Here is an interesting article written by the late Herman Hoeh of the
Worldwide Church of God

Feast of Tabernacles Dates Crucifixion

by Herman L. Hoeh

Almost everyone has overlooked the fact that the Bible dates the
ministry of Christ and the year of the crucifixion. How?

By preserving the story of the last Feast of Tabernacles during the
ministry of Jesus! The apostle John spent almost one fifth of his his
gospel account on it. The episode we are about to read begins in John,
chapter 7, and continues through chapter 10, verse 21. Turn to it in
your Bible and see how the Bible dates the event.

What John Records

The background of this historic Festival is found in John 7:1: "After
this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea,
because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jew's feast of Tabernacles
was at hand" (Revised Standard Version).

It was seven months before the Passover and crucifixion, and already
the leaders in Judea were looking for a chance to kill Jesus. Even
Jesus' brothers were upset with him.They said sarcastically to Jesus:

" 'Surely no one can hope to be in the public eye if he works in
seclusion. If you really are doing such things as these, show yourself
to the world.' "(verse 4, New English Bible). Jesus in fact was not
attempting to be in the public eye ---but his brothers did not know
that.

Jesus said to his brothers, "Go ye up unto the feast; I go not up yet
into this feast; for my time is not yet full come" (verse 8, Authorized
Version). Modern translations erroneously omit the final *yet* in
Jesus' words, "I go not up *yet* unto this feast." With this answer
Jesus remained behind in Galilee.

To continue: "But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he
also went up, not publicly but in private" (verse 10, RSV). The apostle
John refers to this impending Festival in 7:2 as the "Jews' feast of
tabernacles." The Festival is also *God's* Feast of Tabernacles. He
ordained it.

But since the Jews were a nation as well as a congregation , it had
become a national festival, celebrated with special temple ceremonies
and national customs. "About the middle of the Feast Jesus went up into
the temple and taught. The Jews marveled at it, saying, 'How is it that
this man has learning when he has never studied?' " (verses 14-15,
RSV).

Of course Jesus studied! But he had not studied as a student of the
Pharisees or Sadducees. At the age of 12, Jesus had been found by his
parents "sitting among the teachers, listening them questions; and all
who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers" (Luke
2:46-47, RSV).

Jesus answered his critics that fourth day of the Feast by saying: "My
doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his
will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I
speak of myself...Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you
keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?" (John 7:16, 17, 19, AV).

Jesus' teaching came from God. He appealed to the law as the basis of
true character. He challenged those who harbored murderous thoughts
contrary to the law. They, in turn, to justify themselves, accused
Jesus of being demon possessed (verse 20).

For the next two days the people discussed among themselves whether
Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Messiah. " 'When the Christ appears,'
"When the Christ appears, ' " they said, " 'will he do more signs than
this man has done?' " (verse 31, RSV).

The Controversy Heightens

John continues, "The Pharisees heard the crowd thus muttering about
him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him"
(verse 32). When the officers came into the presence of Jesus and heard
him speak, they were immensely impressed. It was now the seventh day of
the Feast of Tabernacles.

(The Feast of Tabernacles is a seven-day festival. It is followed by an
eighth day, which is an annual Holy Day. This eighth day---see
Leviticus 23:36, last half---has no specific name in the Old
Testament.)

On this seventh day or last day of the Feast of Tabernacles a great
cosing celebration occurred in the temple ceremonies. Quantities of
water were drawn in public view, and poured out, in anticipation of the
final or eighth day of the Festival season.

The ceremony commemorated an event recorded in I Samuel 7:5-6. There we
read that Samuel the prophet, apparently at the time of the Feast of
Tabernacles, gathered the people to Mispah. (This was before the temple
of Solomon was built in Jerusalem.) Samuel then "drew water, and poured
it out before the Lord."

The Jews gad repeated this traditional ceremony, amid great celebration
on the seventh day of the Feast. Jesus stood up about the end of the
day to expound on the meaning of the pouring out of the water (John
7:37). He proclaimed: " 'If any one thirst, let him come to me and
drink. He who believes in me, as the scriptures has said, 'Out of his
heart shall flow rivers of living waters.' "

The apostle John explains to his readers what Jesus meant---and what,
in fact, this joyous ceremony signified, "Now this he said about the
Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the
Spirit had not been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified"
(verse 37, last half, to 39, RSV).

Jesus' gospel reveals the way of salvation, the way to eternal life.
Man is born mortal, fleshly. He has no eternal life naturally abiding
in him. He needs the Spirit of the immortal, ever-living God.

That Spirit is made availible to humans through Jesus Christ, who
offered himself for the sins of the world, was buried and resurrected,
ascended to God the Father, is glorified and now, as high priest and
our personal advocate, ministers for us at the throne of God.

This was Jesus' message in anticipation of the eighth day, which
Christians came to call the "Last Great Day." This final annual Holy
Day pictures a time when the government of God is established all over
the earth.

Salvation will be opened to the whole world. Those who are now called
and chosen will rule with Christ not only for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4),
symbolized by the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, but also
during the judgement, at the time of second resurrection (Rev.
20:11-12). This Last Great Day pictures a great event, when all who
have lived died in spiritual ignorance will come to a knowledge of the
truth and to salvation. Out of the saints' innermost being will flow
rivers of spiritual water, covering the world.

When the officers heard these words of Jesus, they returned that
evening to the chief priests and Pharisees without having apprehended
Jesus (John 7:45). " 'Why did you not bring him?' " demanded the chief
priests and Pharisees. "The officers answered, 'No man ever spoke like
this man.' " (verse 46).

Attempting to Trap Jesus

Now we turn to the *Authorized Version*, beginning verse 53 of chapter
7. "And every man went unto his own house." The account continues with
verse 1 of chapter 8: "Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early
in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came
unto him; and he sat down, and taught them."

After a night's rest the people were again at Jesus' feet eager to hear
him. It was the morning of the last Festival of the year, the eighth
day (the day we now call the Last Great Day), which immediately
followed the seven-day Festival of Tabernacles.

Hardly had Jesus begun to teach when the scribes and Pharisees entered.
They hatched a plan during the night to trap Jesus so they might have
cause to arrest him.

With them as they entered was a woman who had been found committing
adultery. Instead of privately help to overcome her sin, they made a
public spectacle of her. "Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned," they announced, "but what sayest thou?" (verse 5).

Jesus' discerning answer was his message of the Holy Day. "He that is
without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (verse 7,
AV).

Humilated, the scribes and Pharisees left one by one, beginning with
the eldest. "Woman," said Jesus, "where are those thine accusers? hath
no man condmned thee?" When she responded, "no man, Lord, " Jesus said,
"Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

This account of the woman taken in adultery is wrongly deleted, or
mistakenly placed in footnote, in modern versions. It is a vital part
of the story.

Then Jesus began to explain to the people who had witnessed this ugly
scene, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (verse 12, AV).
Those millions of human beings who throughout history have lived and
died in spiritual darkness will indeed see the light of truth---after
the millennium in a second resurrection.

As Jesus was explaining this, the Pharisees in Jesus' audience took
offense (verse 13). They accused Jesus of bearing false
testimony---that his gospel was a lie and of the devil.

"Jesus replied, 'If I glory myself, that glory of mine is worthless. It
is the Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, 'He is our God,'
though you do not know him. But I know him; if I said that I did not
know him I should be a liar like you. But in truth I know him and obey
his word. . . They picked up stones to throw at him" (John 8:54-59,
NEB).

We pick up the account in the *Authorized Version*: "But Jesus hid
himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them,
and so passed by. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind
from his birth" (John 8:59; 9:1). Jesus put clay on his eyes and healed
the man. The blind man, now healed, was whisked before the Pharisees.

The apostle John takes special note of the time this healing occurred:
"And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his
eyes" (John 9:14, AV). (See also verse 16.) So the day that followed
the seventh or last day of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles was not
only an annual Holy Day, but also the weekly Sabbath.

This pinpoints it to the autumn of A.D. 30. In that year the last Holy
Day, the eighth day occurred on the Sabbath, October 7. This date
corresponds with the exact date on the fixed Jewish calendar for that
year. But the eighth day did not fall on a Sabbath in A.D. 29---as
required by those who assume a crucifixion in A.D. 30---nor on a
Sabbath in A.D. 32 as required by official Catholic tradition that
presumes a crucifixion in A.D. 33.

The next spring (A.D. 31) the Passover and crucifixion fell on a
Wednesday. Such a combination of the eighth or Last Great Day on a
Sabbath and the Passover on a Wednesday occurred at no other time in
Jesus' ministry! Nor would such a combination be possible at any time
in Jesus' ministry if the *later*, temporary Pharisaic and Rabbinic
custom of observation of the new moon were in force during Jesus'
ministry.

John's account of this final Feast of Tabernacles' season in Jesus'
ministry is vital not only in revealing Jesus' messages on these
days---and therefore the meaning of these autumn Festivals in God's
plan---but also in dating precisely his ministry and the crucifixion to
the very year (A.D. 31) and to the very day of the week (Wednesday).