Peace and grace to you in Jesus name!
As I teach on the Biblical prophets, I am also teaching on Israel. That must be the case because each and every one of the Biblical prophets were Jewish as is Jesus Christ. Frequently I am asked by Christians, "what has all that Jewish stuff got to do with me"? The plain and simple truth is that it has EVERYTHING "to do with" for Christians.
First, undeniable, it was the Jewish people that God chose to speak and safeguard His Holy Word for all time. Second, the New Testament book of Romans chapter 11 tells us exactly what relationship we have with Israel. Some mistakenly believe that JESUS CHRIST began some new religion and called it Christianity. Actually nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus Christ is the Lion of the Jewish tribe of Judah. He was sacrificed as the Jewish Lamb of God and was risen from the grave as the JEWISH MESSIAH!
It is through Jesus Christ, Y'shua HaMashiach (Hebrew), that both Jew and Gentile receive forgiveness of sins and are guaranteed an Eternal life with God. God gave four Biblical appointed times in the spring of each year. They are PASSOVER, UNLEAVENED BREAD, FIRST FRUITS and PENTECOST. These are not new to Christianity. They have been time honored BIBLICAL COMMANDS from long before Christ walked this earth.
So what is the relevance to us as Christians? Jesus died precisely on PASSOVER (as the Passover Lamb of God), He was buried precisely on Unleavened Bread and resurrected from the grave precisely on First Fruits. 50 days later the Holy Spirit was given to believers precisely on Pentecost (Nearly all Jews by the way---the Gentile Church began later through the teachings of Peter and Paul the Apostles).
There are also three Biblically appointed times in the fall of the year, also decreed by God. These are The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and finally Tabernacles (Sukkot).
There is much speculation among Biblical scholars that since all the key events of Jesus death and resurrection occurred precisely on the Biblical appointed days in the spring, that PERHAPS, He may accomplish the events of His second coming precisely on the fall Biblically appointed days as well. That would mean that possibly Trumpets may be significant in terms of the Rapture, The Day of Atonement significant for His second Coming and Tabernacles significant for the beginning of the Thousand Year Reign of Christ.
CAUTION!!! Although history verifies the events of the spring in Jesus first coming, we will only know about the time of His second coming when it happens. However I think that even though this is mere speculation, it is extremely provocative and deserves thought.
The remainder of this article is written by my wife Brandy Cook who is the
Founder and International Director of one of our ministries, COMFORT ISRAEL. She will share her insights with you regarding the Biblically appointed time of Rosh Hashanah or also known as the Feast of Trumpets. Welcome Brandy!
Greeting Readers in the Glorious name of Y'shua, our Hope of Glory! My husband asked me to write this blog post, and share with you about the holiday that begins to night at sundown, which is commonly known as Rosh Hashanah. I consider this an honor to be able to share with you all today!
Rosh Hashanah literally means "Head of the Year". As of tonight we will transition from the year 5770 on the Jewish civil calendar, to 5771. (Since creation). The Jewish people actually have two calendars, the Sacred and the Civil. So with that, I wish you the typical Hebrew greeting, "L'shana Tova" ~ which means "May you have a good new year"!
Did you know that in Judaism this is considered to be the Birthday of the World?
Tonight at sundown also marks the beginning of "Yom Teruah", or more commonly know in English, as the "Feast of Trumpets" which literally should be translated "The Day of the sounding of the Shofar or Day of the awakening blast". This is one of "God's appointed times" in the Word of God. (Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1). Sometimes people relate this to a "Jewish Holiday", but in truth, it is a Biblical Holiday, which both Jew and Gentile are invited to participate in.
Let's travel back in time to the book of Leviticus, chapter 23, verses 23-25:
"Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 'You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.' "
Most importantly, Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the High Holy Days. The next 10 days following this holiday are known as the "Days of Awe". They are also known as the Days of Repentance, Days of Admitting and the Days of Returning. Yom Kippur, the most Holy Day of them all, marks the DAY OF ATONEMENT which begins on sundown of the eve of September 17th.
The blowing of the Shofars that are being blown today in modern times in Jewish Observance are the very same as in the days of old. The purpose is to awaken everyone's hearts that the TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS NEAR.
Let's talk about one of the most important traditional parts of the High Holy Days... it's called "Teshuva" or "Repentance / Return".
As my dear friend in Jerusalem, Israel recently wrote, "During this time, soul searching and repentance are taken seriously." Dear readers, this is the time of year, where we are reminded to make wrongs, right. Broken relationships hopefully are restored. Offenses are forgiven. Sins are repented for. Self examination of the soul is taken seriously, as if you were about to stand before the Lord Himself. Think of it, if you knew that tomorrow you were going to stand before God, what would you do today in regards to your walk spiritually? Are there habitual sins you just can't seem to break free of? Do you have un-forgiveness in your heart towards anyone who has hurt you? Have you hurt someone and haven't repented to them or attempted to make restoration? Have the clutches of pride or self-justification blinded you or caused a root of bitterness to spring up in your heart? What about not putting God first anymore? Too busy for Him? Has intimacy with Jesus been put on the back burner of your life, waiting for "things to calm down" so you can get back to your devotional time? Running to empty places for comfort and escape from the stresses of life? Have you become backslidden? Knowingly or unknowingly?
God wants you to know something. He misses you.
"Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." Jeremiah 3:22
Where are you with God? The Lord is saying to us as His people ~ "Return to Me."
That is the heart of "Teshuva". Repentance & Return.
"For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: 'In retuning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength... " Isaiah 30:15
Oh, to have the heart of King David, as He cries out, "Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
Maybe as New Testament believers, our "offering by fire to the Lord" as mentioned in Leviticus 23:25, could be the sacrifice of laying down our sins and repenting of anything and everything that grieves His heart.
Sharing in the traditions with the Jewish Community worldwide, Messianic Congregations across the globe, and along with many Christians, tonight our Comfort Israel team will meet just before sundown here at the beach on the Pacific Ocean in Vicente Guerrero and celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Feast of Trumpets.
"How will you celebrate" you may ask? Oh my, the richness of this time!!! First of all, we will bring our Shofars (Ram's horns) we purchased in Israel, and we will blow them right there on the beach. We might begin our time of celebration holding hands in a circle dancing the Hora as we sing "Heveinu Shalom Alecheim" ("Peace be unto You", what Jesus said to His disciples when He appeared to them after He was risen from the dead.) Then, we'll have a time of prayer and sharing about the meaning of the holiday. This will lead into our "Tashlich" service, the most solemn, important time of the whole holiday. After that, we will enjoy some apple slices dipped in honey, a traditional treat to remind us of the sweetness of God now and in the coming year.
Lastly, I want to share with you about "Tashlich" that I mentioned previously. In Hebrew, the word Tashlich means "casting off". This is a tradition that is also practiced on Rosh Hashanah and it comes from the verse in Micah 7:19-20 "He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old." So what we are going to do tonight, after a time of prayer and sharing, will be to to separate from each other and "take a private walk" with God. We are going to have a time of self examination and ask the Holy Spirit to show us areas of our lives that are not pleasing to Him. If He blesses us with conviction in certain things, may He grant us true repentance to return to His everlasting arms.
As I shared earlier, Tashlich means "casting off". Some people use pieces of bread or stones to symbolically walk out this verse in Micah, as we will do tonight. It is customary to go to a body of water (river, stream, ocean) and symbolically "cast your sins into the water", as the Lord literally does for us when we truly repent. As I recently read, "Just as the water carries away the bits of bread, so too are sins symbolically carried away." We know as believers in Messiah Y'shua, Jesus Christ, that our ONLY sacrifice for sin is His atoning blood on the cross, and only because of Him we can truly be forgiven and freed from the chains of sin and eternal separation from God. So tonight, after we all take a walk with our Redeemer Jesus along the beach, and repent and return to Him as His Holy Spirit leads us, we will toss that bread or stone into the sea in symbolism knowing that His word is true... "I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you". Isaiah 44:22.
There is so much more to write on this subject I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. There are whole books written on this subject and this article is just the portion the Lord has given me for this year.
So dear readers, as a New Years gift, I invite you to read "The Father's Love Letter." Return to your Abba, He's waiting for you with open arms. http://www.fathersloveletter.com/video.html
L'shana Tova! Ephesians 3:14-21, Brandy Cook, wife of Rance and Mama of Santiago :-) SHALOM YA'ALL!
Back to pastor Rance: I will enjoy introducing you to the Fall Feasts through this article plus the next two, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. For now, may the Peace of the Lord that passes all understanding be upon you all.
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
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