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Lev. 23:23-25 gives us a starting point for what Rosh Hashanah is all about.
What else is involved in this day?
“Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.”
Num. 29:1-6 NASB
This is the primary source of instructions on when to gather, why we gather and what was supposed to happen on this day. The first day of the seventh month is a זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה zikharon t’rua‘h (“memorial of blowing”). It’s a shabbaton (“sabbath rest”) in which we do any laborious (servile) work. This memorial blowing is called a מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ miqra’ qodesh (“holy convocation”).
There were different offerings that took place on Yom Teruah (Num 29:1–6).
There were daily sacrifices and cermonies that occured every day that also occurred on Yom Teruah.
- Rosh Chodesh ’olah and khatt’at with their minkhah offerings.
- Tamid (continual; morning and evening) and drink offerings.
What is Rosh Hashanah?
The Bible name for the annual memorial on the first day of the seventh month of Israel’s calendar (September–October) is Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing/Blasting [Trumpets]). It is commonly called Rosh Hashanah (“head of the year”) because the seventh month has four memorials of God’s completed work in bringing in the Kingdom of God: Trumpets, Atonement (Yom haKippurim), Tabernacles (Sukkot) and the Eighth Day (Shemeni Atzeret). Rosh Hashanah is also called the Day of Judgment in the Mishna.
Here are three themes of synagogue prayers on Rosh Hashanah:
- Kingship of the LORD
- Wonders of the LORD
- Sound of the shofar: Remember Sinai
Enduring lessons of Yom Teruah
The following lessons are expanded on in this primer on the Festival of Trumpets.
Wake up!
Today is a call to action for all of Israel to pay attention. It is a heard that the age of total renewal is coming, calling God’s people to return to God. A key role of the trumpet in Israel is a call to action to pay attention. The Holy One of Israel covers over and removes sins, transgression and iniquities.
Remember the Voice of God at Sinai
The Torah actually speaks of “seeing” the sound of the shofar, which seems incredibly odd to our western mindset. There was even a popular Christian song that riffed on this idea called “Smelling the Color 9.” Just as sonic booms are sometimes visible, God’s voice was visible, not just audible at Sinai, and knocked the people back from the mountain.
Heaven speaks through sweet, stinging words of servants (prophets, apostles, workers)
Listen for the Voice of God on the Day of the LORD
- “Great trumpet” (Matt. 24:29–31)
- “last trumpet” (1Cor. 15:50–53) and“trumpet of God” (1Thess. 4:13–18), which will bring about the resurrection.
Seven trumpets of Revelation 8–11
Welcome the new King of Israel
When the King arrives in His kingdom, the first thing he does is render judgement on what happened before to create a clean start for his reign.
Restored Temple for all nations
This temple is not just a building. What made the temple special was not merely the great expense put into making every corner of it beautiful, but because it was God’s dwelling place. It was God’s presence that made it the most special building in the world. That’s why there was only one Temple of God and it was meant to be the midst of His people.
Israel is the “mother” of Messiah
I, traitor of Heaven
If we live in a way that is completely contrary to God’s law, if we actively work against God, then we are committing treason against Him and just as earthly rulers act decisively and ruthlessly against traitors, how much more does God take treason seriously.
Think of some events in recent history, such as D-Day in World War II. The stakes were extremely high. Imagine if someone in the landing operation decided to reveal the entire plan to the enemy and to conspire against the success? How would the victims of Hitler’s tyrannical regime, such as those living in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East have been affected by such a betrayal? Would those victims look on such people with favor?
God has commissioned many through the generation to be His apostles to the nations, many of whom faced extreme persecution and betrayal. The martyrs’ missions may have been cut short with eternal consequences for those who were denied access to the knowledge of heaven because of the action of their betrayers. Even when the stakes are so high for the world, how is it God shows so much compassion?
Korach and those who followed him didn’t understand that everyone has a role to play in God’s plan, that we all have one leader, which is Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). Whether you are called to be a prophet, an apostle, a teacher or a deacon, all operation under the same leader. We should not succumb to the temptation to covet someone’s role in the body.
In the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea, God called out the demons in control of Egypt and Caanan. He did not negotiate with them, He utterly defeated them. He showed the world His complete power and their powerlessness in comparison.
Deadly rapture with the Rapture
There is a lot “under the hood” of the Bible when it comes to what will happen leading to the “end of the world.” A danger of the teaching of the Rapture is that what the Bible tells us is that those who are “left behind” are destroyed, not those who are rescued.
The Bible is clear that Yeshua will return after the tribulation, not before (Matthew 24:29-36; Luke 1:39-55).
- Sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars will fall (cited from Isa. 13:10; 24:23; Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15f; Amos 5:20; 8:9; Zeph. 1:15). These signs are forewarnings of the Day of the LORD (Joel 2:1–2).
- The Son of Man will come in the clouds (cited from Dan. 7:13).
- A “great trumpet” will gather the elect (cited from Isa 27:13; cp. Deut 30:4; Zech 9:14).
Those who are teaching the Rapture are teaching their own statements, not representative of God’s true and faithful witness. They are also not preparing the people of God to “stand” — put full trust in the LORD — on the Day of the LORD.
We are told that in the very end times, that Jerusalem will be a compilation of villages without walls (Zech 2:4) and that the enemies of God will try to attack it (Zech. 14:2–3; Rev. 20:9). But we know that their attack will come to naught because the Bible tells us that no weapon formed against God will prosper.
The apostle Paul wrote about the “last trumpet” (1Cor. 15:50–53) and “trumpet of God” (1Thess. 4:13–18). There were 10 spies who told the people that they could not succeed against the Caananites, only 2 had enough faith in God’s track record to say that they had everything that they needed to go in and to succeed in conquering it.
Things will go crazy and upside down on the Day of the LORD, but we are exhorted to trust the One who have brought us through life’s struggles. Those who know God will see our peace and want to meet the Source of our peace. They will come to us for answers when they realize that those who they had believed lied to them.
We are told to be ready at all times to answer those who have legitimate question. We are also warned that all those who call themselves Israel are not actually of Israel. We to mirror what our Creator looks like. We are to present the Torah to others the way it was presented to us and how it it was lived out by Messiah Yeshua. We need to be of one accord about the mission to reveal the Torah of Messiah to those around us.
The future belongs to God, not to the empires of this world. God sets up kings and queens and takes them down.
God’s call for the remnant of Israel and their associates from the nations alive on the Day of the LORD won’t miss those in the grave. God will transform them all into imperishable immortals, after the resurrection of the elect.
Just as the trumpet blast during God’s appointments and other times were calls to awe and joy of God, so too, the resurrection and transformation on the Day of the LORD will be a happy time — for those with their hearts tuned to Heaven’s station.
Amid all the disasters foretold to be coming on the world during this time, there’s the good news that the Messiah will be bringing the misery of a sin-stained world to an end.
Summary: Tammy