The Trump of God

Israel is at war. . . attacked by Iran again on the eve of the Feast of Trumpets….. hurricane mayhem in the USA. . . . biological warfare and plagues…. worldwide apostasy and persecution of believers. . . . . . . the UN defies God and Israel. . . .the love of many (natural affection) has run cold. . .

These are just some of the birth pains of Messiah on the eve of the "Feast of Shofars" (in Hebrew Yom Teruah יוֹם תְּרוּעָה), otherwise known as "Rosh Hashanah" (ראש השנה) in Jewish tradition, beginning this evening at sundown.

The Lord is at hand!

Are we not near to the calling up of believers and the beginning of the Great Tribulation? The signs of the times are screaming at us that soon the great shofar of God will sound. Even the prominence of a presidential contender named Trump is a peculiar but nevertheless sign of the times.

Look up, our redemption draws near. Let’s maintain our joy with a great shout of deliverance!

This year I am especially thankful that my husband Peter is recovering well from a head injury. Joyfully we remain two trumpets together heralding the soon coming of the Lord! HalleluYah!

Another peculiar birth pain is the mental and physical trauma caused by the cares of this increasingly complex technological world. As God has ordered our footsteps to re-locate in the USA (although we happily maintain our office in Jerusalem), we have been coping with stress-inducing issues of red tape and bureucracy. Endless demands for e-signatures, websites and passwords! The Bible warns against these entanglements—and I’m preaching to myself!

One key verse is Luke 21:34, where Jesus says: "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly." Jesus warned His disciples to be alert and spiritually prepared for His return and the End Times.

The Lord cautioned us against being distracted by worldly concerns and indulgences, which can dull spiritual awareness and leave us unprepared for the events of the Last Days. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus teaches not to worry about the material things of life, as God provides for His children. Instead, He encourages us to focus on seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness, which aligns with being spiritually prepared for the End Times.

So I exhort myself as well as my friends with Philippians 4:4-8:

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Let’s be on our spiritual tip toes as we’re privileged once again to approach the Feast of Trumpets called in the Bible The Day of Shouting. The Feast of Trumpets this year begins Wednesday, Oct. 2, and ends at sundown Friday, Oct. 4. It is the most mysterious of the festivals of the LORD, and is known by so many other intriguing names: Yom Zikron, a Day of Remembrance. Yom Teruah, a Day of the Shout. A Day of the Blowing of Trumpets. The Day of the Victory Shout. The Day of the Wedding of the Messiah. The New Year, Rosh HaShanah. The Day of Judgment (Yom haDin). "The Day or Hour that No-one Knows" due to the necessity to sight the sliver of the new moon before the holiday may begin. All of these names have great and profound meanings. These mysteries can be understood by studying the Scriptures and the festivals of the LORD.

Illustration courtesy of Temple Institute

My Israeli friend Jonathan Feldstein wrote, “In Hebrew the word for pomegranate and grenade are the same. Unfortunately as a symbol of all the commandments in the Torah that we embrace that’s part of Rosh Hashana, this year the metaphor has never been more vivid. May 5785 end more peacefully than it is beginning for you and your loved ones and all Israel and the Jewish people. Shana tova"

”A happy and sweet New Year" is the traditional greeting, but this year due to threats from Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah and the pending Ezekiel War, I prefer to wish all of my Israeli friends a healthy Psalm 91 New Year, safe in the shadow of the Almighty. And also I sen 3 John: 2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

I encourage my Christian friends always to be ready to hear the shofar of God. "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” ~ I Thessalonians 4: 16.

The Church (not a building but the Body of Believers in Messiah) was born on Shavuot (Pentecost) and consists of all born-again believers beginning from the events in Acts 2 until the Rapture, which will complete the fulness of the Gentiles and fulfill the prophetic meaning of Yom Teruah.

Being "in Messiah" means being baptized by the Spirit into the body of Messiah, the Church. When "the fullness of the Gentiles has come" into this worldwide body (Romans 11:25), the Rapture (the 1 Thessalonians 4: 17 harpazo, catching away) will occur, completing Yom Teruah's prophetic fulfillment.

Meanwhile, as the Hebrew for Christians website points out, during these High Holidays prayers for forgiveness (called selichot) are recited by listing all the sins from "A" to "Z" that have been collectively committed. Corporate plural pronouns are used because we are one body. When some part of the body is sick, the whole body is sick; when one of us sins, the flock is hurt. (1 Cor. 12:26) Therefore the traditional selichot prayers mention all possible sins in the order of the Hebrew alphabet: Ashamnu, “we have sinned,” begins with the letter Alef; Bagadnu, “we have been false,” begins with the letter Bet; Gazalnu, “we have robbed,” begins with the letter Gimmel, and so on. As it is written: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you all may be healed." (James 5:16)

Let’s especially encourage prayer for Jerusalem and Israel at this holy season. Israel’s enemies love to attack and murder Jews during God's festivals. The 1973 Yom Kippur war, the 2002 Park Hotel Passover massacre and the 7 October 2023 Hamas pogrom on Simchat Torah are all modern examples.

In Shabbat's Torah reading, Moses declares: “I will proclaim the name of YHWH: ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock; His work is perfect; for all His ways are just; a God of truth and without iniquity, righteous and upright is He.” (Deut. 32:3-4) Amen!

Lord Yeshua, we praise You for being Israel's Rock, and for being our Rock as well. (Psa. 18:2, 31, 46; Isa. 28:16; 32:2; 1 Cor. 10:4)

Maranatha!

The above photo is a memory of sounding silver trumpets in our Tabernacle of David at the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem in the year 2000.

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