At-One-Ment With The One You Love

Special Word of Introduction:

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there are different times and seasons. This is a time to be serious and to put away, to cast down and throw from us all that would distract and keep us from the One to whom we owe EVERYTHING.

We will sing of your love for ever, we will declare your faithfulness and mercy to the generations.

This is the pen-ultimate appointed time of the Hebrew calendar year. The 6th of 7 specific dates the Lord set into the annual cycle of life, incorporating the harvest seasons of the grains and fruits. Times chosen when The Lord God wanted to spend time with His people.They were all a prophetic type and shadow, a fore-telling of the coming Savior. A rehearsal for the future Messiah, JESUS who came a little over 2000 years ago and literally fulfilled the words of the prophets concerning God’s plan of the ages.

In Hebrew,Jesus was the burden removing, yoke destroying answer, redeeming mankind and all who will believe and trust in His atoning sacrifice of substitution at Calvary.

There His Blood has paid the price for ALL our transgressions. The wages of sin is death, meaning eternal separation from God’s presence. Because of Jesus, we will never have to experience that or have to personally pay the price for our errant ways. Ezekiel 18:20 ‘the soul who sins he shall die..’

Yom Kippur is all about the sacrificial offering of a pure unblemished innocent life, freely and willingly given to cover for sin, through the shedding of its blood. (For the life of the flesh is in the blood. Lev. 17:11) Yom haKipuriym/day of the Atonements, falls on the 10th day of the 7th month. It is not a feast day but rather a Holy convocation, an opportunity to deny ourselves, a time for self examination. A perfect opportunity for a heart (spiritual) check-up.As the High Priest performs the atonements for himself, the altar, the Tabernacle, and the whole community in Israel, we are encouraged to stop and think. To turn those thoughts to our own lives and allow an inner conviction to lead us to true repentance and then to the acceptance of the blood sacrifice of Jesus as a means of cleansing and forgiveness.Jesus our Messiah has clearly fulfilled both the position of our High Priest and that of our personal sacrifice, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before the Father.He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins–it has already been accomplished for ever. Hebrews 9:6–12

The weight and penalty of the sins, was symbolically transferred to the animal sacrifices for that year, so that forgiveness could be attained.

Our willingness to deny self on this day does not cause, aid or enhance our atonement, however it allows us to become acutely aware of our own mortality, our sin, our continuing need for atonement, and our desire for life. At the same time it causes us to appreciate on some minute level, the sacrifice the Master made as He denied His own life on our behalf and to re-evaluate our own commitment to walk in the way, the truth and the life, by obeying and keeping His commandments.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matt.5:17-20

 

The sanctity and holiness of this day cannot be understated.

Though we may find great joy in our eternal atonement in Jesus the Messiah, this is a day for remembering the atonement in such a way that it should be very hard to forget in the busyness of daily life.

Although we are saved by grace and live by faith, we are still accountable for our individual lives and for changing our ways in compliance of being a ‘doer’ of the things Jesus taught and not a ‘hearer only’.

We are to be contemplative, repentant, humble and dead to ourselves because the self sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins is far beyond what any of us are able or willing to do. It would take every drop, every ounce of blood in our bodies to cover even our own sins, much less the sins of another.

However we can rejoice for the Messiah has come! Atonement has been made and He has obtained age enduring redemption, which is available for us! Justice is satisfied and Mercy fulfilled, once and for all!On Yom haKipuriym, day of the Atonements, we are also to remember that we live and breathe only because the Father so chooses, and that by His choice, He has the right and the power to take it away as well. A sobering reality.

Lk. 12:20; Mk. 13:44.

Hard though that is for some of us to admit, once born again and redeemed, it means that God through Jesus bought and paid for us and we belong to Him. Our life is no longer our own to live as we please and our destiny is His hands. At this time the story of Jonah is appropriate, teaching that sincere repentance can reverse even the harshest heavenly decreeand the prevention of Jonah’s flight shows that no one can escape from God.There is such an abundance of revelatory instruction around the 7th appointed time, it is prohibitive to attempt to include everything in one post, so some aspects are not mentioned below due to space and in an attempt to curtail longevity, however it is not out of ignorance or neglect.

(Further details regarding insights on the sacrifices and Temple proceedings followed at Yom Kippur will be posted on more mini manna moments/ deeper dig.)

Now for the Main Meal of the day! Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Lev. 25:9) 

The Biblical name for the day of Atonement is Yom HaKippurim, meaning ‘the day of covering, canceling, pardon, reconciling.’ Occasionally, it was called ‘the Day of the Fast’ or ‘the Great Fast’ (Lev. 23:27-31; 16:29-34). It is a unique ceremony which took place on the ancient Hebrew calendar for the children of Israel, it was the holiest day of the year and still is for believers and the Jewish community today. ‘Kadosh’, often translated as ‘Holy’, it also has a deeper meaning and conveys an understanding of being separate and set aside for Adonai /The Lord and not as the world and the things of the world are.Deut. 7:6, We are to be His own unique treasure.

This day marks the end of the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) and falls on the 9th/10th day of Tishrei (Tishri), the seventh month in the Jewish calendar.It’s not a feast like the others that we have looked at. It is a day of repentance and it’s still of great significance for Christian believers, because not one of us is perfect.  It’s a time for us to make a decision to be better in the coming year than we were in the past year. Paul makes mention of Yom Kippur when he refers to it in Acts 27:9 saying that the fast had already gone by, as the main focus of this day is to fast before the Lord.Names used are:

Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)

Face to Face
The Day (or the Great Day)
The Fast
The Great Shofar (Shofar HaGadol)
Neilah (the closing of the gates of heaven as the festival concludes and the judgment was set for another year.)

 

UNDERSTANDING THE PRIESTLY SERVICE FOR YOM KIPPURLev. 16, specifies the 10th of Tishrei as the date on which the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall conduct a special ceremony to purge defilement from the sanctuary and from the people. The heart of it is that the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall bring a bull and two goats as a special offering. First, the bull is sacrificed to purge the sanctuary from any defilements caused by misdeeds of the priest himself and of his household (Lev. 16:6). Secondly, one of the goats is chosen by lot to be sacrificed, to purge the sanctuary of any similar defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole Israelite people (Lev. 16:7-8). Finally, the second goat is sent away, not sacrificed, to cleanse the people themselves. The goat is marked for Azazel and is sent away to wander in the wilderness (Lev. 16:10).Before the goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its head and confesses over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their misdeeds, and so putting them on the head of the goat. Thus, the Torah adds, ‘The goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region…’ (Lev. 16:20- 22).

AZAZEL: THE SCAPEGOAT

The Hebrew word for scapegoat is ‘Azazel’. Azazel was seen as a type of satan (Ha satan). The sins of the people and thus the punishment of the people were laid upon Azazel the scapegoat. Azazel being sent into the wilderness is understood to be a picture of satan (Ha satan) being cast into the lake of fire (Rev.19:20).The sins of the people were laid upon the scapegoat (Lev.16:21-22).

 

ADDITIONAL ASPECTS TO THE HIGH PRIEST CEREMONY

In order to enter the Holy of Holies, the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) was first to bathe his entire body, going beyond the mere washing of hands and feet as required by other occasions. The washing symbolized his desire for purification (Num. 19). The washing was of his clothes and his flesh (Num. 8:5-7;19:7-9).

This was done in conjunction with taking the blood of an animal with the finger
and sprinkling the blood upon the altar (Num. 19:1-4; Lev. 8:13-15 and in Num. 31:21-24.)  

‘And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering.’

The priest dipping his finger in the blood and placing it on the horns of the altar represents that the sin is recorded. The mark of a finger print in blood is evidence a death had taken place to pay the price for the sin.By this action, the altar had in a sense, become defiled until on the Day of Atonement when the pure blood of the Lord’s goat was placed on the altar to purify it.

The blood is shed for the sinner’s life and to satisfy the demand of the law, on the Day of Atonement the redemption is finalized. So too, is the process in the heavenly sanctuary on the day when our sins are blotted out. 

 The spiritual understanding of this is given in Heb. 9 -10:19-22.
The sprinkling of blood upon the altar is also mentioned in Ex. 29:1-4,10-12, 16,20-21; and Lev. 1:3-5,11; 3:1-2,8; 4:1-6; 5:4-6,9. The spiritual understanding is found in Heb. 9:11-14,23-25, and 1Pet. 1:2.

FACE TO FACE

The high priest (Cohen HaGadol) could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year (Lev.16:2; Heb. 9:6-7).(God issued a warning that no man could see His face and live (Ex.33:20). But because on the Day of Atonement the priest could be in God’s presence (Lev.16:2), another term for the Day of Atonement is ‘face to face.’  At that point, the high priest was ‘face to face with the mercy seat of God.’

Face in Hebrew: panim or paneh פָּנִים (paw-neem’)When the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) entered the Holy of Holies, he saw the Lord’s presence as a brilliant cloud hovering above the mercy seat (Lev.16:2).The word for mercy seat in Hebrew is kapporet. It comes from the root word kaphar, which is the same word used for atonement. The mercy seat can also be translated as the seat of atonement. The mercy seat is described in detail in Ex. 25:17-22 and 37:6-9. This is the place where Moses (Moshe) met and spoke with God face to face (Ex. 25:22; 30:6; Num. 7:89).The themes are:

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and affliction of the soul.

The incense of the golden censer represents the prayers of Bible believers.Repentance Repent (Teshuvah) return to the Lord.

Hear (Shema) the calling (Shofar) for our lives.

Yielding ourselves to God so we may live every day (face to face – al paneh – פָּנִים) in His Presence. Furniture of the Tabernacle

Atonement

 At the moment the atonement was made on the Day of Atonement, those being atoned for were sinless and blameless before God.

The congregation of believers (kehilat) in the Messiah is being presented before God without spot or blemish (Eph. 5:27) because of the blood of Jesus/Yeshua (1 Pet. 1:19).Messianic Fulfillment; Jesus/Yeshua is the sacrifice of God for us who believe on Him (Heb. 9:26-28; 10:1-10). 

Forgiveness

Messianic Fulfillment: Aaron the high priest typifies the ministry of mediator and intercessor. Jesus/Yeshua is our High Priest (Heb. 3:1) and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 12:24). He lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:22-27).Spiritual Application (Halacha): By the death of Jesus/Yeshua, we are free to enter into the veil every day not just once a year. (Matt. 27:50-51; 2 Cor. 3:14; Heb. 4:16; 6:13-19; 10:19-22).

 More about the Goats 

Lev. 16:7–10. the high priest would stand before the people in Jerusalem with two identical goats.He would then put his hand into an urn where there were two lots, each one with a different Hebrew word carved into it. The High priest would then remove them both, one in each hand. He then placed the lot in his right hand on the head of the goat to his right the other to the goat on the left.One of the lots decreed that one of the goats would live and be set free, the other that it would die as the sacrifice for the sins of the people on Yom Kippur.  This is where two goats (or lambs) were chosen annually to represent the sins of Israel, one was sacrificed as the usual sin offering and the other released into the wild, bearing the sins of the people on it.The fate of each goat was determined by the drawing of the lots. The black lot signifying the scapegoat and the white lot, the goat for sacrifice. When the lots were drawn, if the black stone was found in the priest’s left hand when the stones were revealed it was an indication that the offering was unacceptable to the Lord. White meant yes, black meant no.

The Mystery of the Semikhah

Within this ceremony is also the mystery of the Semikhah. This is the sacred act that had to take place before a sacrifice could be offered up for the sins of the one offering it, or before the scapegoat could take away the sins of the nation on Yom Kippur.

It is the mystery of physical contact.

The person offering the sacrifice had to make physical contact with the sacrifice itself.

The priest had to touch it and very specifically had to place the palms of both his hands on the sacrifice.Lev. 16:21, Only after the Semikhah was performed could the scapegoat take away the sins of the nation or the sacrifice be offered up as an atonement.

The mystery is the Messiah. He is the sacrifice. 

As the Semikhah must be performed and it was the priests who offered Him up and then delivered Him to His death. In accordance with Scripture, the priest had to make physical contact with the sacrifice by placing his hands on it. Mk. 14:65 records that after condemning Him to death the priests struck Him repeatedly with their hands. The description shows that they specifically struck his face and head the palms of their hands and afterwards Messiah was led away to be killed.What we need to comprehend is that what took place on earth at that moment, was symbolic of what happened in heavenly realms. That is where the reality and sovereignty of God’s intervention took place concerning the fate of mankind. In truth, it was God who performed the Semikhah when He placed our sins on Jesus, ensuring that sins are gone, Semikhah was completed and those sins can never return!

 

MESSIANIC UNDERSTANDING

God gave this ceremony of the casting of lots during Yom Kippur to teach us how He will judge the nations of the world prior to the Messianic age known as the Millennium. The nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people. Those nations who mistreated the Jews will be goat nations and they will go into the left hand. Those nations that stood beside the Jewish people will be sheep nations and will enter into the Messianic kingdom or the Millennium. Matt. 25:31-46.
Jesus/Yeshua during His first coming was a type of the goat marked La Adonai. He was a sin offering to us as God laid upon Him the sins of the whole world (Is. 53:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:3-4; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10).

In the ceremony of the two goats, the two goats were considered as one offering. A crimson sash was tied around the horns of the goat marked Azazel.At the appropriate time, the goat was led to a steep cliff in the wilderness and pushed off the cliff.  Before there could be any sacrifice, there had to be a public presentation of the two goats before the people and the decision of which destiny would be for each goat. In the life of Messiah before his sacrificial death at Passover He too was presented before the people by pilate. For them to choose which man would live and which would die. With the goats only one could become the sacrifice, so Messiah had to be one of two lives presented to the people in order to be chosen as the sacrifice. According to the Yom Kippur decree and the requirements of the ceremony, the other life had to be let go and his name was Barabbas. Matt. 27:15–24

They had to be identical but how could that have been true? Barabbas was a sinner, bandit and murderer Jesus was sinless.

It’s all in the name.

Jesus our Messiah was also the Son of God, the Son of the Father and Barabbas name in Aramaic comes from two words. Bar which means Son and Abba which means father so therefore Barabbas means son of the father. The two men each bearing the same name son of the father. So the one who was the sacrifice and the one set free were identical in this way. Similarly, as we believe Jesus was the son of God, He was also equal to God; then it would follow that God in the flesh had to die in our place and have an equality in some way with us. (John14:9, If you have seen me you have seen the father.) He did become flesh in the form of a man, in the ‘likeness’ of sinful flesh and as such was ‘identical’ to fulfill the law.Bar Abba (Barabbas) was a symbol of the disobedient nation of Yisra’el, and he was released from prison even though he was guilty. But our Messiah, Jesus was killed in his place, because He became the scapegoat for Yisra’el!The definition for the word ‘scapegoat’ is ‘the innocent party who takes the blame for the guilty party.’ The nation of Israel/Yisra’el, (the firstborn son) was the guilty party, but the Father put on human flesh and became the Son (representing Israel/Yisra’el) by trading places with him! 

(This is where we get our idiom for a scapegoat, for the one who takes the blame.)

Messiah fulfilled the pattern of the twin goats on Yom Kippur and then he also fulfilled the role of the Kohen Gadowl (High Priest) that year when He read Is.61:1-2 in the synagogue (Lk. 4:19) declaring the acceptable year of The Lord.”
We are not under the law of sin and death any more we are under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Rom.8:2

Because of the sovereign purposes of the Lord, Israel has undergone a partial hardening until all of those whom God has called from among nations have been grafted in to the Olive tree of God. During this age of grace, those who were called not my people, are intended to provoke Israel to jealousy by means of the message. (Hos. 2:23) After the age of grace is complete all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26) and the original covenant will be fully restored and redeemed. Yom Kippur will be a fulfilled festival on that great day. Then the words of the prophets will be proven true and God will be vindicated. Israel will be adorned with honor and blessing above all the nations of the earth and they will finally be home from their long exile.

The aspect of ‘hidden, covered, veiled.’ We see ‘Yom Kippur’ typology here with the concept of being ‘covered’ or ‘veiled.’ To this day, the Jewish people have nick-named this day of ‘Yom Kippur’ as ‘face-to-face’ because it was this one time per year when the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies ‘behind the veil’ and come ‘face-to-face’ with The Lord!As the High Priest had to intercede on behalf of Israel/Yisra’el for her sins, if he had any sin for which he had not repented, he would die in the Holy of Holies! At the future Day of Atonement, the bride who sufficiently sanctifies herself or ‘afflicts’ and prepares herself will be able to come ‘face-to-face’ with the bridegroom. Likewise on that day when Jesus returns, the veil will be removed from her face and her heart (Israel) and she will ‘see’ her Messiah (2 Cor. 3:14-16). The scales will fall away from her eyes also as she will ‘look upon’ the one whom she pierced (Zech. 12:10).

In the future, during the ‘Ten Days of Awe’ between The Feast of Trumpets & the Day of Atonement, there will also be a ‘7-day’ wedding for the bride of Messiah.

Through Yeshua  the atonement has been made, not just for a year but forever; not just for Israel but for all who will believe.  We have been and will always be forgiven by God’s grace through faith. Jesus is not still on the cross however 
because of Jesus who is the heart and prophetic fulfillment of every one of God’s holy days. These are His feasts, the feasts of the Lord. Because God chose Israel to be His witness to the rest of the world, the celebrations commemorate events in Israel’s history.  Through them God revealed His character and His plan of redemption through Jesus.

So the Feasts are continual reminders of God’s faithfulness and goodness.  They connect us together as a community and are anchors of our souls.

The ultimate fulfillment of the year of Jubilee will take place at the second coming of Messiah.The earth will be redeemed and come into full and complete rest from the curse brought upon it by Adam’s sin. Complete restoration of man’s lost inheritance will take place. God’s people will be totally set free — set at liberty, from all sin, sickness and disease, death, and the curse. Satan (Ha satan), the source of all these things, will be bound and true rest, true shalom will be realized. The tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them (Rev.21:1-4). So, the day of Atonement speaks of the fullness of the redemptive plan of God for man.We do well to remember, liberty and freedom are NEVER really free.

Somewhere – sometime – someone...

has ALWAYS paid the price for that freedom. It would behoove us to count the cost now, today – for there will be no avoiding the inevitable day of reckoning.

Midweek Mannabite-The Sound of the Shofar Trumpet

Heavens Door is Open – Are You Ready To Go Home?One Day the Trumpet will sound and He will return for His Bride…If this was your last day on earth…are you ready to meet the Lord?The reason for this question is that one day one of these years, the Lord Jesus our Messiah, Yeshua Ha Mashiach will return for us, His Bride, the congregation of His body of believers. The One New Man combination of Jewish and Gentile followers of I AM that I AM – Who IS The Way The Truth and The Life.          John 14:6,

Derech Emet Chaim 

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.  Matt.24:36 KJV

For those who choose NOT to get ready, Jesus promises to come as a thief. Revelation 3:3 KJV This strongly suggests He may have some knowledge as to when He is returning.Jesus was ascended at this point and was giving revelation to John.

‘Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.’ 

 

The promise to watching believers is His appearing will not be a surprise.

‘But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.’ 
1 Thessalonians 5:4

Jesus made everything. He knows how it all works together. ‘All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made’ .
John 1:3 KJV

One key may be in the Annual 7 Appointed times of the Lord.

Jesus exactly fulfilled the first 4 appointed times* when He came the first time over 2000 years ago. It is more than possible that He Will fulfill the last 3 when He returns the 2nd time.

(* SEE Previous Posts )

 For He said Matt 5:17

‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.’

 The law is the (Torah) and the Holy Scriptures (Tanakh).) and includes all The Commandments given to every believer. Being saved/born again,does not give us the right to choose which ones we will keep. Being under Grace is not a reason to do and live as we please or a license to sin.Also from the beginning in And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

 ‘But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.’  1 Thess. 5:1

Why?

Because they were very familiar of the annual appointed times.So bringing all these things together offers an interesting concept that Jesus could return for His Bride sometime around the Fall Festivals./Appointed times.

With the Spring Feasts of Messiah, we look back and rejoice over our past redemption and deliverance. In the same way Jesus fulfilled those…

with the Fall Feasts we look forward to our future deliverance and return of our King. This is a time that we prepare ourselves as His Bride and make sure we are ready to hear the Sound of the Shofar!Here’s some facts and some traditions of men regarding Rosh HaShanah. It is the head of the Jewish year, the time when God reinvests Himself in creation as He is crowned king of the universe through prayer, shofar blasts, and celebration.The man-made traditions and customs that were not derived from the Hebrew’s Holy Scriptures (Torah, Tanakh) but emerged during, and have evolved since, the Babylonian Diaspora, and have been greatly expanded upon in the Talmud (Rabbinical commentaries).

is the Jewish Civil New Year.

The words Rosh HaShanah mean “Head of the Year,” Jewish New Year. Rosh in Hebrew means “chief or head” and shanah means “year.”Rosh HaShanah is the head of the year on the civil calendar, and is also known as the birthday of the world since the world was created on this day Jewish tradition believes that Adam was created on this day (Mishnah, San Hedrin 38b). How did they decide that this was the day of the year the world was created? Because the first words of the Book of Genesis (Bereishit), “in the beginning,” when changed around, read, Aleph b’Tishrei, or “on the first of Tishrei.” Therefore, Rosh HaShanah is known as the birthday of the world, for tradition tells us that the world was created then.The number of the year changes on Rosh HaShanah. This year, we change from 5777 to 5778. The Hebrew Calendar says it is 5778 years from the creation of the world, as determined by counting back years in the Bible. The setting of this date is credited to Maimonides, who mentions it in his book, Mishneh Torah: Sanctification of the Moon, 11:6, written about 1178 CE, but it may have been in use for some time before that. This kind of numbering is called Anno Mundi meaning “Year of the World.”

ROSH HASHANAH: NAMES, THEMES, AND IDIOMS

Rosh HaShanah is referred to in the Torah as Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar (or the Day of the Awakening Blast). On Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, it is imperative for every person to hear (shema) the shofar. The mitzvah (or biblical commandment [John (Yochanan) 14:15]), of the shofar is to hear (shema) the shofar being blown, not actually blow it yourself, hence the blessing, “to hear the sound of the shofar.”Teruah means “an awakening blast.” A theme associated with Rosh HaShanah is the theme “to awake.” Teruah is also translated as “shout.” The Book of Isaiah (Yeshayahu), chapter 12, puts the shouting in the context of the thousand-year reign of Messiah, the Athid Lavo. The Messianic era and shout is mentioned in Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 42:11; 44:23; Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 31:7; and Zephaniah 3:14. The first coming of Yeshua is associated with a shout in Zechariah 9:9. The ultimate shout is the rapture (natzal) in First Thessalonians 4:16-17.Whether it is by the blast of a shofar or the force of a supernatural shout, God’s goal is to awaken us!For this reason it is written, “…

Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14 NAS). The Book of Ephesians has many references to Rosh HaShanah and the High Holy Days. For example, in Ephesians 4:30, being sealed unto the day of redemption refers to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. God gave this festival to teach us that we will be judged on Rosh HaShanah and will be sealed unto the closing of the gates (neilah) on Yom Kippur.The shofar is the physical instrument that God instructed us to use to hear (shema) the sound of the shofar teaching us to awake from spiritual slumber (1 Corinthians 15:46).

THE OPENING OF THE GATESThe gates of Heaven are opened on Rosh HaShanah so the righteous nation may enter (Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 26:2; Psalm [Tehillim] 118:19-20). Because the gates of Heaven are understood to be open on Rosh HaShanah, this is further evidence that the rapture (natzal) of the believers in the Messiah Yeshua will take place near or on Rosh HaShanah.

  1. Teshuvah (repentance)

  2. Rosh HaShanah (Head of the Year, Birthday of the World)

  3. Yom Teruah (the Day of the Awakening Blast [Feast of Trumpets)

  4. Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment)

  5. HaMelech (the Coronation of the Messiah)

  6. Yom HaZikkaron (the Day of Remembrance or memorial)

  7. The time of Jacob’s (Ya’akov) trouble (the birthpangs of the Messiah,Chevlai shel Mashiach) 

  8. The opening of the gates

  9. Kiddushin/Nesu’in (the wedding ceremony)

  10. The resurrection of the dead (rapture, natza1)

  11. The last trump (shofar)

  12. Yom Hakeseh (the hidden day)

Rosh HaShanah is the first of the month of Tishri in the Jewish calendar.

Rosh HaShanah is the first of the ten ‘Days of Awe’ Yamim Noraim, the 10 days of atonement. 
BUT, in the Bible, Rosh haShanah lasts for only one day, and Yom Kippur is the only (solitary) day of atonement which comes at the end of the Days of Awe.

Rosh HaShanah, with Yom Kippur ten days later, are often referred to as the High Holy Days. The three High Holy Days established by God are:

1 – The first day of the Feast Of Unleavened Bread (Chag Ha Matzoh) – Passover

2 – Pentecost (Shavuot) very late in spring, fifty days from the first Sunday following (after) The Passover.

3 – The first day of the Feast Of Tabernacles (Sukkot  – 15 Tishri  (15 days after Rosh haShanah.)

     These three God-ordained High Holy Days are Annual Pilgrimages to Jerusalem. ” Ex. 23:14-17; Lev. 23; Deut.16:16

there are only GOD’S Holy Days 
which the Sons of Israel were commanded to faithfully observe 
as their form of worship of The God Of Abraham.

The Old Testament Holy Days were ordained by God as 
”Appointed Times” which He considers Holy unto Himself.

Hebrew Calendar Date.Yom Teruah, 1 Tishri 5778

Eschatologists consider Rosh haShanah (Yom Teru’ah) the most likely time that Ye-shu’a (Jesus) will return to the earth for His second coming. However we cannot discern exactly WHICH YEAR Ye-shu’a (Jesus) will return.Rosh haShanah is called “The Day That No-One Knows” 
because it is the only Hebrew Feast / Festival day that falls on the first day of a month Rosh Chodesh.

Since the first day of any Hebrew month depends on the sighting of the first tiny sliver of the next waxing moon following a new moon, no-one knows exactly when Rosh haShanah will begin until the next waxing moon is sighted and the 7th Hebrew month (Tishri) is officially declared to have begun. Discover The Significance Of Rosh Chodesh.On Rosh HaShanah, we remember the Creation of the world and we look ahead to the Judgment of God.Traditionally sweet things are eaten on Rosh HaShanah: apples and honey to express our desire for a sweet year ahead.followed by

One of the themes of Rosh HaShanah is the “Book of Life.” It is an ancient metaphor expressing the idea that we don’t know what lies ahead of us, but that God knows all.

The traditional greeting for Rosh HaShanah is L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu (l’sha-NAH toe-VAH tee-ka-TAY-vu) which means “May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year.” A shorter form of the greeting is Shanah Tovah which means “[Have a] Good Year” A very short greeting for the day is “Goot yom tov!” Yiddish for “Good holiday!”On Rosh HaShanah we hear the sound of the Shofar [ram’s horn.]The Fall Feasts are a Blueprint for Restoration Sacrifice, Atonement and are joyful. They also include the ingathering—this is the path along which the Fall Feasts of Israel move.

“Blow The Shofar At The New Moon, At The Covered Time For Our Feast Day. For It Is A Statute For Israel, An Ordinance For The God Of Jacob. Ps 81:3-4

This is also a reference to:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 1 Thess 4:16 KJV

 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first. Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

On Rosh HaShanah, we make a special effort to make teshuvah,* to repent of old sins and to forge new ways of living.

(*see previous post)

Many Jews around the world celebrate 2 days of Rosh HaShanah.

This year, Rosh HaShanah starts at sundown on September 20, 2017.Street sign in Jerusalem.

In essence there are two Jewish New Years – the first is the biblical one in the spring, Nissan/ Passover which is largely ignored, and the second is the morphing of the biblical Feast of Trumpets on the first day of the seventh month into a new Jewish New Year. Which this year will fall on Sept 21/22 Followed by Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement on sept 30th.

Then a weeks celebration called Sukkot or Booths or Tabernacles this begins on Oct 5 and continues through Oct 13.

Teshuvah ends with Rosh Hashanah which is the sounding of the Shofar.

Why are there 2?

The answer goes back to the 70-year time period that the Jewish nation spent in captivity in Babylon. The first deportations into captivity rounded up the distinguished young thinkers and leaders of the day. The Book of Daniel comes in here as over the period of the two and a half generation sojourn in Babylon, the Jewish people borrowed a number of technological innovations from their hosts. Among them was the use of Aramaic as a common language (the adaptation of the Aramaic script to express the Hebrew language) and a willingness to follow the Babylonian commercial calendar (the new year of which started in what is today late September).Jesus is the fulfillment of the Festivals—He is our atonement and joy, and in Him we have a new beginning and a new life.

As Paul writes, “We are a new creation in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

For believers it’s a time to rejoice and to look up for our redemption draweth nigh and be identified with the wise virgins who were ready and awaiting the return of the bridegroom. Keep your lamps trimmed and be filled with Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodesh for when midnight comes, we do not want to be on the wrong side of the door.And the trumpet will sound…let’s all make sure we have ears to hear it.

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Matt 25:7

Returning To Your First Love

Of The Heart…

The fall festival season begins with a 40-day period called, in Hebrew, Teshuvah,which means “to repent or return.”

At this time every year in the Hebrew calendar is a season of self examination.Prophetically: Teshuvah’s 40 days of repentance, Prepares Believers For Messiah’s Appearing.

“I Tell You A Mystery: We Will Not All Sleep, But We Will All Be Changed— In A Flash, In The Twinkling Of An Eye, At The Last Trumpet (Shofar). For The Trumpet Will Sound, The Dead Will Be Raised Imperishable, And We Will Be Changed.” 1 Cor 15:51-52

Create in Me A Clean Heart Oh Lord/Adonai and Renew a Right Spirit Within Me. Psalm 51

Elul is the 6th month of the Biblical Calendar year. This month is set aside for Teshuvah/Repentance in anticipation of the Fall Feasts. The month of Elul is a time to prepare for Yamim Nora’im, The Days of Awe by getting our SPIRITUAL HOUSE IN ORDER.Jeremiah 24:7

This is a time to look into our hearts and ask the Ruach HaKodesh to search our hearts and reveal any hidden sins, resentments, forgiveness, pride, anger, bitterness etc. and to repent, make Teshuvah and work at walking according to the Spirit and not the flesh.The root of this important word is shuv which means to turn back. Teshuvah is as much a state of mind (faith / creed) as it is a step of action (Faithfulness / Deed).

The call to make teshuvah is a call to leave one’s own path and turn to The Lords/Adonai’s. It is a call to submit one’s will to God’s will.Perhaps the most important dimension of teshuvah to grasp, is that it requires more than simply turing from sin. One must be willing to turn to the path of righteousness. The cry of the penitent one says, ‘My soul desires what Your soul desires!’

Primarily, repentance calls for the abandonment of the way of sin and the inner resolve never to return to it, and not the outward acts that accompany it.

Note: In Hebrew a person is called a Ba’al Teshuvah who turns to the Lord/Adonai, from a life of sin. Literally this means, a Master of Repentance. It describes the reality that TESHUVAH IS NOT A ONCE AND DONE ACT! As followers of Jesus/Yeshua we live a life of turning back to The Lord/Adonai.  We are ever turning from self to The Lord/Adonai.

The 40 days of Teshuvah begins on the first day of the sixth month, the month of Elul. Elul last for 30 days, (known as the month of MERCY, the month when The Lord/Adonai draws near to His people.)

It concludes with the 1st of Tishrei, the 7th month, which is also the mo’edim/appointed time, known as Yom Teruah or The Day of Trumpets. (Leviticus 23:23-25)

Ten days later, on the 10th of Tishrei, is Yom Kippur or the “Day of Atonement”. (Leviticus 23:26-27). The days in between these two Biblical festivals are called Yamim Nora’im which literally means the “awesome days”; commonly called the Days of Awe. This 10 day period, coupled with the 30 days of Elul, make up the 40 days of Teshuvah. (Literally: “returning”; a Hebrew term for repentance.)

The Rabbis said that this is the time when “the King is in the field”. The heart of HaShem is for His beloved to make teshuvah.We are the beloved of Adonai/The Lord. It is His love that draws us to repentance thus, in love, He beckons us to return to Him. Deut. 4:30The month of Elul is sometimes called the month of love and compassion based on the acronym formed from,


     I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine. Song of Solomon 6:3This poignant verse alludes to the mystery that God is our heavenly groom and we are his betrothed. God is the great lover of our souls and the greatest mitzvah/commandment of all, is to keep faith in his covenant promise of love. Romans 8:24 Our beloved is coming Jesus/Yeshua our Messiah, will soon be here chevarim (friends), don’t miss the bridegroom’s call. Return to the passion of your first love. Rev. 2:4

Jesus/Yeshua illustrated the idea of Teshuvah which means returning to God, by telling the story of the prodigal son. Luke 15:11–32.

After squandering his father’s inheritance a wayward son decided to return home full of shame and self-reproach. That while he was still a long way off his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him and he ran to his son threw his arms around him and kissed him.The father then ordered a celebratory meal in honor of his lost son’s homecoming. When his older brother objected that father said, we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found.

In the parable reveals that teshuvah ultimately means returning (shuv) to the compassionate arms of your heavenly Father.God sees you while you are still a long way off. Rom. 5:8

He runs to you with affection when you first begin to turn your heart toward Him. Indeed Gods compassion is so great that He willingly embraces the shame of your sins and then adorns you with a fine robe a ring and sandals.Your Heavenly Father even slaughters the fattened calf Jesus/Yeshua so that a meal that celebrates your life may be served.

Why did Jesus/Yeshua come? He was like the father in the parable who was actively looking for his lost son. He came to seek and save the lost Luke 19:10

Jesus/Yeshua likened Himself to a shepherd who left his flock to search for one lost sheep and after finding it laid that sheep on his shoulders rejoicing. Luke 15:3–7He also likened himself to a woman who lost a coin but diligently searched for it. After she found it she called together her friends and neighbors saying rejoice with me for I have found the lost coin. Luke 15:8–10Jesus/Yeshuas first words of public ministry were REPENT and BELIEVE THE GOSPEL. Mark 1:15

The word repent is metanao meaning to change your thinking and the word gospel means good news. From good and message. We could translate the verse as: change your thinking and believe the message of God’s good will toward you. The good news is that we are to be set free from the curse of the law and futile efforts of seeking self justification before heaven. We no longer need to live in fear of God’s conditional acceptance of us and therefore of our conditional worth.

As Paul later preached, let it be known to you therefore brothers that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38–39The Jews had known about repentance teshuvah for a long time of course. They understood the rituals and mitzvoth/commandments that were required to keep the law and they even devised legal formulas for making your defense before the Almighty. (ie the Kol Nidre service recited before Yom Kippur which was, we exonerate ourselves for failing to keep our word.) If Moses and the law could have saved us we wouldn’t need to be declared righteous by God’s grace through the redemption in Jesus/Yeshua. Romans 3:24  and we would not need the cross. All we’d need to do is work hard at repentance, perform additional mitzvoth/good works but clearly Jesus/Yeshua meant something other than this when He made the call to repent.The repentance that Jesus/Yeshua preached was inextricably connected with the good news that He alone is God’s answer to the problem of sin. Jesus/Yeshua was born to die as the divinely appointed Sin bearer of the world. Hebrews 10:5-7

He came to the earth and emptied Himself of His regal glory and power in order to be the high priest. After the order of Malki –Tzedek and the mediator of the new covenant. Hebrews 5:6; 9:15; Psalm 110:4; 1 Timothy 2:5;

He came to Jerusalem, to Moriah for the explicit purpose of suffering and dying and being raised from the dead. Matthew 16:21 Luke 9:22

Jesus/Yeshua died not only for our forgiveness but also to deliver us from the law of sin and death.i.e. the power that  sin holds in our lives. He died to set us free so that we could become the beloved children of God. Jesus/Yeshua surely was not calling people to become followers of the scribes and Pharisees, who were blind guides and hypocrites Matthew 23:13–36. He did not want people to become slaves to rituals or religion, now he called people to follow Him.

Take up your cross and follow Me.

Turn your thinking around.

Die to your religion.

Be comforted because there is good news from heaven.Gods unconditional acceptance is given to those who trust in the righteousness of Jesus/Yeshua in place of any self righteousness that might be gained by performing the works of the law. Galatians 2:16, Titus 3:5

Jesus/Yeshua is the goal of the law for righteousness for all who believe Romans 10:4–13

 Dying to the religious project of attaining self-righteousness is to admit the need for radical deliverance from the law itself.Jesus’/Yeshua’s message of salvation was rejected by the religious establishment of His day, just as it is likewise rejected by all other karma-based religions and philosophies that believed that good deeds are sufficient for your place in heaven. After all the religious Jews assumed they already understood the requirements for repentance and the means for finding atonement with God through the rituals and practices surrounding the high holidays.Their religion was essentially a meritocracy based on the performance of good works. That were thought to impart zechut and righteousness to the soul.

But Yeshua explained to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, that a person is not justified on the basis of their supposed good deeds or merits but entirely by appealing to God’s compassion and mercy.

It was the despised tax collector not the self-righteous Pharisee that left the temple justified: Luke 18:10-14

The talmud (Hebrew Commentary) draws a distinction between those motivated by:

Teshuvah me-yirah, “return out of fear” (of punishment),

And

Teshuvah me- ahavah, “return out of love” (of god).

Of the former, their intentional sins are accounted as if they were unintentional;

Of those who return out of love, their intentional transgressions become like merits.

The concept is that the human personality is capable of regeneration and renewal.

Thus teshuvah is an experience of transformation.

When performed out of fear, it lessens the burden of sin but does not give victory over the sin.

Teshuvah undertaken out of love accomplishes a fundamental transformation, in which healing and purification are complete ‘for the baal teshuvah, the man who returned.’

During this season of teshuvah, we must always remember that the Lord is for us and not against us.

He died while we were yet sinners. Romans 5:8

He is the loving strongman who rescued us forever.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Rom 8:31–39

We are literally saved in this hope. Romans 8:24

Peace – Shalom!

Keeping It All Bottled Up – Part 2

God places all the tears we have wept in a special place…  

In a bottle and a book. (Psalm 56:8)

Every tear that we have shed has been saved up.

The ancients who lived in David’s time, had a practice of putting tears which were shed for someone who had died, into a little bottle called lacrymatories.

(lah-krim-ah-torrie)And when they buried their deceased loved one they would place these lacrymatories or ‘bottles of tears’ inside the tomb. The ancients believed this practice actually helped begin the healing process of losing a loved one.

Archeologists who have unearthed ancient graves, commonly come across these ‘tear bottles’ inside the tomb, indicating it was widely practiced in ancient times.This noun Lachrymatory, pronounced læ-‘kree-mê-tor-ee, (also the root of our word crematory).

It comes down through the ages by way of the Latin word ‘dacrima,’ which shares ties with the Greek term dakry for tear, a distant relation to Old High German zahar also meaning ‘tear’, which fashioned the modern German Zähre for ‘tear’, and Old English tæhher which is nowadays, ‘tear.’

These little bottles were made of glass, pottery, agate, sardonyx, or hard baked clay.

The word here rendered ‘bottle’ means a bottle made of skin, such as was used in the East; but it can also mean a bottle of any kind.

Our tears are precious to the Lord, and He is aware of each tear we shed.

Most of our emotions are connected in some way to our crying liquid tears as well as to the physical cavity of the eye itself helping it to stay moist so we can see.There are 3 types of physical tears produced by our bodies:

First the basal variety, which are made as a form of lubrication and protection for your eyes.

These are constantly secreted in tiny quantities (about one gram over a 24-hour period) and coat our eyes when we blink, yawn or water from a dry climate.

This is what a basal tear looks like under a microscope(Above watering eyes in a micro climate)(Above: yawning from exhaustion tears)

There are biological and physiological components that initiate tears from the tear duct, for the purpose of cleansing and washing the eye.It’s a built in automatic window wash!

Second type we produce are reflex tears.(Above: Tears in response to cutting up onions.)

These are also for protection and are released to help wash away particles in response to irritants, such as wind, dust, smoke, cutting onions or that wayward eyelash. (Greater magnification of above.)

The third type of tears – emotional tears.
These tears contain more protein-based hormones than basal or reflex tears. Our tears, no matter what the form, are a combination of salt water, oils, antibodies, and enzymes.Studies have revealed the scientific basis of tears, and show how weeping and mourning tie into the deepest regions of our brains. The seat of the Soul is also believed to be in the same area of the brain.

Tears are intrinsically connected to emotion. There is a whole process that we go through starting at the time of tearing up, yet each one looks vastly different when examined under a microscope.(Above: tears from laughing until we are crying.)Laugh till we cry,frustration,anger,sadnessand griefloneliness

paindepression love reliefexcitementhappinesssuccessecstatic joy

– Seems like every one of the above list could evoke a tearful reaction…

(Above: tears of ending and beginning.)Not all tears are alike; and each person’s tears are unique to them, just as our DNA, fingerprints and retina scan are.(Above: tears of elation at a liminal moment.)

Tears cover the totality of all of our lifes’ experiences

Does a tear of grief look any different from a tear of joy?

Yes!

Each tear is different: when you cry based on the underlying emotion it produces different chemicals which show up in the tear drop. (Above: tears of change.)

Each tear contains the emotion and the pain and hurt caused by an outside influence often through words or actions of others or a physical trauma to the body.
(Reference: Joseph Strondberg.   Emotional Components of the Tear.)

 Interesting Note: The work of the late Dr. Masaru Emoto, a visionary researcher from Japan, studied the impact of human consciousness on water and its crystalline order.Water that was imprinted by love, gratitude, and appreciation responded by the development of complex beauty,

and

water that was mistreated by negative intentions became disordered and lost its magnificent patterning.

Perhaps something similar occurs in our tears?…It’s known, for instance, that tears contain unique substances depending on their cause.If that is the case for water outside a physical body, how much more could the water that is part of us be affected?

Each human body comprises 50-70% water.

Emotional tears, for instance, contain leucine-enkephalin, a natural painkiller your body releases in response to stress.

 The Black and White Photographs in this post can be found in the public domain on www “Topography of Tears,” (photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher of ‘The microscopic structure of dried tears’.)
Tears are the medium of our most primal language communicating from birth to death, hunger and everything in between.

Tears cover the totality of all of our life’s experiences.(Above: tears of remembrance.)

Each tear will carry a composite of the events of a human life amounting to one drop of the oceans expanse.

Crying is to the emotions within the soul, what soap is to the body, it truly a cleansing thing.

It contains all that is ours as is represented in our DNA, so no wonder He keeps our tears.

It’s a unique record of each of us.

The shortest sentence in the new Testament speaks of Messiah’s tears:

John 11:35

Va•yivch Yeshua.

 Yeshua wept

However when Jesus wept wept in the garden of Gethsemane, the sum total of all the tears shed by humanity on the whole planet, from the Genesis in Eden to the completion of time in the future at the end of the age. They were being borne in His body when He shed His tears for every soul, prior to the shedding of His blood on Calvary’s cross.

Jesus who as the Son of God, bore all the tears for the sins committed by and to mankind.First came the water and then the blood.   Heb. 5:5-9 

The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us of, ‘His strong crying and tears.’ These are tears which we cannot fully understand; but they were tears for the sins of the world, the weight of which in that most mysterious agony He was then bearing.There is no telling just how many tears have been shed throughout history, yet all our tears, the sum total of human existence was put on the cross.

Untold multiplied billions of tears were covered that day by the blood of Jesus. Each tear we shed has a purpose.  Tears are unique to each one of us and they are designed to give us comfort when we our souls are overwhelmed with emotion and conflict.All our perceptions and all our lives experiences are contained within the tears of failure, joy, etc., and every human emotion we have experienced in our lives; good, bad, or indifferent.

It changes when we come to know Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, because He changes us from within.(Above: tears of momentum)

Tears of agony, rejection and defeat are changed into tears of relief, acceptance and hope.(Above: tears of possibility and hope)

There is coming a time for all righteous believers when God will wipe away the tears for ever.  They are poured out upon his altar as a one-time offering to God.

(Its an interesting thought that it in some way it could be connected to the water libation performed during the Fall Appointed Times?!)

In Isaiah 53, when Jesus/Yeshua, bore our griefs and sorrows, every emotion, and every response since the time of Adam and Eve. All our life’s experiences, that is what Jesus took upon Himself. That is when He wept and why that statement is so powerful.

Our emotional hurt often isn’t our own fault, but rather caused by the wrong-doing of others.Weeping actually brings a healing power to those who have been wronged and helps us heal emotionally.

One day for some of us our need for tears will come to an end –

O Lord my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me. Ps 30:3

Adonai Elo•hai shi•va•ati e•le•cha va•tir•pa•eni.

 

He Knows!

A  vast receptacle, brimming over with our weeping.

However… 

One day our need for tears will come to an end –

A new day is dawning.

A new beginning is coming.

A new joy is arising in our hearts, because His Word declares that although

One day God will wipe away every one of those tears and there will be no more crying.   Revelation 21:4

He will replace all our tears of sorrow with pure joy because ALL the OUTWARD causes of TEARS will be absent.Never again will we shed a tear over losing a loved one or a beloved family pet;

or weep by the casket or graveside of a departed family member;

 or shed a tear for a departed loved one or friend, for these are the former things of this life that will pass away.(Tragedy: tears of awe and sorrow)

Never again will we hear tragic news(Above: tears for what could not be fixed.)or see a flag-draped casket of a soldier who lost his life in a war.(Above: tears of Grief.)

Never again will we experience any physical pain, for God is going to ‘wipe away all of our tears’, that were caused by the outward things in this life.
God will wipe away all the INWARD causes of tears.

There will be no more tears of LONELINESS.DEPRESSION.FRUSTRATION.GUILT and SHAME.

No more tears of Remorse(Above: tears of Remorse.)

or DISAPPOINTMENT.(Above: tears of those who yearn for liberation)

(Above: Tears of timeless reunion.)

All there will be in the Presence of the King of Kings, the Creator of the universe isJoy unspeakable and full of glory as the everlasting arms are wrapped around us..

Rejoice, mending broken hearts is His forte.Jesus quoted and said that He came to bind up the broken hearted and only God is able to do such a thing.

And sadness and sighing will flee away leaving only happy smiles!Joy WorshipReliefLoveHappinessAcceptanceSecurity

On a lighter note as the scriptures say, a merry heart doeth good like a medicine; so here is a small dose…

Sometimes holding back the laughter is too muchand the tears fill our eyes

…sometimesor in Lucy’s case both together!

Whatever our situation in life’s journey lets never forget…

God keeps it all bottled up so we don’t have to!When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry..show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile  because SHALOM!