God’s fall Holy Days are nearly upon us. I really love God’s appointed times. They are always the highlights of my year. Each year I try to meditate on what they mean so that I don’t lose sight of their importance.
This week I have been reviewing the Feast of Trumpets, also known in Hebrew as Yom Teruah, meaning day of shouting. This year the Holy Day falls on September 15. The Jewish community likes to call this day Rosh Hashanah, which means New Year’s Day.
We learn about the Feast of Trumpets first in Leviticus 23:23-24. God instructs Moses to tell all of Israel, “In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.” This first day of the seventh month was set apart by God as a holy day, marking the beginning of the fall holy days. Further instructions for this day are stated in Numbers 29:1-6, showing that not only did they do the new moon offerings, since Trumpets is also the new moon day of the seventh month, they also had to do extra offerings setting this day apart as a special Sabbath rest day.
Okay, so I know some may ask, “These are instructions to Israel, so why do you celebrate this day now?” Honestly, these are instructions to God’s children. I may not be an Israelite by blood, but I am by being grafted into the olive tree. When I accepted Christ as my Savior and chose to follow God my Father, I became part of God’s family, and these instructions for His holy convocations are instructions to His family. Plus, I really enjoy these days. They give my family and me extra time to rest, to study, to fellowship, to worship, to enjoy life, and to glorify God.
The Feast of Trumpets is also a reminder of future events. This day is symbolic of the day of the last Trumpet when Jesus returns.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 29:29-31, emphasis mine).
Paul reiterates this point in 1 Corinthians, “I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51).
There are more prophetic scriptures, but I just wanted to point out some of the significance of this day. The truth is, we know from Zechariah 14:16-17 that we will be celebrating the Festivals in God’s Kingdom, so why not celebrate them now? They are not a burden. I never think that being commanded to rest from work is a burden.
These days that God gave us that set us apart are gifts. This coming Feast of Trumpets I am going to make it a point to thank God for His appointed times. I am going to thank God that I have the opportunity to worship Him on these appointed times. And I am not going to take them for granted. So, as we go into the Fall Holy Days remember how special they are and don’t let anyone judge you for keeping them (Colossians 2:16). Just let them know that they “are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:17).
by Brandy Webb
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