NOTES ON SUKKOT 2026: FROM THE WILDERNESS OF “MEH” TO THE PROMISE OF MATURITY (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “He [Antichrist] will speak words against the Most High [God] and WEAR DOWN the saints of the Most High, and he will intend to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, [two] times, and half a time [three and one-half years]. But the court [of the Most High] will sit in judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, [first to be] consumed [gradually] and [then] to be destroyed forever. 

Then the kingdom and THE DOMINION and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints (believers) of the Most High; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’” – DANIEL 7:25-27, AMP

KEY TERMS.

• “WEAR DOWN.” ‘Belah’ [יְבַלֵּ֑א]: “To constantly afflict or engulf  with [disorder] in order to cause to ruin or fail.” NOTE: “בְּלָא occurs once in the Old Testament, within Daniel’s Aramaic Vision (Daniel 7:25). The term pictures: ‘The slow, grinding exhaustion of the Faithful under Hostile Rule—an Oppression that targets both body and spirit until strength seems spent.’”

• “THE DOMINION.” ‘Sholtan’ [וְשָׁלְטָנָ֜א]. “A masculine noun meaning [undisputed] Sovereignty.” NOTE: “The word occurs exclusively in the Aramaic sections of Daniel and always describes royal or ‘Divine Dominion’ that is exercised with unquestioned authority. Whether referring to the Most High or to earthly rulers: ‘The word conveys an Unassailable Rule that reaches “to the ends of the earth” (Daniel 4:22) and “will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14).’”

QUOTATION. “No Age of Life is inglorious. ‘Youth’ has its merits, but living to a ripe old age is the true statement of value. ‘Aging’ is the road that we take to discern our CHARACTER. Fame and fortune can elude us, but ‘Character is Immortal.’ We must encounter a sufficient variety of experiences including both failures and accomplishments in order to gain Nobility of Character.” ― KILROY J. OLDSTER, Dead Toad Scrolls, 2016; edited

SYNOPSIS. “‘Dead Toad Scrolls’ is a series of meditative personal essays written by a trial attorney who undergoes a midlife crisis. The Author is the husband of a wife who suffers from the aftermath of surviving Stage III breast cancer and the father of an intelligent teenage son. Dissatisfied with the practice of law – all the conflict and greed – that mars his pursuit of happiness and the attainment of self-realization, the author conducts an exhaustive review of his formative personal experience. Commencing with childhood remembrances, he studies what factors contributed to his evolving sense of SELF IDENTITY including formal and informal education, sports, work life, and recreational activities in: ‘An effort to understand WHY after achieving the supposed American Dream of financial security he is seriously contemplating ending his banal life devoted to combating the tedium of existence.’”

COMMENTARY. “‘WATCHMAN NEE explains that Satan wears down believers through slow, continuous, and invisible pressure rather than sudden, massive attacks.’ Satan does not destroy believers with a single, massive blow. Instead, he exhausts them minute by minute, day by day. Nee used an illustration from his time in Kuling [summer resort located on top of Mount Lu in Jiujiang, Jiangxi], where he saw a rock with a hole carved into it by the constant, daily dripping or grinding of small pebbles. Satan works on the human soul in the same persistent way. ‘The daily accumulation of small sorrows, mental harassment, and fatigue ultimately leads to a state of total depletion and waste if believers do not rely on God’s Sustaining Grace.’” – AI Overview of The Collected Works of Watchman Nee (Set 1) Vol. 10: The Present Testimony (3), 1992; edited

1. TEACHING

SUKKOT. The Central Purpose of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) is to commemorate the MIRACULOUS PROTECTION God provided for the Israelites during their 40 years of Wandering in the Desert after the Exodus from Egypt. It is a holiday rooted in ‘Remembrance, Gratitude, and Joy for the Lord’s sustained Provision for all their needs during their Long Ordeal.’ HOWEVER.  According to the Biblical Account, ONLY TWO ADULT MEN men who left Egypt as adults—Joshua and Caleb—survived the 40 years of Wilderness wandering to enter the Promised Land. The other 603,550 adults would die as a result of COWARDICE at Kadesh Barnea and the Golden Calf Event. Those under 20, 601,570, survived and reached Israel.

So it was on the early morning of Sunday, September 20, on Yom Kippur 2026, that I awoke fully rested and looking forward to the day. After walking Scout the Wonder Dog for about half an hour, I returned to my small study to begin prayer before setting to the day’s fairly light objectives (it was Sunday after all).

Then the strangest thing happened to me, within me, actually within me Regardless of the good night’s sleep, I suddenly felt, well, ‘listless,’ I guess you could say it. Tried to pray and the fire just wasn’t there. In fact, I didn’t even want to pray! And I told God so, with an apology.

After a few more attempts to shake off the listlessness, I just succumbed to it and blew off the entire morning, went up to a favorite diner for bacon, eggs and watermelon, then returned to the coffee shop where I do most of my work with the same lack of drive to do anything. And a word came to mind:

“MEH.”Meh is formally defined in major dictionaries like Collins English Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary as: “An interjection expressing INDIFFERENCE, APATHY, OR BOREDOM, and as an adjective meaning MEDIOCRE, UNINSPIRED, or SO-SO.”

As I began putting some of these unusual, and frankly surprising pieces of the yet still forming theological puzzle together, it began to occur to me that there is, methinks, a widespread PLAGUE OF “MEH” proliferating the entire American culture and especially the Christian Community.

THESIS. I am now convinced that it is a ‘Demonically Inspired Spirit’ that is driving many in the Church to simply IGNORE our Sacred Duty to be the Watchmen on the Wall, the Conscience of the Social Order, and the compassionate Servant of Christ to be at the ready to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others.

Even at the very time when the Holy Spirit is Building the True Remnant Church, the Temple of Christ in these Last Days, in Preparation for our Final Mission on the Earth, and the King’s Soon Return.’

DISOBEDIENCE. And it is Historic, Rebellious INDIFFERENCE to what God is doing in this Hour, that is the Primary Cause of the Church’s Great Falling Away of the End Times.

“Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a heart] that TURNS AWAY [‘aphistémi’ (ἀποστῆνα)-‘revolt, depart, apostatize’] from the living God. But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called ‘Today’ [and there is an opportunity], so that none of you will be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication].” – HEBREWS 3:12-14, AMP

So much once again for the Heresy of Once Saved Always Saved, the Bane of the American Evangelical Church today. Rooted in systematic theological Departures from a High View of Scripture over centuries, and Rejection of a Literalist-Futurist Hermeneutic beginning in the Early Church under Clement of Alexandria.

These details I have reviewed previously but suffice for now that we first Understand WHY this Indifference within the White Evangelical Church to the very imminent Collapse of the American Order remains strong. Second, then, the harder part: WHAT we can do individually to resist it taking hold in our own Christian lives and witness.

1.  THE EVANGELICAL APOSTASY

“‘We must take sides!’ Neutrality helps the Oppressor, never the Victim. Silence encourages the Tormentor, never the Tormented. ‘Sometimes we must interfere.’ When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that Place must – at that Moment – become the Center of the Universe.” – ELIE WIESEL, The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, The Accident, 1974; edited

Following my typical pattern of searching high and low for a theologically sound Biblical Framework to explain the current ‘Great Departure from Faith’ in America, I could not find a single one that accurately diagnosed the Crisis.

Well, actually, I did find one, but he hardly believed in anything else save for the precise understanding of the Evangelical Collapse (Dr. Joshua P. Steele).So fair warning if you look him up. Thus, we necessarily again turn to a more objective compendium of the research base by an AI Overview (ret. Sep. 21, 2026; edited).

MORAL INDIFFERENCE IN THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH. “[This insidious condition] has emerged as a central point of self-critique, cultural tension, and systemic concern. While Evangelicalism continues to see micro-growths and demographic shifts—such as a surprise surge among Gen Z men—internal and external observers point to an ‘Era of Spiritual and Ethical Apathy.’ This critique of Moral Indifference manifests through distinct institutional, cultural, and spiritual realities.

1. APATHY & DISCIPLESHIP. “A Core Symptom of Modern Moral Indifference is the sharp Decline in personal conviction regarding Active Faith. Data from research groups like Barna shows that roughly 70% of American Christians no longer feel a strong personal responsibility to share their Faith or actively Evangelize. Church analysts note that ‘Discipleship by Algorithm’—where believers consume hyper-individualized content rather than engaging in communal accountability—has fractured the Collective Moral Fiber of local congregations, replacing deep Biblical Conviction with ‘Comfortable Consumerism.’”  

• BURNOUT & ETHICAL COMPROMISE. “‘Institutional Moral Indifference is directly tied to a massive deficit in healthy Pastoral Leadership.’ Driven by political fragmentation and emotional exhaustion, the percentage of Pastors at high risk of burnout sits around 42%, causing many seasoned leaders to quietly exit ministry. When leadership pipelines collapse, churches increasingly tolerate Ethical Blindspots, Transactional Relationships, or ‘Bro-Cultures’to survive, leading to a General Complacency toward addressing Moral Failures from the Pulpit.”

• SELECTIVE JUSTICE & CULTURAL DECOUPLING. Evangelicalism faces ‘Deep Fractures’ regarding what actually constitutes a ‘Moral Crisis.’ Critics argue that parts of the Church display ‘Structural Indifference’ toward systemic societal issues, driving a notable Exodus of women and younger members’who feel churches prioritize Partisan Agendas over holistic, Biblical Justice. Conversely, Conservative Theologians argue that the Church’s Indifference lies in its gradual ‘Accommodation of Secular Cultural Mores’ regarding gender, life, and marriage—warning that many churches have traded Prophetic Clarity for Cultural Relevance.”

1. SUKKOT, CHRISTIANITY, AND THE LAST DAYS

This brings us to some of the most profound teachings found in the Words of God that link Sukkot with the strong call away from the SIN OF INDIFFERENCE. I turn to a wonderful source who is uniquely qualified to do that for us all.

DR. EITAN BAR. Born 1984, Tel Aviv, Israel, Dr. Bar is a Bible scholar, “Indie” author, evangelist to the Jewish people, and Israeli-Jewish follower of Jesus with multiple advanced degrees in Bible and theology. His unique background—being a Jewish native Hebrew speaker and possessing advanced Christian education—provides a fresh and timely perspective on Christian beliefs and doctrines. After spending over 20 years as a leader in a Fundamentalist Christian movement, Eitan deconstructed, becoming a truly ‘Free Thinker’ and an independent author of several books, including a few best-sellers. (Dr. Bar is an “Indie” author, meaning he chooses to stay independent and avoid traditional publishers for various reasons). 

The title of his insightful essay, “Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot): A Christian Perspective,” retrieved from in his personal Blog (Sep. 23, 2026; my 82^nd birthday). His remarks were adapted from his earlier book, The Jewish Feasts for Christians (2023). Here are his MAIN IDEAS.

• OPEN. “Marking the culmination of the sacred cycle of Jewish festivals, the Feast of Tabernacles, known in Hebrew as ‘Sukkot, guides believers into a profound season of Reflection, Rejoicing, and Spiritual Renewal.’ Occurring just five days after the solemn observances of Yom Kippur, Sukkot presents a striking yet harmonious contrast: Moving from Repentance to Celebration, from solemn Fasting to exuberant Thanksgiving. It underscores the rich tapestry of Israel’s religious experience, ‘Sukkot invites both Jews and Christians to contemplate the nature of Divine Provision, Protection, and Promise.’”

• ORIGINS. The ‘Roots of Sukkot’ stretch deep into the Biblical Narrative, originating in God’s Commands to the Israelites as recorded in Leviticus 23:33-43. God instructed His people to dwell in temporary shelters, or “sukkot,” for seven days as a memorial to their ancestors’ ‘Journey to Freedom through The Wilderness’ aftertheir Deliverance from Egyptian bondage. During that precarious time, the Israelites lived in makeshift dwellings, utterly dependent on God’s guidance, provision, and protection. ‘Thus, Sukkot stands as an enduring testimony to God’s unwavering Faithfulness.’” 

• CHRISTIANITY. “‘For Christians, Sukkot holds profound Spiritual Relevance. It offers a vivid reminder of God’s Faithful Provision, not only in Israel’s Wilderness Journey but also in the Ongoing Journey of every believer.’ Christians are called to trust in the Lord’s provision in the Wilderness Seasons of their own lives—the Times of Uncertainty, Transition, and Dependency. ‘Moreover, the New Testament underscores the Feast of Tabernacles significance through Jesus’ Participation, elevating its meaning for Christian reflection.’” 

• PERPETUALITY. “Beyond its historical remembrance, Sukkotcarries Prophetic weight. ‘The Prophet Zechariah envisioned a future in which ‘all nations’ would ascend to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles’ (Zechariah 14:16). This Vision points to a time when God’s Redemption will be fully realized, and His reign recognized by every nation. ‘For Christians, Sukkot thus becomes not only a look backward to God’s Faithfulness but also a look forward to the Ultimate Consummation of His Kingdom. It stirs Hope for the Day when, in the words of Revelation 21:3, ‘The dwelling place of God is with man,’ and He will ‘wipe away every tear.’”

• ETERNITY. “‘Sukkot, with its themes of Shelter, Provision, and Divine Presence, naturally points to the ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT of God’s Promises.’ Jewish tradition anticipates a Messianic Era of Universal Peace and Worship centered in Jerusalem. Christians see this longing fulfilled in Christ’s Return and the establishment of the New Jerusalem. In the Book of Revelation, we are given a glimpse of this Glorious Future: ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people’ (Revelation 21:3). The fragile sukkah finds its ultimate counterpart in the eternal, unshakable Presence of God with His people—a Presence inaugurated through Jesus and Consummated at the End of the Age.”

• LAST THOUGHTS

“‘Terrible things are happening outside.’ At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. They’re allowed to take only a knapsack and a little cash with them, and even then, they’re robbed of these possessions on the way. Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone … ‘Everyone is scared’” [January 13, 1943].– ANNE FRANK, The Diary of a Young Girl, 1947; edited

ON SILENCE. DIETRICH BONHOEFFER. This great man and Christian theologian, pastor and leader of the Christian Resistance in WWII German aggressively ‘Rejected Indifference,’ viewing it not just as a Failure of Empathy, but as a dangerous ‘Moral Failing and direct Complicity in Evil.’ As a German theologian who actively resisted the Nazi Regime, Bonhoeffer argued that Neutrality or Passive Observation in the face of suffering is a Destructive Act in itself. As with Elie Wiesel, Bonhoeffer is famously associated with the Principle that: ‘Neutrality does not exist during Moral Crises. He asserted that trying to remain a Passive Bystander is a conscious decision to side with the Oppressor.’

Indeed, beloved, he strongly advocated for something that is absolutely foreign to the Self-Centered, Materialist Evangelicals. He once wrote this, soaked in and surrounded by the Flame of Righteous Outrage at what Hitler was doing to the Jews:

“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself!” – “The Church and the Jewish Question,” 1933; edited

CODA. Beloved of the King, we are all about to be asked to move through what the Great Apostle called, “Perilous Times,” the likes of which have never been witnessed in all of human history. And we must be ready for them. We cannot remain on the sidelines a moment longer.

Such change in our lives and lifestyles begins with answering the same QUESTION the Lord asked of a young Prophet millennia ago:

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Listen carefully, this has touched your lips; your wickedness [your sin, your injustice, your wrongdoing] is taken away and your sin atoned for and forgiven.’

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, “HERE AM I. SEND ME!’” – ISAIAH 6:6-8, AMP

In effect, when we proclaim this, we ‘Cut a Covenant’ with God to follow Him anywhere He asks. And in return, He Provides all that we need to make this Final Journey just before He Arrives to both Judge the Nations, starting with His own Houses, and to Reward the Faithful.

While there is still a little time, beloved. Selah.

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/j-3xwtRV7gU