FEAST OF TRUMPETS YOM TERUAH

FEAST OF TRUMPETS YOM TERUAH The Feast of Trumpets is coming up in just a few days. According to the modern Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, September 11, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, September 13. Before we get into why so many Christians connect this feast with the Rapture, we need to understand what the feast actually is. Leviticus 23:24 says “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.” The Hebrew word used in Leviticus 23 for these appointed feasts is מוֹעֵד, moed. It means an appointed time or appointed meeting. I think that’s worth remembering whenever we study the feasts. These aren’t simply Jewish holidays. God Himself placed appointments on Israel’s calendar. Numbers 29:1 gives us the biblical name for this one. יוֹם תְּרוּעָה Yom Teruah We call it the Feast of Trumpets, although teruah means more than trumpet. It can describe a blast, shout, alarm, battle cry, or loud signal. The Hebrew word for the ram’s horn is shofar. So Yom Teruah is really the Day of the Blast. That makes sense when you follow trumpets through the Old Testament. A trumpet could gather Israel, signal movement, announce a king, warn of danger, call men to battle, or accompany the presence and worship of God. Numbers 10 shows Israel assembling and moving at the sound of trumpets. At Sinai the trumpet grew louder as God descended upon the mountain. A trumpet meant something was happening. Here’s what makes this particular feast so interesting. Yom Teruah falls on the first day of Tishrei, right at the beginning of the lunar month. That means we’re dealing with the new moon, not the full moon. Under the ancient Jewish calendar, the month wasn’t established by opening an app or checking a printed calendar. Witnesses watched for the first visible crescent of the new moon. Once it appeared, witnesses came before the court and testified to what they had seen. Their testimony was examined, and once accepted, the court formally declared the new month sanctified. That creates an unusual situation with Trumpets because the feast begins immediately on day one. If the new moon was confirmed, Tishrei had begun. If it wasn’t confirmed in time, the beginning of the month moved to the following day. That’s part of the reason Rosh Hashanah developed a two day observance. It also explains the famous teaching you’ve probably heard about Feast of Trumpets being the feast where “no man knows the day or hour.” I want to keep that honest. I can’t prove that exact phrase was an official ancient Jewish name for Yom Teruah. The history behind the saying, however, is very real. The beginning of the month depended on the appearance of the new moon. Witnesses had to testify, and the court had to establish the month. Until that happened, there could be uncertainty over exactly which day would become Tishrei 1. Today the Jewish calendar is fixed, which is why we have September 11 through September 13 on our calendars. Ancient Israel didn’t have that luxury. Now let’s talk about the shofar. Jewish tradition developed several recognizable sounds. Tekiah is a long straight blast. Shevarim is three broken sounds. Teruah is a rapid series of shorter blasts. Tekiah Gedolah is the long extended blast. Modern Rosh Hashanah practice commonly reaches one hundred shofar sounds. This is where another popular prophecy teaching comes from. You’ll often hear that 99 blasts were followed by a final 100th blast called the Last Trump. The hundred blast tradition is real, and so is the long concluding blast. What I haven’t been able to establish is that ancient Judaism universally called that 100th blast “the Last Trump.” That’s fine. Paul already gave us the phrase. “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.” 1 Corinthians 15:51 to 52 Look at where Trumpets sits on God’s calendar. Passover comes first, and Paul plainly calls Christ “our passover.” Then Unleavened Bread. Then Firstfruits, and Paul calls Jesus “the firstfruits of them that slept.” Then Pentecost, and Acts 2 tells us what happened when Pentecost was fully come. After those spring feasts comes the long summer harvest. When the feast cycle begins again in the fall, the first appointment is Trumpets. That doesn’t automatically make Trumpets the Rapture, but you can certainly understand why Christians make the connection. Paul describes the coming of the Lord this way. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 The Greek word translated shout is κέλευσμα, keleusma. It carries the idea of an authoritative command or summons. Paul then says we’ll be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. The Greek comes from ἁρπάζω, harpazō. To seize. To snatch away. To catch up. There’s one more piece I don’t want left out. The Jewish wedding. Paul tells the Church “For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2 The Church is pictured as betrothed to Christ. Ancient Jewish marriage included a formal betrothal known as erusin or kiddushin. This was much stronger than our modern engagement. The marriage bond had already been established even though the bride had not yet entered the completed stage of marriage with her groom. Later came nissuin, when the bride was received by the groom and the marriage entered its completed stage. Read John 14 with that in mind. “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” “I go to prepare a place for you.” “I will come again, and receive you unto myself.” Then Revelation 19 gives us the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is why Feast of Trumpets catches my attention. The Church is betrothed to Christ. Our Bridegroom went away and promised to come again and receive us unto Himself. Paul says our gathering to Him happens with a shout and the trump of God. Sitting next in line on the feast calendar is Yom Teruah, the Day of the Blast. Apparently I have to put this disclaimer on every post about the Rapture or Feast of Trumpets before somebody tears me up in the comments, so here it is. I am not setting a date. Man, I get tired of having to say that. This is an educational Bible study about why many Christians believe Feast of Trumpets is an extremely interesting possibility for the Rapture based on the biblical feast pattern and the Scriptures surrounding our gathering to Christ. Nobody said Jesus is definitely coming September 11. We’re studying the Bible. We’re comparing Scripture with Scripture. We’re looking at God’s appointed feasts and asking whether the next feast in line could have prophetic significance. Relax. It’s Bible study, not date setting. Maybe September 11 through 13 comes and goes like every other year. Maybe it doesn’t. Either way, I’m watching. One of these days, whether it happens on Feast of Trumpets or not, somebody is going to be alive when 1 Thessalonians 4 stops being a Bible study and becomes an event. Yom Teruah. The Day of the Blast. #MoreJoyMinistries