By Dr. Anne Davis

Have you ever been puzzled, as I was for many years, why Jesus did not arrive in Jerusalem until the middle of the seven-day festival of Sukkot? Could this event be prophetic? I pondered this question for years until finally my work on the remnant gave me an insight that I will share with you now.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 7, takes place during Sukkot, which is the last of Israel’s Fall Festivals and is considered by both Jewish and Christian scholars to be prophetic of the end of time. We read, “When it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach” (John 7:14).

John gives us not one, but two reasons for Yeshua’s decision to wait until the fourth day to arrive in Jerusalem. First, we learn that “the Jews were seeking to kill him,” and then we hear Yeshua declare, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune” (John 7:6).

To unravel this mystery, we must go back to Yom Kippur and the five days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

First, let me explain my conclusion that Yom Kippur does NOT represent God’s final judgment, which is a Jewish tradition. The term Yom Kippur is the Hebrew יום הכיפורים (yom ha-kippurim). The verbal root means “to cover”. You might be familiar with the Jewish skullcap called a kippah, which is worn by men to cover their heads in the synagogue as an act of humility to God.

The symbolism of “covering” refers to covering our sins, which takes us back to God who “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Gen 3:21). That is, God covered their sins so they would not die.

What, then, is the relevance of the “Day of Covering Our Sins” on Yom Kippur? God’s final judgment does not occur on Yom Kippur because the sins of many (excluding the remnant) are still present and need to be covered. So, that leads us to the five days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, the final festival that represents the end of time.

These five days in the Jewish calendar are in the month of Tishrei, starting from Yom Kippur (day 10) and ending on Sukkot (day 15). I was drawn to the spiritual significance of numbers found in the classic work by E.W. Bullinger. You may be surprised, as I was, when I considered the biblical meaning of days 10 (Yom Kippur), 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 (Sukkot). Ten, twelve, and seven (doubled for emphasis = fourteen) are perfect numbers.

Eleven in the Bible, according to Bullinger, represents disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration. Of course, we all know that thirteen is a superstitious number of evil and disaster, and many superstitions cluster around it. So, we are not surprised to find that the number thirteen in the Bible conveys rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, and revolution.

I have concluded, based on my biblical research on the remnant, that what will start as a small remnant of those whom God perceives as righteous at the beginning of the Great Tribulation will continue to grow during the Millennial Kingdom and beyond as revealed in the prophetic nature of Israel’s Fall Festivals. The remnant will be sent back into the world to witness to those who still need forgiveness of sins (days 11 and 13). The result is an increasing number of those who are righteous in God’s eyes (days 10, 12, 14). That is, the remnant of God’s people is growing larger.

Then we come to day 15, the first day of Sukkot. The number 15, according to Bullinger, is five multiplied three times. Five is the number of God’s grace, and three is the number of divine perfection. I have concluded that on day 15 all of God’s children, both Jew and Gentile, will be righteous in God’s Righteous Presence.

Sukkot, then, is when God will fulfill His promise to bless the nations, those who are not Jews and who have not yet been added to God’s family by their faith in His son, Yeshua. We first hear this promise in God’s words to Abraham. “In you [Abraham] all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3). Christian theology often concludes that believers in Christ are the fulfillment of this promise, but I disagree. I see much more to God’s great plan to redeem mankind in the prophetic nature of Israel’s Fall Festivals.

So, now we can consider why Yeshua did not come to Jerusalem until “the midst of the feast” when he said, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.” I suggest that all of God’s people, who will be righteous in His eyes, must battle together against evil forces to witness the glory of God without their leader, Yeshua! After all, standing for God is what God is preparing us to do. But then, Yeshua will arrive in the midst of the feast to command God’s people in the final defeat of Satan, and the witness to the nations of submitting to God in loving obedience.

Then, and only then, will this prophecy be fulfilled.

Then comes the end, when He [Yeshua] hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He [Yeshua] has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He [Yeshua] must reign until He [Yeshua] has put all His enemies [God’s enemies] under His [Yeshua’s] feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 1 Cor 15:24-26

May you be blessed during the festival of Sukkot as you honor God, His son Yeshua, and all those who are committed to faithful service under their Lord Yeshua, who is bringing them into the presence of God the Father.

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