Friday September 27

Zechariah 14:16 – « Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. »

I made my first trip to Israel in 2004. A very close friend in the ministry had so much encouraged me to go for years that I finally decided to pursue it.  But at that time, I was not a big believer in God’s plan for Israel.

After a week of visiting Bible sites, our guide decided to visit the Western Wall. That was where I had an encounter with God that changed my life! Through an experience far too difficult to explain here, in a few minutes God showed me the city’s 3000 years of history. Although it was like a flash in my imagination, suddenly I felt « attached » to this river of history. Then God filled me with his love for Jerusalem. After about fifteen minutes, I cried tears of repentance for my unbelief, as well as tears of joy for the extraordinary discovery.

The text in Zechariah speaks prophetically of the day when nations, or non-Jewish peoples, who fought against Jerusalem will come every year to worship the King of kings, the covenant God. And they will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. For more than 2000 years, nations have come against the land that God has blessed. And now, of all these nations, people come to worship God during the Feast of Tabernacles.

The prophecy in Zechariah is a passage that describes the heart that the non-Jewish people will have for Jerusalem and for the God of Israel. And this word is being fulfilled today!

For several years now, the Bon Berger has been marking the three main feasts of the Lord: Pessach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Succot (Tabernacles). In honoring His holidays, we honor the God of the Holidays. We are not seeking to Judaize the Church of God, but to recover key elements of our faith, lost by the Church long ago. There is evidence in the New Testament, as well as in other non-biblical texts, that the church in general kept the feasts of the Lord until the fourth century.

Whatever your church, know that these three biblical feasts belong to you, for they belong to your God. The Bible says that those who honor God, God honors them in return. (1 Samuel 2:30)

I encourage you to mark on your calendar the dates of the autumn feasts, and to honor the Lord in a special way. And if you cannot go to Jerusalem this year, join the Bon Berger for the great celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles on October 12th and 13th.