The Moedim – Sukkot – Festival of Tabernacles – Fulfilment!
As we saw last week, Sukkot points forward to the Millennial reign of Messiah (Isa. 4:5-6; Amos 9:11) – an age of peace and plenty. Revelation chs. 21 & 22 borrow a lot imagery from Sukkot to describe – whatever it is that those two chapters describe!
Timing and duration
The Millennium crowns the seventh “1000 year” day of Creation/Sukkot:
- the day of the Great Hosannah,
- the day Jesus cried out inviting the thirsty to come to Him and drink (John 7:37; see Isa. 12:2)
- at the end of which the final Judgement takes place
Eternity being the eighth day – Shemini Atzeret (the eighth day of assembly), the day that the Jubilee year was announced, debts cancelled, liberty proclaimed to the captives, property returned to its original family!
So, as an introduction to our study of Sukkot in Revelation, let’s briefly review …
Sukkot in the Prophets
After the fulfilment of Yom Kippur in Isa. 4:3 –
Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a [sukkah] for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. (Isaiah 4:5-6).
The Prophet Amos alluded to the restoration of the kingdom and the monarchy of the Son of David when he said,
“In that day I will raise up the [sukkah] of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11).
Sukkot points to the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, which the Disciples were interested in after Jesus’ resurrection: “Master, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They understood Amos 9:11 to refer to the restoration of David’s kingdom through King Yeshua (Acts 15:16-17). But Jesus simply told them that it wasn’t for them “to know the times or seasons that the Father had put under His own power” (v.8).
It also points forward to the time when, as in the days of Solomon, “every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25), in the future kingdom, again, “They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). See also Zech. 3:10. A time of peace and plenty, with creation restored to fruitfulness.
Now let’s read Rev. 21:1 to 22:5 and see …
Elements of Sukkot found in Rev. 21 & 22
The final harvest has taken place in ch. 20 (See Matt. 13:40) echoing Jewish understanding that the last day of Sukkot speaks of the last judgement (which starts at Yom Kippur)
Tabernacle of God is with men Rev. 21:3 – reminiscent of God’s presence in the Garden of Eden Gen. 2:19, 22; 3:8) – the main purpose of the whole creation!
The Bride (Rev. 22:2, 10 – seen before the Second Coming in Rev. 19:8-9). As well as representing the temporary dwellings of Israel in the wilderness, the sukkah is also seen as a wedding canopy – the word in Isa. 4:5 is chupah – a wedding canopy
Rev. 21:24 the nations walk in the light of the city and bring their glory into it, echoing Zech. 14:16 (70 bulls representing the nations of the world as we saw last week)
Rev. 22:1 pure river of water of life – the water pouring on the last day of the Feast (NB day 7, not day 8)
Rev. 22:2 12 types of fruit – echoing the completion of the fruit harvest Deut. 16:13; Lev. 23:40
Rev. 22:5 no need of lamps – festival of light
Fulfilment in the Future Seen in Revelation 21 & 22
A lot of this imagery is borrowed from Ezekiel 40-48 which most agree is the Millennial temple, and some from Isaiah 60-66, which describes conditions in restored Israel in the Messianic era, where the prophet prophecies the New Heaven and New Earth, but is obviously describing the Messianic Kingdom, which will be seen in the Millennium.
| Feature | Rev. 21/22 | OT Prophets (Millennial) |
| New Heaven and New Earth | Rev. 21:1 | Isa. 65:17; 66:22 |
| No sorrow nor crying | Rev. 21:4 | Isa. 65:19 |
| Taken to a high mountain to see a city | Rev. 21:10 | Ezek. 40:2 |
| New Jerusalem | Rev. 21:2, 10 | Isa. 62:2 |
| Man with a measuring line | Rev. 21:15 | Ezek. 40:3,5 |
| Measured the wall | Rev. 21:15,17 | Ezek. 40:5 |
| Measured the city – foursquare (cube!) | Rev. 21:16 | Ezek. 41:13; 48:16-17 |
| Kings bring glory and honour | Rev. 21:24 | Isa. 60:5-7, 11 |
| Gates open continually | Rev. 21:25 | Isa. 60:11 |
| River of life | Rev. 22:1 | Ezek. 47:8-10 |
| Flowing out | Rev. 22:2 | Ezek. 47:1-2 |
| Trees either side | Rev. 22:2 | Ezek. 47:7, 12 |
| Fruit for food | Rev. 22:2 | Ezek. 47:12 |
| Leaves for healing | Rev. 22:2 | Ezek. 47:12 |
| No night, no need for light or sun | Rev. 22:5 | Isa. 60:19-20 |
| Conditions continue for ever | Rev. 22:5 | Isa. 60:21 |
Is this the Millennium or Eternity?
Obviously, Rev. 21:1-8 refers to eternity after this creation has been dissolved but what do we make of the New Jerusalem with references to nations, kings, the glory and honour of the nations being brought into it, sequence of months (for which you need a moon!), need for healing? It appears that there is still evil around as anyone involved in evil is not allowed entry.
But then, there is no need of the sun and moon and there is no temple in it – things which defined the earthly Jerusalem. It seems that there are 2 Jerusalems in the Bible – the physical one and a spiritual one. Paul speaks of this in Gal. 4:25-26 contrasting “Jerusalem which is now” with “Jerusalem which is above”. Heb. 12:22 speaks of us coming to “the heavenly Jerusalem” and then in Rev. 22:2 & 10, the New Jerusalem (is that the one “which is above”?) comes down out of heaven.
There are two ways of understanding Rev. 21 & 22. Mostly people interpret it as referring to the eternity after the end of the world, and certainly, Rev. 21:1-8 does. Some, however, see the rest of chapter 21, and the first few verses of ch. 22 as relating to the Millennium (although David Pawson considered this idea so ridiculous as to not merit discussion in ‘Unlocking the Bible’!).
However, there are multiple parallels with the Sukkot fulfilment Scriptures we looked at last week which describe the Millennium/Messianic era, e.g. Zech. 14, Ezek. 40-48. It could be that the temporal things I mentioned a moment ago are an attempt to convey things we can’t understand in terms that we can.
But we should also consider Isa. 65:17-22, where Isaiah describes “the new heavens and earth”, but where there is summary justice administered to sinners, and people dying, albeit being considered as children at 100 years of age (which A-Millennialists say is a picture of eternal life!)
I think that a better way of viewing it is that the Messianic Kingdom/Millennium, described by Isaiah as ‘new heavens and new earth’, is a preview or foretaste of the eternal state as seen by John in Rev. 21, and, in some way, both the Millennium and Eternity merging into a single superb end to the story of God’s work in Creation.