The fall festival season is about to begin with the Feast of Trumpets on September 9.

We look forward to the fulfillment of the symbolism of these fall festivals. We all know the symbolism of the Feast of Tabernacles: the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ, a time of physical abundance for everyone on earth.

That’s why God wants us to enjoy a foretaste of the World Tomorrow during the Feast of Tabernacles, as we read in Deuteronomy 14:26: "And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household."

This is a good time of year to be reminded of an important lesson from the book of Ecclesiastes from King Solomon.

In terms of personal wealth, King Solomon was the Bill Gates of his day. King Solomon was so wealthy he lived in a continual "Feast of Tabernacles" atmosphere. Read what he says about himself in Ecclesiastes 2, verse 10: "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor."

Solomon built great gardens and houses, he had many servants and, of course, his many wives. He could have basically anything he wanted. But did it satisfy him? No, he realized that he would leave it all to the next generation. He said: "Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind" (verse 17).

Solomon’s experience is the viewpoint of a man trying to enjoy this temporal, physical life without looking to God and His plan. If there isn’t a God with a plan for mankind, our lives have no meaning.

Even during the Millennium with all the abundance people will experience, there would be eventually be dissatisfaction for everyone without the knowledge of God and His plan.

After having had all his experiences, Solomon’s advice was as follows: "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecclesiastes 12:1). We should remember God not only in our yourth, but whatever age we are! Solomon’s experience is a lesson for us as we look forward to the fall festival season.

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!