What Is The Eighth Day Or Last Great Day?

What is the Eighth Day or Last Great Day? Just right after the Feast of Tabernacles is a final feast day (Leviticus 23:36). It’s designated as the Last Great Day or Eighth Day, distinct from the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. Now this last of the commanded annual festivals has a profound meaning in the overall plan of the Father in heaven Yahweh to mankind. Have you ever wondered about those who died never having accepted Yahshua the Messiah as Savior? What about those people? Is there hope for them? What does the Scripture say about this group of people? The meaning of the final biblical festival of the year holds the answer. Please pay very close attention. We hope you’ll have eyes to see and ears to hear this great heavenly message. As always, we will let the Bible interpret itself as we ask the Holy Spirit of Yahweh for guidance and wisdom to teach this Kingdom message with you. Yahshua, the Savior of mankind, play a central role to this special Holy Day.

What does this Holy Day have to do with Yahshua the Messiah? During Yahshua Messiah’s 1,000-year reign on earth, all of mankind will be offered Elohim’s Spirit. And beyond that, the Bible reveals there will come a future time when Messiah will offer it to those who rise up in a resurrection of the dead from all past ages. In Revelation 20, we read what happens after the Millennium (pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles) is completed: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before Elohim, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:11-12). Yes, this Holy Day is also called the White Throne Judgement, and it is Yahshua the Messiah who has been appointed to judge all of mankind (John 5:26-27; Romans 14:10). This does not mean immediate condemnation for sinners but an evaluation period, since the Book of Life is opened—meaning an opportunity is opened to receive Yahweh’s Spirit and have one’s name written into it. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:3 of those “who labored with me in the gospel…and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” As mentioned, Yahshua will carry out the central role of this final feast, that of lovingly and mercifully offering the multitudes of the uninformed and the deceived people an opportunity for conversion and salvation and rewarding them according to the life they live.

The prophecy of Ezekiel 37 speaks of a great resurrection of people who died without having understood Eternal Yahweh’s great plan. Ezekiel writes: “I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army. And they say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off” (Ezekiel 37:10-11). Here the prophet is seeing, in vision, a resurrection. But Elohim then speaks comforting words to the Israelites: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves…then you shall know that I am Yahweh…I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it and performed it” (Ezekiel 37:12-14). While specifically showing what is to happen to Israel, it gives us understanding of what Elohim intends for the entire human race as foretold in Revelation 20:5, 11-12. These verses, along with other biblical passages, again tell us that a time is coming when those who died without the full knowledge of Yahweh will be given their opportunity for salvation. They will finally recognize Yahshua for who He really is—our Master and our Savior. Non-Christians who lived their entire lives without ever hearing Yahshua’s name, as well as those who professed Christianity but never really understood the truth, will be given the opportunity to both accept His sacrifice as payment for their sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Only those who ultimately reject Yahweh despite full enlightenment will be burned up in a final lake of fire! Likewise, to fully and correctly understand the meaning of this Holy Day, it is very necessary to understand the doctrine of the resurrections of the dead and eternal judgement, as listed in Hebrews chapter 6. Being persuaded of the teachings of heaven and hell, as most commonly taught, with all being destined to their final reward immediately at death, a believer is thrown off course with regard to the fulfillment of this very important yearly Holy Day.

In closing, what is the Eighth Day or Last Great Day? The great meaning of this final festival is this: Every human being who has ever lived will receive the opportunity to know the only true Elohim and Yahshua Messiah whom he sent. Yahweh “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Yes, this Holy Day, then, pictures the time yet coming in Elohim Yahweh’s timetable when those who have never had full opportunity to accept Yahshua as Master and savior will be raised from their graves and given the final opportunity to truly learn the truth. This yearly Holy Day and other annual Holy Days give us an overview of His great plan for salvation. The fulfillment of these days is dependent upon the One who became a man, who died for our sins, who now sits at the right hand of the Father, and who will soon return to rule the world. His name is Messiah Yahshua. Yes, Yahweh is an Elohim of love. He will never allow any human being to be lost without first being given a fair opportunity to hear and understand the Gospel. He will even yet offer salvation to those who have gone to their graves without adequate knowledge of Him and His Begotten Son Yahshua Messiah. The very end part of this Holy day will bring upon humanity the final sentencing (judgement) referred to in places such as Hebrews 9:27. We can all read of this ultimate outcome in chapter 14 of Revelation, where we see the early harvest (firstfruits) in verses 1-5 and the ‘sheep-from-the-goats’ sheep harvest in the ‘white cloud’ reaping to Life in verses 14-16, followed by the goat harvest (the winepress of Elohim’s wrath) in verses 17-20. With these last-reaped consigned to the Lake of Fire (the Second Death), humans then living on earth will have attained ‘victory over death’, and the very institution of Death will be eliminated (Revelation 20:14). We hope this faithful message will give you hope and strengthen your faith to the Father in heaven. May you understand now the meaning and significance of this Holy Day. May the love and truth of Yahweh be with you always. May Yahweh bless those who are the doers of the Word and not hearers only. We humbly ask and pray for these things to Almighty Yahweh through Yahshua our Savior, Master and King, Amen. Halleluyah, Shalom!