23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 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. 25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Leviticus 23:23-25
Yom Teruah is referred to as the Day of Trumpets (it is not a feast day, as it is commonly misconstrued to be) but is more accurately translated as a day of blowing or shouting. The walls of Jericho were brought down with a great teruah (as were the first two little pigs’ homes).
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.
Joshua 6:20
Long ago, I learned that the Hebrew holidays were both commemorative and prophetic:
The Word does not give a reason for this specific holiday, but under Babylonian captivity, the Jews adopted many of the traditions of their overlords . . . including the names of the months (the months were initially referred to as “the first month”, the seventh month”, etc. They were given names in Babylon – the fourth month to this day is named after a Babylonian god: “Tammuz”).
Babylon celebrated their new year twice in their calendar, one landing close to the Day of Trumpets. In order to celebrate their holiday, they mixed it with the Babylonian new year and named it Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew for “head of the year”). Since Babylon had two new year celebrations, it would not appear strange for the Jews to do the same. The tradition remained, even after they left their captivity in Babylon.
This is the only holy day that coincides with a new moon but not the only day that is to be celebrated with trumpets.
Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your Elohim: I am Yahweh your Elohim.
Numbers 10:10
The Hebrew months begin on each new moon and the trumpets were sounded to herald in each month, but the seventh month was declared by Yahweh to be special.
1 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. 2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto Yahweh; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish: 3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram, 4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you: 6 Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto Yahweh.
Numbers 29:1-6
Once again, the reason for the holiday is not given and the specific instructions for commemorating it are unavailable today because there is no sanctuary or Levitical tribe to perform the sacrifices.
Joseph was said to have been released from prison on this day (Psalm 81:3-6) and the messiah was thought to end their earthly bondage on this day. For this reason, Israel used this day to officially coronate their kings. The new king would start their rule upon the death of the previous king, but the ceremony would take place on Yom Teruah.
Many Christians believe that Yeshua was born on Yom Teruah (I keep promising to do a blog about Christ’s birth on September 11, 3 BC, but I get side-tracked easily) which should make this a Christian holiday – much more appropriate that that hideously pagan and overly commercialized festival they celebrate in December (see my blog, Party Like a Pagan).
Christ is also believed to be returning in glory on Yom Teruah, though most Christians no longer look to any specific day because of a misunderstanding of Mark 24 and 1Thessalonians 5.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Thessalonians 5:2-6
A thief cannot overtake someone who is vigilant, so the Christian who believes that any random day may be the return of Christ will be overtaken by events, just like the unbeliever. The people in Noah’s time were witnessed to for decades and carried on as if nothing could happen (Noah’s Flood – a timeline (6)). They were warned and still they drowned.
For the very reasons that Christ was born on Yom Teruah and will return on Yom Teruah, this day is neither a Jewish holiday nor a Christian holiday. It should be a believer’s holiday.
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: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1Thessalonians 4:16-18