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The autumn feast when God promises us abundant blessings came in this fruit-bearing season. The Church of God members all over the world have made efforts to preach the gospel of the new covenant established by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to the whole world. They participated in the Sacred Assemblies of the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles, and prayed to God for the grace of the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit of the latter rain, hoping to deliver the message of the forgiveness of sins and salvation to seven billion people around the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Feast of Trumpets: blowing the trumpet of repentance vigorously toward all people

The Feast of Trumpets is the feast to prepare for the Day of Atonement by confessing our sins and being contrite before God. In the Old Testament times, just as its name explains, the Israelites were urged to repent with a trumpet blast on the first day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar, ten days before the Day of Atonement. In the New Testament times, the church members keep early morning and evening worships during the Prayer Week until the Day of Atonement according to the prophetic examples of the past (Lev 23:24).

On September 29 (the first day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), the Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Trumpets was held. Mother gave thanks to Father for allowing the heavenly children to receive the overflowing blessings necessary to reach the kingdom of heaven through the seven feasts in three times. Mother also prayed for Her children to realize God’s will and blessings contained in each feast and keep them with all their heart, so that they may vigorously blow the trumpet of the gospel and repentance toward all people.

ⓒ 2019 WATV

“Repentance is the most important thing for all human beings who cannot avoid death because of their sins in heaven. Just as Jesus said, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,’ only those who reach complete repentance can enter the kingdom of heaven,” said General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol. “We sinned in heaven because we did not respect God’s laws and regulations. Thorough repentance is to obey God’s words and never sin again. As Jesus said, ‘As I have loved you, so you must love one another,’ let us unite in love and lead all people to salvation by making them turn away from their sins,” he said emphatically (1 Jn 1:8–10; Eze 18:30–32; 28:11–18; Jn 13:34–35; 1 Co 13:1–13; 1 Jn 4:7–21).

After the service, Mother comforted the members who have strived for the gospel by sincerely following God despite their busy and tough life, and urged again, “The blessings recorded in the Bible such as the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, the living hope for resurrection, and the gift of the Holy spirit are given to those who keep the seven feasts in three times. Let’s receive all the reserved blessings by keeping the feasts with thanks and praying diligently.”

The Sacred Assembly of the Day of Atonement: being born again from a slave to sin into a child of God through the sacrifice of Christ

The Prayer Week lasted for ten days from the evening of the Feast of Trumpets till the Day of Atonement. During this period, the members confessed their sins before God and asked God for the forgiveness of sins every early morning and evening. On October 8 (the tenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), they greeted the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Atonement with godliness in body and mind.

By the grace of atonement, the sins of the members are completely forgiven on the Day of Atonement. The principle of blotting out the sins is shown in the ceremonial regulations of the feast of the Old Testament. The high priest cast lots for the two goats—one lot for God as a sin offering and the other for the scapegoat, and the high priest placed all the sins of the Israelites on the head of the scapegoat and sent it away into the desert. Likewise, in ordinary times, Christ Himself becomes the sin offering and the sanctuary to carry our sins on Himself, and according to the providence of the Day of Atonement, all the sins are handed over to Satan represented as the scapegoat. Our sins are removed as Satan is locked in the Abyss and enters into eternal lake of fire.

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Mother offered up a prayer of thanks to Father for willingly suffering on the cross to save sinners who were destined to die because of their sins, and asked Him to help His children would not forget His grace of taking away their sins instead so that they would lead all people to repentance with the love and sacrifice of Father.

“Our heavy burdens of sins do not disappear just because we keep the feast. They are forgiven thanks to Christ who suffered the terrible death at the end of being ridiculed, despised, and flogged as the sacrifice offering of the feast,” said General Pastor Kim, reminding that the Passion of Christ was the wages of sins we had to pay. The apostles in the early Church realized it and so they followed the will of Christ who wanted many souls to receive the forgiveness of sins. They boldly testified to the gospel without fearing persecution and sufferings, and took great care of the church and the members with love. “Let’s engrave the sacrifice of Christ upon our hearts so that no trials and sufferings in the path of our faith may separate us from the love of God. Not as slaves to sin but as children of God, let’s put all our heart and mind into achieving the will of Father and Mother who want all seven billion people to repent and be saved,” said General Pastor Kim (Lev 16:5–10; 15–22; Isa 53:1–12; Eph 1:7; Ro 8:33–39; Ac 20:22–24; Heb 11:33–40; 1 Pe 4:1–19).

With their heads low, the members around the world gave thanks to God who forgave their sins completely through the Day of Atonement and promised, “Their sins I will remember no more” (Heb 10:17). Their thanks and praise to God resounded even louder than before in the Churches of God around the world.

The Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Tabernacles: fulfilling the prophecy of building the heavenly temple with love

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The Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Tabernacles is the feast to commemorate building of the tabernacles. In the Old Testament times, the Israelites had a joyful time for a week, gathering branches from olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, and spreading them in the courtyards or their houses. The prophecy of the Feast of Tabernacles is to be fulfilled in the New Testament times by the preaching festival when God’s children, represented as the trees and materials for the temple, are gathered.

Mother prayed that all the children of Zion, who have come to the Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Tabernacles on October 13 (the fifteenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar) with purified spirits, would receive the Holy Spirit of the latter rain.

“To accomplish the mission to preach the gospel to all peoples in Samaria and to the ends of the earth, we absolutely need the heaven’s power, which is the power of the Holy Spirit. The feast we need most to complete the mission to preach to seven billion people is the Feast of Tabernacles when God pours down the Holy Spirit of the latter rain upon us,” General Pastor Kim emphasized. “When the early Church saints received the Holy Spirit of the early rain 2,000 years ago, they carried out the amazing Holy Spirit movement by leading three thousand or five thousand people a day, or even a large number of priests, to salvation, and by preaching the gospel even in Europe. Let’s ask for the power of the Holy Spirit with firm faith that God will demonstrate greater power these days when the gospel is being preached all around the world. Let’s deliver the news of victory and the gospel work completion to Father and Mother as soon as possible,” he encouraged the members (Ne 8:15–18; Jn 7:1–2; 37–38; Ac 1:6–8; 2:41–47, Mt 24:13–14).

After the worship, Mother emphasized the importance of unity as She had prayed for continually during the feast. “Father grants much more blessing to those who unite. Let’s continue to meet together and proclaim the news of salvation with one accord,” said Mother.

During the seven-day Preaching Week of the Feast of Tabernacles, all the members around the world participated joyfully in preaching and asked for the Holy Spirit in the early mornings and evenings, to complete building the spiritual temple.

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초막절 대회 끝 날, 새예루살렘 판교성전에서 예배를 마치고 늦은 비 성령을 충만히 받은 성도들이 세계를 향해 힘차게 구원의 소식을 외칠 것을 다짐했다.

The sacred assembly was held again on the 20th for the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles when God promised us the water of life. Mother gave thanks to Father for lavishing special grace on the people of Zion through the feast, and asked Him to pour the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon us like a waterfall so that we can deliver hope for the eternal kingdom of heaven to numerous people who are tired and hurt in the world. Through his sermon, General Pastor Kim said that the Feast of Tabernacles and the temple and the water of life are closely related, and that those who receive Jerusalem Mother will receive the water of life as it is prophesied that those who go up to Jerusalem on the Feast of Tabernacles will have rain (Zec 14:16–19; Eze 47:1–12; Gal 4:26; Rev 21:9–16; 1 Ki 6:14–20). The audience answered him with a loud “Amen” when he said our job is to preach about Mother, the spring of the water of life, to share the blessing with all people of the world.

Mother Herself delivered the words of the water of life during the afternoon worship. Mother taught us about Heavenly Father’s repeated teachings, “Be righteous, do good deeds, and love,” and asked us to train to be godly, starting with gracious and beautiful words. “The Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of love when you preach the new covenant diligently and lead many people to heaven with love. Be the gospel workers of the new covenant and the children of love,” said Mother (Zec 14:16–19; Jer 6:18–19; 2 Ti 3:1–5; Jn 13:34; 1 Pe 4:8; 1 Ti 6:18–21; 4:6–8; Eph 4:22–29; 1 Jn 2:15–17; 3:14–18; 4:4–20; 1 Co 13:4–13).

All the annual feasts of God in 2019 have been completed by that. To God’s people living in the spiritual age of the Feast of Tabernacles, however, the Preaching Festival of the Feast of Tabernacles has begun anew, and they fervently carry out the work of the Holy Spirit of the latter rain. Now, Jerusalem is receiving beautiful news from all around the world that the brothers and sisters who have received the gift of love, which is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, are participating in the Holy Spirit Movement by practicing love and good deeds with unity and leading many souls to God.

ⓒ 2019 WATV