Scripture
On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day.
~Leviticus 23:39, NASB
Quote
The ‘Gathering of the Eighth Day’ {Shemine Atzeret} is the most mysterious day on the Hebrew Calendar.
~Jonathan Cahn
The scripture reference above refers to the FETIVAL OF SHELTERS but it is my understanding that more than one Jewish festival last for eight days. Hanukkah, which is related to the Babylonian Captivity and the miraculous salvation of the Jews is celebrated eight days. It is not found in the Bible but in the Talmud. It is a big deal to the Jews and is still celebrated world wide. Some of the more Orthodox Jews may celebrate the Festivals that Moses instituted but I do not know of any. So remove Hanukkah from your mind and focus on the festival of shelters or feast of booths. It started on the fifteen day of the appointed month and began with a SABBATH and ended with a SABBATH. Don’t confuse Sabbath with Seventh. Many of the Jewish Sabbaths were not on Saturday. So the eighth day of the festival was a CELEBRATION {Holiday/Holy Day}. The prophetic significance of the EIGHTH DAY is that it marks the end of the old and the beginning of the new. What I had never understood is hidden in the Hebrew word Atzeret {atzar}: it means to hold back, to keep, or to retain. So the Eighth Day celebration not only a celebration of the end of the old, it is a celebration of the good retained from the old.
Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away. I am assuming that this comes after the millennium. The sorrows of this world, the pain, misery and suffering will be history. So will sin, shame and guilt but the good from this world will be retained. All the work done in Jesus name, for His sake and for His kingdom will be preserved. Every work of faith, every gift of charity, every pure and noble thought, every convert you lead to Christ…all will be kept. Everything birthed of God, every good gift, every true sacrifice made for His kingdom and from a heart of pure adoration for Christ will be preserved. All the labors of righteousness, all the prayers, all the praises and everything born of His love will be saved. Now, I borrowed most of the list from Cahn {Day 338, BOOK OF MYSTERIES} but I am in total agreement and you have heard me say before, “There is no such thing as a wasted prayer.” If you believe prayer is a waste of time, you better rethink your theology.
Extra
Not complaining: I’ve even reached the point where I am amused. We had thunder again yesterday and a little lightening and just a few drops of rain; enough to wet the sidewalk. This makes four times in the last two weeks the storm is when in eye shot and we don’t get rain. Yesterday it was East of us by a mile. I told June when we left for church, we will hit rain within a mile and sure enough there was run off at Iron Man. By the time we got to West Hartselle, I had to put the wipers on high and visibility was poor. I drove 40 MPH from there to Sparkman Elementary and suddenly, we drove out into the sunshine. They didn’t get a drop at the POINT. We had thunder during worship but no rain. It was nice to see the rain and I do rejoice for those who got a gully washer. God is good. I praise HIM today for grace, mercy and electricity. I praise Him that I am sitting in an office with A/C and not in a Philippian jail in pain and in the dark.