Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.
The Feast of Trumpets is the only new moon holiday on God’s calendar. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, the head of years. This year, 2014 on the Gregorian calendar, the holiday begins on September 24, 25, or 26. Yom Teruah is declared when the crescent of the new moon is observed by two witness and confirmed by the high priest. By definition, it is a holiday no one knows the day or hour.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be changed.
Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Yom Teruah is set aside by God with prophetic implications. The Feast of Trumpets is a promise for the future. Jesus is the reason. Resurrection and rapture, He makes it happen. The issue may not be the hour or the day. The issue may be the year…
Leviticus 23:23-25 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.’”
Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.
The shofar is blown 100 times on the Feast of Trumpets. There are three different sounds (Tekiah, Shevarim, Teruah). Each is blown three times for a total of 9 blasts. This pattern is completed 11 times for a total of 99 blasts. The last blast is set aside. It is the longest and loudest. It is known as the “Last Trump”. References provided by (El Shaddai Ministries).
This holiday has many different names. Some of the names are listed below. Jewish tradition has Rosh Hashanah as the birthday of the world and the head of years.
It is known as the “Coronation of Messiah”. Traditionally, kings of Israel have been appointed on Yom Teruah. King David was coronated on this new moon holiday. Israel’s Messiah comes from the lineage of King David.
Psalm 47 O clap your hands, all peoples; shout to God with the voice of joy. For the Lord Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth. He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet. He chooses our inheritance for us, the glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
God has ascended with a shout, the Lord, with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a skillful psalm. God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham, for the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.
It is known as the “Hidden Day”. Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’S anger.
It is known as the “Wedding of the Messiah”. Joel 2:15-16 Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber.
Leviticus 23:23-25 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.’”
Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.
And blow the trumpets they do. This holiday has many names. It is called the Feast of Trumpets by Christians. It is recognized as the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. In Judaism, it is called Yom Teruah which means the “Day of Blowing”.
The directions for the holiday are straight forward. 1) It is to be a day of rest or a Sabbath. 2) The day is a holy or separate day. It is a convocation. The Hebrew word for convocation is miqra’. Per Strong’s Concordance it means: rehearsal, convocation, a reading, a calling together, or sacred assembly. 3) It is a memorial and reminder to blow or shout. The Hebrew word is teruah. It means: alarm, signal, a sound of tempest, shout of joy, blast of war, alarm, joy, war-cry, or battle-cry.
Judaism recognizes three trumps: first trump, the last trump, and the great trump. Each one of these named trumps represents a specific day. The “first trump” is blown on the Feast of Pentecost (Exodus 19:19). The “great trump” is blown on Yom Kippur and signals the return of Christ to Earth (Matthew 24:31). The “last trump” is synonymous with Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah (1 Corinthians 15:52). Resources: Festivals of the Jewish Year, Theodore Gaster; The High Holy Days, Herman Kieval.
This God appointed holiday is the only new moon observance. This is not some Old Testament warm and fuzzy tradition. God has a point and a reason. He has not forgotten. The Apostle Paul makes note of this holiday in Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
God has singled out this appointed holiday for some big time fireworks! Judaism has been rehearsing this holiday for thousands of years since Moses. Has the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed) connected the dots… (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.)
Resurrection and rapture on the Feast of Trumpets???
There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Old Testament Law. The first four were fulfilled to the day by Jesus Himself. If the first four spring holidays were fulfilled on the God appointed holiday, why would the fall holidays be any different?
Jesus is the Passover Lamb. 1 Peter 1:19-21 …but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Jesus was crucified on the Feast of Passover.
Jesus is the unleavened bread. He is the bread of life. John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. Leaven is a symbol of sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Jesus is the first fruits, the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. Jesus was resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits.
Jesus promised and delivered the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. That promise was kept on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2).
The God appointed fall holidays are the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Above is a brief 10 minute video found on YouTube that provides a framework of the fall God appointed holidays.
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. –Jesus
Jesus is talking to His disciples about the end of the age and His second coming. In western culture, we take this passage literally. “Nobody knows, not even Jesus, Jesus said!” Okay, we are done here, moving forward.
Wait a minute, Jesus is a Jew. Matthew, the author, is a Jew. This verse is also quoted by Mark, who is a Jew. Mark 13:32 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Culturally, the Bible is a Jewish book. It is not to be viewed from a western culture perspective.
There is one Jewish Holiday by definition, of that day or hour no one knows. Because, this day is a new moon holiday. Of all the God appointed holidays, this is the only holiday occurring on a new moon. It is the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Jews call it Yom Teruah (literally means “day of blowing” in Hebrew). It is referred to as the “Hidden Day” in Jewish culture. It is called the Day of Judgment. Christians call it the Feast of Trumpets.
According to Jewish tradition the purpose of the trumpet blasts is to awaken the dead, resurrection.
The Apostle Paul, the ultimate academic Jew, tells us in 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection of the dead in Christ is associated with the rapture of believers in Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be changed. These verses also point to the Feast of Trumpets (see previous blog posts).
How is a new moon or a new month determined? God operates on a lunar calendar. Jews have utilized the following procedure every month for thousands of years. It is called Rosh Chodesh which means “head of the month”. At the end of a lunar cycle, the moon is dark and is not seen for 2-3 days. So, the new moon could be identified during this 2-3 day period …of that day or hour no one knows…By definition, a new moon is proclaimed when the first little sliver emerges from a darkened moon. It is a tiny crescent that is noted briefly at sunset on the western horizon. The month begins at the sighting of the new moon. Two witnesses have to confirm the sighting. Upon agreement, the two witnesses report to the high priest. When the new moon is confirmed, the trumpet (shofar/ram’s horn) is blown.
Who is our high priest? Jesus (Hebrews 2:17, 3:1, 4:14). What is the role of the high priest? The role of the high priest is to intercede to God on behalf of the people. Only the Father knows the day or the hour to confirm the new moon. Notice, this language is also consistent with ancient Jewish wedding customs. The father sends the son or groom to get his bride. Only the father knows the day or the hour of the wedding.
Jewish cultural customs provided by: www.torahcalendar.com, Festivals of the Jewish Year by Theodore Gaster, The High Holy Days by Herman Kieval, El Shaddai Ministries, The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, God’s Final Jubilee by Dan Goodwin, Our Father Abraham Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin R. Wilson.
Yom Teruah is the new moon holiday. Rosh Hashanah is the only Jewish holiday that falls on the first day of a month. The Feast of Trumpets is the only new moon holiday. But of that day and hour no one knows…It is a “Hidden Day”. Investigate, think about it.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be changed.
… at the last trumpet… There is a lot of discussion and debate regarding this phrase. What is the reference? Let’s go back to Moses and the book of Leviticus.
Leviticus 23:23-25 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. ‘You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.’”
This holiday is also referenced in Numbers 29:1 On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a holy assembly. You must not do your ordinary work, for it is a day of blowing trumpets for you.
This holiday is known as the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. It has many other names including: Yom Teruah (day of blowing), Day of Judgment, or the Hidden Day. Christians refer to this as the Feast of Trumpets.
Jews have rehearsed and celebrated this holiday every year for thousands of years. The Hebrew grammar suggests this is a dress rehearsal for an appointed date and time. The holiday consists of a pattern of shofar (ram’s horn) blasts. There are three different sounds. Each is blown three times for a total of 9 blasts. This pattern is completed 11 times for a total of 99 blasts. The last blast is set aside. It is the longest and loudest. It is known as the “Last Trump”. References provided by (El Shaddai Ministries, http://www.jewfaq.org, http://www.chabad.org, http://www.myjewishlearning.com).
Is the Apostle Paul communicating a time point?
Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
This new moon festival is set aside as a mere shadow of what is to come. God has appointed this holiday as a day of prophetic significance. The substance belongs to Christ. I take it Jesus has BIG PLANS for this holiday at some point in the future. There is only one new moon festival in God’s appointed Jewish Holidays. It is the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Teruah, the Hidden Day, the Day of Judgment…