How Christians are Celebrating the Feast
Each year, thousands of believers from around the world ascend to the city of Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). It is the third great pilgrimage feast of the Lord—a great prophetic sign of our times and powerful foreshadowing of even more glorious days ahead.
A Prophetic Sign
In 1979 as Merv and Merla Watson planned the first Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem, they were uncertain about exactly how gentiles should celebrate this biblical feast, so they asked the advice of a senior rabbi in Israel. They received his practical guidance, but as they were just about to leave, the rabbi called them back.
“Mr. and Mrs. Watson,” he said. “That you, as gentiles, came here to ask me how to celebrate Sukkot is quite unusual. Our prophets declare that in the Messianic times, all gentiles will come to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast with us. When you asked me today how to celebrate Sukkot, I am hearing the footsteps of Messiah, that He is coming.”
And this is what the Feast of Tabernacles is all about. Each year, the ICEJ is privileged to organize this incredibly unique event. It’s not just another Christian conference; the annual Feast of Tabernacles is a prophetic declaration to Israel and the church that Messiah is coming soon. In the end, it is all about Jesus. It is not about us, nor even about Israel, but about our returning King.
Global Gathering Online
In 2020, Israel’s coronavirus regulations prevented this annual influx of pilgrims into Jerusalem. But the ICEJ’s innovative online Global Feast spawned hundreds of Sukkot gatherings and watch parties in dozens of countries worldwide, drawing more Christians than ever before into marking this joyous biblical holiday together.
These Sukkot gatherings drew crowds ranging from small groups in underground churches in China and Iraq to several thousand in a large church in the Ivory Coast—which means the total participants of last year’s Feast was easily in the hundreds of thousands.
ICEJ Born Out of the Feast
“When the ICEJ was founded 40 years ago— during the first Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in 1980—there were very few Christians worldwide who knew about or observed Sukkot,” said ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler. “But today, there are millions of Christians around the globe who are discovering this biblical festival and joining in its traditions. And many of them will be tuning in again for this year’s Feast from Jerusalem, which is allowing us to reach our largest audience ever with a message of biblical faith and standing with Israel.”
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was born out of that first Feast of Tabernacles with a prophetic mandate of Christian support for Israel. Bringing awareness of what God is doing in Israel is an integral part of understanding His timetable and the soon coming prophetic fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. With branch offices in over 90 nations and a reach into more than 170 nations worldwide, the ICEJ is considered the world’s largest pro-Israel Christian ministry and is perfectly positioned to carry out this unique prophetic mandate.
—by Susan Michael, ICEJ USA Director
Join us for “Days of Elijah” at this year’s Feast of Tabernacles celebration.