13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[a] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thess.4:13-18
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52in 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 shall be changed. 53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
1 Cor.15:51-54
"May your name be written in the Book of Life"... "A Sweet and Happy New Year"
~ Rosh HaShana greetings
Rosh HaShana is a special event filled with spiritual significance. This year as the holiday begins there are a couple things that strike me in particular.
The Sounds of the Shofar/ Tekiah G'dolah: As a child I remember being in shul, and listening to the plaintive, yet rousing sound of the shofar. Even then it gave me chills, goosebumps, as if a call from the past, the shofarim of generations before us rolled up into those blasts, especially the last one, the tekiah gadolah. In the Spirit I see so many layers to the sounding of the ram's horn. It is a call to wake up, to be alert to the things of the Lord, to hearing His voice and doing what He calls us to (Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."Eph. 5:14), old things passing away, and new things beginning. It is the sounding of the alarm, calling us to battle stations; we are in fact in a vast army that is being awakened for such a time as this. But what I look forward to the most is that the sound of the shofar one day will signal the return of the Messiah, that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord - the Rapture! It may be the last sound the believing Church hears on this Earth.every Rosh HaShana I subconsciously hold my breath when I hear it, wondering, hoping - Even now, Maranatha, Come Lord Yeshua.
Honey: It's sticky, thick, and sweet. We dip challah or apple slices in it, and it transforms everyday and ordinary into something extraordinary, its thickness covers defects, overwhelms bitterness. In Judaism, people wish each other a "Sweet New Year". It won't be without trouble or difficulty, but we serve a God who is full of grace, love, and mercy.
It's a picture of a loving, transcendent Savior who never lets go of us. I am overwhelmed by His goodness, lovingkindness, and mercy towards me...towards us all.
Tashlich (casting off): In this ritual, Jews go to a body of moving water, and they turn their pockets inside out into the water. It is symbolic of casting away all our sins, past, present, and future, as we move forward into a new season, making a new start with God's help. The Scriptures read: "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12. I remember hearing the late Corrie ten Boom say that "God has cast all of our sins into the bottom of the ocean and put up a sign, reading NO FISHING ALLOWED".
We are moving forward in the Lord, He is calling us into new things, To leave old and dead ways behind us...He is waking up the Church, and preparing His bride, the Shofar blast announcing His soon return. He desires that our names, all of them, be written in the Lamb's Book of Life...there are plenty of empty pages waiting to be written into, as souls are won back from the devil, pages are torn from the Book of Death.
I'm undone today, overcome by the depth, height, width, and length of His love, His Banner over us. Everything that I am-in it's entirety-is wrapped up in Him- He is Creator, King, Father, Master, Bridegroom, Healer, Protector, Sun and Shield, Provider...and so much more.
He is coming, He will come in the blink of an eye...think about it...this is not a fable or story...BEHOLD HE COMES.
L'Shana Tova U'Metukah- Happy and Sweet New Year to you all.
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