The Mo’edim: Yom Teruah

Fall Festivals are an exciting time of eating, drinking, dancing, and rejoicing. The Scriptures tells us in Leviticus 23, that appointed times (feasts) are a convocation. In Hebrew, the word “convocation” means “miqra”, spoken as “Mik-raw” which means “rehearsal”. What does the word rehearsal mean? Rehearsal is defined as “the act of practicing in preparation for public performance event”. When we practice the Feasts, we are preparing for the return of our Savior and King Yahshua. The Feasts have prophetic significance. Scripture tells us that the Appointed Times (Feast Days) and the Sabbath are a shadow of things to come.  A shadow is of the same image as what it is portraying. It implies these will be observed in the future kingdom.

The first of the Fall Festival is Yom Teruah which represents the coronation of the King and His return to His People Israel. A coronation is when a NEW KING is installed over the nation. A new king on the throne. Yahusha is the new king that’s going to be on the throne. How did the Messiah Yahusha become King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Holy Days are commemorations of past fulfillments to us and the Messiah Yahusha and reminders of those things yet coming. It gives us context, a history, and a frame of reference for how we live of lives. The hope of what’s coming. Together, both the past and present gives us a grid for how we live of lives ---- we have context, traction, become relevant in the world around us. Each of his holy days reveals what the Messiah Yahusha has done, is doing, and fulfill when He returns.

Yom = Day Teruah=Blowing. We blow trumpets and shofars

The Bible gives us a list of appointed times in which Yah wants to meet with His people. One of these special times is Yom Teruah, which literally means the "day of shouting or blasting." It is more commonly called the day of Trumpets because we are commanded to blow the trumpets, to shout, and to raise a noise on this day.

"Then Yahuah spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahuah.'" - Leviticus 23:23-25

Yom Teruah is a day of rest and blowing trumpets. One thing that is interesting about this day is that we are told it is a memorial or a remembrance, but we are not told what is to be remembered. Other times in the Bible, when we are told that something is a memorial we are told what is to be remembered. For example, we are told to remember the Sabbath because in six days Yah made heaven and earth and rested on the seventh. Likewise, at Passover we are told to remember the events of the Exodus, and Yahusha commanded that we remember Him at Passover. However, we are not told what to remember at Yom Teruah.

The Hebrew word used here is zik-rone, and means "a memorial, remembrance, reminder, or sign."

Is Yom Teruah a reminder to us? Are we told to blow trumpets because Yah wants us to remember something? If so, what is it? How can we be expected to remember something that we were never told about?

We are commanded to shout and blow trumpets to get Yah's attention and to cause Him to remember His people. It's a prophetic Feast that points to the return of the Messiah.

"For Yahuah Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of Yah. And the dead in Messiah will rise first." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Notice that He comes with a shout and the sound of a trumpet. Those two things are directly connected to Yom Teruah.

We see that the spring Feasts were directly connected to His first coming. Yahusha died on Passover as the Lamb of Yah, He resurrected on FirstFruits as the FirstFruits of the resurrection, and He sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (or Shavuot in Hebrew). It makes sense that the fall Feasts would be likewise connected to His return.

The Bible speaks about a time of Great Tribulation that will take place in the last days before Messiah returns. When we are facing such tribulation we will want to know that Yah has not forgotten about His people. In that day we will be shouting and blowing trumpets for deliverance while looking up to heaven for salvation, and Yah will remember His people and Yahushawill return with the shout of the Archangel and the trumpet of Yah.

Trumpets are also used to sound a battle cry, and we know that when Messiah returns He will come with an army to slay His enemies.

Trumpets were also used to announce the king, and when Yahusha returns, He will be coming as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Trumpets and shouting are also connected to victory. Remember that Joshua was told to have the people shout and blow trumpets as they marched around Jericho and the walls fell down.

"And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." - Joshua 6:4-5

Jericho was an obstacle that was preventing them from entering the promised land, and they were instructed to shout and blow trumpets to destroy the wall. Likewise, sin is an obstacle that prevents us from entering the promised land, and we are told to shout and blow trumpets before we reach atonement. Remember that Yom Teruah is ten days before Yom Kippur (the day of Atonement), and these days are meant to be a time of repentance and seeking Yahuah.

Why do we shout and blow trumpets? Why must we repent? Because we want the Father to remember us.

"But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land." - Leviticus 26:40-42

I want to encourage you that when you keep Yom Teruah, let it be a time for you to seek Yahuah with all of your heart, and pray these words will be encouraging to you.

"Then they took an oath before Yahuah with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams' horns. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and Yahuah gave them rest all around." - 2 Chronicles 15:14-15

Yom Teruah is a day of rest, a day for seeking the Father, and a day of blowing trumpets and shouting to Yahuah. On this day we look forward to the return of our Messiah, and we prepare our hearts for His return.