Celebrating the Fall Festivals
Tishrei 1 September 6th Sunset
The 1st day of Tishrei is the first festival and it has several names and themes, here are 9 that we will explore. (not inclusive),
1 Yom Teruah – the Day of Blowing (of shofars)-and Day of awakening
2 Rosh Hashana and Head of the year and the birthday of the world
3 HaMelech Coronation of Messiah
4 Yom HaDin – the Day of Judgment
5 Yom HaZikkaron Day of remembrance
6 Time of Jacobs trouble, which Jesus called it birth pains
7 The Opening of the Gates
8 The Last Trump
9 Yom Kakeseh- the Hidden Day
1 Yom T’ruah, The Day of blowing the shofar.
Also, known as the Feast of Trumpets – To awaken, up, lift up self, raise up, stir up self
It Is the “Head of the [civil] Year,”
With trumpets and sound of the horn Shout ye before the King, the LORD.
Psalm 98:6 JPS Tanakh 1917
When the shofar blows it is tradition to stand as it is used to usher in the very presence of the King.
And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning,
that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount,
and the voice of a horn exceeding loud;
and all the people that were in the camp trembled.
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God;
Now mount Sinai was altogether on smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
And when the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder,
Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.
Exodus 19:16-19 JPS Tanakh 1917
T’ruah means a shout, a cry, an alarm, a blast or series of blasts on the shofar (ram’s horn).
In the Book of Isaiah chapter 12, the blast of the trumpet is put in the context of a shout and refers to the reign of Messiah.
The blessings we receive from God come in understanding the meaning of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah are found in Psalm 89:15,
Happy is the people that know the joyful shout;
They walk, in the light of Thy countenance.
This is why it is considered to be imperative that every person hears the shofar being blown, not actually blowing it yourself, hence it is a blessing “to hear the sound of the shofar.”
ACTIVATION
Ask God to increase your hearing to recognize the joyful shout that you may walk in the light of His Presence.
It is also the sound of our redemption. Speaking to the story of the lamb caught in the thicket.
…through a ram caught in a thicket by its horn (from whence is made a shofar)
Gen 22:13-14 AMP
Symbolic for the “Lamb of God who carries away the sin of the world”, who “defeated Death”, who came to “undo the works of the evil one,”
2 Rosh Hashana, the Head of the year, and the birthday of the world
Rosh Hashanah is the beginning 0f the spiritual New Year it is a spiritual reset.
The previous month of Elul 9th (August 8th – Sept 6th) – has 29 days – the 25th of Elul is considered the first day of creation, counting forward to Tishrei 1 is the 6th day, the day of Creation – man was created – and from this the annual cycle began. The birthday of the world.
It is a joyous holiday for the Jews, a time of family-and- friends- a time of wine and feasting, of giving gifts, of sounding the shofar, of eating apples dipped in honey and wishing each other “Shana Tova” – a good year!
It is customary to dip pieces of apple into Honey, which is symbolic of a sweet New Year.
When you Dip the apple in honey you say,
“Blessed are you, L-RD our G- D, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.”
May your name be inscribed in the book of life and may your faith and deeds be worthy
of reward and blessing from Our Father in Heaven! L’Shana Tova!
Rosh Hashanah is the only holiday observed for two days because of the uncertainty involved with the calendar day. Rosh Hashanah falls on the new moon and because of the diaspora it was difficult to let everyone one know in time that the New Year had begun. This created a two-day Rosh Hashanah and is regarded as one long day.
Activation
Thank God for the many blessing that come with the first day of the seventh month.
Celebrate the New Year with someone, your family, or maybe just you and God.
Bless the Lord and thank Him that your life is inscribed on the Book of Life.
3 HaMelach – the Coronation of the King
During Jesus’s first coming His role was the suffering Servant, but now
He will be crowned as King over all the earth in preparation to reign as King Messiah during the Messianic age. Revelation 19:16; 20:4
Jewish tradition states, late on the sixth day when Adam opened his eyes, seeing the beautiful world, immediately he knew God created the world and him too, declaring: “The Lord is King forever and ever!” The birthday of man and the Coronation Day of the King of Kings.
ACTIVATION
Read Revelation 1:13-16 – This is your King!
and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
Activation
Declare Jesus King over your family, your town, your state, America!
4 Yom HaDin – The Day of Judgment
According to Jewish tradition, this day is the beginning of God’s annual judgment of humanity, which ends with Yom Kippur.
In Ephesians 4:30 being sealed in the day of redemption refers to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. God gave this festival to teach us that we will be judged on Rosh Hashanah.
God opens three great books as each man is weighed in the balance. The Book of the Righteous, the Book of the Wicked and the Book of Remembrance. The average person has until Yom Kippur till his fate is sealed on Yom Kippur. Daniel 7:9-10
5 Yom HaZikkaron – Leviticus 23:24 calls it the Day of Remembrance.
2 Elements of Remembrance
1 God remembers us
2 We must remember God
This is not judgement for your salvation this is judgment or remembrance of your rewards based upon your works. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
6 Time of Jacob’s Trouble
This is Matthew 24:3 – Jesus said these days are the beginning of sorrows. The Greek word for sorrows is odin, which means birth pangs.
And these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
For thus saith the LORD: We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace.
Jeremiah 30:4-7
This period of time will be the most trying, ever, for Israel. Daniel 12:1 JPS Tanakh 1017
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who 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.
It is prophesied by Zechariah every two of every three inhabitants of Israel will perish during this time, Zechariah 13:6.
And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, Two parts therein shall be cut off and die; But the third shall be left therein. JPS Tanakh 1917
Pray for Jesus to make you strong that you can stand in the time of Jacob’s Trouble.
7 The Opening of the Gates
The Gates are opened that the righteous might come. Isaiah 26:2
Open ye the gates, That the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in.
Psalm 118:19-20 JPS Tanakh 1917
Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them,
I will give thanks unto the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD; The righteous shall enter into it.
Activation
Ask Jesus to help you understand what it means to be the righteousness of Christ and how to live as the new creature in Christ.
8 The Last Trump
A ‘sound’ is to go up memorializing the greatness and faithfulness of YHVH, the LORD!
The Trumpet was sounded every day throughout the month of Elul. When Elul has finished and the Feast of Trumpets arrives, the shofar/trumpet will have been played 100 times! The last blast to be played, or the 100th trump, is called THE LAST TRUMP. This last trump is played for as long as the shofar player can blast the sound.
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable,
and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed
with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality,
then the saying that is written will come true:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory,”
1 Corinthians 15:51-54.
1 Thess. 4.16-17 (AMP) we will be changed at the sound of last trumpets –
For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!
9 Yom HaKeseh-
The Hidden Day, Keseh is the Hebrew root kacah, which means to conceal, hide over.
The trumpet was blown every day during Elul to warned the people to turn back to God – the King even comes into the field for easy access. Except the 30th day – on that day the trumpets were silent. This is because much of Rosh Hashana is shrouded in mystery, and satan is not to be given notice about the arrival of the Day of Judgment. Because he did not understand the plan of the Cross and this shall be hidden as well.
Psalm 27:5 For He concealeth me in His pavilion in the day of evil; He hideth me in the covert of His tent; He lifteth me up upon a rock.
“Shana Tova”
Pastor Karen-Elisabeth
