For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. -1 Thessalonians 4:16
There are seven appointed times of God. In Hebrew, the term is moed (מועד). Most English bibles render moed as “feast”, as in the “feasts of the Lord”. The bible identifies seven moeds or appointed times of the Lord. Three of these occur in the spring. We all know of Passover and many may know of the week of unleavened. A few of us might know of the feast of first fruits. All three of these moeds occur in same Hebrew month of Nissan.
A fourth appointed time occurs fifty days after the Feast of First Fruits, the day that Jesus rose from the dead, you might have heard of it, Pentecost. Each of these appointed times (moeds) were fulfilled by the Lord at His first coming, but there are three appointed times remaining.
Yom Teruah- A Day of Trumpets and Shouting, Rosh Hashanah- The Head of the Year and The Crowning of the King
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
-1 Thessalonians 5:1-2
We arrive at the fall feasts or appointed times. There are three of them. The first is a one day feast that lasts two days and is called by different names. It is known as Yom Teruah (the day of trumpets or shouting) and Rosh Hashanah( the head of the year). Yom Teruah is the only moed (feast, appointed time) of the Lord scheduled on a new moon. The other feasts are tied to the full moon, which is the middle of a Hebrew month.
This is were it gets interesting. The start of Yom Teruah had to be determined by trained observers of the moon and declared by the Sanhedrin. This task became all the more difficult after Israel and Judah were taken captive by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Communication took time, so there could be a delay in beginning the observance of the day of trumpets. Soon, this day became known as the day they didn’t know the day or the hour it would begin. That is why to this day, Yom Teruah is observed by the Jews over a two day period.
The Last Trumpet
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Yom Teruah gets it name from the sounding of the shofar, a trumpet made of a ram’s horn. This shofar if blown using three different soundings alternating until it has been sounded 99 times. Believe it or not, there is a final long sounding of the shofar known as the last trumpet. This has been the way to observe this holy day for thousands of years.
Here is a video example of the sounding of the trumpet (shofar)
Happy New Year, It’s Time to Crown the King
Yom Teruah is also known as Rosh Hashanah (the Head of the Year). It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of mankind’s role in God’s world. It was also the day that the kings of Israel were crowned king. It is believed that on this day in the future is when Jesus will officially be crowned King of the Universe. This is a good day to recommit ourselves to our Lord’s rule.
The sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, also represents the trumpet blast of a people’s coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance, for Rosh Hashanah is also the anniversary of man’s first sin and his repentance thereof, and serves as the first of the “Ten Days of Repentance” which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is taught that during these days the books are opened and the Lord sits either in judgement or mercy as all of creation passes before Him. This is a good time to examine ourselves.
For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. – 1 Corinthians 11:31-32
These “Feasts of the Lord” are a time when the Lord comes to meet us on His time table. He established these days from the foundation of the world. These are days that are prophetic sure, but they are days when we should question our relationship with Him too. Are we ready for His return some day in the future, are we living for Him even now. Just as the ten virgins of the Lord’s parable needed to have their lamps ready, we too must be ready now.
The book of Revelation contrasts a church in celebration as the King come forth to open the scrolls. It also reveals a rebellious people who will not head the warnings of God. To Whom do we belong? Will we choose life or death? We should choose life.
Next week, the Day of Atonement- Yom Kippur.
