|
Yom Teruah / Day of
Trumpeting
The First Day of the
month Tishrei - beginning at sundown on September 15, 2004
This is a rehearsal for the
day
when the Archangel will shout
"Tekiah gedolah!" and the Last Trump will be heard from heaven;
Messiah Yeshua will return,
and the righteous dead will be raised
to join in the coronation of
Yeshua as Messiah King of all the earth.
This day is Biblically called Rosh haShannah -- New Year (for
calendar, sabbatical, and jubilee years) and Yom Teruah -- literally the Day of
Breathing / Blowing / Singing.
Tishrei 1 is an annual 49 hour sleepless
Holy Day (observed as a Sabbath). It is the day of
which it is written that no man knows the day or the hour, and we
are to stay awake and watch.
-
It is the day we blow the ram’s horn, the shofar,
rehearsing for the year when God’s breath will blow the last
trump!
-
It is the day God will breathe the spirit of life into the
righteous dead, and they shall rise! They will be joined by
the righteous who are alive. (The rest of the dead will not be
raised for another thousand years.)
-
It is the day we will sing (with our breath) "Baruch
Haba . . . Blessed is He who Comes" and crown Yeshua Messiah
King of all the earth!
Leviticus 23:24
In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have
a Sabbath, a rehearsal of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
(Leviticus 23:24)
1 Corinthians 15:52
At the last trump . . . . the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed.
1
Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them . . .
Psalm 89:15
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound (Teruah); they
shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
Isaiah 27:13 (from Artscroll
Machzor for Rosh Hashanah)
And it will be on that day that a great shofar will be blown and
they will come: those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those
outcast in the land of Egypt; and they will prostrate themselves before
Hashem (Yahweh) in the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: " . . .on Rosh HaShannah
recite before Me (verses that speak of God’s) Sovereignty,
Remembrance, and Shofar Blasts; Sovereignty so that you should make Me
your King, Remembrance so that your remembrance should rise up before Me
for (your) benefit. And through what? Through the Shofar." (Talmud:
Rosh HaShannah 16a, 34b)
An
APPOINTMENT with the KING
Biblically, the New Moon was not fixed by astronomical calculations, but
was solemnly proclaimed after witnesses had testified to the reappearance
of the crescent of the moon. Immediately after the 29th of each month, the
members of the High Court assembled in a courtyard in Jerusalem, named
Beit Ya’azek, where they waited to receive the testimony of two reliable
witnesses; they then sanctified the New Moon (separated the new month). If
the moon’s crescent was not seen following the 29th day , the New Moon was
automatically celebrated on the day following the 30th, which would thus
be the 1st day of the new month..
This, therefore, is the Festival season that, “No one knows about that day
or hour”. “Not even . . . the Son, but only the Father”, as a son does not
know when he may go to take his bride until his father declares his
readiness. It is the Festival in which we are to stay awake two nights and
days watching.
I Thessalonians 5:1-11 “Now, brothers, about (festival) seasons and dates
we do not need to write to you. [You know that the day of the Lord will
come like a thief in the night; while people are saying, “Peace and
safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a
pregnant woman, and they will not escape.] You, brothers, are not in
darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all
sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to
the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let
us be alert and self-controlled. [For those who sleep, sleep at night, and
those who get drunk, get drunk at night.] Since we belong to the day, let
us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the
hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath
but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so
that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact
you are doing.”
Matthew 24:36-44 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels
in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of
Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days
before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; And they knew nothing about
what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how
it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field;
one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a
hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch,
because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand
this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief
was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be
broken into. So you also must be ready, lest the Son of Man will come at
an hour when you do not expect him.”
Mark 13:34-37 “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts
his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at
the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when
the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at
midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do
not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone:
‘Watch!’”
Luke 12:35-37 “Be dressed
ready for service and keep your lamps burning, Like men waiting for their
master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks
they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those
servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the
truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table
and will come and wait on them.”
In the ancient style, we see three meanings in these scriptures; and this
is the message of the evening:
Firstly, they speak of an historical remembrance of dwelling in the
wilderness, on the way to the promised land.
Secondly, they speak of a literal Festival that is a prophetic rehearsal,
and a moed (Leviticus
23:24)
- an appointment with God for
which we are to stay alert and watch;
Thirdly, they teach a spiritual message that we should always be alert and
ready. Those who have Yeshua as King in their life now - who have trusted
Him and submitted to God's rule in their everyday living, also have the
glorious hope of being in the resurrection to crown Him King of all the
Earth - to reign with Him! Those who claim faith but have not submitted to
God's rule tend to be fearful, having their hope in things that can never
satisfy. Let us love and serve our Saviour with all our heart, with all
our soul, and with all our might! (Deuteronomy
6:4, Matthew 22:38)
Teshuvah! Teshuvah! (Repent! Repent!)
A man spoke these words almost 2,000 years ago while standing in the Jordan
River looking up at the people along the surrounding hillside. The man was John
the baptizer (Matthew 9), and this was the time of his calling the people to a
state of repentance. The thirty days preceding Yom Teruah are specifically a
time for repentance.
What is complete Teshuvah?
When one who has transgressed is faced with the opportunity to repeat the sin
and he has the power to do so, yet he refrains - neither because of fear nor
because of weakness - but because he wishes to turn to God.
How should one repent?
A sinner should abandon his sinfulness, drive it from his thoughts and conclude
in his heart that he will never do it again (Isaiah 55:7). Additionally, he
should regret the past (Jeremiah 31:18) and he must confess with his lips and
declare those things that he has concluded in his heart, and make restitution if
applicable. By definition, sin is that which is contrary to God's instruction (1
John 3:4 ) and opposite to actions showing faith in God (Romans 14:23 ).
Let us turn and serve our Saviour with all our heart, with all our soul, and
with all our might!
The FESTIVAL MEAL
Blessing over the Juice:
Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Melech ha-olam boray peri hagafen.
All: Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the universe, who creates the
fruit of the vine.
(Drink grape juice.)
The round loaves of Hallah - the special bread on the table, symbolize the crown
of Messiah King.
Blessing over the Bread:
Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Melech ha-olam hamotzi lechem mein ha-aretz
Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread
from the earth.
(Eat piece of bread with honey.) (this infers resurrection)
The apples and honey traditionally symbolize the sweetness of the fruit of this
long-awaited day.
Blessing for keeping:
Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
shehecheyanu, vekiyamanu, vehigiyanu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the universe,
who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
Blessing over the Fruit:
Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Melech ha-olam boray peri ha-etz
Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of
the tree.
(Eat bite of apple with honey.)
Yahi raon milfaneyah Yahweh Eloheinu aleinu shannah tovah umtukah.
May it be Your will, Yahweh our God, that You renew us for a good and sweet
year.
(Eat rest of apple with honey.)
Nehemiah 8:1 And all the people assembled as one man in the street that was
before the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of
the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest
brought the Torah before the congregation both of men and women, and all that
could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he
read in it before the street that was before the water gate from the morning
until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and
the ears of all the people were attentive to the Torah. 4 And Ezra the scribe
stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; . . . . 5 And
Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the
people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6 And Ezra blessed the
Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting their
hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to
the ground. 7 Also . . . . the Levites, caused the people to understand the
Torah: and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read in the book of the
Torah of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the
reading. 9 And Nehemiah, . . . and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites
that taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord
your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the
words of the Torah. 10 Then he said to them, . . .
"Eat choice food, and drink sweet drink, and send portions to them for whom
nothing is prepared:
for this day is holy to our Lord: neither be ye sad; for the joy of the Lord is
your strength."
The BLOWING of the SHOFAR
Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Melech ha-olam
asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lishmoah kol Shofar.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the universe,
who has sanctified us by Your Word, and has instructed us to hear the Shofar.
O King, remember the ram whose horn was entangled, for the sake of
those who blow for You today with the horn, O Awesome and Holy One!
Four trumps of the Shofar are heard — they are a call to awake! They mean:
[Tekiah] search your heart and repent, [Shevarim-Teruah] be
sorrowful for sin, [Tekiah] stand by the Banner of God.
The next trumps are heard — they are a serious call to soul searching
repentance!
[Tekiah] , [Shevarim] , [Tekiah] ;
The last three trumps are heard; . . . the last trump, Tekiah Gedolah, calls for
the Return of the Great One!
Maybe one year while we are rehearsing, God will sound the Last Trump,
Yeshua will return, the dead will rise, and we who are alive will join them.
[Tekiah] , [Teruah] , "Behold, He comes with clouds, . . . .
with the shout of the archangel, . . . . and the Trump of God!" [Tekiah
Gedolah!]
|