Thousands of Christians flocked to Jerusalem and celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles from October 9-16.
Roughly 2,000 Christians from 70 countries gathered in the streets of Jerusalem and participated in the 43rd annual Feast of the Tabernacles celebration. Sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), the week-long event is considered this year’s largest Christian gathering and solidarity mission to the Jewish state which also coincides with the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, reports Jewish News Syndicate.
The Feast of Tabernacles is a fall harvest feast on the biblical calendar that also has a prophetic purpose hidden within it and that is the second coming of the Lord. David Parsons, ICEJ VP
The feast kicked off with two nights of worship concerts at the Capernaum National Park followed by five days of activities, including the Roll Call of the Nations at the Jerusalem Pais Arena, and the Jerusalem March. The festivities ended with a solidarity rally and a tree-planting ceremony.
“The Feast of Tabernacles is a fall harvest feast on the biblical calendar that also has a prophetic purpose hidden within it and that is the second coming of the Lord,” said ICEJ VP David Parsons. “So, we are here celebrating every year in anticipation of the coming of Jesus here to Jerusalem and it’s always this glorious celebration of Christians, the Body of Christ from all over the world.”
The attendees included former Chief Justice of South Africa Mogoeng Mogoeng, who received the ICEJ’s annual Nehemiah Award for his pro-Israel actions, and Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who was imprisoned in Turkey for his faith.
One of the highlights of the Feast of Tabernacles is the Jerusalem March. Delegations from different countries together with other attendees paraded and danced in the streets while locals cheered on the sidelines.
“For Bible-believing Christians around the world this march is our chance to tell Israel, to tell the Jewish people and through the media to tell the world that we believe that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel now and forever,” Barry Denison, vice president of operations at the ICEJ told The Media Line.
“We quickly became the most popular part of it because of the flags, the nations, the colors and everything,” said Parsons. “We’ve been the real draw of the march for the past 43 years now.”
It was the first time for Peyman, an Iranian-American attendee, to join the Feast of Tabernacles. “It’s important for me because I want to represent my country, especially these days. My country is in pain and I want to show our flag.”
“The reason we are here is because of the Bible and because of Jesus,” exclaimed Juha Ketola, a pastor from Finland. “The Bible is very clear: The city of Jerusalem is undivided and belongs to Israel so we are here to show our support publicly. We stand with Israel.”
Christians ended the Feast with a pro-Israel solidarity rally in Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council in the South, near the Gaza Strip, on Sunday. ICEJ said the visit is a show of support for Israelis “living under constant rocket threat along the Gaza border.” The group also held a tree-planting ceremony with with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) to “reflect ICEJ’s commitment to the security and re-greening of the Western Negev.”
