This year’s autumn feasts began with the Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Trumpets on September 14 (the first day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar) and ended with the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles on October 5. Asking for the forgiveness of sins and the latter rain of the Holy Spirit during the autumn feasts, the members of over 2,500 Churches of God throughout the world preached the gospel fervently, fulfilling the meaning of the feasts when spiritual crops are harvested.

The Feast of Trumpets: true repentance beyond temporary change

The Feast of Trumpets originated from the history where the Israelites blew the trumpets, urging repentance, before the Day of Atonement. Opening the door of the autumn feasts, Mother earnestly prayed that all Her children would repent thoroughly from the bottom of their hearts, blow the trumpets to encourage people to repent, and share the blessing of the forgiveness of sins with all peoples of the world.

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General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol explained the origin and meaning of the Feast of Trumpets and said that in order to wholly repent and receive the forgiveness of sins, prayers based on firm faith must be accompanied. “True repentance is more than just changing temporarily. It is to take off the old self completely and put on the new self to return to God. Just as Jonah repented and proclaimed the word of God for the Ninevites to turn from sins, let us preach the gospel with a repentant heart and accomplish the work of the forgiveness of sins and salvation throughout the world,” he said (Heb 7:22–25; Lk 18:1–8; 11:5–13; 15:3–24; Hos 14:1–4; Col 3:1; Ac 14:22).

ⓒ 2015 WATV

Beginning in the evening of the Feast of Trumpets, the Prayer Week for the Day of Atonement continued for ten days. The Young Adults’ Feast of Tabernacles Preaching Festival 2015, which was held until the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, also began at the same time. The members offered up prayers of repentance, confessing their sins, in the early mornings and in the evenings. All the members, with young adults playing a key role, went out busily with determination, “Let’s preach the truth of salvation to seven billion people,” to bear fruit worthy of repentance.

The Day of Atonement: commemorating the sacrifice of God who redeemed us from sin

The Sacred Assembly of the Day of Atonement was held on September 23 (the tenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), the tenth day after the Feast of Trumpets. Mother gave thanks to Father for allowing the Day of Atonement to forgive the children for their sins. She prayed that their souls would be cleansed and become white as snow as their prayers ascended up before God with the smoke of the incense for ten days, and that they would live a holy and godly life with faith.

The Day of Atonement was appointed by God to atone for our sins. In the Old Testament times, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement and atoned for the people’s sins. The high priest laid both hands on the scapegoat chosen by lot to transfer all the sins of the people, and sent it away into a solitary place in the desert. This represents the people’s sins that are temporarily accumulated in the sanctuary are transferred to Satan represented as the scapegoat, and disappear.

“Our sins do not just disappear without any cost. They are forgiven thanks to the law of the Spirit of life (Ro 8:1–2) established by God’s hard work and sacrifice. Remembering keenly the grace of God who was sacrificed to carry our grievous sins away, let’s never commit sins again,” said Pastor Kim Joo-cheol, explaining the process and principle of how people’s sins are forgiven through the ceremony of the Day of Atonement. “Let’s think what we can give to God who has granted us thousands of blessings including salvation, eternal life, and the forgiveness of sins. God is pleased most with a sinner’s repentance. Considering God’s heart, let’s do our best in making many souls to turn from their sins,” he said (Lev 23:26–31; 16:3–22; Mt 9:13; Ro 8:1–2; Lk 15:7).

ⓒ 2015 WATV

The Feast of Tabernacles and its last day: abundant harvest with the power of the Holy Spirit

The members around the world, who had been waiting for the Feast of Tabernacles, giving thanks to God for the grace of atonement, participated in the Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Tabernacles on September 28 (the fifteenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), looking forward to the latter rain of the Holy Spirit like a waterfall. The fervor for the gospel had been heated up already from the Feast of Trumpets. In Korea, good fruits were borne continually despite the national holiday which fell on the same day with the Feast of Tabernacles, and so the members looked brighter than ever when they participated in the feast services.

The last sacred assembly among the seven feasts in three times also began with Mother’s prayer. Mother prayed that all the children keeping the Feast of the Tabernacles would receive the Holy Spirit promised by God abundantly, and that just as crops are gathered into barns in autumn the holy people represented as the crops would be led to Zion, so that the gospel would be accomplished quickly.

“As it is written, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the L ORD ’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days’ (Lev 23:34), let’s think what we should do on the Feast of Tabernacles, the feast for God. God is pleased with obedience more than with thousands of rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil. Even though we are in challenging situations or face obstacles, let’s believe that nothing is impossible to those who are with God as it was with Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and David. Let’s obey God’s word and preach whether they listen or not. This is the duty of those who are forgiven first,” said Pastor Kim Joo-cheol (Zec 14:7–21; Jn 7:2–39; Ex 35:1–21; Dt 31:6; Mt 28:18–20; Isa 60:20–22).

When Moses proclaimed the word of God to make the tabernacle where the Ten Commandments would be kept, those who were willing and whose heart were moved brought offerings for the work on the Tent of Meeting for seven days, beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. This is the origin of the Feast of Tabernacles. In the Old Testament times, the Israelites made booths and stayed there, rejoicing, for seven days. In the New Testament times, the meaning of the feast is fulfilled by gathering the saints, who are represented as the materials for the heavenly temple.

Accordingly, the Preaching Week of the Feast of Tabernacles began after the Feast of Tabernacles. While the atmosphere was heated with news from many places that new members were added exponentially, the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles came on October 5 (the twenty-second day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar).

Pastor Kim Joo-cheol explained the origin and the significance of the Feast of Tabernacles. “The condition to receive the latter rain of the Holy Spirit is to know God fully. Let’s preach the true God industriously so that everybody in every town, city, nation, and continent can come into the grace of the Holy Spirit,” he said, carrying out the morning service.

In the afternoon service, Mother Herself gave a sermon titled, “Seek God While He May Be Found.” Mother was pleased with the continued news of bearing fruit coming from many places of the world and appreciated the children’s work for the gospel repeatedly. “Because people do not ‘love the truth’ (2 Th 2:10), the world is filled with wickedness under the control of Satan. Now, when many souls are staggering with a famine of hearing the words of the truth, is the time for mankind to meet God. The love that you, the children of God, need to practice is to preach God who is love to your neighbors and communities. When you preach the truth diligently, depending on God who said, ‘Do not be afraid, for I am with you,’ the day when you will shine like stars forever will come. So have faith and do not give up,” said Mother (Isa 55:6; 2 Ti 3:1–5; Isa 24:1–5; Jer 6:17–19; Am 8:11–13; Ro 10:13–15; Isa 43:1–2).

As the apostles in the early Church boldly testified to Jesus Christ and preached the gospel even to the Gentiles, going beyond Jerusalem, when they received the early rain of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the members all around the world brought about amazing gospel results with the power of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit during the autumn feasts. However, the members said it was not the end but another beginning.

“Although the Preaching Week of the Feast of Tabernacles finished, we’ll continue this joyous festival to find our heavenly family until all seven billion people on the earth hear the truth of the new covenant. We hope all the members of Zion in the world will become likeminded in one Holy Spirit and gather all the ripened crops into the heavenly barn before it gets too late,” they said.

As the members across the world are put-ting their determination into practice and preaching the truth to people from all walks of life with various ways, the number of those who hear the gospel seems to grow massively as days go by.