Feast of Trumpets

Meet the Zigmans, Jeremiah (Abba or Dad), Hannah (Ima or Mom) Aviva, Judah, Aria and Tovah. They are preparing for Yom Teruah, or The Feast of Trumpets. They live in ‘The Old City’, which is a very small area in Jerusalem, Israel. They recently became followers of Yeshua (or Jesus), the Messiah.

They have always observed Rosh Hashanah, but this year, it is different.  

Now they see this high, holy day as a reminder that Yeshua is returning for His people. There are many important things to be done and discussed on this day. For now, Aviva, Judah, Aria and Tovah are blowing their little trumpets as loudly as they possibly can.  

In the background of the city, over 100 blasts will be made by the priests who are signaling the beginning of the High Holy days. The people of the city will respond to the trumpets’ warnings by repenting to the Lord, and then they will prepare their hearts for Yom Kippur, or The Day of Atonement.

Judah, out of breath from blowing the trumpet, runs inside to take a break and grab some apples to dip in honey.  He sees his dad sitting at the table and says, “Abba?”

“Yes, my son?”

“How is this year different from years in the past?  The apples taste the same, (as he scoops a huge glob of honey up that gets all over his hand)...my horn stills sounds the same, and these pomegranate seeds are still so hard to get out!”

Jeremiah and Hannah look at each other, and laugh at their son’s innocence and curiosity.

“Well, my son, the sound of the horns mean something very different to us now.”

Judah stops licking the honey off his hand and looks up to his father, “How so, Abba?”

“Remember the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho?”

“Yes, Abba.”

“Good. Do you remember Rahab, the prostitute?”

“Yes, Abba.”

“Think about the Israelites as they marched around the city.  They blew the trumpets just like the Lord told them to. For most of Jericho, the sound of the trumpets was a warning that judgement was coming, but for Rahab, the sound of the trumpets meant that she would be saved.”

Judah’s mother began to wipe off his hands. He turned to her and said, “So because Rahab put her trust in God, the trumpets reminded her that she would be rescued?”

She replied, “Yes, my son.  The sound of the trumpets can mean something very different, depending upon whom you trust.”

,

She picked Judah up and put him on her lap.

“In the book of Daniel in the Bible, we read about the coming Kingdom of God.  In Matthew 24, Yeshua says He will return at a loud trumpet blast, and all those who have put their hope in Him will join Him.  1st Thessalonians Chapter 4 tells us that we will be with Him forever after that loud trumpet blast.”

“Just like Rahab!” exclaimed Judah.

“Yes, Judah,”  Abba replied. “Remember how Jericho’s walls fell and the Israelites rushed in at the sound of the trumpet blast?  Revelation 11 tells us that after the trumpet call, the kingdom of this world will become the Kingdom of our God.”

“So, for those who put their trust in Yeshua, it will be a wonderful day.  But, for those who don’t...what will happen?” Judah asked.

“It will be a very sad day for those who have put their hope in the kingdom of this world”

A look of concern came on Judah’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Judah’s father asked.

“I feel sad for those who don’t believe in Yeshua.  I want them to put their hope in Him.”

Jeremiah placed the shofar in Judah’s hand.  “Can I tell you a secret about the shofar?”

Judah looked up at his father.

“Remember the story of Abraham?  When he was about to sacrifice Isaac?  What did God provide instead?”

“A ram?” offered Judah.

“Yes!  A shofar is the horn of a ram with the flesh removed from the inside, so that  it can sound a clear call when someone blows air through it. My son, the secret is, you are the shofar!  God warns us and shows us what must be removed in us, so that when He breathes His Holy Spirit into us, we can sound a clear call.  We are the trumpets telling the world of Yeshua’s return!”

Judah’s eyes got very big and a smile spread across his face.  He picked up his shofar and blew it loud and clear.

Day of Atonement

1 year ago, in Beijing, China, the Li family lost their 15 year old son, Chen.   His little sister, Mei, who is 11, and her mama (mother) Huan and her baba (father) Shen, fled to a different part of Beijing where they attend a house church with 20 other people.  It is hard to be a Christian in China. The church where they meet must be kept a secret, so that they can worship freely without fear of persecution. Persecution for Christians is when people pressure, intimidate, or harm you because of your love for Jesus.  Chen’s love for Jesus cost him his life.

One night at the Li family’s new house church, the pastor began teaching about The Festivals of the Lord.  The Day of Atonement was approaching.

“Baba,” Mei tugged on her father’s sleeve to ask him a question. “What is the Day of Atonement?”

“Listen Mei, and you will learn.”

The Pastor began to share about a story from Leviticus 16 that told of a sacrifice that covered every sin.  He then told the people that Jesus was that true sacrifice. He went on to say that there would be a day when the whole world would stand before God, and anyone who accepted Jesus as their Lord would be forgiven of their sin.

Mei’s father looked down with a smile expecting her to be happy at the pastor’s explanation, but to his surprise she seemed very angry.

After service, Mei’s mother and father sat down with her to talk about why she was so angry.

“What’s wrong, Mei?”

“I don’t want them to be forgiven.  I don’t want the men who took Chen to be forgiven by God.  It’s not fair. They do not deserve forgiveness. I want them to suffer the way they made Chen suffer.”

Tears began to stream down Mei’s face.  Her father pulled her close and held her. He thought back to the day they had received news that Chen had passed.  Some policemen found him, along with a friend, reading the book of Revelation. They began asking him about his faith in Jesus and where he went to church.  They let his friend go, but when he refused to tell them the location, they put him in prison and beat him. Later the next day, he passed away.

“Mei, I want you to know that when your mother and I received the news about your brother, we wrestled with some of the same feelings.”

Mei wiped her tears and looked up at her father, “How did you get through it?”

“Years ago, I did not believe in Jesus.  I did not believe in God at all. One night, I had a dream where I saw a man on a cross, and there were many people around him saying very mean things to him.  I was angry with the people for what they were doing to this man, because He was asking God to forgive them, as they insulted and mocked him!  All of a sudden, I saw myself in the crowd, mocking Him along with everyone else!  When I awoke from the dream, I knew this was Jesus, and that I was guilty. I met a man the next day, who showed me in the Bible that everyone has sinned and deserves death.  Jesus gave His life to bring freedom to us, even though we were His enemies. After I received the news about your brother, I was angry...angry at the men who had done this to him. As I prayed for God to bring punishment on them, He reminded me that I was deserving of punishment as well.  I began to pray for them, that God would turn them from their ways and forgive them.”

“Mei,” her mother said softly.

“Yes, Mama?”

“Do not mourn your brother.  His life is an example to us all.  We had the chance to speak to his friend after we heard the news.  He told us the passage they were reading from Revelation the day he was taken.  They were reading the letters to the churches encouraging them to stand strong until the end.  In Chapter 2, Chen was reading, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution...be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”  

On the day of atonement, the sins of the people were removed.  Your brother will live forever because He trusted the Lord and was forgiven.”

Mei hugged her mother tightly and said, “If Jesus wants everyone to be saved on the day of judgement, that is what I want too”

Feast of Tabernacles

This is the Abadi family. They are refugees from Syria.  They face danger in Syria for following Jesus, and they have made the decision to leave the country for a place that is safer.  The two youngest children are 12 year old twins, Sandra and Victor. The Abadi family has moved 14 times since Sandra and Victor were born!  The longest they have lived in one place was 11 months. Adnan & Eva (Abbi/Dad & Mama/Mom), also have another daughter named Evana, who is 15. The Abadi family love each other very much, they just also wish they didn’t have to move all the time.  

Whenever it is time to move again, they sing their moving song:

Here or there, hot or cold, change will always come.

Night and day, along the way, the journey may get rough.

Our God He is not sleeping, and He covers us with love.

Until we reach our final home, and our traveling is done.

This time, their move was different.  They sang their moving song as usual when it was time to leave, but this time the children were told they would be leaving Syria and traveling to a new country.  Many people were leaving Syria, and the Abadi family was among them. They grabbed their belongings and joined a large crowd of people walking out of their village. After a few days of walking Victor spoke up, “Abbi?”

“Yes, Ibni (my son)?” his father replied.

“I am not complaining, but I just wonder, does everyone move as much as we do?”

Sandra chimed in, “Yes, Mama will we ever live in the same place for a long time?”

Her mother’s smile began to fade a little as she looked down the road where the crowd was walking.  She put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder and said, “Do you know what today is?” “Moving day?” said Evana.

“Yes Evana, but also we are in the middle of The Feast of Tabernacles,” said her mother.

“Was that where we all stayed in tents last year?” asked Victor.

“That’s right,” his father replied.

They were walking with a large crowd of people when they crossed the shallow part of a river, and came upon hundreds of tents all set up.

“Are these for us?” Sandra asked.

“Yes Ibnah (my daughter).”

“This looks a little different than the ones we stayed in last year,” Evana said.

Her dad smiled and began to sing in a softer voice:

Here or there, hot or cold, change will always come.

Night and day, along the way, the journey may get rough.

Our God, He is not sleeping, and He covers us with love.

Until we reach our final home, and our traveling is done.

They made their way into the tent that their family would sleep in for the night, and in the morning they would leave again.

That night, as everyone was sleeping, Victor and Sandra stayed awake talking about the tent. They wondered what the new country they were moving to would be like.  They talked about how sore their feet were, and they tried to remember what The Feast of Tabernacles was all about last year. Sandra pushed on her dad’s shoulder.

“Wake up!, Wake up! Abbi...Please tell us about The Feast of Tabernacles.”

Adnan woke up with a few snores and sat up.  He was tired, but very glad his children were interested in The Feasts.  They had just started celebrating them last year.

“Do you remember the story we shared last year about the Israelites wandering in the desert for forty years?” “Yes Abbi,” they replied.

“The Lord gave them instructions.  He said that once they arrived in their permanent home in the Promised Land, they should build temporary structures each year.  These “tabernacles,” or tents, would remind them of the time they spent wandering.”

“So they built the tents to remind them of when they did not have a home?” asked Sandra.

“Correct.”

“You see, my children, there will be a day when we will be together with Jesus, and we will see Him face to face!  We will be in our forever home. There will be no more crying or pain...no more evil. We will not wander then. Even our bodies will change.”

Sandra and Victor’s eyes got very big. “What will they be like?”

“They will never die!”  Adnan exclaimed. Even our bodies are temporary, just like this tent we are sleeping in.  One day all of these things that are temporary will make way for things that last forever.  We will wander no more, and we will live with our King forever!

Now wide awake, the children asked “May we sing our song, Abbi?”

“Yes, my children, but sing softly, your mother and sister are sleeping.” He smiled at them as they began to sing.

Here or there, hot or cold, change will always come.

Night and day, along the way, the journey may get rough.

Our God, He is not sleeping, and He covers us with love.

Until we reach our final home, and our traveling is done.