ROSH HASHANA AND THE LAST TRUMPET
The festival of Rosh Hashana begins the biblical fall festivals and inaugurates 
what the Jewish people call the High Holy Days. These days begin with the sounding of the trumpet or the Shofar (ram’s horn). The festivals and convocations of the fall period are Rosh Hashana, The Jewish New Year, Asseret Yimei T’Shuva, the Ten Days of Awe or repentance, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement and Sukkot or Tabernacles.
Today Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of the New Year. However, this was not the case in biblical times, since the first month was Nisan in the spring (Exo. 12:2). We are told that this festival is a commemoration (Lev. 23:24), however, we are not told exactly what it commemorates. Some feel it is a memorial to God’s grace in sparing Isaac (Gen. 22), but others see it as a memorial to the creation of the world. It may soon become apparent that it commemorates the end of the world.
It is a happy/serious holiday, since it speaks of the coming judgment and initiates the Days of Awe, when the Jewish people go through a ten day period of t’shuvah or repentance. This leads up to the great and awesome Day of Atonement. The greeting often heard in this time is “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” The underlying idea is that we be sealed in the Book of Life.
The sounding of the trumpet signifies a number of important things. The trumpet was used in the crowning of Israel’s kings. As Christians we see the trumpet sound as inaugurating the Messianic reign of Jesus. Revelation tells us that a great trumpet will be sounded at his appearing (Rev. 10:7; 1 Cor. 15:51-52) and as this present age comes to an end.
One of the sweet customs of Rosh Hashana is that of dipping apples in honey and sharing them with those present. As the honey-dipped apples are passed this blessing is said, “Be it your will that a good and a sweet year be renewed for us.” We realize that this age will end and that in scripture time is divided into two parts— the present evil age and the age to come. Let us deal at some length with these two concepts.
THE PRESENT EVIL AGE
We see the expression “present evil age” in Galatians 1:4. As we think of it we may ask, “Why is this age evil?” The answer is that the Bible tells us there was a terrible fall of the human race. Since that fall back in the Garden of Eden, the world has been somewhat under the control of the devil. Of course, the Bible tells us that this is our Father’s world. The Psalmist says in Psalm 24:1-2, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” However, since the fall of humanity in Eden, God has allowed the devil to usurp some of the authority once given to humanity. In John 14:30, the devil is even called the god of this world.
Now we know that God is the one ultimately in control, and all that Satan is allowed to do must have the approval of God (Job 1:6-12). This still leaves the devil a lot of freedom to cause trouble and to demonstrate to all of heaven and earth what he really is like. One missionary woman said that although the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God, nevertheless, Satan is out there milking some of them. We see in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” So we realize that in this present age, Satan exercises a great deal of authority. For certain, he is out to destroy every fingerprint and footprint of God in the world.
Let us look at some characteristics of this present evil age. In this age the word of God is being constantly scorned while the foolish theories of man are elevated and highly prized. The sacredness of marriage is being compromised and polluted by homosexuality, pornography, and other evil things. Even as early as 2005, it was reported that there were 4.2 million pornographic web sites, amounting to about 12 percent of all the world’s web sites.1 By 2007 it was noted that a quarter of all Internet searches were related to porn. 2
Normal human relationships are being interrupted and corrupted by the Internet. Today the average person on Facebook has 130 so-called friends, but that person only talks regularly with about 4 to 6 of them. 3 The same person may not talk at all to the neighbor next door.
Regular worship of God is being polluted by idolatry. Today’s idols are mostly people it seems. Our idols are too numerous to mention, but we love them all and worship them. When Michael Jackson died a tragic death some years back it threw the whole US into a time of deep mourning. One of our greatest gods had died and it left the country in emotional shambles. The big problem with our idolatry is that people make very poor gods. Many of them are on dope, in prison, bankrupt, divorced—some are wife-beaters, and even child abusers.
There is a disintegration of world governments in this present evil age, including our own in the US. It would have made little sense to say this just a mere fifty years ago, but it is happening today. Governments all over the world are nearing collapse because of greed, crime, inflation war and various other ills. This should be no surprise to the Bible reading Christian.
In Daniel 2:24-45, we are told that world governments would be on the decline from the days of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. It was at that moment in history that the sovereign government of Israel collapsed and would remain in a state of collapse and obscurity until the end of the Gentile Age (Lk. 21:24). Nebuchadnezzar was the “head of gold” in world governments. After him came Media-Persia and it was represented by silver. Next was Greece, represented by bronze. Finally there was Rome represented by iron. The remnants of the Roman Empire (feet and toes) would be made of iron mixed with clay, an unstable and worthless mixture (v. 33).
We seem to be in the feet and toe period of history today (Dan. 2:41-42). We see Arab governments collapsing one after another while western governments are almost in a constant state of panic. It is into such a situation that the Antichrist will arise according to scripture. In Daniel’s vision we see the Rock from Mt. Zion crashing into the corrupted Gentile system of government and destroying it completely, along with Antichrist himself. After that, the Kingdom of God will arise from Israel and that kingdom will last forever (v. 44). God’s saints will be given the great privilege of ruling with Christ in his eternal kingdom (Dan. 7:22).
No doubt some will think this scenario is sheer nonsense, that all world governments will collapse at the same time (Dan. 2:35) and that Christ will rule all nations forever. However, it probably makes a lot more sense today than it would have made a few generations ago.
Even our scientists are confirming much of this scenario today. They tell us that the world will not last. There are many signs of this. The world is made up of atoms, but they tell us that atoms are nearly empty and are almost like ghosts. They tell us that through entropy our world is running out of usable energy. In 2 Peter 3:7, the apostle tells us that our present heavens and earth are reserved for fire. They will burn up in the end day. Actually that may not be too difficult. One anthropic constant is that oxygen comprises 21 percent of the atmosphere. If it were raised to 25 percent fires would break out everywhere.4
To add to this, Iran has almost completed its atomic bomb and has sworn to use on Israel as soon as it is finished. Of course, Israel is only the “Little Satan,” to them. The US is the “Big Satan,” and we can imagine that our nuking will come shortly after that of Israel. One believer in Israel noted that Joel speaks of “palm trees of smoke” (Hebrew – Tameri Ashan) in the last days (Joel 2:30). Those who have been around untrimmed palm trees know how they are almost the exact shape of an atomic bomb.
The really good news is that God knows how to rescue godly people from the flames (2 Pet. 2:9). He knows how to make his people fireproof just as he knew how to make Noah and his family waterproof in the days of the great flood.
Regarding this present evil age William Inge said, “Whoever marries the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next.” 5 In 2 Timothy 4:10, we see the apostolic helper Demas forsaking Paul. He did so because he loved this present world. Just think of all he lost!
THE AGE TO COME
The good news is that after this age is purged by fire there will be a coming age of peace and righteousness. In that age there will be a new heaven and a new earth. We see a mention of this age to come in Matthew 12:32 and Ephesians 1:21.
This coming age will begin with a trumpet blast, as symbolized in the trumpet of Rosh Hashana. We cannot really imagine what that supernatural trumpet blast will do to this godless and God-hating world. The Bible says there will immediately be great mourning. Revelation 1:7 says, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.”
No doubt, we can say that our present evil age will be thrown into deep shock. People all over the world will suddenly have to admit that there really is a God. Everything they have believed will go up as a puff of smoke. All their godless plans will suddenly come to an end. Can we even imagine the depths of despair and mourning that will be found among the godless? The Bible tells us that rich and mighty people will scurry in search of caves in order to hide themselves from the face of Christ (Rev. 6:15). Just imagine, on that day the most expensive and sought after real estate in the whole world may be just a hole in the ground.
This will not be the case with true believers. Those who have kept themselves pure and undefiled through Jesus will be ecstatic at the Lord’s coming. When the trumpet sounds they will be instantly changed. They will suddenly have brand new spiritual bodies just like Jesus had after his resurrection (1 Cor. 15:52). Those saints who have already departed will be brought with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:14). These will also receive their new resurrected bodies. The saints of God will then begin to rule with Christ on this earth and their reign with him will be forever and ever (Rev. 22:5).
There are many things about this coming age that we cannot yet see clearly. We know there will be first of all a prototype Kingdom of God established in Israel, for a period of one-thousand years. All that the prophets ever promised Israel will be fulfilled during this time and it appears that the saints of God will rule during this period and forever afterward. It appears to be a time when evil is totally winnowed out of the world. This period will end with one final rebellion of Satan and his remaining followers. After that brief conflict, Satan himself will be thrown into Hell (Rev. 20:2-3). A sweet and wonderful peace will begin on earth.
We know that the world will be fundamentally changed but we do not know exactly at what point. It will be purged by fire and all the evil works through the centuries will be burned up. God’s people will be presented with a new heaven and a new earth and it will be the home of righteousness forever (2 Pet. 3:13). The Greek word used of this newness is the word kainos. It is the same word that is used of us as we are made new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). We Christians obviously are still the same people in many respects but we are now under new management. Perhaps that is the meaning of the new heavens and new earth. Our word “recycled” may better sum up what the Lord has in mind.
Now we can begin to see why the earliest Christians were greatly excited about the Day of the Lord and The Age to Come. In spite of the suffering that might be involved in the time leading up to this day, they were almost delirious with joy at the thought of finally seeing Jesus and receiving the full reward of their salvation. Over the centuries, our understanding of the last days has become greatly muddled with false theology until we no longer share in their excitement.
As the old hymn goes, “What a day, glorious day, that will be!” The Bible tells us that we all have the opportunity of hastening the coming of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:12). We can speed his coming no doubt by praying the Lord’s Prayer, “…Thy Kingdom come…!” (Matt. 6:10). We see in Revelation 8:3-4, that the prayers of believers actually help bring on the Great Tribulation which ends the world. We can pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psa. 122:6) Also, in Matthew 24:14, we read, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Somehow, the preaching of the gospel to the nations helps bring on the end of the age.
Despite all the horrors and suffering of the revelation and the end days, our fondest cry should be like that of the earliest believers in Revelation 22:20, “…Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
– Jim Gerrish
Published 2014
1. David Kupelian, The Marketing of Evil, (Nashville, WND Books, 2005), p. 129.
2. The Atlantic, Jan/Feb 2011, “Hard core-the new world of porn is revealing eternal truths about men and women,” by Natasha Vargas-Cooper, pp. 97-99.
3. Scott Cleland with Ira Brodsky, Search & Destroy, Why You Can’t Trust Google Inc. (St Louis MO: 2011), p. 211.
5. Quoted in Dick Staub, The Culturally Savvy Christian, (San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2007), p..3.
4. Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist, (Wheaton, IL, Crossway Books), 2004, pp. 98.
Picture credit Wikimedia Commons