Yom Teruah/Rosh ha Shannah has many idioms and phrases like awake, arise (Eph 5.14 has these and it is based on a prayer on Rosh ha Shannah in the Temple), the last trump, open the gates or a door is open (referring to the court being seated and the books opened so the gates of repentance are open-Psa 24 is a Rosh ha Shannah pslam; Isa 26.2, 13.2; Rev 4.1), the gathering (a scriptural term for the “rapture”-2 Thes 2.1; Psa 47.9; Psa 27.5), coronation of Messiah, wedding of Messiah and so on. Some say they don’t believe in the “gathering” or a rapture before the Birth-pains, or some even at all. They believe everyone is going through the Birth-pains. There are many on Christian television that say that if you believe you will be “taken out” you are believing a lie. They say “Why should we be taken out when he left so many in the past to go through tribulation and persecution.” The reason they believe these things is that they do not have the “keys” and do not understand the festival and eschatological sub-language in the Scriptures and miss what the Lord is trying to communicate. They see believers being persecuted in the scriptures and assume that the gathering hasn’t happened. However, we are being gathered for the wedding of the Messiah and his coronation while those on earth were not believers when the gathering occurred, and now they must go through the Birth-pains. Some of those will become believers and that is who is being persecuted.
Psalm 45 talks about the wedding of the king, or Messiah. It is a Rosh ha Shannah psalm for the kings marriage. It says in the heading that it is “for the choir director according to the Shoshanim” and shoshanim are lilies shaped like a trumpet that is blown when assembling the people (not a rams horn-Num 10.1-10). So, why are the living and the dead righteous being gathered? They are going to a wedding, and a wedding has to be a shavuah, or a seven. In the Scriptures, weddings went for seven days, Jacob worked seven years for Rachel. Messiah will have a shavuah of seven years in heaven, while the seven year Birth-pains are going on in the earth. So, in other words, the gathering (Natzal, the catching away, the “rapture”) will take place before the Birth-pains begin, on a Yom Teruah. After the wedding, there will be a coronation in heaven as well. Believers will also have their woeks in the flesh evaluated at what is called “the Bema Judgment of the Messiah.” The phrases, idioms and terminology of the sub-language of the festivals must be understood in order to see what the Lord is trying to communicate. Not having these “keys” can lead people into many false interpretations and that is a serious problem.
The Yamin Noraim are the first ten days of Tishri. This term means “Days of Awe” (Joel 2.11) and it is a picture of the Birth-pains. We know that the Messiah had “appointments” (“moed” in Hebrew-Lev 23.1-2) on the festival days. The spring rains (early rain) is translated “teacher of righteousness” in Joel 2.23 and it is an eschatological title for the Messiah. These rains are in Nisan (first month of the religious calendar) and this corresponds to the spring festivals. The latter rain corresponds to the fall festivals in Tishri (the first month of the civil calendar). Rhae early and latter rains are likened to the coming of the Mesdiah in the Tanach and Epistles. That is how Yeshua’s coming can be “in the first month” in Joel 2.23. These rains are separated by seven months. In other words, his first coming to fulfill the spring festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits was in Nisan, the first month of the religious calendar. Shavuot is in the third month, but the Passover season was not over till Shavuot, so that is included. His second coming will be in Tishri, the first month of the civil calendar, to fulfill the fall festivals of Yom Teruah/Rosh ha Shannah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.
When reading Joel eschatologically, we have Rosh ha Shannah in Joel 2.1-2, then we have Yom Kippur in Joel 2.15-17. Just look at the terms used there and you can determine which is which by context. The door for repentance opens on Rosh ha Shannah, and it closes on Yom Kippur. In Jewish eschatology you have 6000 years, then the 1000 year “Day of the Lord.” The first seven years of the Day of the Lord is the Birth-pains. In Christian eschatology, you have 6000 years then the Birth-pains during the last seven years of that period. After the Birth-pains, the 1000 year “Millennium” begins. Some don’t agree with the Jewish view because they say the “Millennium” is a time of peace. However, Scriptures talking about gloom, darkness, war and so on take place on earth during the Birth-pains. The Scriptures talking about peace are after Messiah returns after seven years. King David reigned in Hebron (an idiom for heaven) for seven years, then he moved his throne to Jerusalem. Yeshua will reign in heaven for seven years, then move his throne to Jerusalem. The Kingdom begins with Yeshua’s coronation on Yom Teruah in heaven, on Tishri 1, the first day of the “Day of the Lord.” But, at the same time on earth, the Birth-pains will begin ten days later on Yom Kippur. The “Day of the Lord” is typified by the seventh day Sabbath on earth. On the Sabbath day, it always starts out in darkness, but then moved toward the light. The altar was cleansed on the Sabbath day in the Temple. It will be the same way at the beginning of the 1000 year Sabbath, or Day of the Lord. The “Day of the Lord” will start out in darkness (the Birth-pains) and the Lord will cleanse the earth. The Jewish Encyclopedia has an article called “Eschatology” and it has information on the “Chevlai Shell Maashiach” which is Hebrew for the “Birth-pains of the Messiah” in regards to this.
On Yom Kippur the seventh year of the Birth-pains, the Messiah will move his throne from heaven (Hebron) to Jerusalem (Matt 24.30-31). In Part 4 we will pick up here and discuss Yom Kippur and how it fits into biblical eschatology. We will also give several idioms, concepts and phrases for this festival so that you can identify it when you read certain passages.
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