Yom Kippur ~ The Day of Atonement

 "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD. And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.'" Leviticus 23:26-28

The day of Atonement was a day of national cleansing and repentance from sin. It was on this day that God judged the sins of the entire nation of Israel. 

As Christians, even though God has forgiven us of our sins, this does not mean that we do not need a continuous cleansing in our daily lives. We must judge our sins daily for the purpose of maintaining fellowship with Jesus. The blood of Jesus purifies us so that we can have continuous fellowship with Him. 

"If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we will have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:6-9

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

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I would encourage you to check out The Return by Jonathan Cahn. "National Day of Prayer and Repentance". Check out the website: https://thereturn.org/

*Quite a bit of the information is from "Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts" by Dr. Richard Booker. Highly recommended!*

Happy Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah!

 "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD." Leviticus 23:23-25

The main purpose of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah, or Yom Teruah in Hebrew) was to announce the arrival of the seventh month in order to prepare the people for the Day of Atonement, which was ten days later. (I'll have a post on that next.) On the Feast of Trumpets, they blow the shofars extra long and extra loud throughout the day. The type of trumpet that were blown were ram's horns. In Hebrew, the word is shofar. God used trumpets in the Bible to communicate with His people. To the Hebrews, the sound of the trumpet represented both the voice of God and the might of God in warfare. 

One way Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled this feast is that Jesus is the Comamander of the army of God. (See Revelation 19:11-16.) "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of HIs holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us."  Luke 1:68-71. Jesus defeated us from the enemies of our soul. When Jesus died for us, and rose again, He defeated satan. Jesus defeated death! 

The Feast of Trumpets relates to the believer's spiritual warfare. We need to learn to live in the victory of Jesus as the "Horn of our Salvation." 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:10-12. Our armor is Jesus Himself. The believer's armor is simply Jesus in us living His life out of us; His victory over satan becomes our victory. This armor, as a description of the Lord, shows us how to live a victorious life and enter God's rest. 

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*Quite a bit of the information is from "Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts" by Dr. Richard Booker. Highly recommended!!* *Picture from "Restore Israel" Facebook*

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Happy Rosh Hashanah!!! Happy Yom Teruah!!!

Kate Winfield on the Oregon Trail by Peter Marshall ~ Book Review

About the Book:

Kate Winfield on the Oregon Trail is the dramatic story of a teenage girl's moral courage in confronting danger, disease, and death while taking part in the greatest human migration in world history. In 1843, Kate is among those 300,000 Americans who will journey up to thousands of miles to the Oregon Territory in search of a better life. Through perilous river crossings, blistering heat, choking dust clouds, freezing nights, and the tragic passing of her mother, Kate matures emotionally and spiritually and begins to dream of becoming a medical missionary to the Indians. But that dream is challenged when a typhus epidemic threatens to wipe out the entire wagon train. 

About the Series:

The Crimson Cross series is inspired by a mysterious silver and ruby cross, a precious relic of the Holy Land. In each volume it is passed on to a young person who has proven to be worthy of it. As they play a crucial role in dramatic moments of America's history, the characters face difficult choices and challenges--not unlike those confronting today's youth. 

Review

Kate Winfield on the Oregon Trail was an absolutely incredible book! The historical content and accuracy were awesome. The specific wagon train in the novel is one of the first to make the trek to Oregon. The train faces many hardships- crazy river crossings, dangerous terrain, and a horrible epidemic. I really liked Kate. She was a strong young woman, who stood up for what she believed in, and trusted God. 

The adventure, life lessons, and stories were what made this book so awesome. I also really liked how the end turned out with Kate's dream of becoming a medical missionary. 

If you would like to learn more about the Oregon Trail, pioneers, and life back in the 1840s, I highly recommend this book! Definitely one of the best pioneer/Oregon trail books I've ever read!

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Have you read this book? Any other pioneer/Oregon trail books you really like? Comment below!