Day of Trumpets

[Esaias]

Wednesday evening, 20 September, 2017 marks the beginning of the "Day of Trumpets" (assuming the new moon is sighted Wednesday). Thought I would share some thoughts concerning this particular Biblical holy day.

Jews consider this day to be "Rosh Hashana", meaning "head of the year, or "New Year's Day." This, however, is incorrect. The day is never called "Rosh Hashana" in the Bible, nor is it identified as the beginning of the year. Abib 1 is the correct Biblical "new year's day" according to Exodus 12:2, and occurs in the spring sometime around March-April. The Jews adopted the Babylonian civil calendar which begins in the fall, instead of the Biblical holy calendar which begins in the spring, as God commanded Israel.

The Biblical term for this day is "Zikron Teruah", which means "Memorial of Trumpets". It is also called "Yom Teruah" which means "Day of Trumpets".

Leviticus 23:24 KJV 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.

Numbers 29:1 KJV 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.

The phrase "blowing of trumpets" is the Hebrew word "teruah". So, Biblically, the first day of the seventh month is a zikron teruah (memorial of trumpet-sounding) or a yom teruah (day of trumpet-sounding).

Biblically, each month began with the sighting of the first crescent of the new moon. This was announced by a blowing of the trumpets. The start of the seventh was likewise announced with a blowing of trumpets, but there was a special emphasis on this day. Thus, the trumpet-blowing would have been enhanced, increased, louder, and longer. This indicated that THIS month was a special month. The reason this seventh month was to be considered special and important is because in this seventh month were the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Day of Atonement was the most important day in Israel's divine calendar, because on that day the sins of the nation were symbolically expiated by the offering of the Atonement. On that day the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and atoned for the sins of the whole nation. Then followed the Feast of Tabernacles, the last of the three Pilgrim Feasts of the year, also called the Feast of the Ingathering or Harvest.

Yom Teruah signalled the arrival of the seventh month, calling the people to prepare for the great fast Day of Atonement which would occur on the tenth day of the month, and the great Feast of Tabernacles which would commence on the fourteenth day of the month and last for 7 days, with a final eighth day high Sabbath. So the primary significance of the Day or Memorial of Trumpets was to remind the people to prepare for the Atonement, and the Ingathering.

What does the word teruah mean?

Generally, the word teruah is understood to mean the sound of a trumpet. However, the meaning is much broader and deeper than the mere blowing of a horn. The word teruah is found 36 times in the Hebrew Bible, in 33 verses. Here they are:

• Leviticus 23:24 KJV 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 (teruah), an holy convocation.
• Leviticus 25:9 KJV Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile (teruah) to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
• Numbers 10:5-6 KJV When ye blow an alarm (teruah), then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. (6) When ye blow an alarm (teruah) the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm (teruah) for their journeys.
• Numbers 23:21 KJV He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout (teruah) of a king is among them.
• Numbers 29:1 KJV 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 (teruah) unto you.
• Numbers 31:6 KJV And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow (teruah) in his hand.
• Joshua 6:5 KJV And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout (teruah); and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
• Joshua 6:20 KJV So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout (teruah), that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
• 1 Samuel 4:5-6 KJV And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout (teruah), so that the earth rang again. (6) And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout (teruah), they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout (teruah) in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
• 2 Samuel 6:15 KJV So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting (teruah), and with the sound of the trumpet.
• 1 Chronicles 15:28 KJV Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting (teruah), and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.
• 2 Chronicles 13:12 KJV And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding (teruah) trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
• 2 Chronicles 15:14 KJV And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting (teruah), and with trumpets, and with cornets.
• Ezra 3:11-13 KJV And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout (teruah), when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. (12) But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud (teruah) for joy: (13) So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout (teruah) of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout (teruah), and the noise was heard afar off.
• Job 8:21 KJV Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing (teruah).
• Job 33:26 KJV He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy (teruah): for he will render unto man his righteousness.
• Job 39:25 KJV He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting (teruah).
• Psalms 27:6 KJV And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy (teruah); I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
• Psalms 33:3 KJV Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise (teruah).
• Psalms 47:5 KJV God is gone up with a shout (teruah), the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
• Psalms 89:15 KJV Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound (teruah): they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
• Psalms 150:5 KJV Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding (teruah) cymbals.
• Jeremiah 4:19 KJV My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm (teruah) of war.
• Jeremiah 20:16 KJV And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting (teruah) at noontide;
• Jeremiah 49:2 KJV Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm (teruah) of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.
• Ezekiel 21:22 KJV At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting (teruah), to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.
• Amos 1:14 KJV But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting (teruah) in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:
• Amos 2:2 KJV But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting (teruah), and with the sound of the trumpet:
• Zephaniah 1:16 KJV A day of the trumpet and alarm (teruah) against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

Notice that teruah is translated as "shout", "shouting", "alarm", "jubile", "joy", "high sounding", "rejoicing", "sounding", as well as "trumpets" and "blowing of trumpets". It is clear then that teruah does not mean specifically the noise made by a horn or trumpet instrument, but is a general term meaning essentially "loud noise". A teruah can be made with a trumpet or horn, cymbals, or the human voice.

So the Day of Trumpets is literally the Day of Loud Noise-making.

[Esaias]

(part 2)

What is the significance of making a loud noise, especially as it pertains to marking the arrival of the important seventh month?

The appointed times or holy days of Jehovah have various layers of significance and meaning. We may think of them as being fourfold: historical, Christological, eschatological, and experiential.

• The historical significance relates to the specific historical occasion and use of the day. For example, Passover was instituted as an annual memorial of the deliverance from Egypt under Moses.
• The Christological significance relates to how the day or feast is a type or shadow of Christ and His work. For example, Passover is a type of Christ dying to deliver his people from the bondage of the world and sin.
• The eschatological significance pertains to how the day or feast is a type or picture of eschatological and prophetic events. For example, Passover foreshadows the coming final deliverance of God's people from mortality and the destruction of God's enemies.
• The experiential significance pictures how the day or feast signifies spiritual realities that God's people either do or ought to experience. For example, Passover involved the eating of the Lamb, which pictures the need for us to "eat the flesh" of Christ in order for us to escape death. Or in other words, Passover must be something we experience as a spiritual reality in our lives.

Historically, the purpose of the Day of Trumpets was to herald the impending Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles. Every month was announced by the blowing of trumpets at the sighting of the new moon. Every sacrifice was accompanied with the blowing of a trumpet, and every Feast and appointed time was heralded by the blowing of trumpets. The first month included the great Feast of Passover. The third month included the great feast of Pentecost. And the seventh month included the great Feast of Tabernacles, as well as the Fast, the Day of Atonement. Just as the seventh day of the week was special and holy, and just as end of the seventh week after Passover was holy (Pentecost), so too the seventh month was holy. And this special holy month was announced by the special, memorial teruah.

Christologically, it signified the coming of Christ into the world. It is known that Jesus was not born on December 25th (Mithra's birthday, a high pagan holy day), but far more likely in the fall. Specifically, sometime around the seventh month and the time of Tabernacles. Christ is, after all, the "tabernacle of God" among us (John 1:14).Some believe that Christ was born on the Day of Trumpets, others during Tabernacles. The Bible does not specifically say. But it is certain that Christ came into the world for judgment (John 9:30), that He came to take away our sins, and that He is "God (tabernacling) with us". Thus, the Day of Trumpets announces the arrival of Messiah to perform the Great Atonement, to be God tabernacling with us, and to make possible our tabernacling with God.

Eschatologically, it announces the Second Coming of Christ to execute Judgment. The Day of Atonement involved both the covering of the nation's sins, and the removal of the nation's sins. Eschatologically, this looks forward to the final removal of sins as declared in Hebrews:

Hebrews 9:27-28 KJV And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest offered a sacrifice, bringing its blood into the Holy of Holies. He then came out of the Holy of Holies, and offered the scapegoat, upon whom the nation's sins were placed. This scapegoat was then led into the wilderness never to be seen again. So the High Priest re-appearing to offer and send away the scapegoat signifies Christ's reappearing to put away sin forever, which is associated with Judgment. Thus, Atonement signifies (in part, at least) the Day of Judgment. Tabernacles of course, signifies the post-Judgment future of saved mankind as dwelling with God and God dwelling with man (see Revelation 21:3-4). Since the Day of Trumpets heralds the soon coming Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles, the eschatological Day of Atonement heralds the coming of Christ to execute judgment, eliminate sin, and join God and His people together forever in eternity. Some believe the Day of Trumpets corresponds to the Second Advent, others that the Day of Atonement corresponds to the Second Advent. Either way, the Day of Trumpets tells us to prepare for the final Judgment and consummation of all things.


Experientially, the Day of Trumpets speaks to the need to experience the "alarm" in the soul of impending judgment, the possibility of atonement, the offer of dwelling with God eternally. It is the alarm cry of the gospel preacher bringing the message of repentance, it is the joyful noise that has gone abroad in all the earth of the good news that our sins have been atoned for, that we are destined to dwell with God forever. It is the trumpet blast calling people out of the world and into the Kingdom of God, just as the trumpets of old called the tribes to assemble at the Tabernacle. It is the shout of the King in one's soul, heralding that God is exalted and is on the throne, that Christ rules and reigns. It is "sound of a rushing mighty wind" announcing the Holy Ghost, which is the seal or token of our salvation, the evidence that the Atonement has been made real to us. It is the "rejoicing" of the saints of God as they express the "joy of the Lord" which is their strength. It is all these things and more.

Happy Yom Teruah!

[Esaias]

Psalms 81:1-16 KJV To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. (2) Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. (3) Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. (4) For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. (5) This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. (6) I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots. (7) Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. (8) Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; (9) There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. (10) I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. (11) But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. (12) So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. (13) Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! (14) I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. (15) The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. (16) He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

This Psalm reminds Israel of the ancient ordinance to sound the trumpets in the new moons, on the appointed times, and in the solemn feasts. It contains important truths, spiritual lessons for us, that are especially suited for this upcoming Day of Trumpets.

Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

That phrase, "make a joyful noise", is the word "ruah", which is a verbal form of "teruah". A teruah is a loud noise, and to ruah is to make a loud noise. It means "make teruah". We are invited by the Psalmist to sing aloud, and to "make teruah" to the God of Jacob. This is to be done in the new moon, in the appointed time, in the solemn feasts that God has ordained. This was a statute, an ordinance, a command given to His people. Why? Why was this commanded to be done?

This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt:

There follows a brief summary of the Exodus and deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. God's people are exhorted to make a loud, joyful noise to their God because He has redeemed them from bondage, and taken them to be His people! Their shoulder has been removed from the burden! They called when they were in trouble, and He answered them! If that doesn't inspire a person to rejoice, to shout, to get loud in praise to God, then perhaps such a one hasn't realised the depths from which they have been delivered. Or perhaps they have forgotten.

Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

The noise of this Day of Teruah is to remind us that not only has God delivered us and made us a nation in His sight, a people for His name, but that our duty is to serve and worship Him alone. He called us out to be a people for HIS Name, not anyone else's. We are to have no foreign god in us, we are not to worship or serve or give homage or respect to any foreign god. The heathen nations have their gods, but we have our own - the One, True, Living God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who was manifested in flesh for our deliverance in fulfillment of His promises to Abraham.

A genuine "shouter", one who genuinely gets "loud for Jesus", is one who has turned his or her back on the gods of the nations. We have no time for them. We have no interest in them, or their ways, or what they supposedly claim to offer us. Our God, the Lord, has redeemed us and saved us, and He promises to meet our every need. We have but to "open our mouth wide", to lift up the shout of praise, to cry aloud in need, to proclaim the Words of our Sovereign, and He will "fill it". He will meet the needs, He will glorify His Word and confirm it with signs and wonders, He will make our praises of Him manifested in reality. We praise Him as the Deliverer, and by faith He delivers! We cry aloud to Him in need, and by faith He succours! We declare and proclaim His Word, His threatenings of judgment and His promises of mercy, and by faith we see them come to pass! This Day of Trumpets is a reminder our God is a faithful, covenant-keeping God to those who abandon the gods of the earth and who keep faith with the True and Living God.

But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

Unfortunately, Israel did not listen. They paid no heed to the trumpet sounding alarm, warning of apostasy. They failed to raise a genuine, faith-filled shout of praise and obeisance to the Lord. they didn't want anything to do with God. They chose their own ways, and God let them have what they wanted. Backsliding and apostasy is a dangerous thing, because you may very well get what you want. So this Day of Trumpets reminds us to beware of seeking after our own counsels, our own plans, our own ways.

Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

When God's people are faithful to Him, He moves on their behalf, to defend them and give them victory over all their enemies. Those who despise God will be brought to submission to Him. God's people would enjoy permanent, lasting victory. If we see problems, if the church of the Lord does not seem to be enjoying permanent, lasting victory over the haters of God, over our enemies, it is because the churches have failed to walk in His ways. But if God's people desire to see real victory over the enemy, not just in one's personal life, but in the corporate sense, it will require repentance, and returning to God's ways, and abandoning the gods of the heathen.

Today, the forces of antichrist seem to be running roughshod over the people of God. It is not necessary to list examples, we hear more outrages every day. The stupidity running rampant in society is near mind blowing, and certainly can be disheartening. What is the answer? Is there an answer? Do we just wait for Jesus to come and take us away from it all, like that old commercial, "Calgon, take me away"?

No! Raise the shout! Return to the Lord, seek after His ways. Cast out the gods of the nations, their religious idols, their political gods, their economic deities, their educational abominations, all the things the world looks to for guidance and salvation. Cast them away! Return to the Lord, seek HIS ways, follow Him alone. Put His Word into action in your life, let Him write His laws and commandments on your heart, and follow Him to the end, no matter what comes your way. He has redeemed us, He has testified to us that we can choose life, or death.

Which do you choose?

[Esaias]

No reported sighting of the new moon. It is expected tomorrow evening, and should be easily visible across North America. That would place Trumpets on 22 Sept, Atonement on 1 Oct, and Tabernacles beginning 6 Oct.

[Amanah]

I this thread

[mont.preterist]

Excellent thread which relates to the birth of Christ.