And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” - Revelation 21:5

Dearly beloved, we, from God’s Love Missions Family welcome you to a peaceful and blessed New Year!

I was recently perusing the Jewish traditions on their new-year celebration. Their traditions are quite meaningful.

The Jews celebrated the first day of the seventh month as their new year. It is called as Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets. It is interesting to note that the Jews in the concentration camp, enduring the harshest tortures under the Nazis, kept Rosh Hashanah. Thousands of Jews, when treated like animals under barbed electric fence, came together and chanted in unison, “Blessed be the Almighty...” “Blessed be the God’s name...” “All the earth and universe is God’s...” “All of creation bears witness to the Greatness of God!” Such was its importance. Rosh Hashanah offered an opportunity to set one’s religious life in order by liberating him from sin and transgression.

The tenth day of the seventh month is celebrated by Jews as the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). It is instituted in Leviticus chapter 16, verse 29-30; “…In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work… For on that day he shall provide atonement from all your sins before the Lord.” For ten days, Jews examine their lives and atone for their sins. It was, in an essence, a final appeal before God for forgiveness of sins, a last chance to make amendments, to change the judgement. It was the most important festival for Jews.Yom Kippur was the only time when the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and call upon the name of God to offer blood as a sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of the people. To underscore its importance, God specifically warns Moses that Aaron cannot come to the most holy place whenever he felt like, but only on that day. It was accompanied by series of rituals and offerings. The high priest offered two lambs; one was killed for the propitiation of the sins. Propitiation is defined as an act that involves averting the wrath of the person and being reconciled to them. The other lamb is sent to wilderness as an expiation of sins.  Expiation is defined as a mean to compensate, repay and make amends.

In Jesus Christ, Propitiation and Expiation is unified so that the just wrath of God is turned away and our sin and iniquities no longer remembered. “...For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy...” William Blake, who found the concept of Atonement horrible, raises this question, “Does Jehovah forgive a debt only on condition that it shall be paid? That debt is not forgiven.” For me, it exalts the righteousness of God and the Holiness of Christ. God, who in the form of man, experienced sin as no man has ever experienced before, who in the form of a lamb, took away the sins of the world. The Lion and the Lamb, the fulfilment of the law and the benefactor of Grace, is the perfect high priest who deals gently with the ignorant and the misguided. He became the source of salvation for all those who obey Him.

May you be filled with perfect confidence in this New Year, with the assurance that the enemy can no longer condemn you on your past sins. Let your insecurities be broken by hope in the great High Priest who always lives to intercede on our behalf when we come to God through Him. Let us step into this New Year with the hope that God has prepared something very special for us, which no eyes have seen it, no ear has heard it and no human mind has ever conceived.

I take this opportunity to wish our dear readers “Leshanatovahtikatevv’tichatem” meaning

“May you be written and sealed for a good year” (Which has been done already for us in Christ Jesus)

Happy New Year!!!

Bro. Gideon Paul Rufus R

God’s Love Missions Family