Yom Teruah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, is observed on the first day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. Today, it is more commonly recognized as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and this year it will start on Sept 15th.

It seems that there were several New Year celebrations in the Hebrew Scriptures, just as there are several New Year’s celebrations today. While Passover (Pesach) marked one type of New Year, Rosh Hashanah marks another.

The Shofar (trumpet) serves multiple purposes, with three principal uses. It serves as a call to war (Numbers 10:1-10), a proclamation of freedom (Leviticus 25:9), and the long, loud blast of the Shofar is a call to return to God (Exodus 19:13). The sound of the Shofar calls us to return to Y’shua serving as a reminder to change one’s direction, actions, and one’s mind.

The powerful sound of the Shofar, also recognized as the trump of God, instilled tremendous awe and reverence among the Jewish people as God descended upon Mount Sinai to establish His covenant.

While not specifically mentioned, we can observe a parallel between the Feast of Trumpets and the ministry of John the Baptist. John, like a trumpet of God, called people to repent and return to God, urging them to change their ways.

All believers need to understand that blowing the Shofar declares the LORD God as the King of the universe, as stated in Psalm 98:6: “With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, shout for joy before the King ADONAI.” Let us follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist and proclaim to the world that the Kingdom of God is near. For no man knows the day or the hour…