Camp Meeting!
What is the greatest camp meeting of all time?
For over a decade, I spent a week each year going to the Camp Meeting put on by Kenneth Hagin Ministries here in Tulsa.
Camp Meeting was the highlight of the year for many people. There would be various ministers who ministered during the three sessions per day.
Some sessions consisted entirely as praise and worship. Some sessions were focused on teaching about various subjects in the Book of Truth (The Bible). Some sessions were focused on preaching salvation to those who had not come into the House of Truth. Some sessions were focused on baptizing the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) in the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost), so they could start producing the sound of power.
Some sessions were focused on the Spirit of Truth delivering people from all kinds of things that had kept them bound, like addictions. People would frequently pass out as an addict, and then come to as someone who had no more interest in doing what they had been addicted to doing, than they had in picking up a piece of dog poop and eating it.
My favorite sessions at Camp Meeting were focused on allowing the Spirit of Truth to operate as needed.
These usually started out in some other way, but it when it became apparent that the Spirit of Truth wanted to change the focus, then we followed the leading of the Spirit of Truth for that session. You never really knew how this was going to turn out.
Sometimes, messages were given to people by the Spirit of Truth that were usually either knowledge about what was going on their lives, or wisdom about a difficult decision that they had to make. Sometimes, there was a message for all of the Children of Truth about a future event that we needed to prepare for.
Not every message was a happy message. Some were dire warnings about specific disasters that were given to specific people, unless they repented quickly of specific sins that were sometimes named. Some told of events that would soon come upon America, and how to prepare for those events, if necessary.
In those ten years, I do not remember one of these messages that was not 100% accurate.
Sometimes, the Spirit of Truth would move in miraculous ways. Sometimes, people would be instantly cured of cancer and other diseases that were beyond the ability of medical science to cure. Sometimes, the lame would walk, the blind would see, and the deaf would hear. In fact, about the only thing that I did not hear of, or personally witness happening, was people growing back missing body parts or people being raised from the dead.
Sometimes, the Spirit of Truth would just move upon all of the Children of Truth who was there.
Several times, a supernatural love came over the crowd, and they gave enough money to one of the Children of Truth to completely wipe out all of their debt that had been accumulated over years of hardship. Sometimes, a holy reverence would come over the crowd and not one of the ten thousand attendees would make a sound, or leave their seats, except for the ones in the front rows who laid down with their face to the ground. Sometimes, everyone would just start acting drunk - with some laughing uncontrollably, while others went around weeping and hugging every person they saw. Sometimes, the crowd would be so overcome with a sense of mourning over their sins, where they would start crying, confessing their sins, and making restitution to those whom they had wronged. Sometimes, the crowd would be so overwhelmed with the joy of their salvation that they would jump, dance, sing, clap their hands, yell, do back flips, take off running, and anything else that people do to express joy - even the elderly men and women!
There were also amazing services that the youth attended.
It would not be an exaggeration to say, that several hundred of them got the call to be missionaries and the like at Camp Meeting. Many of them are still active today in carrying out the mission that they were given then.
The supernatural power of the Spirit of Truth prevailed among the children as well.
Those who were in charge of the children were not there to just watch them while their parents were encountering the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD). They were there to lead the children into encountering the Father of Truth for themselves.
My daughter Miranda came into the House of Truth at Camp Meeting when she was three years old, and has never strayed from her decision, because one of the children ministers believed that a three year old could make a decision to follow the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ). Sometimes, the evening service would go extra long and none of the babies would get cranky or anything like that. Instead, a supernatural atmosphere of peace would prevail and they would all just sit quietly in the arms of the nursery workers.
Camp Meeting was open to the public and completely free.
Anyone was welcome to attend and every kind of person did. The rich and famous, prostitutes and the homeless, average men and women, all showed up. People of every skin color and ethnicity showed up. People from around the world showed up. People from around the block showed up.
Camp Meeting was a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
Camp Meeting was just the most spectacular event of the year!
Still the name "Camp Meeting" seemed a little odd the first time I went, because we met in a convention center. No one was camping there in downtown Tulsa, except maybe the homeless. Many people stayed at the Double Tree hotel across the street from the convention center, while many people just drove there from their homes. The "camp" in "Camp Meeting" seemed to be missing.
Then I learned, why it was called "Camp Meeting".
It was not called "Camp Meeting", because we actually all met in a camp and slept in tents. It was called "Camp Meeting", because it was met to bring the same atmosphere as the camp meetings that used to occur all across America to a younger generation.
My grandmother had went to some of these camp meetings when she was young.
The camp meetings that she had attended in Arkansas during the 1920's and 1930's, were put on by the Methodists. Still, many of the same elements were present. She would tell about me about how in late summer or early fall, entire communities spread across several counties would all converge at one place with every family living in tents. Then an evangelist would lead the camp meeting for eight days, starting on a Sunday morning and ending on the night of the following Sunday.
During the camp meeting people would hear the teaching of the Word of Truth from the Book of Truth.
The evangelist would preach with such conviction that people would tremble violently. People would repent and get baptized in the nearest river as quickly as possible. People would play music and sing, but not like they did in their regular weekly service. They would just go wild, playing their fiddles and other bluegrass instruments as hard and as loud as they could. They would sing so loud that people passing by on the nearest road would stop their journey, and come into the camp to see what was going on. It was a time of great repenting over sin and great rejoicing over salvation.
Their camp meeting was a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
Their camp meeting was just the most spectacular event of the year.
These camp meetings were a continuation of an American phenomenon that had been going on since at least the 1790's. They were a key part of the Second Great Awakening. Circuit evangelists like Charles Grandison Finney would preach at various camp meetings throughout the year, and entire cities would turn away from wickedness to serve the Father of Truth. One of the Methodists camp meetings was so loud that a city fifteen miles away heard the commotion! Most of the town came to see what was going on, and everyone of them surrendered their lives to the Man of Truth!
Sometimes these camp meetings were called brush arbor meetings. They were called this, because the services occurred in a booth with a flat roof made of tree branches that had been cut down for this meeting. Some of these booths were so large that they would contain many rows of benches forming a small church building. Typically, these booths would be expanded to fit the size of the crowd. In some cases, there would be several booths with different activities going on at the same time.
These camp meetings were a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
These camp meetings were just the most spectacular event of the year!
The original camp meetings in America were started by Scots and Scotch-Irish settlers. They adapted a traditional meeting among the Presbyterians of Scotland, northern Ireland, and the counties of England that bordered Scotland, which were called "holy fairs".
Holy fairs frequently happened during Communion Season as an eight day celebration in the fall, after all of the crops had been harvested. Holy fairs typically began on Monday one week and then ran until the next Monday.
Communion Season was not a single eight day period, but rather a period of about six weeks in duration when different holy fairs occurred at different locations. This period began as early as mid September and ended as late as about a week before the last day of October.
The Scots would set up special booths each year on the first Monday to hold the speakers and musicians who ministered to the crowds over the next seven days. These booths were also usually taken down after the closing activities of the second Monday were concluded, typically after sunset. The crowds would also spend all eight days in tents or booths as well.
Also on the first Monday, the start of the holy fair was heralded with the blowing of trumpets throughout fair grounds. This helped everyone to know where to go to meet together with the Father of Truth. The sound of trumpets could be heard for miles.
The official clergy of the Church of Scotland would rarely attend these holy fairs. In fact, they were often convened by all of the congregations in a county at one central location. Many of these congregations were poor, so the Church of Scotland did not even bother to so much as assign a circuit preacher to entire their county.
So guest speakers, like circuit evangelists and teachers, would come from other places to preach the Good News, and to teach people how to live out their faith. Some of them would preach messages of repentance and many people would turn from their wicked ways. On Friday, commonly called "Question Day", the guest speakers would spend the day answering questions from the crowd.
At other times, the lay people would read from the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) out loud and then they would have discussions about what they read. They would also have praise meetings that featured ecstatic music, loud joyful singing, and wild energetic dancing. There were also times when the Spirit of Truth would move upon the entire crowd in spectacular ways.
Certain days were devoted entirely to activities similar to those of the camp meetings in America.
These days were usually the first Monday when it started, Thursday, when there was a day long fast, Communion Sunday, when the entire community would take their annual communion (hence the name "Communion Season"), and the last Monday when it ended.
On the other days, during the day and evening, people would also display the best of their crops and live stock. They would also sell hand crafted items and home made works of art out of booths and tents. It was also a time of playing various games with each other.
Also, on all of the days except for the first Monday, and Thursday, people would eat special "fair food" that was typically only available during a holy fair. The fair food vendors were not allowed to sell their food on the four days devoted entirely to the Father of Truth. So people typically brought food with them for the first day of the holy fair, and then bought extra fair food on the days that proceeded the days when the vendors could not sell anything.
The traditions of the holy fairs of Scotland, which were usually county wide, not only gave rise to camp meetings in America, but also to county fairs in America. These county fairs still frequently occur in the same period as the Communion Season. Many of the fair food vendors typically sold food at different county holy fairs during the Communion Season, similar to how many fair food vendors sell food at different county fairs during fair season today.
However in Scotland, these traditions were all part of the same eight day celebration in each county.
So the holy fairs were a time of great rejoicing as well as a time of great repentance. People met together, had fun together, and gave special attention together to the things that pertained to the Father of Truth.
These holy fairs were a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
These holy fairs were just the most spectacular event of the year!
These holy fairs had their roots in Celtic Christianity in its original form. Several different festivals, that were originally celebrated over a three week span each fall, came to be celebrated during a single eight day long festival.
It is no mystery what those original festivals were. The detractors of Saint Patrick left a record, of how his followers had been celebrating these festivals that were not part of the official religious calendar of the False Church of Rome. He had instead taught them to celebrate the same festivals and observe the same days that the Apostles of Truth had celebrated and observed.
The festivals and customs that the Scots originally celebrated and practiced were the same ones that Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) had celebrated and practiced (Acts 21:20-26).
These customs of these festivals were changed in some ways, while keeping many of their original characteristics, to be combined together into the holy fairs.
These Scots did not allow commerce to be carried out on Communion Sunday, because they never allowed any commerce, or any unnecessary work, to be done on any Sunday.
They were in the habit of giving one day a week to the Father of Truth. They spent each Sunday engaged in activities necessary to rest, carry out the Great Commission, and take care of other people, so they were never bored on the Sabbath. They did this, because they thought that the Sabbath had been changed to Sunday. Most of them did not have the means necessary to determine who changed the Sabbath. They were keeping the Sabbath to the best of their understanding, because the Sabbath is when the Apostles of Truth met with congregations to tell them about the Man of Truth (Acts 13:42-44).
These Scots blew trumpets at the beginning of the holy fair to announce the beginning of their Fall festival season. This day of blowing trumpets and meeting together was originally held on the day after the new moon became visible, when that day was no earlier than two weeks before the last of the crops would be harvested.
The Apostle of Truth had kept the Feast of Trumpets on this day and treated it the same as the Sabbath, because that was what was commanded in the Law of Truth (Leviticus 23:24). The Apostles of Truth had told them in the Renewed Covenant, that the sound of the trumpet would signal that it was time for the Children of Truth to be gathered together to meet with the Man of Truth (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
The Scots fasted together during the holy fair, so they could learn the fastest way to victory! They originally fasted on the same day every year as the Apostles of Truth had fasted.
The Apostle of Truth had fasted on the Day of Atonement every year that was commanded in the Law of Truth, which was nine days after the Feast of Trumpets and treated the same as the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:27). This was "the Fast" that Paul the Jew and all of the Apostles of Truth had kept every year (Acts 27:9).
The Scots selected Thursday as the day to fast, because that was one of the two days that the Pharisees fasted every week (Luke 18:11-12). Paul the Jew had continued to identify himself as a Pharisee, long after he came into the House of Truth (Acts 23:6). So Paul the Jew had continued to do this, all during his ministry to the Gentiles (2 Corinthians 11:27).
The other day of the week that Paul the Jew fasted every week was Monday, when the holy fair began and ended.
The Scots had their holy fair for eight days, after the last of their crops had been harvested, because that is what the Apostles of Truth had done.
The Apostles of Truth had congregated together for eight days for the Feast of Tabernacles, after all of the crops had been harvested, and fourteen days after the Feast of Trumpets, with the first and eighth days being treated the same as the Sabbath as commanded in the Law of Truth (Leviticus 23:39). This was the same Feast of Tabernacles that the Man of Truth attended in Jerusalem each year (John 7:2-10).
So the Scots had originally met together for the Sabbath each week. They originally met in the Fall over a three week period. During this three week period, they met together for the Feast of Trumpets, then they met nine days later to fast together on the Day of Atonement, and finally camped together in tents and booths for the Feast of Tabernacles. Over the centuries, they combined all of these elements together into a single eight day festival, which they called a holy fair.
The Scots treated the first and eighth day of the holy fair the same as the Sabbath, except for putting up tents and booths on the first day, because that is what was done on the first and last days of the Feast of Tabernacles. They announced the start of the holy fair with the blowing of trumpets, because the Feast of Trumpets announced the beginning of the Feasts of Truth each Fall. They fasted on a set day during the holy fair, because everyone fasted on the Day of Atonement. They gave met together for communion on Sunday, because they had been led to believe, that Sunday was the Sabbath when they were to meet together every week. They started each holy fair on a Monday and ended on a Monday, because they were commemorating how Paul the Jew had fasted on every Monday. They selected Thursday for the day of the Fast during the holy fair, because Paul the Jew had fasted every Thursday.
This transformation of these festivals and customs into those of the holy fair by the Scots was probably due in part to a lack of access to the entire Book of Truth. The handwritten copies of the Book of Truth were expensive before the printing press was invented, and only the very wealthy could own their own copy. Most of the copies were owned by the same Church of Scotland that did not even bother to send a preacher to meet with them during the entire year!
They were pretty much limited to what they learned each year at the holy fair from traveling ministers - who may have had access to the entire Book of Truth. All they could do for the rest of the year was rely on what they found in their translation of the Renewed Covenant - if their congregation owned one!
Also, the Scots combining all of the Fall Feasts of Truth and the customs of the Apostles of Truth into a single eight day festival may have been a matter of practicality as well. They had probably found it difficult to spend a day traveling to congregate together, and then another day traveling home afterwards, first for the Feast of Trumpets, and then for the Day of Atonement, during the harvest season. This was one of the busiest times of the year for them, when the important work of harvesting their crops had to be carried out. However, they could manage to meet together in tents and booths in each county after all of their crops had been harvested.
The Feasts of Truth did not occur during the same week each Fall. Their occurrence was based on when the new moon was visible and when the crops would finish being harvested. The new moon does not appear on the same date every year and different crops are finished being harvested on different dates in different locations. So there was about a six week window, from the earliest date of the Feast of Trumpets to the latest date of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Eventually, the Scottish Children of Truth in different counties,selected different weeks inside that window based on when the crops would finish being harvested in their county.
The Feast of Truth that contributed the most the shaping of the holy fairs was the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Jewish Children of Truth would gather together every year in one place for the Feast of Tabernacles to meet the Father of Truth (Exodus 23:15-17).
They met for the Feast of Tabernacles at the end of their agricultural year, after all of the crops had been gathered into their barns (Exodus 34:21-22). They observed the Feast of Tabernacles, after they had gathered in their all of their crops and turned their grapes into wine (Deuteronomy 16:13).
The Jewish Children of Truth gave one tenth of their crops to the Father of Truth each year (Leviticus 27:30). The Jewish Children of Truth gave one tenth of their livestock to the Father of Truth each year (Leviticus 27:32-33).
The Jewish Children of Truth brought their tithes to the place where the Father of Truth chose to meet them at, and ate of their tithes there (Deuteronomy 12:5-7). They rejoiced when they ate of their tithes in the place where they met the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 12:11-12). They did not bring their tithes of their crops and livestock to any other place (Deuteronomy 12:17-18). They brought the tithes of their crops and livestock, so they could eat of them before the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 14:22-23).
The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of presenting livestock to the Father of Truth (Numbers 29:12-38).
There was never an event for displaying the crops that the Father of Truth had blessed people with, which was even close to the Feast of Tabernacles! The Feast of Tabernacles was also the greatest livestock show on Earth!
When the Jewish Children of Truth could not bring the tithes of their crops and livestock to that place, then they sold them and brought the money from the sale to that place (Deuteronomy 14:24-25). All of them spent some of that money to buy food and drink, so they could rejoice before the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 14:26). All of them brought a contribution that was in proportion to how the Father of Truth had blessed them (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).
The Jewish Children of Truth rejoiced with everyone who lived among them at the Feast of Tabernacles in the same place every year, because it was a commandment - and not an option (Deuteronomy 16:14-15).
The Children of Truth were free to spend their time selling arts and crafts, making new friends, playing games, and taking part in other amusements, during the middle six days of the Feast of Tabernacles, except for the weekly Sabbath (Leviticus 23:35-38).
The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of great rejoicing! It was a time for people to spend time together and have fun! It was a fair like no other!
On the first and eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles the Jewish Children of Truth would congregate together like they did on the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:34-36). On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles the Jewish Children of Truth would build booths with flat roofs covered by tree branches like those used in the brush arbor meetings, and live in those booths for the next seven days (Leviticus 23:39-42). The Jewish Children of Truth truly had a camp meeting (Nehemiah 8:14-16)!
The Jewish Children of Truth spent part of their time reading, hearing, and discussing the Law of Truth, as well as doing things that brought them joy, for all eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:17-18).
So the Feast of Tabernacles was both a time for people to meet with the Father of Truth and to have fun with each other. The Feast of Tabernacles was meant to bring balance between the needs of the souls of the Children of Truth and the needs of their spirits. The Feast of Tabernacles was meant to help them learn how to win at Greco-Judeo wresting.
The Feast of Tabernacles was a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
The Feast of Tabernacles was just the most spectacular event of the year!
So Camp Meeting came from camp meetings, which came from holy fairs, which came from the Feast of Tabernacles. So it would be safe to say that the Feast of Tabernacles was the original Camp Meeting!
Yet as great as any of these yearly events might have been, they are not the greatest camp meeting of all time. There is coming a yearly camp meeting that is going to be larger and greater than any camp meeting that has ever been!
The greatest camp meetings of all time will be those that occur in the aftermath of the Man of Truth bringing this world into total surrender to the Father of Truth! The Feast of Tabernacles tells about the time of the greatest camp meetings of all time that occurs during the seventh act of the Greatest Play Ever!
The Man of Truth will rule over all nations from Jerusalem and use the Law of Truth to bring an end to all disputes (Isaiah 2:1-4). When He bring all nations into subjection to the Law of Truth, then it will be an incredible time of peace and prosperity (Micah 4:1-4).
All nations, not just the Jewish Children of Truth, will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles that the Man of Truth will host (Zechariah 14:16). All nations will rejoice before the Father of Truth at the Feast of Tabernacles - or they will get no rain for the next year (Zechariah 14:17-19)!
The Feast of Tabernacles will be a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He will show up!
The Feast of Tabernacles will be just the most spectacular event of the year!
The Feast of Tabernacles will be the greatest camp meeting of all time!
You do not have to wait for the greatest camp meeting of all time to begin to experience the joy of camp meeting!
You can seek the Father of Truth today by coming into the House of Truth and He will show up (Jeremiah 29:11-13)! Today, you will experience just the most spectacular event of your life, if you will come into the House of Truth (2 Corinthians 6:2)!
You can come into the House of Truth today by surrendering to the Man of Truth, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9)! You can begin to rejoice now before the Father of Truth by coming into the House of Truth (1 Peter 1:7-9)! When you come into the House of Truth, then you will start living in the presence of the Father of Truth, the Man of Truth and the Spirit of Truth, just like people will do in the greatest camp meeting ever (1 John 4:13-15)!
Come into the House of Truth!
For over a decade, I spent a week each year going to the Camp Meeting put on by Kenneth Hagin Ministries here in Tulsa.
Camp Meeting was the highlight of the year for many people. There would be various ministers who ministered during the three sessions per day.
Some sessions consisted entirely as praise and worship. Some sessions were focused on teaching about various subjects in the Book of Truth (The Bible). Some sessions were focused on preaching salvation to those who had not come into the House of Truth. Some sessions were focused on baptizing the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) in the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost), so they could start producing the sound of power.
Some sessions were focused on the Spirit of Truth delivering people from all kinds of things that had kept them bound, like addictions. People would frequently pass out as an addict, and then come to as someone who had no more interest in doing what they had been addicted to doing, than they had in picking up a piece of dog poop and eating it.
My favorite sessions at Camp Meeting were focused on allowing the Spirit of Truth to operate as needed.
These usually started out in some other way, but it when it became apparent that the Spirit of Truth wanted to change the focus, then we followed the leading of the Spirit of Truth for that session. You never really knew how this was going to turn out.
Sometimes, messages were given to people by the Spirit of Truth that were usually either knowledge about what was going on their lives, or wisdom about a difficult decision that they had to make. Sometimes, there was a message for all of the Children of Truth about a future event that we needed to prepare for.
Not every message was a happy message. Some were dire warnings about specific disasters that were given to specific people, unless they repented quickly of specific sins that were sometimes named. Some told of events that would soon come upon America, and how to prepare for those events, if necessary.
In those ten years, I do not remember one of these messages that was not 100% accurate.
Sometimes, the Spirit of Truth would move in miraculous ways. Sometimes, people would be instantly cured of cancer and other diseases that were beyond the ability of medical science to cure. Sometimes, the lame would walk, the blind would see, and the deaf would hear. In fact, about the only thing that I did not hear of, or personally witness happening, was people growing back missing body parts or people being raised from the dead.
Sometimes, the Spirit of Truth would just move upon all of the Children of Truth who was there.
Several times, a supernatural love came over the crowd, and they gave enough money to one of the Children of Truth to completely wipe out all of their debt that had been accumulated over years of hardship. Sometimes, a holy reverence would come over the crowd and not one of the ten thousand attendees would make a sound, or leave their seats, except for the ones in the front rows who laid down with their face to the ground. Sometimes, everyone would just start acting drunk - with some laughing uncontrollably, while others went around weeping and hugging every person they saw. Sometimes, the crowd would be so overcome with a sense of mourning over their sins, where they would start crying, confessing their sins, and making restitution to those whom they had wronged. Sometimes, the crowd would be so overwhelmed with the joy of their salvation that they would jump, dance, sing, clap their hands, yell, do back flips, take off running, and anything else that people do to express joy - even the elderly men and women!
There were also amazing services that the youth attended.
It would not be an exaggeration to say, that several hundred of them got the call to be missionaries and the like at Camp Meeting. Many of them are still active today in carrying out the mission that they were given then.
The supernatural power of the Spirit of Truth prevailed among the children as well.
Those who were in charge of the children were not there to just watch them while their parents were encountering the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD). They were there to lead the children into encountering the Father of Truth for themselves.
My daughter Miranda came into the House of Truth at Camp Meeting when she was three years old, and has never strayed from her decision, because one of the children ministers believed that a three year old could make a decision to follow the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ). Sometimes, the evening service would go extra long and none of the babies would get cranky or anything like that. Instead, a supernatural atmosphere of peace would prevail and they would all just sit quietly in the arms of the nursery workers.
Camp Meeting was open to the public and completely free.
Anyone was welcome to attend and every kind of person did. The rich and famous, prostitutes and the homeless, average men and women, all showed up. People of every skin color and ethnicity showed up. People from around the world showed up. People from around the block showed up.
Camp Meeting was a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
Camp Meeting was just the most spectacular event of the year!
Still the name "Camp Meeting" seemed a little odd the first time I went, because we met in a convention center. No one was camping there in downtown Tulsa, except maybe the homeless. Many people stayed at the Double Tree hotel across the street from the convention center, while many people just drove there from their homes. The "camp" in "Camp Meeting" seemed to be missing.
Then I learned, why it was called "Camp Meeting".
It was not called "Camp Meeting", because we actually all met in a camp and slept in tents. It was called "Camp Meeting", because it was met to bring the same atmosphere as the camp meetings that used to occur all across America to a younger generation.
My grandmother had went to some of these camp meetings when she was young.
The camp meetings that she had attended in Arkansas during the 1920's and 1930's, were put on by the Methodists. Still, many of the same elements were present. She would tell about me about how in late summer or early fall, entire communities spread across several counties would all converge at one place with every family living in tents. Then an evangelist would lead the camp meeting for eight days, starting on a Sunday morning and ending on the night of the following Sunday.
During the camp meeting people would hear the teaching of the Word of Truth from the Book of Truth.
The evangelist would preach with such conviction that people would tremble violently. People would repent and get baptized in the nearest river as quickly as possible. People would play music and sing, but not like they did in their regular weekly service. They would just go wild, playing their fiddles and other bluegrass instruments as hard and as loud as they could. They would sing so loud that people passing by on the nearest road would stop their journey, and come into the camp to see what was going on. It was a time of great repenting over sin and great rejoicing over salvation.
Their camp meeting was a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
Their camp meeting was just the most spectacular event of the year.
These camp meetings were a continuation of an American phenomenon that had been going on since at least the 1790's. They were a key part of the Second Great Awakening. Circuit evangelists like Charles Grandison Finney would preach at various camp meetings throughout the year, and entire cities would turn away from wickedness to serve the Father of Truth. One of the Methodists camp meetings was so loud that a city fifteen miles away heard the commotion! Most of the town came to see what was going on, and everyone of them surrendered their lives to the Man of Truth!
Sometimes these camp meetings were called brush arbor meetings. They were called this, because the services occurred in a booth with a flat roof made of tree branches that had been cut down for this meeting. Some of these booths were so large that they would contain many rows of benches forming a small church building. Typically, these booths would be expanded to fit the size of the crowd. In some cases, there would be several booths with different activities going on at the same time.
These camp meetings were a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
These camp meetings were just the most spectacular event of the year!
The original camp meetings in America were started by Scots and Scotch-Irish settlers. They adapted a traditional meeting among the Presbyterians of Scotland, northern Ireland, and the counties of England that bordered Scotland, which were called "holy fairs".
Holy fairs frequently happened during Communion Season as an eight day celebration in the fall, after all of the crops had been harvested. Holy fairs typically began on Monday one week and then ran until the next Monday.
Communion Season was not a single eight day period, but rather a period of about six weeks in duration when different holy fairs occurred at different locations. This period began as early as mid September and ended as late as about a week before the last day of October.
The Scots would set up special booths each year on the first Monday to hold the speakers and musicians who ministered to the crowds over the next seven days. These booths were also usually taken down after the closing activities of the second Monday were concluded, typically after sunset. The crowds would also spend all eight days in tents or booths as well.
Also on the first Monday, the start of the holy fair was heralded with the blowing of trumpets throughout fair grounds. This helped everyone to know where to go to meet together with the Father of Truth. The sound of trumpets could be heard for miles.
The official clergy of the Church of Scotland would rarely attend these holy fairs. In fact, they were often convened by all of the congregations in a county at one central location. Many of these congregations were poor, so the Church of Scotland did not even bother to so much as assign a circuit preacher to entire their county.
So guest speakers, like circuit evangelists and teachers, would come from other places to preach the Good News, and to teach people how to live out their faith. Some of them would preach messages of repentance and many people would turn from their wicked ways. On Friday, commonly called "Question Day", the guest speakers would spend the day answering questions from the crowd.
At other times, the lay people would read from the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) out loud and then they would have discussions about what they read. They would also have praise meetings that featured ecstatic music, loud joyful singing, and wild energetic dancing. There were also times when the Spirit of Truth would move upon the entire crowd in spectacular ways.
Certain days were devoted entirely to activities similar to those of the camp meetings in America.
These days were usually the first Monday when it started, Thursday, when there was a day long fast, Communion Sunday, when the entire community would take their annual communion (hence the name "Communion Season"), and the last Monday when it ended.
On the other days, during the day and evening, people would also display the best of their crops and live stock. They would also sell hand crafted items and home made works of art out of booths and tents. It was also a time of playing various games with each other.
Also, on all of the days except for the first Monday, and Thursday, people would eat special "fair food" that was typically only available during a holy fair. The fair food vendors were not allowed to sell their food on the four days devoted entirely to the Father of Truth. So people typically brought food with them for the first day of the holy fair, and then bought extra fair food on the days that proceeded the days when the vendors could not sell anything.
The traditions of the holy fairs of Scotland, which were usually county wide, not only gave rise to camp meetings in America, but also to county fairs in America. These county fairs still frequently occur in the same period as the Communion Season. Many of the fair food vendors typically sold food at different county holy fairs during the Communion Season, similar to how many fair food vendors sell food at different county fairs during fair season today.
However in Scotland, these traditions were all part of the same eight day celebration in each county.
So the holy fairs were a time of great rejoicing as well as a time of great repentance. People met together, had fun together, and gave special attention together to the things that pertained to the Father of Truth.
These holy fairs were a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
These holy fairs were just the most spectacular event of the year!
These holy fairs had their roots in Celtic Christianity in its original form. Several different festivals, that were originally celebrated over a three week span each fall, came to be celebrated during a single eight day long festival.
It is no mystery what those original festivals were. The detractors of Saint Patrick left a record, of how his followers had been celebrating these festivals that were not part of the official religious calendar of the False Church of Rome. He had instead taught them to celebrate the same festivals and observe the same days that the Apostles of Truth had celebrated and observed.
The festivals and customs that the Scots originally celebrated and practiced were the same ones that Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) had celebrated and practiced (Acts 21:20-26).
These customs of these festivals were changed in some ways, while keeping many of their original characteristics, to be combined together into the holy fairs.
These Scots did not allow commerce to be carried out on Communion Sunday, because they never allowed any commerce, or any unnecessary work, to be done on any Sunday.
They were in the habit of giving one day a week to the Father of Truth. They spent each Sunday engaged in activities necessary to rest, carry out the Great Commission, and take care of other people, so they were never bored on the Sabbath. They did this, because they thought that the Sabbath had been changed to Sunday. Most of them did not have the means necessary to determine who changed the Sabbath. They were keeping the Sabbath to the best of their understanding, because the Sabbath is when the Apostles of Truth met with congregations to tell them about the Man of Truth (Acts 13:42-44).
These Scots blew trumpets at the beginning of the holy fair to announce the beginning of their Fall festival season. This day of blowing trumpets and meeting together was originally held on the day after the new moon became visible, when that day was no earlier than two weeks before the last of the crops would be harvested.
The Apostle of Truth had kept the Feast of Trumpets on this day and treated it the same as the Sabbath, because that was what was commanded in the Law of Truth (Leviticus 23:24). The Apostles of Truth had told them in the Renewed Covenant, that the sound of the trumpet would signal that it was time for the Children of Truth to be gathered together to meet with the Man of Truth (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
The Scots fasted together during the holy fair, so they could learn the fastest way to victory! They originally fasted on the same day every year as the Apostles of Truth had fasted.
The Apostle of Truth had fasted on the Day of Atonement every year that was commanded in the Law of Truth, which was nine days after the Feast of Trumpets and treated the same as the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:27). This was "the Fast" that Paul the Jew and all of the Apostles of Truth had kept every year (Acts 27:9).
The Scots selected Thursday as the day to fast, because that was one of the two days that the Pharisees fasted every week (Luke 18:11-12). Paul the Jew had continued to identify himself as a Pharisee, long after he came into the House of Truth (Acts 23:6). So Paul the Jew had continued to do this, all during his ministry to the Gentiles (2 Corinthians 11:27).
The other day of the week that Paul the Jew fasted every week was Monday, when the holy fair began and ended.
The Scots had their holy fair for eight days, after the last of their crops had been harvested, because that is what the Apostles of Truth had done.
The Apostles of Truth had congregated together for eight days for the Feast of Tabernacles, after all of the crops had been harvested, and fourteen days after the Feast of Trumpets, with the first and eighth days being treated the same as the Sabbath as commanded in the Law of Truth (Leviticus 23:39). This was the same Feast of Tabernacles that the Man of Truth attended in Jerusalem each year (John 7:2-10).
So the Scots had originally met together for the Sabbath each week. They originally met in the Fall over a three week period. During this three week period, they met together for the Feast of Trumpets, then they met nine days later to fast together on the Day of Atonement, and finally camped together in tents and booths for the Feast of Tabernacles. Over the centuries, they combined all of these elements together into a single eight day festival, which they called a holy fair.
The Scots treated the first and eighth day of the holy fair the same as the Sabbath, except for putting up tents and booths on the first day, because that is what was done on the first and last days of the Feast of Tabernacles. They announced the start of the holy fair with the blowing of trumpets, because the Feast of Trumpets announced the beginning of the Feasts of Truth each Fall. They fasted on a set day during the holy fair, because everyone fasted on the Day of Atonement. They gave met together for communion on Sunday, because they had been led to believe, that Sunday was the Sabbath when they were to meet together every week. They started each holy fair on a Monday and ended on a Monday, because they were commemorating how Paul the Jew had fasted on every Monday. They selected Thursday for the day of the Fast during the holy fair, because Paul the Jew had fasted every Thursday.
This transformation of these festivals and customs into those of the holy fair by the Scots was probably due in part to a lack of access to the entire Book of Truth. The handwritten copies of the Book of Truth were expensive before the printing press was invented, and only the very wealthy could own their own copy. Most of the copies were owned by the same Church of Scotland that did not even bother to send a preacher to meet with them during the entire year!
They were pretty much limited to what they learned each year at the holy fair from traveling ministers - who may have had access to the entire Book of Truth. All they could do for the rest of the year was rely on what they found in their translation of the Renewed Covenant - if their congregation owned one!
Also, the Scots combining all of the Fall Feasts of Truth and the customs of the Apostles of Truth into a single eight day festival may have been a matter of practicality as well. They had probably found it difficult to spend a day traveling to congregate together, and then another day traveling home afterwards, first for the Feast of Trumpets, and then for the Day of Atonement, during the harvest season. This was one of the busiest times of the year for them, when the important work of harvesting their crops had to be carried out. However, they could manage to meet together in tents and booths in each county after all of their crops had been harvested.
The Feasts of Truth did not occur during the same week each Fall. Their occurrence was based on when the new moon was visible and when the crops would finish being harvested. The new moon does not appear on the same date every year and different crops are finished being harvested on different dates in different locations. So there was about a six week window, from the earliest date of the Feast of Trumpets to the latest date of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Eventually, the Scottish Children of Truth in different counties,selected different weeks inside that window based on when the crops would finish being harvested in their county.
The Feast of Truth that contributed the most the shaping of the holy fairs was the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Jewish Children of Truth would gather together every year in one place for the Feast of Tabernacles to meet the Father of Truth (Exodus 23:15-17).
They met for the Feast of Tabernacles at the end of their agricultural year, after all of the crops had been gathered into their barns (Exodus 34:21-22). They observed the Feast of Tabernacles, after they had gathered in their all of their crops and turned their grapes into wine (Deuteronomy 16:13).
The Jewish Children of Truth gave one tenth of their crops to the Father of Truth each year (Leviticus 27:30). The Jewish Children of Truth gave one tenth of their livestock to the Father of Truth each year (Leviticus 27:32-33).
The Jewish Children of Truth brought their tithes to the place where the Father of Truth chose to meet them at, and ate of their tithes there (Deuteronomy 12:5-7). They rejoiced when they ate of their tithes in the place where they met the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 12:11-12). They did not bring their tithes of their crops and livestock to any other place (Deuteronomy 12:17-18). They brought the tithes of their crops and livestock, so they could eat of them before the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 14:22-23).
The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of presenting livestock to the Father of Truth (Numbers 29:12-38).
There was never an event for displaying the crops that the Father of Truth had blessed people with, which was even close to the Feast of Tabernacles! The Feast of Tabernacles was also the greatest livestock show on Earth!
When the Jewish Children of Truth could not bring the tithes of their crops and livestock to that place, then they sold them and brought the money from the sale to that place (Deuteronomy 14:24-25). All of them spent some of that money to buy food and drink, so they could rejoice before the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 14:26). All of them brought a contribution that was in proportion to how the Father of Truth had blessed them (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).
The Jewish Children of Truth rejoiced with everyone who lived among them at the Feast of Tabernacles in the same place every year, because it was a commandment - and not an option (Deuteronomy 16:14-15).
The Children of Truth were free to spend their time selling arts and crafts, making new friends, playing games, and taking part in other amusements, during the middle six days of the Feast of Tabernacles, except for the weekly Sabbath (Leviticus 23:35-38).
The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of great rejoicing! It was a time for people to spend time together and have fun! It was a fair like no other!
On the first and eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles the Jewish Children of Truth would congregate together like they did on the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:34-36). On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles the Jewish Children of Truth would build booths with flat roofs covered by tree branches like those used in the brush arbor meetings, and live in those booths for the next seven days (Leviticus 23:39-42). The Jewish Children of Truth truly had a camp meeting (Nehemiah 8:14-16)!
The Jewish Children of Truth spent part of their time reading, hearing, and discussing the Law of Truth, as well as doing things that brought them joy, for all eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:17-18).
So the Feast of Tabernacles was both a time for people to meet with the Father of Truth and to have fun with each other. The Feast of Tabernacles was meant to bring balance between the needs of the souls of the Children of Truth and the needs of their spirits. The Feast of Tabernacles was meant to help them learn how to win at Greco-Judeo wresting.
The Feast of Tabernacles was a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He showed up!
The Feast of Tabernacles was just the most spectacular event of the year!
So Camp Meeting came from camp meetings, which came from holy fairs, which came from the Feast of Tabernacles. So it would be safe to say that the Feast of Tabernacles was the original Camp Meeting!
Yet as great as any of these yearly events might have been, they are not the greatest camp meeting of all time. There is coming a yearly camp meeting that is going to be larger and greater than any camp meeting that has ever been!
The greatest camp meetings of all time will be those that occur in the aftermath of the Man of Truth bringing this world into total surrender to the Father of Truth! The Feast of Tabernacles tells about the time of the greatest camp meetings of all time that occurs during the seventh act of the Greatest Play Ever!
The Man of Truth will rule over all nations from Jerusalem and use the Law of Truth to bring an end to all disputes (Isaiah 2:1-4). When He bring all nations into subjection to the Law of Truth, then it will be an incredible time of peace and prosperity (Micah 4:1-4).
All nations, not just the Jewish Children of Truth, will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles that the Man of Truth will host (Zechariah 14:16). All nations will rejoice before the Father of Truth at the Feast of Tabernacles - or they will get no rain for the next year (Zechariah 14:17-19)!
The Feast of Tabernacles will be a special time to meet with the Father of Truth and He will show up!
The Feast of Tabernacles will be just the most spectacular event of the year!
The Feast of Tabernacles will be the greatest camp meeting of all time!
You do not have to wait for the greatest camp meeting of all time to begin to experience the joy of camp meeting!
You can seek the Father of Truth today by coming into the House of Truth and He will show up (Jeremiah 29:11-13)! Today, you will experience just the most spectacular event of your life, if you will come into the House of Truth (2 Corinthians 6:2)!
You can come into the House of Truth today by surrendering to the Man of Truth, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9)! You can begin to rejoice now before the Father of Truth by coming into the House of Truth (1 Peter 1:7-9)! When you come into the House of Truth, then you will start living in the presence of the Father of Truth, the Man of Truth and the Spirit of Truth, just like people will do in the greatest camp meeting ever (1 John 4:13-15)!
Come into the House of Truth!
Labels: Brush Arbor Meetings, Camp Meetings, County Fairs, Feast of Tabernacles, History, Holy Fairs, Sukkot
posted by The House Of Truth @ September 18, 2016
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