by Hildegard Schneider
Imagine with me a royal palace filled with great riches and treasures. Two long-time servants of the royal staff had devised an evil plan to rob the most precious jewels and tiaras. And their devious action succeeded because they knew their way around the palace very well. They stole the most valuable jewels and deposited imitations for some so that the royal family would not discover the theft so quickly. This story shows, as in real life, that thieves always steal what is most valuable.
YHWH’s treasury, his festival calendar, was also broken into by an unfaithful servant. About him it is said:
“And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and he shall seek to change feast times and law…” Daniel 7:25.
The enemy knows very well the great prophetic character of the feast seasons. So he has put the label on the feasts that they are Jewish feasts, and the result is that most believers who are not Jews do not pay attention to the Feasts. Yet YHWH has clearly said that they are his feasts:
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are MY feasts. Leviticus 23:1-2
And YHWH has given these instructions not only to the Jews (Judah) but to all the tribes of Israel, (the whole house of Israel = all 12 tribes). He tells us that keeping them was an eternal order. An eternal order implies that it still applies to us today.
In addition, the enemy has introduced imitation festivals with a twofold strategy. The imitations are Sunday instead of Shabbat, Good Friday and Easter instead of Passover and Day of Firstfruits. In Christian circles, the autumn festivals are usually not observed or celebrated at all, and in Jewish circles, the prelude to the autumn festivals, Yom Teruah, has been transformed into another festival, Rosh HaShana. The most precious autumn festival, Yom Teruah, which speaks of the second coming of Yeshua, has been robbed.
The enemy has put even more confusion into this robbery by infiltrating the churches with the teaching about the Rapture: Yeshua can return at any time and at any moment. All who claim this have understood neither the already fulfilled meaning of the Spring Feasts nor the yet-to-be-fulfilled meaning of the Fall Feasts. Yeshua fulfilled the Spring Feasts literally, minute by minute at His first coming. Likewise, He will fulfill the Fall Feasts at His second coming. From this robbery, one can see how important, valuable, and meaningful YHWH’s feasts are, as enumerated in Exodus 23.
The muddler has done such a thorough job that most Christians nor Jews know the true meaning of Yom Teruah. The true meaning has been obscured by the enemy.
YHWH instructs Moses:
“Speak to the sons of Israel: in the seventh month, on the first of the month, you shall have rest, a remembrance by noise⟨blowing⟩, a holy convocation. No service work shall you do, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to YHWH.” Leviticus 23:24-25
In Hebrew, this stands for being at rest, it shall be a Shabbat to you. And this feast day shall be a remembrance. Remembrance, in Hebrew, is “zikaron“, which means; of and by the sound of noise, teruah. The word Teruah gives us the meaning: alarm, signal, storm noise, shout, a war cry, or cry of alarm or joy.
It is not clear from this passage of scripture what the children of Israel are to remember. But from the context of the scriptures, we know that teruah, the blowing of the shofar, leads back in memory to Mount Sinai. What had happened at Mount Sinai?
“And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there came thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud ⟨camped⟩ on the mountain, and a very strong sound of the horn (teruah) ⟨sounded⟩ so that all the people that were in the camp shook.
And Moses led the people out of the camp to meet Elohim, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. And all Mount Sinai smoked because YHWH came down upon it in the fire. And its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
And the sound of the trumpets (teruah) increased. Moses spoke, and Elohim answered him with a ⟨loud⟩ voice.” Exodus 19:16-19
This very strong sound of trumpets, teruah, on Mount Sinai, grew stronger and stronger, accompanying the arrival of Elohim coming down to his people on Mount Sinai.
This event foreshadows the second coming of Yeshua, who ultimately returns at the Feast of the Sound of Trumpets.
1 Corinthians 15 connects the return of Messiah to the “sound of the trump“ (Yom Teruah:
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Therefore the call of Elohim is to remember Yom Teruah. And when? In the seventh month on the first of the month! This is completely consistent with the statement that no one knows the day and the hour.
“Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:13
The feast of Yom Teruah is celebrated on the first day of the seventh month. And one can ever predict when the first crescent (or sliver) moon will be seen, hence the phrase: The day and the hour no one knows. There is uncertainty about this day until the sighting of the new moon is seen!
Rehearsal for the day when Yeshua returns!
The word for assembly in Hebrew is miqra, which also means dress rehearsal. We are urged to rehearse for the day when Yeshua returns.
However, Yom Teruah is not just about us remembering, but about us reminding YHWH to remember us as we blow our shofars. In the time of the Great Tribulation, we want to remind Elohim of us on Yom Teruah in the great hope that He has not forgotten us. Then on Yom Teruah, we will blow the shofar for our deliverance. And Elohim will then remember us. Yeshua will return at the voice of the archangel and the sound of the shofar:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven at the shout of a command, at the voice of an archangel, and at (the sound of Elohim’s trumpet, and the dead in Messiah will rise first; after that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Encourage one another therefore with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
Yeshua will be heard and seen by all at His return: The Bible says in Matthew 24:27:
“For as the lightning goes out from the east and shines as far as the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.”
The shofar is also blown as a war cry. And we know that when the Messiah returns he will come with his army to defeat his enemies.
“For the LORD goes forth like a hero, he leads his multitudes to battle and fires them up. He raises the war cry and throws his enemies to the ground.” Isaiah 42:13
The shofar was also sounded to announce kings. And we also know that he will come again as King of kings.
“And has a name written upon his garment, and upon his thigh thus, A KING OF KINGS, AND A LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:16
Perhaps false teachings have kept you from celebrating the Fall festivals and have stolen from you the celebration of the great and prophetic day of His return. Now you are receiving light on the deeper meaning of the Fall festivals, through the great grace and the deep love of the Father. Return and receive his Feasts. He invites you to a great dress rehearsal. If you have a shofar, blow it in remembrance of the great event of His descent on Mount Sinai and anticipation of His return.
Chag Sameach Yom Teruah!
Prayer Targets
Read and pray into Leviticus 23:23-25
Abba, we ask that you remove any scales from our eyes. Help us to truly see, know and understand the significance of Yom Teruah, The Feast of Trumpets. Help us to hear the sound of the shofar in the spirit which signals the time of your soon coming!
Read and pray into Revelation 12:11: Abba, we thank you for reminding us that the sound of the shofar is also the call to war…We are reminded that until your son, Yeshua returns, we are AT WAR with the enemy and his minions. Help us to fight the spiritual battle and to overcome the enemy by the blood of Yeshua and the word of our testimony!
Read and pray into 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
Yeshua, prepare us for this day, for the day when the “dead shall rise and then we who are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds…“. Yeshua, may we be about your kingdom business until that day comes! May we be sharing the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach with those around us. May we shine your light and love to a lost and a dying world!
Read and pray into Revelation 19: 11-14
Yeshua, we cannot WAIT until you return on your white horse, with all the multitude of saints riding on white horses with you! As we see all the wickedness, corruption and evil around us, our heart rejoices in knowing that you are coming soon and you will rule with righteousness, justice, love and mercy! Yeshua, this gives us SUCH HOPE! Come quickly LORD JESUS!