Rosh Hashanah...
Okay. I've officially got the heebie-jeebies. Anything of apocalypitic potential purporting to be slated for Rosh Hashanah ought to get a second look.
All of the feasts on the Jewish calendar have two meanings; one literal and one figurative. The literal meaning arises from the reason why each feast was instituted. The figurative meaning lies in how each feast is an enactment of a significant aspect of the work of Messiah. So, Passover, with the blood of the lamb on the lintel and doorposts literally refers to the Tenth Plague upon Egypt, where the Angel of Death, who claimed the firstborn in all of Egypt that night, was turned away from every Hebrew home by the blood. The firstborn of all Israel were, literally, saved by the blood of the lamb. The figurative meaning is that Messiah is The Lamb of God who, by His blood, has made a way for Death to be turned away from all who believe.
So, literal, and figurative. [Hey, I know it's rough, but I'm keeping it short. If you want more depth, try Howard & Rosenthall's book, "The Feasts of the Lord".]
During his life, Jesus of Nazareth, actualized the figurative meaning of every feast, but one: Rosh Hashanah -- The Feast of Trumpets.
And there is but ONE significant Messianic event remaining: The Second Coming, which is accompanied by the sound of a trumpet. Even the name "Rosh Hashana" sounds like the blast of a trumpet.
"But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."
-- Matthew 24:29-31 NASB
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be changed.
-- 1 Cornithians 15:51 & 52
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
-- 1 Thessalonians 4:16
Then the seventh angel sounded [his trumpet]; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
-- Revelation 11:15
I'm not breaking my stride over this, but I'll certainly take note of the dates and see what transpires. Hopefully, this isn't another no-show for the jihadis; I'm rather underwhelmed by their talk/action ratio (ref. my tag line).
First off, thanks for the enlightenment on the purported timing of al Qaeda's latest saber-rattling. Much appreciated.
Secondly, I consider this latest bluster to be just so much hot air. Osama and crew issued no such warning prior to the 9/11 attacks. This tells me that they cannot strike with weapons and thus are resorting to the only tool remaining in their arsenal: threats.
Unfortunately, our "mainstream" (sic) media is all too happy to carry water for Osama & friends...so their message is uncritically delivered...even as our own press savages our troops, our President, and our nation.
Thinking about what Trumpets mean as a Christian...now I have the heebie-jeebies.
The Feast of Trumpets begins on Sept. 23, with the Day of Trumpets, and lasts 10 days. I went looking for significance in Christianity as far as a date, or something, actually I guess the Feast of Trumpets is enough...if you know what I mean.