Rosh Hashanah – written 2001

INTRODUCTION

Rosh Hashanah introduces the holiest month on the Jewish calendar known as Yamin Noraim — “The Ten days of Awe” ending ten days later on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These next ten days are intended to be a time of intense soul searching and self-examination. A time of introspection. A time of repentance and reconciliation with God and one another. It is during these next ten days that we need to repent to God for our sin and go to those whom we have offended and make things right with each other. It is impossible to go through an entire year without offending someone. Many times we choose to ignore our responsibility to maintain a good conscience with one another and so we hold offense in our hearts. Paul said I do my best to always maintain a blameless conscience before God and man…

According to Jewish tradition when the Shofar is sounded on Rosh Hashanah to announce the ten day of Awe, the Gates of Heaven are opened. It is during this time that God opens three books. One for the righteous, one for the wicked, and one for those who are in between. The righteous are immediately promised a good and eternal life. The wicked are immediately condemned to death. Judgement of those in between will be decided on the Day of Atonement to determine whether ones name will be written in the Book of life. As Yom Kippur concludes the Shofar is sounded and the Gates of Heaven are closed and the decision is made to determine ones destiny, Life or death. That is why God says choose life that you may live! The traditional greeting during these Ten days of Awe is Lashana Tova Ticka te vu - May your name be inscribed for a good year! The greeting after Yom Kippur is G’mar Chatimah Tovah which means, May your name be sealed in the Book of Life.

Within the Jewish heart there is no assurance that ones name is written in the Book of Life. Whereas for those of us who believe in Yeshua as our Messiah, we have the confidence and the assurance.

Yochanon said in 1 John 5 –

“He who has the son has this life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us.”

That is why as Messianic believers we can say, Lashana tova nichtavnu.. Happy New Year for we are inscribed and sealed for a good life.

It is traditional to eat a loaf of round Challah dipped in honey and eaten with apples. This custom dates back 1500 years. It expresses the hope that sweetness will enter the lives of Gods people in the coming year. During the year, bread is dipped in salt when the blessing over the bread is recited on Shabbat. On Rosh Hashanah, the first piece of Challah is dipped in honey and eaten to express the hope for a good sweet year, followed by dipping the apples in honey and eating it.

The name Rosh Hashanah means head of Year or New Year but it really refers to the beginning of the Agricultural New Year on the Jewish calendar. This feast according to the Tenach is referred to as Yom Ha Teruah or the Day of the blast of the Shofar.

The Biblical name for this Feast , is the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Ha Teruah) because it is the blowing of the Shofar that characterizes this day.

It is also known by several other names.

Yom Hadin – The day of Judgement
Yom Hazikkaron – The day of Remembrance
Yom Hakeseh – The hidden day

The origin of the Rams horn dates back to the time of Abraham and Isaac, when God tested Abraham’s faith by challenging him to offer up his one and only son as a sacrifice. Instead, God provided the ram as a substitute for Isaac. In fact it is believed , that Abraham offered Isaac on the first day of the seventh month, the day that God instituted Rosh Hashanah. That is why it is traditional to read the story of Abraham and Isaac called the Akeda – the binding of Isaac on Rosh Hashanah.

Jewish tradition teaches that there are five themes associated with this feast:

The blowing of the Shofar
The birth pangs of the Messiah (the time of Jacob’s trouble)
The sealing of Redemption ( the judgement of all living souls)
The coronation of King Messiah when He begins His reign on the earth
The wedding of the Messiah and His bride.

It is hard to believe that this is the last Rosh Hashanah that will be observed in this century. I was seeking the Lord on what to share for this years Rosh Hashanah message and I seemed to keeping hearing the hoof beats and birth pangs of the Messiah.

Since there is so much uncertainty of what will happen at the end of this year on the calendar, with the Y2K and all of the economic and prophetic events that have been unfolding, before our very eyes. I believe the Lord is impressing me to speak on the Birth pangs of the Messiah, one of the prophetic themes of Rosh Hashanah.

As we approach the new millennium, the issues of prophetic soberness and the need for God's people to prepare ourselves as a bride in readiness is becoming more crucial. As we approach the year 2000 some are calling this time, “Millennium Madness”, or “end time fever” In Israel, the technical expression is “Jerusalem Syndrome.”

There are so many questions of how this year will end and how the new millenium will begin. It is difficult to imagine that it will be like any other year in this century. It could come in like a lamb or a lion. We have just 112 days to find out. Israel is once again in the news with the ongoing peace talks. I believe that this is a crucial step in preparing Israel for a time of false peace that the scriptures warn about. Shaul said in 1 Thess. 5:3 says.

“While they are saying peace and safety (security) then sudden destruction will come upon them like the birth pangs of a woman and they shall not escape.”

Israel is being drawn into a false peace that will have serious consequences for them as a nation. And yet it is all part of God preparing Israel for their national day of redemption, when they will cry out. Baruch haba beshem Adonai…

According to the Jewish calendar we are beginning the year 5760 which celebrates the beginning of the world from the creation of Adam. According to modern Rabbinical and many Christian scholars, it has been calculated that this date is inaccurate by 240 years. We are actually beginning the Jewish year 6000, perhaps 6001, which corresponds to the year 2000 on the Gregorian calendar. The actual year is difficult to determine because of when the first century began. Bible chronologists are beginning to conclude that the Biblical year 6001 begins this Rosh Hashanah (September 11, 1999)..
They have determined that the year 6000-6001 is somewhere in the 1994-2006 time because of the uncertainty of when Yeshua was born. Anywhere from 1-4 BCE

The Jewish teachers of Torah believed that just as there are seven days in the creation week so also there are 7000 years between the first dayof creation and the last day of redemption. This is derived from the six days of creation equating 6,000 years and a final seven day of 1,000 years, known as the Sabbath Millenium. Maybe this is why Peter's final exhortation about the Lord's coming was (2 Pet 3:8), One day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. I believe there is much truth to this reckoning of time and if so, that would mean we are coming to the end of the 6000 year and are about to enter into the 7,000th or we are already into it. Prophetically, that means we are on the verge of the Messiah's soon coming.

The hoof beats of the Messiah are being heard and are getting louder. The Birth pangs of the Messiah are becoming more intense as we draw near to His soon return.

That is why the fall season is so prophetic in God's timetable. Just as the spring feasts relate to what Messiah accomplished at his first coming so the fall feasts relate to what Messiah will accomplish at his Second Coming. The whole mood and theme of the fall season are the same conditions that will characterize the world prior to the Messiahs coming. Rosh Hashanah is a call to repentance. God is calling His people to awaken out of our sleep and slumber. He is saying to His sleepy bride it is time to wake up and prepare for your bridegroom. The Shofar of Messiah is about to sound to announce His return for His bride. Are you ready? Are you prepared?

There are prophetic events coming upon this earth that will be unprecedented in the history of mankind. Yeshua said for there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. I believe the world today is experiencing the birth pangs of the Messiah. With all the natural disasters the world has been experiencing in greater intensity, the Earthquakes, famines, floods, and nations warring against nations. If these are merely the beginning of birth pangs, what will the real labor be like, as we draw near to the coming of the Messiah?

The disciples asked Yeshua “when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Yeshua begins by describing the beginning of sorrows. In vs. 6-8. Notice the disciples said, what will be the sign of your coming? WE have been studying about this in our home havorah so some of what I will be sharing is review for those in our study. Please bare with me.

The coming of the Messiah will be anything but secret. Every eye will see Him.

What is the sign of the Son of Man? Mt. 24:29-31 / Luke 21:25-28

That is why Joel says in Joel 2:1, 2, Blow the Shofar in Zion, and sound an alarm on my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near. A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the dawn is spread over the mountains so there is a great and mighty people. There has never been anything like it, nor will there be again after it, to the years of many generations”

There will be great cosmic disturbances. The world will be plunged into darkness and then the Sign of the Son of Man will appear in the Sky for all to see.

In light of these events that will soon be upon us, what is our responsibility?

God is calling His people to respond to this awesome day of the Lord by saying in vs. 12-17

“Now therefore says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him.”
Hosea 6:1-3, 14:1-2

We are to return to our first love… Remember from where we have fallen and repent and do the mitzvoth, the good deeds we did when we first believed…

written and / or assembled by Cal Goldberg, Messianic Leader, Beth Shechinah