In addition to greed and selfishness leading to conflict between human beings (James 4:1-2) Satan, the devil, also incites warfare and conflict. Jesus Christ described him as “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). His influence and the selfish, carnal hearts of human beings are why Jesus Christ prophesied humanity would continue to experience increasing wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6-7).
Before Jesus Christ returns to this earth to bring peace, conditions will become far worse, culminating with humanity being on the brink of extermination, as Jesus predicted, “Unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive . . .” (Matthew 24:22, New Living Translation). Jesus Christ will return and bring about permanent peace, and how this will occur is outlined by the symbolic meaning of four annual Holy Days—the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day.
The Feast of Trumpets
The Feast of Trumpets represents the culmination of the present age of man and the intervention of God in the affairs of humanity on a global basis. The book of Revelation describes earth-shaking events heralded by angels sounding a series of seven trumpet blasts. At the last trumpet Christ’s reign on earth will be announced: “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15, English Standard Version), and the servants of God will be resurrected as immortal beings to reign under Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 5:10; 20:4 and 6).
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Atonement
The Day of Atonement involves not only the forgiveness of sin, but symbolizes the removal of the primary cause of sin, Satan, the enemy of humanity (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is the great deceiver of mankind, and palms himself off as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He is behind all human wars and opposes God, attempting to thwart His plan for humanity (compare Isaiah 14:12-14; 1 Corinthians 15:49; Hebrews 2:10; 1 John 3:2). The Day of Atonement pictures Christ restraining Satan and the demons for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3), and symbolizes the time when Jesus Christ begins to establish permanent peace on earth, without Satan and his evil spirits. Jesus’ last prayer to the Father was all about human beings becoming at one with God the Father and Christ Jesus (John 17:21-23), both in this life and the next. This will be accomplished for the world at large after Christ’s return—when people at last accept Him as their Saviour, receiving His atoning sacrifice, and when Satan and his demons are locked away. As commanded in Leviticus 23, the observance of this Holy Day requires a fast for 24 hours.
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Feast Of Tabernacles
The seven day Feast of Tabernacles is observed a few days after Atonement and depicts the peace and prosperity humanity will experience under the rule of Jesus Christ (Leviticus 23: 33-43). For 1,000 years, the Millennium, Christ will teach human beings His way of life so they can receive God’s gift of eternal life (Hebrews 8:10-12).
The following scriptures describe this time:
- “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain [His global realm], for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).
- “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid” (Micah 4:3-4).
- ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it’” (Amos 9:13).
- “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).
At the end of this time, Satan will be released for a brief period and, sadly, he will succeed in leading a great multitude into mounting a final battle against Christ and His saints. But this final attempt at war will be short-lived. Satan and his demons will be taken out of the picture for good (Revelation 20:7-10) and peace will be restored.
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The Eighth Day
God has planned a much greater harvest of human beings beyond the Millennium, referred to as the time of “the rest of the dead” (a second resurrection following the first resurrection of the saints at Christ’s return) as well as the White Throne Judgment (see Revelation 20:4-6; 11-13). These events are anticipated by the a festival immediately following the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles called simply the Eighth Day (Leviticus 34-39). The Eighth Day is a separate festival from the Feast of Tabernacles, symbolizing the greatest harvest of human lives into God’s keeping, including all who have ever lived and died from the time of Adam to Christ’s return.
God reveals aspects of the fulfillment of this Holy Day in Ezekiel 37:1-14, describing the ancient Israelites’ resurrection to physical existence, and Revelation 20:11-13, which shows that they, along with those resurrected of all nations, will be judged from God’s Word. At long last, this vast multitude of people who never understood God’s truth will have the opportunity to learn it and make the choice as to whether or not to follow Christ and be saved.
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