The Feast of Trumpets 2023

The Feast of Trumpets in 2023

Summer is winding down, and we’ll soon see stores flood with kids begrudgingly walking through the school supplies aisle. But there’s more to fall than just back-to-school shopping and pumpkin patches. 

In fact, there’s much, much more. 

As the sun sets on September 15th, families all over the globe will begin to settle into the first of the fall Biblical holidays: Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets. 

Despite common beliefs, the holidays in the Bible are not simply Jewish holidays. Rather, everyone is invited to participate in these holy celebrations. 

Before we dive into the specifics about the Feast of Trumpets 2023, let’s review the cycle of the holy days. 

 

What Holidays are on the Jewish Calendar? 

Much like the seasons themselves, the Biblical holidays operate in a cyclical manner. In Leviticus 23, God tells Moses about the holidays and how to celebrate each one. He lays out everything from the weekly sabbath (Shabbat) to the feast days and the holiest of days, Yom Kippur. 

Spring Holidays 

There are three holidays in the Spring—Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits

Passover (Feast of Pesach)

In the days of Moses, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Through a series of 10 plagues, each of the major Egyptian gods was challenged. The 10th plague brought death to all the firstborn children in the land—all except those who put a lamb’s blood over their doorpost. As the spirit of death moved through the land, it passed over those with the blood on the door. 

Feast of Unleavened Bread

Passover kicks off the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a seven-day holiday that celebrates freedom. As the Israelites prepared to leave Egypt, they didn’t have time to let their bread rise. We celebrate Unleavened Bread by ridding our homes of leavening to both 1. Remember the Israelites’ wanderings through the desert once they were sent away from Egypt, and 2. Celebrate the invitation to leave behind sin and enter into a season of new holiness.

First Fruits 

After the Feast of Unleavened Bread comes First Fruits. This is a day for agricultural offerings of the first fruits of the season. It also kicks off counting the omer, or counting down the 50 days before Pentecost. 

Summer Holidays

There is only one holiday in the summer—Pentecost. 

Pentecost (Shavuot or The Feast of Weeks)

During the days of Moses, Pentecost was when the Israelites received the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai. After Jesus’ death, Pentecost marked the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on man. 

Fall Holidays

That brings us to the Fall Holidays. There are three holidays during this time of year—Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles.

Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)

The Feast of Trumpets marks a new year in the Hebrew calendar. In Israel, Jewish people throw stones into a body of water to symbolize the casting off of sins. Our congregation recognizes this tradition and casts off something we’ve been carrying so we can pick up better things in the new year.  

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

The holiest of the high holy days, Yom Kippur is a time when we remember & rehearse our meeting with Jesus during judgment day. We repent of our sins by asking forgiveness from those who we’ve wronged and extending forgiveness from those that have wronged us. It’s a solemn day of fasting.    

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)  

Also called the Feast of Booths, Tabernacles calls for God’s people to live life in temporary dwellings just as the Israelites did in the desert and to symbolize our own temporary passage on this earth.

During this holiday, we are called to celebrate with others as we anticipate what it will be like in eternity.

A Few Notes about the Holidays for 2023

It’s important to know that the Jewish calendar operates in a different way than the American one we’re so used to. While our days begin with the sun rising each morning, days for the Jewish people begin at sundown, as the first days are described in Genesis, with the evening coming first. Not only this, but a day beginning with sunset is a day that begins with rest, a fundamental characteristic of God’s people. 

Also, you may have noticed that one major holiday wasn’t on our list—Hanukkah. That’s because while Hanukkah may have been a popular holiday in the Jewish community, there is no Biblical command dedicated to celebrating Hanukkah. Because Jesus did, we here at Twenty Six Eight also recognize and celebrate the holiday. 

Another holiday you may have heard about is Purim, described in the book of Esther. Although there are no major sabbaths or holy days associated with Purim, we gather corporately to celebrate Purim together as well. 

 

Feast of Trumpet Symbolism

Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Teruah and translates to “Day for blowing trumpets.” 

So, the trumpets we blow! 

Times to Blow Trumpets

Biblically, trumpets were blown for a handful of different occasions: 

  • To signify the beginning of a new month
  • To remember or hold a memorial day 
  • To signify the beginning of a Jubilee year or year of rest 
  • To gather all of God’s People
  • To warn of impending danger
  • To rouse people to repentance 
  • To coronate a new king of Israel 

In this case, the trumpets are blown on this Jewish new year to gather God’s people, rouse them to repentance and will one day coronate our reigning King Jesus, who will be accompanied by the sound of trumpets upon His return. (Zechariah 9:14) 

But we don’t just use any ol’ brass trumpet that’s fit for a marching band. Instead, these sounds come from a shofar, or a ram’s horn

Where Does Jesus Fit? 

The Old and New Testaments speak of Jesus Christ. The books of the Old Testament all point to His coming, death & resurrection as the Messiah and the New Testament books point to the days when He will be our reigning king for all eternity. 

Similarly, the spring holidays speak of Jesus’s first coming, while the fall holidays speak of his next coming. The Feast of Trumpets reminds us that Jesus is King and also announces that judgment is coming. 

One day, a series of one hundred trumpet blasts are sounded to announce that the eternal court is in session. We will be called to gather and given time to prepare for our time in the judgment seat on the Day of Atonement. 

Jesus warns us with the shofar that His judgment is coming to those who do not repent but also that his mercy is waiting for those who turn and respond to His call. 

How to Celebrate The Feast of Trumpets with Twenty Six Eight Church

Although a somewhat solemn day, we celebrate Rosh Hashanah with shouts of joy, celebrating Jesus’s mercy, goodness and future reign. 

We can stand with confidence on that day of 100 trumpets because we have been preparing each year. 

To celebrate and prepare your heart with us, join us for our corporate gathering as we lay down our emblems of repentance.  

What is an emblem of repentance?

Simply put, it’s a personal symbol of repentance, some sort of object that represents what you believe God wants you to turn from. 

For example, if God wants your time, you might bring a planner or clock. We’ve had everything from Espresso machines to letters to wet clay at the altar. 

Keep in mind that whatever you lay down is going to get cast away. (The Jews cast their stones into the water. We cast ours into the dumpster). Watch this video to learn more about laying down an emblem. 

Check out our free ebook, Guide to the Fall Holidays 2021, for a guide to celebrating all of the Fall Holidays.

Head to our website for Fall Holiday resources and then reach out to find out where we will be meeting this year. 

Phone: 208.571.2090

Email: church@268church.org