Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets)

You can read more here: http://www.ezekielthree.com/trumpets.html

In just a few days it will be the first day of the fall Feasts of the LORD - the Day of the Awakening Blast, also called the Feast of Trumpets.

In Leviticus 23:23-25 we read,

"Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.'"

There's several things in this verse that would make people jump to the conclusion that this feast is not for His church/body today, mainly the fact that He speaks to Israel and that an offering of fire should be made. Granted these seem to point to that conclusion, but they wouldn't be taking in the whole context of Scripture.

To understand this let's consider the New Covenant for a moment. In Jeremiah 31:31-34 we read,

"Behold the days are coming says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, form the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.'"

We see first of all that the LORD is speaking to Israel and Judah at first, but then in verse 33 we read only Israel. Is He not including Judah now? No, He's simply pointing out that they will be made whole again, remembering of course that He is speaking to those of Israel and Judah who are BELIEVERS in HIM. The Jewish people are not saved because they are of Israel, but only if they believe upon Yeshua as Messiah! And what about us Gentiles? We'll get to that!

Next we see that He is certainly speaking of the New Covenant that was made in Messiah's blood because of verse 34, where He says He will 'forgive their iniquity' and remember their sins no more.

Yeshua said,

"For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
-Matthew 26:28

Also in Jeremiah 31:34 God promises to be their God and that they will be His people. We see this fulfilled in it's entirety in Revelation.

Revelation 21:3 says,

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.'"

Clearly in Jeremiah the Lord God is speaking of the New Covenant that we have entered into today as followers of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ). So if that is the case, then where do the Gentiles fit into this according to Jeremiah 31? If He was only speaking of Israel what about Gentiles? In Scriptures like Deuteronomy 29:14; 32:43; Isaiah 56:1-8; Acts 15: 7-9; Romans 11:11-36; Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:3-6 and others we see clearly that the Gentiles have always been welcomed to YHWH by His grace, through faith in Messiah Yeshua just as the Jews. But as Paul wrote in Romans 2:9-11, it was offered to the Jew first and then to the Gentile as well. Both Jew AND Gentile can enter His New Covenant by faith in Yeshua!

So what does all this have to do with the Feast of Trumpets? Well, if we as Gentiles in the flesh can become partakers of the New Covenant then we are now able to enjoy His feasts as well, along with ALL of HIS Commandments! The church is made up of both believing Jew and believing Gentile - one new man created in HIM for obedience to the faith (Galatians 3:28; Romans 1:5).

His commandments, including HIS APPOINTED TIMES (Heb. moedim) ie. His Sabbath, His feasts, His new moons, are for all His people - the church.

What about the offering made by fire? I explain this a bit further in my study on this feast, but basically that commandment has not been done away with. We are still to offer up a burnt offering, but not animals, rather, we are to offer up ourselves! We are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) and we are to offer up sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to His name, by which sacrifices God is well pleased (Hebrews 13:15-16). Deuteronomy 4:24 and Hebrews 12:29 also says that God is a consuming fire. If He accepts our lives as an offering to Him, wouldn't that be a burnt offering? I know this seems like I'm spiritualizing the matter, but this is not a new concept. Long before Messiah came to earth in the flesh, God had always wanted the New Covenant for His people, however many of them rejected it. He always wanted their hearts circumcised (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4) but now we see it fulfilled in Messiah (Colossians 2:11). He always wanted His people to allow the Holy Spirit to indwell them and for them to be His house (Numbers 11:29; 2 Samuel 7:6-11; Isaiah 63:11) yet we see it fulfilled today (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Peter 2:5).

I suppose to an extent we are spiritualizing, but only in the sense that the Scriptures give us. Yeshua said,

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
-John 4:23

God had placed His Spirit in those of old - Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others - as well as circumcised their hearts, and today we are a part of that family who worship Him in spirit and truth (if we have faith in the Son of God). Remembering that God is spirit and His Word is truth and that Yeshua IS the Living Word. His Law/Word is the very truth that the Holy Spirit writes on our hearts (Psalm 119:142; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 36:27) and by our obedience we know that we love God and love His children (John 14:15; 1 John 5:2-3; James 2:14-26).

As the day approaches we'll look more at this feast and what it means for us, but for now consider that it IS for us. Also, consider the time coming, looking unto Him...and listening for His voice.