The fall season is a great time for reflection and
introspection; in fact, God set it up that way. As we saw a few weeks ago, God
ordered the days and months and years for us to reflect, but he also appointed
holy days so that we will take the time to think about our lives. The first
fall holy day is the Feast of Trumpets, or Rash Hashanah. This is a day that
occurs on the first day of the seventh month, and it occurs on a new moon,
which is the start of a new month, but also a new year. Therefore, until it was
confirmed by two witnesses that there was a visible sliver of the moon, no one
actually knew when the holy day would start. One could guess, but until it was
formerly announced, it was not a holy day. Once the determination was made by
the witnesses telling the high priest, the trumpets would blow one hundred
times signaling the start of the seventh month. While with every month, the new
moon had to be attested to, the seventh month started the Ten Days of Awe. This
was the time for personal introspection, repentance, and forgiveness, leading
up to the Day of Atonement, Yom Kipper.
The first day of the seventh month is also the day Jesus
was born into this world. Ernest L Martin’s book The Star of Bethlehem, The Star that Astonished the World http://www.askelm.com/star/star008.htm is a wonderful book to gain an understanding of all the
evidence for the many facts supporting Jesus’ birth at this time. Not only was
Jesus’ birth the first day of the seventh month, Jesus’ coronation (Revelation
11) will likely take place at the blowing of the seventh or last trumpet. So
the Day of Trumpets holds significance for us as Christians to observe Jesus’
birth and Jesus’ coming Kingship. But there may be another association to this
day that is significant to us in the future. The Apostle Paul alluded to the
last trumpet sounding when Jesus comes to call from the clouds. This will be
the time that the dead in Christ will rise and those alive on earth will join
the dead in the air. This is the harpazo,
the gathering. This will be the time that precedes the opening of the seals in
heaven, where the redeemed will be worshipping and viewing the events on earth.
There is a type or pattern that Doctor Martin points out
to us regarding the New Moon and celebrations. This was the day that Joseph was
brought out of prison to become ruler over Egypt. Joseph had been in prison for
two years when Pharaoh had a disturbing dream that no one could interpret.
Gen 41:14 Then
Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the
dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto
Pharaoh. KJV
Once Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, he was put in
charge of Egypt, but not just because he was a diviner of dreams, but because
the Spirit of God was upon Joseph.
Gen 41:38-40 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we
find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?39 And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so
discreet and wise as thou art:40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according
unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be
greater than thou. KJV
Joseph’s kingship happened on the new moon, but also on New
Year’s Day! The man who was imprisoned, who had the Spirit within him, became
ruler over Egypt in one day. This is a story of us.
Ps 81:1-5 Sing aloud
unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.2 Take a
psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.3 Blow
up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.4
For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.5 This he
ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt:
where I heard a language that I understood not. KJV
Here is Joseph’s new
name, Zaphnath-paaneah which means treasury
of the glorious rest.
Gen 41:45-46 And Pharaoh
called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the
daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of
Egypt.46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of
Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout
all the land of Egypt. KJV
The first thing the
saints sing about after being gathered is being redeemed by Jesus’ blood and being
made Kings and Priests (see Revelation 5). Joseph is the type or shadow for us
who begin reigning on the new moon of the New Year and of the seventh month. We
are a type of Joseph, as we are in bondage on the earth. While we can’t leave
earth now, and when we die we do get to go to Paradise, we cannot enter heaven
until the dead in Christ rise first, then the living in Christ join them. The
constellation Andromeda tells us the story of who we are. We are chained here
to earth until our Prince comes to rescue us. Like Joseph, the Spirit of God is
in us. As Joseph was made a little lower than Pharaoh, we are made a little
lower than Elohim.
Ps 8:5 And causest him
to lack a little of Godhead, And with honour and majesty compassest him. YLT
Ps 8:5 You made him a
little less than divine, but you crowned him with glory and honor. ISV
Ps 8:5 Yet You have made
him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him
with glory and honor. AMP
The word used here in
Psalm 5 is Elohim, “Gods” (plural).
Humankind, in our original state when Adam was created, was to be just a bit
lower in authority than the Creator, Yahweh, Aleph Tav, Elohim. We know Elohim
consists of Father, Son, and Spirit; and humans were intended to be just a bit
less than the Godhead. This is why Lucifer hated Adam and Eve and then stole
rulership from Adam. We are not lower than angels, instead as Paul tells, us we
will judge angels. We wouldn’t be judges over beings that are above us, but
judges of those below us. Angels are to minister to us because in our fallen
state we are blind. This indicates however, that we will gain back abilities that
were lost in the fall. Human beings were made to become kings and priests, and
that day that we are to celebrate Joseph as well as our rulership is the Day of
Trumpets. The first day of the seventh month.
Trumpets are used to
gather people as well as sound an alarm for the community. But on this
particular New Year’s Day, there was to be a memorial which was a memorial for
the dead, and a holy convocation. What is a convocation? And why remember the
dead?
Lev 23:23-28 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 [4744].25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer
an offering made by fire unto the Lord.26 And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying,27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of
atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your
souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.28 And ye shall do no
work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for
you before the Lord your God. KJV
OT:4744 miqra'
(mik-raw'); from OT:7121; something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act,
the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal: KJV - assembly, calling,
convocation, reading.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
This is quite
interesting. First of all, a convocation is something called out. The church, the ekklesia,
is not a building; it is the people that are the called out. Secondly, it is a public
meeting, the episunagoge is the “above
assembly”. Thirdly, it is to be a rehearsal.
A rehearsal for what? And why on this day should we remember the dead? This is
to be a foreshadowing of a group, the called out, and the time when the epi
(above) - sunagoge (synagogue or assembly) is announced. Rehearse it. Rehearse
it on the first day of the seventh month. Use instruments, and sing loudly,
because we are celebrating and practicing for the day we are gathered and made
kings and priests. Trumpets is a day we are to commemorate the calling up of
the called out. We remember the dead because the dead rise first. This is the
announcement heralded by trumpets, which the future kings and priests are
singing about in Revelation 5. Now, we don’t know exactly which year will be
the last year of our earthly celebration, therefore until we are snatched (harpazo’d),
we are to then spend time in introspection, atoning for sin. First we
celebrate, then we dig deep within ourselves to search out anything that
hinders us from God.
Another foreshadowing of
this is in Joshua when the Israelites were going to take Jericho. While this
was in the spring, and not the fall, the sounding of the trumpets, and the
shouting was what is important to note. The instruction was very specific. In
fact, they didn’t even keep the Sabbath, instead they marched around the city
for seven days. And on the seventh day there were trumpet blasts, and a
shout.
Josh 6:20 So the people
shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the
people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great
shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city,
every man straight before him, and they took the city. KJV
The wall that held the people back fell down, and the
people went up into the city. The trumpet sound is a loud blast from a shofar,
a clear sound that pierces the atmosphere. There is no question that this sound
is an announcement of some kind. The people went up into Jericho, just as
people will go up into heaven at the sound of the trumpet.
1 Thess 4:16 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: KJV
It sounds so eerily similar. The division that holds us
back from heaven will be breached when there is a shout and a trumpet blast,
and the dead rise first and the living are snatched up too. This is what we are
to celebrate according to Leviticus. We are to celebrate, in advance, the
harpazo, the gathering of the saints. We may be gathered at any time, but if we
are still on earth during the first day of the seventh month we should sing and
celebrate. Then if we are still on earth after celebrating our new year, we are
to start a time of thinking about the previous year’s sins, repenting and forgiving
so that by the tenth day our heart will be penitent. It is not enough to be
sorry or remorseful but instead repentant.
There is something more here, we are not simply having a
New Year’s celebration, but we are also recognizing that we have been eternally
changed. This is the part about the memorial for the dead that we don’t
realize. Our dead loved ones who made Jesus Lord of their lives are not gone
forever, but awaiting Jesus’ call too. Jesus told us something very
interesting, we are passed from death unto life. Not in the future but today,
if we believe, we have then passed from death to life.
John 5:24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. KJV
If Jesus is your Lord, you have not only changed to be
eternally living now, you also will not be judged as in a tribunal. You are not
judged as to whether you have done enough good to get eternal life, instead you
pass right by that court hearing because you already have eternal life. Your
works will be judged for eternal rewards, not eternal life. That means you have
every reason to celebrate on the Day of Trumpets, because you as well as your
departed loved ones in Christ will be together again and live eternally. That
is a huge cause for celebration. Remember the departed on the Day of Trumpets.
John mentions the same thing, that since Jesus came we
who are in Christ have changed places, literally.
1 John 3:13-14 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate
you.14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. KJV
We once stood in condemnation but we don’t any longer, so
why spend time between the Day of Trumpets and Yom Kippur contemplating our
lives? Even though Jesus is our atonement for our sin, we need to make sure we
have a proper relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. If we sin, we have
atonement for sin, but we may lose our communication with the Godhead.
1 John 1:3-10 That which we have seen and heard declare
we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.4 And these things write we
unto you, that your joy may be full.5 This then is the message which we have
heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all.6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.8 If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and
his word is not in us.KJV
Fellowship means partnership, and we are to have
partnership with the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Spirit. We are to have open
communication, and sin puts a wedge in the heart of a human so that no
communication can take place. Paul tells us the Spirit is not left out
regarding communication.
2 Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. KJV
Jesus is our atonement. Today, the Jewish people have no
atonement for sin because there is no temple to make sacrifices in. The Jewish
people are quite aware of that this time of year, but they have no way to make
it right. Jesus is our atonement; once, for all who accept. We then pass from
death to life. While the fall season of holy days was the time God wanted
everyone to renew a right relationship with Him, it was never a demand. How
could one demand you throw a party and be happy? Today, God does not demand
that we follow the law because Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. He made
atonement for all who confess Him as Lord. But the bigger picture that God
wanted us to see, was that we are to rehearse for the calling of Jesus from the
clouds. Rehearse with a joyful noise. The day that Jesus calls the called out
will be a day of rejoicing for us. Jesus shouts first, and the voice of the
chief angel speaks a disclosure or address, then the trumpet of God sounds. The
type or shadow of this was the determination that the new moon had been seen,
someone shouts ‘it is the new moon’, while the priests make the declaration by
addressing the people, and the trumpeters blast the trumpets so all the people
could hear. On the Day of Trumpets, rehearse this day, remember the dead in
Christ, celebrate with music until the day we hear the shout and the trumpets.
