ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR

#6 of 7

Take a look at any calendar and apart from the numbers and names of the days and months, you will notice one more thing they all have in common: HOLIDAYS. Everyone has their favorite. Some years I feel like I go from holiday to holiday--- as soon as Thanksgiving is over it’s shopping and decorating for Christmas. As soon as we dispose of Christmas wrappings, we are planning a New Years Eve celebration. After all the decorations are taken down, here comes cupid! Almost every elementary school uses the holidays as themes--- hearts in February, four-leafed clovers in March…. We are trained early to know what “celebration” is.

And since we were made in His image, God obviously deems holidays important as well. Only His aren’t simply to exchange greeting cards and good wishes. God has His plan. Way back in Leviticus 23, God’s word lists all His covenanted feasts in chronological order. It was important to do the feasts the way God said to do them. Each had significance to the ancient Hebrew--- even if some of the actual symbolizations were most likely curious to them then. We know now that we can look back and see the picture taking on reality: Blood needed to be shed, sin must be excluded, there will be a harvest.

At this point we can look into our own future by looking back at the last three Feasts of Israel. Remember that God had commanded Israel to keep the covenanted annual feast days forever as a witness to all the nations that they were His people.

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

Whether one is

PRE-TRIB

POST-TRIB

MID-TRIB or

PRE-WRATH

---we are all believers,

justified sons and daughters of God Almighty,

and heaven-bound.

God purposely did not “nail this thing down.” But, as a loving Father, He has not left us without a pattern.

That said, here are some points:

It would be foolish of us to see the pattern emerging in the first four feasts and not look ahead to the last three to gain understanding. We know the Bible tells of end time events that have already been planned by God: the rapture, the second coming of Christ, the Judgment of the nations and the Millennial Kingdom. If we look at the feasts we will see that these things do not occur randomly, but on a specific schedule.

Let's take a look at the Christian end times calendar.

"Watchman, how far gone is the night? Watchman, how far gone is the night?" The watchman says, "Morning comes but also night. If you would inquire, inquire;" -- Isaiah 21:11b-12a

#1.

THE RAPTURE:

“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”---------- 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." ---Matthew 24:40-42

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,” ---2 Thessalonians 2:1

The word "rapture" is from the Latin word raptuo / rapturo / raeptius meaning caught up, to take away or to snatch out (as in "…then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together.."-- 1 Thess 4:17.) The Greek word is harpazo. Some will tell you the word “rapture” is not in the bible, but actually, the Latin form is in the 400 AD Latin Vulgate version by Jerome. The Latin Vulgate was the main Bible of the medieval Western Church until the Reformation and is still the primary Latin translation of the Roman Catholic Church. Some also say that it was only in the past 150 years that this idea was popularized by Darby. However, many bible scholars prior to 1800 (Edwards, Ward, Mede, Gill) referred to this event in the 1600 and 1700’s. In 373AD, Ephraem the Syrian, a major theologian of the early Byzantine Eastern Church, wrote in a commentary entitled On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World: “For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the Tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.” Obviously, the rapture is not a recent doctrine.

The Rapture is a belief primarily of many Evangelicals and Protestants as part of Dispensational Premillennialism. “Dispensational” is from the belief that there is a chronologically successive series of dispensations that emphasize certain Biblical covenants. An example of the most minimal dispensation would be:

.................................PERIOD OF LAW

.....................PERIOD OF GRACE(or Church Age)

...........................MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

Premillennialism is the belief of a time where Christ will collect His bride (that would be believers, dead and alive) up in the air to be with Him forever sometime prior to His second coming and the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom. All Dispensational Premillennialists agree that there will be a period of intense tribulation prior to Christ’s second coming that is well noted Biblically. Whether the rapture will happen BEFORE the time of tribulation, somewhere mid-point DURING the tribulation or AFTER the tribulation but before the time of God’s wrath is debatable. This is what is referred to as ‘pre-trib,” “mid-trib,” “post-trib,” and “pre-wrath.” The assertion would be that these scriptures acknowledge a time separate from Christ’s second coming, where Christ’s loyal disciples will be spared from the horror of either all the tribulation, part of it, or at the very least, spared the pouring out of God’s wrath on humanity.

(Note: Amillenialists believe the kingdom of God is not a literal 1000 year kingdom but present now in the hearts of men. Postmillennialists believe Jesus will come after the Millennium. Both believe Christ will only make one single, very public event.)

I believe scripture is quite clear that believers will be “caught up” to be with the Lord prior to His appearing before all on earth.

2. FEASTS OF TRUMPETS:

This brings us to the fifth feast of Israel: the Feast of Trumpets. The first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the religious Jewish calendar, is the Feast of Trumpets. This is also called “Rosh Hashanah, which means Head of the Year, since it is the first day of the civil Jewish Year, or the Jewish New Year’s Day. The Torah does not use the term "Rosh Hashanah," but calls this holiday Yom Teruah, The Day of the Sounding of the Shofar. This day begins a ten-day period called either Aseret Y’may T’shuvah, the Ten Days of Repentance, or Yamim Nora’im, the Days of Awe, ending in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These are the days where the Jews believe God is determining the fate of each human being.

During Rosh Hashanah, according to the Talmad, the wholly righteous are inscribed in the Book of Life. For everyone else, judgment is suspended until the tenth of Tishrei (Yom Kippur.) In the intervening days between, you have the opportunity to change your future fate by righting any wrongs you’ve done against your fellow man, doing good works and by extending charity to the community. Thus, as God would be writing the next year’s events in the Book of Life, one might change His mind to make the outcome more favorable.

One important aspect is that you must receive forgiveness from the person against whom you have sinned before confessing and seeking forgiveness from God. God will not forgive interpersonal sins unless the wronged party grants forgiveness as well. Additionally, emphasis is placed on the sincerity of your repentance. If sincerity is lacking and the confession is merely spoken but not felt in the heart, one has not fulfilled the commandment of confession and that is a serious sin. This must be a serious statement of regret and repentance.

3. YOM KIPPUR:

Yom Kippur, written in the Torah as Yom HaKippurim, or the Day of Atonement, is the tenth day of the Ten Days of Awe beginning on Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur, however, is dedicated to another type of reconciliation. Through prayer, fasting and meditation, the Jewish person is to right their relationship to God, repenting for the sins that effect no one other than themselves and God. At this point it’s too late to do anything about the sins committed against others--- God’s books have been closed. The decisions have been made. The verdict has been sealed.

4. CONNECTIONS TO THE RAPTURE:

1. Interestingly, the trumpet that closes the Feast of Trumpets is referred to as “the last trump” since there are several different blasts of the shofar that day, culminating in one special long blast called Teki’at Shofar signaling victory or good news. Trumpet calls were associated with calling a holy assembly, a warning of danger, or the arrival of a king.

“…at THE LAST TRUMP: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”---1 Corinthians 15:52

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the TRUMPET OF GOD, and the

dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” ---1 Thess 4:16-17

2. Rosh Hashanah is an unusual holy day, since it is actually two days. Rosh Hashanah is to be observed on the day of the new moon. Since the lunar cycle is 29 ½ days long, no one can be sure which day it will fall on. Only a small sliver of the crescent moon can be seen. Therefore, there would be two “witnesses” to look for the moon. The holy day was extended to two days to make sure they saw it. This holy day became known as ‘on a day or hour no one knows’ because they were never sure exactly when during the two days the witnesses would declare the new moon visible.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” ---Col 2:16-17 (italics mine)

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only,” –Matthew 24:36

3 . The two days of Rosh Hashanah and the one day of Yom Kippur plus the seven days in-between make up the ten day period known as “Days of Awe” or “Days of Repentance.” The seven days in between could relate to the seven years of tribulation described in Daniel 9:22-27. In this portion of scripture,

Daniel 9:24 speaks of a time that God has given “to finish transgression, to put and end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most hold.” The time frame is “seventy sevens” which at that point, these things will be fulfilled. Most biblical scholars agree this is 70 sevens of years, or 490 years. God uses a period of seven years for many things, so it isn’t unusual to see it referred to this way. Looking back at history, the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple to the death of the Messiah was 483 years. That leaves seven years. We are now in the “Church Age,” an unknown length of time for Gentiles to come to the Lord. There is still to come the seven years God spoke of where He will finish disciplining Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world. It is apparent that believers will be spared from the wrath to come:

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. --1 Thess 1:10

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? --1 Thess 2:19

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, --1 Thess 5:9

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.-- 1 Thess 5:23

”I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name....Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.” --- Rev 3:8,10

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things." ---Rev 4:1

4. The days of tribulation are also known as the day of the LORD in scripture:

“Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast” --- Isaiah 13:6-9

“Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.” – Joel 1:15

“…for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:2

5. Jesus often referred to His church as His bride. The bridegroom’s Father chooses the bride, the groom in most cases does no. He sends ta friend or a trusted servant to come to terms with the parents of the prospective bride and makes all the arrangements. Tradition in those ancient days was that the bride did not know on which night her groom would come for her. During this time the bride was to be set apart for the groom, to demonstrate her purity, prepare for His return and wait. If anyone asked the groom when the wedding was, he was to answer “only my father knows.” When the groom’s father approved of the Chuppah (canopy) the groom built for the bride, he would instruct the groom to go to the bride and take her from her father’s house. This is called “Nissuin.” The bride is to wait with her lamp, veil and any other things she needs beside her bed. The groom would come at night, and to alert the bride, he will blow the shofar. This will warn her that he is coming to claim her and that she must be ready to depart to her new home. The bride and groom are richly attired and at this point they pledge themselves for eternity. They then spend seven uninterrupted days alone. The wedding feast continues for these seven days, with a final wedding supper on the last day.

“..just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” – Ephesians 5:25-27

Jesus said, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." ---Mark 13:32

Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."—John 14:1-3

“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him."--- Matthew 25:5-6

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, "Write, `Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me , "These are the true words of God."—Revelations 19:7-9

#7 of 7
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

The last covenanted feast is The Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival. The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of the Ingathering, Succoth (Sukkot), or the Feast of Booths. This was a feast that Josephus referred to as the holiest and greatest of the Hebrew feasts. It begins five days after Yom Kippur and the fifteenth of Tishri. This is a very joyous holiday---contrasting starkly with the last most solemn holiday. Leviticus 23:43 states "That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." It was to last eight days.

This is the third pilgrimage to Jerusalem Jewish men were required to make.

Myrtle, willow and palm twigs from the Jerusalem are a were to be gathered for construction of a booth (Nehemiah 8:13-18). These were reminders of the temporary housing during the Exodus wanderings. It was a symbol of protection, preservation, and shelter. Samples of the fall crop were hung in each family's booth to acknowledge God's faithfulness in providing for His people.

There was a processional on the eighth and final day of the feast made up of priests and thousands of worshipers. The high priest of Israel would descend from the Temple Mount to pause briefly at the Pool of Siloam. A pitcher was filled with water, and the procession continued in a different route back to the Temple Mount. Here in a great ceremony, the high priest poured the water out of the pitcher onto the altar. This ceremony was intended to invoke God's blessing on the nation by providing life-giving water necessary for the early rains in October and November so that there would be a spring crop. Without the rains, there would be drought causing famine and death.

In Zechariah, the prophet says, "Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them." (Zechariah 14:16-17).

In John 7:37-38, John wrote: "Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." Jesus was saying that He is the source of life and blessing. He can meet every need of the human heart. He was clear that the water being poured represented the Holy Spirit that He was to send on Pentecost--and those that do not worship the King, the Lord of hosts, will have no rain on them.

During this festival, the Israelites were to remember God's provisions in the wilderness and their subsequent deliverance into the promised land. Likewise, we have been provided for in the wilderness we walk in. We are not yet in our "promised land." We are not yet living on the new earth.

This is the glorious day when Jesus will at last come again and set up His Millennial Kingdom. We will never again have a wilderness experience. God's people will safely live with their Lord forever. We will celebrate joyously the remembrance of our wandering wilderness time while being safely at home in our promised land!