Autumn is a season of abundance; farmers are looking forward to this season because they can bring into their barns good wheat that grew mature under the scorching sun during summer. The last feasts of the annual ones—the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles—were held in all the Churches of God around the world.

ⓒ 2013 WATV

Through sincere worship services and earnest prayers, the members at 2,200 churches in 170 countries celebrated the feasts of God holy―the Feast of Trumpets, the ten days of the prayer week, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, the seven days of the preaching week asking for the latter rain of the Holy Spirit, and the Last Day of the Feast―which promise the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit.

The Feast of Trumpets 2013
Leading all mankind to God the Mother through the trumpet call of Repentance

The Feast of Trumpets comes ten days before the Day of Atonement. This originated from the work of Moses. When Moses was called by God and went up to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, as he was so long in coming down, the Israelites began to worship a golden calf. Then Moses threw the tablets of the Ten Commandments and broke them into pieces. That day, three thousand people were killed under God’s wrath. As the Israelites repented of their sins, Moses was called by God and went up to Mount Sinai again. He received the Ten Commandments a second time and came down the mountain. The day when Moses came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments was the tenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar, and it became the origin of the Day of Atonement. And the Israelites blew the trumpet of repentance from ten days before the Day of Atonement; It was the first day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar―the Feast of Trumpets.

At the Sacred Assembly for the Feast of Trumpets held on October 5 (the first day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), Mother gave thanks to God the Father for allowing us to keep the Feast of Trumpets, the first autumn feast, and asked us to blow the trumpet that urges the whole world to repent so that they can all receive the grace of atonement. Additionally, Mother said, “God distinguished His people through His feasts. Those who believe in God must keep the feasts. Please be proud that you are God’s children who keep the feasts, and blow the trumpet of repentance aloud to let many receive the forgiveness of sins.”

General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol let us ruminate over the meaning and the origin of the Feast of Trumpets and said, “All people of the world are sinners (1 Jn 1:8–10). God established the feasts to let sinners repent and to save them. Since God promised to forgive us if we confess all our sins, let us believe His promise and blow the trumpet of repentance aloud so that many people can receive the forgiveness of sins” (Isa 59:1–2; Ps 7:11–12; Eze 18:30–32).

He also reminded us that our sins are too grievous to be measured, and enlightened us on why we have to repent of our sins, through the parable of a man who owed ten thousand talents (Mt 18:23–34). Pastor Kim preached that the true repentance is our hearts’ returning to God (Lk 15:11–24), and repeatedly asked us to ruminate on the words, “Those who remain in Zion where God dwells can receive the blessing of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life,” and to lead many sinners into the arms of God the Mother who dwells in Zion (Isa 33:20–24; Jer 4:5–6; Rev 22:17).

ⓒ 2013 WATV

The Day of Atonement 2013
The way not to commit sin is to do as Christ did, having His mind

The members, who confessed all their sins and transgressions and offered their contrite prayers with repentance in the early morning and in the evening for ten days from the Feast of Trumpets, had the Sacred Assembly for the Day of Atonement with godliness on October 14 (the tenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar).

The Day of Atonement was the day when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments a second time. In the Old Testament times, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year for the atonement of the sins of all the Israelites. That day, the high priest took two male goats and cast lots: one lot for God and the other for the scapegoat representing Satan the devil. Then he laid both hands on the head of the scapegoat to put all the wickedness of the Israelites on it and sent it away into the desert. This is a shadow and its reality is that Christ who is the reality of the sanctuary carries on all sins of mankind and handed them over to the devil, the source of sins on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:1–; Jer 17:12).

General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol enlightened us about the meaning and the origin of the Day of Atonement: “God the Father and Mother have quietly carried all the sufferings that sinners deserve in order to forgive us of our sins. We must never forget Their great grace. Let us never sin again. Rather, let us lead all mankind into the arms of God.”

During the afternoon service, Mother Herself led the worship service and delivered a sermon. Above all else, Mother gave thanks to God the Father for allowing us to keep the Day of Atonement and for handing over all His children’s sins to Satan who is referred to as the scapegoat. And She earnestly prayed that all God’s children who were purified would never be again tinged with sin, but always give thanks even in difficulties and lead many souls to God.

After that, Mother delivered the sermon under the subject, “Our Mighty God Who Is with Us.” Through the subject, Mother taught us what mindset and deeds we should have as we were atoned and cleaned. Mother reminded us that Zion, the place of our feasts, is of peace and safety where God’s children dwell under God’s protection. She said, “Our Almighty God is always with us in Zion, protects us from evil and disasters, and gives us the forgiveness of sins and salvation through the feasts. For this, let us remain in Zion to the end and please Father forever” (Isa 33:20–24; 41:10–14; 43:1–6). And She added, “Men cannot help but commit sins. However, if you have the mind of Christ, you will be away from sins” (Php 2:5–8; Gal 2:20; 5:14; Eph 4:22–24). Lastly, She blessed us, saying, “Cherish God’s mind in your heart and do as God did. Love your brothers and sisters, be united with one another, fulfill the mission of saving mankind, and give great joy to God the Father.”

The members responded to Mother’s words, saying, “Amen,” and resolved to have the mind of Christ and to advance the day of the kingdom of heaven by carrying out the gospel with the spirit of self-sacrifice, consideration, and serving others as God did.

ⓒ 2013 WATV

The Feast of Tabernacles 2013
The joyful feast to gather God’s people, the materials of the temple, being clothed with the Holy Spirit

On October 19 (the fifteenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), the Feast of Tabernacles was held, on which God pours out the Holy Spirit upon His children who have become purified through the Day of Atonement.

The Feast of Tabernacles originated from the construction of the Tent of Meeting. When Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments a second time, he delivered God’s command to put up the Tent of Meeting where the Ten Commandments should be kept. At that time, the Israelites who were willing and whose hearts moved them brought abundant offerings for seven days. In order to commemorate this, the Israelites in the Old Testament times kept the feast by building booths with various branches, living there, helping one another, and rejoicing together.

The materials of the temple and trees represent God’s people (Jer 5:14; Eph 2:20–22). Just as the Israelites gathered the materials for the Tent of Meeting on the Feast of Tabernacles in the Old Testament times, we bring God’s people who are referred to as the materials for the heavenly temple to Zion by holding seven-day preaching festival during the Feast of Tabernacles in the New Testament times.

Mother gave thanks to Father for allowing us to keep the feast of harvesting the spiritual good crops and bringing them into the heavenly barn, and asked us to change into beautiful and perfect beings by becoming one in love and filling our lacking parts with the Holy Spirit. Mother also earnestly prayed that all of us would participate in the Holy Spirit Descent Movement to save souls with love and would keep the feast joyfully by finding all our heavenly family members who are scattered all over the world, and prayed that the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is necessary to each of us, would be poured on us.

General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol awakened us to the mindset of the evangelist, saying, “Those who keep the Feast of Tabernacles are given a mission to seek God’s people, the materials of the heavenly temple.” In the history of building the Tent of Meeting, those who were willing and whose heart moved them brought the finest offerings (Ex 35:20–29). Pastor Kim asked us to put all our efforts into the mission of the evangelist just as farmers persevere and labor for a long time to harvest good fruit, saying, “Planting God’s love and right faith even in one soul is to offer a finest offering to God” (2 Ti 4:1–8; 1 Th 2:1–4).

While giving the sermon, he compared Jesus Christ who shouted on the Feast of Tabernacles 2,000 years ago, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37), with the Spirit and Bride who say in the last days, “Whoever is thirsty . . . let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev 22:17). And he testified that the source of the water of life in the Bible is Jerusalem Mother, the Bride. After that, he added, “Unless we realize the Christ who gives the water of life, we can receive neither the Holy Spirit of the Feast of Tabernacles nor salvation. Let us receive the water of life from Mother by engraving the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles on which we proclaim the existence of God the Mother” (Zec 14:6–8; 16–19; Gal 4:26).

For seven days from that day, all the church members delivered God’s love to their families, relatives, and neighbors with all their heart while asking for the power of the Holy Spirit and the mind of the Holy Spirit with joy and thanks early in the morning and in the evening.

On October 26 (the twenty-second day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), the Last Day of the Feast after the seven days of the preaching week, Mother blessed all Zion members, who wholeheartedly kept the feast of God around the world, with the latter rain of the Holy Spirit like a waterfall. Mother enlightened us on the blessing that we will escape disasters because we kept the Feast of Tabernacles and received the Holy Spirit. And She prayed that everything that is needed for us to go to heaven is prepared through the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit that we received this day would be used to seek all mankind with love.

At the afternoon service, Mother gave a sermon titled “The Faith to Fear God,” saying, “The ancestors of faith such as Noah and Abraham were greatly blessed by obeying the words of God with the faith to fear God, which serves as an example for us who live in this age. Just as they pleased God and was saved, Zion members are to truly fear God and please Him by believing all the words given to them and following the words.” Mother encouraged us, saying that the glorious kingdom of heaven, the vast world of stars, is prepared for the children who obey the words of God.

The members were assured that they had received the latter rain of the Holy Spirit through the prophecy of the Bible and the words of Mother, and made a fresh resolution that they would devote themselves to the Holy Spirit Movement and please God by obeying His words and preaching the gospel of salvation with the help of the Holy Spirit.

ⓒ 2013 WATV