Jewish tradition points to the name of the month as symbolically appropriate — the letters of Elul form an acronym for the words in the verse Ani le‑dodi ve‑dodi li–“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3). Believing that the “beloved” refers to God, the sages take this verse to describe the particularly loving and close relationship between God and Israel. Elul, then, is our time to establish this closeness so that we can approach the Yamim Noraim, or Days of Awe, in trusting acceptance of God’s judgment. We approach the trial not out of fear, but out of love.
{Excerpted from Entering the High Holy Days, published by the Jewish Publication Society.}
*** UPDATE, 8 min video added at the bottom ***
First, let me start this out with a disclaimer of sorts for all my posts about the Revelation 12 sign. Not only for my posts but, for the others out there who are not date setting but are getting slammed for “date setting”. As I told a friend recently, there is nothing wrong with thinking this September is a possible rapture time frame. However, the key word here is possible. I think all the date setting arguments are because this Revelation 12 sign just so happens to occur on Rosh Hashanah and that is a good watch time as well as other feast days and so there in lies the dilemma. It’s definitely a sign for sure though regardless if the Rapture happens at this Rosh Hashanah , a future Rosh Hashanah, in the near future or even today for that matter! I do have to add however, that I can in hindsight and further study, see why people are so concerned with it being Astrology. There is such a fine line between the signs in the sun, moon and the stars that God sets for us to observe and look further into and the practice of astrological mysticism both Jewish and pagan. The simple fact is that what God meant for good has been twisted and remodeled for evil. Done in such a way that we are either afraid to look into his signs or even worse deceived into delving deeper into the mysticism that would lead to the very sin God warns us against. The sin is taking the sun, moon, and stars/constellations and using them to shape or decide each daily step of your life or even praising and worshiping the things created rather than The Creator (God). Rest assured that seeing this Revelation 12 sign for what it is simply is not astrology or mysticism and it is definitely not a sin. I found this an excellent article at the Revelation 12 Daily site for those interested: “Stars and Constellations” In The Bible... And now for today’s blog post…
I think the month of Elul just adds a little something extra to the timing of the “Great American Eclipse” of August 21,2017 as well as the Revelation 12 sign. The Month of Elul is from August 23 to September 20 this year of 2017. Solar eclipses are known to be warnings to the nations by God as lunar eclipses are warnings to Israel by God. Since the 8/21/17 eclipse is 40 days before the day of atonement (Yom Kippur), I found the month of Elul interesting as a tie to all the events. This solar eclipse happens just two days before Elul begins. I think it is a warning to all gentile nations but most especially America to repent of our ways and truly turn to God and ask for forgiveness before the hammer of judgement falls. True to our nature though, I dread we will not do that {Just an updated FYI: It’s 2024 now and we did NOT do that and in face have gotten worse so…}. We have been warned however and in more ways than one. Next in line up between September 21 to the 23rd is the completion of the Revelation 12 sign. This happens just one day after Elul ends. Keep that in your mind for a bit while we move on. There are so many interesting aspects to the month of Elul that I was having a hard time trying to consolidate it into a short explanation before writing further with my thoughts. So here is a pretty decent explanation of it from Wikipedia to start us off and I’m going to BOLD a couple of interesting catch your eye words:
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Elul
Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days. Elul usually occurs in August–September on the Gregorian calendar. The name of the month, like the names of the rest of the Hebrew calendar months, was brought from the Babylonian Exile, and has originated from the Akkadian word for “HARVEST“.
In the Jewish tradition, the month of Elul is a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The word “Elul” is similar to the root of the verb “search” in Aramaic. The Talmud writes that the Hebrew word “Elul” can be understood to be an acronym for the phrase “Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li” – “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song of Solomon 6:3). Elul is seen as a time to search one’s heart and draw close to God in PREPARATION FOR THE COMING DAY OF JUDGMENT, Rosh Hashanah, and Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.[1]
During the month of Elul, there are a number of special rituals leading up to the High Holy Days. It is customary to blow the shofar every morning (except on Shabbat) from Rosh Hodesh Elul (the first day of the month) until the day before Rosh Hashanah. The blasts are meant to awaken one’s spirits and inspire him to begin the soul searching which will prepare him for the High Holy Days. As part of this preparation, Elul is the time to begin the sometimes-difficult process of granting and asking for forgiveness.[1] It is also customary to recite Psalm 27 every day from Rosh Hodesh Elul (start of the month) through Hoshanah Rabbah (end of the month of Elul) on Sukkot (in Tishrei).
Aside from the blowing of the shofar, the other significant ritual practice during Elul is to recite selichot (special penitential prayers) either every morning before sunrise beginning on the Sunday immediately before Rosh Hashanah, or, if starting Sunday would not afford 4 days of selichot, then the Sunday one week prior (Ashkenazi tradition) or every morning during the entire month of Elul (Sephardi tradition). Ashkenazi Jews begin the recitation of selichot with a special service on Saturday night between solar mid-night (not 12:00) and morning light on the first day of Selichot.
Many Jews also visit the graves of loved ones throughout the month in order to remember and honor those people in our past who inspire us to live more fully in the future.
Another social custom is to begin or end all letters written during the month of Elul with wishes that the recipient have a good year. The standard blessing is “K’tiva VaHatima Tova” (“a good writing and sealing [of judgement]”), meaning that the person should be written and SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE for a good year. Tradition teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, each person is written down for a good or a poor year, based on their actions in the previous one, and their sincere efforts at atoning for mistakes or harm. On Yom Kippur, that fate is “SEALED.”
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The point of interest of Elul being interpreted as an acronym, with its Hebrew letters “Aleph,” “Lamed,” “Vav,” “Lamed” representing the words “Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li” (Song of Songs: 6,3). The words meaning “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine,” where by Jewish reckoning, my “Beloved” is God, and “I” am the Jewish People. For believers, my “Beloved” is Jesus, and “I” are Christians. Reminds me of another watch time by the way. The feast of Pentecost. HERE is a past blog post I did about that.
And to add a bit of more interest about Elul, the Mazzorath constellation of the Month is the Virgin or Virgo because of the verse, (Jeremiah 31:21), “…Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities!” Israel being represented as the virgin or Virgo in the constellations jumped out to me in relation the the Revelation 12 sign. {Note: The whole chapter of Jeremiah 31 is about God’s love of Israel and plan to restore her.}
Elul is the considered the month of preparation and time of repentance. It’s also significant in that it is the month of a “RETURN TO GOD.” As stated above, Elul is seen as a time to search one’s heart and draw close to God in preparation for the coming Day of Judgement. I can not help but to see how it could tie into warning of the coming judgment for Israel. The time of Jacob’s trouble or, better known to us as the 7 year tribulation. A time that Israel will in fact ‘return to God”. The tribulation will lead them to repentance. And will lead to eyes being opened and finally recognizing Jesus is/was the Messiah they have been waiting for all along. If the Revelation sign is in fact a sign to Israel that the coming judgment is about to begin then it is only fitting that the sign sits so snugly after of a whole month dedicated to the constellation of Virgo and of Israel repenting to God before it begins.
Elul can also be attributed for the Church, as in the Church preparing herself at this time before judgment falls to meet her bridegroom (Jesus/God) as the Jews prepare to “meet the King in the field”. For Jews, Elul being a month to celebrate that “the King is in the Field” means you have the whole month you can freely approach God. It is a metaphor of a king leaving his throne to visit with the people. It’s the only time of the year where he does this. He sets up his royal tent in a field near a town, and all who want to see him are free to do so. It is far easier than going through all the official protocol of setting up a meeting and having to go through layers of security in hopes of meeting with the king on his throne. Elul is the month Jews believe they have unlimited access to God who will be gracious and smile on them. It is a time of not focusing on material things, introspection, praying, repenting and forgiving. Or in other words the King meets them face to face as they each do work in their field. Where as we who accept Jesus have unlimited access at all times to God on his throne because Jesus is our liaison. Jesus met us in our field and cleansed us of all our sins. In the Jewish view, Israel is the bride of God. In the Christian view, the church is the bride of Jesus. The end times image this shows me is: One goes to meet their groom/King in the Heavens at the rapture and the other will remain to prepare to meet their king in the field of tribulation. Jesus left his throne and he became flesh so that those who would believe could meet him in that field and be saved. He will leave his throne again to meet the Jews in the field after their trial is done and they finally accept him as the messiah.
So what could all this mean for followers of Jesus? Well, if a solar eclipse is in fact a warning to the nations of judgment or the tribulation coming and if the Revelation 12 sign is for Israel to warn them of the coming judgment or Jacob’s Trouble to soon begin (on the heels of the blood moon tetrads I might add) then, it is also telling Christians that our groom Jesus, is coming for us, his bride, sooner than that since the Rapture happens before the tribulation before Jacob’s Trouble. God’s oh so loooooooooong 2000 years of grace time for people to turn to Jesus and be saved will be coming to a close and his focus will now be on Israel, his bride, to come back to him, their groom.
As I stated above, there is no specific date setting being done here but you can not help to see how this all fits right into place! Without being able to definitively say what EXACT day the Rapture will happen, I CAN say it is soon. This Rosh Hashanah, next, or the next feast day or, even in the days surrounding Rosh Hashanah, perhaps even today? I do not think it is 10, 20, or 30 years away though. The time to prepare is NOW. The time to be saved and ready is NOW.
I found this comment by a fellow watcher under one of the videos I had watched about the eclipse. I found it interesting because Jews think that God is more accessible during the 40-day period beginning with the start of Elul and culminating in the first ten days of the Month of Tishrei. Those days, known as the “Ten Days of Repentance,” begin with Rosh Hashanah, and end with Yom Kippur. But it’s also interesting because he now sees the Revelation 12 sign as having some significance. He was using his tag name on YouTube as Turbofan67 and it read this way:
“It just keeps getting deeper. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was hesitant to make a call on what the great sign of 23 Sep.17 was meaning, but I keep learning new things that show the importance of this date. I really feel that it is the end of the church age and the renewal of God’s relationship with the Jews. The (so called) great American eclipse would seem to be a 40 day warning leading up to the day of atonement, and a call to repentance for those that have been given the Good News of salvation. The U.S. was founded on such high Christian ideals but has become the world leader in the export of violence and immorality….”
I think he is right. I saw the same thing. More and more people (including fellow believers) are opening their eyes to the significance of the times and the Revelation 12 sign. I seriously believe that the Tribulation will be beginning soon and the Rapture will occur before that. Like I keep saying, if the Rapture happens to be on a Rosh Hashanah then this September is a prime time to watch for it and all the end times events to roll out on the heels of it. It’s not date setting. There is viable evidence that lends to it being Rosh Hashanah. The Revelation 12 Sign can not help what day it is on. God set it up not the people talking about it. If the Rapture is not this Rosh Hashanah but on another day or the next Rosh Hashanah etc., that does not take away from the signs we have been given. The signs and the Rev. 12 sign are still major signs and it is a key warning for Israel that Jacob’s trouble is coming. A sign to prepare to go out and meet the king in the field. They will turn back to God and recognize Jesus as their Messiah then, Jesus will appear to all eyes as he descends down on that Mount of Olives and stops the schemes of Satan and destroys the regime of the Antichrist. Look all around you and look up! Look up at the signs people our redemption is drawing nigh!!
A note of interest to me. Here are the things I found in the Bible that happened on the 6th month (Elul).
Ezekiel 8:1
[ Abominations in the Temple ] In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there.
Haggai 1:1
[ The Command to Rebuild the Temple ] In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest
Nehemiah 6:15
[ The Wall Is Finished ] So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.
Luke 1:26
[ Birth of Jesus Foretold ] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth
Combined with the information in the articles right below, you get a whole lot of thinking going on in your head. The month not only is for preparing to meet the king but it was also a time that our kings birth was announced to Mary and events surrounding the temple occurred both abomination and rebuilding! Things that make my brain go hmmmmmm.
When you add the things mentioned in the article “Elul 25th and the Date of Creation” to the mix it seems to me that Rosh Hashanah is a time that things were not only created but a time they fell apart as well. Perhaps God uses this time frame to start the process of correction in these end times as he used it for correction in the past?
For example…Jesus would fulfill the fall feasts via:
- Rapturing his body in the air {Rosh Hashanah – time of blowing the trumpets – Alerting the world that correction is coming.}
- Then, coming back to judge and separate sheep from goat for his millennial kingdom via his 2nd physical coming {Yom Kippur- Heavenly books are opened. According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into a book, the Book of Life, on Rosh Hashanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict.}
- Then, tabernacle with us for that millennium {Sukkot or Tabernacles – a time of living in temporary dwellings. Sukkot has a double significance. The one mentioned in the Book of Exodus is agricultural in nature – “Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end” (Exodus 34:22) – and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the Land of Israel. The more elaborate religious significance from the Book of Leviticus is that of commemorating the Exodus and the dependence of the People of Israel on the will of God (Leviticus 23:42-43).}
*Feast summary information found at Wikipedia*
Excellent articles on Elul for the Christian:
{Tons of nuggets of coolness in them..Worth your time}
1) Elul, the 6th month on the Hebrew (God’s) calendar
2) Elul 25th and the Date of Creation
3) Elul – The Season of Teshuva
Since it is customary to recite Psalm 27 every day from the start of Elul through the end of Elul. Here is that Psalm for those who want to before or after prayer:
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
9 Hide not your face from me.Turn not your servant away in anger,O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,but the Lord will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
The month of Elul…The King is in the Field…Are you? (Video is 8 mins long)
