JESUS ATTENDS THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES: A PROPHECY OF SEVEN-THOUSAND YEARS

Previously, we explored chapter 6 in this on-going study of the book of John. We now continue with chapter 7. In this seventh chapter, the Apostle John draws upon the prophetic importance of the number seven.

He gives us the story of Sukkot (a Hebrew term for “booths” or “Tabernacles”) – the seventh festival in the cycle of Jewish Holy Days. Jews observe Sukkot for seven days during their seventh month – Tishri 15-21.

John demonstrates how the Feast of Tabernacles is a prophecy of seven-thousand years, concluding with the millennial “day of the Lord,” which will be the approaching one-thousand year reign of Christ and His kingdom upon Earth after the rapture and seven-year Tribulation judgment period have occurred and are finished. Note in the context of this chapter that the Jews looked for Jesus for several days. Jesus made His first appearance “about the midst of the feast” (verse 14), corresponding to His first coming at the end of the fourth millennium.

At the close of His dialog with the Jews on that day, Jesus announces that He is going away …

“Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come” (verses 33-34).

He hides out for the next few days, prompting the Jews to wonder where He has gone. Then, He returns on the last day of the festival, setting forth a prophetic scenario by which one could expect His second coming in the seventh millennium. His message on that day caused many to believe that He was the Messiah. The entire story alludes to seven-thousand years of world history. As a side note for those who would fancy the propaganda narrative of mankind existing for millions of years as has been traditionally taught in universities and all sorts of propagandized media, this one typological prophecy alone -amongst the mountains of other biblical evidence – proves otherwise. We are presently in the dawning years of the seventh millennium, and, since Revelation 20 tells us that Jesus will reign for a thousand years, He will be coming very soon.

Note that Israel was to dwell in booths for seven days to remind them of the wilderness journey. However, the bigger picture encompasses an entire 7,000 years of human drama. We were all put on this earth temporarily for the duration of seven millennia. Earth is not the permanent home of the human race. Of all the Jewish festivals, this is the only one that will continue to be observed by all nations during the millennial reign of Christ …

“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

It is obvious, therefore, that this festival is a prophecy, not only of Israel’s wilderness sojourn, but that of all nations … for all time.

The Rituals of Fire and Water

As we understand it, the seven days of Creation are prophecies of seven-thousand years (see here). Likewise, the festival of Sukkot is also a microcosm of seven millennia. During the days of the Jewish Temple, on the evening of the first day, a huge fire was lit in the courtyard that could be seen for miles. This corresponds with the first day of Creation, in which God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). Take a look at what Dr. Alfred Edersheim wrote in his classic work “The Temple: Its Ministries and Services as They Were at the Time of Jesus Christ“…

“At the close of the first day of the feast, the worshippers descended to the Court of the Women, where great preparations had been made. Four golden candelabras were there, each with four golden bowls, and against them rested four ladders; and four youths of priestly descent held each a pitcher of oil, capable of holding one-hundred and twenty log, from which they filled each bowl. The old, worn breeches and girdles of the priests served as wicks to these lamps. There was not a court in Jerusalem that was not lit up by the light of “the house of water-pouring” (page 187).

Furthermore, he writes …

“The light shining out of the Temple into the darkness around, and lighting up every court in Jerusalem, must have been intended as a symbol not only of the Shechinah which once filled the Temple, but of that ‘great light‘ which ‘the people that walked in darkness‘ were to see, and which was to shine ‘upon them that dwell in the land of the shadow of death.” (Isaiah 9:2). It seems most probable that Jesus had referred to this ceremony in the words spoken by Him in the Temple at that very Feast of Tabernacles: ‘I am the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life‘ (John 8:12)” (page 188).

Edersheim mentions that this ritual of “Light” was held in “the house of water-pouring,” thus tying the two rituals together. Every night, the lamps were lit, and every day, a processional was made to the pool of Siloam to fetch a pitcher of water, which was poured out upon the altar …

“The festivities of the Week of Tabernacles were drawing to a close. ‘It was the last day, that great day of the feast.’ It obtained this name, although it was not one of ‘holy convocation,’ partly because it closed the feast, and partly from the circumstances which procured it in Rabbinical writings the designations of ‘Day of the Great Hosannah,’ on account of the seven-fold circuit of the altar with ‘Hosannah;’ in John 7 verses 2 and 7. And ‘Day of Willows,’ and ‘Day of Beating the Branches,’ because all the leaves were shaken off the willow boughs, and the palm branches beaten in pieces by the side of the altar.

Eldersheim further writes …

“It was on that day; after the priest had returned from Siloam with his golden pitcher, and for the last time poured its contents to the base of the altar; after the ‘Hallel‘ had been sung to the sound of the flute, the people responding and worshipping as the priests three times drew the three-fold blasts from their silver trumpets – just when the interest of the people had been raised to its highest pitch, that, from amidst the mass of worshippers, who were waving towards the altar quite a forest of leafy branches as the last words of Psalms 118 were chanted – a voice was raised which resounded through the Temple, startled the multitude, and carried fear and hatred to the hearts of their leaders” (The Temple, page 185).

Interrupting the water-pouring ritual, Jesus declared …

“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39).

Among those attending the ceremony, some wanted to seize the Savior and kill Him. They sent Temple guards to arrest Him, but they returned empty-handed, saying, “Never man spake like this man” (verse 46). Well, I guess not. He was only God incarnate. Jesus said that He was the prophetic fulfillment of the “water.” Later, in John 8:12, He explained that He was the prophetic fulfillment of the “light.”

The Theme of Zayin

For those students of the Bible who are unaware of a certain phenomenon, the meaning of each letter in the Hebrew alphabet correspond with the subject matter and theme found in each corresponding chapter indicated with the same chapter number in the book of John. Thus, this phenomenon displays a Divine hand of supernatural origin guiding the writer of the book, as so with the other books of the Bible. The theme encountered in this chapter (chapter 7) alludes to the meaning of the 7th letter in the Hebrew alphabet, ז zayin. According to research conducted by Michael Munk in his book “The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet”, ז zayin is the symbol of spirit, sustenance and struggle …

“The numerical value of ז zayin is seven. As such, it denotes the spiritual values that were the purpose of Creation. God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh, as it were. In the words of Maharal, the physical world is represented by the number six – the number of days in which it was created – but Creation was not finished until there was a seventh day, a day of rest from the mundane, a day of involvement with the Godly. The Sabbath remains the eternal reminder that the vast and mighty universe cannot endure unless it is continuously permeated by the spiritual aspects represented by the seven, which is symbolic of God’s own essence” (page 104).

ז zayin also represents the focal point of our struggle to cope with life. It is said that around man, who is the center or focal point of it all, six directions constantly struggle with him: up, down, before, behind, right and left. In the center stands the individual represented by the ז zayin. Though storms may rage around us, we can be content, even as the Sabbath stands for rest. Prophetically, the ז zayin looks forward to the Great Sabbath Rest in the aforementioned seventh millennium when Christ is ruling and reigning on Earth after the rapture and seven-year Tribulation judgment has ceased.

The ז zayin also represents a weapon. Though that may seem strange, we must remember that we sometimes need weapons to defend ourselves and win whatever struggle comes our way. Particularly, we know that the kingdom of Heaven will emerge from the soon coming battle of Armageddon. Therefore, this letter ז zayin, as a weapon, has a place in God’s arsenal.

John 7 and Revelation 7

In John 7, Jesus observes the Feast of Tabernacles, the last of the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. And in Revelation 7, we see a multitude of saints standing before the throne of God with palm branches in their hands. This is a ritual taken directly from the aforementioned Temple service performed during the Feast of Tabernacles. Eldersheim describes the Sukkot ritual …

“It has already been noticed that, according to the view universally prevalent at the time of Christ, the direction on the first day of the feast to ‘take the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook,’ was applied to what the worshippers were to carry in their hands. The Rabbis ruled, that ‘the fruit of the goodly trees’ meant the aethrog, or citron, and ‘the boughs of thick trees’ the myrtle, provided it had ‘not more berries than leaves.’ The aethrogs must be without blemish or deficiency of any kind; the palm branches at least three handbreadths high, and fit to be shaken; and each branch fresh, entire, unpolluted, and not taken from any idolatrous grove.”

Eldersheim continues …

“Every worshipper carried the aethrog in his left hand, and in his right the lulav, or palm, with myrtle and willow branch on either side of it, tied together on the outside with its own kind, though on the inside it might be fastened even with gold thread. There can be no doubt that the lulav was intended to remind Israel of the different stages of their wilderness journey, as represented by the different vegetation – the palm branches recalling the valleys and plains, the ‘boughs of thick trees,’ the bushes on the mountain heights, and the willows those brooks from which God had given His people drink; while the aethrog was to remind them of the fruits of the good land which the Lord had given them. The lulav was used in the Temple on each of the seven festive days, even children, if they were able to shake it, being bound to carry one. If the first day of the feast fell on a Sabbath, the people brought their lulavs on the previous day into the synagogue on the Temple Mount, and fetched them in the morning, so as not needlessly to break the Sabbath rest” (The Temple, page 181).

In the ancient Jewish Temple, the palm branches were to be shaken during the daily ceremony of pouring out the water at the base of the altar and reciting: “Praised are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us through His commandments commanding us concerning the waving of the palm branch.” This is also stated in “The Jewish Holidays” by Michael Strassfeld (page 130). Each day, the people would march once around the brazen altar and wave their branches in all six directions, corresponding to the six directions mentioned in the meaning of the ז zayin’s focal point – up, down, ahead, behind, right and left. On the seventh day, they would march around the altar seven times, then beat the branches on the pavement until they were broken completely. Today, Jewish congregations march around their synagogues reciting the blessing and shaking the branches. A similar ritual is described in Revelation 7 …

“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 with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10).

The praise of the saints in Revelation 7 is quite similar to the rituals recited by Torah-practicing Jews. I think John was demonstrating the connection between the Feast of Tabernacles theme in John 7 and the reality in Heaven in Revelation 7.

The Unbelieving Brothers

“His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him” (John 7:3-5).

John devotes his Gospel to the task of convincing us to believe in Christ. Be reminded that he wrote:

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).

In the course of that project, he tells us that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him at first …

Jesus had managed to grow up as a normal child, though He was the Son of God from birth. Had he shown supernatural powers as a child, He would have had His family scared to death. He would have had the entire community plotting to kill Him. He could easily have become a threat.

For example, there is a fictitious story concocted in the Middle Ages that as a boy, Jesus did not like a certain teacher and caused her death. There is a story that He took a lump of mud and created a bird. If He had actually done such things, He would have petrified the entire community. Jesus managed to be so normal, even His brothers did not detect His deity.

Mary knew … and kept the secret. She remembered all too well that Herod the Great had tried to kill her baby. When she was ready to introduce Him to the world, she asked Him to turn water into wine. As far as we know, that was the first miracle. Yet, it was done in such a manner that none of the wedding guests knew that Jesus was responsible for the new wine, but the servants only.

As the miracles increased, His brothers came to believe. But at this point, John had recorded only a few miracles. His second miracle, telling a father that his son would not die, could have been perceived as a guess, because Jesus did not go to the son and touch him. His third miracle, healing a man at the pool of Bethesda, was done so privately that even the recipient of the miracle did not know the name of the man who healed him. Feeding 5,000 people may have seemed like a magic trick to His brothers. As far as we know, they may not have been present at any of His miracles to date.

Now that it was time for all Jewish men to go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, they taunted Jesus to go and present Himself … if indeed, He was the long-awaited Messiah. They tell Jesus that they have heard about these secret miracles, but have seen none of them. They say that Jesus’ disciples deserve to see a verifiable miracle. “If you do these things [we’ve heard about, but not seen], show yourself to the world!” (verse 4). Jesus avoids the controversy and tells them that His time has not yet come.

Jesus Stays Behind

“Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee” (John 7:6-9).

Jesus had definite plans to go up to the feast, but He did not want to go with His brothers. It was for their protection that He waited a few more days, explaining to His brothers that He was a “hated” man. Had He accompanied His brothers on the trip, they might have suffered the wrath of the Temple authorities as well. He gave them time to get to Jerusalem before He headed out.

The Secret Journey

“But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews” (John 7:10-13).

Jesus made a secret trip to Jerusalem. How this was possible is not clear. He could have performed a miracle and been there in the blink of an eye. It was not necessary for Him to spend three days on the road. In fact, had He done the road routine, He could have been recognized. From the context, it seems that He made the trip alone. Even His twelve disciples did not accompany Him.

He was the talk of the feast. Everyone was looking for Him, private conversations included talk of Him, but no one talked openly about Him for fear of the Temple authorities. They must have been publicly denouncing Jesus as a rogue and a charlatan.

The Savior’s First Appearance

“Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?” (John 7:14-19).

On the fourth or fifth day of the festival, as if from out of nowhere, Jesus gathers a crowd in the Temple courtyard and teaches some theological concepts. It may have had something to do with the wisdom of the Hebrew letters because the Temple authorities thought that He had never learned “letters.” Whatever it was, we learn that it was so profound that some of those who knew Him wondered how He could be so brilliant, having never attended Judaism’s schools of theology. Little did they know that Jesus was the author of not only the Hebrew alphabet, but also the very ground they stood on and the sky they were looking at!

I do not think that this passage is suggesting that Jesus had never had any elementary training in how to read. There must have been a school for children in Nazareth, most likely connected to the local synagogue. Furthermore, Mary would have seen to her son’s formal education … and His brothers as well. Perhaps He may have gone through the formality of education for the sake of appearing as a normal man, but with Him being the very incarnate God of the Universe (God the Son) walking among men, I cannot imagine that He actually needed it as a normal “human being.” According to Luke 4:16: early in His ministry, Jesus read from the Isaiah scroll in the synagogue of Nazareth. Therefore, we know that Jesus could read.

Some Temple official must have asked Jesus how He could know such things because Jesus explained that His teaching (doctrine) was divinely ordained in Heaven. Furthermore, Jesus said that any Torah-practicing Jew should be able to tell that He spoke the truth.

But then, Jesus accused the official and His entire group of not keeping the Mosaic Law. They violated the Law by plotting to kill the Savior. Jesus knew it and they knew it. They tried to deny it, but Jesus knew their thoughts.

The Argument Heats Up

“The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:20-24).

When accused, try to shift the blame onto the accuser. That is exactly what they did. When confronted with their little plot, they accused Jesus of being demon possessed.

Jesus refers back to His last visit when He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. He knew that incident was on their minds. So Jesus defended His actions on that Sabbath by reminding the Temple officials that they, too, practice a “work” on the Sabbath – the work of circumcision. Jesus was saying, “You wound a man on the Sabbath and I make a man whole. Which is more honorable? Let us be fair in our judgment! Seek the mind of God and judge righteously!”

The Savior’s Royal Credentials

“Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me” (John 7:25-29).

Others attending this heated discussion recalled hearing a rumor that the Temple authorities were plotting to kill Him and wondered how they could be such cowards in His presence. Jesus was speaking boldly and with confidence. No one could trick Him, or get Him to lose His temper. Jesus was in complete control of the argument.

Some of the people thought that anyone they knew had to be incapable of being the Messiah. To them, the Messiah had to be completely mysterious, having no genealogical history. Jesus is not speaking metaphorically here. He is plainly saying that God is His father, having produced His physical body through a miraculous virgin birth. He is saying, “You think you know me? You know my mother. You know my step-father, but you do not know my true father, I know Him and I am from Him. He sent me.”

For Jesus to say that the Heavenly Father “sent me” implies that He was fully aware of His pre-existence. He remembered His life, thoughts and actions in Heaven before His incarnation and subsequent birth in Bethlehem.

His Predicted Ascension

“Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come” (John 7:30-34).

During this visit to the Temple “about the midst of the feast” (verse 14), John records the Savior’s rejection. Prophetically speaking, this rejection was fulfilled at the first coming of Christ. After being rejected, the Savior returned to Heaven from where He came. His ascension is recorded in the opening verses of the book of Acts.

Speaking of His future plans, Jesus now predicts His upcoming absence. He tells them, “I go unto Him that sent me” (verse 33). Jesus tells them that they cannot come where He is going. If He had planned to stay on this earth, in this time/space continuum, they could have found Him. But Jesus was going to leave this world for a place where they could not come.

Where Will He Go?

“Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come? (John 7:35-36).

The crowd could only think in terms of this world. Therefore, they considered the possibility that He might travel around the world, perhaps even teaching Gentiles. They wondered what kind of a strange statement this was that Jesus said. They knew that, if Jesus simply traveled around the world, some of them might be able to follow.

Jesus walked away from the astonished crowd and did not return until the last day of the feast. During this time, the Gospel has been preached to the Gentiles, just as verse 35 implies. Bear in mind, Sukkot is a festival for all nations. Seventy bullocks were sacrificed on behalf of the Gentiles during this week. Zechariah 14:16 reminds us that all nations will observe Sukkot during the Messianic kingdom.

This last day represents the seventh millennium. For two-thousand years, Jesus has been missing from Earth. Man has been unable to traverse the spheres and find Him. However, He will return, just as He did on the seventh and final day of the feast.

The Last Day of the Feast

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39).

It is the last day of Sukkot. No one saw Him come up to the Temple, otherwise, a crowd would have gathered around Him. Perhaps He simply appeared … or stepped out of the shadows, so to speak, in order to make His startling announcement. He interrupts the priest who is about to pour a pitcher of water at the base of the altar in the Temple courtyard. The congregation has marched around the altar seven times.

Once the water is poured from the golden pitcher, they will beat the pavement with palm branches until the palms are in shreds. Prophetically, I think they are about to act out the battle of Armageddon. But Jesus interrupts and declares that He can offer eternal life through the Holy Spirit, typified by the water that is about to be poured out.

Both the fire in the courtyard by night and the water in the courtyard by day represents the Holy Spirit, as John mentions in verse 39. Joel predicted the coming of the Holy Spirit twice, as typified by the early rain and the latter rain (Joel 2:23-29). We know that the Holy Spirit was poured out in the second chapter of the book of Acts, but this scene indicates that the Holy Spirit will be poured out again during the Tribulation Period.

It seems that some of the people recognized this as a prophecy, as we are told in the following verses.

The Division Among the People

“Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him” (John 7:40-43).

Some suggested that Jesus was “the” prophet predicted by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). Others suggested that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Michael Strassfield writes, “Sukkot marks the end of a passage of time. It thereby anticipates the messianic end of days for all people” (The Jewish Holidays, page 146). For this reason, some of the people taking part in the ceremony understood the prophetic significance of the occasion and recognized Jesus statement as messianic. Strassfield continues: “The sukkah as a temporary structure open to the winds of autumn cannot help but remind us of the Jewish people’s prototypical alien – the wandering Jew? Are not the forty years in the desert – the period Sukkot commemorates – the archetype of our 2,000 years of wandering?” (page 147). The prophecy is there, suggested by the disappearance of Jesus during the days from “the midst” (verse 14) of the feast until the “last day, that great day of the feast” (verse 37).

However, others continued to doubt, saying that the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem. He would certainly not come out of Galilee! That blind attitude is so typical of people today. They become convinced of some preconceived notion and nothing can dissuade them.

Speaking With Authority

“And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said to them, Why have you not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knew not the law are cursed” (John 7:44-49).

The chief priest was in on this attempt to arrest Jesus. He and a group of Pharisees approached the Temple guards and demanded to know why they did not arrest Him. They had previously been given orders to do so. Their only explanation for not capturing Him at the moment was that they were enamored by His bold statements. No one ever talked like Him before. He said and did the things that they had long expected of the Messiah, prompting the Pharisees to ask the Temple guards if they had been deceived by this man. Certainly, no Pharisees had believed on Him! Right? Wrong! Nicodemus speaks up.

Nicodemus Speaks Up

“Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. And every man went unto his own house” (John 7:50-53).

It was a weak defense. Nicodemus must have known that he was butting up against a proverbial brick wall. His fellow Pharisees had made up their minds. Jesus was a menace and no one could persuade them otherwise. Sounds very typical of their descendants today as they devise and construct their plot for the New World Order and the destruction of Christianity through eventual implementation of the Noahide laws through the power of the one they worship … “Lucifer the Light.” Their only argument against Jesus was that He came out of Galilee. So, if they had known that He was born in Bethlehem, would that have made a difference? Probably not given the evil spirits that were using them.

With that, the festivities were over and all the whos went home to who-ville and fell a-snooze. On this day, they did not go to their booth or sukkah where they had lived for the past week. They went “every man … into his own house” (verse 53).

Just as the Sabbath closes the ordinary week, the seventh month (Tishri) concluded Israel’s calendar of festivals. Edersheim writes: This feast closed the original festival calendar; for Purim and [Hanukkah] ‘the feast of the dedication of the Temple,’ which both occurred later in the season, were of post-Mosaic origin” (page 178).

Conclusion

As we shall see, in the next chapter, though the Feast of Tabernacles was officially over, another day was called for in their calendar – Shemini Atzeret, an eighth day of assembly. God asks those who made the journey to the Temple to stay with Him just one more day (Numbers 29:35). Also, a ninth day was added (Simhat Torah), in which the reading of the Torah is completed and started over again for the coming year. As we shall see in the following chapters, John has Jesus lingering in Jerusalem for several weeks – through Hanukkah.