Dear Doves,

 

      This year the month of Elul began on 8-18 evening. Day 30 began the evening of 9-16. Day 40 will be from evening ending Tishri 10 through Tishri 11. Yom Kippur is the conclusion of The Days of Awe extending from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur. The last trump of these days is sounded, not on The Feast of Trumpets, but at the conclusion of The Solemn Day of Atonement with The Great Trump, Tekiah Gedolah, The Shofar Ha Gadol. This trump of triumph is symbolic of the closing of Heaven's Gates, just as the shofars were blown on Yom Teruah during the symbolic opening of the Gates. Yom Teruah does not stand alone as a Feast of the Lord. Rather, it is part of a continuum which is complete only as Yom Kippur (Tishri 10) ends at sunset and Tishri 11 begins. The later completes the earlier, and all 40 days of repentance are complete, as in the Days of Jonah at Ninevah. The entire text of The Book of Jonah is read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur.

      Tishri 11 evening is most curious. Upon the conclusion of the most serious and somber day of the year for the observant of The House of Israel, the tone immediately shifts from sorrow to joy! Tishri 11 to 14 are the preparation days, the foundational days, the transitional days, the spiritual segue into Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles/Booths/Tents) from Tishri 15 to 22. Sukkot mode begins Tishri 11, not 15. The Season of Our Joy, in spirit, begins Tishri 11! Plans are well underway by Jewish families for their sukkahs and decorations, all over the world, during Tishri 11 evening. Tishri 11 begins The Joy. The Feast of Sukkot is also called The Feast of Ingathering, The Feast of Harvest.

      In 3 of the 4 Gospels, Messiah/Christ mentioned that when the groom is with you, you will not fast. When the groom is taken from you, then you will fast. The implication? When the groom returns according to the Ancient Jewish Wedding Model, he and his bride, relatives, and friends JOYOUSLY and quickly go to the chuppah. No more fasting. It is traditional for a Jewish groom and bride to fast before going to the chuppah. The wedding canopy (chuppah) is a temporary structure with 4 posts. A sukkah is a temporary structure with 4 posts. Each has a covering, like a kippur! Also, the ark of Noah had a lid, a covering, like a kippur.

      What is the preferred color for members of The House of Israel to wear on Tishri 1 and 10? What do observant Jews wear on Yom Kippur? It is customary to wear white. What will the saints in Heaven be wearing? Clean white linen in the answer according to The Book of Revelation.  What color does a bride wear, Jew or Gentile? It is customary for the bride to be dressed in white.

      The Master has said that He will return when He is not expected. Might it be as Tishri 11 begins, the onset of the Days of Joy, The Season of Our Joy? His warnings about drunkenness and sleepiness would apply. When is it unwise to drink any alcoholic beverages? After a 24-25 hour fast. When would individuals sleep very soundly, like in a slumber? After the fatigue and stress of a 24-25 hour fast. The "afflicting of the soul"  has been interpreted to mean only the fast of Yom Kippur.

      Who will receive the wedding presents, the crowns, the rewards given at the Bema by the Groom of Grooms? How about The Watcher's Crown? Paul reminds us that it will be bestowed on those who eagerly await and watch for "the joy of His appearing." The Joy! Many spiritual clues point us to Yom Kippur of 9-25 to 26-2012, and especially the evening beginning Tishri 11 for Israel, then the rest of the world on 9-26-2012. May THE JOY be within us!

 

With Love and Shalom,

Jean