Listen for the Shofar

Meditate on this:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NASB 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation" www.lockman.org.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God…. Are you listening for a shout from heaven and the sound of the trumpet or shofar horn? Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sunset on Sunday, September 29^th this year. Sunset occurs around 6:30 PM Israeli time, which is about 8:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time. This two day Jewish celebration is also known as the Festival of Trumpets. The Lord gave Moses the directions for this particular observance. Note that it is such a special day that the Lord required the people not to work.

Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. You must do no ordinary work on that day. Instead, you are to present special gifts to the LORD.  Leviticus 23:24-25 NLT

It will certainly be a special if it truly is the day that Jesus Himself descents from Heaven with a shout and the blowing of the shofar—a trumpet of the earlier Biblical times. Are you ready for this day?

We all know that only God the Father knows hour and the day of Christ’s return. Jesus’ advice was to be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. What must we do to “be ready?” This is a spiritual battle in a spiritual realm. It won’t make any difference if we board up our houses, wash our clothes or prepare a big feast. What will matter is what matters to God.

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. Romans 14:17-18

Keep watch…and be prepared. Don’t let your spiritual guard down. Be alert.  

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Are you ready for Christ’s return?

Prayer ~ Heavenly Father, is that home that Jesus is building for His church, His bride, nearly ready? Lord Jesus Christ, You are my Savior, my Lord and my King. I eagerly am listening for You to shout from Heaven, although I anticipate that it could be a very loud shout to get everyone’s attention!  The joy of the occasion will be beyond measure. Come, Lord Jesus! Your creation waits…in Your time. Show me if there is anything I still need to do to “get ready.”

Daily Bible Reading: Nehemiah 6-7

Friday’s Feasting at the King’s Table

What do people traditionally eat for the Jewish New Year? 

The Israeli flag flying over the Sea of Galilee.
Pray for Israel in this coming New Year.

For a sweet new year, apples dipped in honey, dates; pomegranates; black-eyed peas; pumpkin-filled pastries called rodanchas; leek fritters called keftedes de prasa; beets; and a whole fish with the head intact. It is also common to eat stuffed vegetables called legumbres yaprakes. Information from www.Wikapedia.org.

It is an interesting menu. I’ll be serving apples dipped in honey for breakfast around 8:00 AM on Sunday morning…as the sun is setting in Israel. Come and join us to see in this New Year!

© 2019 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - https://www.blueletterbible.org/.

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