Meeting Times [מוֹעֵד H4150] – (Seasons)
The sun, moon, and stars indicate set appointments when Yahweh will show up to interact with His people. The Older Covenant feasts, Yahweh’s meeting times (seasons), are determined by the cycles of the moon. The word translated feasts is the Hebrew word, מוֹעֵד Moed. Moed means a divine appointment. In other words: a fixed time or season, specifically a festival.
Moed [מוֹעֵד H4150]
• At this set time – Genesis 17:21, 21:2; Exodus 9:5
• At the appointed time – Genesis 18:14
• An appointed season – Exodus 13:10; Numbers 9:2, 9:3, 9:7, 9:13; Deuteronomy 16:6
• An appointed place (tabernacle / tent of the congregation) – Numerous Exodus, Leviticus passages.
In Greek: Chronos [χρόνος G5550] — time either long or short – time.
Kairos [καιρός G2540] – a fixed and definite time – season.
“It is not for you to know the timesG5550 or the season G2540 . . .” – Acts 1:7
“But of the times and the seasons . . .” – 1 Thessalonians 5:1
The Moedim were times when Yahweh appointed a מִקְרָא Miqrao. A miqrao is something called out. In other words: a public meeting, an assembly, a holy convocation, a reading, or a rehearsal. In other words, the feasts are a dress rehearsal for the coming of Yeshua. The moedim of Israel have a practical, a symbolic, and a prophetic application.
Miqrao [מִקְרָא H4744]
• A holy convocation – Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:2-8; Numbers 28:18, 28:25, 29:12
• An assembly – Numbers 10:2; Isaiah 1:13, 4:5
• A reading – Nehemiah 8:8
The Seven Moedim are:
• Pesach (Passover)
• Chag Ha’Matzot (Unleavened Bread)
• Reishit Katzir (First Fruits) Begins on the third day after Pesach.
• Shavuot (Pentecost)
• Yom Teruah (Trumpets)
• Yom Kippurim (Day of Atonements)
• Sukkot (Tabernacles)
The Three Commanded Moedim
Deuteronomy 16:16 – “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.”
The Three commanded Moedim are:
• Pesach (Passover), including Chag Ha’Matzot (Unleavened Bread) and Reishit Katzir (First Fruits)
• Shavuot (Pentecost)
• Sukkot (Tabernacles)
The Fifth Holy Day
Yom Teruah is commonly called Rosh Hashanah. Today we are one day closer to the return of Yeshua than we were yesterday. Tomorrow we will be even one day closer. It is my prayer that this year finds Yom Teruah’s prophetic fulfillment in Yeshua’s return for his bride.
The Meaning of the Celebration
Yom Teruah celebrates the Resurrection of the Righteous, Kingship of the Lord, and Marriage of the Lamb. Only when two witnesses see the edge of the moon, can the festival start. They had a two day period in which they knew it would happen, but not the exact day or time. Hence, the expression Yeshua used: “You do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 24:36). By using this expression, Yeshua also references the Kiddushin / Nesu’im, and the Yom HaKeseh. This day is a day of blessing, or as Paul puts it in Titus 2:13 – “Our blessed hope”. Peter says the same in 1 Peter 1:13.
Yom Teruah and The Rapture
Psalm 89:15 – “Happy are those who hear the blessed sound of the Shofar, the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of the presence of Yahweh.”
Yom Teruah (יוֹם תְּרוּעָה) is the official Hebrew name of the Moed, or Divine Appointment. Yom Teruah is also called Rosh Hashanah, The Feast Of Trumpets, The Feast Of Blowing, The Feast Of Repentance, or the Feast Of The New Moon. The word Teruah (תְּרוּעָה H8643) means: a shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy; a loud noise of rejoicing; the voice of a trumpet. Teruah is most frequently linked in scripture to the blowing of the Shofar and secondly as the noise of a joyful shouting. The word Yom (יוֹם H3117) simply means: day.
Other Names for Rosh Hashanah include:
• Yom Teruah: Day of the Awakening Blast, or Day of the Sounding of the Shofar.
• Yom Ha’Din: The Day Of Judgment, The Day Of Opening The Books, The Opening Of The Gates.
• Yom Ha’Kiddushin / Nesu’im: The Wedding Day Of The Messiah.
• Yom Ha’Melekh: The Day Of The Coronation Of The Messiah.
• Yom Ha’Akedah: The Day Of Abraham’s Offering of Isaac.
• Yom Ha’Natzal: The Day Of The Resurrection of the Righteous Dead and the Taking Up of the Living Righteous.
• Yom Ha’Keseh: The Hidden Day, The Day of Hiding or Concealment.
Yom Teruah: Rosh Hashanah, The Feast Of Trumpets, The Day of the Sounding of the Shofar
Leviticus 23:24 – “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.”
Numbers 29:1 – “On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets.”
Matthew 24:31 – “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
Yom Teruah, The Feast of Trumpets, is indelibly linked with the blowing of trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets uses 100 distinct shofar (שׁוֹפָר H7782) blasts but only four different types of blasts during the festival. They are the single Tekiah (תקיעה) blast which signify the sound of the King’s coronation, the three short Shevarim (שברים) blasts which signify repentance, the nine staccato Teruah (תרועה) blasts of alarm which signify the call to awaken the soul , and the great long Tekiah Ha’Gâdôl (גָּדוֹל –תקיעה) blast which signifies the voice of Yahweh. The fourth and final type, the Tekiah Ha’Gâdôl, is known to the Jews as the “Last Trump” or as the “Trump of God”.
Yom Ha’Din: The Day of Judgment, The Day Of Opening The Books, the Opening of Heaven’s Gates
Psalm 33:15: – “He who fashions the hearts of all observes all their deeds.”
Revelation 20:11-12 – “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.”
This day brings together all those who are about to be judged, based on the fact that all have sinned, all have made mistakes. It is the day when all must pass before Yahweh to be judged for their actions of the last year, when the books are opened and He determines their fate for the next year. Rosh Hashanah is not a trial before a cruel or unknown judge on arbitrary charges, however, but a summing up of our deeds by a righteous judge who judges rightly.
On this day Rabbinical teachings tell us that three great books will be opened and that all men will be put into one of three classifications. The totally righteous are sealed and separated for life with God. This is called the natzel, or the rapture. The totally wicked are sealed to face the wrath of God during the tribulation period and then will be separated from God throughout all eternity. The fate of the people that are neither totally righteous nor totally wicked is not yet sealed at this point.
It is also a day of Repentance. Repentance, or Teshuva, consists of several steps in the Jewish tradition including recognition and admission of the wrong doing, and renunciation of the action. Teshuva also requires restitution to the wronged party and a promise not to repeat the offense. Those who are neither totally righteous nor totally wicked will have until Yom Kippur to repent. In other words, they would go through the tribulation period however unlike the totally wicked, many would repent and turn to God. Their fate is then determined after the seven year tribulation. The trumpets declare the solemn warning that the gates of heaven are open and that the Court in Heaven is in session.
Yom Ha’Kiddushin / Nesu’im: The Wedding Day Of The Messiah
Joel 2:15-16 – “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.”
The Jewish wedding ceremony gives us another picture of Yom Teruah, including the escape theme in which God causes His people to escape wrath, and the concept of concealment behind a closed door. Only the father could determine the day and hour when the bridegroom would show up unannounced to take his bride home. Once the groom and betrothed were together, they proceeded to the groom’s new home, which was the same home as his father’s. Once back at the father’s home, the groom and bride then would be concealed in the Chuppah for seven days. Again, the image of a celebration that is hidden. This day is a day of the Wedding of the Bride of Yeshua, to their King.
Yom Ha’Melekh: The Day Of The Coronation Of The Messiah
Psalm 98:6 – “With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.”
The blowing of the shofar on Yom Teruah also links this day to Yeshua’s sovereignty and Kingship over the world. Judgment and Kingship are closely linked. The coronation ceremony of Kings was ripe with the blowing of trumpets, noisy celebration, and a seven sealed document being opened and read to all in attendance. Because Yom Teruah is a coronation of Yahweh / Yeshua as king of the universe, one of the most famous and familiar prayers of this season is Avinu Malkenu (“Our Father, Our King”).
1 Kings 1:32-46 speaks of such a coronation, as does 2 Kings 11:12-13. Psalm 47 is called the Coronation Psalm, and references the blowing of the shofar in celebration of His coming with a shout and the sound of the trumpet. Psalm 98 confirms that the shofar is blown to inform us that the King is praised and the fullness of the sea is present. Isaiah 12:1-6 puts the shouting in the context of the exaltation of His name being known throughout the earth. Isaiah 44:23-28 mentions shouting in relation to the Messianic era, as does Jeremiah 31:7 and Zephaniah 3:14-20. Revelation 4 tells us that the Bride of Christ has been raptured, the King is on His throne, and the seven sealed scroll is opened.
These passages reference the coronation of the Messiah and its part in the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, albeit also in a somewhat hidden manner! This day is a day of the Coronation of the King.
Yom Ha’Akedah: The Day Of Abraham’s Offering of Isaac, The Binding of Isaac
Genesis 22:7-8 – “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “Yahweh will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.”
Genesis 22:13 – “Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.”
According to Jewish tradition, the Shofar is also blown on Yom Teruah as a reminder of the substitutional sacrifice of the lamb in place of the sacrificing of Isaac. Note that it is Yahweh himself who is the lamb! Genesis 22:8 could be translated: “Yahweh will provide Himself AS the lamb!”
The Ram’s left and right horns symbolize the Shofar’s First Trump and Shofar’s Last Trump. According to 1st Corinthians 15:52-54, Paul states that on this day, “in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sounding of the last shofar the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed from mortal to immortal.” This day is a day of the Substitutional Sacrifice.
Yom Ha’Natzal: The Day Of The Resurrection of the Righteous Dead and the Taking Up of the Living Righteous
Daniel 12:2 – “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
Isaiah 26:19 – “Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy!”
In Exodus 19, when the trumpet was sounded, God came down and Moses went up! In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, the apostle Paul writes that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God . . .” Paul states that when the trumpet of God sounds, “those who have died believing in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive will be gathered up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever.”
In 1 Corinthians15:51-52, Paul tells us: “Behold, I tell 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 trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” The last trumpet is referring to the Feast of Trumpets and reveals the day of the resurrection of the Saints and catching away or rapture. This day is a day of blessing, or as Paul puts it in Titus 2:13, “Our blessed hope” – Peter says the same in 1 Peter 1:13.
Yom Ha’Keseh: The Hidden Day, The Day of Hiding, The Day of Concealment
Psalm 81:3 – “Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the concealed time, on our feast day.”
Yom Ha’Keseh can be interpreted several different ways. Firstly, it references the day when the moon is just coming out of hiding, in other words, a day of a concealed moon. Secondly, Satan is not be given notice about the arrival of Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment. A hidden day because it was hidden from Satan, the adversary, in the same manner that the resurrection of Yeshua on the third day was hidden from his knowledge.
On Rosh Hashanah, Israel diminishes itself and conceals its greatness in awe of the Day of Judgment. The Almighty, too, places a cover of concealment over His People’s sins and accords them forgiveness. All that transpires on this day is characterized by concealment, and is applied in the individual’s behavior. Like a newborn with no past history in terms of relations to others, no resentment, grudges, or unhappiness, we are instructed to avoid anger, any expression of arrogance, or any negative thoughts, deeds, or words; the hope is that concealment of the negative will lead to its eradication, and to the cleansing of our souls.
Isaiah 26:20 speaks of a time when concealment or hiding is essential – during the time of wrath: “My people, go into your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide in your rooms for a short time until God’s anger is finished.” Psalm 27:5 speaks of a similar hiding: “For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me.” Song of Songs 2:10-13 tells of the bride who has “come away” hidden in the secret places of the rock. Chapter 6 confirms that she is hidden, unable to be found by those who seek her. Her bridegroom, Yeshua, asks them “why do you look for the bride since she has been stolen by me?” These passages reference Yom Teruah, albeit in a hidden manner! This day is a day of concealment and protection from the wrath of Yahweh being poured out upon the unbelieving.
Conclusion
Yom Teruah’s three main themes are Resurrection of the Righteous, Kingship of the Lord, and Marriage of the Lamb, all rapture images. There is a two day period in which they knew it would happen, but not the exact time. Only when two witnesses see the edge of the moon, can the festival start. Hence, “You do not know the day or the hour.” Yom Teruah is a day of hiding – a day whose importance is hidden from Satan and in which Yeshua’s Bride is also hidden. Those who wait for the rapture expect to be hidden in Heaven during the tribulation period. The blowing of the shofar easily portends the both a kingly coronation and a resurrection and rapture.
Combined, all these images present Yom Teruah as one of the premier representations of the Rapture event and therefore is one of the major candidates for the day of the Rapture. No one, I repeat: NO ONE, can say on which Yom Teruah the Rapture will take place, however! All we can do is stay alert and look forward to that day when our blessed hope is realized. Yom Teruah is the day of the Blessed Hope.
Prophecy continues to unfold as foretold by the Hebrew prophets. The stage is being set. That being said, one can only ask: “How imminent is the return of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach?”
Rapture Party 