With a Shout and a Shofar...Yom Teruah!

Yahshua...the fulfillment of EVERY part of YHVH's Word!

Ahh...pomegranates!  I saw the first ones of the season in the produce section at the grocery store last week...and I ate my first pomegranate for this season just last night (it was a small one...but it was juicy)!  Pomegranates are ready...that must mean it's time for the three final Appointed Times (mo'edim) of the year!  I look forward to eating more pomegranates in my sukkah during the upcoming week of Sukkot.

But that is still to come.  Let's first focus on today.

Today is the first day of the seventh month on YHVH's biblical calendar!  
Today is Yom Teruah!

Yom means day;
teruah means shout or blast (trumpet or shofar) of alarm or war or joy.

It is also called Zichron Teruah...a Shout of Remembrance!

I realize that I wrote a blog post about Yom Teruah at this time last year (at which time I was in Israel for a whole month - celebrating the 3 commanded mo'edim, or appointed times, that happen within this next month).

Today's blog post will be a bit of a different perspective on and a continuation of last year's blog post about Yom Teruah.

That's the great thing about relationship with YHVH and obedience to His Word - we continue to learn more about Him as we grow and as we obey!   Oh the depths of joy in knowing our Creator through Yahshua the Messiah!


Yom Teruah is commanded in Leviticus 23:23-25:
YHVH said to Moses, "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance (zichron) of blowing (teruah) of trumpets, a set-apart gathering.  You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to YHVH.'"

...And in Numbers 29:1-6
'And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work, it is a day (yom) of blowing (teruah) the trumpets for you.  And you shall prepare a burnt offering as a sweet fragrance to YHVH...'

(If you do not have access to a shofar and are not in a place where you can hear the blast of the shofar being blown, you can do what I have done and go to a website that has a shofar sound byte!)


Do you know what is unique to Yom Teruah that all the other mo'edim do not share?

Yom Teruah is commanded on the FIRST day of a month.
Do you know why this is special?

A new month was only "official" when the new sliver of crescent moon was first visible in the night sky.  When two witnesses saw the new moon, then the new month was established and the shofar was sounded to proclaim the new month.

If the new month was due and the moon was not sighted, then the new month was not proclaimed at that time.

Every new month was a time of watchful anticipation...and the first day of the seventh month was even more of a watchful anticipation.

In other words...no one knew EXACTLY in advance when the new moon for the seventh month would be sighted and when Yom Teruah would begin.   And everyone watched and waited with eager anticipation for the new moon to be sighted...for Yom Teruah to begin.

Do you know what else is unique to this particular appointed time?
It's purpose is not given in Scripture.  We are only told that it is a day of Teruah, a day of a blast of remembrance.  We are not told what to remember.  We are not told to remember the exodus from Egypt (as in Pesach) or to be thankful for the harvest (as in Shavuot and Sukkot), etc.

It is a day of noise...a day of the shout...a day of the blast... a day of the alarm warning, the joyful sound...the TERUAH!

Teruah...

Let's look at some other places where teruah is used in YHVH's Word.

Remember Balaam?  (The last blog post I wrote was about Balaam and his talking donkey.)
One of Balaam's YHVH-inspired prophecies for Israel included the use of this word teruah.

Numbers 23:19-23

“El [God] is not a man, to lie; nor a son of man, to repent! Has He said, and would He not do it; or spoken, and would not confirm it?  See, I have received, to bless. And He has blessed, and I do not reverse it.  He has not looked upon wickedness in Jacob, nor has He seen trouble in Israel.  יהוה his Elohim is with him, and the shout [teruah] of a King is in him.  El who brought them out of Egypt, is for them like the horns of a wild ox.  For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor is there any divination against Israell. Now it is said to Jacob and to Israel, ‘What has El done!’"

Remember Joshua and the shout that brought the walls of Jericho a-tumblin' down?

Joshua 6:5, 20

“And it shall be, when they make a long blast [mashak] with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound [kol] of the horn, that all the people shout with a great shout [teruah]. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.” ....

And the people shouted when the priests blew the horns. And it came to be when the people heard the sound of the horn, and the people shouted with a great shout [teruah], that the wall fell down flat. And the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 

The ark of the covenant...

1 Samuel 4:5-7

And when the ark of the covenant of יהוה came into the camp, all Israel shouted [teruah] so loudly that the earth shook.  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout [teruah], they said, “What is the noise of this great shout [teruah] in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they knew that the ark of יהוה had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “Elohim has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For it has never been like this before. 

The return of the exiles to Israel to rebuild the wall and the Temple...

Ezra 3:10-13

...The builders laid the foundation of the temple of יהוה...

And they responded by praising and giving thanks to יהוה, “For He is good, for His kindness towards Israel is forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout [teruah], when they praised יהוה, because the foundation of the House of יהוה was laid.  And many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, the old men who had seen the first House, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this House was laid before their eyes, and many shouted aloud for joy [teruah], and the people could not distinguish the noise of the shout of joy [teruah] from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout [teruah], and the sound was heard far away. 

And in the Psalms...

Psalm 27:4-6

One matter I asked of יהוה – this I seek: to dwell in the House of יהוה all the days of my life, to see the pleasantness of יהוה, and to inquire in His Temple. 

For in the day of evil He hides me in His booth [suk/sukkah]; in the covering of His Tent He hides me; on a rock He raises me up. 

And now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me; and I offer in His Tent with shouts of joy [teruah]; I sing, yea, I sing praises to יהוה. 

Psalm 47

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to Elohim with a voice of singing! 

For יהוה Most High is awesome; A great Sovereign (king) over all the earth. 

He subdues peoples under us, And nations under our feet. 

He chooses our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah. 

Elohim shall go up with a shout [teruah], יהוה with the sound of a ram’s horn. 

Sing praises to Elohim, sing praises! Sing praises to our Sovereign, sing praises! 

For Elohim is Sovereign of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. 

Elohim shall reign over the nations; Elohim shall sit on His set-apart throne. 

Nobles of peoples shall be gathered together, The people of the Elohim of Aḇraham. For the shields of the earth belong to Elohim; He shall be greatly exalted. 

Psalm 89:14-18

Righteousness and right-ruling are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your face. 

Blessed are the people who know the festal trumpet-call [teruah]! They walk, O יהוה, in the light of Your face. 

In Your Name they rejoice all day long, and they are exalted in Your righteousness. 

For You are the comeliness of their strength, and by Your good pleasure our horn is exalted. 

For יהוה is our shield, And the Set-apart One of Israel is our Sovereign. 

And the sound of alarm - the battle cry...

Jeremiah 4:19; 49:2

Amos 1:14; 2:2

Zephaniah 1:14-17

Near is the great day of יהוה, near and hurrying greatly, the noise of the day of יהוה. Let the mighty man then bitterly cry out!  That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and trouble, a day of waste and ruin, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of ram’s horn and alarm [teruah] – against the walled cities and against the corner towers.  And I shall bring distress on men, and they shall walk like blind men – because they have sinned against יהוה...

It is also interesting to see some of the different places and situations the word zichron or remembrance is used throughout Scripture.  

What and how does YHVH want His people to remember throughout Scripture?

Exodus 12:14 - Passover... and this day shall become to you a remembrance [zichron]...

Exodus 13:9 - The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Exodus 28:12  And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the shoulder garment as stones of remembrance [zichron] for the sons of Yisra’ĕl. And Aharon shall bear their names before יהוה on his two shoulders, for a remembrance [zichron].   (see also Exodus 28:29)

Numbers 10:10 - the blowing of trumpets and the offerings at the beginning of every month, a remembrance

Joshua 4 - the stones from the Jordan River, a remembrance

Zechariah 6:11-15 - the crown in the Temple of YHVH, a remembrance:
“And you shall take the silver and gold, make a crown, and set it on the head of Yehoshua the son of Yehotsaḏaq, the high priest, and shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, saying, “See, the Man whose name is the Branch!  And from His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the Temple of יהוה.    It is He who is going to build the Temple of יהוה. It is He who is going to bear the splendor.  And He shall sit and rule on His throne, and shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between Them both,”' while the crown is for a remembrance in the Temple....And those who are far away shall come and build the Temple of יהוה.  And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.” 

      

       Notice, in Zechariah,  
       WHO is sitting on the throne at this time!  

               The One whose name is The BRANCH!

Isn't it interesting the things that YHVH wants us to remember and, in the case of today, Zichron Teruah, to remember with a shout and a blast of the shofar!

Now, let's focus on this One called the BRANCH...
what does He have to do with today, Yom Teruah?

Everything!!

As you already know, the One called the Branch is the Messiah - Yahshua is His name.

And He also had some things to say about the trumpet/shofar call.  Some very important things to say.

At the beginning of Matthew 24, Yahshua's talmidim (disciples) asked Him, “Say to us...what is the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 

Yahshua spoke for the whole chapter about the signs that would happen over the years in the world before His return, including warnings about persecution, wars, false prophets, and finally the abomination that lays waste and the great tribulation.

He followed this description with a warning about people who might say that Yahshua has returned and is in a certain location.  This will not be possible, because according to Him, EVERY person will see Him when He returns...

Matthew 24:27-31
"For as the lightning comes from the east and shines to the west, so also shall the coming of the Son of Aḏam be.  For wherever the dead body is, there the eagles shall be gathered together.  And immediately after the distress of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 
And then the sign of the Son of Aḏam shall appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Aḏam coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and much esteem. 
And He shall send His messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 

And then verse 36:  “But concerning that day and the hour no one knows, not even the messengers of the heavens, but My Father only."
And verse 42:  “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Master is coming.


Paul reminds us of the truth of the literal sound of Teruah when Yahshua returns:

1Corinthians 15:51-52  
See, I speak a secret to you: 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 shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

For this we say to you by the word of the Master, that we, the living who are left over at the coming of the Master shall in no way go before those who are asleep.  Because the Master Himself shall come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of a chief messenger, and with the trumpet of Elohim, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. Then we, the living who are left over, shall be caught away together with them in the clouds to meet the Master in the air – and so we shall always be with the Master. 

When Yahshua spoke to John in Revelation about the seven congregations, His voice was like the Teruah shout and trumpet blast...

Revelation 1:10-11
I came to be in the Spirit on the Day of יהוה, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Tav’, the First and the Last,” and, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven assemblies of Asia..."

And then, after all of the events of Revelation, our KING, Yahshua the Messiah, the BRANCH, is accompanied by the sound of a great voice like that of thundering waters, mixed with other voices and harps...a tremendous Teruah!

Revelation 14:1-3

And I looked and saw a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written upon their foreheads.  And I heard a voice out of the heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder, and I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.  And they sang a renewed song before the throne...

Revelation 19:5-9
And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our Elohim, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”  And I heard as the voice of a great crowd, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunders, saying, “Halleluyah, for יהוה Ěl Shaddai reigns! 
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him praise, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife prepared herself.  And to her it was given to be dressed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the set-apart ones."  And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true words of Elohim.”

verses 11-16

And I saw the heaven opened, and there was a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True, and in righteousness He judges and fights.  And His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, having a Name that had been written, which no one had perceived except Himself –  and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood – and His Name is called: The Word of יהוה.... And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations.  And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: SOVEREIGN OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERS. 

Teruah is such an important part of the return of the Messiah, the KING!
Remember that part of the nature of Yom Teruah is that no one ever really knows EXACTLY when it will occur...it depends on the sighting of the new moon.

And the same is true for the return of the Messiah.  No one knows the EXACT timing.
YHVH's Word says repeatedly that Yahshua's return will come like a thief (Matthew 24:42; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10) and that we must be watchful, repentant, and awake.


Revelation 3:3  
“Remember, then, how you have received, and heard. And watch and repent. If, then, you do not wake up, I shall come upon you as a thief, and you shall not know at all what hour I come upon you."
Revelation 16:15  
“See, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who is staying awake and guarding his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” 

1Thessalonians 5:4-6
  But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.  So, then, we should not sleep, as others do, but we should watch and be sober. 

Yom Teruah...

Do we have a reason to Shout, to sound the Teruah?  YES!
Do we have a reason to celebrate today as a remembrance of YHVH?  YES!

Yahshua has fulfilled the first mo'edim with His first coming and will completely finish fulfilling the last mo'edim with His final coming!


He is The Word.  He will fulfill and complete His Word in every detail!

As we go through these Days of Awe (Yom Teruah on the 1st day of the 7th month through Yom Kippur on the 10th day of the 7th month) - days of serious introspection and allowing YHVH to inspect the deepest parts of our lives, days of repentance (teshuvah) and turning back to Him, striving to live the way He has prescribed - may we look to our Lamb who was slain, who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah...the soon-coming KING, Yahshua the Messiah.

Peter, in Acts 3, said to the people of Israel,
“Repent therefore and turn back, for the blotting out of your sins, in order that times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Master, and that He sends Yahshua the Messiah, pre-appointed for you, whom heaven needs to receive until the times of restoration of all matters, of which Elohim spoke through the mouth of all His set-apart prophets since of old."

And as we approach Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the Day of YHVH's Judgment, may we know without a doubt that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life!

Finally, as we move into the week-long celebration of Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, may we look forward to an eternity with our Elohim in the dwelling place He is preparing for us!


Staying alert with watchful anticipation for the return of my KING,

Gina

Yom Teruah...Sound of the Shofar!

      The Joy         
   of YHVH is       
 Your Strength!  

How many times have you quoted this phrase from the Word of YHVH...

         "the joy of the Lord is my strength."

I know it has been said to me many times...and I have said it many times.  It has been spoken to me as an admonishment to be joyful rather than down.  It has been spoken to me as an encouragement.  It has been spoken to me as a reminder.  It is part of many songs, many sermons, many gift cards.  It is printed on coffee cups, on wall hangings, on note paper, on tote bags, on T-shirts, on key chains, on tea towels, on Bible covers, on jewelry, on journals, on magnets, on bookmarks, on computer mouse pads....you can even order it printed on a flattened copper penny (for $10 + postage).

Do you know the context of this verse? 

Do you know what we have been missing out on by not printing THE WHOLE STORY? 

Can you tell me why Ezra and Nehemiah said this? 

(Did you know they were the ones who said it?) 

Do you know what was happening at the time this was spoken?

It is SO IMPORTANT to have the whole story...so important to know the Word of YHVH, the Torah of YHVH.  His life is in His Word...our relationship with Him must be founded upon His Word.  Otherwise we don't really know Him or have relationship with Him, and we are just fooling ourselves and practicing false religion.

Here's the whole story from Nehemiah chapter 8 (after many Israelite exiles had been allowed to return to Jerusalem and the land of Israel):

Nehemiah 8:1-12

When the seventh month arrived, after the people of Israel had resettled in their towns, all the people gathered with one accord in the open space in front of the Water Gate and asked Ezra the Torah-teacher to bring the scroll of the Torah of Moses, which YHVH had commanded Israel. 

Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly, which consisted of men, women and all children old enough to understand. It was the first day of the seventh month.  

Facing the open space in front of the Water Gate, he read from it to the men, the women and the children who could understand from early morning until noon; and all the people listened attentively to the scroll of the Torah....Ezra opened the scroll where all the people could see him...when he opened it, all the people rose to their feet.  Ezra blessed YHVH, the great God; and all the people answered, "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted up their hands, bowed their heads and fell prostrate before YHVH with their faces to the ground. 

The Levites... explained the Torah to the people, while the people remained in their places. 

They read clearly from the scroll, in the Torah of God, translated it, and enabled them to understand the sense of what was being read.

Nehemiah the Tirshata, Ezra the priest and Torah-teacher and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "Today is consecrated to YHVH your God; don't be mournful, don't weep."  For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the Torah. 

Then he said to them, "Go, eat rich food, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who can't provide for themselves; for today is consecrated to our Lord.

Don't be sad, because the joy of YHVH is your strength."....

Then the people went off to eat, drink, send portions and celebrate; because they had understood the words that had been proclaimed to them.

Do you see why it is so important to know the context of these words, this popular "Christian" phrase?  Do you see that this phrase is so wrapped in hearing, obeying, knowing the Torah of YHVH...the commandments, instructions, precepts of our God?

His people had forgotten...they had stopped hearing, obeying and knowing the Word of YHVH.

When they stood still and listened (for many hours) and heard and understood what the Torah, the Word of YHVH said, they cried!  They realized they had not been living as YHVH said

and they cried!

Ezra and Nehemiah and the Levites reminded them not to cry, but to find their strength in the joy of YHVH and to celebrate. 

Why? 

Because that very day was a day YHVH had set aside.  That is what they heard in the Torah reading that made them cry.   But after they mourned their sin, their loss of relationship with YHVH, then they celebrated.  They heard what YHVH said about that day, the first day of the seventh month, and they DID what YHVH told them to do on that set-aside day.

Now, don't you want to know what was so special about the first day of the seventh month? 

(I'm sure you have guessed  by now if you did not already know.)

Why don't we hear from YHVH's own Word what this day is all about.

(And by the way...today is the first day of the seventh month...as long as the new moon has been sighted within Israel.)

Leviticus 23 is the chapter that lists all of YHVH's appointed times in summation (including the weekly appointed time of keeping the Sabbath).  So let's go first to Leviticus 23.

Leviticus 23:1-4, 23-25

YHVH said to Moses,  "Tell the people of Israel: 'The designated times of YHVH which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times.  Work is to be done on six days; but the seventh day is a Shabbat of complete rest, a holy convocation; you are not to do any kind of work; it is a Shabbat for YHVH, even in your homes.  These are the designated times of YHVH, the holy convocations you are to proclaim at their designated times.'"....

YHVH said to Moses,"Tell the people of Israel, 'In the seventh month, the first of the month is to be for you a day of complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with blasts on the shofar.  Do not do any kind of ordinary work, and bring an offering made by fire to YHVH."


Again in Numbers chapter 29, YHVH commands this set-apart day:

Numbers 29:1-6

"'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you.  Prepare a burnt offering to make a fragrant aroma for YHVH  [the next verses detail all that is to be offered to YHVH]... This is to be in addition to the burnt offering for Rosh-Hodesh (the New Moon offering)...this will be a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire to YHVH.'"

The Hebrew word that YHVH used in these verses is the word TERUAH, which means "loud clamor, shouting with an acclamation of joy or a battle cry, sounding the alarm by shofar or shout," etc.

In Leviticus, YHVH uses the words  Zikron Teruah (zikron means "memorial or mentioning").
In Numbers, He uses Yom Teruah (yom means "day").

So this is where we get the English name for this set-apart day...
Yom Teruah - Day of Trumpets or Day of Shofar (also known as the Feast of Trumpets).  If you look at the Leviticus wording, it is also known as the Shout of Memorial or the Shout of Mentioning.


You can see that YHVH does not give much instruction
for this set-apart day. 
He also does not tell us what the purpose of the day is...
why do we shout and blow the shofar? 
What is the meaning of doing these things?

 Do we need to know why YHVH tells us to do something
before we do it?  I hope the answer is NO! 
Of course, we want to obey, even when we don't know why He commands what He does.  But we can trust that His reasons and His purpose are right and true and bring glory to Himself and deeper relationship between Himself and His people. 
There is relationship and life in obedience!

But let's not stop here with these unanswered questions.  Let's look a little bit deeper.

Incidentally, before we go on, I want to mention that today is more popularly known as Rosh Hashanah, or the Head of the Year (New Year) by the majority of Jews in Israel and around the world.  I won't take time here to go into it, but I will say that YHVH does not say this day is the Rosh Hashanah.  YHVH says this day is Yom Teruah.  He states clearly in His Word that the new year begins in the first month, the month when Pesach or Passover occurs.

Sidenote...
(If you would like to see a Jewish explanation of why the Jewish people have taken YHVH's Word and turned it into another holiday on this day, see this website link from Karaite Korner. 
http://www.karaite-korner.org/yom_teruah.shtml

Karaites are Jews who do not agree with Rabbinical Judaism and want to get back to the truth of YHVH's Word...rather than following the traditions of men and religion.  They do not YET believe in Yeshua as the Messiah, but I know that the promise in YHVH's Word is that their hearts will be softened, their eyes will be opened, and they will know the COMPLETE truth of the Living Word of YHVH and the Messiah Yeshua!  This is my prayer, along with my prayer that the traditional adherents to Rabbinical Judaism will see the Word of YHVH for what it says, rather than through the lens of tradition and the interpretations and additions of men, and also come to know their Messiah Yeshua.  
 And, I might add here that I am also praying for the adherents of traditional Christianity to see the TRUTH of what YHVH's Word says and come back to following His Word alone rather than the traditions and misleading interpretations of men...that we might see the truth of who Yeshua is rather than the traditional picture we have been presented and continue to present.  I am one of those who has recently come to understand, like the Israelites in Nehemiah, that I have not really HEARD and OBEYED the Word of YHVH, but I have been following teachings that led me away from obeying the complete Word of my God!  I have cried about this...and now I am celebrating the TRUTH as YHVH is revealing it more and more to my willing eyes and heart.  It is so refreshing and so humbling and so exciting to know my God through His Word in ways I have never before!)

Okay, now back to the topic at hand...

Deeper diggings into this set-apart day, Yom Teruah...


According to Psalm 81:3, the shofar was blown to announce the beginning of every new month (the Rosh Chodesh).  So the commandment to blow the shofar on the first day of the seventh month would not be an unusual thing.  In fact, it would already be a usual thing to happen on the first day of the month.

So what makes this day special? 
Why would YHVH set this day aside as a commanded Appointed Time or Set-apart Day...Yom Teruah or the Day of Shofars?

This is where the rest of the Feast days or Set-apart Days from Leviticus 23 come in.  Yom Teruah is a VERY important day...it is the day of announcing something very important that is about to happen.
If you look at the Jewish calendar and at Leviticus 23, you will see that this day, Yom Teruah, is the beginning of the series of 3 Feasts that happen in the latter part of the year (the autumn season in Israel).  I will have other blog posts about these other feasts soon, but for now let's just remember that in 10 days, we will be observing the commanded Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.  And then on the 15th day of the 7th month the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (Sukkot) will begin and will go for 7 days, with a final day of celebration wrapping it all up on the 8th day of the Feast.

Now, we know from the many occassions in YHVH's Word when shofars or trumpets are sounded that this can mean several things:
 it sounded the call to come together, to gather as one before YHVH;
it sounded the battle cry;
it sounded the alarm, the call to watch for something or someone coming;
it sounded the call to prepare for something about to happen;
it was used in praising YHVH and in shouting aloud to Him, sometimes while the burnt offering was being offered;
 it could signify victory
etc.

Put this all together with the fact that Yeshua is the Living Word, the Torah...He is the Alef and Tav (beginning and end), the Creator of all.  He is what the commandments of YHVH are all about.  He is what the Set-apart times are all about.  He has been and will continue to be the fulfillment of ALL parts of YHVH's Word, including these 3 Set-apart times beginning with Yom Teruah (together with the other Set-apart times)! 

Yom Teruah is the sounding of the shofar, the call to prepare, to alarm, to watch, to victory. 
The 10 days between now and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe among Jews...days they use to prepare themselves for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. 
And then everything is followed up by and brought to completion in the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot.

So to understand Yom Teruah and the reasons for celebrating it, we must also understand what has already happened and what is coming.

Yom Teruah is the CALL, the SIGNAL of the beginning of the end! 
It is the beginning of the time that will lead us into the terrible Judgement Day, the Day of Wrath.  It is the beginning of the time when our KING Yeshua will reign in complete victory.  It is the beginning of the time when we will dwell with our YHVH forever in the dwelling place He has prepared! 

Why did YHVH command us to follow His Word, His Torah, His set-apart times forever, for all generations?  Because they will never end!!  From the beginning, they were meant to teach His people how to live in relationship with Him; they were meant to point us to the TRUTH of His character; they were meant to show us what eternity will be like. 

This is why I said at the beginning of this post that if we do not keep YHVH's Word, then we really are not in relationship with Him.  (Actually, HE said that....time and time again in His Word.)

Now is the time!
It is time to WAKE UP!
It is time to HEAR THE ALARM CALL!
It is time to repent, to come back to YHVH'S WORD in obedience!
It is time to look ahead, to look up in expectation, in awe, in reverence, in humility....



John 14:23, 24
Yeshua answered, "If someone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Someone who doesn't love me doesn't keep my words -- and the word you are hearing is not my own but that of the Father who sent me.

Revelation 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his shofar; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and his Messiah, and he will rule forever and ever!"

Our King is coming to dwell
with His people forever!


If you are interested in reading a more in-depth study of this, I have found a website that has helped me.  It is published by a believer in Yeshua.  Of course, none of us will ever agree completely on every point of doctrine interpretation, so of course there are some minor things I am not sure about in this website, but on the major issues, this website has been one that I have appreciated:

http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/yom_teruah.pdf


There is so much more to study and know, even in just this one day that is commanded and yet not much else is said directly about it! 
Imagine when we see and know ALL the parts of YHVH's Word and how they come together in Yeshua!
 What a glorious time that will be, dwelling with Him forever, knowing Him and seeing Him in ALL of His glory!


Psalm 98

A psalm: Sing a new song to YHVH, because he has done wonders. His right hand, his holy arm have won him victory. 
YHVH has made known his victory; revealed his vindication in full view of the nations, remembered his grace and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.   
Shout for joy to YHVH, all the earth!
Break forth, sing for joy, sing praises!   
Sing praises to YHVH with the lyre, with the lyre
and melodious music!   
With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, shout for joy
before the king, YHVH! 
Let the sea roar, and everything in it; the world,
and those living in it.   
Let the floods clap their hands; let the mountains sing together
for joy before YHVH,
for he has come to judge the earth; he will judge the world rightly
and the peoples fairly.


Heeding the call of the shofar,

Gina

Happy New Year? What Does YHVH Say?

It is January 1 on the Gregorian calendar.
Is it "Happy New Year"?

For me, it no longer is.

I know this statement will bring forth a response from some people. I can only imagine the different responses that will come up.
(But I don't really want to hear them all!)

With my decision to follow the Word of YHVH rather than traditions of man and religion, I am discovering that just about EVERYTHING in my life has to change! Did I see these changes coming when I made this decision? No, honestly, I did not realize how much of my life is based on tradition rather than the Word of YHVH.

Am I sorry that I made this decision? NO!
It is difficult to make changes, I admit.
I am a creature of habit (and, I would guess, I am not alone in this).
It is hard to change so many things at once. It is difficult to allow YHVH to renew my mind, change my "spiritual eyes" to see His Word the way He wants it to be known, rather than the way it has been twisted into religion.
But with all I am, all my heart, soul and strength, I want to follow and know YHVH for who He is and for how He wants to be known by me!
I want to do everything HIS way...not my way, not anyone else's way!
Even if it means inconvenience. Even if it means pain.
Even if it means loss. Even if people don't understand.

I want to live what Paul says in Philippians 3...what might have been gain to me, I count as loss because of Yeshua the Messiah, and for the sake of knowing Him, I count all as refuse and loss in order to gain Yeshua!

So for me, giving up pagan traditions and ways of living that go against the Word of YHVH are worth everything I gain in relationship with HIM!

(I know some people will be reading this as judgment against our western way of Christian life...please keep reading before you judge my intentions.)

As I have been reading YHVH's Word with open eyes and with a willingness to see where I have been wrong, I have noticed that we humans have changed SO MANY things about what YHVH's Word says. I am apalled (but at the same time not surprised...the enemy has been hard at work from the very beginning of time to twist and change what YHVH says).

We have changed the day of the commanded Sabbath (and no longer keep it holy...set apart). We have changed the foods YHVH commanded us NOT to eat. We have changed the Set-apart Appointed Times (feasts) that He commanded for all generations. Now we celebrate pagan holidays (which He expressly forbids) and call them holy days. We have decided which part of His Torah, His commands, His mitzvot, His Word we will obey and which He no longer means for us to obey. This is just a start of the list of changes that have been made by humans (with much help from the enemy) that are being accepted and practiced by millions around the world as the "word of God". I don't want to get into all of these things right now...I will save them for other posts in the future. Today I just want to focus on the truth of this holiday that is being celebrated today around the world and what YHVH's Word actually says.

You might be offended at what I've said. You might be angry. You might decide I've gone off the deep end or off my rocker (or whatever other cliche you might want to use). But please just take a look at what YHVH's Word says! And then compare it to the common practices in churches today. Search it out for yourself before you label me as insane or critical or judgemental.

Ready for some research?

First, may I direct you to a website that someone showed me just today? You might be surprised at what you read...and you might be surprised to research more and discover the truth.

This article is called "New Years Blood Bath", and it addresses the tradition in Europe (and now Israel) of calling New Years "Sylvester". One of the Caesars first placed the New Year on 1 January (based on a god that was an "appropriate" choice for a new year), and he celebrated by murdering Jews. Read the article for more information on the term "Sylvester" and the foundations of the new year happening in January. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/4011

For more information, check out the Wikipedia article entitled "New Year"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_year).

You will see that most of the "Christianized" world follows this calendar and this setting of the new year. You will also see that many other cultures have different new years based on various gods, various events in the seasons, various traditions, etc.

Even Rabbinical Judaism has established its own version of when the civil new year is, based on the oral tradition and teaching (Mishnah) of the sages. This new year (Rosh Hashanah) is celebrated in the fall (usually September), during the Feast of Trumpets.

The question here is not "who is right"? And the statement "our way is the right way" is an ignorant and dangerous one.

The ONLY thing that matters is what YHVH says!

So what does YHVH say?

First, let's look at what YHVH says about the seventh month (the month of Rosh Hashanah):

"YHVH said to Moses, 'Tell the people of Israel, "In the seventh month, the first of the month is to be for you a day of complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with blasts on the shofar. Do not do any kind of ordinary work, and bring an offering made by fire to YHVH."'" Leviticus 23:24-25

"'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you. Prepare a burnt offering to make a fragrant aroma for YHVH...'" Numbers 29:1-2

This Set-apart appointed time, called Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing the Shofar), was simply a day to blow the shofar, to rest and present an offering before YHVH. Through a series of events over the passing of many years, the sages of Judaism established this day as the new year (Rosh Hashanah) for the civil calendar (the day when the calendar year advances, among other things).

So does YHVH actually say when the New Year should begin?
Does He command a New Year in His Word?

Yes!

In Exodus, when YHVH was about to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He spoke to Moses and Aaron:

"YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt; he said 'You are to begin your calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you.'" (12:1)

Immediately following that command, YHVH commands the people to celebrate Pesach (Passover) from the tenth to the fourteenth day of the same month. This would be a commemoration of the miracle YHVH was about to perform on behalf of His people...bringing them out of Egypt by way of death of the firstborn and salvation through the blood of the lamb. And then YHVH led them out of Egypt, just as He said! (see the rest of this chapter in Exodus)

This month, known as Aviv in the Torah and known as Nisan now, usually happens in March or April in the Gregorian calendar.

Simply, this is the day and month YHVH commanded as the beginning of the year. I believe He has very specific and important reasons for ALL He commands His people to do! I want to follow His Word!

So, today for me is just another day. I have to begin writing 2010 on everything. I have to begin a new tax year. I have to live and function in a culture that sees this as the start of the new year. However, my heart and soul and focus is on what the Word of YHVH says. I will celebrate as He commands...every Set-apart day that He commands!

Celebrating Yeshua, and life in YHVH through Him,
Gina