Rosh Hashanah

Jewish tradition holds that Rosh Hashanah celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the world (see The Seven Days Of Creation), a day when "God takes stock of all of His Creation," which of course includes all of humanity. Translated from the Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means "head of the year" - rosh means head, while hashanah means year. Jews believe that God's judgment on this day determines the course of the coming year.

Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish festival in which most work ceases, just as on the weekly Sabbath. It's celebrated both in joy and solemnity. During the daily prayer service a ram's horn, or in the Hebrew, shofar, (see The Shofar) is sounded:

"And The Lord [see Rock Of Ages] said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work; and you shall present an offering by fire to The Lord." (Leviticus 23:23-25 RSV)

The Feast of Trumpets

God does not do things in vain, or without purpose. The Old Testament Holy Days were not just some sort of Divine make-work project to keep the Israelites busy while they were out wandering in the desert (see Wilderness Journey). All of the Old Testament Holy Days (Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Weeks, The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, The Festival of Tabernacles and the Last Day - see Christian Living) were, and continue to be, living symbols of the stages of God's Plan of Salvation for all humanity. Those events are now in progress, and true Christians are the manifestation of it.

In the Christian world, Rosh Hashanah is known as The Feast Of Trumpets. Many Christians observe this festival for its Christian prophetic application - the Return Of Jesus Christ.

"Lo! 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 nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:51-53 RSV) (see The Last Day)

"For this we declare to you by the word of The Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of The Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 RSV) (see also The Return Of Jesus Christ)

Fact Finder: How did Jesus Christ Himself describe His own future Return, and how will the sounding of a trumpet be involved?
Matthew 24:30-31