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The Sacred Assemblies
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe Last Day of Unleavened Bread and the Eighth Day are the only designated "sacred assemblies," which require a greater degree of solemnity for reflection.
Lessons From the Eighth Day
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThis insightful message explores the profound spiritual meaning of the Eighth Day, a festival which concludes God's Holy Day cycle. While Scripture seems to give very few direct instructions, deeper study reveals it is a culminating and sacred assembly (atzeret) focused not on rejoicing or sacrifices, but instead on retention, reflection, and renewal. The Eighth Day connotes both completion and new beginnings. Biblically, the number eight signifies abundance, regeneration, and new life, as we see in circumcision, priestly consecration, and purification laws, all of which identify transition from preparation to fulfillment. For example, for seven days, God's people dwell in temporary booths, feasting and learning, but on the Eighth Day, they pause solemnly to retain what was gained, dedicating themselves anew to God. This solemn day depicts the ultimate fulfillment of God's divine plan. Just as the priests, after seven days of consecration, saw the glory of God appear on the eighth day, similarly, after 7000 years of human history, finally the Eighth Millennium will dawn, when all creation is made new, death is destroyed, and God dwells eternally with His people (Revelation 21). Consequently, we as God's chosen saints must reflect on what God has produced in us, offering ourselves as His portion, entering a new beginning of consecrated service, anticipating the time when God is all in all, making abundance, joy, and perfection eternally complete.
Jesus in the Feasts (Part Six)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIn this concluding message of the Jesus in the Feasts series, we reflect on the profound spiritual meaning in the Eighth Day, the final festival in God's annual cycle, revealing Christ as "our all in all." Drawing on the late Charles Whitaker's teaching on merism, a figure of speech in which opposites express totality, this sermon illustrates how the Eighth Day encapsulates the fullness and completeness of God's divine plan through Christ. Scripture gives few details about this day (Leviticus 23:33-36), but its Hebrew term Atzeret denotes closure, restraint, or retention, marking it as the capstone that concludes the Feast of Tabernacles and the entire festival season. Spiritually, it focuses upon Christ, who embodies and fulfills every lesson, hope, and promise depicted in the holy days-our Passover, Bread of Life, King Atonement, and Tabernacle—now summed up in Him who "fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:23). Through passages, including Ephesians 1 and Revelation 2, this message teaches that God's chosen saints as Christ's Body, share in His divine fulness. He is everything we need in every way, our power, holiness, and hope. In Revelation, Jesus declares Himself to be the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, reassuring His people not to fear, but endure faithfully for He reigns and will return soon. Ultimately, the Eighth Day celebrates the completion of God's redemptive work, a vision of eternal unity with Christ, Who fills and perfects all things.