​It comes once a year and is God's holiest day on the Hebrew calendar. It is the only day of the year when the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies. His assignment was to make a blood offering for the sins of the people of Israel. This holy day is called Yom Kippur or The Day of Atonement since the sins of a nation would be atoned for. At the center of the three fall festivals, we can read about all of them in Leviticus 23. Each of the three feasts have a theme and include The Feast of Trumpets (repentance), The Day of Atonement (redemption), and The Feast of Tabernacles (rejoicing).
 
Yom Kippur is the culmination of The Ten Days of Awe that started on The Feast of Trumpets and is the day when God summoned His people to repentance and renewal. On this day, the children of Israel examined themselves to evaluate their faith and their relationship with God. It was, and still is, a day of fasting and prayer. The translation for The Day of Atonement is "The Day of Covering." When a sacrifice was made on the altar, God provided a covering for sin. However, the Jewish people are faced with a conundrum today. Leviticus 17:11 says, "...It is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." In other words, there is no atonement without the shedding of blood. Blood was the evidence that an animal had paid the price for the sin of God's people.
 
The sacrifices for sin occurred in the Temple of God. With no temple, there is no place for a high priest to make the blood sacrifice. Father God recognized this problem and had a solution for it before the beginning of time. He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins and to fulfill the sacrificial system. He paid the sin debt once and for all time through His crucifixion. Being buried, He rose again on the third day and demonstrated the power of God to save us. The crucifixion of Jesus occurred 40 years before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. He shed His blood for the entire world to cleanse us from our sins so we could have relationship with God.
 
In Hebrew, Chapter 9, the writer explains that Christ became the mediator of a new covenant. "He died as a ransom to set them free from sins committed under the first covenant." (Verse 15) Verse 22 confirms what was written in Leviticus: "...Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Verse 28 declares a glorious future for those who believe in Christ. "Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." 
 
Sadly, blindness has come over the Jewish people. Their rabbis have instituted new ways to observe Yom Kippur. Prayer and fasting, attending synagogue, readings, and sermons are now the way the Jews observe this day. They have set aside what God prescribed and commanded. As Believers in Yeshua, Jesus, it is our responsibility to pray for the Jewish people to have their eyes opened and their hearts transformed to believe the truth. Here is how it is stated in Romans 11:11 and 12. "Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring?"  We must be on our knees for the Jewish people.

One of God's greatest desires is for intimate communion with His children. Thus, He "created man in His own image." (Genesis 1:27) In the cool of the day God came to walk in the garden with Adam and Eve. God is still coming to meet us and looks forward to drawing near during the three fall feasts. Monday, at sunset, the shofar will be blown to signal the beginning of the Jewish new year 5786. The Head of the Year, or Rosh Hashana, is also called Yom Teruah, The Day of the Blowing. The ten-day period from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, is referred to as "The Ten Days of Awe." These days are a time for introspection, repentance, and renewal.
 
Rabbinic Judaism memorializes Rosh Hashana as the time when the world was created. It is the beginning of the Jewish calendar year when counting the Sabbaths and the numbered years. Genesis 22, the chapter in the Bible that tells the story of Abraham's obedience to God when he was asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, will be read in synagogues. God will be praised for His substitutionary atonement (a ram in the thicket). For Believers in Yeshua, there is greater significance to this story as it was a foreshadow of what Messiah would do for us. "The Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." (Isaiah 53:6) Let us remember that the spiritual application of God's word for our lives has never changed. The blowing of the shofar 100 times is a mighty call to learn from the past and look forward to the future.
 
Considering the events of the past two weeks, I believe that there is a prophetic significance to the new year 5786. Many prophets will be focusing on the Hebrew meaning of the numbers in the new year, especially the six and eighty. The Jewish system assigns a numerical value to every letter in their alphabet. The sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is "vav" and is shaped like a hook or connecting rod used to join words or concepts together. Some call the connecting rod a hinge. When we look at Genesis 1:1 we see that "God created the heavens and the earth," and He connected them together. The prayer Jesus taught His disciples is written in Matthew 6. Verse 10 demonstrates God's desire to connect heaven and earth. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus came to earth to restore the connection between heaven and earth through His redeeming blood on the Cross. Rabbi Jason Sobel points out that since the number six is pictured as a hinge pin, we are being called in this year to change. This is the year of the "turning point."
 
The blowing of the shofar is a wakeup call for us. The truth is that without repentance there is no revival. It is time for the Church to wake up and declare truth. This is shown in the number 80. Eighty is "pey" in the Hebrew alphabet. Hence, we are in the decade of "pey." The Church must raise its voice and speak truth for us to turn toward the Lord's direction. Let the shofar blast remind us to lift our voices to call for an awakening in our land. It is time to turn toward righteousness and justice. Without transformation our nation will falter. Patricia King, in her yearly assessment of what is to come in 5786, says we must avoid the evil that tries to hook us and be firmly connected to God. Divine alignment with Him will help us purify our hearts and keep our speech and actions in heaven's flow.
 
Let us declare this new year of 5786 as one of preparation for the coming of the Lord. We must be ready to go to battle for the plans and purposes of God as we prepare for His coming. 

​At the end of our lives, we all want to hear the same thing from the Lord: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21) It is clear that we are all born with different gifts and abilities. It is our responsibility to make the best of our own. We may not be able to achieve the same things as others, but we can make an equal or greater effort. All of us will be asked the same question at the end of our lives: "What have you done with what I have given to you?"
 
This past week, the Lord would have asked Charlie Kirk that question. I am sure that he was able to answer that he used all his gifts fully, to the glory of God. There are times when it is particularly difficult to understand why someone is taken from this earth early in life. There are many asking God that question about Charlie. At the age of thirty-one, Charlie was taken from us through an assassin's bullet as he engaged with students at Utah Valley University. Raised in the Chicago suburbs, it became obvious to those around him that Charlie was wise beyond his years. He grew up to be a principled man who stood up for his beliefs. He was a kid with a dream who worked to make it happen.
 
At a young age, he discovered that he could inspire others, especially young people. He loved to debate. Though students at college campuses became his main target, Charlie dropped out of Harper College, near Chicago, to pursue his dreams. In 2012 he founded an organization called "Turning Point USA" whose main focus is defending religious freedom, democracy, and justice. Through podcasts on social media, he reached 100,000,000 young people every month. Turning Point now has over 850 college chapters.
 
Yearly, Charlie scheduled multiple meetings to college campuses throughout the United States for what he called his "Prove Me Wrong Tour." He encouraged debate in the public square and always demonstrated his wealth of knowledge. As he was well-spoken and well researched, he was effective in helping young people think for themselves and inspired them to participate in the life of our country. Charlie's faith was central to everything he did so he defended Biblical values and spoke the truth boldly. He was a patriot who loved our country and thought we could be so much better than we are. His message was one of revival and reformation. President Trump said that Charlie went about "championing ideas with courage, logic, humor, and grace."
 
A Scripture I have always grappled with comes from Psalm 116:15. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."  Footnotes in my Bible help me understand. The word precious in Hebrew means valuable and costly. Another suggestion is that God rejoices when we arrive in heaven. Either way, I know that He feels our pain and grieves with us over this monumental loss.
 
John 12:24 says, "...unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." Charlie is a casualty of the internal war in our country. His message to "welcome without judgment, love without conditions, forgive without limit" must spread. The seed of Charlie has been planted, and we must pray that all the young people who were inspired by him choose to rise up like him in loving God and loving others. Pray for the soul of our nation and that the flames of revival would burn brightly as others pick up the torch that Charlie left for us.

​The word righteousness is written about in the Bible over two hundred times. Its meaning is being in right relationship with God and conforming to His character. Righteousness is a matter of the heart and "comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." (Romans 3:22) It is the prophet Jeremiah who prophesied about the coming of a righteous King. "' The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.’”
(Jeremiah 23:5, 6) While it is true that righteousness comes as a gift of God when we embrace faith in His Son, Jesus (Romans 5:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:21), we must do our part in pursuing it and living it out. Since Romans 3:10 tells us that God is the only One who is totally righteous, our pursuit must also be for an intimate relationship with the Lord Our Righteousness or "Yahweh Tsidqenu" in Hebrew.
 
In the Bible there are many promises of blessings for those who pursue righteousness. For example, Jesus called those who hunger and thirst for righteousness blessed in Matthew 5:6 of the beatitudes. He also says they "will be filled." Psalm 23:3 tells us that as our Shepherd, God "guides us in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." The Passion Translation interprets this verse in an interesting way: "He opens before me pathways to God's pleasure and leads me along in His footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to His name." A footnote in this version explains, "It is a common trait for sheep on the hillsides of Israel to circle their way up higher. They eventually form a path that keeps leading them higher. This is what David is referring to here. Each step we take following our Shepherd will lead us higher, even though it may seem we are going in circles."
 
The promise that comes in Proverbs 21:21 about those who pursue righteousness is worth looking at: "He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor." In a recent teaching from Jonathan Cahn, leader of Hope of the World, he explains that the word "pursue" is a Hebrew word that also means "to hunt." The word hunt denotes searching determinedly for something or chasing after it. The word "pursue" indicates that we are to continuously chase after righteousness in our daily lives. It should be our life-long mission because God's desire for us it to be more like His Son.
 
Some other promises for the righteous (those who have made Jesus Lord and Savior) follow:
"Blessings crown the head of the righteous." (Proverbs 10:6)
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon." (Psalm 92:12)
"...He who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward." (Proverbs 11:18)
"The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him." (Proverbs 20:7)
"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer..." (1 Peter 3:12)
 
Our challenge is to be in constant pursuit of righteousness, not only because of the benefits that come with the hunt, but because this pursuit allows us to walk in the very presence of God. Scripture tells us, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness. For You are their glory and strength, and by Your favor you exalt our horn." (Psalm 89:14-17)