Happy Rosh Hashana? I Don't Think So.

Today is the day that Jews of the more Orthodox stripe celebrate a Feast associated with the blowing of trumpets, or actually, its a curved -- quite twisty looking -- ram's horn. They call it a "shofar." They will celebrate it for 10 days, ending on Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement, the highest of holy days on the Jewish calendar.

They believe that during this time, a time of repentance, God makes his final judgment regarding the person's deeds that year, for His well-being and prosperity in the coming New Year (They think of it like January 1 with the doctrines of divine providence and salvation -- or at least prosperity -- by works thrown in).

I know -- Providence forgive me -- I should not have done it, but I watched another episode (well, some of it) of the 700 Club today to see what they are up to these days. There I learned that many Jews are encouraging Christians to celebrate "The Blowing of the Shofar" with them. And the CBN report was favorable to the idea.

This is entirely backward. The entire Older Testament, of which Jesus said, "All the Law and the Prophets testify of Me," shows forth in pictorial form, in song, and in other manifold ways, that the Christ -- that would be the Lord Jesus -- must first suffer and then enter his glory. This happened, and was expounded upon at length downtown Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago. If you would like to see the sermon snippets on this topic, read Acts 1-12.

Never have I seen so many "Christians," who have read so much of their Bibles and understood so little as these folks. The Christians -- in the case of Acts, the apostles, taught the Jewish people from the Older Testament, how it was that all the holidays (and all else) of the Word portrayed the incarnation, life, ministry, suffering and death, burial, resurrection, ascension and session of the Lord Jesus.

Now are Christians going to be taught of the Jews, who still have no idea of that which they read. But a veil is set over their hearts when the prophets are read, so that they cannot understand what they teach in their synagogues. And only in Christ is that veil removed.

Christians know that the holidays (Feasts), including Rosh Hashana, of the Older Testament all point to Christ, and that they as foreshadows of the good things to come have long passed away as binding ordinances for God's people as aspects of the ceremonial law.

To revert to their celebration is to pretend that the Messiah is yet to come, which implies that the Lord Jesus is not the Messiah -- precisely the position of the Jews inviting celebration of this holiday in common with them.

This is an extraordinary insult to the spirit of grace, and the glory of Christ. And it pretends as though the Newer Testament as an adequate explanation of the Older Testament (when studied alongside it) is either not yet written, or else is insufficient for the faith and life of the believer in Christ. Someone is not paying attention.

So whatever else this position (the advocacy of reverting to Judaic holidays) may be, it certainly is not Christian in any plain sense of the word. If the Jews are so anxious for conversions, then let them repent and believe the Gospel proclaimed at length to them for many centuries by the apostles of Christ and their disciples.

And for the record, I like the saxophone better than the trumpet anyway. Leviticus 23 on holidays (understood canonically) requires absolutely NOTHING of any person living today -- even of the Jew -- although I have nothing against a good bagel, and a decent cup of coffee on any day of the year.

I am therefore voting that CBN change their name to the Jewish Broadcasting Network, or else quit that nonsense, and get back to (at the very least) the basic doctrines of the Bible they should have known long ago. The only problem here is that the "Tulip Broadcasting Network" abbreviates as TBN. And the good name of this logo has already been destroyed by another popular (moderately) Christianized set of programs, where people hurl chairs and crutches to prove they have been HEEEEEEE aled -- yay-eh! Ahem. Not buying the showmanship.

A good surgeon could probably fix most of their injuries. Obtaining medical insurance that will cover this at a reasonable price, now THAT would take a miracle. Their theology, however, needs total reconstruction. But that is another post.

These ministries have so much money that they could easily purchase a bulk insurance plan and cover almost anyone who ever came to them for real help. Nuff said on this.

Happy Thursday.