Spirit-filled connections between Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles)

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The 10 Commandments, in their verbal form (Exodus 20), were given to the children of Israel at Sinai on Shavuot. God spoke these words out of His own mouth.

Shavuot provoked a profound fear of God in the people. They weren’t afraid of God’s rules but of God’s presence. This is how God introduced Himself to the children of Israel. He gave His laws to Israel, which were a piece of Himself.

In Acts 2, the Spirit of God came down on the disciples on Shavuot. God wrote His law on their hearts. God took a part of Himself and put it directly into the people.

What do these two events and Shemini Atzeret have in common?

At Sukkot, we dwelled in temporary dwellings. On the Eighth Day, the temporary dwellings are gone. Apostle Paul wrote of a similar time coming at the time of the resurrection of the dead:

“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?’ You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, ‘The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1Cor. 15:35–45)

In Sukkot, we were in temporary dwellings. Once the temporary is gone, a permanent dwelling replaces it. This is symbolic of Yeshua giving His people His life-giving spirit. Our corrupted bodies will die but they will be raised in spirit.

When the Spirit of God wrote His law on our heart, it was given to us to live with, not die with. When Messiah died, He died to give us life. Shavuot is a down-payment on eternal life. Only Messiah Yeshua currently has it but we have the promise that we all will receive it in the time to come. Both Shavuot and Shemini Atzeret are attached to the gift of life. All of those who were at Mt. Sinai and at the Temple at Shavuot died. Yet, they hold the promise of their down payment (1Cor. 15:46–49).

On one celebration of Shemeni Atzeret (“on the last day, the great day of the feast” (John 7:37) was the seventh day of Sukkot (John 7:2), and the event to be discussed happened the next day (John 8:1-2)), which was Shemeni Atzeret), Yeshua demonstrated how one moves from death to life:

“[… But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?’ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.’] Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'” (John 8:1–12)

What did this woman receive? Life. It’s that point where you say to yourself “I’m going to die,” and God says, “No you are not.” We are full of sin whether we admit it or not. You can’t make them go away. This woman was guaranteed death yet she was given life instead.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.'”(Rev 21:1–4)

God’s intention all along has been to dwell with mankind. To dwell with God, the flesh has to die. Flesh = Death, and Spirit = Life. All the laws, sacrifices of the TaNaKh (Torah, Prophets and Writings, i.e., the Hebrew Scriptures) were symbolic of how the flesh had to be protected from premature death.

This is all possible because a spirit can’t cry, feel pain, or die. This is because the flesh is gone. Without flesh, there’s no tears, pain or death.

“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.'” (Rev. 21:5–8)

Those who are spirit only hunger and thirst for things of the spirit. Yeshua is our older brother and we will all be sons and daughters of God.

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,” (Rev. 22:1)

The water that keeps the spirit alive comes from God. This is how we can dwell with God and survive.

“… On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:2–5)

There won’t just be water in the New Kingdom but light as well. This is God’s gift that He is holding on to, waiting to give it in its fullness to His people. The promise of life is in both Shavuot and Shemini Atzeret.

What’s the difference between “soul” and “spirit” in the Bible?

Don’t get hung up on the differences between Bible uses of the words רוּחַ ruach (Strong’s lexicon No. H7307, spirit, breath, wind) and נֶפֶשׁ nefesh (H5315, soul). Sometimes, they are used in similar ways.

The soul is a person’s breath, what keeps one alive, what makes one do something. The spirit in someone is God’s “breath,” what makes someone do something If either is removed, the person dies. When a person’s breath ends, all that remains is God’s breath allotted to a person.

How do we live in God’s Spirit?

“And he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true’; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. ‘And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.’ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.'” (Rev. 22:6–9)

Spirit beings need God’s breath, “water” from the God and the Tree of Life. We will experience seeing God face to face, and we will be able to keep His commandments without any hindrance. He will be our Father, and we will be His children in fullness. We will “look like” God, which was God’s intent all along.

Note: Part of today’s lesson on connections between the “feasts of the LORD” comes from the Sept. 21, 2013, study “God’s appointments with humankind gain meaning over time — not obsolescence.” Speaker: Daniel. Summary: Tammy.