HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
The Special Meaning of the Biblical Eighth-Day Festival
As mentioned earlier, the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Ingathering, pictures JEHOVAH God’s millennial reign. But immediately following this seven-day Feast is a separate one-day celebration referred to simply as “the eighth day”
- Leviticus 23:34-36; Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
- Numbers 29:35; On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:
- 2 Chronicles 7:9; And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
- Nehemiah 8:18. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
The real meaning of this celebration is rarely understood in modern theological circles. Yet it represents an essential missing piece to the puzzle of salvation.
This special Holy Day directly corresponds to the Great White Throne Judgment period, during which JEHOVAH God will give all those who have ever lived but never really understood the truth their first real opportunity for salvation.
Because few people are aware of the God-ordained festivals spelt out in the Bible, few understand JEHOVAH’s step-by-step plan of salvation revealed through these celebrations. The meaning of the eighth day corresponds to Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, referring to a time when lost family members will be joyously joined together again to learn JEHOVAH’s ways while living under utopian conditions of mutual love, peace and prosperity.
This Holy Day reminds us that JEHOVAH’s plan promises to offer every human being the opportunity to truly repent of sin and receive a permanent place in His everlasting family, the Kingdom of JEHOVAH God.
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW ….
