Today, Sept. 20, marks the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah, and the beginning of the holiest portion of the Jewish calendar known as the Days of Awe.
This year we have been responding to a call from God to pray through the 40-day Hebrew repentance season of Teshuvah, which began with the Great American Eclipse on Aug. 21. For the first 11 days, from Aug. 21-31, we prayed for personal repentance based on the literal meaning of Teshuvah as a return to the presence of God. From Sept. 1-10, we prayed for the unity of the church as shown in the sign of the eclipse when the moon, representing the believers, (Ps. 89:37) is united with the sun, representing Christ (Ps. 89:37). Then, from Sept. 11-19, we prayed for the healing of our land, remembering that the darkness of the eclipse represents the darkness and judgment of the day of the Lord (Amos 5:20).
The last 10 days of Teshuvah begin with the Feast of Trumpets, which prophetically represents the day of the Lord, Christ’s Second Coming. These 10 days are truly “days of awe” because they began with the awesome prophecy of the return of Jesus in the Feast of Trumpets and end with the Day of Atonement, an awesome picture of God’s judgment. These 10 days are the climax of our time to repent for the failures of ourselves, our churches and our nation, and to return to the presence of God.
- Sept. 20: Trumpets: The Second Coming (Matt. 24:29–31)
- Sept. 21: Resurrection of the believers (1 Cor. 15:50–58; Rev. 20:4–6)
- Sept. 22: On this date, the sun leaves the judgment constellation of Leo and moves into the constellation Virgo, the virgin, the beginning point of the revelation in the heavens. It pictures the promise of Genesis 3:15 to bring the seed of woman (Christ) who will be bruised in the heel (the cross) and crush the head of the serpent (Satan). In the western sky stands the constellation Bootes, “the coming one,” associated with Virgo, which pictures one “like the Son of Man,” Christ, who will harvest the Earth when He returns (Rev. 14:14–16). This is one of the many signs in the sun, moon and stars that say Jesus is coming back.
- Sept. 23: Come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:12–17)
- Sept. 24: Be ready (Matt. 24:36–51)
- Sept. 25: Rising in the northeast in the early evening is the constellation Perseus, the Breaker, which represents the triumph of Christ over the men and nations opposing Him when He returns. The judgment of the head of the nations, the Antichrist, is shown by the star Algol, “evil spirit,” which is pictured as a severed head held by Perseus (Rev. 16:13–14).
- Sept. 26: Judging our works (1 Cor. 3:11–15)
- Sept. 27: The sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31–46)
- Sept. 28: The great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11–15)
On Friday, Sept. 29, the Teshuvah season ends with the Day of Atonement, also called Yom Kippur, when observant Jews prayed that their sins would be forgiven and their names would be found in the Book of Life. Thanks to Jesus, we can rejoice on Yom Kippur, because we can be certain that our sins are forgiven and that our names are written in the book of life: “Look, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19-20). {eoa}
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries, spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God; the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage; and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.