Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets, begins at sundown this evening. It is the anniversary of the first day of creation, which Jewish tradition places at the first Sunday — the first day of the week — past the autumnal equinox, which is today. Archbishop Ussher calculated that date to be September 21, 4004 bc. Because it is the anniversary of the first day of creation, Rosh Hashanah, which means “the head of the year,” marks the civil Jewish New Year. The sacred Jewish New Year begins with Passover in the Spring, as God commanded Moses.
Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days, beginning sundown this evening until sundown on Sunday, this year. In Leviticus, the Jews are charged with observing a day of rest, and of presenting an offering to the Lord. They blow the ram’s horn trumpet to mark the day.
The Jewish feast days are prophetic holidays, which mark the most important events in the ministry of Jesus the Messiah. The spring holidays have already been fulfilled by Him in His first coming: He was crucified on the Feast of Passover, and rose again from the dead on Feast of First Fruits. The shedding of His blood for the removal of sins is the fulfillment of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which begins on Passover and encompasses First Fruits. The Holy Ghost fell on the Church on the day of Pentecost, which is the Feast of Weeks.
Just so the fall holidays, of which Rosh Hashanah is the first, will most likely be fulfilled by Him in His second coming. Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, will most likely mark the day of the last trumpet blast, which Paul describes:
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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
shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
We do not celebrate the fall holidays to remind ourselves of what happened, as is the case with every other holiday, but to remind ourselves of what will happen, for which we give thanks to God while we wait for its fulfillment. Happy Rosh Hashanah to you!
We have observed the fall holidays for three years. It is nice to take part of the year to examine yourself and repent. Our church teaches so much about God’s grace (and they should), but we spend this time of the year thinking of His holiness. Since no one else we know celebrates these holidays, our day is pretty low key. A family meal with apple cake for dessert, ten days of Bible reading on the topic of repentence.