Rosh HaShanah and its Link to The Bride of Christ - Jim Nash - http://watchmansview.com/Commentary_-_Rosh_HaShanah_and_its_Link_to_The_Bride_of_Christ.html
Rosh HaShanah 2014 begins this week the evening of Wednesday, September 24th and ends in the evening of Friday, September 26th. The re-post below from "Pastor Bob," a frequent contributor on one of the end-time websites I periodically review (and I feel Bob is always spot-on), posted the information below this past July...I feel, given the prophetic lateness-of-the-hour, as evidenced by virtually everything that is going on in our world as of late (lining up for the fulfillment of a significant number of Bible prophecies), that the readers of this website need to consider Pastor Bob's message re-posted below. Additionally, as supportive signs and message to this, one should again review all of the postings on our Blood Moons page http://watchmansview.com/Blood_Moon_Tetrad.html (especially the end notes) as well as a very recent article by Pastor Mark Biltz here: http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/will-tribulation-begin-a-year-from-now/print/ . All of this is not meant to try and set an absolute date for the Rapture, but stir everyone into contemplating how close the time may be to our redemption, and agree or disagree, it points to some very interesting information that may be worth further study and prayerful consideration. Note: Yes its long, but its worth the read!
The "Feast of Trumpets," which is also known as "Rosh HaShanah," has a unique marker or link to The Bride of Christ and is a picture of the "catching away" (Rapture) of kallat Mashiach (the Bride of Christ)...consider the following:
The Feast has 12 names, themes, or idioms that collectively identify this Feast as the time of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The information gathered here has been compiled by Hebrew scholars, Messianic Jews, and Christian scholars that study Hebrew culture. traditions, and customs. This post is an abridged coverage of the Feast. Each of the below topical headings contain infinitely more detail. I have endeavored to cover the important points. These include:
1. Teshuvah (repentance)
2. Rosh HaShanah (Head of the Year, Birthday of the World)
3. Yom Teruah (the Day of the Awakening Blast - Feast of Trumpets)
4. Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment)
5. HaMelech (the Coronation of the Messiah)
6. Yom HaZikkaron (the Day of Remembrance or memorial)
7. The time of Jacob's trouble (the birthpangs of the Messiah)
8. The opening of the gates
9. Kiddushin/Nesu'in (the wedding ceremony)
10. The resurrection of the dead (Rapture/Natzal)
11. The last trump (shofar)
12. Yom Hakesch (the hidden day)
Teshuvah is a special season, which in Hebrew means "to return or repent", and it begins on the first day of the month of Elul and continues for 40 days, ending with Yom Kippur. Thirty days into Teshuvah, on Tishrei 1, comes Rosh HaShanah. This begins a final ten-day period beginning on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. These are known as the High Holy Days and as the Awesome Days. The sabbath that falls within this ten-day period is called Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. Five days after Yom Kippur is Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. Teshuvah begins on Elul 1 (our month of August/September), and concludes on Tishrei 10, Yom Kippur. Each morning during the 30 days of the month of Elul, the trumpet or ram's horn is blown to warn the people to repent and return to God.
Teshuvah (repentance) speaks to all people. Those who believe in the Messiah are called to examine their lives and see where they have departed from God. It is a call to examine the Scriptures and the evidence that the Messiah was who He said He was.
God has always had a heart to warn people before He proclaims judgment. He does not want anyone to receive the wrath of His judgment -(Ezekiel 18:21-23; Zephaniah 2:1-3; 33:1-7; 2nd Peter 3:9). I have noted several times in previous posts that the theme of "Deliverance" precedes "Judgment" nearly 200 times in the Bible.
The whole month of Elul is a 30-day process of preparation through personal examination and repentance for the coming High Holy Days. The shofar is blown after each morning service. Psalm 27, which begins with "The Lord is my light and my salvation," is also recited at the end of the morning and evening liturgy. The message from Elul 1 to Rosh HaShanah is clear: Repent before Rosh HaShanah. Don't wait until after Rosh HaShanah, or you will find yourself in the Days of Awe.
There are many idioms or phrases that help us identify the days in the season of Teshuvah (repentance). Just as unfamiliar foreigners might be confused when they hear Americans call Thanksgiving Day "Turkey Day" or "Pilgrims' Day", non-Jewish believers in Christ Jesus can be confused by the different terms for the major Feasts of the Lord.
Rosh HaShanah marks the Jewish New Year and is a part of the season of repentance. Rosh means "chief or head" and "shanah" means "year". Rosh HaShanah is the head of the year on the Hebrew civil calendar, and is also known as the birthday of the world since the world was created on this day.
Jewish tradition believes that Adam was created on this day. How did they decide that this was the day of the year the world was created? Because the first words of the book of Genesis, "In the beginning", when changed around, reads, "Aleph b'Tishrei, or "on the first day of Tishrei". Therefore, Rosh HaShanah is known as the birthday of the world, for tradition tells us that the world was created then.
Note: There are four new years in the Jewish calendar. Nisan 1 is the New Year's Day of kings (the date for determining how many years a king has ruled) and for months (Nisan is the first month). Elul 1 is the new year for the tithing of animals. Shevat 15 is the new year for the trees, and Tishrei 1 is the new year of years. It also marks the anniversary of the creation of the world.
Rosh HaShanah is observed for two days. It comes on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (usually in September/October), which is the first month of the Biblical civil calendar. The month of Tishrei is the seventh month in the Biblical religious calendar. This may seem strange that Rosh HaShanah, the New Year, is on the first and second day of Tishrei, the seventh month on the Biblical religious calendar. The reason that Rosh HaShanah, is the seventh month in the Biblical religious calendar is that God made the month of Nisan the first month of the year in remembrance of Israel's divine liberation from Egypt -(Exodus 12:2; 13:4). However, according to tradition, the world was created on Tishrei 1, or more exactly, Adam and Eve were created on the first day of Tishrei and it is from Tishrei that the annual cycle began. Hence, Rosh HaShanah is celebrated at this time.
Unlike other festivals that are celebrated in the Diaspora (the dispersion, referring to Jew who live outside the Holy Land of Israel). Rosh HaShanah is celebrated for two days because of uncertainty about observing the festivals on the correct calendar day. Rosh HaShanah is the only holiday celebrated for two days in Israel. As with all other festivals, the uncertainty was involved in a calendar that depended on when the new moon was determined, designing the beginning of each month by the rabbinical court in Jerusalem in ancient times. The problem of Rosh HaShanah is heightened by the fact that it falls on Rosh Chodesh, the new moon itself. Therefore, even in Jerusalem, it would have been difficult to let everyone know in time that the New Year had begun. To solve this problem, a two-day Rosh HaShanah was practiced even in Israel. Creating a two-day Rosh HaShanah was also intended to strengthen observance of each day; in the rabbinic view, and the two days are regarded as a one-long-day.
In Psalm 98:6 it is written, "With trumpets and sound of the horn shout joyfully before the King, the Lord". The blessing we receive from God when we understand the meaning of Rosh HaShanah and the blowing of the trumpet (shofar) is found in Psalm 89:15, as it is written, "How blessed are the people who know the joyful..."
Rosh HaShanah is referred to in the Torah as Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar (or the Day of the Awakening Blast). On Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, it is imperative for every person to hear the shofar. The mitvah (or Biblical commandment found in John 14:15 is to hear the shofar being blown, not actually blow it yourself, hence the blessing, "to hear the sound of the shofar."
Teruah means "an awakening blast". A theme associated with Rosh HaShanah is the theme "to awake". Teruah is also translated as "shout". The book of Isaiah, chapter 12, puts the shouting in the context of the thousand-year reign of Messiah. The Messianic era and shout is mentioned in Isaiah 42:11; 44:23; Jeremiah 31:7; and Zephaniah 3:14. The first coming of Jesus Christ is associated with a shout in Zechariah 9:9. The ultimate shout is the Rapture in First Thessalonians 4:16-17.
Whether it is by the blast of a shofar or by the force of a supernatural shout, God's goal is to awaken us! For this reason it is written, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ's will shine on you." -(Ephesians 5:14). The book of Ephesians has many references to Rosh HaShanah and the High Holy Days. For example, in Ephesians 4:30, being sealed unto the day of redemption refers to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. God gave this festival to teach us that we will be judged on Rosh HaShanah and will be sealed unto the closing of the gates on Yom Kippur.
Isaiah 26:19 speaks of the resurrection. The word "awake" is associated with the resurrection, as it is written, "Your dead will live; their corpse will rise. You will lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits" -(Isaiah 26:19).
The theme of awakening from sleep is used throughout the Bible. It is found in John 11:11; Romans 13:11; Daniel 12:1-2; and Psalm 78:65. In Isaiah 51:9 it is written, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord, awake as in the days of old, the generations of long age..." The arm of the Lord is used as a term for the Messiah in Isaiah 53:1. The word "arm" is the Hebrew word "zeroah". During the Passover, a shankbone, known as the "zeroah", is put on the plate. So "awake" is a term or idiom for Rosh HaShanah. In Isaiah 51:9 quoted earlier, the awakening is associated with the coming of the Messiah.
The "shofar" is the physical instrument that God instructed us to hear ("shema") the sound of the shofar teaching us to awake from spiritual slumber -(1 Corinthians 14:46). In the days of old, the shofar was used on very solemn occasions. We first find the shofar mentioned in connection with the revelation on Mount Sinai when the voice of the shofar was exceedingly strong and all the people who were there in the camp trembled -(Exodus19:16). Thus, the shofar we hear on Rosh HaShanah ought to also serve as a battle cry to wage war against our inner enemy - our evil inclinations and passions as well as the devil, Ha Satan, himself. The shofar was also sounded on the Jubilee Year, heralding the freedom from slavery as recorded in Leviticus 25:9-10. Spiritually this refers to freedom from the slavery of sin, the desires of this world, and serving the devil -(Romans 6:12-13; James 4:4).
Another reason for sounding the shofar is that Rosh HaShanah is the celebration of the birth of creation and when God began to rule over the world on this day. When a king begins to reign, he is heralded with trumpets. That is why Psalm 47 precedes the blowing of the shofar; it is a call to nations: " ... Sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth..." -(Psalm 47:6-7). It also precedes because of the reference to the shofar in the previous verse Psalm 47:5, as it is written, "God has ascended with a shout, the Lord, with the sound of a trumpet".
In Jewish tradition, many reasons have been offered for the sounding of the shofar: The ram's horn is identified with the ram that became the substitute sacrifice for Isaac in Genesis 22:1-19. The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai was accompanied by the sounding of the shofar in Exodus 19:19. The proclamation of the Jubilee was heralded by the blast of the shofar in Leviticus 25:9-11; and the commencement of the Messianic age is to be announced by the sound of the great shofar noted in Isaiah 27:13. The book 'Gates of Repentance' cites Maimonide's call to awaken from spiritual slumber.
When the rabbis saw the phrase "Awake, O Israel", they would immediately identify those verses with something concerning Rosh HaShanah. The blowing of the shofar took place at the Temple on Rosh HaShanah, which is confirmed by Nehemiah 8:1-3.
The shofar was also blown at the Temple to begin the Sabbath each week. There are two types of trumpets used in the Bible:
1. The silver trumpet
2. The shofar, or ram's horn
On the Sabbath, there was within the Temple a sign on the wall that said, "To the house of the blowing of the trumpet." Each Sabbath, two men with silver trumpets and a man with a shofar made three trumpet blasts twice during the day. On Rosh HaShanah, it is different. The shofar is the primary trumpet. On Rosh HaShanah, a shofar delivers the first blast, a silver trumpet, the second, and then a shofar, the third blast. The silver trumpets and the gathering at the Temple are specified in the book of Numbers, chapter 10.
According to Leviticus 23:24 and Numbers 29:1, Rosh HaShanah is the day of the blowing of the trumpets. According to the Mishna, the trumpet used for this purpose is the ram's horn, not trumpets made of metal as recorded in Numbers 10.
The shofar or ram's horn, has always held a prominent role in the history of God's people in the Bible:
1. The Torah was given to Israel with the sound of the shofar in Exodus 19:19.
2. Israel conquered in the battle of Jericho with the blast of the shofar in Joshua 6:20.
3. Israel will be advised of the advent of the Messiah with the sound of the shofar in Zechariah 9:14,16.
4. The shofar will be blown at the time of the ingathering of the exiles of Israel to their place in Isaiah 27:13.
5. The shofar was blown to signal the assembly of the Israelites during war in Judges 3:27; 2nd Samuel 20:1.
6. The watchman who stood upon Jerusalem's walls blew the shofar in Ezekiel 33:3-6.
7. The shofar was blown at the start of the Jubilee year in Leviticus 25:9.
8. The shofar is a reminder that God is sovereign in Psalm 47:5.
9. The ram's horn, the shofar, is a reminder of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and God's provision of a ram as a substitute in Genesis 22:13.
10.The shofar was blown to announce the beginning of festivals in Numbers 10:10.
11.The blowing of the shofar is a signal for the call to repentance in Isaiah 58:1.
12.The blowing of the shofar ushers in the day of the Lord in Joel 2:1.
13.The blowing of the shofar is sounded at the Rapture of the believers and the resurrection of the dead in 1st Thessalonians 4:16.
14.John was taken up to Heaven in the book of Revelation by the sound of the shofar in Revelation 4:1.
15.Seven shofarim are sounded when God judges the earth during the Tribulation in Revelation 8-9.
16.The shofar was used for the coronation of kings - 1st Kings 1:34,39.
17.The shofar was blown to celebrate the new moon on Rosh HaShanah in Psalm 81:1-3.
Another name for Rosh HaShanah is Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment. It was on this day,God would sit in court and all men would pass before Him to be judged. Three great books will be opened as each man is weighed in the balance and placed into one of three categories according to rabbinical sources. It has been taught that the school of Shammai says that there will be three classes on the final Day of Judgment, one of the wholly righteous, one of the wholly wicked, and one of the intermediates. The wholly righteous are at once inscribed and sealed for life in the world to come. The wholly wicked are at once inscribed and sealed for perdition.
The righteous are separated and will be with God. This is known to Bible believers as the Rapture, which in Hebrew, is the "Natazal". The wicked will face the wrath of God during the Tribulation period, known in Hebrew as the "Chevlai shel Mashiach", and will never repent. The average person has until Yom Kippur till his fate is sealed forever. In other words, the average person will have until the end of the seven-year Tribulation to repent and turn to God. The average person on Rosh HaShanah is judged by God and is neither written in the book of life or the book of the wicked. His fate is yet to be decided. The average person and the wicked have to go through the "Awesome Days", the Tribulation, until they reachYom Kippur (the end of the Tribulation when their fate is sealed forever). Once you are written in the book of the wicked, you can never get out of it -(Revelation 17:8). These are people who never, ever, will accept the Messiah Christ Jesus.
There are 12 months to the year and there are 12 tribes in Israel. Every month of the Jewish year has its representative tribe. The month of Tishrei is the month of the tribe of Dan. This is of symbolic significance, for when Dan was born to Bilhah, Rachel's maid, Rachel said, "God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice..." -(Genesis 30:6). Dan and din (as in Yom HaDin, Day of Judgment) are both derived from the same root word, symbolizing that Tishrei is the time of Divine Judgment and Forgiveness. Similarly, every month of the Jewish calendar has its own sign of the Zodiac (in Hebrew "Mazal"). The sign of the Zodiac for Tishrei is the "Scales" of justice. This is symbolic of Judgment.
Just a brief note here on the Zodiac. It was the original Gospel in the Stars, however, it was later perverted to the Satanic practice of Astrology. This has been documented heavily and a subject of another time.
The recognition of God as King is vividly pictured in the Jewish view of Adam's under-standing of his Divine Creator being King over all the Universe. It was late on the sixth day since God began the Creation of the world, when Adam opened his eyes and saw the beautiful world around him, and he knew at once that God created the world, and him too. Adam's first words were:
"The Lord is King forever and ever!" and the echo of his voice rang throughout the world. "Now the whole world will know that I am King," God said and He was very pleased. This is the first Rosh HaShanah! The first New Year. It was the birthday of Man, and the Coronation Day of the King of Kings!" -(Ancient Hebrew sage comment)
A theme and term associated with Rosh HaShanah in Hebrew is HaMelech (the King). It was mentioned earlier in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 and is known as the last trump, which the Apostle Paul mentioned in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17. At this time, the believers in the Messiah who are righteous according to Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment) will escape the Tribulation (Chevlai sle Mashiach) on earth and will be taken to Heaven in the Rapture ("Natzal") along with the righteous who had died before this time. What happens to the believers in the Messiah when they are taken to Heaven at this time? One of the events that will take place is the Coronation of the Messiah as King, which will happen in Heaven -(Revelation 5). Christ Jesus who had come to Earth during His first coming to play the role of the suffering Messiah (the Lamb of God)(Messiah ben Joseph), will be crowned as King over all the Earth in preparation for His coming back to Earth to reign as King Messiah (the Lion of Judah)(Messiah ben David) during the Messianic age, the Millennium as stated in Revelation 19:16; 20:4. Daniel 7:9-14 saw this and John the Apostle saw this same thing in the book of Revelation.
The Enthronement Ceremony of a King is part of the Rosh HaShanah motif. There are four parts to the enthronement of a Jewish king.
1. The giving of the decree. Associated with this is a declaration. This can be seen in Psalm 2:6-7, as it is written, "You have I set my king upon My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree..." Next, a rod/scepter is given, which is an emblem of a king. Scriptures that refer to the scepter include Genesis 49:17; Numbers 24:17; Esther 4:11; 5:2; 8:4; Psalm 45:6; and Hebrews 1:8. Scriptures that refer to a rod are found in Psalms 2:9; Isaiah 11:1,4; and Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:16. The scepter is an emblem of a king or royal office and a rod refers to the king ruling and reigning righteously in all manner -(Isaiah 11:1,4-5). Christ Jesus is the King Messiah -(Isaiah 11:1,4-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 1:32-33; John 1:47-49).
2. The ceremony of the taking of the throne. This is found in Revelation 5. The king sits on the throne and is anointed as king. The word "Christ" in English comes from the Greek word "Christos" and in Hebrew it is Mashiach", meaning "the anointed one". Jesus came as a prophet during His first coming -(Deuteronomy 18:15), was resurrected as the priest -(John 20:9,17), and is coming back again as King. Kings in Israel were anointed -(2nd Samuel 5:3-4; 1st Kings 1:39-40, 45-46; 2nd Kings 9:1-6).
3. The acclamation. During the acclamation, all the people shout, "Long live the king!" - (1st Kings 1:28-310). Next, all the people clap -(Psalm 47:1-2; Psalm 47 is a coronation Psalm). Psalm 47:5 is the shout and trumpet of Rosh HaShanah. Verse 6 is the shouting and praising of the king. Verse 8 is the ceremony of the throne. In verse 9, the believers in the Messiah Christ Jesus are all gathered in His presence.
4. Each of the subjects coming to visit the king after he has taken the throne. In this, they will acknowledge their allegiance to Him and receive their commissioning from Him as to what their job will be in the kingdom -(Isaiah 66:22-23; Zechariah 14:16-17; Matthew 2:2).
Rosh HaShanah is also known as Yom HaZikkaron, the Day of Remembrance. Leviticus 23:24 calls the day "a memorial". Remembrance is a major theme in the Bible. We can see by examining the following Scriptures that God remembers us and we are to remember God in all of our ways.
There are two elements of remembrance:
.1 God remembers us - (Genesis 8:1; 9:1,4-16; 19:29;30:22; Ezodus 2:24-25; 3:1; 6:2,5; 32:1-3,7,11,13-14; Leviticus 26:14,31-33,38-45; Numbers 10:1-2,9; Psalm 105:7-8,42-43;112:6). In fact, God has a book of remembrance -(Exodus 32:32-33; Malachi 3:16-18; Revelation 3:5; 20:11-15; 21:1,27).
2. We must remember God - (Exodus 13:3; 20:28; Deuteronomy 7:17-19; 8:18; 16:3; Numbers 15:37-41).
Since the court was seated and the books were opened, it is understood to be Rosh HaShanah. The books are the book of the righteous, the book of the wicked, and the book of remembrance. The third book that will be opened is the book of remembrance (zikkaron). This is why the common greeting during Rosh HaShanah is, "May you be inscribed in the Book of Life".
The Spiritual application is significant. In Romans 14:10 it is written, "But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God". In 2nd Corinthians 5:10 it is written, "Fore we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." This is also discussed in 1st Corinthians 3:9-15. The words of the believers in Messiah will be judged by God, but not their salvation. This is a judgment of the believers in Jesus only. All people in this judgment are the believers in Jesus only. All people in this judgment will be saved. This is not the judgment of your salvation, but a judgment of your rewards based upon your works. On this day, God will open the Book of Life and hold a trial. This is known as the Bema judgment.
The English phrase, "birthpangs of the Messiah, or the Hebrew "Chevlai she Mashiach", is a major theme of the Bible. It is commonly known as the seven-year Tribulation period. In Matthew 24, Jesus Christ described the signs of the end. "And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age ["Olam Haeh"]?" In Matthew 24:3, Jesus said that these days are the beginnings of sorrows. -(Matthew 24:8). The Greek word translated as sorrows here is "odin". This word means "birthpangs". The birthpangs of the Messiah are also spoken of in Jeremiah 30:4-7. They are also mentioned in 1st Thessalonians 5:1-3, and again in Revelation 12:1-2.
The Scriptures reveal two interchangeable synonyms:
1. The birthpangs = the time of Jacob's trouble.
2. The time of Jacob's trouble = the "Seven"-year Tribulation.
This period of time will be Israel's most trying time ever. This period of time is known as the Tribulation. Jacob is Israel. There shall be great tribulation in Israel such as never was since there was a nation. -(Daniel 12:1). It will also be a time when God will ultimately judge sin and all the nations of the Earth. Through it, the nation of Israel will be physically saved from total destruction by God, and will, as a nation, accept Christ Jesus as the Messiah - "...But he will be saved out of it" -(Jeremiah 30:7. In Hosea 5:15 it is written, "I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction [the Chevali shel Mashiach] they will seek Me early."
Israel will face genuine crisis during the time of Jacob's trouble. The prophet Zechariah prophesied that two out of every three inhabitants of Israel will perish during this time, with a remnant of only one-third of the population being saved -(Zechariah 13:8-9). In Isaiah 13:6-8, it tells just how bad it will become.
Isaiah 13:10 corresponds to Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24; and Revelation 6:12. Other passages that speak of the birthpangs include Genesis 3:16; 35:16-20; 38:27-28; Isaiah 26:16-21; 54:1; 66:7-9; Jeremiah 4:31; 6:24; 13:21; 22:23; Micah 4:9-10; and John 16:21-22.
There are several stages to Israel's birthing the Messiah.
1. Isaiah 66:7 is a birth before travail. "Before she [Israel] travailed [received the Messiah], she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a male child" -(Isaiah 66:7). Isaiah 66:7 is a birth "before" travail. This happened during the first coming of Christ Jesus, the Messiah. The birthpangs that Israel experienced during Jesus Christ's first coming came after Jesus Christ's death with the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people out of Israel by the Romans in 70 AD, scattered throughout the world.
2. Isaiah 66:8 is a birth after travail. Isaiah 66:8 says, "...as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." This will happen before Christ Jesus returns to earth to set foot on the Mount of Olive -(Zechariah 14:4), as Israel experiences the hardest time she has ever experienced since she was a nation -(Daniel 12:1), in the period of time known as the birthpangs of the Messiah, or theTribulation. The Tribulation and the birthpangs of the Messiah are one and the same thing. What we are seeing in these days is the woman [Israel] becoming larger and larger,coming closer and closer in the time when she is about to give birth.
The Gate of Heaven are opened on Rosh HaShanah so the righteous nation may enter -(Isaiah 26:2; Psalm 118:19-20. Because of the gates of Heaven are understood to be open on Rosh HaShanah, this is further evidence that the Rapture ("Natzal") of the believers in the Messiah Christ Jesus, will take place on Rosh HaShanah.
The Wedding of the Messiah, has been covered in the series of posts on "The Theme of The Bride" and so there is no need to duplicate them here. To fully grasp the big picture, I recommend that everyone watch the "Feasts of the Lord" DVD set by Mark Biltz. The Seven Feasts of Leviticus 23 provides the Christian believer a level of confidence in the Bible that traditional Christian churches fail to offer the student of the Bible.
One of the reasons for blowing the shofar is to proclaim the resurrection of the dead. In addition, the thirteenth principle of the Jewish faith is belief in the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh HaShanah. In 1st Corinthians 15:52, the Apostle Paul tells us that the resurrection of the dead will be at "the last trump." Earlier in 1st Corinthians 15:14, he wrote that without the Messiah rising from the dead, our faith is in vain.
We cannot go to the book of Revelation and say that the voice of the seventh angel -(Revelation 11:15) is the last trump. In the first century AD, the last trump (shofar) meant a specific day in the year. In Judaism, there are three trumpets that have a name. There are the first trump, the last trump, and the great trump. Each one of these trumpets indicates a specific day in the Jewish year. The first is blown on the Feast of Pentecost -(Exodus 19:19). It may surprise you, but Jews celebrated Pentecost 1,500 years before Christians did. It proclaimed that God hath betrothed Himself to Israel. The last trump is synonymous with Rosh HaShanah, according to several Jewish authors. The Great trump is blown on Yom Kippur, which will herald the return of the Messiah Christ Jesus back to Earth -(Matthew 24:31).
The first and last trump relate to the two horns of the ram, which according to Jewish tradition, was caught in the thicket on Mount Moriah when Abraham was ready to slay Isaac and offer him up as a burnt offering. This ram became the substitute for us and provided life for the Jews through His death.
In Pirket Avot (the sayings of the fathers), Rabbi Eliezer tells that the left horn (first trump) was blown on Mount Sinai, and its right horn (the last trump) will be blown to heard the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah 18:3 and 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 speak of the resurrection of the dead. 1st Thessalonians 5 continues the day of the Lord and the birthpangs of the Messiah. The festivals will, beyond a shadow of doubt, tell you that the resurrection of the dead precedes the time of Jacob's trouble (also known as the Tribulation). 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 says that the dead in Messiah Christ Jesus will rise first, and that the catching away of the believers will immediately follow.
The Hebrew equivalent of the Rapture is the word "Natzal". Isaiah 26:2-3, 19:11-20 and 57:1-2 all speak clearly of the resurrection of the dead, the taking of believers, and the hiding of the believers from the indignation or Tribulation. Daniel 12:1-2 also speaks of the resurrection of the dead, the Tribulation, and the salvation of Israel through the Tribulation. Zephaniah 1:14-18 and 2:2-3 tells about the terrible times during the day of the Lord, the birthpangs of the Messiah, and issues a decree to repent and turn to God before that day to be hid from that time.
Psalm 27:5 says the righteous will be hid in the time of trouble. This Psalm is read every day during the 40-day period of Teshuvah. 2nd Thessalonians 2:1 says, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together with Him." The phrase, "gathering together" comes from the Greek word "episunagoge", which means "an assembly." In Numbers 10:2-3, the trumpet is blown to assemble the people. The blowing of the trumpet and the assembling of the people also appear together in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1st Corinthians 15:51-53. To clarify a point here, many Jews during Jesus Christ time did not believe in a resurrection. That belief began somewhere around the time of the Babylonian captivity. Prior to the deportation to Babylon, virtually all of Judaism believed in life after physical death. Throughout the Diaspora, over the past nineteen hundred years, any belief in life after death has declined, with the exception of certain Jewish groups.
Our last point about Yom HaKeseh, or the "Hidden Day", is found in Psalms 27:5, where it is written, "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock."
This is yet another name for Rosh HaShanah - Yom HaKeseh, "The Day of the HIding" or "The Hidden Day." The term "keseh" or "keceh" is derived from the Hebrew root "kacah", which means to "conceal or hide". Every day during the month of Elul,a trumpet is blown to warn the people to turn back to God, except for the thirtieth day of Elul, the day preceding Rosh HaShanah. On that day the trumpet is not blown, and is therefore silent. This is because much about Rosh HaShanah is indicated in Scripture: "Sound the shofar on the New Moon, in concealment of the day of our festival" -(Psalm 81:3). Satan, the accuser, is not to be given any notice about the arrival of Rosh HaShanah, the Day of Judgment.
Rosh HaShanah is called Yom HaKeseh, or the Day of the Hiding , because it was hidden from Satan and to confuse him. -(1st Corinthians 14:33). Because it is the Day for Judgment, it is symbolically hidden from Satan. Satan did not know and understand the plan of the cross [tree], -(1st Corinthians 2:7-8). This was hidden from him as well. Believers never said when the day of Rosh HaShanah was; they simply said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, only the Father."
One of the reasons most often given, to disclaim that the resurrection of the dead and the catching away of the believers is on Rosh HaShanah is the statement given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:36, as it is written, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Because Rosh HaShanah was understood to be the hidden day, this statement by Jesus Christ is actually an idiom for Rosh HaShanah. Thus, it should be given as proof that He was speaking of Rosh HaShanah because Rosh HaShanah is the only day in the whole year that was referred to as the hidden day or the day that no man knew.
As I wind up this study of the Hebrew "The Theme of The Bride" and "The Feast Day of Rosh HaShanah" we need to remember that it takes place on the "New Moon". Colossians 2:16-17 says that the new moon will teach about the Messiah. The Jewish Biblical month is based upon a lunar cycle. The moon can barely be seen as the cycle begins. But then the moon turns toward the Sun and begins to reflect the light of the Sun. The Sun in the sky is a picture of Jesus according to Malachi 4:2, and the moon is a picture of the believers in the Messiah Christ Jesus. The Sun has its own light, but the moon's light is a reflection of the Sun. When we first become believers in Christ Jesus, we can hardly be seen spiritually and we know very little about God. But then our lives begin to revolve around the Messiah as the moon revolves around the Earth. As we begin to turn more and more toward the center of creation, we begin to reflect that light of Jesus Christ more and more, just as the moon reflects the light from the center of the solar system.
This year Rosh HaShanah will be take place on September 25/26th, 2014.
As my series of posts reveal on "The Theme of The Bride" and "Rosh HaShanah", it shows that, it is totally consistent with the belief in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, before the beginning of the "Seven" year Tribulation, of Daniel's 70th Week. Of over 850+ verses of Scripture devoted to this theme, not even one verse supports or suggests that the view of any of the other views held by other positions on the timing of the Rapture. This is totally Biblical, and does not twist the text or the meaning in any way. Bet your life that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is going to take place on the Biblical Feast Day of Rosh HaShanah.
God Bless,
Pastor Bob
Rosh HaShanah 2014 begins this week the evening of Wednesday, September 24th and ends in the evening of Friday, September 26th. The re-post below from "Pastor Bob," a frequent contributor on one of the end-time websites I periodically review (and I feel Bob is always spot-on), posted the information below this past July...I feel, given the prophetic lateness-of-the-hour, as evidenced by virtually everything that is going on in our world as of late (lining up for the fulfillment of a significant number of Bible prophecies), that the readers of this website need to consider Pastor Bob's message re-posted below. Additionally, as supportive signs and message to this, one should again review all of the postings on our Blood Moons page http://watchmansview.com/Blood_Moon_Tetrad.html (especially the end notes) as well as a very recent article by Pastor Mark Biltz here: http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/will-tribulation-begin-a-year-from-now/print/ . All of this is not meant to try and set an absolute date for the Rapture, but stir everyone into contemplating how close the time may be to our redemption, and agree or disagree, it points to some very interesting information that may be worth further study and prayerful consideration. Note: Yes its long, but its worth the read!
The "Feast of Trumpets," which is also known as "Rosh HaShanah," has a unique marker or link to The Bride of Christ and is a picture of the "catching away" (Rapture) of kallat Mashiach (the Bride of Christ)...consider the following:
The Feast has 12 names, themes, or idioms that collectively identify this Feast as the time of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The information gathered here has been compiled by Hebrew scholars, Messianic Jews, and Christian scholars that study Hebrew culture. traditions, and customs. This post is an abridged coverage of the Feast. Each of the below topical headings contain infinitely more detail. I have endeavored to cover the important points. These include:
1. Teshuvah (repentance)
2. Rosh HaShanah (Head of the Year, Birthday of the World)
3. Yom Teruah (the Day of the Awakening Blast - Feast of Trumpets)
4. Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment)
5. HaMelech (the Coronation of the Messiah)
6. Yom HaZikkaron (the Day of Remembrance or memorial)
7. The time of Jacob's trouble (the birthpangs of the Messiah)
8. The opening of the gates
9. Kiddushin/Nesu'in (the wedding ceremony)
10. The resurrection of the dead (Rapture/Natzal)
11. The last trump (shofar)
12. Yom Hakesch (the hidden day)
Teshuvah is a special season, which in Hebrew means "to return or repent", and it begins on the first day of the month of Elul and continues for 40 days, ending with Yom Kippur. Thirty days into Teshuvah, on Tishrei 1, comes Rosh HaShanah. This begins a final ten-day period beginning on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. These are known as the High Holy Days and as the Awesome Days. The sabbath that falls within this ten-day period is called Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. Five days after Yom Kippur is Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. Teshuvah begins on Elul 1 (our month of August/September), and concludes on Tishrei 10, Yom Kippur. Each morning during the 30 days of the month of Elul, the trumpet or ram's horn is blown to warn the people to repent and return to God.
Teshuvah (repentance) speaks to all people. Those who believe in the Messiah are called to examine their lives and see where they have departed from God. It is a call to examine the Scriptures and the evidence that the Messiah was who He said He was.
God has always had a heart to warn people before He proclaims judgment. He does not want anyone to receive the wrath of His judgment -(Ezekiel 18:21-23; Zephaniah 2:1-3; 33:1-7; 2nd Peter 3:9). I have noted several times in previous posts that the theme of "Deliverance" precedes "Judgment" nearly 200 times in the Bible.
The whole month of Elul is a 30-day process of preparation through personal examination and repentance for the coming High Holy Days. The shofar is blown after each morning service. Psalm 27, which begins with "The Lord is my light and my salvation," is also recited at the end of the morning and evening liturgy. The message from Elul 1 to Rosh HaShanah is clear: Repent before Rosh HaShanah. Don't wait until after Rosh HaShanah, or you will find yourself in the Days of Awe.
There are many idioms or phrases that help us identify the days in the season of Teshuvah (repentance). Just as unfamiliar foreigners might be confused when they hear Americans call Thanksgiving Day "Turkey Day" or "Pilgrims' Day", non-Jewish believers in Christ Jesus can be confused by the different terms for the major Feasts of the Lord.
Rosh HaShanah marks the Jewish New Year and is a part of the season of repentance. Rosh means "chief or head" and "shanah" means "year". Rosh HaShanah is the head of the year on the Hebrew civil calendar, and is also known as the birthday of the world since the world was created on this day.
Jewish tradition believes that Adam was created on this day. How did they decide that this was the day of the year the world was created? Because the first words of the book of Genesis, "In the beginning", when changed around, reads, "Aleph b'Tishrei, or "on the first day of Tishrei". Therefore, Rosh HaShanah is known as the birthday of the world, for tradition tells us that the world was created then.
Note: There are four new years in the Jewish calendar. Nisan 1 is the New Year's Day of kings (the date for determining how many years a king has ruled) and for months (Nisan is the first month). Elul 1 is the new year for the tithing of animals. Shevat 15 is the new year for the trees, and Tishrei 1 is the new year of years. It also marks the anniversary of the creation of the world.
Rosh HaShanah is observed for two days. It comes on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (usually in September/October), which is the first month of the Biblical civil calendar. The month of Tishrei is the seventh month in the Biblical religious calendar. This may seem strange that Rosh HaShanah, the New Year, is on the first and second day of Tishrei, the seventh month on the Biblical religious calendar. The reason that Rosh HaShanah, is the seventh month in the Biblical religious calendar is that God made the month of Nisan the first month of the year in remembrance of Israel's divine liberation from Egypt -(Exodus 12:2; 13:4). However, according to tradition, the world was created on Tishrei 1, or more exactly, Adam and Eve were created on the first day of Tishrei and it is from Tishrei that the annual cycle began. Hence, Rosh HaShanah is celebrated at this time.
Unlike other festivals that are celebrated in the Diaspora (the dispersion, referring to Jew who live outside the Holy Land of Israel). Rosh HaShanah is celebrated for two days because of uncertainty about observing the festivals on the correct calendar day. Rosh HaShanah is the only holiday celebrated for two days in Israel. As with all other festivals, the uncertainty was involved in a calendar that depended on when the new moon was determined, designing the beginning of each month by the rabbinical court in Jerusalem in ancient times. The problem of Rosh HaShanah is heightened by the fact that it falls on Rosh Chodesh, the new moon itself. Therefore, even in Jerusalem, it would have been difficult to let everyone know in time that the New Year had begun. To solve this problem, a two-day Rosh HaShanah was practiced even in Israel. Creating a two-day Rosh HaShanah was also intended to strengthen observance of each day; in the rabbinic view, and the two days are regarded as a one-long-day.
In Psalm 98:6 it is written, "With trumpets and sound of the horn shout joyfully before the King, the Lord". The blessing we receive from God when we understand the meaning of Rosh HaShanah and the blowing of the trumpet (shofar) is found in Psalm 89:15, as it is written, "How blessed are the people who know the joyful..."
Rosh HaShanah is referred to in the Torah as Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar (or the Day of the Awakening Blast). On Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, it is imperative for every person to hear the shofar. The mitvah (or Biblical commandment found in John 14:15 is to hear the shofar being blown, not actually blow it yourself, hence the blessing, "to hear the sound of the shofar."
Teruah means "an awakening blast". A theme associated with Rosh HaShanah is the theme "to awake". Teruah is also translated as "shout". The book of Isaiah, chapter 12, puts the shouting in the context of the thousand-year reign of Messiah. The Messianic era and shout is mentioned in Isaiah 42:11; 44:23; Jeremiah 31:7; and Zephaniah 3:14. The first coming of Jesus Christ is associated with a shout in Zechariah 9:9. The ultimate shout is the Rapture in First Thessalonians 4:16-17.
Whether it is by the blast of a shofar or by the force of a supernatural shout, God's goal is to awaken us! For this reason it is written, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ's will shine on you." -(Ephesians 5:14). The book of Ephesians has many references to Rosh HaShanah and the High Holy Days. For example, in Ephesians 4:30, being sealed unto the day of redemption refers to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. God gave this festival to teach us that we will be judged on Rosh HaShanah and will be sealed unto the closing of the gates on Yom Kippur.
Isaiah 26:19 speaks of the resurrection. The word "awake" is associated with the resurrection, as it is written, "Your dead will live; their corpse will rise. You will lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits" -(Isaiah 26:19).
The theme of awakening from sleep is used throughout the Bible. It is found in John 11:11; Romans 13:11; Daniel 12:1-2; and Psalm 78:65. In Isaiah 51:9 it is written, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord, awake as in the days of old, the generations of long age..." The arm of the Lord is used as a term for the Messiah in Isaiah 53:1. The word "arm" is the Hebrew word "zeroah". During the Passover, a shankbone, known as the "zeroah", is put on the plate. So "awake" is a term or idiom for Rosh HaShanah. In Isaiah 51:9 quoted earlier, the awakening is associated with the coming of the Messiah.
The "shofar" is the physical instrument that God instructed us to hear ("shema") the sound of the shofar teaching us to awake from spiritual slumber -(1 Corinthians 14:46). In the days of old, the shofar was used on very solemn occasions. We first find the shofar mentioned in connection with the revelation on Mount Sinai when the voice of the shofar was exceedingly strong and all the people who were there in the camp trembled -(Exodus19:16). Thus, the shofar we hear on Rosh HaShanah ought to also serve as a battle cry to wage war against our inner enemy - our evil inclinations and passions as well as the devil, Ha Satan, himself. The shofar was also sounded on the Jubilee Year, heralding the freedom from slavery as recorded in Leviticus 25:9-10. Spiritually this refers to freedom from the slavery of sin, the desires of this world, and serving the devil -(Romans 6:12-13; James 4:4).
Another reason for sounding the shofar is that Rosh HaShanah is the celebration of the birth of creation and when God began to rule over the world on this day. When a king begins to reign, he is heralded with trumpets. That is why Psalm 47 precedes the blowing of the shofar; it is a call to nations: " ... Sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth..." -(Psalm 47:6-7). It also precedes because of the reference to the shofar in the previous verse Psalm 47:5, as it is written, "God has ascended with a shout, the Lord, with the sound of a trumpet".
In Jewish tradition, many reasons have been offered for the sounding of the shofar: The ram's horn is identified with the ram that became the substitute sacrifice for Isaac in Genesis 22:1-19. The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai was accompanied by the sounding of the shofar in Exodus 19:19. The proclamation of the Jubilee was heralded by the blast of the shofar in Leviticus 25:9-11; and the commencement of the Messianic age is to be announced by the sound of the great shofar noted in Isaiah 27:13. The book 'Gates of Repentance' cites Maimonide's call to awaken from spiritual slumber.
When the rabbis saw the phrase "Awake, O Israel", they would immediately identify those verses with something concerning Rosh HaShanah. The blowing of the shofar took place at the Temple on Rosh HaShanah, which is confirmed by Nehemiah 8:1-3.
The shofar was also blown at the Temple to begin the Sabbath each week. There are two types of trumpets used in the Bible:
1. The silver trumpet
2. The shofar, or ram's horn
On the Sabbath, there was within the Temple a sign on the wall that said, "To the house of the blowing of the trumpet." Each Sabbath, two men with silver trumpets and a man with a shofar made three trumpet blasts twice during the day. On Rosh HaShanah, it is different. The shofar is the primary trumpet. On Rosh HaShanah, a shofar delivers the first blast, a silver trumpet, the second, and then a shofar, the third blast. The silver trumpets and the gathering at the Temple are specified in the book of Numbers, chapter 10.
According to Leviticus 23:24 and Numbers 29:1, Rosh HaShanah is the day of the blowing of the trumpets. According to the Mishna, the trumpet used for this purpose is the ram's horn, not trumpets made of metal as recorded in Numbers 10.
The shofar or ram's horn, has always held a prominent role in the history of God's people in the Bible:
1. The Torah was given to Israel with the sound of the shofar in Exodus 19:19.
2. Israel conquered in the battle of Jericho with the blast of the shofar in Joshua 6:20.
3. Israel will be advised of the advent of the Messiah with the sound of the shofar in Zechariah 9:14,16.
4. The shofar will be blown at the time of the ingathering of the exiles of Israel to their place in Isaiah 27:13.
5. The shofar was blown to signal the assembly of the Israelites during war in Judges 3:27; 2nd Samuel 20:1.
6. The watchman who stood upon Jerusalem's walls blew the shofar in Ezekiel 33:3-6.
7. The shofar was blown at the start of the Jubilee year in Leviticus 25:9.
8. The shofar is a reminder that God is sovereign in Psalm 47:5.
9. The ram's horn, the shofar, is a reminder of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and God's provision of a ram as a substitute in Genesis 22:13.
10.The shofar was blown to announce the beginning of festivals in Numbers 10:10.
11.The blowing of the shofar is a signal for the call to repentance in Isaiah 58:1.
12.The blowing of the shofar ushers in the day of the Lord in Joel 2:1.
13.The blowing of the shofar is sounded at the Rapture of the believers and the resurrection of the dead in 1st Thessalonians 4:16.
14.John was taken up to Heaven in the book of Revelation by the sound of the shofar in Revelation 4:1.
15.Seven shofarim are sounded when God judges the earth during the Tribulation in Revelation 8-9.
16.The shofar was used for the coronation of kings - 1st Kings 1:34,39.
17.The shofar was blown to celebrate the new moon on Rosh HaShanah in Psalm 81:1-3.
Another name for Rosh HaShanah is Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment. It was on this day,God would sit in court and all men would pass before Him to be judged. Three great books will be opened as each man is weighed in the balance and placed into one of three categories according to rabbinical sources. It has been taught that the school of Shammai says that there will be three classes on the final Day of Judgment, one of the wholly righteous, one of the wholly wicked, and one of the intermediates. The wholly righteous are at once inscribed and sealed for life in the world to come. The wholly wicked are at once inscribed and sealed for perdition.
The righteous are separated and will be with God. This is known to Bible believers as the Rapture, which in Hebrew, is the "Natazal". The wicked will face the wrath of God during the Tribulation period, known in Hebrew as the "Chevlai shel Mashiach", and will never repent. The average person has until Yom Kippur till his fate is sealed forever. In other words, the average person will have until the end of the seven-year Tribulation to repent and turn to God. The average person on Rosh HaShanah is judged by God and is neither written in the book of life or the book of the wicked. His fate is yet to be decided. The average person and the wicked have to go through the "Awesome Days", the Tribulation, until they reachYom Kippur (the end of the Tribulation when their fate is sealed forever). Once you are written in the book of the wicked, you can never get out of it -(Revelation 17:8). These are people who never, ever, will accept the Messiah Christ Jesus.
There are 12 months to the year and there are 12 tribes in Israel. Every month of the Jewish year has its representative tribe. The month of Tishrei is the month of the tribe of Dan. This is of symbolic significance, for when Dan was born to Bilhah, Rachel's maid, Rachel said, "God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice..." -(Genesis 30:6). Dan and din (as in Yom HaDin, Day of Judgment) are both derived from the same root word, symbolizing that Tishrei is the time of Divine Judgment and Forgiveness. Similarly, every month of the Jewish calendar has its own sign of the Zodiac (in Hebrew "Mazal"). The sign of the Zodiac for Tishrei is the "Scales" of justice. This is symbolic of Judgment.
Just a brief note here on the Zodiac. It was the original Gospel in the Stars, however, it was later perverted to the Satanic practice of Astrology. This has been documented heavily and a subject of another time.
The recognition of God as King is vividly pictured in the Jewish view of Adam's under-standing of his Divine Creator being King over all the Universe. It was late on the sixth day since God began the Creation of the world, when Adam opened his eyes and saw the beautiful world around him, and he knew at once that God created the world, and him too. Adam's first words were:
"The Lord is King forever and ever!" and the echo of his voice rang throughout the world. "Now the whole world will know that I am King," God said and He was very pleased. This is the first Rosh HaShanah! The first New Year. It was the birthday of Man, and the Coronation Day of the King of Kings!" -(Ancient Hebrew sage comment)
A theme and term associated with Rosh HaShanah in Hebrew is HaMelech (the King). It was mentioned earlier in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 and is known as the last trump, which the Apostle Paul mentioned in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17. At this time, the believers in the Messiah who are righteous according to Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment) will escape the Tribulation (Chevlai sle Mashiach) on earth and will be taken to Heaven in the Rapture ("Natzal") along with the righteous who had died before this time. What happens to the believers in the Messiah when they are taken to Heaven at this time? One of the events that will take place is the Coronation of the Messiah as King, which will happen in Heaven -(Revelation 5). Christ Jesus who had come to Earth during His first coming to play the role of the suffering Messiah (the Lamb of God)(Messiah ben Joseph), will be crowned as King over all the Earth in preparation for His coming back to Earth to reign as King Messiah (the Lion of Judah)(Messiah ben David) during the Messianic age, the Millennium as stated in Revelation 19:16; 20:4. Daniel 7:9-14 saw this and John the Apostle saw this same thing in the book of Revelation.
The Enthronement Ceremony of a King is part of the Rosh HaShanah motif. There are four parts to the enthronement of a Jewish king.
1. The giving of the decree. Associated with this is a declaration. This can be seen in Psalm 2:6-7, as it is written, "You have I set my king upon My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree..." Next, a rod/scepter is given, which is an emblem of a king. Scriptures that refer to the scepter include Genesis 49:17; Numbers 24:17; Esther 4:11; 5:2; 8:4; Psalm 45:6; and Hebrews 1:8. Scriptures that refer to a rod are found in Psalms 2:9; Isaiah 11:1,4; and Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:16. The scepter is an emblem of a king or royal office and a rod refers to the king ruling and reigning righteously in all manner -(Isaiah 11:1,4-5). Christ Jesus is the King Messiah -(Isaiah 11:1,4-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 1:32-33; John 1:47-49).
2. The ceremony of the taking of the throne. This is found in Revelation 5. The king sits on the throne and is anointed as king. The word "Christ" in English comes from the Greek word "Christos" and in Hebrew it is Mashiach", meaning "the anointed one". Jesus came as a prophet during His first coming -(Deuteronomy 18:15), was resurrected as the priest -(John 20:9,17), and is coming back again as King. Kings in Israel were anointed -(2nd Samuel 5:3-4; 1st Kings 1:39-40, 45-46; 2nd Kings 9:1-6).
3. The acclamation. During the acclamation, all the people shout, "Long live the king!" - (1st Kings 1:28-310). Next, all the people clap -(Psalm 47:1-2; Psalm 47 is a coronation Psalm). Psalm 47:5 is the shout and trumpet of Rosh HaShanah. Verse 6 is the shouting and praising of the king. Verse 8 is the ceremony of the throne. In verse 9, the believers in the Messiah Christ Jesus are all gathered in His presence.
4. Each of the subjects coming to visit the king after he has taken the throne. In this, they will acknowledge their allegiance to Him and receive their commissioning from Him as to what their job will be in the kingdom -(Isaiah 66:22-23; Zechariah 14:16-17; Matthew 2:2).
Rosh HaShanah is also known as Yom HaZikkaron, the Day of Remembrance. Leviticus 23:24 calls the day "a memorial". Remembrance is a major theme in the Bible. We can see by examining the following Scriptures that God remembers us and we are to remember God in all of our ways.
There are two elements of remembrance:
.1 God remembers us - (Genesis 8:1; 9:1,4-16; 19:29;30:22; Ezodus 2:24-25; 3:1; 6:2,5; 32:1-3,7,11,13-14; Leviticus 26:14,31-33,38-45; Numbers 10:1-2,9; Psalm 105:7-8,42-43;112:6). In fact, God has a book of remembrance -(Exodus 32:32-33; Malachi 3:16-18; Revelation 3:5; 20:11-15; 21:1,27).
2. We must remember God - (Exodus 13:3; 20:28; Deuteronomy 7:17-19; 8:18; 16:3; Numbers 15:37-41).
Since the court was seated and the books were opened, it is understood to be Rosh HaShanah. The books are the book of the righteous, the book of the wicked, and the book of remembrance. The third book that will be opened is the book of remembrance (zikkaron). This is why the common greeting during Rosh HaShanah is, "May you be inscribed in the Book of Life".
The Spiritual application is significant. In Romans 14:10 it is written, "But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God". In 2nd Corinthians 5:10 it is written, "Fore we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." This is also discussed in 1st Corinthians 3:9-15. The words of the believers in Messiah will be judged by God, but not their salvation. This is a judgment of the believers in Jesus only. All people in this judgment are the believers in Jesus only. All people in this judgment will be saved. This is not the judgment of your salvation, but a judgment of your rewards based upon your works. On this day, God will open the Book of Life and hold a trial. This is known as the Bema judgment.
The English phrase, "birthpangs of the Messiah, or the Hebrew "Chevlai she Mashiach", is a major theme of the Bible. It is commonly known as the seven-year Tribulation period. In Matthew 24, Jesus Christ described the signs of the end. "And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age ["Olam Haeh"]?" In Matthew 24:3, Jesus said that these days are the beginnings of sorrows. -(Matthew 24:8). The Greek word translated as sorrows here is "odin". This word means "birthpangs". The birthpangs of the Messiah are also spoken of in Jeremiah 30:4-7. They are also mentioned in 1st Thessalonians 5:1-3, and again in Revelation 12:1-2.
The Scriptures reveal two interchangeable synonyms:
1. The birthpangs = the time of Jacob's trouble.
2. The time of Jacob's trouble = the "Seven"-year Tribulation.
This period of time will be Israel's most trying time ever. This period of time is known as the Tribulation. Jacob is Israel. There shall be great tribulation in Israel such as never was since there was a nation. -(Daniel 12:1). It will also be a time when God will ultimately judge sin and all the nations of the Earth. Through it, the nation of Israel will be physically saved from total destruction by God, and will, as a nation, accept Christ Jesus as the Messiah - "...But he will be saved out of it" -(Jeremiah 30:7. In Hosea 5:15 it is written, "I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction [the Chevali shel Mashiach] they will seek Me early."
Israel will face genuine crisis during the time of Jacob's trouble. The prophet Zechariah prophesied that two out of every three inhabitants of Israel will perish during this time, with a remnant of only one-third of the population being saved -(Zechariah 13:8-9). In Isaiah 13:6-8, it tells just how bad it will become.
Isaiah 13:10 corresponds to Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24; and Revelation 6:12. Other passages that speak of the birthpangs include Genesis 3:16; 35:16-20; 38:27-28; Isaiah 26:16-21; 54:1; 66:7-9; Jeremiah 4:31; 6:24; 13:21; 22:23; Micah 4:9-10; and John 16:21-22.
There are several stages to Israel's birthing the Messiah.
1. Isaiah 66:7 is a birth before travail. "Before she [Israel] travailed [received the Messiah], she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a male child" -(Isaiah 66:7). Isaiah 66:7 is a birth "before" travail. This happened during the first coming of Christ Jesus, the Messiah. The birthpangs that Israel experienced during Jesus Christ's first coming came after Jesus Christ's death with the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people out of Israel by the Romans in 70 AD, scattered throughout the world.
2. Isaiah 66:8 is a birth after travail. Isaiah 66:8 says, "...as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." This will happen before Christ Jesus returns to earth to set foot on the Mount of Olive -(Zechariah 14:4), as Israel experiences the hardest time she has ever experienced since she was a nation -(Daniel 12:1), in the period of time known as the birthpangs of the Messiah, or theTribulation. The Tribulation and the birthpangs of the Messiah are one and the same thing. What we are seeing in these days is the woman [Israel] becoming larger and larger,coming closer and closer in the time when she is about to give birth.
The Gate of Heaven are opened on Rosh HaShanah so the righteous nation may enter -(Isaiah 26:2; Psalm 118:19-20. Because of the gates of Heaven are understood to be open on Rosh HaShanah, this is further evidence that the Rapture ("Natzal") of the believers in the Messiah Christ Jesus, will take place on Rosh HaShanah.
The Wedding of the Messiah, has been covered in the series of posts on "The Theme of The Bride" and so there is no need to duplicate them here. To fully grasp the big picture, I recommend that everyone watch the "Feasts of the Lord" DVD set by Mark Biltz. The Seven Feasts of Leviticus 23 provides the Christian believer a level of confidence in the Bible that traditional Christian churches fail to offer the student of the Bible.
One of the reasons for blowing the shofar is to proclaim the resurrection of the dead. In addition, the thirteenth principle of the Jewish faith is belief in the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh HaShanah. In 1st Corinthians 15:52, the Apostle Paul tells us that the resurrection of the dead will be at "the last trump." Earlier in 1st Corinthians 15:14, he wrote that without the Messiah rising from the dead, our faith is in vain.
We cannot go to the book of Revelation and say that the voice of the seventh angel -(Revelation 11:15) is the last trump. In the first century AD, the last trump (shofar) meant a specific day in the year. In Judaism, there are three trumpets that have a name. There are the first trump, the last trump, and the great trump. Each one of these trumpets indicates a specific day in the Jewish year. The first is blown on the Feast of Pentecost -(Exodus 19:19). It may surprise you, but Jews celebrated Pentecost 1,500 years before Christians did. It proclaimed that God hath betrothed Himself to Israel. The last trump is synonymous with Rosh HaShanah, according to several Jewish authors. The Great trump is blown on Yom Kippur, which will herald the return of the Messiah Christ Jesus back to Earth -(Matthew 24:31).
The first and last trump relate to the two horns of the ram, which according to Jewish tradition, was caught in the thicket on Mount Moriah when Abraham was ready to slay Isaac and offer him up as a burnt offering. This ram became the substitute for us and provided life for the Jews through His death.
In Pirket Avot (the sayings of the fathers), Rabbi Eliezer tells that the left horn (first trump) was blown on Mount Sinai, and its right horn (the last trump) will be blown to heard the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah 18:3 and 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 speak of the resurrection of the dead. 1st Thessalonians 5 continues the day of the Lord and the birthpangs of the Messiah. The festivals will, beyond a shadow of doubt, tell you that the resurrection of the dead precedes the time of Jacob's trouble (also known as the Tribulation). 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 says that the dead in Messiah Christ Jesus will rise first, and that the catching away of the believers will immediately follow.
The Hebrew equivalent of the Rapture is the word "Natzal". Isaiah 26:2-3, 19:11-20 and 57:1-2 all speak clearly of the resurrection of the dead, the taking of believers, and the hiding of the believers from the indignation or Tribulation. Daniel 12:1-2 also speaks of the resurrection of the dead, the Tribulation, and the salvation of Israel through the Tribulation. Zephaniah 1:14-18 and 2:2-3 tells about the terrible times during the day of the Lord, the birthpangs of the Messiah, and issues a decree to repent and turn to God before that day to be hid from that time.
Psalm 27:5 says the righteous will be hid in the time of trouble. This Psalm is read every day during the 40-day period of Teshuvah. 2nd Thessalonians 2:1 says, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together with Him." The phrase, "gathering together" comes from the Greek word "episunagoge", which means "an assembly." In Numbers 10:2-3, the trumpet is blown to assemble the people. The blowing of the trumpet and the assembling of the people also appear together in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1st Corinthians 15:51-53. To clarify a point here, many Jews during Jesus Christ time did not believe in a resurrection. That belief began somewhere around the time of the Babylonian captivity. Prior to the deportation to Babylon, virtually all of Judaism believed in life after physical death. Throughout the Diaspora, over the past nineteen hundred years, any belief in life after death has declined, with the exception of certain Jewish groups.
Our last point about Yom HaKeseh, or the "Hidden Day", is found in Psalms 27:5, where it is written, "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock."
This is yet another name for Rosh HaShanah - Yom HaKeseh, "The Day of the HIding" or "The Hidden Day." The term "keseh" or "keceh" is derived from the Hebrew root "kacah", which means to "conceal or hide". Every day during the month of Elul,a trumpet is blown to warn the people to turn back to God, except for the thirtieth day of Elul, the day preceding Rosh HaShanah. On that day the trumpet is not blown, and is therefore silent. This is because much about Rosh HaShanah is indicated in Scripture: "Sound the shofar on the New Moon, in concealment of the day of our festival" -(Psalm 81:3). Satan, the accuser, is not to be given any notice about the arrival of Rosh HaShanah, the Day of Judgment.
Rosh HaShanah is called Yom HaKeseh, or the Day of the Hiding , because it was hidden from Satan and to confuse him. -(1st Corinthians 14:33). Because it is the Day for Judgment, it is symbolically hidden from Satan. Satan did not know and understand the plan of the cross [tree], -(1st Corinthians 2:7-8). This was hidden from him as well. Believers never said when the day of Rosh HaShanah was; they simply said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, only the Father."
One of the reasons most often given, to disclaim that the resurrection of the dead and the catching away of the believers is on Rosh HaShanah is the statement given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:36, as it is written, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Because Rosh HaShanah was understood to be the hidden day, this statement by Jesus Christ is actually an idiom for Rosh HaShanah. Thus, it should be given as proof that He was speaking of Rosh HaShanah because Rosh HaShanah is the only day in the whole year that was referred to as the hidden day or the day that no man knew.
As I wind up this study of the Hebrew "The Theme of The Bride" and "The Feast Day of Rosh HaShanah" we need to remember that it takes place on the "New Moon". Colossians 2:16-17 says that the new moon will teach about the Messiah. The Jewish Biblical month is based upon a lunar cycle. The moon can barely be seen as the cycle begins. But then the moon turns toward the Sun and begins to reflect the light of the Sun. The Sun in the sky is a picture of Jesus according to Malachi 4:2, and the moon is a picture of the believers in the Messiah Christ Jesus. The Sun has its own light, but the moon's light is a reflection of the Sun. When we first become believers in Christ Jesus, we can hardly be seen spiritually and we know very little about God. But then our lives begin to revolve around the Messiah as the moon revolves around the Earth. As we begin to turn more and more toward the center of creation, we begin to reflect that light of Jesus Christ more and more, just as the moon reflects the light from the center of the solar system.
This year Rosh HaShanah will be take place on September 25/26th, 2014.
As my series of posts reveal on "The Theme of The Bride" and "Rosh HaShanah", it shows that, it is totally consistent with the belief in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, before the beginning of the "Seven" year Tribulation, of Daniel's 70th Week. Of over 850+ verses of Scripture devoted to this theme, not even one verse supports or suggests that the view of any of the other views held by other positions on the timing of the Rapture. This is totally Biblical, and does not twist the text or the meaning in any way. Bet your life that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is going to take place on the Biblical Feast Day of Rosh HaShanah.
God Bless,
Pastor Bob
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