Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.’ Lev. 23:24

In Israel once a year there is a festival called Yom Teruah, the day of the blowing of the trumpets. In Hebrew, Teruah means a loud noise or blast, even a shout. This feast is the 5^th major feast outlined in the Pentateuch. Once a year, on this day, the trumpets begin to sound. Now, traditionally, a Hebrew 'day' begins at 6pm in the evening and ends the following day. As it was in Genesis 1, the day starts in the evening, ‘there was evening and then morning’.

There are 7 main feasts, Mo-edim in Hebrew, meaning appointed times. God commands his people to make sure they participate in these feats otherwise they are cut off from their people. Each one of these is a commemoration of something specific. In order they are:

1. Passover - the salvation through the blood of the lamb and the exit from this world.

2. Unleavened bread - the removal of yeast, a picture of sin.

3. First fruits - the day they celebrate new life. This is fully realized in Jesus who is the first fruits, the first back from the dead.

4. Shavuot or, as we know it, Pentecost. - This is the day to celebrate the harvest. It is when the holy spirit came.

5. Yom Teruah - which we will look at in a moment.

6. Yom Kippur the day of atonement. - Where the high priest went into the holy place and sprinkled the blood on the Ark. Jesus our great high priest did this and is now interceding for us and is preparing a place for us.

7. Tabernacles, when God’s people move from their temporary dwelling places and into the homes. A reminder that God’s people will dwell with God and He with them.

Going back to Yom Teruah. It speaks of the rapture. AS we have already said the word Teruah doesn't just mean a trumpet blast, it can be a loud noise even a shout. This week at 6pm in Israel, on the day of Yom Teruah sirens were sounded across the nation. Millions of people in Israel heard this sound and immediately recognised that they had to move. They had to be ready to go to the shelters at a moment's notice. It’s a potent reminder of the sudden coming of Jesus. In many ways this years Yom Teruah is a very good illustration of what the final Trumpet call will be like.

The feast of Yom Teruah lasts for 10 days, over the course of these ten days the trumpets would be sounded over and over. Culminating in the gathering of the people for the feast of tabernacles.

Jesus said, ‘he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.’ Matt. 24:31

At the end there will be a loud trumpet, and his people will be gathered. One thing that is important to understand about these appointed times is that they are set days. Each one of these is known ahead of time, except for Yom Teruah. Yom Teruah is unique because the trumpet is blown as the new moon is spotted. The problem is, no one knows exactly which day this will be. They know the general time window, but the trumpet isn't blown till the new moon is seen.

So, when Jesus said, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matt. 24:36

All the Jews knew that Jesus was referencing this feast, Yom Teruah. 4 times during this dialogue Jesus warns that no one will know the day nor hour. We must be ready before the trumpet sounds. When we understand this, the promises of God in the New Testament, follow this exact pattern, consider what Paul said:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thess 4:15-18

Again, we see that the precursor to dwelling with God is a loud shout, a trumpet call and the voice of God. John experienced this in the book of Revelation, he said:

“The voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. Rev. 4:1-2

Notice that John says the voice calling him is like the trumpet, perhaps they are one in the same? Or perhaps they coincide with one another, regardless at this ‘teruah’ John is immediately taken to the throne room of God.

Finally, then, Paul reminds us, ‘Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.’ 1 Cor. 15:50-52

Notice that here Paul says that it’s the ‘last trumpet’ that starts this metamorphosis. The trumpets are already sounding, will we be ready for the final one? Now to be clear, I am not date setting. I’m not suggesting I know when the rapture will happen, however, these problems that we have seen this week are like birth pains. They will grow and grow until God’s word is fulfilled. We looked at the previous attack on Isarel earlier this year and if you remember I warned that this will continue to escalate until it reaches its fulfilment. We could still be years away or it could be just around the corner. Whatever the case, we must be ready.

We should look towards the coming of Jesus, much like the events in Israel this week, it will come suddenly, and we must be ready. ‘Getting ready’ is a funny thing, how do we get ready for something if we don’t know when to be ready for? Well, I suggest that we are always ready, we must be looking up for the redemption of God. You cannot wait till you hear the trumpet, or it will be too late to get ready. This week when that loud blast came from the sirens, millions of Israelis abandoned what they were doing to seek shelter from the impending attack. Likewise, we must also be ready to respond when the final teruah is sounded.

• Adapted from Pastor Dave’s message 02/10/24