And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

The feast of Tabernacles typifies perfection. The feast of Tabernacles portrays God resting in us and our resting in Him. Tabernacles is the seventh feast, the last feast, and—as we might expect—points toward the fullness of redemption.

If one believes in the symbolism of numbers in the Scriptures it is interesting to note that Tabernacles, a festivity lasting seven days, is the seventh feast and was observed in the seventh month. Seven is the number of perfect redemption. There seems to be no doubt God intends for the feast of Tabernacles to be associated in our minds with perfect, complete redemption.

Redemption has a definite completion. Salvation, the redemption of the human being, has a definite commencement, a definite program, and a definite completion. Jesus is the Finisher as well as the Author of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). God declares: "It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21:6).

There is no part of the plan of salvation that is vague. It is well for us that salvation does have a definite fulfillment and that we do have something specific, a mark, at which to aim. Sometimes the race becomes strenuous indeed (Hebrews 12:12)!

It is the writer's point of view that the concept of redemption having a definite consummation needs the careful attention of the Body of Christ. We are not teaching that Christians will not discover new wonders in the depths of God forever. Neither are we suggesting that our growth in Christ ceases when we pass into the spirit realm or even after the Day of Resurrection.

Our God is so much greater than all our visions of greatness that there are no words in any language that can convey to us an idea of the extent of the Glory of God. We know we have been born of Him, are His sons, and are in the process of being created in His image.

The definite completion and fulfillment of which we are speaking has to do only and specifically with the plan of redemption, with the removing of us from all that is of Satan and the uniting of us with all that is of God.

The seven feasts of the Lord seem to reveal that God's working in the creation of the Church, His living temple, starts in a definite manner and attains completion in a definite manner.

A specified completion of salvation may be a new idea to many of us. The Christian experience is one of the growth of a seed to maturity, deliverance from the hand of the enemy, and union with God through Christ. If there were no point of maturity, deliverance, or resurrection and union, no point at which the saint is redeemed, some of the passages of the Scriptures would not admit to a simple, direct interpretation.

To be continued.