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 in corruptible,
and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52, NKJV
It is called Rosh Hashanah,the Head of the Year, and it is one of four days marking "new years" on the Hebrew calendar.
As God instructed Moses, Nisan in the spring marks the beginning of months for the religious calendar. Nisan is the month of Passover and Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits, the month in which Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt. The 1st of Nisan marks the new year for the reigns of kings, no matter when he was crowned. The 1st of Elul (sixth month) marks the new year regarding tithes from animals, just as the 1st of Shevat (eleventh month) does for tithing agricultural produce. But 1st Tishri (seventh month) marks the new year regarding the passage of time, sabbath years, and the jubilee. Rosh Hashanah is the 1st of Tishri, also called the Day of the Last Trump.
Rearrange the letters (in Hebrew) that spell out "In the beginning" and you get "on the first day of Tishri", indicating that time and creation began on Rosh Hashanah.
It was on Rosh Hashanah that Adam was created, by Jewish reckoning 5773 years ago. As the second Adam, Jesus was born on Rosh Hashanah 2015 years ago.
It is called Yom Teruah, the day of the Awakening Blast. Teruah literally means to awaken with a shout, therefore this has also been called the Day of the Shout. It celebrates creation, commemorating the day that Adam awoke. As the Last Trump of Teshuvah, it calls for a spiritual awakening among the people, and it is imperative that everyone hears it. It reminds us of God's commands and our obligation to obey them. It heralds freedom and deliverance, as in the Year of Jubilee, and serves as a call to battle. And it has long been associated with the resurrection, with the Talmud actually stating the resurrection will take place on Rosh Hashanah.
It is called Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgment, a day upon which all people would be divided into three categories to face their respective judgments. The righteous who repented during Teshuvah would be protected from judgment. The wicked who will never repent are appointed to suffer wrath. And the undecided will have the ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur to make up their minds. Those ten days are called the Days of Awe, and the wicked and undecided will go through them together.
It is called HaMelech, the Coronation of the King. When Adam awoke on that first day in the presence of God, he is said to have proclaimed, "The Lord is King forever and ever," to which God responded, "Now the whole world will know that I am King." Though the reigns of kings were calculated from the 1st of Nisan, the coronation and enthronement were usually celebrated on Rosh Hashanah. On that day, a decree of kingship is made; a royal scepter is presented; the king takes his throne; the people declare, "Long Live the King!" or something like it; and each subject visits the king on the throne to acknowledge their allegiance to him and receive their commission. In case it hasn't been clear, Rosh Hashanah shares the thematic elements of the Rapture, when the righteous are caught away to the heavenly coronation of Christ the King.
It is called Yom HaZikkaron, the Day of Remembrance. Rosh Hashanah is a day of memorial and remembrance, of us remembering God, and God remembering us. It is the day seen by Daniel when thrones were set in place and books were opened, specifically the book of righteous works, the book of wicked works, and the book of remembrance which is also called the Book of Life. There are threads of connection with the prophet Malachi as well, where the prophet says, "A book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord....'They shall be Mine,' says the Lord of hosts, 'On the day that I make them my jewels. And I will spare them...'" Common greetings on Rosh Hashanah include, "May you be inscribed in the Book of Life" and "May you be written and sealed for a good year."
It is called Yom Hakeseh, the Day of Hiding or the Hidden Day. It was stated in an earlier post that trumpets are blown every day throughout the season of Teshuvah, calling people to repentance, but on the day before Rosh Hashanah the trumpets are silent. That day of silence symbolizes the shroud of mystery that surrounds the day of the Last Trump, that Satan will not know that judgment is upon him. And it will be the day on which Psalm 27:5 is fulfilled: "For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hid me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock."
It is called the Day of the Open Door, when the gates of heaven are thrown open for the righteous to enter in.
And it is the Wedding Day of the Messiah. But more on that in another post.
So it seems that every facet of Rosh Hashanah is directly connected to the return of Jesus Christ. Just as Christ fulfilled the facets of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits with his death, burial, and resurrection, and just as He fulfilled the facets of Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and birth of the Church, he will also fulfill the fall feasts of Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles when he returns to gather his bride to him and set up his earthly kingdom. And he will start that fulfillment on Rosh Hashanah at the Last Trump with the Rapture of the Church.
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