This is a small thing, but I share it because many people do not understand that much of what we hear regarding world events is a lie. This should not come as a surprise as we know that the whole world lies in wickedness. In fact, it is reported that 96% of the mainstream media is owned by just a handful of corporations, making it even easier to promote disinformation.
At a time when much of the world is taking sides about politics and kingdoms of men, the church needs to be focused on the Kingdom of our Lord. Not only is His Kingdom not of this world, it is diametrically opposed to this world. The following article by a sister in the Lord points out these distinctions and calls us to consider where our hope really lies. God also brought to my mind recently the holy day Yom Kippur, which may be another reference for people on this topic.
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Two weeks ago I received an email regarding a national holiday that some may not know about. Each year on September 17th schools celebrate Constitution Day. This is a national holiday to commemorate the document upon which our government is based. The email noted that this year, Constitution Day falls on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hoshanah and schools might consider moving their Constitution Day commemorations since students may be out.
I really didn't think much of it but then I got interested in what the Jewish holiday Rosh Hoshanah was all about. As I did some research, it struck me that this holiday is marked byrepentance and seeking the Lord. It falls ten days before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
The Huffington Post describes Rosh Hashanah:
“Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the JewishHigh Holy Days,or Yamim Noraim (the‘Days of Awe’), and is followed 10 days later byYom Kippur,the ‘day of atonement.’ The Mishnah refers to Rosh Hashanah as the ‘day of judgment’…. The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are viewed as an opportunity for Jews to repent...”As Christians we are not bound to observe Jewish holidays but there are many parallels between them and our Christian faith. Thus, I don't think it is a coincidence that Constitution Day falls onthis Jewish holiday of seeking the Lord and repentance. It is almost as if the Lord is drawing theline and forcing people to choose to whom they will give their allegiance...the Kingdom of Heaven or the kingdoms of this world. In whom do we put our trust and hope for the future…the King of all Creation or the king of the nation?
Please click here to read the rest of the article.
L'Shana Tova everyone! This is a wonderful reminder that we are in this world and not of it. Thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteI would like to mention one thing. "As Christians, we are not bound to observe Jewish holidays but there are many parallels between them and our Christian faith." May I suggest, in love, that without the Jewish Messiah, there would be no Christian faith. Christians miss out on bountiful blessings because they do not understand or observe Jewish holidays. Please remember, Yeshua was a Jew. The disciples, were Jews. The Bible teaches us that salvation is of the Jews, but because He came to His own and His own received Him not, it is the Gentiles who will bring salvation to the world. I wish to encourage everyone to study our Hebracic roots to understand and walk in the fullness of Messiah.
I am most certian you are aware, but please remember there are Jews who believe in the birth, death, and resurrection of Yeshua. While you may not have been born Jewish, the day you accepted Yeshua Messiah as your L-rd and Savior, you were adopted in the family of Messiah. We are all joint heirs, grafted in, hallelujah! The High Holy Days are not Jewish holidays, if you born again they are your holidays as well. Shalom, and may the blessings of the L-rd overtake you as He pours out His spirit upon you and draws you closer in His love.
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2:16-17
Delete"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." II Corinthians 5:16
Hello Anonymous,
Thank you so much for sharing your enthusiasm for this topic. I agree that there is certainly beauty and meaning to be gleaned from learning about the Jewish feast days precisely because they are all a shadow of Christ. The benefit that they provide to the believer is that they expound upon who Christ is and what He has accomplished for us. And while we are surely free to do so, observing them is not a Christian duty (Acts 15:24-29).
I encourage you as well to remember that out of the Jew and the Gentile, God is creating one "new" man (Ephesians 2:11-22). The "fullness" of Jesus Christ is experienced by being changed in our inner man so that we abide "in Him" and not through external observances & rituals (Ephesians 3:17-19).
The thing to keep in mind is that the need for the New Testament lies precisely in the fact that laws and outward observances can never perfect man (Hebrews 7:19, 8:6-13, 10:1). Any time you see someone trying to yoke you to external performance/ritual, know that it is a deception (Matthew 23:25-28).
While the shadows can make the light appear brighter, they can never possess the fullness of the substance who is Christ. Don't disregard the shadows, but at the same time don't equate them as being equivalent to Christ either. Once we have obtained Christ, we have obtained all that God has for man and have done all we are supposed to in pleasing the Father (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 13:20-21).
God Bless!