The Eighth Day
Assembly
Edge of Eternity
Although the "Eighth Day Assembly" is intimately
connected, in the minds of most who observe it, with the seven
day "Feast of Tabernacles," and falls immediately after that
seven-day period, it is actually a completely separate
observance, with its own significance and its own symbolism.
(See the article Roughing It elsewhere
on this website for an explanation of the observance of the
Feast of Tabernacles, and What Are
"Tabernacles"? for an explanation of the term "tabernacle.")
The ancient Israelites were
ordered by God to "dwell in booths" (another word for
tabernacles), temporary huts that they were to make out of
simple materials, for seven days each fall to remind them of the time that
their ancestors dwelt in similar accommodations in their
wilderness wanderings after they were freed from bondage in
Egypt. God had sustained them, protecting them and providing
for their physical needs, during that time.
At the end of those seven
days, they were to take down the booths, return to more
permanent residences, and hold a special festival gathering.
This day wasn't given any special "title" when it was
established by God's command in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. It
was simply described as the "eighth day." Modern Jews refer to
this day by the Hebrew title Shemini Atzeret, a phrase
that means "Eighth Day Assembly."
Leviticus 23:33-43
The LORD
said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the fifteenth day of
the seventh month the LORD's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it
lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no
regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the LORD
by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and
present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing
assembly; do no regular work. So beginning with the fifteenth
day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of
the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the
first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of
rest.
On the
first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm
fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD
your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the
LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance
for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.
Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites
are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had
the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt.
I am the LORD your God.' "
Jesus at
the Feast of Tabernacles
There is a
specific description of Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles in the
Bible:
John 7:37-40
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said
in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and
drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he
meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to
receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since
Jesus had not yet been glorified. On hearing his words, some of
the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet."
For some reason, a number of
Christian groups that observe the biblical Feasts have made the
assumption that this passage is speaking not of the last day of
the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, but of the Eighth Day
Assembly. This is puzzling, for most also seem to realize that
the eighth day is not really a "part" of the Feast of
Tabernacles, but a separate Holy Day that falls immediately
after the end of Tabernacles. So for John to refer to it as the
"last" day of "the Feast" certainly seems to indicate it was the
seventh day of the seven-day Feast.
But because of this connection in
their minds, their assumption that the passage in John was
referring to the eighth day
instead of the seventh, some have adopted the custom of
referring to the Eighth Day Assembly as the
"Last Great Day." They have also assumed that the reference to
water here is in relation to a famous water-pouring ceremony
that was held in Jerusalem, evidently not realizing that that ceremony was a daily part of
the week-long Feast of Tabernacles, and culminated with the most
elaborate version of the ceremony on the seventh day of
the Feast. Thus it is highly likely that the reference in John 7 is
not to the separate Eighth Day at all, but to the seventh day of
the Feast.
Although some commentators are
still in dispute about the details of this timing, and which day
should be referred to as "That Great Day," the Jews themselves
seem to be clear on the timing--the seventh day of the Feast is
called in Hebrew Hoshanna Rabba, the Day of the Great
Hosanna or the Day of Great Salvation. It is even viewed as
pointing to the Messianic promise. For more details on how
Judaism views the significance and symbolism of the Feast of
Tabernacles and the Eighth Day Assembly, see
Jewish Feast and Holy Day Customs:
Sukkot. and Jewish Feast and Holy
Day Customs: Shemini Atzeret.
Among Christians who observe this
day in some way, whether they believe that the passage in John
refers to it or not, the Eighth Day Assembly also has a
"Messianic" connection. That connection is that the day
represents a time after the present system of man's rule on
Earth has come to an end. For some, it points first to the
Millennium, which they believe is a thousand-year period of
peace on the physical Earth ushered in by the Second Coming of
Jesus--the Messiah. And then it also points on out into Eternity
beyond the Millennium, when there is no more flesh, only an
eternity of the spiritual Family of God.
For others who observe this day,
it has a slightly different meaning. They believe the seven-day
Feast of Tabernacles itself to be a foreshadow of the
Millennium. In this scenario, most of the collection of
symbolism of the Fall annual observances is to be "fulfilled" at one
specific time in the future. The reasoning is that the Passover
and Feast of Unleavened Bread were fulfilled all at once in the
first century with the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the
Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled that same year with the coming
of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. In like manner, they expect a
year to come some time in the future when Jesus will return on
the Feast of Trumpets, He will fulfill in some way the
reconciliation pointed to by the Day of Atonement (some
speculate that this refers to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
spoken of in the Bible), and the
Millennium will begin almost immediately after that, a time when a great
harvest of people will accept Jesus as Savior, foreshadowed by the
harvest festival of the Feast of Tabernacles.
In this system, however, the
Eighth Day Assembly does not find its fulfillment in that same
year. In fact, it only comes after 1,000 years of the reign of
Christ. Some speculate that its fulfillment is the symbolism of
the "Great White Throne Judgment" spoken of in Revelation. But
this is not viewed as a single "event." Rather it is an extended
time period in which all people of all time who never had an
opportunity to hear and comprehend the clear message of the
Gospel will be raised to physical life again. They will be given
a "first chance" to actually realize that God does exist, and
that the message of the Gospel, however garbled or unbelievable
it may have sounded to them if they heard it in their previous
"lifetime," really is true. And they will have an opportunity to
make choices and live another lifetime with that knowledge. The
scriptural basis for this understanding is too complex to
address in this short article. One explanation that covers the
basics of this view of the future is available in an article
titled
"A Second Chance?" by Ronald L. Dart.
In spite of
variations in the details of how all of these factors come
together, one fact remains the same in all these scenarios,
whether Jewish or Christian: The Eighth Day Assembly points
forward eventually to a time when the "current world system" (the
kosmos
in the Greek of the New Testament) will be no more. As the
book of Revelation puts it, in the swirling symbolism of a grand
vision given to the Apostle John:
Revelation
21:1-7
Then I saw a new heaven
and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth had passed away, and there was no longer any
sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a
loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling
[Greek skene: a tabernacle] of God is with men, and he will live
[Greek skenoo: to tabernacle, to encamp with] with them. They
will be his people, and God himself will be with
them and be their God. He will wipe every tear
from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away."
He who was seated on
the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then
he said, "Write this down, for these words are
trustworthy and true."
He said to me: "It
is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to
drink without cost from the spring of the water of
life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I
will be his God and he will be my son.
In other words, when this Eighth
Day reaches its final fulfillment we will be standing on the
Edge of Eternity.
Now that you
have an overview of the Biblical background, symbolism, and
Christian significance of the Eighth Day Assembly, you may wish
to explore some of the ways in which Christians observe this
Holy Day. The 3Rs: Feast of Tabernacles
and the Eighth Day Assembly
article provides a variety of descriptions and suggestions for
such observance.
Jesus: The Reason
for These Seasons
Many people who accept Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord, whether they refer to themselves as "Christian" or
"Messianic," observe the Eighth Day Assembly as a time of worship,
fellowship, and celebration. They believe that this Holy Day, along with the other
Feasts and Holy Days described in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16, are shadows pointing to the
reality of Jesus. And they believe that there are valuable spiritual lessons to
be learned year by year through actually physically setting aside these Times
of Refreshing as
"appointments with God."
For more about the biblical Feasts
in general, see the article Theme Times elsewhere on
this Times of Refreshing website.
For an
explanation of the Biblical background and Christian
significance of each of the Holy Days and Feasts as
they come in their seasons, explore the links below:
T.G.I.S.
The Weekly Sabbath
Let My People Go!
The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread
On Fire!
The Feast of Pentecost
Reveille!
The Day of Trumpets
Together Again
The Day of Atonement
Roughing It
The Feast of Tabernacles
The Edge of Eternity
The Eighth Day Assembly
For sources of the Hebrew, Greek,
and English definitions in this and other articles on this website, see the
Information page.
For sources
of the Biblical quotations in this and other articles on this
website, see the Information page.
Email the Times of
Refreshing WebAuthor
All of the articles on this
Times
of Refreshing website were written by Pam Dewey, with
the support and sponsorship of Common Ground Christian
Ministries. For more of Pam's inspirational and educational
writings, visit The Oasis website at
All website content
© 2006, Pam
Dewey and Common Ground Christian Ministries
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