Today, September 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 August 21. For the first eleven days, from August 21 to August 31 we prayed for personal repentance based on the literal meaning of Teshuvah as a return to the presence of God. From September 1 to September 10 we prayed for the unity of the Church as shown in the sign of the Eclipse when the Moon, representing the Believers, (Psalm 89:37) is united with the Sun, representing Christ (Psalm 89:37). Then, from September 11 to September 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 ten days of Teshuvah begin with the feast of Trumpets, which prophetically represents the Day of the Lord, Christ’s Second Coming. These ten 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 ten 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.
• September 20: Trumpets: The Second Coming (Matt. 24:29–31)
• September 21: Resurrection of the believers (1 Cor. 15:50–58; Rev. 20:4–6)
• September 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.
• September 23: Come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:12–17)
• September 24: Be ready (Matt. 24:36–51)
• September 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).
• September 26: Judging our works (1 Cor. 3:11–15)
• September 27: The sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31–46)
• September 28: The great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11–15)
On Friday, September 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:
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and
scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy;
nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the
spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are
written in heaven.—Luke 10:19–20