“Here
is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to
do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the
lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If
you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners
do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think
that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.'” Luke
6:31-34 (The Message).
Jesus was
brilliant!
What an
amazingly simple, yet powerfully effective prescription for creating harmony in
the world! But it takes far more than the disposition of ordinary humans to do
that.
We humans
have far more inclination to destroy that to build and to sustain. Watching
television is enough to convince us of that. How many TV programmes and movies
and books and news stories are about destruction? And we thrive on them all!
Watching or reading about everyday stuff is tame and boring. We like murder and
war and bloodshed.
Jesus
challenged His hearers, and He challenges us today. Try living this way for
a month and see what it does to your
depression; your stress; even your anxieties and fears. How many of the issues
you have with others will melt away? How much suspicion, mistrust, dislike,
offenses will dissipate? How much peace will you experience in the place of
inner turmoil?
Just
imagine how far the ripples will go out from the pebble you drop in the pond!
You have issues with your husband? Try doing for him what you are always
nagging him to do for you. Your wife refuses to be your servant? Try lovingly
serving her without expecting any reward. The outcome beggars imagination.
Homes would be transformed from war zones to havens.
Jesus put
His finger on the nerve centre of our problems — selfishness! What if we
dethroned ourselves, just for a month, put Him back on the throne of our lives
where He belongs, let God be the centre of the universe, not us, and practised
these simple ways to create harmony, not chaos, around us? Jesus said our
behaviour would be as visible as a candle in a dark room.
None of
these things are difficult to do, but we have strong resistance from inside
because they are foreign to our natural disposition. That is the reason why we
need a supernatural solution to our problem of selfishness. It may take sheer
grit and will power to do what we are not disposed to doing, but it will not
last. We will soon be back to our old ways because every kind thought or act
would be cutting across our real selves.
What
Jesus was describing is “kingdom” living and He said that it takes a
“birth” from above to understand and live the way God does. This kind
of “power” makes no sense to the person who is used to living by the
sword. Is that why the disciples switched off when Jesus spoke about His death?
It made no sense to them then that the way to overcome the world system of
power through force was to absorb the evil without retaliation until that power
could do no more to Him.
Nothing about
God’s kingdom make sense to the person who is still dark inside. The
disposition of darkness only understands the power that pushes others around.
Jesus was advocating a new kind of power, the power to subdue one’s own heart
to the advantage of others. The power of love. What the world calls
“power”, He called weakness. What He called “power”, the
world called weakness, foolishness, but it turned out to be the most powerful
event in the history of the world — the cross!
The cross
changes things for the better like nothing else can. Force can change the world
— for the worse. But the cross changes lives.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites:
“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles
begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no
regular work. For seven days present offerings made to the Lord by fire, and on
the eight day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the Lord
by fire. It is the closing assembly; do not regular work.” Leviticus
23:33-36
The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast
of Booths and Sukkot, is the
seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe and one of the
three feasts that Jews were to observe each year by going to “appear before the
Lord your God in the place which He shall choose” (Deuteronomy
16:16). The importance
of the Feast of Tabernacles can be seen in how many places it is mentioned in
Scripture. In the Bible we see many important events that took place at the
time of the Feast of Tabernacles. For one thing, it was at this time that Solomon’s
Temple was dedicated to the
Lord (1
Kings 8:2).
It was also
at the Feast of Tabernacles that the Israelites, who had returned to rebuild
the temple, gathered together to hear Ezra proclaim the Word of God to them (Nehemiah 8). Ezra’s preaching resulted in a great revival as the
Israelites confessed their sins and repented of them. It was also during this
Feast that Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water” (John
7:37–39).
The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th
of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October.
The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall
harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the
Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest
and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the
wilderness.
As one of
the three feasts that all “native born” male Jews were commanded to participate
in, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned multiple times in Scripture,
sometimes called the Feast of the Ingathering, the Feast to the Lord, or the
Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16;Deuteronomy 16:13). As one of the pilgrim feasts (when Jewish males
were commanded to go to Jerusalem), it was also the time when they brought
their tithes and offerings to the Temple (Deuteronomy 16:16).
With the
influx of people coming to Jerusalem at that time, we can only imagine what the
scene must have been like. Thousands upon thousands of people coming together
to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and His provision, all living in
temporary shelters or booths as part of the requirements of the feast. During
the eight-day period, so many sacrifices were made that it required all
twenty-four divisions of priests to be present to assist in the sacrificial
duties.
We find God’s instructions for celebrating the
Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23, given at a point in history right after God had
delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. The feast was to be celebrated each
year on “the fifteenth day of this seventh month” and was to run for seven days
(Leviticus
23:34).
Like all
feasts, it begins with a “holy convocation” or Sabbath day when the Israelites
were to stop working to set aside the day for worshiping God. On each day of
the feast they were to offer an “offering made by fire to the Lord” and then
after seven days of feasting, again the eighth day was to be “a holy
convocation” when they were to cease from work and offer another sacrifice to
God (Leviticus 23). Lasting eight days, the Feast of Tabernacles begins
and ends with a Sabbath day of rest. During the eight days of the feast, the
Israelites would dwell in booths or tabernacles that were made from the
branches of trees (Leviticus
23:40–42).
The Feast
of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of
reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from
Egypt. Of course, the feasts are also significant in that they foreshadow the
work and actions of the coming Messiah. Much of Jesus’ public ministry took
place in conjunction with the Holy Feasts set forth by God.
The three
pilgrim feasts where all Jewish males were commanded to “appear before the Lord
in the place He chooses” are each very important in regards to the life of
Christ and His work of redemption. We know with certainty that the Passover and
the Feast of Unleavened Bread are symbolic of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the
cross. Likewise, we know that Pentecost, which marked the beginning of the
Feast of Weeks, was the time of Jesus’ bodily ascension. And most scholars
would agree that the Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of Christ’s Second
Coming when He will establish
His earthly kingdom.
There are
also some who believe that it was likely during the Feast of Tabernacles that
Jesus was born. While we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, most scholars acknowledge that this tradition was
begun in the fourth century AD by the Roman Catholic Church and that the exact
day of Jesus’ birth is unknown. Some of the evidence that Jesus might have been
born earlier in the year during the Feast of the Tabernacles includes the fact
that it would be unlikely for shepherds to still be in the field with their
sheep in December, which is in the middle of the winter, but it would have been
likely they were in the fields tending sheep at the time of the Feast of
Tabernacles.
The strong
possibility that Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles is also
seen in the words John wrote in John
1:14. “And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The word John chose to speak
of Jesus “dwelling” among us is the word tabernacle, which simply means to “dwell in a tent. ”Some
believe it is very likely that John intentionally used this word to associate
the first coming of Christ with the Feast of Tabernacles.
Christ came
in the flesh to dwell among us for a temporary time when He was born in Bethlehem,
and He is coming again to dwell us among us as Lord of Lords. While it cannot
be established with certainty that Jesus was born during the Feast of
Tabernacles, some believe there is a strong possibility the Feast of
Tabernacles not only looks forward to His second coming but also reflects back
on His first coming.
The Feast
of Tabernacles begins and ends with a special Sabbath day of rest. During the
days of the feast all native Israelites were “to dwell in booths” to remind
them that God delivered them out of the “land of Egypt” and to look forward to
the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would deliver His people from the bondage
of sin. This feast, like all of the feasts of Israel, consistently reminded the
Jews and should remind Christians as well that God has promised to deliver His
people from the bondage of sin and deliver them from their enemies.
Part of
God’s deliverance for the Israelites was His provision and protection of them
for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, cut off from the Promised
Land. The same holds true for Christians today. God protects us and provides
for us as we go through life in the wilderness of this world. While our hearts
long for the Promised Land (heaven) and to be in the presence of God, He
preserves us in this world as we await the world to come and the redemption
that will come when Jesus Christ returns again to “tabernacle” or dwell among
us in bodily form.
The Feast of Tabernacles
concludes the annual feasts, each one celebrating an aspect of Messiah’s work,
culminating in His return to judge the world and to set up His eternal kingdom
when He will dwell with His people forever.
The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles
celebrated God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt and their
sojourn in the wilderness when they lived in tents or “booths” and when God
lived among them in His tent, the tabernacle.
It is also a prophetic
picture of the culmination of Messiah’s work of setting up His eternal kingdom
when He returns to judge the nations and to do away with Satan and his minions,
and all evil forever. He will bring heaven to earth, perfecting the earth and
all creation in holiness. He will fulfil His eternal plan to dwell with His
people forever under His reign of righteousness and peace.
“For to us a child is born, To
us a son is given, And
the government will be on His shoulders. And
He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty
God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
He
will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, Establishing and upholding
it with righteousness and peace From
that time forth and forever.”
Isaiah
9:6-7.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and
the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the
Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with
them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their
God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” Revelation 21:1-4.
As children of God and
members of the church of the New Covenant, we have a role to play in this
betrothal period between Messiah’s first and second coming. We are to separate
ourselves from everything that is evil and ungodly, “perfecting holiness in the fear of God,” 2 Corinthians 7:1 in
order to get to know our bridegroom (John 17:3); and we are to prepare our
wedding gown by doing whatever we can to alleviate the suffering of others in
the disposition of our Rabbi, and we are to especially do good to the family of
God.
It is a time of preparation
and expectation – looking forward with eager longing to the coming of the Lord
and to the establishment of His kingdom on earth so that, like the Apostle Paul
we can say:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to
me, but to all who have longed for His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘The tenth day
of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny
yourselves and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. Do no work on that
day because the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the
Lord your God. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off
from his people. I will destroy from among the people anyone who does any work
of that day. You shall do no work at all.
“‘This is to be a lasting ordinance for
the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a Sabbath of rest for you and
you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until
the following day you are to observe your Sabbath.’”
Leviticus 23:26-32.
“The
feasts of Israel are way-points on the pathway of the saints as they make their
pilgrimage through holy history. They mark out God’s agenda for the redemption,
sanctification, and ultimate witness and glorification of all his Covenant
people. The chosen will be drawn out from both houses of Israel and the wider Gentile
church extending out to the ends of the earth. They will be the ultimate single
united remnant elect.
“As
we discussed in the previous article, there are Seven Feasts of Israel. In
these sacred convocations the outline of God’s sovereign plan of the ages is
laid out for the Covenant people of God. The feasts, as they come into their
New Covenant fulfilment, are key way points on a road map showing us where we
have come thus far and also shining a light on the pathway as it leads us
onwards into holy history.
“The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was instituted by YHVH-God and
proclaimed through Moses at Mount Sinai. He set forth this “appointed
time” as a statute forever. The Day of Atonement is the 6th feast and
the most solemn day on the Hebrew calendar.
“The
Day of Atonement has always marked the end of one time period in preparation
for the beginning of the next. On the 10th day of Tishrei the High Priest went
into the holy of holies. He sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat for himself
and for all of God’s people. Since we are told in Hebrews that Jesus
Christ/Yeshua Hamashiach is now our High Priest then He Himself has taken over
that role. He will be officiating on that epic future Day of Atonement when it
opens up. It is His blood, the blood of the promised Sacrifice Lamb that is
placed on the mercy seat in the heavenly tabernacle.
“The
word ‘atonement’ means reconciliation. This Day of Atonement is a settling of
accounts. The Day of Reckoning is a day in which all the accounts must be
settled between God and His people for that year. Every 50 years the day takes
on a wider meaning as well. In the Jubilee year the Day of Atonement wraps
things up for that entire 50 year economic cycle.”
What is the significance of the Day of
Atonement for the Church?
There
are two prophetic streams in the Old Testament that foretell the nature and
work of the Messiah.
The
first stream, which is most clearly seen in the Ebed Yahweh prophecies of Isaiah – the Servant of Yahweh, presented
Messiah in His priestly role as both priest and sacrifice. It was this aspect
of Messiah’s work that the Jews neither understood nor accepted because it did
not meet their expectation of a political Messiah who would rid them of Roman
oppression and re-establish the glorious Davidic kingdom of Israel. Jesus
fulfilled His priestly role in His first coming, on the exact day and at the
exact time the spring feasts represented Him.
The
summer feast of Pentecost, when Messiah poured out the Holy Spirit on the
believers, and the church, the New Testament bride of Christ was born, took
place on the same calendar day as the day when God came down on Mount Sinai to
propose to His people, when the nation of Israel, God’s Old Testament bride,
was born.
The
second prophetic stream presents Messiah in His kingly role. The autumn feasts
of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles have yet to be fulfilled when
Jesus comes again to judge the earth, restore His kingdom and set up His reign
on earth with His people. His coming with be announced by the blowing of the
last trumpet which will signal the end of the period of grace.
“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 Corinthians 15:51, 52.
We
are living in the period of grace between the summer Feast of Pentecost when
the church was born following the Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and
First-fruits (which were fulfilled by the Suffering Servant) and the three autumn
feasts when the king will return to judge the earth and set up His eternal
kingdom.
SUMMARY AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Yom Kippur is
a picture of the final Day of Judgment, when the books are opened and the
people of the earth are judged according to what they have done.
“Then I saw a great white throne and
Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was
no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the
throne, and the books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book
of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in
the books.” Revelation 20:11, 12.
God
has atoned for and removed our sin through His Messiah, as pictured by the two
goats offered on Yom Kippur, one sacrificed and the blood sprinkled on the
Mercy Seat, and the other driven into the wilderness with the sin of the people
on it.
The
people will be judged, according to the above passage and the parable of the
sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31-40, not by mere verbal profession of faith in
Jesus but by lives transformed by His Spirit so that they reflect His nature in
the way that they live in obedience and submission to Him, loving God and
caring for needy people.
Here below is
an overview of the seven feasts as they have unfolded so far.
1. Passover
Fulfilled! (By Jesus/Yeshua at His
crucifixion
on Nisan 14 in the spring of 32 A.D.)
2. Feast
of Unleavened Bread Fulfilled! (By Jesus/Yeshua in His burial
in the tomb
on Nisan 15 in the spring of 32 A.D.)
3. Feast
of Firstfruits Fulfilled! (By Jesus/Yeshua at His
Resurrection
on Nisan 17 in the spring of 32 A.D.)
4. Feast
of Pentecost Fulfilled! (By the Holy Spirit on the Day
of Pentecost on Sivan 7 in the summer of 32 A.D.) – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
– – –
(A gap of 2000 years
or so has allowed the Gospel, the Light of Israel
. to go forth into the nations for
the heathen Gentiles to be evangelized). (Isa.49:6)
.
. . – – – – – – – – – – – –
WE ARE HERE – – – – – – – – – – –
Now here come the
three Fall Feasts of Israel.
They will erupt into holy history in spectacular fashion.
And the first of the three is probably just up ahead.
Indeed the very next feast coming up for fulfillment will be,
5. The Feast of
Trumpets Unfulfilled ….(as of yet).
Something BIG is going to happen here. And it will happen
on the first day of the Tishrei moon, on some future Rosh Hashanah,
in the Autumn season of some future year.
And as we come to
the last day of this age we make this discovery.
Yes, it is the fulfillment of . . .
The seventh and final
feast, or “appointed time” is the . . .
7. The Feast of
Tabernacles Unfulfilled ….(as of yet).
The fulfillment of this feast will see the establishment
of the long awaited glorious 1000 year long Millennium
of Messiah.
SUMMARY AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION
The month of Elul, which is the last month
before the Feast of Trumpets, is a time of preparation for the final
trumpet blast which will herald the Day of Atonement when the nation of
Israel is judged according to their obedience to the Law of God.
The Feast of Trumpets is heralded by the
blowing of the shofar when the new moon is sighted on the 1st
of Tishri – a period of 48 hours called “the day of which no one knows the
day or the hour.”
The Feast of Trumpets begins the “Ten Days of
Awe” which precedes the Day of Atonement when the books are opened
During the
month of Elul the Israelites were to do three things:
Tephilla – prayer. The essence of this prayer
was to change their awareness from themselves to God and to re-attach
themselves to God.
Teshuvah – repentance. Repentance in Hebrew
thought was to think God’s thoughts rather than their own and to return to
their original nature as good. .
Tsidaqah – righteous acts. They were to carry
out their duty to God by being generous towards other people because God
had been generous to them.
“By returning to one’s innermost self (teshuvah), by attaching
oneself to G-d (tefillah) and by distributing one’s possessions with
righteousness (tzedakah), one turns the promise of Rosh Hashanah into the
abundant fulfillment of Yom Kippur: A year of sweetness and plenty.”
(Teshuvah, tefilla and tzedaqah – by Johnathan Sachs).
During the period of our betrothal, it is the responsibility of
God’s New Covenant people to prepare themselves for the return of the King and
the Day of Judgment when the books are opened and the nations are judged
according to their deeds.
“Then I saw a great white throne and
Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was
no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the
throne, and the books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book
of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in
the books.” Revelation 20:11, 12.
The
bride’s preparation consists of:
Separating herself from all other men –
becoming holy;
Preparing her bridal gown – righteous
deeds (Revelation 19:6-8, e.g, “Share
with God’s people who are in need. Practise hospitality.” Romans 12:13; “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us
do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of
believers.” Galatians 6:10.
The shofar is blown at the western wall on the new moon of Tishrei to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites:
“On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred
assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an
offering made to the Lord by fire.” Leviticus 23:23-25.
“In the
autumn of the year and on the first day of the Tishrei moon trumpets are blown
to announce the Hebrew holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Biblical Christians refer to
it as the Feast of Trumpets. It is the 5th of the Seven Feasts of Israel.
“This 5th
feast was instituted by Moses at Sinai approximately 3,500 years ago. It marks
the first day of the Hebrew (civil) New Year. ‘Rosh Hashanah’ means ‘head of
the year’. The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the three, yet to be
fulfilled, Fall Feasts of Israel. These Autumn Feasts relate to
Kingdom/political issues rather than the High Priestly/religious matters that
we saw Messiah address in the spring feasts during His first coming 2,000 years
ago. Back then we saw Him ride into Jerusalem on a donkey as the ‘Suffering
Servant’. But when Messiah returns this next time He will come as the
Conquering King. After Trumpets on Tishrei 1 comes the “Ten days of
awe” which lead on to Yom Kippur on Tishrei 10 which is the Day of
Atonement.
“This is the
most solemn day of the year. On this awesome Day of Reckoning all accounts
between YHVH-God and all His covenant people are settled. The Jubilee Year is
also announced on this same tenth day of Tishri.”
The Feast of Trumpets, (Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah), took place
on 1st/2nd Tishri, a 48 hour day marking the beginning of the new month. It was
called “the day of which no man knows the day or the hour.” Why? Because the day began when two priests
agreed that they had sighted the new moon. The Hebrews operated on a lunar
calendar; each month was thirty days long and began and ended with the new
moon.
During this 48-hour day, when they
agreed that they had sighted the new moon, they would shout to signal to the
trumpet blower to announce the arrival of Yom Teruah which would announce that
the Feast of Trumpets had begun.
The month before Tishri, called
Elul, was the month of preparation for the Feast of Trumpets. Every morning and
evening during the month, a trumpet was blown to remind the people that the
Feast of Trumpets was coming. During the month of Elul, the people would do
three things:
Tephilah – prayer
Teshuvah – repentance
Tsidakah – generosity.
Tephilah
Their concept of prayer came from
the first time it is mentioned in the Scriptures – Genesis 4:26. “At that time
men began to call on the name of the Lord.” (The law of first mention).
The letters in the word “call” mean
turning the head to face the one who can bear the burden, the idea being that I
turn away from my concerns to become aware of the one who can carry my
burden. The first concept of prayer was
about changing my awareness from myself to God and reattaching myself to God.
Teshuvah
The word means repentance and
conveys the idea that I turn away from my thoughts and think the way God
thinks. This implies changing from self-consciousness to God-consciousness and
will give me a different perspective on the way God sees people.
Tsidaqah
Tephilah and teshuvah must be
connected to tsidaqah – generosity. I recognise that God cares about people and
desires to meet their needs. I need to view myself and people from a different
perspective, that God wants me to use the resources He has given me to take
care of needs where I can. Tishivah is my duty because God has been generous to
me.
The Month of Elul
Put this into an agricultural
setting; this is a season to evaluate the seeds I have been sowing in my life,
to recognise that all my choices have consequences and to review my focus to
change my mind about the way I do life. Before the Feast of Trumpets comes, I
need to know what seeds I am going to sow in the field of my life in the next
year. The seeds I sow now will produce the harvest I would like in the future.
Therefore, for a whole month before
the Feast of Trumpets, the blowing of the trumpet morning and evening reminds
me that I am in a period of grace when I am still able to turn away from
myself, to change my mind so that I can line up my thoughts with the way God
thinks and adopt His best way to do life so that the harvest I reap will be
good.
This period of time represents the
time between Messiah’s first and second coming, the period of grace that
prepares me for His coming when the time to repent and realign my life with His
way is over.
THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS
The feast of trumpets is a rehearsal
feast for Messiah’s second coming when He will judge the nations according to
Matthew 25 – the parable of the sheep and goats.
The blowing of the trumpet summoned
the people to ten days of trial and preparation before Yom Kippur, the day when all sin was judged and atoned for. It was
both a warning to repent and a reassurance of God’s mercy for those who
repented.