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"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD... Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 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."  - Leviticus 23:34, 42-43

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Succoth, begins on the 15th of Tishri and lasts for eight days. This year Succoth will begin on October 13th. The word Succoth (also spelled Sukkot) means "booths", and refers to the temporary dwellings which are built and inhabited during the festival. This feast commemorates the 40 years that the nation of Israel wandered in the desert before entering the Promised Land. The Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths, as it is sometimes called, is a joyous holiday and a time of feasting.

It is fascinating to visit Israel at this time and observe them build their temporary "booths" in the traditional way, leaving deliberate gaps in the branches to view the stars at night, and for the wind to blow through during the day. This is intended to remind them of the wilderness wanderings.

At the end of the eight days, they leave their temporary dwellings to return to their permanent homes. (This is one of the reasons some suspect that this feast, rather than the Feast of Trumpets, is suggestive of the Rapture of the Church.) This day, traditionally, is the day that Solomon dedicated the first Temple.

This feast also involved a daily processional to the Pool of Siloam to fetch water for the Temple. This ceremonial procession is the setting for the events of John 7, where Jesus offers them "living water." This procession involved four types of branches: the willow, the myrtle, the palm, and a citrus (Leviticus 23:40). The willow has no smell and no fruit. The myrtle has smell, but no fruit. The palm has no smell, but bears fruit. The citrus has both smell and bears fruit. This sounds reminiscent of the four soils of the first "kingdom parable" of Matthew 13, doesn't it? The prophetic implications of this climactic feast are many. Most scholars associate it with the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom in Israel. To learn more about this subject, listen to our briefing package titled The Feasts of Israel.

The Torah - the five books of Moses - describes seven feasts on the Hebrew calendar. Three feasts are in the spring, in the month of Nisan: Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits. Most Bible scholars believe that the first three feasts are prophetic of the Lord's First Coming. Then fifty days later there is the Feast of Weeks, Shavout, also known as Pentecost. The feast of Pentecost is predictive of the Church. Pentecost is notably the only feast in which leavened bread is ordained. There are three remaining feasts in the fall, in the month of Tishri: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The fall feasts are prophetic of the Lord's Second Coming.

If you take the time to study the feasts of Israel I think you will be amazed by numerous prophetic parallels you'll uncover. At times the tasks and rituals described in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Leviticus, may seem laborious or even inapplicable to Christians today. However it is important to remember that every number, every place name, every detail, every jot and tittle found in scripture is there for our learning, our discovery, and our amazement. Truly, our God is an awesome God!

[Editor's Note: This is the final installment of a three part series on the fall feasts of Israel.]

The United States' economic troubles continue to spread, prompting many economists and world leaders to demand that action be taken on a global level. Some have even purposed revamping the entire global financial system. World leaders are planning to hold a global summit on the economic crisis, but some economists say that what is needed is a second "Bretton Woods" conference in order to devise a new doctrine of international finance.

On Monday British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for international financial reform saying: "Around us we must build a new Bretton Woods. A new financial architecture for the years ahead. Sometimes it does take a crisis for people to agree that what is obvious and should have been done years ago can no longer be postponed. But we must now create the right new financial architecture for the global age." His comments were echoed by other global leaders, including Pascal Lamy the head of the World Trade Organization.

In 1944, near the end of World War II, representatives from all 44 allied nations gathered in Bretton Woods in New Hampshire to set up a system of rules, institutions, and procedures to regulate the global monetary system. They even considered the idea of creating a global currency. The agreement at Bretton Woods laid the foundation for the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other international institutions. It also established policies that have enabled the US dollar became the world's reserve currency.

The Bretton Woods conference set the standards that have directed the global economy for the past 60 years. However some economists say that a new set of rules are needed - especially in light of the current economic crisis. We live in the era of globalization, and the way we do business is changing.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, made headlines recently when it announced plans for a new common currency and central bank. The groundwork for the new system will be laid at the GCC summit in November. The council hopes to have the new monetary union in place by the year 2010.

The rise in power of such institutions represents a key strategic trend that began in the latter half of the 20th century. Economies are growing, government is expanding, and borders are disappearing. In the past 60 years we have witnessed the establishment of the United Nations, the European Union, the Mediterranean Union, the African Union, and the new Union of South America as well as the International Criminal Court, the International Monetary Fund, etc. This trend has picked up steam in more recent years, as political sovereignty and economic control has shifted bit by bit from individual nation-states to supranational globalist organizations.

The current economic crisis could pave the way for even more globalist reforms. Visit our website or click on the links below to learn more about this subject.

Some call the book of Zechariah, "The Apocalypse of the Old Testament." Many feel that Zechariah is the most Messianic book of the Old Testament. Among its many precious passages we find the Messiah presented as the Branch who will remove iniquity; the Shepherd; the Stone; the Coming King; the Triumphal Entry on a donkey; One betrayed for 30 pieces of silver; His Crucifixion, and His Second Coming, "looking upon me whom they pierced."

This most challenging little book is second only to Isaiah in its distinctiveness and importance as a Messianic prophet. Zechariah contains more Messianic prophecies than all of the other "Minor" prophets put together.

The book focuses on the Day of YHWH, the return of Israel in unbelief, their passing through the Great Tribulation, and their deliverance by King Messiah. It also may hold the key to resolving the enigma of "Mystery Babylon" and its relation to literal Babylon in prophecy.

The Prophet Zechariah was a Levite born in a priestly family in Babylon who returned to Jerusalem with almost 50,000 other Jewish exiles. He was probably a relatively young man at the beginning of his prophetic ministry. Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai the prophet, Zerubbabel the governor, and Joshua the high priest.

Historical Background

The fall of Jerusalem to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC marked the finale of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, much as the earlier defeat at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 BC brought to an end the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Most of Jerusalem's inhabitants were deported to Babylon for a period of 70 years, as prophesied by the Prophet Jeremiah.
During this exile, the Prophet Daniel received the revelation that Gentile kingdoms would be dominant over Judah and Israel until God set up His kingdom on the earth under the rule of the Messiah. This period was referred to by Jesus Christ as "the times of the Gentiles."

When the Babylonian Empire fell to the Persian Empire (539 BC), Cyrus the Great decreed that the Jews could return to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple. However, only a small minority of about 50,000 Jews (including Haggai and Zechariah) returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest.

Levitical sacrifices were soon reinstituted on a rebuilt altar of burnt offering, and in the second year of their return the foundation of the Temple was laid. However, external oppression and internal depression halted the rebuilding of the Temple for about 16 more years of spiritual apathy until the rule of Persian King Darius Hystaspis (522-486 BC).

In the second regnal year of Darius (520 BC), God raised up Haggai the prophet to encourage the Jews in rebuilding. Haggai preached four sermons in four months and then disappeared from the scene. Two months after Haggai delivered his first sermon, Zechariah began his prophetic ministry, encouraging the people to spiritual renewal and motivating them to rebuild the Temple by revealing to them God's plans for Israel's future. With this prophetic encouragement the people completed the Temple reconstruction in 515 BC.

The dated portions of Zechariah's prophecy fall within the period of the rebuilding of the Temple. The undated prophecies of Zechariah 9-14 were probably written much later in his ministry. According to Jewish tradition, Zechariah was a member of the Great Synagogue, a council originated by Nehemiah and composed of 120 members. Ezra is said to have been the president of this council, which was later succeeded by the Sanhedrin.

An Enriching Adventure

Zechariah, in a sense, closes the Old Testament. Luke opens with the account of another priest named Zechariah ("Yahweh Remembers") and his wife Elisabeth ("His Oath"). An angelic visit ends 400 years of silence with the announcement of the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist. This astonishing book is full of surprises, to learn more click on the links below.