Leviticus 23:36 - Eighth Day
**Matthew 9:38 - Commence
**Revelation 21:5 - The Last Great Day


Eighth Day

 “. . . and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work" (Leviticus 23:36b).

What is your favorite part of the Feast of Tabernacles? How do you feel about the Eighth Day? How do you feel about coming back home and getting back to school?

If you’re like most people, you had a great time at the Feast. You thoroughly enjoyed praising God, fellowshipping with people who likewise love God, and having fun doing things you don’t normally get to do. And after a great time away from normal, you might be feeling some of those post-Feast blues.  That’s normal. And it’s also good. It’s a good thing to miss spending time with God.

But there’s a picture here for us. You see, we talk about the Eighth Day as picturing the Great White Throne judgement. But what comes next? After that fantastic event, there will be more events. Isaiah 9:6-7 says, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (ESV)

God’s kingdom and government keeps expanding forevermore. This is the Hebrew word owlam - which means beyond the vanishing point, forever, in perpetuity, for eternity. That means after the Great White Throne judgment there are things for us to do. We’re going to be busy.

There’s another picture, I believe, in the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day. When the priests were ordained, they stayed in the tabernacle for the seven days of their ordination. On the eighth day, they got busy doing their work. Kinda like what just happened in the Feast of Tabernacles. Now we’re home again - and we have work set before us, whatever it is that God has given us to do.

And one more picture: Have  you ever walked back into the meeting room the day after the Eighth Day? I don’t recommend it. You see, while we’re all there worshipping God, you can feel His presence. The day after - well, God’s presence is gone. And you can feel the emptiness. It’s enough to make you cry. But during the Feast of Tabernacles, God’s presence was there and we drank in of the Holy Spirit - and perhaps that’s why there’s a Water Ceremony, which John 7:37 says happens on the last and greatest day of the Feast. John also says that the water is a picture of the Holy Spirit. So if we have taken in of God’s Holy Spirit for seven, no, eight days, then we are filled and ready to take that water, that life, that Holy Spirit back to our homes and spread it to the people around us who need to know God. There’s a lot of them out there. There’s lots of people who need to know our God. We have work to do.

I want to give you a quote from Dr. Seuss: Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. Smile because you know the future God has planned for you. Smile because you get to work with Him forever in His kingdom. Smile because you belong to Him.




Commence
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:38

Materials: bags for each child with foam leaf, band-aid, balloon, jewels, blue yarn doll, rock, antiseptic wipe, heart

At the end of a class, a seminar, a training session, the students are gathered together, reminded of the lessons they’ve learned and sent off to get started on their jobs. That’s what today feels like! We’ve spent the past seven days learning, drinking in lots of information. Now we’re ready for our marching orders. We’re ready to go use what we’ve been given - to put it into practice.

(Heart)  We’ve felt the Holy Spirit all week long. It has filled this place and us! Now, like the water ceremony portrays, we need to go home and let the living water flow out of our hearts and water our world. We came out of a dry and dusty land. It’s time to go home and make it blossom.

(wipes) After the priests were cleansed and consecrated in the tabernacle for seven days, they assumed their duties on the eighth day (Leviticus 8:33; 9:1). It’s time to get to work as part of God’s kingdom of priests. We may not be priests yet, but we must realize this is the place God is preparing for us and preparing us for. Live your life with that goal and reality in mind. Look for opportunities to share the gospel and to encourage people to seek God and to draw closer to Him.

(Rock) What happened in the temple once it had been dedicated? It was used for the glory of God. This week has been a reminder for us, that, as the temple of God, we are dedicated to His purposes. All of us are the lively stones that God is using for His purpose to His glory.

(yarn doll) Knowing that you are the Bride of Christ - His helpmate - be aware that God is preparing you for that role. You will be tried and purified. Stay close to God (prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fellowship) and trust Him! You are special to Him.

(Jewels) Just how special to Him we are is hard to wrap our minds around!! He calls us jewels! He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us so that we could be adopted into His family. He loves us beyond our imagination. Hold onto that trust no matter what!!

(Form leaf and Band-aid) On the first day, we talked about building a tabernacle according to God’s commands. Now, seven days later, the tabernacle looks like the weather has not been kind to it! Similarly, these temporary dwellings, our bodies, look a little worse for the wear as we live through the storms of life. But we keep our eyes focused on Him, knowing it’s part of His plan!

(Balloon) And we rejoice! We rejoice that we have a future in God’s kingdom as the temple of God, the Bride of Christ, priests of God, adopted into God’s family.

Are you ready to get started?

**The Last Great Day
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5

Materials Needed: dry erase board, dry erase marker, permanent marker, rubbing alcohol

I love God telling us that He’s going to make everything new - as in fresh and unused, as opposed to making us new age-wise (like infants). So what comes to mind when you think what will be made new? (Write the students’ ideas on the dry erase board in permanent marker, i.e. death, pain, earth, sin.)

The heavens and the earth - no more pollution, no more space junk, no more systems out of whack
No more pain. No more death. No more sorrow or tears.
No more sin. No more carnal nature.
No more separation from God.

How is God accomplishing all of this? All of what is wrong with our world is due to sin, aka rebellion against God. How is this all rectified? Can you do anything through your own efforts to make everything new? (Let the students try to erase the permanent marker. Won’t work, not even a little.)

Only through the blood of Jesus Christ is it possible for everything to be made new - because the Builder is worth more than the house (Hebrews 3:3). (Cover the words the students gave with a dry erase marker. Then use a cloth to wipe it all away. The dry erase marker will take the permanent marker off the board.)

We’ve just celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. Don’t forget the lesson that we’re just here temporarily - dwelling in tents, as it were. Don’t forget that our goal is to live in Christ!  That means reading your Bible daily, praying, and fellowshipping with people who love God, who seek Him, and who follow His commandments because they love Him.

Things are going to continue to get more and more out of whack as people become more and more sinful and estranged from God. But take heart! You persevere in following, loving, seeking, and serving our Great God. And one of these days, we’ll get to stand before God and hear Him say, “Behold, I am making everything new!” What a day that will be!!