Rosh Hashanah and the Second Coming

The B'rit Chadasha Pages | 9/20/06 | Michael D. Bugg

[Buggman]

As many of you already know, we are entering into the fall High Holy Days, comprised of the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Just as the spring Feastdays celebrate the First Coming of Messiah Yeshua, and Shavuot (Pentecost) celebrates the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) to the Ekklesia in between the visitations of Yeshua, the Fall Feastdays look forward to His Second Coming—and in particular, the Feast of Trumpets looks forward to His Glorious Appearance in the clouds of heaven!

The day which this year falls on September 23 (beginning at sundown the previous night) is known by many names, but is little understood. The most commonly used today is Rosh Hashanah, the Head of the Year or New Year, and is regarded as the start of the Jewish civil calendar. (The religious calendar begins on the first of Nisan, fourteen days before Passover, in accordance with Exo. 12:2.) For this reasons, Jews will greet each other with the phrase, “L’shana tova u-metukah,” “May you have a good and sweet new year” or simply “Shanah tova,” “A good year.” In anticipation of this sweet new year, it is customary to eat a sweet fruit, like an apple or carrot dipped in honey.

The Talmud records the belief that “In the month of Tishri, the world was created” (Rosh Hashanah 10b), and its probably due to this belief that it became known as the Jewish New Year. The belief that the world was created on Rosh Hashanah came out of an anagram: The letters of the first word in the Bible, “In the beginning . . .” (B’resheit) can be rearranged to say, “1 Tishri” (Aleph b’Tishri). Perhaps because so little is directly said in Scripture about this day—unlike all of the other Feastdays, there is no historical precedent given to explain why Rosh Hashanah should be celebrated—the rabbis also speculated that Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Samuel were all born on this day.

However, that’s not it’s Biblical name, which is Yom Teruah, the Day of the [Trumpet] Blast:

And YHVH spake unto Moses, saying, “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 (Heb. zikrown teruah) [of trumpets], an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHVH.’” (Lev. 23:23-25)

And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing (teruah) [the trumpets] unto you. (Num. 29:1)

In each of these passages, I’ve placed “trumpets” in brackets because it’s not actually in the Hebrew text; however, teruah can and usually does mean to sound the trumpet (though it can mean to shout with a voice as well) and the use of a trumpet on this day is considered so axiomatic that there is literally no debate in Jewish tradition on the matter. Specifically, the trumpet used is the shofar. The shofar is traditionally always made from the horn of a ram, in honor of the ram that God substituted for Isaac, and never from a bull’s horn, in memory of the sin of the golden calf.

The shofar first appears in Scripture as heralding the visible appearance of God coming down on Mt. Sinai to meet with His people (Ex. 19:16-19). It is also linked with His Coming in Zec. 9:14 and with Him going up (making aliyah) to Jerusalem in Psa. 47:5. Small wonder then that Yeshua said He would Come again with the sound of a trumpet, a shofar, in Mat. 24:31, which is echoed by Sha’ul (Paul) in 1 Th. 4:16 and 1 Co. 15:52. Indeed, many commentators have recognized that by “the last trump,” Sha’ul was referring to the final shofar blast, called the Tekia HaGadol, of the Feast of Trumpets.

This visitation by YHVH is closely associated with the second of this Feastdays names: Yom Zikkroun, the Day of Remembrance. This is not primarily meant to be a day when the people remember God, but when God remembers His people—not that He has forgotten them, but in which He fulfills His promises to them by Coming to them. In Isa. 27:13, it is the instrument used to call God’s people Israel back to the Land. In Psalm 27, which is traditionally read in the month leading up to Yom Teruah, we see the Psalmist looking forward to God rescuing him from his enemies:

Though an host should encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear:
Though war should rise against me,
In this will I be confident . . .

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion:
In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me;
He shall set me up upon a rock. . .

Among the rabbis, the shofar is often associated with the Coming of the Messiah and the Resurrection of the Dead as well. “According to the Alphabet Midrash of Rabbi Akiva, seven shofars announce successive steps of the resurrection process, with Zechariah 9:14 quoted as a proof text: ‘And Adonai the Lord will blow the shofar’” (Stern, David H., Jewish New Testament Commentary, 489f). “And it is the shofar that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to blow when the Son of David, our righteous one, will reveal himself, as it is said, ‘And the Lord GOD will blow the shofar’” (Tanna debe Eliyahu Zutta XXII). It’s interesting that the rabbis, without the benefit of the New Covenant writings, have come to the same conclusions as the Apostles: That YHVH would visit His people in the person of the Messiah and raise the dead on Yom Teruah (also in the Bablyonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16b). On Yom Teruah, the shofar not only rouses the people from their complacency, but the very dead from their graves. (See Job 19:25-27, Isa. 26:19, and Dan. 12:2 for the Tanakh’s primary passages on the Resurrection.)

The shofar is an instrument that is very much associated with war (Jdg. 3:27, 2 Sa. 20:1, Neh. 4:18-22, Ezk. 33:3-6). It was used to destroy the walls of Jericho (Jdg. 6:20). In Joel 2:1, it sounds the start of the Day of the Lord, the time in which God will make war on His enemies: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the Day of YHVH cometh, for it is nigh at hand” (cf. v. 15). This again matches perfectly with the NT, where Sha’ul describes the Lord’s coming with a trumpet immediately preceding the Day of the Lord (1 Th. 4:16, 5:2).

This brings us to the next name for this Feastday, Yom HaDin, Judgment Day. Not only did the shofar sound the call for war, but also the coronation of kings (2 Sa. 15:10; 1 Ki. 1:34, 29; 2 Ki. 9:13, 11:12-14). Therefore, the rabbis have always associated this day with God’s sovereign Kingship over all mankind: “On Rosh Hashanah all human beings pass before Him as troops, as it is said, ‘The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works’” (Rosh Hashanah 6b, quoting Psa. 53:13-15). To remember God’s Kingship, it is traditional to eat round objects to remind us of God’s crown (oriental crowns being shaped as skullcaps instead of circlets). For example, challah is made to be round instead of braided as it normally is.

Because this day is associated with God’s judgment, it is also considered a time of repentance (t’shuva) in preparation for Yom Kippur. The Casting (Tashlikh) Ceremony, in which observant Jews gather together at the shores of oceans, lakes, and rivers and cast in stones and/or crumbs of bread to symbolize “casting off” their sins, is performed on this day to a prayer comprised of Mic. 7:18-20, Psa. 118:5-9, Psa. 33 and 130, and often finishing with Isa. 11:9.

He will turn again,
He will have compassion upon us;
He will subdue our iniquities;
And Thou wilt cast all their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
(Mic. 7:19)

The Talmud (ibid.) goes on to say that on this day, all mankind is divided into three types of people. The wholly righteous were immediately written in the Book of Life (Exo. 32:33, Psa. 69:28) for another year. The wholly wicked were blotted out of the Book of Life, condemned to die in the coming year. Those in between, if they truly repented before the end of Yom Kippur, could likewise be scribed in the Book of Life for another year. For this reason, a common greeting at this time is “L’shana tova tikatevu,” which means, “May you be inscribed [in the Book of Life] for a good new year.”

The Bible, of course, is clear that one is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (cf. Php. 4:3; Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, and 21:27) not by one’s own righteousness, but by receiving the Messiah’s righteousness by faith, trusting in Him, and that there is no in-between; one either trusts God or one doesn’t. Nevertheless, a great eschatological truth is preserved for us in this rabbinical tradition. At the time of Yeshua’s Second Coming, all mankind will be divided into three groups. Those who have already trusted in the Messiah will be Resurrected and Raptured to be with Him immediately upon His Coming on the clouds of the sky. Those who have taken the mark of the Beast and have chosen to remain with the Wicked One will be slated to die in the Day of the Lord, which for reasons that are beyond the scope of this essay to address, I believe will last for about a year.

However, there will also be a third group, who neither had believed in the Messiah until they saw Him Coming on the clouds but who also had not taken the mark of the Beast. Many of these will be Jews, who will mourn at His coming and so have a fount of forgiveness opened to them (Rev. 1:7, Zec. 12:10-13:2)—most prominently, the 144,000 of Rev. 7 and 14. Others will be Gentiles who will be shown mercy because they showed mercy to the children of God (Mat. 25:31ff). These are given the opportunity to repent during the period between the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonment, called the Days of Awe—a reference, I believe, to the Day of the Lord.

Finally, this day is known as Yom HaKeseh, the Hidden Day. It was a day that could not be calculated, only looked for. Ancient Israel kept its calendar simply by observing the phases of the moon. If a day were overcast, it might cause a delay in the observance of the beginning of the month, the new moon (Rosh Chodesh), the first tiny crescent of light. Every other Feast was at least a few days after the beginning of the month so that it could be calculated and prepared for in advance. For example, after the new moon that marked the beginning of the month of Nisan, the observant Jew knew that he had fourteen days to prepare for the Passover.

Not so Yom HaKeseh. In the absence of reliable astronomical charts and calculations (which were made only centuries after God commanded the Feasts to be observed), the Feast of Trumpets could be anticipated, estimated to be arriving soon, but until two or more witnesses reported the first breaking of the moon’s light after the darkest time of the month, no one knew “the day or hour.” Therefore, it was a tradition not to sleep on Rosh Hashanah, but to remain awake and alert, a tradition alluded to by Sha’ul: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Th. 5:4-6).

Because of the difficulty of alerting the Jews in the Diaspora when the Sanhedron had decreed the start of the Feast to be, it became traditional to celebrate the first and second day of Tishri together as Yoma Arikhta, “One Long Day.” Is this meant to remind us, perhaps, of when another Y’hoshua (Yeshua) won against his enemies because God cast down great hailstones (like the hailstones of Rev. 16:21) and called upon the Sun to stand still so that they would not escape (Jos. 10:10ff)?

Yom Teruah is a day which ultimately calls all of God’s people together in repentance in anticipation of the glorious Second Coming, in which He will once again visit His people in the Person of the Messiah Yeshua to Resurrect the dead, awaken the living, and judge all mankind together.

Shalom, and Maranatha!

[ET(end tyranny)]

Simply because it was in the late Biblical period that the practice arose of not pronouncing the Tetragrammaton or even its shortened version Yah.

Which seems odd, since YHWH wanted us to use and call Him by Name.

Exodus 3 (JPS Tanach - 1917 - Divine Name Restored)
(15) And God said moreover unto Moses: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

Exodus 6
(2) And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: 'I am YHWH; (3) and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known to them. (4) And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned.

Exodus 9
(13) And YHWH said unto Moses: 'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith YHWH, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (14) For I will this time send all My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. (15) Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth. (16) But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.


8034 Hebrew - shem {shame}
1) name
a) name
b) reputation, fame, glory
c) the Name (as designation of God)
d) memorial, monument

2Ch 7:14
(14) if My people, upon whom My name is called, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Jeremiah 23
(26) How long shall this be? Is it in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, and the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? (27) That think to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.


Zechariah 13:9
(9) And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say: 'It is My people', and they shall say: 'YHWH is my God.'

These are just a couple of examples, but, it's clear that YHWH was concerned that people would forget His name. Oddly enough 'YHWH' is removed from most texts and the pagan god 'Baal' is left in.

[kerryusama04]

Hi Bugman,

We celebrated The Feast of Trumpets today for the first time. This is actually the second Feast Day my family and I have celebrated. It just made sense to me. So many Sunday keeping and even Sabbatarian churches look forward to the return of our Lord, but to actually celebrate a Holiday in honor of the Advent, to hear the scriptures prophesying it, to hear the scrptures of the new earth, and in a room with so many like minded Christians, was very fulfilling.

[Invincibly Ignorant]

Why do you have to turn something as sacred as a Jewish holy day into psuedo mithraism? Give you Jewish brothers a break.

[DouglasKC]

So many Sunday keeping and even Sabbatarian churches look forward to the return of our Lord, but to actually celebrate a Holiday in honor of the Advent, to hear the scriptures prophesying it, to hear the scrptures of the new earth, and in a room with so many like minded Christians, was very fulfilling.

You're right, it's a day so full of significance and history. I'm awed that we celebrate the same day that God commanded to be kept thousands and thousands of years ago.

[topcat54]

You missed the point, but thanks for playing.

[topcat54]

You're right, it's a day so full of significance and history. I'm awed that we celebrate the same day that God commanded to be kept thousands and thousands of years ago.

And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

And you made an offering by fire to celebrate this day as it was commanded to be kept thousands of years ago?

[kerryusama04]

And you made an offering by fire to celebrate this day as it was commanded to be kept thousands of years ago?

Nope.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
Heb 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Heb 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Heb 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Heb 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
Heb 13:19 But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

[DouglasKC]

And you made an offering by fire to celebrate this day as it was commanded to be kept thousands of years ago?

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;

This doesn't mean that the day is done away with, but under the new covenant, it's observance has been modified. If you still have trouble understanding, then I would suggest reading all of Hebrews.

[ET(end tyranny)]

And you made an offering by fire to celebrate this day as it was commanded to be kept thousands of years ago?

I doubt that they did.

Jeremiah 7
22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

Hosea 3
4 For the children of Israel shall sit solitary many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim;
5 afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek YHWH their God, and David their king; and shall come trembling unto YHWH and to His goodness in the end of days.

Hosea 6
6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hosea 14
2 Take with you words, and return unto YHWH; say unto Him: 'Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good; so will we render for bullocks the offering of our lips.

Prayers instead of sacrifices.

(JPS) Isaiah 1
10 Hear the word of YHWH, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith YHWH; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.
12 When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample My courts?

13 Bring no more vain oblations; it is an offering of abomination unto Me; new moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations -- I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hateth; they are a burden unto Me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith YHWH; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of YHWH hath spoken.

These verses in my opinion really tell the story.  YHWH asks them 'who told them to sacrifice animals?'  He calls them vain oblations.  Why?  Some claim its is because the people were not contrite, but I disagree.  The iniquity among the solemn assembly IS the oblations. YHWH tells us it is because the people are doing it for themselves (vanity) of their own accord and not YHWH's.  YHWH calls them an abomination.  It is my belief that this IS why the Temple keeps getting destroyed.  Because YHWH considers the sacrifices an abomination.   YHWH even tells them that they have blood on their hands.

Psalm 51
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

1 Samuel 15:22
And Samuel said: 'Hath YHWH as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in hearkening to the voice of YHWH? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Psalm 40
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

Micah 6
6 'Wherewith shall I come before YHWH, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will YHWH be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?'
8 It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what YHWH doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.

Throughout the Jewish scriptures, the prophets declared that repentance and charity are more pleasing to God for atonement than a blood sacrifice. I think there is good indication that sacrifices were never meant to be. Jeremiah 7:22-24. But, since they were utilized, against YHWH's wishes, I think sacrifices were to be replaced with PRAYER! Hosea 14:2.

Notice also the verse about how YHWH doesn't require the sacrifice of a firstborn for the transgression of sin -- atonement! SPEAKS VOLUMES.

Jeremiah 31:2 Thus saith YHWH: the people that were left of the sword have found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I go to cause him to rest.

God promises the descendants of Israel who, through captivity, exile, and intermarriage with Gentiles became assimilated and inculturated Gentiles today that they will find "grace in the wilderness".

The exile mentioned in Isaiah

From the JPS (1917) Jewish Bible Tanakh
8 In full measure, when Thou sendest her away, Thou dost contend with her; He hath removed her with His rough blast in the day of the east wind.
9 Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be expiated, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more.

Their exile was their atonement. No blood.  

[topcat54]

This doesn't mean that the day is done away with,

Of course it does. Hebrews does not indicate the day was merely changed. It indicates the day was abolished with the passing away of the old covenant with the priesthood and sacrificial rituals.

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Heb. 8:12,13)

All of the pold covenant ritual days passed away. There is no other way to read the words written in Hebrews.

[OKSooner]

Please add me to your ping list.

[DouglasKC]

Of course it does. Hebrews does not indicate the day was merely changed. It indicates the day was abolished with the passing away of the old covenant with the priesthood and sacrificial rituals.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Heb. 8:12,13)
All of the pold covenant ritual days passed away. There is no other way to read the words written in Hebrews.

There is another way to read Hebrews, the proper way. You're passing away things that Hebrews does not.

The Levitical priesthood is changed. Animal sacrifices are changed. These are LISTED in Hebrews. For whatver reason, you wish to add God's holy days to this list without any biblical justification.

The fault of the "old covenant" wasn't with God's end of the deal. A perfect God does nothing wrong. The fault was with the people who were part of God's covenant:

Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Under the new covenant, with the sacrifice of Christ, man becomes able to obey the laws of God by relying on the spirit of God.

For more info: God's Holy Day Plan

BTW, do you celebrate Christmas and Easter? If so, wny? If not, why not?

[kerryusama04]

I read the New Covenant to mean that Christ, the true perfect, spotless Lamb of God, allowed Himself to be sacrificed for the sins of the world, thus ending animal sacrifice. This was illustrated when the Temple curtain was rent in two. I do not hold to the doctrine that sin ended at the cross. Sin continues and is defined as the transgression of the law.

I also understand, through the letters of Paul, that those who confess the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are thus adopted into the promise made to Abraham. Abraham was saved by faith. He demonstrated his faith through works. This is a good pattern to live by.

Once I came to the truth about the man made, Rome decreed holidays of this world, I could no longer keep them. It is not lineear to me to "protest" Rome's authority, yet keep to its practices.

[topcat54]

kerryusama04: Once I came to the truth about the man made, Rome decreed holidays of this world, I could no longer keep them.

DouglasKC: The Levitical priesthood is changed. Animal sacrifices are changed.

What you have failed to address is how one goes about keeping the old covenant feast days without all the cultic trappings of the old covenant, in particular the animal sacrifices and the levitical priesthood.

There is no instruction on how to keep Rosh Hashanah in a fashion pleasing to God without animal sacrifices, a levitical priesthood and a temple in which to bring the sacrifice before God. You need to invent an extra-biblical tradition just as the apostate Jewish rabbis have invented a tradition to celebrate these days without all the physical trappings outlined in the Mosaic ceremonial code.

Hebrews doesn't just say that the sacrifices and priesthood have changed. It says they are are decayed and were passing away in the first century along with the rest of the old covenant ceremonial laws.

"Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: ..." (Heb. 9:1,2)

"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." (Heb. 10:1-4)

Unlike the animals that could not take away sin, that is precisely what Jesus same to do, to take away our sin.

Those who continue to follow after the old covenant ordinances are fundamentally denying what Hebrews says about the effectiveness of the sacrifice of Christ once for all. You are living under the shadow rather then according to the substance.

DouglasKC: BTW, do you celebrate Christmas and Easter? If so, wny? If not, why not?

Christmas and Easter and just as inappropriate for the new covenant as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. All of these feast days are a denial of the simplicity of new covenant worship as given to us in the Bible. Both sets are based on the traditions of men; one group is Roman syncretistic traditionalists and the other is Judaizing traditionalists who have not quite made it all the way into the freedom of the new covenant.

[topcat54]

"And you made an offering by fire to celebrate this day as it was commanded to be kept thousands of years ago?"

Nope.

Then obviously you did not celebrate a biblical Rosh Hashanah. The commandments for how that day was to be observed are carefully set down in Leviticus and Numbers.

There are no apostolic new covenant rites for celebrating these old covenant feast days. You cannont find a NT verses that says, "Once the temple is destroyed and the levites are no more, keep the old covenant feast days in this fashion." Of course the reason being that the apostles never envisioned Christians following old covenant rituals. They were only a shadow to point people to Christ in the flesh. Once He appeared the shadows serve no useful purpose.

The apostate rabbis after the time of Jesus had to invent new forms for celebrating these days after God destroyed the temple and ended the sacrifices and levitical priesthood once and for all time. Sad to see Christians falling in the same judaizing trap.

Whatever you did was according to the traditions of men. It was an ersatz celebration of your own devising.

[topcat54]

Yom Teruah is a day which ultimately calls all of God’s people together in repentance in anticipation of the glorious Second Coming, in which He will once again visit His people in the Person of the Messiah Yeshua to Resurrect the dead, awaken the living, and judge all mankind together.

Apart from the fact that none of the apostles or New testament writers ever authorized the celebration of "Rosh Hashanah" or any of the other cultic Judaic feast days in the context of the new testament assembly, this analysis fails to deal with the substance of the book of Hebrews esp. as it proclaims the end of the old covenant. It also does not treat the only authentic feast day we have in the New Testament, that is the celebration of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper every week as the church come together to worship Him.

Regarding the celebration of the Lord' Supper, the (ethnically Jewish but religiously Christian) apostle Paul tells us:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. (1 Cor. 11:23-26)

How did Paul tell Christ's followers to think of Christ's coming? We do it by looking back on His sacrifice of broken body and shed blood we remember in the Lord's Supper. By looking back we look forward. Paul never told anyone to blow horns annually, or invent annual worship practices based (loosely) on the cultic observances of old Israel.

The sin of Nadab and Abihu was to presume to worship God in a way that He had not commanded them. They did this not be inventing never before seen forms of worship, but by subtly changing the legitimate forms of worship that God had given to the children of Israel. "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them." (Lev. 10:10) No doubt they had good intentions when they did this, although the text does not speak to their motives, only to their actions. They sinned a great sin before the Lord and they suffered the ultimate punishment.

This same cavalier attitude is common in the church today. All sorts of unique forms of worship are introduced under the guise of being faithful. But in reality God has not called for these worship patterns.

When faced with the traditionalists of his day, John Calvin put it this way:

I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by his word. The opposite persuasion which cleaves to them, being seated, as it were, in their very bones and marrow, is, that whatever they do has in itself a sufficient sanction, provided it exhibits some kind of zeal for the honor of God. But since God not only regards as fruitless, but also plainly abominates, whatever we undertake from zeal to his worship, if at variance with his command, what do we gain by a contrary course? The words of God are clear and distinct, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," (1 Sam. 15:22; Matt. 15:9). Every addition to his word, especially in this matter, is a lie. Mere "will worship" (ethelothreeskeia) is vanity. This is the decision, and when once the judge has decided, it is no longer time to debate. (The Necessity of Reforming the Church)

Any worship form not explicitly approved by God in His word -- such as post-temple/extra-levitical Rosh Hashanah services -- amounts to the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu.

[topcat54]

Meant to include you in the ping to #156

[kerryusama04]

This post by ET explains the animal sacrifice thing better than I can

TC, we've been over this so many times now that you already know what I am going to say. Nevertheless:

My faith is linear. Genesis to Revelation - it is the same God. The plan of salvation was laid out at the foundation of the Lord. I believe that everything from Genesis to Revelation is meant to bring us all to God. If the New Covenant basically erases the OT, then was God just messing with the Hebrews, teaching them poppycock and laughing at them from on high? Was all that just so that we can look down our noses at those stupid Hebrews since we are fortunate enough to have the Testimony of Jesus Christ? I don't buy it.

The volume of information that parallels the OT with Jesus with the Second Advent is huge. Gentiles who believe in Jesus are adopted into Israel, not the other way around.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

If faith does not lead to obedience, what good is it?

Heb 10:26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, Heb 10:27 but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

I don't know about you, but this verse scares the crap out of me.

TC, what was the very first sin?

Gen 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Yes, sir, Eve ate that fruit so that she would be like a God. She put her lust and curiosity ahead of God, and she wanted to be God. Running around making up phony holidays like we know better than God is the same thing. Making up our own rules because we think the New Covenant obsoletes the Law of God is not rational, IMO. God wants obedience because obedience is a sign of love. You can make fun of us who try to worship as close to the Word as possible, but I will pray that you can at least see our reasoning in doing so.

[kerryusama04]

This is more contextual on what you were quoting above:

Mat 26:17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

Regarding the sins of Nadab and Abihu - this is precisely what mainline Christianity does with Sunday, Christmas, Easter, and any other number of manufactured "holy days of obligation". It is preposterous of you to compare celebrating Biblical Holy Days with burning of strange incense.

[Buggman]

Well, at least you're actually answering the article now instead of going off on tangents.

Apart from the fact that none of the apostles or New testament writers ever authorized the celebration of "Rosh Hashanah" or any of the other cultic Judaic feast days in the context of the new testament assembly . . .

First of all, even if it were true that none of the Apostles "authorized" the celebration of any "cultic Judaic feast days in the context of the new testament assembly," that's simply an argument from silence. Did they "de-authorize" the Appointed Times of the Lord? These days were commanded by the Word of the Lord Himself from Mt. Sinai, and confirmed by that same Word's command that even the least of the commands of the Torah be kept (Mat. 5:17-19). Why shouldn't we assume that lacking any command to the contrary that we shouldn't keep on following the previous command already given?

Secondly, it's blatantly untrue that the Apostles did not "authorize" the keeping of the Feasts, and indeed, the whole Torah. The Lord's Supper was part and parcel of the Passover. Moreover, Sha'ul (Paul) writes, "For even Messiah our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Co. 5:7-8). He tried to return to Jerusalem in time for Shavuot (Pentecost; Acts 20:16), one of the three pilgrimage Feasts. And as this article has shown, he directly linked the Second Coming to the advent of the Feast of Trumpets.

Thirdly, as usual, you are guilty of a double-standard: You demand specific Apostolic authorization to observe Rosh Hashanah, but can provide none for observing Sunday, Christmas, or Easter. If you can observe days about which nothing is said in Scripture, according to traditions that have nothing to do with the Bible, you certainly cannot complain that some might wish to actually observe the times that God Himself commanded.

. . . this analysis fails to deal with the substance of the book of Hebrews esp. as it proclaims the end of the old covenant.

As usual, you confuse the replacement of the Old Covenant with the New with the replacement of the Torah. Again, what are the terms of the New Covenant?

Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says the LORD; but this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says the LORD, I will put My Torah in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the LORD; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.
--Jeremiah 31:31-34

Since I've already dealt with this issue at length, I'm not going to rehash it here. Those who are interested can see my explanation as to why the New Covenant doesn't do away with the Torah on my blog here.

Regarding the celebration of the Lord' Supper, the (ethnically Jewish but religiously Christian) apostle Paul tells us:

Actually, he was religiously Jewish too. Christianity did not yet exist as a separate religion, but as a sect within first-century Judaism (Acts 28:22).

But in any case, I would argue that "this bread" and "this cup" speak specifically of the matzah (unleavened bread) and wine of the Passover Seder, not of what we now refer to as "the Lord's Supper," ripped from its original historical and ceremonial context. It is possible that the elements of the Supper were included in the regular communal "breaking of bread" that the early Church celebrated together, and that Sha'ul was referring to that, but the context of 1 Co. 11 does not demand it.

Paul never told anyone to blow horns annually, or invent annual worship practices based (loosely) on the cultic observances of old Israel.

Since when does Sha'ul's authority supercede that of YHVH Himself?

The sin of Nadab and Abihu was to presume to worship God in a way that He had not commanded them.

Yep. And those who gather together in "a holy convocation" on Yom Teruah to hear the sound of the trumpet blast together are those who are are worshipping YHVH according to the manner in which He personally commanded them and never recinded in the Person of Yeshua.

This same cavalier attitude is common in the church today. All sorts of unique forms of worship are introduced under the guise of being faithful. But in reality God has not called for these worship patterns.

You are correct. God never called for the Sabbath to be either ignored or removed to Sunday. He never commanded the observance of His Son's birth at the Winter's Solstice. He never commanded the change of any of His Appointed Times. He never commanded us to tell Jewish believers to stop keeping the Torah or even Jewish customs.

If you want to get picky about it, He never commanded us to play any musical instruments in the NT (a fact which the Church of Christ uses to disallow it). He never commanded us to tithe in the NT. He specifically commanded us through the Apostles not to succumb to factionalism, to calling ourselves by the name of Sha'ul, Apollos . . . or John Calvin, for that matter.

Once again, we see you succumbing to a kind of practical Marcionism: You admit the canonicity of the Tanakh in the sense that you keep it in your Bible, but you refuse to obey anything to the left of the book of Matthew, ignoring Sha'ul's exhortation that, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Ti. 3:16-17).

The fact is that all churches have their own traditional observances. If you are not calling for your own church to abandon its yearly Christmas pagent and anniversery pot-luck or whatever, neither should you call for those of us who observe God's Appointed Times to cease to gather together on Rosh Hashanah to hear the blast of the shofar according to God's command.