Luke 22 -- The End Of The Age Draws Nigh

1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. The feast of unleavened bread is the feast at the beginning of the year, and in this case it signified the beginning of the age of grace. The end of the year is signified by the festival of Trumpets which is September 18th this year. It is somewhat unique this time in that it falls on the Sabbath. To celebrate you are supposed to blow the trumpets but you aren’t allowed to blow the trumpets on the Sabbath unless you are on the temple mount. So Israel has asked for special permission this year to blow the trumpet on the temple mount (when Jerusalem was under the jurisdiction of the British they forbid it, feeling it was a provocative act). At the same time the US, the UAE and Bahrain have all agreed to make peace with Israel, recognizing Jerusalem as their capital. This age of grace began with the Passover, Jesus Christ being sacrificed for our salvation on the cross. As a result of rejecting their Lord Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman General Titus, and no stone was left upon another of the temple. Then Jerusalem was given to the Gentiles while the Jews were scattered. You can see how big and how full of significance this festival of trumpets will be this year as they blow the shofar on the temple mount for the first time with Jerusalem being given back to them and with them being able to rebuild the temple. Also, in order to rebuild the temple you need a red heifer, Jerusalem has just recently certified a genuine red heifer that is eligible for this sacrifice. So then, we come to this chapter with the end of the age drawing nigh.