Tabernacles – Egypt and the nations versus Jerusalem

The Bible contains some secrets that can only be uncovered by reading the text carefully. One of these secrets concerns the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot).

Tabernacles is known as the worldwide feast when all the nations will come up to Jerusalem to worship Yeshua the Messiah of Israel. Zechariah 14:16 indeed proclaims this future prophetic day: “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations . . . will go up from year to year to worship the King, YHVH of armies, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”

There are some interesting and surprising nuggets toward the end of the Scroll of Zechariah, which we will look at now.

Present friends are future enemies

Modern politics can remind us of a fast-moving game of musical chairs. Today’s allies may have recently been our enemies, or vice-versa. The fast-spinning plates of democracies guarantee that presidents and prime ministers are replaced with alacrity. Yesterday’s president may have not been warmly disposed to us, and today’s leader may appear to be our dearest friend. But can we guarantee who will be sitting on tomorrow’s throne? Political equilibria never remain constant, so let us take care lest we fall into the temptation of ‘marrying the spirit of the age’ – the zeitgeist – and soon end up as widowers.

Over the decades some of my friends have aligned themselves too closely with leaders who swiftly vanished into the political fog. Presidents and policies shifted, and my friends soon discovered that they had placed their bets on shifting sands. Such dynamics certainly apply to the Middle East, where dictators rise and fall with stunning regularity. Yesterday Iran rocketed Qatar, while today both countries are kissing and making up.

The Scriptures grant us a stable and more sustainable viewpoint. They give us a longer term perspective, allowing us to weigh political Accords (whether they be Abrahamic, Camp David or Oslo) in light of the more sure prophetic word. A deeper look at Zechariah’s take on the Middle East and on the prophetic implications of the Feast of Tabernacles can help us navigate these rapids.

Last night I had the strangest dream

In 1950 American folk-singer Ed McCurdy wrote a ‘peace anthem’, later recorded by Simon & Garfunkel, Joan Baez and Johnny Cash:

• Last night I had the strangest dream I ever dreamed before
  I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war
  I dreamed I saw a mighty room, and the room was filled with men
  And the paper they were signing said they'd never fight again

• And when the papers were all signed and a million copies made
  They all joined hands end bowed their heads and grateful prayers were prayed
  And the people in the streets below were dancing round and round
  While swords and gun and uniforms were scattered on the ground

The wish for peace is strong in every age. But when we look at history through YHVH’s eyes, we see that the Hebrew prophets spoke of the sobering realities of ‘war, wars and rumors of war’ all increasing at the end of the age:

• “The pronouncement of the word of YHVH concerning Israel: YHVH who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of a person within him, declares: Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering to all the peoples around. And when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. It will come about on that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will injure themselves severely. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.” (Zechariah 12:1-3)

God’s sovereign plan involves breaking the strength of the world’s superpowers: “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured” (12:3a). This ‘Lord of the Rings’ battle will be intense, and all the nations of the world without exception will gather to attack the Jewish state (Zechariah 12:3). “And on that day, I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:9).

An international ‘October 7’

Zechariah 14:1-2 takes us a few steps back into the time tunnel, soberly prophesying a terrible day coming when all the nations attack Jerusalem, though the exact time sequence is not tied down. It describes an international military conquest of Jerusalem carried out by a global consortium. Like Hamas’ demonic atrocities of October 7, 2023, this international attack will involve vicious murder, indiscriminate sexual violence, destruction of buildings and houses, and mass exile of half of Jerusalem’s Jewish population (similar to Hamas’ recent cruel taking of hostages).

• “Behold, a day is coming for YHVH when the spoils taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be taken, the houses plundered, the women raped, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be eliminated from the city.”

The Spirit and the fountain

Zechariah 12:7 tells us that the God of Jacob will certainly rescue the Jewish people and deliver her armies from the surrounding enemy nations. YHVH will “save the tents of Judah, the House of David and … the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (12:7).

At that time, YHVH will also “pour out on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced. And they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn” (12:10).

This will result in a national spiritual and physical cleansing fountain for the Jewish people, and it will include a repentant recognition and acceptance of Messiah Yeshua: “In that day a fountain will be opened for the House of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity” (13:1).

Zechariah 13:2-6 describes a cleansing that the God of Jacob will then accomplish, removing from the Jewish people spiritual impurity and wickedness associated with idolatry (especially connected to New Age and Eastern religions and connected witchcraft).

The Hebrew army and the Twilight Zone

Zechariah 12-14 sketches out for us how YHVH will actively intervene on behalf of the Jewish people, strengthening them with a victorious warrior-anointing for the onset of battle: “In that day YHVH will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the House of David will be like God, like the Angel of YHVH before them” (12:8).

At that time, the God of Jacob will energize the destructive power of the armies of Israel, and will lead them to victory over their belligerent neighbors: “In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves. So they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples” (12:6; see also the term ‘surrounding peoples’ in Deuteronomy 25:19; Nehemiah 6:16; Ezekiel 16:57; Joel 3:11-12; Amos 3:11).

That day of victory will be a unique ‘Twilight Zone’ – a somber half-light/half-dusk that will cover the whole earth during that intense battle: “In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to YHVH, neither day nor night. But it will come about that at evening time there will be light” (Zechariah 14:6-7).

The Second Coming of Messiah Yeshua

At the height of the battle, Messiah Yeshua will personally return to David’s City as Warrior King, ruling over the nations from Jerusalem, the Jewish world capital: “Then YHVH will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east” (Zechariah 14:3-4)

Immediately after the battle, a brand-new river will gush forth from underneath the Temple Mount, flowing southward toward Jerusalem and then west to the Mediterranean Sea and east to the Dead Sea (making the latter come alive): “And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea. It will be in summer as well as in winter” (Zechariah 14:8; see also Ezekiel 47:7-12).

YHVH’s plague upon the nations who attacked Jerusalem

At the conclusion of that holy battle, the God of Isaac will personally smite all the nations of the world which militarily attacked the Jewish state:

• “Now this will be the plague with which YHVH will strike all the peoples that have gone to war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. It will come about in that day that a great panic from YHVH will fall on them. And they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another. Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps” (Zechariah 14:12-15).

Egypt’s coming judgments in light of her anti-Semitic violence

The Hebrew prophets speak specific words of judgment over Egypt (more than over all other nations except Babylon) regarding YHVH’s divine verdict against that nation because of their evil heart-attitude toward Israel and their cruel treatment of the sons of Jacob:

• “Egypt will become a wasteland, and Edom will become a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, in whose land they have shed innocent blood” (Joel 3:19)
• “The land of Judah will become a cause of shame to Egypt. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in great fear because of the plan of YHVH of armies which He is making against them. On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to YHVH of armies; one will be called ‘the City of Destruction’” (Isaiah 19:17-18)
• “Even Egypt, whose help is vain and empty. Therefore, I have called her ‘Rahab who has been exterminated’” (Isaiah 30:7)

For more resources on Egypt’s prophetic future in the Scriptures, we suggest reading:

• Egypt – A Broken Reed in the Middle of the Highway (September 5, 2024)
• Egypt’s Prophetic Future (September 7, 2024)
• The Isaiah 19 Highway – Prophecies Amidst the Potholes (May 27, 2016)

So you wanna go back to Egypt?

Egypt was the country chosen by God within which Israel would take shelter in the days of Joseph. It was there, in the Land of Ham (see Psalm 105:23,27), that the Jewish people increased from 70 souls (Genesis 46:27; Deuteronomy 10:22) to over three million (based on Numbers 2:32-33).

Egypt was the first nation which tried to commit genocide against the Jewish people (Exodus 1:22). It is described in the Bible as “the House of slavery” (Exodus 13:3) and was known for its harsh and abusive treatment of Israel (Deuteronomy 26:6). It would be the country to which Israel would again be exiled in slavery (Deuteronomy 28:68), an event amazingly fulfilled in 70 AD. It was a country steeped in idolatry, and the Ten Plagues targeted by YHVH were a divine take-down of different Egyptian demonic powers (Exodus 12:12).  It was known as a land of “harmful diseases” (Deuteronomy 7:15; 28:27). It was listed as a country of abominations along with the ten other nations of Genesis 15:19-21 (Ezra 9:1).

But nowhere in the Bible does the God of Israel classify Egypt as a Semitic country or as an Abrahamic country. Instead, it is a country which considered the Jewish people as aliens (Deuteronomy 23:7). Egypt’s forefather was not Shem but Ham (Genesis 10:6). The biblical context for an ‘Isaiah 19 Highway’ is actually not three Abrahamic nations or three Semitic nations. The only Abrahamic nation listed in Isaiah 19:24-25 is Israel.

Future prophesied war between Egypt and Israel

Isaiah prophesies future battles between Egypt and the Jewish state. “The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of YHVH of armies which He is purposing against them” (Isaiah 19:17). Egypt will soberly commemorate their own defeat at the hand of Israel, and will even have five dedicated cities where Hebrew will be spoken. One of these cities will commemorate the destructive battles of Isaiah 19:18.

In light of this ongoing enmity still in many Egyptian hearts toward the Jewish people (even in our day), Zechariah shows how this will play itself out in the coming Days of Messiah. He connects this future judgment of Egypt to the coming worldwide celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles:

• “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, YHVH of armies, and to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, YHVH of armies, there will be no rain on them. If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them. It will be the plague with which YHVH smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot” (Zechariah 14:16-19).

It is instructive to note that, in this passage, Egypt is used as an example of a recalcitrant nation, one which in days to come will still not have repented of its anti-Jewish heart. “This will be the punishment of Egypt” is the prophetic declaration, though room is left in that future roster for other nations.

• The solution to Egypt’s anti-Jewish heart comes through a combination of military defeat/destruction at the hand of Israel, and a heart-felt repentance toward YHVH the God of the Hebrews. This same principle can be applied to all nations in the world, especially to those in the Middle East. It should guide us as we intercede for the Jewish people and their ‘surrounding neighbors.’

• Today and in the immediate future, the nations of this world are rapidly turning against Israel. We are not yet at the point where these nations have moved into repentance and have embraced God’s heart for Israel and His restoration of the Jewish people

Cold Egyptian peace, hostile Egyptian heart

The Camp David Peace Accords that followed Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem in November 1977 have remained cold. Trade and tourism between the countries have been limited, ideological hostility endures, and over the years the bitter tone of Egyptian rhetoric has even intensified.

IDF Lt. Col. (res.) Eli Dekel, Researcher of Israeli Intelligence and Infrastructure Systems in Arab Countries, states plainly: “It is not really cold peace as Israelis like to define it, but more like a cold war between the countries with no shots being fired. What we are seeing is a marked deterioration in comments made in Egyptian media and by officials. Since the war, the amount of loathing and hate has skyrocketed.”

Mariam Wahba, Research Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, adds: “Public diplomacy has grown increasingly confrontational, with Cairo adopting sharper rhetoric, pursuing legal and diplomatic pressure against Israel, and expressing concern over the trajectory of the war in Gaza.”

When sabers rattle on the Nile

“From the day the [Camp David] peace agreement was signed, it was temporary in the eyes of the Egyptians,” Lt. Col. (res.) Eli Dekel says. “There are currently four times more forces than agreed to along the border.”

On September 20, 2025 Netanyahu asked U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to persuade Egypt to reverse runway extensions at Egyptian air bases in the Sinai (which would allow them to be used by fighter jets), and to cease from constructing underground facilities which could be used for storing and firing Egyptian missiles – to no avail.

On February 5, 2026 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that “the Egyptian army is getting stronger and we need to monitor it” to prevent excessive buildup.

These repeated warnings highlight a longstanding Israeli security principle: the 1979 Camp David peace depends on a carefully managed balance. Any significant military improvement by Egypt, even if it is incorrectly labeled ‘defensive justification,’ is seen in Jerusalem as a gradual dismantling of the Treaty’s demilitarized buffer zone.  Egypt’s military preparations contradict the view that this Islamic state is a status-quo player with Israel, driven solely by defense.

Buildup in the Sinai

As Egypt re-arms at an disturbing pace and continues to violate the Camp David treaty’s military annex, weapons smuggling across the border (being carried out with the help of Bedouin networks in the western Negev) has actually intensified.

According to IDF Colonel (res.) Prof. Gabi Siboni and Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Winner in the October 30, 2025 issue of The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, October 30 2025:

• “Open-source intelligence assessments indicate that Egypt began violating the treaty almost immediately after it was signed. The Egyptian army operated under a defensive doctrine but constructed fortifications, minefields, and bases throughout Sinai; doubled the number of bridging battalions; and established radar stations that cover the entire peninsula—all in breach of the agreement. In doing so, Egypt expanded its military infrastructure well beyond the limits set by the security annex… [Egyptian President] El-Sisi’s rule, beginning in 2014, has been characterized by a dramatic strengthening of Egypt’s armed forces, now numbering some 450,000 regular troops and 800,000 reservists… El-Sisi has ignored the treaty’s limits on the deployment of forces and equipment in Sinai, constructing additional tunnels and bridges across the Suez Canal, expanding the peninsula’s road network – which, though used by civilians, would enable rapid troop movement if required – and reinforcing forces in Zones B and C. In 2025, during a visit by Western Command near the Libyan border, Egypt’s Defense Minister spoke of Cairo’s “readiness to block maritime routes to Israel.” … Since 2020, evidence has mounted that the Egyptian army is shifting from a defensive to an offensive posture in Sinai. Indicators include a 30-percent increase in combat unit strength; the relocation – at great expense – of munitions depots from west of the Nile and the construction of new depots, including underground storage facilities, in Sinai and along the western bank of the Suez Canal. These facilities are capable of storing hundreds of ballistic missiles, including Scuds capable of reaching central Israel … Israel’s willingness to tolerate Egypt’s ongoing and widening violations of the peace treaty’s military annex stems from two main factors: the need to enable Cairo’s fight against ISIS and Egypt’s central role in implementing the agreement with Hamas . . . Still, if there is one lesson from October 7, it is the imperative to be prepared in the face of capabilities of potential adversaries and not to be caught by surprise… [by a] regime that has, for years, systematically violated the peace treaty’s military annex with regard to Sinai. The Egyptian army continues to view the IDF as its benchmark threat in training and planning.”

 Egypt’s Octagon – bigger than the Pentagon

A July 8, 2026 article in the Jerusalem Post asks the question: “Should Israel be concerned about Egypt’s massive new ‘Octagon’ military command headquarters?”

On Saturday, July 4, 2026 Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated Egypt’s new State Strategic Command Center (known as ‘The Octagon’) in the New Administrative Capital just east of Cairo. This is the headquarters for the Egyptian Ministry of Defense, and is the largest both in the Middle East and in the entire world:

• “The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, covers about 29 acres as a building, while the wider Pentagon reservation is also far smaller than the Egyptian complex. The Pentagon has about 6.5 million square feet of floor space. The Octagon has been reported to have about 50.5 million square feet, or roughly 4.6 million square meters, of floor area, making it several times larger by built space and vastly larger by overall site area.”

According to the Al-Ain news agency of the United Arab Emirates, the architecture of the Octagon is influenced by ancient Egyptian architecture, using [support] pillars in a Pharaonic style: “The design was inspired in its architecture by the greatness of ancient Egyptian civilization.”

Balancing our Tabernacles vision

As followers of Messiah Yeshua, we rejoice in the coming fulfilment of prophecy – especially as it applies to Sukkot/Tabernacles. We also accept the sobering context and process which will lead to that fulfilment. We are not talking about a future ‘Middle-East peace process,’ but a Middle-East war process. It will not be a ‘World Union’ of ‘United International States.’ It will not be a ‘Two State solution’, an ‘Oslo solution’ or a ‘UN solution.’ It will not be a jihadi solution or a ‘Shi’ite Crescent’ solution. Only through the decisive and divine defeat of Israel’s enemies, and the destruction of every weapon raised up against Jacob’s people (see Isaiah 54:17) – will there be peace. It is within this prophetic context that the mighty army of Ezekiel 37 (Ezekiel 37:9-11) will fulfil its long-awaited calling. The spiritual zenith of this glorious process will come about when Israel opens her arms to Messiah Yeshua our Deliverer, our Rescuer and our Atonement.

The high point of all the Jewish holidays

Sukkot/Tabernacles/Booths is a multifaceted Jewish holiday, zooming in on two biblical principles:

• “So that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am YHVH your God” (Leviticus 23:43)

• “You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths for seven days when you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat. And you shall rejoice in your Feast, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow who are in your towns. For seven days you shall celebrate a Feast to YHVH your God in the place which YHVH chooses, because YHVH your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful” (Deuteronomy 16:13-15)

How shall we then pray?

• Pray for the people of Egypt to call upon the God of Israel and repent for their centuries-long hatred of Israel
• Pray for the political leaders of your own country – that they would receive a revelation of these divine realities and respond in obedience
• Pray for believers in Yeshua everywhere to receive biblical and Spirit-breathed revelation about these matters, and to walk in obedience to these biblical truths
• Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth!

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

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