Sukkot and Shushan Purim

tranquil said:

Because some forum members think that the idea of the great tribulation beginning on the Feast of Tabernacles is strange, I thought I would put this post up.

Does the Bible give clues as to the timing of the events of Revelation? Once we look at the timing of the 6th Seal, then hopefully the timing of all the rest of Revelation will fall into place and we can apply this to the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 and even Daniel 9’s 70 weeks prophecy.

Let’s start with a simple observation.

The start of the Day of the Lord’s wrath at the 6th and 7th Seals, and the start of the 7 Trumpets appears to happen on Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles) (which is 15 Tishri on the Hebrew calendar).

Revelation 6

12When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slaved and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”​

Revelation 7

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”​

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.​

Now let’s compare that with this:

Leviticus 23:39-43

39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”​

In Revelation, the faithful celebrate with palm leaves, are brought out of the great tribulation, and given shelter by God, given a tabernacle for shelter. These aspects are mirrored in the creation of the Feast of Tabernacles/ Sukkot on the 15th of Tishri: the Israelites celebrate with palm leaves, are brought out of slavery from Egypt, and acknowledge God had given them shelter. The Hebrew word, ‘sukkah’, means ‘tabernacle’ and is translated as ‘temporary shelters’ here above in English.

This observation is not really all that controversial. Here are some very mainstream commentators that make the same observation: Revelation 7:9 Commentaries: After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

The multitude are clothed with white robes, and carry palm branches in their hands. It has been thought that these are the emblems of victory; they doubtless are tokens of a triumph: it is the sacred rejoicing of the Israel of God. The imagery is drawn from the Feast of Tabernacles: just as the sealing reminded us of the protecting sign on the lintels of the houses of Israel in Egypt, so do these palm branches and songs of joy recall the ceremonies of the later feast. No imagery would be more natural to the sacred seer, and none more appropriate to his subject. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated God’s care over them in the wilderness, and their gratitude for the harvest.​

MacLaren's Expositions

Now there was in Jewish practice a very significant use of the palm-branches, for it was the prescription of the ritual law that they should be employed in the Feast of Tabernacles, when the people were bidden to take palm-branches and rejoice before the Lord seven days.’ It is that distinctly Jewish use of the palm branch that is brought before our minds here, and not the heathen one of mere conquest.​

Pulpit Commentary

Trench states that no symbol of heathen origin is used in the Apocalypse; and he connects the palm-bearing multitude with the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. Wordsworth and Hengstenberg take the same view; and there is much to be said in favour of it, though Alford and others connect the image rather with the Greek and Roman sign of victory. In the first place, the word is used by St. John in John 12:13, where doubtless it is connected with the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Secondly, the use of such an image would more naturally occur to one so familiar with Jewish customs and ritual as the writer of the Apocalypse; and, moreover, the idea commemorated by this feast - that of the enjoyment of rest and plenty, the possession of the promised Canaan after toil and delay - is peculiarly applicable to the condition of those here described. Thirdly, the idea seems carried on in the mind of the writer, and referred to in ver. 15 in the words, "shall spread his tabernacle over them" (see Revised Version).​

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

The palm branch is the symbol of joy and triumph. It was used at the feast of tabernacles, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when they kept feast to God in thanksgiving for the ingathered fruits. The antitype shall be the completed gathering in of the harvest of the elect redeemed here described. Compare Zec 14:16, whence it appears that the earthly feast of tabernacles will be renewed, in commemoration of Israel's preservation in her long wilderness-like sojourn among the nations from which she shall now be delivered, just as the original typical feast was to commemorate her dwelling for forty years in booths or tabernacles in the literal wilderness.​

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when our Lord rode in triumph to Jerusalem, the people met him with branches of palm trees in their hands, and cried, Hosanna to him. So the Jews, at the feast of tabernacles, which they kept in commemoration of their having dwelt in tents in the wilderness, carried "Lulabs", or palm tree branches, in their hands, in token of joy, Leviticus 23:40; and in like manner, these being come out of the wilderness of the world, and the tabernacle of God being among them, express their joy in this way; See Gill on .​

Aside from Revelation 8:1 ‘When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour’, the next amount of time mentioned is 5 months. Why 5 months?

Revelation 9

10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails.​

If the beginning of the Trumpets is indeed Feast of Tabernacles/ Sukkot on the 15th of Tishri, when the faithful are starting to become ‘sheltered’ from the ‘great tribulation’ that is starting, then 5 months later takes us to 15 Adar, which is Shushan Purim. (Purim is normally celebrated on 14 Adar, unless there is an Adar II extra month and then it is celebrated on 14 Adar II. Shushan Purim is celebrated on 15 Adar in ‘walled cities’, and thus in Jerusalem [Ester 9:18-19]). Purim celebrates the defeat of the Jews’ Persian enemies, of which the Persians are part of the coalition of Gog in Ezekiel 38-39. More on this in a bit.

So back to Sukkot, if the Trumpets are ushering in the start of the ‘great tribulation’ (Rev 7:14 above) on Sukkot/ 15 Tishri when the faithful are sheltered, what would be the implications of this observation?

It means we can relate this to Matthew 24:15-24

15“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.​

Because the word ‘winter’ above, the Greek ‘cheimonos’, can also be translated as ‘rainy season’, we don’t know if the start of the great tribulation is referring to Feast of Tabernacles on 15 Tishri (which would relate to the ‘rainy season’ translation) or the 5 months subsequent 15 Adar (which would be the ‘winter’ meaning). Only those occasions when Feast of Tabernacles or 15 Adar land on a Saturday/ ‘Sabbath’ could be potential start dates for the Trumpets.

For now, let’s look at a list of potential starts for the next few years.

Click to expand...