The Bible tells us plainly that, in the last days, the nations will attack Israel and inflict great suffering on the Jews, but that the Lord will come to their rescue, deal with the wicked, and rule from Jerusalem for 1,000 years of peace¹. Around the time of his coming, the eyes of all Israel will be opened to see their true Messiah, the one they pierced – Jesus of Nazareth.

We are told by the prophet Zechariah that the people from the nations who attack Jerusalem in the last days will, during Christ’s millennial reign, be required to make an annual pilgrimage to the city to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, without which they will have no rain.
Why is this? Well, this feast represents the presence of God, along with his provision, and our complete dependency on him.

Remembering the desert wanderings

Tabernacles reminds us of Israel’s wanderings in the desert, where they were fed with heavenly manna and water from the Rock. The desert is a place where we encounter the Lord, where our abilities to look after ourselves are sorely stretched as we face trouble, danger and extreme heat. And God speaks to us in the silence of the desert, where we are free from distractions.

The feast of Tabernacles represents the presence of God, along with his provision, and our complete dependency on him.

The desert is often pictured in the Bible as the location for preparing the way of the Lord (as with John the Baptist, Jesus, Moses, and the people of God generally.) It’s a place of Messianic expectation, with all four gospels mentioning John the Baptist as the ‘voice’ paving the way. We are utterly dependent on God – for direction, or our next meal. There are no safety nets. As we hear his voice, follow the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, we learn to follow the Messiah. We have clear vision, with no pollution to tarnish the night sky. We cannot rely on our own self-sufficiency. In being isolated from the world, we meet with God.

Praying for rainPouring out the water at the Feast of Tabernacles

And here’s the interesting thing. What else happens in the desert – or doesn’t happen? There is no rain – or very little of it. A key component of Tabernacles was in celebrating and rejoicing over the harvest, and praying for the latter rains in order to soften the ground for ploughing and planting the next crop. So important was the rain (and this is still the case in Israel with its hot and dry climate), and so vital to life, that it involved an elaborate ritual on the last day of the feast when a large golden pitcher would be used to draw water from the Pool of Siloam, and the High Priest would pour it into a basin at the foot of the temple altar as a ‘thank-offering’ for the rains to come, demonstrating their trust in the Lord to provide the life-giving water by pouring out the precious commodity. It was effectively a prayer of faith, a gesture indicating total dependence on God.

And it was in this context that Jesus stood up and said: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37). They were thanking God for the rain, but also looking for their Messiah to provide living water for their thirsty souls. It was all about recognising the Lord, the provider of rain, both physical and spiritual. But without this kind of response and acknowledgement of our Maker – no rain! Not in the millennium anyway.

In the same way, I believe, without acknowledgement of our Jewish roots even now as we await our Lord’s return, we will fail to partake of the “nourishing sap” it provides, and thus wither and die – effectively from a famine of the word, because we have not allowed the sap to feed us and keep us alive. (Rom 11:17)

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37). Rebellion

As with ancient Israel, persistent rebellion against God leads to endless wanderings in the wilderness, and certainly not into the promised land where he wants us to be. It was opposition to God that led to the cross – and will lead to Armageddon and all the horrendous troubles that will precede that apocalyptic event that will spark the return of Christ and his 1,000-year reign on earth.

So how will this opposition manifest itself? Ultimately through anti-Semitism, and by attacking God’s land. This will be the final straw, the tipping point that follows when the ‘cup of God’s wrath is full’ (Isaiah 51:17). For although they have repeatedly rebelled against God (as we all have), Israel remains the ‘apple of his eye’ (Deut 32:10, Psalm 17:8, Zech 2:8) as his chosen people. Apple refers to the pupil of the eye, which is shaped like an apple, and very precious, because it is the most sensitive part of the body, responding to danger in a flash.

And so, shortly before the Lord’s return, the nations will be gathered against Jerusalem in a bid to destroy it. There will be a lot of trouble, but Jerusalem will be an immovable rock, and all who try to move it will injure themselves (Zech 12:3). Could this be the time of Jacob’s Trouble (Zech 13:8f, Jer 30:7)?

In any event, God will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem (Zech 12:9). And this will be the time of Israel’s salvation (Zech 12:10) when they will look on the one they have pierced and will mourn bitterly for him, when they will be cleansed of sin as they call on his name (Zech 13:1).

When the Lord comes to reign, the nations who fought against Israel will be struck with a terrible plague (Zech 14:12) and the survivors from all the nations will have no real, workable option but to attend the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem each year. So once again we must ask why this is so important, and why they will have no rain without it? Attacking Israel is to reject God who wants to live among us and who also provides us with the means of both physical and spiritual sustenance. Saying no to his presence is saying no to his provision. Not attending the Feast symbolises not being thankful for the bountiful sustenance he provides. Ultimately, not being thankful for the harvest means that there will be no harvest.

When it comes to Christ’s millennial reign, those nations (or maybe delegations from them?) will be required to visit Jerusalem to worship the King – the true Tabernacle – at the annual autumn feast and celebrate this joyous occasion. Jesus will now be ruling with a ‘rod of iron’ (Rev 19:15, Psalm 2:9) so the choice will become more clear cut than it is now, with the consequences for disobedience spelled out. The connection between obeying God’s Word and peace and human flourishing² will be more immediate and obvious than it is now. This will be a time of peace when the Creator demonstrates how to run human affairs with perfect justice and equanimity.

But the fact remains – ignoring Tabernacles will lead to drought. Quite literally, famine of the Word (Amos 8:11) will result in famine of the land, which will dry up, just as famine of the Word now results in the impoverishment and the breaking down of society.

Connecting with our Jewish heritage and the Jewish people

So let’s take the opportunity of making the most of our Jewish heritage, enriching our faith by recognising that the entire Old Testament, and all the Jewish feasts, find their fulfilment in Christ. We are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), to financially support poor Jewish believers (Rom 15:27) and, as a priority, to preach the gospel to Jews yet to know the Messiah (Rom 1:16).

Ultimately, not being thankful for the harvest means that there will be no harvest.

Most Jewish followers of Jesus come to know him through Gentile witness. One of them told me this was the case 95% of the time. And yet extraordinarily, for the people who first gave us the gospel, they are today regarded as a largely unreached people group representing just 0.5% of the population of Israel, where many have never heard of Jesus!

So, in the last days, more than ever, there needs to be a sharp focus on reaching the Jewish people, especially in view of the fact that Jesus will not come back until they say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt 23:39). What better way to prepare the church as a bride to welcome the Lord than to be found busy sharing the gospel with his own flesh and blood!

Notes

¹Of course, views on these 1,000 years vary, but this is the literal meaning of the text, which is the most straightforward way to understand it.
²For more on this topic, see Kathryn Price's article this week on the connection between the Bible and a flourishing economy.