Rosh Hashanah & The Rapture of the Church

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With the economic way of committing to encouraging you to put God first, while viewing life through the window in the Bible. Now, in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Let's join Wayne see Thomas for today's message greetings in the name of our great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My name is Brian Thomas and is always it is a joy honor and a privilege to join you each week and I want to thank you for tuning in. We are two days away from a very, very important holiday and no I'm not referring to Labor Day that we celebrate here in the United States of America but I'm referring to the two day feast of trumpets, which this year is scheduled to run from September 6 through the eighth. This is a very very important occasion. Let me state up front that as believers in Jesus Christ.

For those of us who have accepted him as Lord and Savior.

We are not required to celebrate these fees but I do think is important that we have them on our radar.

And when I see them. I'm referring to what the Bible calls the seven feasts of the Lord because we look in Scripture we find the Jesus Christ at his first coming. He literally fulfilled the spring and summer feast, the feast of Passover, unleavened bread firstfruits in weeks so that same pattern continues is very safe to say that our Lord is going to fulfill the fall fees at his second coming in so that is why we want to look today at this feast of trumpets also known as Rosh Hashanah and again this pattern that is been established by our Lord is why I believe the rapture of the church is likely to take place during the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish new year is considered a day in which everything begins a new is one of the Jewish high holy days. One of the. The most important days of the year. So this year it begins at sundown in Israel on September 6 and ends at sundown. September 8. Remember that our Lord when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. He gave the Israelites. These feast of the Lord.

Remember, the Bible does not say the feast of Israel but there called the feast of the Lord as commandments of a remembrance and so when we look at this feast is known by many different names, so I want to share with you today.

Some of the many names that is known by, and how it ties into the Scripture prophetically how I think it is pointing to our Lord's second coming. So turn with me if you will in your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 23. Let's look at verses 23 through 25. The Bible tells us 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 in it and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. So as I've already stated this feast is known as the feast of trumpets and is is really the best known alternative name for Rosh Hashanah, which again is the Jewish new year. During this time of Rosh Hashanah.

According to tradition, the priests would blow the shofar, which is a ram's horn that is often translated trumpet in the Bible he would blow it 100 times so that would be nine different sessions in which this priest would blow the trumpet 11 times so that brings us to 99 soundings of the shofar which leaves a final trumpet blast for the union. The last trumpet blasts. This 100 blast is the loudest and the longest.

Here is one way in which the apostle Paul described the rapture of the church in first Corinthians chapter 15 verses 51 through 52, he said, behold, I tell 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 trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. The rapture has been associated with trumpet blast since the first century and it is linked to the blast of the shofar in Scriptures now as a side note, there are some out there that believe that when the apostle Paul refers this last trumpet that he's talking about the seventh trumpet of Revelation chapter 11 that I would not go into detail today. As I've had previous shows on on that topic as to why I do not believe that the apostle Paul is referring to the seventh trumpet of Revelation, but for the sake of this show. I'm going to to stay on track with looking at it as a time in which it is tied to the feast of trumpets Rosh Hashanah, so another name for this feast is was known as a John to Roy, which means a day of blowing or the day of the awakening blasts so when the trumpet sounds of the rapture.

It is not just the noise to get our attention. Yes, the sound will get people's attention, but it is also an awakening blast for those who are in the graves look at first Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 16 to 17 reads for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. So for thousands of years the Jewish people have been calling Rosh Hashanah the day of the awakening blast that is exactly what is going to happen at the rapture the church. The Bible says the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them, the dead in Christ are going to be roused from their sleep there going to be awakening and they're going to rise into incorruptible bodies and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air and then the Bible says. Therefore, we should comfort one another with these words because from that time on we will be with our Lord for eternity living in his presence and that gives me excited. That brings a lot of joy to my heart. The thought of this event in which those everyone from the church age who has put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Remember this is not include the Old Testament saints. This includes only those from the church age. From the time he was Jesus Christ was on earth, and he died on the cross he rose from the dead and then he said he will establish his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. All the people that have lived during this age in which the church began to have died. They will be awaken by this trumpet blasts and again invoked, this is a time in which we as believers in Christ should be paying close attention to, and a lot of people today ignore this event known as Rosh Hashanah diffuse the troubles, but I think it is prophetically pointed, pointing to what is going to take place concerning our Lord second coming. So another name that I want to share with you that this feast is known by his call. John Aydin, this is a reference to the day of judgment, the Jewish prayers during this feast emphasize it as a time during which the world is judged or put on trial in Hebrew DN means judgment.

So for the Jews during this time Rosh Hashanah they believe it is appearing with God weighs our rights and our wrongs from the previous year so you asked the question, how does this tie into the rapture the church in the end of the age. Well, if you look at Revelation chapter 22 verses 12 through 13 we find, and behold I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning of the in the first and the last. So at the rapture of the church. This is a time in which Jesus comes to judge the church but is not judging us for sins. He's not coming to to hand out punishment, because our sins of already been atone for at the cross when Jesus shed his blood. He took care of our sins forever and we need not worry about that. That is why there is no longer any need for animal sacrifices because when Jesus came as that perfect lamb. Therefore, he fulfilled the Passover in which every year they would slaughter this lamb to cover their sins, but he did not actually atonement just cover their sins but Jesus Christ when he came when he died. He was the perfect and forever sufficient sacrifice. The sacrificial lamb to take care of our sin, so he's not coming to judges for our sins, but is that he's coming to give out rewards our eternal rewards. So this is going to be a time of judgment in which again he's going to look at the things that we've done on this earth. He's going to hand out rewards that we will have for all of eternity.

Souls going to be a great time. Another name in which this feast is known by ES. John has a car which means the date of remembrance.

During this feast. The Jews pray that God will remember them during the upcoming year.

So as a time of remembrance, and what we look at when we see the rapture of the church God is remembering those who are he is. He's remembering those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who recognize him as the true Messiah. So this is a great day of remembrance. So again folks is a time in which no we as believers in Christ were not required to to celebrate these feasts, but when you really understand what these fees mean, what they stand for and the fact that our Lord again at his first coming. He literally fulfilled these fees so I think we see a picture of what is going to take place at all. A second coming, in which he is going to fulfill things that are still yet to come. And we are looking forward to that great and wonderful day to want to take a short break, don't go away. On the other side going to talk more about Rosh Hashanah don't go away you are tuned into God first program you're listening to Brian only got more wine please visit God, not horse around the library. There you will find articles and messages available as MP3 downloads on various topics such as salvation, Bible, and the significance of lesson is just to name a few.

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Welcome back to the program is really looking today at great known as Rosh Hashanah, also known as the feast of trumpets we've been looking at numerous names and how it ties into the Bible prophetically again is a picture of. I think what is pointing to the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not everything that I share with you thus far is importance all of the Bible is important, but what I'm going to share with you next is when I really, really start to get excited because another thing that is long been connected to Rosh Hashanah is the wedding day of the Messiah.

There are many Jews out there that are still awaiting the Messiah. They don't believe Jesus Christ is the true Messiah but we as believers in Jesus Christ, we as Christians, we know that he is the true Messiah that he came as the one that the Bible prophetically stated would come as the Messiah and he's coming back again. If you look at John chapter 14 verses two through four. It tells us in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would've told you. 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. And where I go you know and the way you know so you folks. This is where I really get excited when I start looking at this topic. And so, as is your old school teachers to say let's let's really put on our thinking caps right now because I really want you to lock in in and get what it is that I'm about to share with you in the Jewish culture there is a wedding tradition and when you look at John chapter 14 verses two through four. You find language that is directly tied to the Jewish wedding tradition because in the Jewish wedding tradition. The groom would leave his father's house with a bride price or a dowry. He would go with this. This gift that he would present to this woman who he wanted to be his bride.

He would presented to her parents as a gift, and so upon accepting that then he would then take a glass of wine and he would presented to his bride that he is desiring to be his bride. He presented to her that this is a very important moment because she has the opportunity to reject this glass of wine if she refuses it, then there's no wedding there is no engagement. Everything is off, but if she accepts it and drink from it, then that is the ceiling of the betrothal is known of this as the betrothal. What we call today and engagement and so she accepts his offer, he would drink all this glass of wine along with her and this would be again the ceiling. This will be the establishment to say okay we are now betrothed to one another. We are engaged one another, but after the drink he would then say that he is promising not to drink of that glass again until he would drink it with her in his father's house.

This is identical to what Jesus said to the disciples in the upper room at the Lord's supper, which is what we call today communion when we take part of it in church. We eat the bread and and take of the wine of the Jews in Matthew chapter 26 verse 27 through 29 then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink from it, all of you for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins that I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom so dear folks, you see the paralegal you see the direct correlation that just as in the Jewish wedding tradition, the groom would not drink of that wine again until he would take his bride to the father's house.

Jesus, when he was at the upper room and he presented this to the disciples they received it. He said I will not drink of it again until I drink it with you in the father's kingdom. So many people today though, do what the bride in the Jewish wedding tradition has the opportunity to do she can refuse that glass of wine. She can refuse the offer so many people today are rejecting the offer of Jesus Christ's sacrifice at Calvary, in which he shed his blood so that we can have eternal life.

That is the only way to the father. That is the only way to the father's house with so many are rejecting it. So Jesus is pleading with people today through the Holy Spirit to accept my offer to drink of what I am offering you because that is the only way to inherit eternal life. So that is my plea today for all those out there who have not received him as Lord and Savior come to accept the new Jesus Christ because that is the only way through which you can inherit eternal life. So we look back at the Jewish wedding tradition again after having presented in drink drink, having drink this this wine with with the bride. He was then go to his father's house to prepare what is known as a Cooper or a small house or room for him in his bride to live in so he would go there and he's working on this room at where at his father's house after his father approved his construction at some point it may be days, it may be weeks, months or even years later, he returned to his son who was eagerly awaiting the command and say go get your bride only the father knew when the approval would come the bride did not know. So she had to be ready at all times and as the bridegroom and his wedding party would go to the bride's house. As they walked through the streets they would blow the shofar of the trumpet as an announcement to everyone if it was at night it will wake up the entire town. When the bride heard the trumpet. She would know the wedding is moments away.

But see only the father knew when this approval would call it was all up to him. The bride didn't know she had to be always ready at all times and that is why Jesus said only the father knows, he said, not even the Angels know is it only the father knows and so we likewise are to be ready at all times.

We need to always be prepared because we don't know when the father's want to give the command to the son, Jesus Christ, to say now go and so the groom in the Jewish wedding tradition, he would take his bride to his father's house where they were sealed in a room for seven days to partake in the wedding feast and the consummation of the marriage.

They would then exit celebratory. Jesus Christ is the groom and the church as his bride. He purchased the bride by paying the price for our sins at Calvary. He is now in the father's house. He's preparing a place for us at some point God the father will turn to God the son, who was eagerly awaiting the command and say go get your bride and at the father's word. The trumpet will sound, and the rapture the church will mark Christ's return for his bride, and when he comes back to his grubby his bride. When that trumpet sounds and when we are taken up and were caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. The Bible says we will go to heaven to the father's house where we will be sealed for a period of seven years. That is the seven year tribulation.

During that time we will partake in what the Bible calls the marriage supper in Revelation chapter 19 verse nine and at the end of this marriage supper, we will exit victoriously with our Lord. All of us riding on white horses as he comes to claim his earthly kingdom. I don't know about you that gives me excited when I see this when I see this picture and I see things that our Lord was telling us as to what to look for. There's another phrase that this fees is known by in the Jewish culture.

They describe Rosh Hashanah as the day in which no one knows the day of the hour. This is why this holy day is not a single date on the calendar.

It has everything to do with the new moon so the ancient Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon is a lunar calendar. All of the other Jewish holidays were timed to occur on the full moon, but Rosh Hashanah falls during the new moon. It was at the first of the month at the beginning of a new year's easy to tell when there's a full moon any of us can wake up during the night in and you don't even have to have your curtains or blinds open you can see the brightness of a full moon and indefinite. If you look out the window you can see how bright it is. Even at night from a full moon so you can easily tell when there's a full moon in the sky but discerning a new moon is more difficult because the moon disappears altogether. So, according to the ancient Jewish tradition, the new month would not officially begin until two witnesses would go out to the Mount of olives and reports seeing the sliver of the new moon to the high priest. But what if they go out and is cloudy and they don't they don't see the slither of the of the new moon so the feast does not start so they would maybe wait our soul go back again and look if they receive the sliver of the new moon.

They reported to the high priest.

The sounding of the trumpets will begin. But if they did not they would go back, so it may not begin that night. It may be the next day in which they would go out and see. Finally, the sliver of the new moon and so again once it was seen by these two witnesses at the Mount of olives. They were reported to the high priest then Rosh Hashanah would begin Jesus described the rapture.

Similarly, in Mark chapter 13 verse 32 through 33 but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the sun but only the father take heed and watch and pray for you do not know when the time is so only look at this feast of Rosh Hashanah, the Jews know the approximate season when the fees will take place but they don't know the exact day or the exact hour because they don't know when the weather would allow them to see the sliver of the new moon so that is why it is known as the feast of which no one knows the day or the hour.

I think that Jesus Christ and making a statement that he was giving clues as to his return now again we have to be careful in what we saying here because we are we not making predictions but I will Lord did say we can know the season you said we cannot know the day of the hour, but we can know the season and that his coming should not catch those who are believers in him, as it does as a thief in the night for those who are rejected Jesus Christ. He should not come upon us as a thief in the night. We should be looking for knowing when that season is and I truly believe that the next major prophetic event on God's prophetic timeline is the rapture of the church and so every year when this time comes around. I'm paying close attention. And so this year September 6 through the eighth. I encourage all of you to be on alert to have your minds and hearts prepared for the could this be the time in which our Lord is going to come in, catch us away to be with him in the air now want to caution to say that this is not date city because some people when they hear the sleep they will say oh you're setting dates. But again, we don't know in what year this will take place nor the me know exactly what date because we don't know the day of the hour I will Lord made that clear.

But he said we can know the season now. For years I was cautious to to present this teaching to a a group in which maybe not everyone there was was solid grounded Christians and what I mean by that is for those who are very solid in their faith. I know they won't try to abuse this teaching, there was a concern.

Once there will be no that could be those out there that will say okay, the feast of trumpets came and went. Jesus did not return.

So now I can go and live my life of sin and just get right again next year just before this time of year and in be prepared will know the Bible says that we are not to abuse the grace of our God is not a license to sin, and in true believers in Christ will not look at it that way anyway because those even if we don't go away in the rapture. You can die at any moment you can die from from a heart attack. You can God you killed in a car accidents covert, 19 years.

I believe that there are those out there who are using it for manipulative purposes, but it is real and there are people that do get sick and die from it so we could die at any time, so we should always be ready to be with our Lord and I personally I'm always ready and watching and trying to make sure my heart is ready for going away to be with Jesus Christ. Whether come by natural death or whether it come by the rapture but every time the feast of trumpets come around in in September I begin to pay closer attention. I began to look for the return of Jesus Christ.

And when we look at the state of our world today. When we look at things that are taking place me so much chaos. So many things of the Bible said that would be the. The condition of the world prior to prior to a Lewis return lawlessness, pestilences, earthquakes, we we see wars and rumors of wars, we just had this this long 20 year war in Afghanistan is coming 20 and very controversially, by the way we see so many things we we see in what looks like they are systems that are being put in place to the ushering in the.

The New World order.

The one world government system and so we see things that it would not be a surprise to me at all that the time is upon us, in which our Lord says he is going to come back for his bride. And so we, as believers, we should not be surprised by this know were not setting a date. Jesus said we should not be caught off guard. We should know the season and he told us in his great love and compassion and grace. What to look for. So if the return of our Lord by way of the rapture were to occur this upcoming week in the feast of trumpets will you be ready. There many Christians today that are not excited about their wedding day and I think about young ladies who I know of girls of her stories in which from the time they were young children.

They were already looking forward to their wedding day. I know women who prepare for years for their earthly wedding.

My wife for our wedding. She prepare she had this three ring binder. I think it was at least a 4 inch binder may have even even been 6 inch binder, but she had it full of material in which she was preparing for that day because she was excited she was looking forward to taking me as her groom and me taken her as my bride, and in this been joined as one for all of eternity. But I see so many today is as believers in Christ. They don't have the excitement when the thought of going away to be with our Lord. It just seems to be an afterthought, seems to be of you know whatever whenever it happens it happens but I'm encourage you encourage you to get excited just like these brides to get excited in the they plan and prepare and a look forward for so many years to their wedding day to their earthly husband.

Let's get excited even the more for the wedding with our great Messiah because when he comes when he comes to to rapturous friend here will be go to meet the Lord in the air. The Bible says we will forever be with our Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words.

I am excited.

I'm looking forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I hope you are as well.

Well folks, we are all a lot of time but please come back and join me next week. That is, if we have not been taken away by way of the rapture. As we continue to encourage you to put God first 12 you alive through the window of the Bible.

Until then, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, less God's great nation of Israel.

The only wise God be glory Jesus Christ for payment.

Thank you for tuning into the God first in his neck as we continue to encourage you to put God first window of the final until next time Jerusalem got great nation of Israel