Month 8: A New Beginning
The eighth month on the Hebrew calendar centers around the theme of renewed life. Having just completed the Feasts, we thematically now enter into our new life in eternity.
Last month, the seventh month, is when all Yehovah’s Fall Feasts occur. It is a season when Yehovah is calling us close to him; a season of returning, rebuilding, renewing, and restoring his people back to himself and his ways, and restoring his kingdom on earth.
During the Feasts of the seventh month, we are awakened by the trumpets at the Feast of Trumpets; our names are found in the Book of Life on the Day of Atonement; we tabernacle with Yeshua for seven days during the Feast of Tabernacles; and on the Eighth Day, we are reminded of dwelling with Yehovah for eternity. Then, the next day is always Simchat Torah.
“Simchat Torah” means rejoicing over the Torah. It’s a celebration of turning back the scrolls of the Torah from the end of Deuteronomy, to the beginning of Genesis. You can see in the weekly parsha readings, we’ve now finished the book of Deuteronomy and have started again in Genesis with the account of creation.
The Garden of Eden before the fall of man is a picture of living with Yehovah in righteousness, walking with him in the “cool of the evening,” and all things newly created. The Tree of Life which brings eternal life, appears both in the Garden and again in the New Heaven and Earth in Revelation 22.
And so directly after the Eighth Day, which reminds us of eternity, we begin a new cycle in our Torah, which also reminds us of Yehovah’s intended destiny for us: dwelling with him and him with us for eternity.
In Zechariah 1:1-6 we see a reference to the eighth month. Zechariah is calling Judah to repentance, “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” This was true then – they did repent and return to him. And this is true for us today on a global scale.
The Fall Feasts we’ve just completed are all about Yeshua returning to us. The Feast of Tabernacles is likened to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7, where the great multitude proclaims, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” He is watching and waiting for a bride that has prepared herself for her bridegroom, returned to him with all her heart, soul, mind and strength. As in Zechariah in the eighth month, could the Lord be reminding us that his promise to “return to me, and I will return to you” is the key to his tabernacling with us for eternity?
After that, just as the Eighth Day reminds us of new life with him, Revelation 21 tells us he makes all things new:
“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, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell 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.” Rev. 21:2-5
And from that point, we dwell where we were intended to from the beginning, around the Tree of Life as described in the next chapter:
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” Rev. 22:1-4
So the end of the Feasts point to the beginning of new life – the life of the Garden of Eden restored and transformed into eternal life in the New Heaven and New Earth, where the Tree of Life is no longer blocked by sin, curse and exile, but in full bloom, exuding life to the whole world sustained by the living water flowing from the throne.
I encourage you to watch for this pattern of new beginnings in your own life, so you can align with what Yehovah has for you. Where is he restoring what was lost or transforming the original to the eternal? Where is he creating new life out of a void? Pursue that, partner with him, ask how you can cooperate with him in his plans for bringing his eternal purposes this season.
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