Shana Tova. Happy Jewish New year 5782. - 5783 in 2022
There is much controversy, disagreement and - unfortunately - division over the subject of eschatology - things dealing with the end times. What I am expressing below is my view as I mature and grow in knowledge and understanding by prayer, study and faith in communion with the Lord Jesus.
We are to encourage and comfort each other and this is my intention. There is no place for confusion. Let's bring all things to the Lord and He will give us peace - for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 1 Corinthians 13:9-10 (KJV)
Proverbs 27:17 (KJV)
17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Today, Sept. 6th 2021, (This year, 2022, it is on September 25th) is the eve of the first day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, the month of Tishrei, known in the Bible as The Feast of Trumpets or Yom Truah.
Yom יוֹם means day in Hebrew and Truah תְּרוּעָה means "The joyful blowing of a shofar (Ram's horn) - trumpet."
Leviticus 23:23-24 (KJV) 23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (See also Numbers 29:1-6)
Exodus 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
In the Bible the first month of the Hebrew calendar is the Spring month of Nisan. Passover starts on the 14th day of the first month of Nisan.
Rabbinical Rosh HaShana - The Head of the Year
Rabbinic Judaism changed the new year from the first day of the Spring month of Nisan to the first day of the Autumn month of Tishrei, the seventh month, as a celebration of the creation of Adam, the first man - This year we celebrate the year 5783 from creation.
So here in Israel we say Shana Tova שנה טובה - may you have a good new year, even though according to the Bible, the new year begins on the first of the Hebrew month of Nissan, which is in the spring.
The Feasts of The Lord
The Lord gave the feasts to Israel as a memorial so that through them the nation of Israel may draw near to Him, that the knowledge of God and His wondrous works may be passed on from generation to generation AND to point to their promised Messiah.
In the following verse the Lord is talking about the Passover.
Exodus 12:14 (NASB)
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
In the verses below the Lord gives instructions for all the feasts. (See also Numbers chapters 28 and 29)
Leviticus 23:1-2 (NASB)
1 The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD’S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:
The Sabbath
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Feast of First Fruits
The Feast of Weeks
The Day of Atonement-starts on the evening of Sept. 15th 2021. (October 4th in 2022)
The Feast of Tabernacles-starts on the evening of Sept. 20th 2021. (October 9th in 2022)
Just as the Messiah fulfils the Law, the Prophets and the Writings, the Messiah also fulfils all of the feasts in God’s universal plan of salvation.
Jesus the Messiah fulfilled the four Spring feasts at His first coming, He will fulfil the three Autumn feasts at His second coming.
I’m not talking here about times and seasons, which shouldn't be an issue. We are to always be ready.
Matthew 24:36 (KJV)
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:42 (KJV)
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 (KJV)
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
I’m not saying that Yeshua will return for His Bride on the actual Feast of Trumpets. We are under the New Covenant, dead to the law and alive in Christ.
Hebrews 9:24 (KJV)
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
I’m saying that there is an order that God ordained in His plan of salvation.
Many have lost Biblical perspective and their understanding has been compromised because Israel and the Hebrew Bible have been taken out of the equation by Replacement Theology—The teaching that Israel has been replaced by the church and that God has rejected Israel.
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance
Romans 11:25-32
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Have in mind that when Paul and Peter wrote these words there was no New Testament canon. There was only the Hebrew Bible. The Lord Jesus and all the apostles quoted the Hebrew Bible.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Peter 1:21 (KJV)
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Luke 24:25-27 (KJV)
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Learning about the feasts can give us background, insight and prophetic understanding
These things are a shadow of things to come. The Messiah is the fulfilment of all things; however, we can learn much by prayerfully reading the TaNaCh-The Hebrew Bible, The Old Testament.
Colossians 2:9-10 (KJV)
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Colossians 2:16-17 (KJV)
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holiday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
The Feast of Trumpets - Yom Truah
Yom יוֹם means day in Hebrew and Truah תְּרוּעָה means "The joyful blowing of a shofar (Ram's horn) - trumpet."
The Feast of Trumpets and the Rapture
Leviticus 23:23-25 (NASB)
23 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.’” (See also Numbers 29:1-6)
1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV)
52 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.
The last trump refers to the final trumpet blow out of a series of one hundred trumpet blows during the celebration of the feast of Trumpets. In Thessalonians when teaching about the rapture of the church Paul calls this last trumpet, the trumpet of God.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV)
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Zechariah 9:14 (KJV)
14 And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
This is not to be confused with the seventh trumpet of judgment of the angel that we read about in the book of Revelation. Yom Truah is a day of a joyous trumpet blow and the gathering together to the Lord.
Revelation 10:7 (KJV)
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Revelation 11:15 (KJV)
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
The Trumpet of God mentioned by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 is not to be confused with the trumpet in the Olivet Discourse - Matthew 24:31 (also Mark 13:27)
Deuteronomy 30:4 (KJV)
4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
Matthew 24:31 (KJV)
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The trumpet which is sounded after the tribulation -Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, signifies the regathering of the children of Israel from the four corners of the earth as the Messiah returns to earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom from Jerusalem.
It seems like the Olivet Discourse Trumpet and the seventh trumpet in Revelation 10:7 and 11:15 is the Jubilee year trumpet that gathers all of Israel:
it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family
Leviticus 25:8-10 (KJV)
8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
Then they will see Him whom they have pierced and say "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."
Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV)
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Isaiah 27:13 (KJV)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day,
that the great trumpet shall be blown,
and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria,
and the outcasts in the land of Egypt,
and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
Zechariah 2:6 (KJV)
6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD:
for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 11:11-12 (KJV) 11 And it shall come to pass in that day,
that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time
to recover the remnant of his people,
which shall be left, from Assyria,
and from Egypt, and from Pathros,
and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar,
and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations,
and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
During the Feast of Trumpets ceremony the shofar - trumpet - is blown one hundred times
The last trumpet blast, which concludes the ceremony, is called tkiah gdola—תקיעה גדולה Great Trumpet Blast and it is longer than the ones that precede it.
The last trumpet blast, called the great trumpet blast is what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15:52, and it signifies the rapture of the Church.
The blowing of the shofar - trumpet - is a call to stop working and to gather together to bring offerings and to worship the Lord.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (KJV)
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (emphasis is mine)
Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement
This trumpet is also a call to repentance for the people to prepare their hearts for the Day of Atonement.
Joel 2:1-2 (KJV)
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain:
let all the inhabitants of the land tremble:
for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess,
a day of clouds and of thick darkness,
as the morning spread upon the mountains:
a great people and a strong;
there hath not been ever the like,
neither shall be any more after it,
even to the years of many generations.
Joel 2:11-16 (KJV)
11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army:
for his camp is very great:
for he is strong that executeth his word:
for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible;
and who can abide it?
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD,
turn ye even to me with all your heart,
and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments,
and turn unto the LORD your God:
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and of great kindness,
and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent,
and leave a blessing behind him;
even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,
sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders,
gather the children, and those that suck the breasts:
let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
The ten days between the Feast of Trumpets - Yom Truah and the Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur are called "The Days of Awe". In Hebrew these ten days are called HaYamim HaNorai'im הימים הנוראים which translated means "The Terrible Days". (Refer to the Table above)
These "Terrible Days" foreshadow the Great Tribulation and the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) before they turn to Him whom they have pierced and say Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. (Zechariah 12:10) And then all Israel will be saved.
Romans 11:26 (KJV)
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Jeremiah 30:7 (KJV)
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it:
it is even the time of Jacob's trouble;
but he shall be saved out of it.
Daniel 12:1 (KJV)
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
So it can be said the the Trumpet of God will call us to be with our Lord Jesus in the clouds. This event will set in motion the seventieth week of Daniel, also called the time of Jacob's trouble.
Joel 2:1-2 (KJV) 1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
2 Thessalonians 2:5-12 (KJV)
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
This will be a time of great trial for all the earth during which time the everlasting gospel will be preached in supernatural ways causing many to come to repentance and many will be saved from every nation, tribe and tongue. Amen and Hallelujah.
Revelation 7:9 (KJV)
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Colossians 3:1-4 (NASB)
1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
The Rapture and The Second Coming are two different events just as The Feast of Trumpets is different to The Day of Atonement and to The Feast of Tabernacles
Let’s keep our eyes on our Lord who is in heaven. Let us await with hope and anticipation for His return. Let not the concern for the things of this world trouble us or distract us from seeking Jesus and earnestly expecting His imminent return to receive us to forever be with Him. We look for our Saviour from heaven.
Philippians 3:20-21 (NASB)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
The scriptures encourage us to expect the imminent return of the Lord—to be ready and alert.
Matthew 24:42 (NASB)
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
I am referring to our being caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air according to His promise.
John 14:1-3 (NASB)
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 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. 3 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.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NASB)
16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (KJV)
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
I am not referring to His return to earth to set up His Millennial Kingdom. Then His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.
Zechariah 14:4 (NASB)
4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
At His return to the Mount of Olives we will accompany Him. We are coming back with Him.
Revelation 19:14 (KJV)
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Read Revelation 19:11-16)
Zechariah 14:5 (KJV)
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains;
for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal:
yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake
in the days of Uzziah king of Judah:
and the LORD my God shall come,
and all the saints with thee.
Jude 1:14-15 (NASB)
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
He will come to bring judgment and to establish His Millennial Kingdom in Jerusalem - The Feast of Tabernacles - and we will come back with Him.
Revelation 1:7 (NASB)
7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
The Day of the Lord is a time of pain, and suffering and mourning. It is the time of Jacob’s trouble.
The Great Tribulation is for Israel’s salvation - The Day of Atonement
Jeremiah 30:7 (NASB)
7 ‘Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it.
Hosea 5:15 (NASB)
15 I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.
Micah 1:3-4 (KJV) 3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place,
and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains shall be molten under him,
and the valleys shall be cleft,
as wax before the fire,
and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
We cannot be looking for that terrible day.
Amos 5:18-20 (NASB)
18 Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, For what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light;
19 As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?
We are looking to heaven from where our Saviour will appear to catch us-snatch us away-from the wrath of God that is about to fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.
Titus 2:13 (NASB)
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus,
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NASB)
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Revelation 3:10 (NASB)
10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
The Lord will call us and we will be taken.
Isaiah 26:20-21 (NASB)
20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms And close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while Until indignation runs its course.
21 For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth will reveal her bloodshed And will no longer cover her slain.
Zephaniah 2:2-3 (NASB)
2 Before the decree takes effect—The day passes like the chaff—Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you,Before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you.
3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’S anger.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 (NASB)
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.