Program Transcript
Episode 37: 7 Feasts: Sound the Trumpet!
Heather M R Olsen

Welcome back, friends. 

As always, I’m delighted you are joining me on this Illumination podcast. We have so much to learn in this large and complex book of the Bible, and each time you listen, you invest more time in knowing what God has to say to each of us. 

God’s message is a personal message which is one of the wonders of the Bible. You and I can each read the same passage yet get something profound and different out of it. God is that Personal! But then we can read it a year later, and He has something else to teach us. Incredible!

I just received news that Illumination got our tax-exempt status! We are officially a 501c3. So grateful!

But onto the topic at hand.

Remember these Feasts, or moedim, appointed times, festivals, parties… whatever your translation is, were commanded by God for the Israelites to celebrate each as a lasting ordinance.

They are still celebrated today by both religious and non-religious Jews. Yet more and more Jesus believers are waking up to messianic messages in them!

Let’s review the 4 spring feasts with messianic fulfillments.

We began the Jewish religious year with Passover or Pesach. This is a commemoration of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt led by Moses. The messianic significance is Jesus’ sacrificial death as the final, perfect Lamb of God, for the sins of humanity, delivering all who believe in him.

Feast #2 is Unleavened Bread, which technically lasts 8 days. Unleavened bread begins the day after Passover. For both holidays, absolutely no yeast is to be found in the home (or stomach). Biblically, yeast is a metaphor for sin, so this messianic fulfillment is Jesus’ sinless body lay in the tomb but did not see decay as found in prophecy.

Feast #3 is First Fruits. First Fruits is Day 3 of the Passover/Unleavened Bread holidays. On first Fruits, the Israelites and Jewish people were to bring the first of their harvest of barley (the first crop in the spring) to the temple to be dedicated back to God. They were to do this prior to harvesting for themselves. Messianic fulfillment is in Yeshua being the First Fruit to permanently and bodily rise from the dead. This is His Resurrection Day with long term connotations in all believers one day bodily rising and living with him.

Feast #4 is late spring, entitled Shavuot in Hebrew, or Weeks. This is another harvest holiday as in antiquity, the wheat was now brought to the temple for dedication to God. Similarly, no wheat was to be harvested for personal use until the dedication happened. Consequently, these 2 dedication ceremonies, First Fruits and Shavuot, are intricately tied to Gratitude. The huge messianic fulfillment in this holiday occurs in the Greek title, Pentecost. This day is 50 days after First Fruits, hence the name Pentecost meaning 50^th, and rather than a wheat harvest, the Holy Spirit was released to all believers in Jesus. With this Holy Spirit indwelling, after one sermon from the Apostle Peter, 3000 people in Jerusalem believed and consequently received the Holy Spirit indelibly imprinted on their own hearts. The great harvest here was souls for the Kingdom of God through their belief in the Messiah. This harvest continues as we all share the Gospel message with others.

Our theme verse for this unit:
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

And so, we head to the three fall feasts.

These ancient, commanded holidays also have powerful messianic implications but, rather than having been fulfilled, they are yet to be fulfilled.

The fall feasts are currently entitled Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.

The three fall feasts land within a 3-week period, ending with the final holiday, Sukkot, as the third of the commanded pilgrimage holidays. 

Like the Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits succession, pilgrims easily could have been in town [Jerusalem] for all three of the fall feasts. 

Adding it up, diligent observant Jewish pilgrims could have practically resided in Jerusalem for all of the 7 commanded moedim of the LORD based on the difficulty of travel and the bundling of the early spring and fall feasts.

This first moed is biblically called Yom Teruah, or Day of Sounding or Trumpets, but today it is called Rosh Hashanah—the Jewish civil or New Year. “Rosh” means “head” and “Hashanah” is “the year.” Rosh HaShanah is Head of the Year. We have the religious new year, Passover, and of course the Gregorian calendar new year is January 1^st, but Rosh HaShanah is the turn of the Jewish calendar.

This holiday’s significance can be summarized as a call to repentance and regathering of God’s people. 

Though a solemn holiday, there is always a hint of hope because of God’s forgiveness.

Let’s read about it in Lev 23:23-25

Leviticus 23:23-25

The Lord said to Moses, “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. Do no regular work but present a food offering to the Lord.””

“On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets.

We can find a similar passage at the beginning of Numbers 29:1-6.

‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

There is very little detail in this passage as to what the Israelites were to do, say, eat, or celebrate.

• We read that it is the 1^st day of the 7^th month.
• Sabbath rest. No regular work
• Sacred assembly
• Food offering
• Commemorate this assembly with trumpet blasts.

Let’s always remember that, as with any sacred holiday, there are rabbinic traditions and Christian or church traditions. 

None of them are wrong and most are beautifully meaningful.

These sacred traditions are often set up to bring us closer to remembering the holiday and God. 

This holiday is celebrated once in Scripture, after the return from the Babylonian exile: 

“On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.” Ezra‬ 3‬:6‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

This celebration after the return from exile was part one of the Greatest Revivals and Celebrations of the Jewish people. Jerusalem and the temple were being rebuilt, after destruction by the Babylonians, and the returning exiles were recommitting themselves to faith and God’s ways.

Yom Teruah lands on the 1^st day of Tishri which is mid-September to early-October in this lunar calendar. 

This is actually the only feast that lands on the 1st day of the month.

It is also a sabbath or shabbat month, the 7^th , and most Jewish people take time off of work or school.

Let’s quick unpack trumpets in the Bible

Biblically, there are 2 types of trumpets:

Chatzo’tzerah חצוצרה

• silver hammered trumpets (Numbers 10:1-2) blown by the priests over sacrifices (Num 10:10)
• King Solomon had 120 of these.

The second type of trumpet is the Shofar. שופר

• Ram’s horn (NOT a bull’s horn)

Biblical blowing of a Shofar:

Gathered an assembly, it was blown at the beginning of new month, it sounded a battle alarm or when an enemy was attacking, announced the coronation of king, the walls of Jericho fell at the shofar blow, it was used in temple worship, now on Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah. The Shofar will be blown on Yom Kippur (10 days later) Leviticus 25:9

Significance of the shofar can be found in Abraham’s binding of Isaac. Isaac’s life was saved by a ram caught in the thicket. 

“God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” Genesis 22:8 

God Himself did provide the lamb for the offering in place of Isaac, and God himself provided the Lamb for the offering of Jesus on our behalf.

Abraham named this place on Mount Moriah “Jehovah Jireh” (the LORD will provide.). Jerusalem is built on that very Mt Moriah!

The long version of the Hebrew holiday greeting is, L’shanah tovah tikkatevu v’techatemu; “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

Why would one be inscribed for a good year?

This inscription refers to the Book of Life; this theme encircles God’s children’s names within this book and the judgment of those who are not within it.

Abraham’s complete trust is consistent with his name being inscribed into the Book of Life. 

This biblical Book of Life is featured 10 times in Scripture.

The first one is referenced as early as Exodus 32 as Moses interceded for the sinning Israelites.

This is right after the Golden Calf incident when the Israelites convinced the high priest Aaron, Moses’ brother, to make a calf made out of gold that they could worship. They wanted a god they could see and touch.

God was angry so Moses offered to make atonement for Aaron’s and the Israelites’ sin.

• Exodus 32:32-33 “But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.”

During these days of Rosh HaShanah, Jewish thought is that God opens His books to examine the deeds of every person.

He then renders judgment for the coming year.

GOD the CREATOR is the only one with the right to judge. [M&D 64]

He alone gets to inscribe and delete names from the Book of Life

The themes of the Book of Life with names blotted out of and names written into are found in addition to the exodus passage in:

• Psalm 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. (King David asks God of his enemies)
• Jesus tells his followers in Luke 10:20, ^“Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
• The apostle Paul talks about the Book of Life in Phillipians 4:3 as he commends workers in the faith, laboring with him.
• Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27 6x we can read about the Lamb’s Book of Life. The names in the Book of Life are described as the righteous, victorious, ones who did not sway from believing in the Lamb of God, Jesus.

These New Testament names in the Book of Life refer to those marked with salvation through their faith in Jesus the Messiah.

Continuing, water is a contemporary metaphor in this holiday, focusing on flowing water as a symbol of time, mortality, and shortness of life. 

“One generation goes, another comes…all streams flow into the sea yet the sea is never full.” There is consciousness of mortality. (Koren Shalem Siddur, pg 882) 

Many traditional observers spend time at a body of water, as the prophet Micah spoke that, “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19

Crumbs of bread or pebbles are tossed into the water with prayers naming sins against God, symbolizing that these sins are washed away and the presence of new beginnings.

Each day of this solemn holiday, the shofar is blown. 

This trumpet is a call to repentance and spiritual preparation, and the sound instigates a 10-day period of examination called “yomim noraim,” the Days of Awe. 

This shofar blow is a wake-up call.

This day serves as a preparation for Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.

But first a quick pause to discuss prophecy.

Prophecy in its simplest form is a “message from God.” Prophets are the messengers.

We often think of prophecy as predictions of future events.

There are many prophets in the Bible: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Elijah, Elisha; yes, the names of major and minor prophets are names of the books of the Bible. There are others: Isaiah’s wife was a prophet, Miriam, Moses’ sister was a prophet, Anna in the New Testament who got to see baby Jesus at the temple, Deborah was a judge and a prophet. 

There are many more.

Prophecy can shine a light on future events, if that is God’s message. Prophecy can be an immediate message, a near future message, far future, and End Times messages. What makes it tricky is all these time periods could be in one utterance of the prophet, forcing the listener or reader to try and decipher which is which.

But how can we know?

Isaiah issued many messianic prophecies. He also spoke End Times prophecies. Fortunately, we have many bible scholars who write commentaries for each of us to apply.

However, among scholars and denominations, the discussion of end times can bring heated debate.

There are 3 main schools of thought regarding end times. They each revolve around the 1000-year reign of Jesus here on earth. 

This millennial reign would follow the defeat of the beast. 

Then begins the resurrection of believers, or ingathering of believers, and ends in judgment of unbelievers. 

Finally, God will establish this new heaven and new earth.

These schools of thought are entitled:

• Premillennialism
• Postmillennialism
• Amillennialism

Briefly, premillennialism, specifically dispensational premillennialism, holds that end times events in scripture will occur in a very specific literal order. And this order occurs before or pre- Jesus’ literal 1000-year reign here on earth. With a literal entrance to the temple mount from the East and a literal New Jerusalem in the state of Israel. Denominations that subscribe to this set of beliefs are often Pentecostal, Charismatic, non-denominational, Assemblies of God, and Baptists. Holes in this belief is that God did away with the sacrificial system at Jesus’ sacrifice. He even took away the temple in 70 AD. Though Ezekiel gives dimensions for the new temple and altar, we can find in Revelation 21:22-23 that in the New Jerusalem, “I [John] did not see a temple in the city because the LORD God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it for the glory of God gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp.”

Postmillennialism is the opposite. This belief system is that Jesus will permanently return after the 1000-year reign. There are scant denominations that subscribe to this, but research illuminates Reformed and some Presbyterian denominations. A hole in this system is in this summary that, “the millennium will arrive gradually under the increasing influence of Christianity, leading to the pervasive reduction of evil and to greatly improved conditions in the social, economic, political, and cultural spheres. In fact, the entire world will eventually be Christianized to the point that the Christian belief and value system will become the accepted norm for all nations.” We don’t see a pervasive reduction of evil but rather an increase. The Book of Revelation directly paints a picture of those not written into the Lamb’s Book of Life, and what happens to them. These are people who never come to believe despite chance after chance, rather than “the entire world eventually Christianized being the accepted norm for all nations.”

Last, Amillennialism maintains that we are in the church age, and there isn’t a literal 1000-year reign. Rather, satan is loose but limited, and cannot bind the nations into unbelief anymore. Denominations of this set of beliefs are the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, other Presbyterians, Church of Christ. Again, a hole in the mix is that satan is loose but limited? We know that evil is escalating, wars, starvation, unkindness, hate talk, people rejoicing over the deaths of others. Friends, if this is satan limited, Heaven help us when satan is loosed.

Remember those were brief oversimplifications. 

All have strong arguments supporting that interpretation. 

All have holes in their arguments.

Hopefully I’ve frustrated each of you equally.

We as humans love to know what and how the end is going to happen. 

But here is what Jesus has told us.

Matthew 24:35-37
The Day and Hour Unknown

³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Our job then as believers?

Know the prophecies. 

You can find them in the Books of Revelation primarily, Zechariah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and more OT prophets plus 16 of the New Testament books.

• Know the Prophecies 
• And be ready.

Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Jesus taught this over and over again, with direct words and with parables. 

Remember the parable of the 10 virgins found in Matthew 25? 5 were wise & ready while 5 were foolish. The wise ones were prepared with extra oil & trimmed wicks while the foolish ones missed the bridegroom’s coming because they were out buying more oil. 

• Know the prophecies.
• Be ready. 

How are we to be ready?

1 – know Jesus

2 – focus on heavenly things rather than earthly

3 – live a Godly life

4 – share the good news about Jesus with others who don’t know him

5 – seek God daily in prayer and in study of scripture—scripture is the main way God talks to us today!

6 – Repentance. Continual repentance. 

And on that repentance note, let’s go back to sounding the shofar and Yom Teruah.

This shofar has messianic implications.

As this holy day of God’s is one of regathering, rabbis believe that the ultimate agent of this regathering is with the Messiah. 

Jesus believers, we know it is.

The Messiah will gather his people, and the Apostle Paul connected this in 

1 Thess 4:16-17 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, [that’s the shofar] and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ 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. 

Paul also told the Corinthian church,
⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² 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. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?” 

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor 15:50-58

Isaiah prophesied that ¹² In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. ¹³ And in that day a great trumpet [shofar] will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. Is 27:12-13

Matthew 24:31

³¹ And 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.

This loud trumpet call is explained in Strong’s topical Greek Lexicon. 

This LORD’s trumpet is the Shofar again—”properly, a war-trumpet” (WS, 797) that boldly announces God’s victory, the vanquishing of His enemies.

“Across its twelve New Testament occurrences the sounding of the trumpet conveys a divine summons, warning, celebration, and public display. Whether introducing catastrophic judgments, heralding resurrection glory, or exposing hypocritical charity, each occurrence retains the sense of a clear, authoritative proclamation that cannot be ignored.”

Each of the previous biblical passages talk of a later day re-gathering of believers in the last days. 

Jesus issues a trumpet [shofar] call and believers are gathered.

Within this re-gathering is the realization of Christ’s return soon to be followed by a new creation. A new heaven and earth.

Yet this holiday rabbinically marks the first Creation of the world. Genesis 1 is often read in synagogues.

Ancient rabbis designated that the world was created 3761 BC.

We now know that isn’t correct… BUT the tradition is still there…

So, in Judaism, you may find a different year listed. Take the year we are in and, if before Rosh Hashanah, add 3760, and if after, add 3761 to it and that will be the Jewish year we are in (you will see this in Jewish writings as well as in Jerusalem)

What Jewish year are we in?

5786

Think about it—commemorating the beginning of time, and the end of time during this single fall holiday. 

READ Paul Steinberg’s quote pg 61 M&D

This future fulfillment is Jesus’ Second coming, and often the Day of the LORD.

The Messiah will arrive and the enemy’s authority will be permanently ended. 

This feast occurs on the New MOON which makes the night very dark. 

These dark days, or Day of the LORD, is when God will pour out His judgment.

Read Amos 5:18-20, Zephaniah 1:14-16 (in FOL book, pg 113)

Also read: Joel 2:31, Is 13:9-10, 34:4, 8, Joel 3:15, Acts 2:20, Rev 6:12-17

This Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShanah holiday with this Day of the LORD judgment is a focus on Repentance addressing both LIFE and DEATH in Scripture. This repentance leads to restoration.

The 10 days of self-examination are solemn. 

Self-examination shouldn’t focus on just one time of year, really, but daily in our faith walk.

Let’s pull out a meaningful Hebrew word.

Shoov (to turn/return) which is right in the middle of the word, Teshuvah (repentance)

• Turn FROM sin
• Return TO God 

The people were to change their hearts, minds, their direction and “shoov” return to God.

“Live in a different way that honors God.” 

John the Immerser or John the Baptist used specific and familiar messianic language regarding his baptism for repentance, that, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” This specifically referred to the coming day of Judgment, and the arrival of the Messiah.

John the Baptist pointed the people of his time to Jesus.

In Greek, parousia denotes the arrival of an important visitor. [M&D 67]

Parousia is translated as, “presence,” “coming,” or “arrival”. 

In biblical and theological contexts, it most commonly refers to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, emphasizing both his future arrival to Earth and his ongoing, physical and personal presence. 

God was preparing Israel in the 1^st century and the world for this upcoming Day of Atonement.

Within the biblical context, often the priests blow the trumpet or shofar.

However, twice in scripture, GOD Himself blows it. 

1^st at Mt Sinai Ex 19:18-20, 

2^nd Messiah’s return Zech 9:14

Then the Lord will appear over them;
    his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;
    he will march in the storms of the south,
¹⁵     and the Lord Almighty will shield them. Zech 9:14

In summary, this Yom Teruah, Rosh HaShanah, Feast of Trumpets, Head of the Year has End Times meaning.

I don’t claim to know the entire order of events, but the start of Jesus’ return will commence with

• God sounding the shofar.
• National self-examination.
• A bodily resurrection of believers (1 Cor 15:51-52) 
• This body of believers will be Gathered as an assembly to the LORD 1 (Thess 4:16-17)

The rest of End Times fulfillment comes in the next 2 holidays.

The day of judgment.

Jesus ushering in a new Heaven & a new Earth. God dwelling with His people again. In perfection.

This is the Greatest Reversal of all, beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation.

And Jesus will reign over it all. 

Friends, Jesus said, “Come! Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17

Come and drink.

Live in readiness! Every day.

Ensure your name is inscribed. Inscribed in the Book of Life.

Let today be your day of repentance. 

Sound the Shofar, “YOUR KING IS COMING!” 

**Heather!

©2025 Heather M R Olsen, Illumination: Hebrew Insights. All rights reserved.