Our Eden to Come

What is Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, all about? Sukkoth is the seventh and final fall feast of Israel mentioned in the Torah, in Leviticus 23. Seven in Hebrew is Shevah, which comes from the word Sava, meaning to be full or complete. It is from this very word that we derive Sabbath, the true meaning of rest.

Sukkoth, then, is the Feast of Rest. It profoundly resonates with our souls, guiding us toward the day we all long for—a time and place where humanity lives in harmony with one another, with all of creation, and with God.

Sukkoth recalls many prophecies about the coming world peace, which the world desperately needs. One such prediction is in Isaiah 2:2, which states: “Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.”

These are words that are yet to be fulfilled; never did the nations of the world worship the one true Lord of all. Never did the nations of the world stream toward Jerusalem to worship God. In fact, today they are turning against Israel from all sides, but the Bible declares that soon, very soon, a great time of peace will come over this earth.

This will be the time when the Spirit of God is poured out on all men and women, as Joel and Jeremiah tell us. It will be a time when the Temple of the Lord is in Jerusalem, and it will be so beautiful; this city will be vast and tall, visible from miles away, as Ezekiel describes it.

But beyond these things, Sukkoth signifies a time when people will live in harmony with their Creator; something, the Scriptures say, that all men and women deeply desire. The prophet Habakkuk tells us that the earth will be … filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Hab. 2:14 There will be one faith, one God for all. This is what end-time prophecies teach.

Let’s pause for a moment: let me ask you something. Have you been longing for a time like this? Do you feel a nostalgic pull for paradise, a deep desire for a better, more peaceful, and harmonious world? Anthropologists have observed that at the core of many world religions is a belief: a memory of a lost era when humanity lived in harmony with God and creation, similar to the time described in the Book of Genesis, the Garden of Eden, before the fall. It is from this deep longing that many belief systems must have arisen, because we all originate from a common father, Adam. And so, each religion tries in its own way to reclaim that lost paradise.

But it is the Bible itself that reveals the true source and fulfillment of this longing. It not only explains why we crave that peace but also reassures us of the upcoming journey back to it. And it is exactly this hope that the Feast of Sukkoth invites us to reflect on.

And what is truly beautiful is that the Scriptures tell us that God Himself also longs for this reunion of peace. This is His moment as well, for it was given a special and unique name in Leviticus 23: 39b where He says: “You shall celebrate the Feast of the LORD for seven days…”

The Feast of the Lord, this is His Feast. The other feasts were not called this way, showing God’s great longing for this time where we will be together with Him.

And all of this anticipation is even more heightened when we consider that one command given in this great feast. Let us look at Leviticus 23: 42, “You shall live in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths”. Here, the Israelites were commanded to live in booths or sukkahs for a full week. Why is that?

Sukkahs are temporary structures, small huts made of palm branches. While today Jewish people are only required to eat in the sukkah, especially here in Canada where it starts to get cold, the commandment originally requires that one eats and sleeps in it for a full 7 days.

And the reason is because these huts were so uncomfortable, so that whoever slept in one of them would ponder even more on the meaning of the feast and would be reminded of the much more comfortable eternal abode awaiting the faithful believer… This is the point of the sukkah.

Because of its fragility and weakness, it becomes a symbol of our temporary home here on earth. This is what the rabbis emphasize in their laws regarding the construction of the sukkah.

The Mishnah, Sukkah 1:3, states that if a sheet is spread over the sukkah to block the sun, or underneath the roof to shield from falling leaves, or if a curtain is hung over a frame of four poles surrounding the bed, then the sukkah is unkosher and invalid. It’s like, you have to suffer a little! Because when exposed to the natural elements, it reminds us that life under heaven is temporary and unfinished.

And there is something even deeper concerning the sukkah; this longing is seen even more in the next vs.43, the last one dealing with Sukkoth, which says, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. There is something in this verse that has caught the attention of some rabbinical commentators.

The Lord states that the children of Israel dwelled in booths or sukkahs, but at no point during the Exodus are we told that the Israelites lived in sukkahs. We are told they lived in tents, which is the Hebrew word ohel. So, why use the word ‘succah’ here when there were no succahs?

This is when they realized that the Succah is much more than just a booth; it represents God’s presence over Israel during the Exodus. It was a symbol of the Shekinah Glory’s presence.

The word sukkah itself comes from the Hebrew word סוכה (suk), which means to protect, to cover, and to defend. The sukkah itself represents a shelter of protection. In the Zohar, the sukkah is described as the shelter of faith, a reminder of the love and security we find in God.

During His final Sukkot on earth, during the celebration called the Feast of Lights, Yeshua uttered a well-known and powerful phrase.

In the Mishnah, which is part of the Talmud where rabbinical laws are written, we learn that during the nights of Sukkot, four very large lamps in the temple courts were lit. A grand nighttime celebration took place under their light, with people dancing all night, singing songs, and praising.

And it was then that Yeshua spoke to them, pleading with them and proclaiming these powerful words: “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.

He is the Messiah – He is the Light of the World. Through Him comes the Spirit of life and from Him comes divine light. This is what Sukkot tells us. Yeshua was then offering salvation and eternal life, as He still does today. He was offering them the time, the era they yearned for, freely, at no cost at all, and He has not finished pronouncing these very words, as the offer still stands today.  He is the one and only one who can fill this nostalgia in our hearts.

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