feast of Booths which was a memorial of the Exodus, a commemoration of the time when the Lord freed them and took them away from Egypt. The ritual booths were reminders of the desert-period after the Exodus. (A note: Of course, the feasting or celebration mentioned in Leviticus 23:41 was not so much connected with the time in the dusty wilderness, but rather with the liberation from slavery in Egypt.)
In summary, regarding the phrase chag ha-aciyph of Exodus 23:16 and 34:22 – we cannot be fully certain what it really meant, but it is quite obvious that the "traditional" interpretation which makes it seem that the Feast of Booths was "a harvest feast" (and hides away its real symbolism), cannot be correct. Leviticus 23:42-43 tells us that the Feast of Booths was a memorial (celebration) of the Exodus when the Lord took the Israelites away from Egypt, and also the time after that, when they lived in tents in the desert. (And, once again, there was no harvesting in the desert.) The meaning of the phrase chag ha-aciyph in the two above-mentioned verses might eventually be "the Festival of Assembling" – gathering together, for the purpose of commemorating the Exodus.
A note: As was mentioned above, the old Hebrew noun aciyph was related to the verb acaph which had several meanings – not only "to gather", "to receive, "to assemble" and "to be gathered", but also "to remove", "to be removed", "to be taken away". So, it might even be that the noun aciyph in Leviticus 23:42-43 referred to "taking away (from Egypt)", or something like that. But, perhaps it is more likely that it referred to "gathering" in the meaning "assembling" – again, assembling together for the purpose of observing a memorial celebration of the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Another note: The Feast of Booths was for seven days. The ritual booths
– symbolic of the desert-sojourn between Egypt and the Promise Land – were removed
by the end of the seventh day. At that time, there was great rejoicing. That is
the reason why the seventh day was called the "great" one of that feast. Also: On
that seventh day, there were in the temple special ceremonies which commemorated
the time when the Israelites crossed over the river Jordan into the Promised Land
"proper", and began to take it into possession by conquering the stronghold Jericho.
(There is more on that matter, later in this treatise.) After that seventh, "great"
day, there came the Assembly on the Eight day, a separate feast. The essays
ex07c.htm and
ex08c.htm have more on those two special feast days.
Once again: The Feast of Booths symbolised and pictured the time when the Israelites had not yet received their inheritance but still lived in tents in the desert (Leviticus 23:42-43). However, when the seventh and last day of that feast came to its end, the ritual tents were put away. It is easy to see a symbolism in that.
Jewish tradition tells us that during the seven days of that feast, special rituals were observed in the temple. One of them was a water ceremony. Water was fetched from the pool of Siloam and brought into the city (Jerusalem) through the "Water gate"; it was then poured out into a basin by the altar in the temple. Clearly, that ritual must have been symbolic of the Living Waters which Jesus spoke about when he told the people to come to him for such waters. Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life – see John 7:37 with its context.
The seven days of water-ceremonies in the temple, culminated on the
seventh and last day. (A note: Not on the eighth day which was a separate feast,
but on the seventh and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.) On that
seventh day, extreme rejoicing took place.
We read:
John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. 38 He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (RSV)
Again, the water ceremony was only for seven days. Also, the "last day of the feast" (of booths) was the seventh day. The following eighth day was a separate high day, with no booths, water ceremony or palm leaves.
When Jesus stood up and cried the words recorded in John 7:37-38, that was on the seventh day. Perhaps he did that in the actual temple, at the time of the water pouring. Those waters of course pointed to Jesus, the Holy Spirit and everlasting life.
The essay ex07c.htm has more on that seventh and last day which was called the "great" day of the feast. That essay considers John 7:37 as well. The essay ex08c.htm has more on the separate feast on the eighth day and its eventual symbolism.
It is also worth noting that during the wilderness-wandering (which
the Feast of Booths later pictured), there were waters miraculously poured out on
at least two occasions, waters provided by the Lord.
During the Feast of Booths, special lighting was set up by the temple in Jerusalem; the temple area was illuminated at night. Apparently, that ceremonial lighting pointed to an event in the past – the pillar of fire which gave light at night when Israel was in the wilderness (the time pictured by the Feast of Booths). But, it is clear that there was even a spiritual symbolism.
The light and the waters were obviously connected to each other, and we can assume that they referred to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Read on, for more.
Waters – Jesus told people to come to him for living waters, John 7:37-39.
Light – Jesus said even this:
John 8:12 Then again Jesus said to them, I am the light of the world; he who comes with me will not be walking in the dark but will have the light of life. (BBE)
It is true that literally, both the light- and the water-ceremonies must have been symbolic of what had happened in the past, in the desert. But, as the apostle Paul noted, many of the things that happened to the ancient Israelites, were types (tupoi, 1 Corinthians 10:11) – types of what was to come. Likewise, it is quite obvious that even the water-ceremony which later came to be practised in the temple, must have been a symbolic, prophetic reference to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and that even the special illumination in the temple area must have pointed to the Lord (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit giving spiritual light.
Paul wrote to the Jewish saints:
Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things [...] (JB-2000)
("The law" = the Pentateuch, with a record of the Old Covenant and its rituals.)
Those words might seem confusing, because "shadow" can also be the opposite of light. But here, the word "shadow" (skia in the Greek text) was used in the meaning "type", "outline", "reflection", "image", "symbol". Paul's point was that the Old Covenant's rituals had been types, symbols of good things which were to come.
A note: The smaller details of the temple ritual, such as the water
and light ceremonies and so on, are not found described in the Old Testament. Those
details were transferred from one priest generation to another in other ways, and
we can learn about them only through Jewish tradition. It is obvious that even those
rituals symbolised, not just things of the past but also good things to come.
During the seven days of booths, the temple was decorated with leaves of palm trees. On those days, people also held palm leaves in their hands, during certain rituals in the temple. Even citron- and myrtle-branches were ceremonially used during those seven days.
A note: The Old Testament did not specify how each kind of branches (from different trees) were to be used in the ceremonies; those things were only known through tradition received from forefathers. Later, there was some strife about those rituals, between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees wanted to change the old traditional ways, and tried to introduce new rituals of their own. That included even a change in the use of the palm leaves. After a time, the Sadducees were subdued and the rituals in the temple went back to the traditional way. The essay eo13b.htm has more on the Sadducees.
Regarding the palm leaves: We can assume that during the wilderness-wandering which later was pictured by the seven-day Feast of Booths, the Israelites often saw palm trees, for instance when they came to oases with water. It might be that the palm trees simply were symbolic of the time in the desert. In the temple ritual on the seventh and last day of the Feast of Booths, palm leaves were beaten into pieces by the altar – even that indicates some kind of a connection to the desert time.
(Where did the Israelites really spend the 40 years of their wilderness sojourn? It was not in the area that today is called "Sinai". The essay eo06f.htm has more on this.)
Then there is even this, regarding the time when Jesus (in the Passover season in the spring) rode into Jerusalem:
John 12:12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel! (VW-2006, highlighting added)
It is not clear what the eventual symbolism of the palm leaves during the event recorded in John 12:12-13, might have been. That was in the Passover season in the spring, but it is worth noting that during the Feast of Booths in the fall, there was a certain temple ritual with palm leaves and with people shouting "Hosanna!"
It seems that in the days when Jesus lived here on Earth, the Jews may have understood something about that symbolism, because they had palm leaves with them when they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. The record in the book of Matthew says that they cut branches of trees and strewed them on the road when Jesus came riding in, and shouted Hosanna!
A note: The seventh and last day of the Feast of Booths, the one that was called the "great" one of the feast, was also called "the Great Hosanna", and even, "the day of beating the branches". On that day, there was made a special Hosanna! cry in the temple. There is more on this, later in this essay.
Consider even this: The Bible tells us that those who in the "end time" will be sealed by the Holy Spirit, will be changed from mortals into immortals, and will then hold "palm leaves" in their hands:
Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and with palms in their hands. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb!" (KJ-21)
Those sealed ones, who at that time are in Heaven by the throne of God, will hold "palm leaves" in their hands (verse 9), and even they will shout Hosanna! – or, as the Greek text of Revelation 7:10 has it, Sôtêria! (The Greek word sôtêria, "salvation", seems to correspond to the Hebrew hoshana. See even John 12:13 which was quoted earlier, and the note on the "great Hosanna" of Psalms 118:25 later in this essay.)
Please also note and remember that the ritual booths were used for
seven days only, and that they were removed by the end of the seventh day. The following,
eighth day was a separate high day which had no booths – no temporary dwellings
any longer.
During the seven days of the feast, there was yet another special ritual, in connection with the water ceremony. On the first six of those seven days, the altar in the temple was encircled once a day, but on the seventh and last day of the Feast of Booths it was encircled seven times.
This, just as many other things in the temple ritual, is not mentioned in the Old Testament. That ceremony was something that had been learned from earlier generations, through some other means.
Again, it is important to keep in mind that the seven-day Feast of Booths pictured a time when Israel had not yet come to the Promised Land. Those seven days with ritual booths pictured the forty years in the desert. Further, it is good to realise and then remember that the Old Covenant's spring and autumn high days "overlapped" in their symbolism, and that they to a certain degree pointed to the same events (of both past and future).
The Israelites left Egypt and entered the wilderness, in the spring, on what later came to be celebrated as the first day of Unleavened Bread in the Passover season. But, their sojourn in the wilderness was also pictured in the fall, during the seven-day Feast of Booths, through ritual living in huts made of branches and leaves (see Leviticus 23:42-43).
But, when did the Israelites actually enter the land of Canaan? That occurred during the Passover-season. Their life in temporary dwellings in a land that was not their own, came formally to its end during the Passover-season, when they, through a miracle of the Lord, crossed over the river Jordan from the east and entered the Promised Land "proper".
Joshua 4:19 tells us that the Israelites "came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month" – four days before Passover. Then, during the 15th to 21st day of that month – the Days of Unleavened Bread – they encircled (marched around) the stronghold Jericho (in the Promised Land "proper"), which stronghold they then took (destroyed). When they marched around the city, the priests went ahead of them, sounding their trumpets. On the first six days, they encircled Jericho once each day, but on the seventh day they encircled it seven times.
Thus, the literal event when Jericho was destroyed, took place in the days of Joshua, during the seven days of Unleavened Bread in the spring. But later, that event was also pictured in the fall, during the seven days of the Feast of Booths, in the temple ritual, including ceremonial sounding of trumpets. There was nothing "illogical" about that. Those two high day seasons "overlapped" in their symbolism and, they partially pointed to the same things and events. Israel's sojourn in the wilderness had begun after the Passover, on the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread. And, it can be said that formally, their desert wanderings came to their end, in the Passover-season, on the last of the Days of Unleavened Bread when they took the stronghold Jericho. But, even the seven days of the Feast of Booths in the fall (and later the temple rituals during that fall festival) were reminiscent of their years in the wilderness.
In the Feast of Booths temple rituals, the altar was encircled during the seven days of that feast – once during each of the first six days, and seven times on the seventh day. During those rituals, the priests sounded special silver trumpets. (Obviously, those things symbolised the taking of Jericho.) The ritual during those days also included the earlier mentioned water ceremony, and, the people in the temple waved their palm leaves towards the altar. At that time, Psalms 118:1 was sung – and then Psalms 118:25, "Save now, we beseech you O Jehovah: O Jehovah, we beseech you, send now prosperity" – there, behind the English translation "Save now" in Psalms 118:25, is the Hebrew phrase Hosanna (Hoshana, hoshi-'ah-nna).
On that day, the circuit around the altar in connection with the water ceremony was made seven times. The palm leaves that people held in their hands, were then beaten into pieces by the side of the altar. Obviously, that must have symbolised the end of the wilderness-sojourn. There was great rejoicing during that seventh day, and also the shout Hoshanna! Because of those things, that seventh day was called the "great" one of the feast, and Hoshana rabbah ("the "Great Hosanna"), and also, "the day of beating the branches". (The essay ex07c.htm has more on that day.)
On the following eighth day which was a separate high day, no palm
leaves were used. And, the ritual booths (symbolic of the living in temporary housing
during the desert years) had been removed the previous day. The essay
ex08c.htm has more on that separate Eighth Day.
(Again, the Feast of Booths pointed to the Exodus and the time after it when the Israelites lived in the desert.)
In the Bible, the word "Rest", when used in this kind of context, always refers to a land. More exactly, the Promised Land – the earthly one, and also the heavenly one. Read on, for an explanation.
In Egypt, the Israelites were slaves, and had no land of their own. Then, in the wilderness, prior to entering the Promised Land, they had no rest but wandered as nomads and lived in tents, as sojourners in a land that was not theirs. It was only when the Israelites came into the Promised Land, that they entered their promised Rest. That is what the word and concept "Rest" refers to, in Deuteronomy 3:20 and 12:9-10 and Joshua 1:15, 22:4 and 23:1 – a land of their own. (Even the letter to the Hebrews contains many references to that Rest, and its heavenly counterpart. There is more on this, later in this essay.)
Consider the word "rest" in Deuteronomy 3:20. That verse records how Moses instructed those Israelites who had settled east of the river Jordan, outside the Promised Land "proper", that they were to send their men of war to go over the river and help the other tribes, "until the Lord has given rest to your brothers, as to you". That is, until they had safely settled in the Promised Land. That land was their promised "rest".
In the Bible, in this kind of context, the terms "Rest", "Inheritance" and "Promise" go hand in hand and point to the Promised Land. On the earthly level, that land (the land of Canaan) is what had been promised to Abraham. The right to that land then passed through inheritance to Isaac, and later to Jacob (whose other name was Israel) and then to his descendants, the Israelites. In the days of Joshua, that land was finally given to the Israelites, as a place of rest for them. Their own land, to settle down in rest, after all the years when they had lived in tents in a dusty desert.
A note: Even though that earthly Promised Land (the ancient Israelites'
promised place of rest) will yet see the (physical) tribes of Israel being gathered
there, it is nevertheless clear that the earthly Promised Land was and is a type
of better things. Multiple passages in the epistle to the Hebrews talk about that
earthly (place of) Rest, and also about the saints entering its heavenly counterpart
– the heavenly Promised Land. The essays
ex11b.htm and
eb05b.htm have more on this, and on the words and concepts "Promise", "Inheritance",
"Land" and "Rest".
Certain things in the epistle to the Hebrews have a clear connection with the Old Covenant's Feast of Booths. There is more on this below, but again, in short: Many things in the Bible make it clear that that feast pictured the Exodus and the time in the desert, and, even if only by indication, also something beyond that.
A note: Here, it is assumed that it was the apostle Paul who wrote the letter to Hebrews. Several factors make that letter quite hard to understand, for people of our day. For the first, Paul often used complicated language, and sometimes he wrote in a compact way, using short and unexplained references to the Old Testament. And then, translations have made a mess of many passages in the letter to the Hebrews. Further: We must realise that in this case, Paul wrote to a predominantly Jewish audience who were intimately familiar with the Old Covenant's rules and rituals, and could through that understand what Paul's short quotes and references meant and pointed to. But, for most people of our day it is not very easy to understand that letter and the symbolic references that it contains.
Earlier in this essay, it was explained that the earthly Promised Land was called "Rest". That can be seen in Deuteronomy 3:20 and 12:9-10 and Joshua 1:15, 22:4 and 23:1 – and then, in several passages in the letter to the Hebrews. A number of those passages will be quoted and discussed below, but first, some of the background.
Again, the apostle Paul noted that some of the things that happened to the ancient Israelites, were types (tupoi, 1 Corinthians 10:11). This is something that can be seen in many places in Hebrews.
One of the "types" that Paul referred to, was the wilderness sojourn and what happened during it. Background: The Israelites had left Egypt, but in the desert certain men deceived them into rejecting the Promised Land, and caused them to want to replace the Lord with another leader and have that leader take them back to land of the pyramids (see Numbers 14:1-4, with context). The result of that was that none of the grown up Israelites who took part in that rebellion, ever entered the Promised Land.
In English bibles, that rebellion or obstinacy in the desert is referred to under different names, such as "the provocation", "the embitterment", "the day of temptation", and so on.
The Feast of Booths connection: Those obstinate Israelites died during the forty desert years (pictured by the Succot), and never made it to the Promised Land. And again: The apostle Paul explained that those things happened to ancient Israel as "types" – as symbols and warning examples for later times. Maybe especially regarding the Jews who rejected the Jesus, but perhaps even others.
The epistle to the "Hebrews" was written to Jewish saints, and it contained many warnings to them. Some excerpts:
"Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness when your fathers tempted me" – "so I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest" – "take heed, brothers" – "harden not your hearts as in the provocation" – "we see that they could not enter in" – "let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" – "let us therefore labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief". (Parts of Hebrews 3:8 – 4:11.)
(Again, this with "entering the Rest" which those passages talk about, referred to entering a Promised Land – either the earthly one or the heavenly one. And, the "coming short of it", Hebrews 4:1, was the same as "falling in the wilderness" – not making it to the Promised Land.)
Many Jews rejected the Lord Jesus. The thing is that Jesus was the "second Moses" – well, let us read this:
Deuteronomy 18:16 According to all that you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And the LORD said to me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brothers, like to you, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (AKJV)
That is echoed in Acts 3:22 and 7:37. In the latter case, it was Stephen who cited those words – but the Jews did not want to hear him. They rejected Jesus (whom Deuteronomy 18:16-19 referred to), and killed Stephen. Through rejecting Jesus, those Jews also rejected a possibility to enter the New Covenant's Promised Land, in Heaven.
In the days of the first Moses, the Lord was leading the ancient Israelites towards an earthly Promised Land. But in the days of Jesus the "second Moses", it was a matter of a "spiritual Israel" (the saints) being led towards a heavenly Promised Land. Consider this: In the past, those who rejected the Promised Land (and the Lord who was leading them there), died in the wilderness, and never made it to the Promised Land.
In his letter to the Jewish saints, the apostle Paul referred to that falling in the wilderness. But again, he wrote to a predominantly Jewish audience and did not have to explain all the details. For people of our day, especially for those who are not very familiar with the Old Testament and the Old Covenant and its rules and rituals, those things can be quite hard to understand – or to even notice.
Again, regarding the ancient Israelites in the desert – their rejection of the Lord and of the land he was leading them to, resulted that those who were grown up at that time, were not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Instead, "their bodies fell in the wilderness", as Hebrews 3:17 has it. In other words: They never made it to the place of Rest that had been in store for them. In that connection, see also these Old Testament passages: Numbers 14:23 and 29-30 ("your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness"), Deuteronomy 1:35 ("there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land"), and Psalms 95:11 ("I swore in my anger, they shall not enter my rest").
And again, in his letter to the saints in Corinth, Paul referred to events in Israel's past, and noted that those things "happened to them as examples, and they were written [down] as a warning". Hebrews 3:8 and 15 and 4:7 record how Paul warned the Jewish saints that they were not to harden their hearts the way their forefathers had done, and risk "falling in the wilderness", without making it to the Heavenly Promised Land.
A note: As was explained earlier, the Feast of Booths was reminiscent of those wilderness years. And then, Paul was not talking about being on the way to an earthly Promised Land but a heavenly one.
Having said that – read the following with care and with thought, especially noting the words "enter" and "rest", in connection with the saints entering the heavenly Promised Land:
Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "To-day, if you will hear his voice, 8 harden not your hearts, as in the bitter provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness; 9 where your fathers tempted me, and proved me, yet saw my works for forty years. 10 Wherefore, I was displeased with that generation, and said, They always err in heart, and they have not known my ways. 11 So, I swore, in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest." 12 Brethren, take heed, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, by departing from the living God. 13 But, lest any of you be hardened, through the deceitfulness of sin, exhort one another every day, while it is called To-day: 14 (for we are all partakers of Christ, if, indeed, we hold fast this first confidence firm to the end;) 15 with this saying, "To-day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the bitter provocation." 16 For some, when they heard, did bitterly provoke; yet, not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 Was it not with them who sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear, that they should not enter into his rest, but to them who did not believe? 19 So, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (LO)
Hebrews 4:1 Wherefore, let us be afraid, lest a promise of entrance into the rest, being left, any of you should seem to fall short of it. 2 For glad tidings have been proclaimed to us, as well as to them: but the word which they heard did not profit them; not being mixed with faith in them who heard it. 3 For we, who have believed, do enter into the rest, as he said, "So, I swore, in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest"; namely, from the works that were finished at the formation of the world. 4 For he has spoken somewhere concerning the seventh day, thus: "And God rested on the seventh day, from all his works." 5 And in this, again, "They shall not enter into my rest." 6 Since, then, it remains for some to enter into it, and that they who first received the good tidings, did not enter in on account of unbelief: 7 again, he limits a certain day, saying, by David, "To-day," after so long a time; as it is said, "To-day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." 8 For, if Joshua has caused them to rest, he would not, after that, have spoken of another day. 9 There remains, therefore, a divine rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered into his rest, has himself, also, rested from his own works, like as God, also, rested from his. 11 Wherefore let us carefully strive to enter into THIS REST, lest any one should fall after the same example of unbelief. (LO, original caps)
(Hebrews 4:1, "a promise being left to enter into his rest", et cetera – the HCSB has this better, "therefore, while the promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear so that none of you should miss it".)
The result of that obstinacy in the past: All adult Israelites who had left Egypt – except for Joshua and Caleb – died in the wilderness and never made it to the earthly Promised Land. Only their descendants were allowed to enter it.
On the earthly level, that land was the rest which had been promised. Once again: The Feast of Booths was a memorial of the Exodus and the desert sojourn. And then, certain ceremonies that were performed in the temple during the last and "great" day of that seven-day festival, pointed to the time when that desert sojourn came to its end, after which the Israelites began settling in the Promised Land.
But, as Paul explained and as other bible-passages show, that earthly land was not really the ultimate goal nor the ultimate (place of) Rest. The ultimate promised inheritance, the ultimate promised Rest (Land) was really something else:
Hebrews 11:14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (NKJV, highlighting added)
A note: That City (Hebrews 11:16) is the heavenly Jerusalem. The earthly Jerusalem served as a type of it.
Hebrews 4 records how Paul warned certain Jewish saints, telling them that they were not to turn their back on the heavenly Promised Land where the Lord was leading them.
Just as men of old Israel could not, because of their obstinacy, enter the earthly Promised Land but fell dead in the wilderness, in the same way could those saints, on the spiritual level, "fall in the wilderness", without ever reaching the ultimate Promised Land in Heaven. That is, if they were obstinate and rejected the heavenly Land or the Lord who was leading them there.
So, the Feast of Booths and its seventh and last day symbolised, not only ancient Israel's time in the wilderness, but also the saints' time as "strangers and foreigners", the time when they had not yet received their everlasting, promised Inheritance, the time when they still lived here on Earth and had not yet come to their "Rest" (safe dwelling) in the heavenly Promised Land.
A note: In this connection, the word "rest" does not refer to inactivity, not by any means. The point was receiving a place of rest – a place of one's own, where one could live in safety.
Another note: Here is a strange thing – there are some churches and
preachers who, on the one hand, demand people to observe the Old Covenant's Feast
of Booths, but who, on the other hand, cause people to virtually reject and turn
their backs on the saints' promised Rest, the saints' everlasting Inheritance which
does not decay (see 1 Peter 1:4) – the heavenly Promised Land of Hebrews 11:16.
In contrast to what those churches and preachers teach, we have the Bible which
has only good things to say about Heaven and makes it clear that the saints were
to go there. The essay
eb04c.htm has more on Heaven and the heavenly Jerusalem; the essay
eb05b.htm has more on the words and concepts Promise, Inheritance, Land and
Rest.
The essay ex11b.htm contains a more detailed clarification of the actual nature of the sabbatismos or Rest of Hebrews 4:9, but here is a short summary.
Many people, especially in Sabbatarian churches, have been caused to misunderstand that passage in Paul's letter to the Jewish saints. It was cited above, but let us read it again, here with some of the context:
Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterwards have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he that has entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. 11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall according to the same example of unbelief. (KJ-21)
This passage needs an explanation. Read on.
The ancient Israelites' "Rest" (verse 8) was a place of rest – the Promised Land. Joshua took them there. Jericho was the first city they conquered in that land; later that event was pictured by certain ceremonies in the temple, during the Feast of Booths.
But, the earthly Promised Land was not the ultimate thing. There was ("remained", verse 9) a better Rest in store for the saints Paul was writing to. Even in that case, it was a place of Rest – a Land – the one which is mentioned here:
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. (ASV)
A note: This matter can be a "hard thing" for many people in Sabbatarian churches, because those churches use Hebrews 4:9 as a "proof" for their central dogma. But, the facts are that Hebrews 4:9 does not talk about keeping a Sabbath. It talks about something that one could enter – a place of Rest. That is, a Promised Land. This with "entering a rest" (a Promised Land) is in different ways mentioned in numerous passages in that epistle – see Hebrews 3:11, 18 and 19, 4:1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11, and even 6:19 and 20 and 9:12 and 24 and 10:19 which are about Jesus (and after him the saints) entering the heavenly House of God.
Some might say, "What is the Feast of Booths connection in Hebrews 4:9?" Well, once again: Most of that feast pictured the time when the Israelites were still in the desert. As a memorial of that, the Israelites were to live in ritual booths during the seven days of that festival. But, on the seventh, last and "great" day of that feast, those booths were removed. That was reminiscent of the time when the Israelites' time in the dusty desert was over – when they crossed over the river Jordan and entered their promised Rest (the Promised Land).
That is what Hebrews 4:9 is all about. However, for the saints whom Paul was writing to, it was not a matter of entering an earthly place of Rest (Land) but rather a heavenly one. Paul admonished those Jewish saints, telling them not to reject the good Land that was ahead, the way their forefathers had done. He wrote to those saints:
Hebrews 4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall according to the same example of unbelief. (KJ-21)
For the saints whom Paul was addressing, the in verse 9 mentioned sabbatismos (= Rest = a place of rest), was connected to the time when their "wilderness-wandering" here on Earth would come to an end. Jesus had liberated them from a "spiritual Egypt" (from the power of wicked spirit rulers), and they had "crossed over the Red Sea" (baptism; see 1 Corinthians 10:2 and consider the symbolism), and they had through that come "into a wilderness" and were on their way to the (heavenly) Promised Land, the one of Hebrews 11:16. But, when Paul wrote those things, those saints had not yet reached that heavenly Land but were still "in a wilderness".
Again, the essay
ex11b.htm explains Hebrews 4:9 and its context, in more detail. The essay
ex03c.htm sorts out the matter of the symbolism of the Sabbath, the Old Covenant's
weekly, ritual day of rest.
(The word "offerings" is a synonym for "sacrifices".)
The Old Covenant's rituals included a great number of sacrifices that were offered during the different holy day periods. It seems that during the fall festival, at least 182 animals were offered, and also flour, wine, water and more.
In different ways, most of those sacrifices (offerings) pointed to Jesus and his Sacrifice and saving work.
An important note: Jesus did not "spiritualise" those burn-offerings
of old, into "giving cash to the preacher" as some have claimed. No, he put an
end to all those sacrifices. Those ancient sacrifices (offerings) were only
for ancient Israel under the Old Covenant, and they are no more, not for anyone,
not in any form. For more on monetary things in connection with religious fellowships,
look under the heading "Silver
and gold" on the index-page
keyw-s5.htm.
Again, the Old Covenant's holy days (Leviticus 23) were not, as some have thought, symbolic of seven totally different things occurring in a chronological or sequential manner. The spring and fall high days overlapped in their meaning, message and symbolism, and partially pictured the same things.
Also: The Feast of Booths lasted only for seven days. The booths were put away at the end of the seventh day. The following eighth day (the Assembly on the Eighth day, Shemini Atzeret) was a totally separate high day and not a part of the Feast of Booths.
It was the seventh day which was "the last day, the great one of the feast" (John 7:37). On that day, there was great rejoicing, and special ceremonies in the temple. As was mentioned earlier, that seventh day was also called Hoshana rabbah, "the Great Hosanna"; that was because of certain parts in the rituals on that day. The essay ex07c.htm has more on that seventh, "great" day.
The seven days of booths obviously pictured the time when the Israelites had left Egypt, but were still in the wilderness and had not yet entered the Promised Land. They had been freed from slavery under the tyrant in the land of the pyramids, and from deceiving religion there, and they had passed through the Red Sea and were on the way to the Promised Land – but had not yet made it there but were still in the wilderness, living in temporary dwellings, as strangers and sojourners in a land that was not their own.
For the saints, the corresponding symbolism was that they had been freed from religious deception, and from the power of the wicked spirit rulers who still control this planet. When they received the Holy Spirit, they also "passed through the Red Sea" (baptism), and were after that symbolically "in a wilderness", on their way to their (heavenly) Promised Land. But, as long as they lived here on Earth, in bodies of flesh, they had not reached the ultimate, heavenly Promised Land yet.
It is good to remember that in this kind of context, the terms Promise, Inheritance and Rest are all related to Land. For ancient Israel, those things were here on Earth. The saints were a "spiritual Israel". Their promised Inheritance and Rest were not here on Earth but in Heaven; the essays ex11b.htm, eb05b.htm and eb04c.htm have more on this.
Then: Hebrews 3 and 4 record how the apostle Paul warned the Jewish saints that they were not to reject the real and ultimate Promised Land in Heaven, or else they would also "fall in the wilderness", just as the ancient Israelites had done, without ever reaching the goal. Paul wrote to those saints: "Let us, therefore, give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall into the same example, of obstinacy" (Hebrews 4:11, EB). That is, Paul warned them not to reject the Lord, or the heavenly Promised Land where the Lord was leading them.
The essay ex10d.htm considers whether or not believers should observe the Old Covenant's high days or its other rituals. That essay also takes a closer look at certain "feast of booths" – related bible-passages, such as Zechariah 14.
Table of contents – What's new here? – Key-word index – Search function – Goal and purpose – Contact, comment, question
If this page did not contain what you were looking for, see the links below, and the key-word index and the table of contents, or use the search function.
Additional reading at the Bible Pages, on related as well as other issues:
A clarifying explanation of the short names for the bible-versions quoted or mentioned at this site, such as that NKJV stands for New King James Version, YLT for Young's Literal translation, HCSB for Holman Christian Standard Bible, NRSV for the New Revised Standard Version, and so on. → es09c.htm
On the Last Day of the Feast, the great one, and its symbolism, including notes on John 7:37. → ex07c.htm
On the Shemini Atzeret, the Assembly on the Eighth Day, and its symbolism – Leviticus 23:39 and 29:35. → ex08c.htm
Worshipping God. What does the Bible say about worship, when it comes to New Covenant times? Serving God is something important, for many believers. There is a custom to gather for worship services. Indeed, for many people, worship is the same as going to church or attending church. But, where does the word "worship" really come from, and what does it mean? And, what about praise and giving thanks and "offerings", and so on? In what way and when and where should believers be serving and worshipping God? → ea04c.htm
For more on the Old Covenant's high days, look also under the heading "High days" on the index-page keyw-h3.htm.
Jesus warned his disciples about false prophets, teachers of falsehood, deceivers and deception. He said that many would be deceived. → eo09e.htm
Who were the Sadducees, and what were their teachings? Also: Who were the Herodians and the Boethusians? → eo13b.htm
The route of the Exodus, and the location of Mount Sinai. Which part of the Red Sea did the Israelites cross over – the Gulf of Suez, or the Gulf of Aqaba? Or, was it "a reed sea" as some have claimed? Also, where did they spend the forty years of wilderness wandering? → eo06f.htm
Is the New Covenant a "renewal" or "modification" of the Old Covenant? → ec11c.htm
For more on the two covenants, old and new, look also under the heading "Covenants" on the index-page keyw-c4.htm.
A clarification of the actual nature of the sabbatismos or Rest of Hebrews 4:9. → ex11b.htm
The Promises spoken to Abraham, and the saints' heavenly Rest and Inheritance. How the earthly Land of Israel symbolised and foreshadowed a Promised Land in Heaven. Also, how the words Promise, Inheritance, Rest and Land in certain bible passages point to the same thing. → eb05b.htm
What does the Bible say about Heaven? What does it look like? Were the saints to go there, and if so, for how long? What about others? → eb04c.htm
The symbolism of the Sabbath. What the Old Covenant's weekly, ritual day of rest pictured and pointed to. → ex03c.htm
The Old Covenant's high days, those of Leviticus 23, should they be kept in New Covenant times? What about the weekly, ritual rest on the seventh day, the Sabbath? → ex10d.htm
Check your bible knowledge. A basic self-test with 15 biblical questions (with answers and commentary). → es04b.htm
Many talk about "the letter of the law" versus "the spirit of the law" – but those expressions are not found in the Bible. A detailed, down to the core study on 2 Corinthians 3:6-8 and Romans 7:6 and what the apostle Paul really meant and referred to when he wrote about the letter as opposed to the Spirit. → ec13c.htm
Galatians 3:17-19 – what did Paul mean by the term "added law"? What was the original thing? And, the addition that came 430 years later, was it some "extra rituals", or something else? Further: What did the apostle Paul mean when he in that same epistle wrote, "This is the only thing I want to find out from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" (3:2) and, "Tell me, you who want to be under the Law, do you not understand the Law?" (4:21). Those things in the letter to the saints in Galatia might seem confusing, but this essay makes them clearer and more easily understood, and shows what the apostle was talking about. → ec10c.htm
How to understand the Bible. Easy keys to interpreting and understanding Scripture in a better and deeper way, by avoiding certain fundamental but common mistakes and errors in bible study. These vital keys are really the basics for objective bible study. Knowing these keys will make many things easier to interpret and comprehend, and one will see several central matters in the Bible from a new and different perspective, especially in connection with the Gospels and the Epistles. → eg02c.htm
What does the word "faith" mean? What is true faith? On the words and concepts "faith", "faithfulness", "believe" and "believing", in the Bible and especially in the New Testament, and what those things meant in the saints' lives. → eb10b.htm
What is the Kingdom of God? Where is it located? Does it exist already, or is it only going to be established in the future? Or, is it only something "in the hearts of men" as some have claimed, quoting the translation "within you" in Luke 17:21? → eo01b.htm
Does God have a "7000-year plan"? → et09b.htm
Info on the goal and purpose of this site, and a contact address.
→
purpose.htm
Table of contents for this site, including a synopsis or a short, summary description
of each essay or article. →
filename.htm
Search for specific words, phrases or bible passages at this site. →
search.htm
An alphabetical bible topic keyword index of the essays and articles at this site:
1-9
– A
– B
– C
– D
– E
– F
– G
– H
– I
– J
– K
– L
– M
– N
– O
– P
– Q
– R
– S
– T
– U
– V
– W
– X
– Y – Z –
Detailed index overview
If you find any of the essays or treatises at this site interesting and helpful, please provide a copy to other people as well. But before printing or distributing anything, make sure to get the very latest version, exactly as it is, directly from this web site. In regard to printable copies of these pages, for example as PDF-format papers, booklets or brochures or so – there are no specially printer friendly variants (except some bible puzzles), nor is there a need for that – simply, when you print an essay, set the margins and the text size to fit your needs and the paper you use, in the program you use for viewing these pages, and then send it to your printer. (This varies in different browsers and word processing programs. In web browsers, for setting the margin size and headers and footers, look for "Print Format" in the File menu; to set the text size for print-out, look under "Preview" or "View" in the same menu.)
Important: You are welcome to quote the documents at this site – the Bible Pages – provided that you mention the source, by giving the full web address to the page in question. Please link to these essays and give copies to friends. However, you may not re-publish any part of the contents of this site, as a booklet, brochure or on the Internet or in other ways, without a permission from the author; he retains the copyright. For more on copying and quoting, and a few words about the author and his religious education and credentials, see the page purpose.htm.
The essays at this site are not in "bible lesson" or "bible study course" format, nor are they meant as on-line "bible study classes" of some kind. Even though this site gives ready answers to biblical questions of many kinds, its main goal is providing food for thought on a variety of biblical subjects, and challenging and encouraging people to get started with deep personal bible study and then continue with that. (Many religious organisations and denominations have their bible lessons and correspondence courses; they are ready-made "studies" which are shrewdly constructed and written in such a manner that they lead the reader to conclusions that fit the dogmas of the group in question.) A careful, closer study of the books of the Bible with proper tools will help a believer to gain better and deeper biblical understanding. In that way, one will find out more about what the Bible really says, means and teaches. One can then, with wisdom, use that knowledge as a guide for one's life, instead of accepting as "biblical truths" whatever commercial religion – churches and their ministers (preachers) – have taught and want people to believe.
A more thorough, bible-based study with care and with thought will, not only help one to learn more, but also show one how many a popular belief has no scriptural basis or support but is altogether false and not biblical at all. This applies, not only to prophecy and "end time" related things, but also to many other subjects where prevailing dogmas are often taken "for granted". For this reason, it is extremely important for believers to personally study the Writings, and to thoroughly analyse them down to the smaller details, in order to find out the real facts. For doing that, it is not necessary to know the Hebrew, Greek or Latin languages (even though learning their letters and alphabet can be a good idea); there are modern, advanced tools which can help one to study in an effective way – see the pages es01d.htm and es02c.htm for more on this. The essay eg02c.htm supplies a number of easy, elementary keys to acquiring a better and deeper understanding of the Bible, simply by consciously and methodically avoiding certain usual errors and pitfalls.
This site is non-denominational and non-sectarian. It is not connected to any church, sect or religious organisation or movement. This site looks at things from a biblical perspective, and not from a dogmatic one. It does not claim to be without error or to "know it all" or to have a perfect or complete explanation to all things – it consists of an ongoing bible study that has been made public, and as the study goes on, the contents of these pages are revised and also expanded, with new topics and themes being addressed. Readers are invited and welcome to write to the author with thoughts and comments, or to ask questions or to point out a mistake if they feel that they have found one. For more on this, see the page purpose.htm.
The address to this page is www.biblepages.web.surftown.se/ex06c.htm
Please send or mention the address to this site to others, and link to these pages.
This page was created or modified 2009-12-29.