What is the Feast of Trumpets (a.k.a. Yom Teruah)?
The Feast of Trumpets is one of seven annual Sabbath days which God commanded His congregation to keep. In addition to the weekly Sabbath observance required by Exodus 20:11, God (in Leviticus 23) revealed seven of His annual appointed times or feast days which He commanded His congregation to observe. Though two of these seven feast days are not Sabbaths (i.e. Passover & the Feast of Firstfruits), the other five feast days express themselves as seven annual Sabbaths. In relation to God’s religious calendar (Exodus 12:2), the Feast of Trumpets is the fourth of God’s seven annual appointed times. However, with respect to the Jewish civil calendar, the Feast of Trumpets is the first, for it coincides with the beginning of the Jewish new year known as Rosh Hashanah (i.e. the head of the year) which begins on the first day (at the new moon) of the seventh month (i.e. Tishrei).
There are two main passages in Scripture (i.e. Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1-6) which detail the Lord’s declarations as it pertains to Yom Teruah:
Leviticus 23:23-25
[23] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, [24] Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. [25] Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Numbers 29:1-6
[1] And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. [2] And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish: [3] And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram, [4] And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: [5] And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you: [6] Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
Why should Gentile believers keep Yom Teruah?
- Because Gentiles are emphatically told (i.e. no less than three times in Isaiah 56:1-8) not only to grab hold of the New Covenant but also to keep the Sabbath. Therefore, since Yom Teruah is a (High) Sabbath (Leviticus 23:23-25) then it follows that we should keep Yom Teruah.
- Because Gentile believers who were formerly “strangers from the covenants of promise“ (Ephesians 2:12-14) are now fellow citizens of the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12-14,19) having been grafted into a Jewish olive tree (Romans 11:16-24) and made partakers of a Jewish covenant (Jeremiah 31:31, 32:40, Romans 11:17). If the Gentile’s membership in the New Covenant makes him a partaker of the “commonwealth of Israel” (Ephesians 2:12-14,19, Romans 11:16-24), it only makes sense that—for the sake of edification—he should also adhere to the applicable laws of that commonwealth.
- Because Yom Teruah, as with the weekly Sabbath and the other six annual feasts, is not a feast which belongs to Israel but to the Lord. The feasts are times appointed by God for worship and other specific memorials. God’s appointed times are perpetual appointments for His congregation to observe.
Is there prophetic significance to Yom Teruah?
Yom Teruah foreshadows the trumpet-announced gathering of Christ’s congregation at the Rapture (John 14:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Colossians 15:52).
At the Christian’s “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) which is also known as the Rapture, heavenly trumpets will sound and the assembly of Christ shall be raised incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16) thereby fulfilling the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25) in which trumpets are blown for “the calling of the assembly” (Numbers 10:1-3).
How should Gentile believers keep the Feast of Trumpets
Moed [H4150] the Hebrew word translated as “feast” in Leviticus 23 means an appointed time, place or meeting. As mentioned earlier, in addition to the weekly Sabbath, there are seven annual Sabbaths which coincide with Jewish feast days and God declares both of these Sabbaths (i.e. weekly & annual) as a moed or an appointed time (See Leviticus 23). In fact, because every moed in Scripture (excluding Passover and FirstFruits) is a Sabbath and because every moed also requires a miqra (i.e. a gathering for worship), what emerges from Scripture is a very strong pattern between the Sabbath and worship. Therefore the moed and the miqra reinforce the idea that the Sabbath is when God told the members of His congregation to worship.
Historically, in keeping the Sabbath’s miqra mandate, the Jews would assemble together in one place to rehearse or recite the words of the LORD. For example, in Nehemiah 8:1-10, the Scriptures elaborate upon a miqra for the High Sabbath of the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24, Numbers 29:1) where there was scripture reading (Nehemiah 8:2-3), prayer (Nehemiah 8:6), worship (Nehemiah 8:6) and expository preaching (Nehemiah 8:7-8). In addition to these elements of worship, it goes without saying that every Sabbath day should primarily revolve around rest and the cessation of work so that one can focus solely upon studying the Word of God. The best way to stay focused on studying God’s Word is to also cease from any distracting activities which cause one to be preoccupied with anything other than rest and worship. We must remember that the Sabbath is the only day of the week which Scripture designates as the Lord’s day (Isaiah 58:13).
For more information see:
CHRISTIANS WORSHIP ON SUNDAY BECAUSE OF THE SUNDAY RESURRECTION AND THE DELIBERATE SUNDAY APPEARANCES OF THE RESURRECTED CHRIST. REALLY?
The Christ Plus Zero Movement 