Maranatha Yom Teruah

All eyes on the skies
The feast of trumpets is near
Listen and rejoice
Tishri 1, (should begin the evening before) September 28, 2011

The first day of the Jewish month begins at evening with the appearance of the new moon, (the first light from the waxing crescent). When the waning crescent disappears you know the new moon is coming quickly, but you don’t know when the month shall begin until you see it. When God spoke to Moses He gave the following command for His people concerning the seventh month.

Leviticus 23:24-25 24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath (day off from regular work), a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation (a gathering centered around God, spent in prayer, praise and meditation on His word). 25Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. (KJV, explanations added)

Woven into the law are the shadows of our Lord Jesus Christ as He revealed Himself to those of old, and the feast of trumpets proclaims His return loud and clear. On a day unknown until it arrives He shall come from the eastern sky, clear for all to see. We who have put our faith in His sacrifice as sufficient to pay for our sins walking in His ways thereafter will be gathered to Him with the blast of a heavenly trumpet. He is our offering and He will cleanse us with His Holy fire. So, give a blast and enter the feast at the first light of the Sabbath moon.

“Behold I am coming quickly!”
Jesus


Are you ready for Him? .

digging deeper
Tishri 1 This appointed feast has become known as rosh hashannah (the head or beginning of the year). A kind of somber new years celebration. Other than the fact that this festival comes in the exact middle of the Jewish year and so far I have not found the words rosh hashannah in scripture. Our Lord gave his chosen people specific direction about the beginning of the year speaking of the month Nisan which begins with the new moon closest to the spring equinox Exo.12:2. It seems to me that this became known as the new year celebration because after the passing of generations where the law was lost or ignored they could not figure out the significance of it and thus gave it one somewhat arbitrarily. Jewish tradition includes the eating of apples dipped in honey, symbols of prosperity and blessing for the coming year.

The scriptural guidelines as given in Lev.23:24-25 and in Num.29:1-6 are not very detailed but with a little cultural understanding and comparative scripture the picture we get is truly astounding. First we have the symbolism of the moon, as the coming day draws neigh the light diminishes relating to the light of God diminishing on the earth with the great apostasy which must precede our saviors return. Then the light revealed from the sky for all to see as His coming is also unmistakable revealed from the clouds of heaven. And with a trumpet blast from heaven the redeemed shall be caught up together with Him, Israel was commanded to shadow this by calling the chosen people together with the sounding of the shofar to pray, praise, and dine together. On the day following the sighting of the new moon great sacrifices were to be made including blood, grain and wine. But the grain and wine were not to be offered apart from the atoning blood sacrifice. Just as Jesus is our blood sacrifice and at His coming our works will be brought before Him weather they are good or bad, but even our good works apart from His atoning blood are unacceptable before the Lord.
This is but the first of four appointed times to foreshadow His return, the rest are soon to come.

An appropriate name:
Yom Teruah (from Num.29:1)
(day of)(blowing trumpets)

An appropriate greeting:
Maranatha
(our Lord come)

Family traditions:
Party blowers without restraint
Reading the battles involving trumpets in the bible (Gideon, Joshua)
Decorating makeshift trumpets (funnels)
and more

Appropriate songs:
Joy to the world
What if it were today
When the role is called up yonder
Stand up, stand up for Jesus

season greetings from us to you.