Warnings from the Feast of Trumpets

A prophetic look at the Jewish year 5781/2021

By Rev SEIK PITOI

AT sundown on Friday, Sept 18, 2020 (last day of the month of Elul), continuing into Shabbat (Saturday) Sept 19 (first day of the month of Tishri), the world will be ushered into a new year on the Hebrew calendar.
The year will be 5781, and the day will be Yom Teruah, or the Day of the sounding of the Shofar (Trumpet). The day also doubles as the Jewish New Year (Rosh Ha Shanah), or the Head of the Year. On this day in Ancient Israel, rabbis would blow the shofar, summoning the people to gather to attention and hear what the Lord was saying to them.
In many of my previous articles, I have taught on the Jewish calendar and its significance to worldwide events. It seems the God who created the world has His own calendar, which at times, synchronises with the Gregorian calendar which is used all over the world. Events of great significance in Biblical and world history have occurred in line with this ancient calendar. We find hidden therein prophetic markers and indicators which shed light on what is coming and what we are urged to do to in the light of these things.
Known as the “Feasts of the Lord” (Lev 23:2), these seven feasts occur in a seven-month window, from the first feast on Passover in Nisan, to the last feast on Tabernacles in Tishri. The first feast, Passover (Easter), is in the spring (March/April) and is made up of three feasts: Passover (fulfilled by the sacrificial death of Jesus), Unleavened Bread (His burial), and First of Firstfruits (His resurrection). These three feasts were fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Next, in the month of Sivan (May/June), we have Shavuot (Feast of Pentecost). This fall (summer) feast marked the giving of the Law on Mt Sinai, and was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), where God’s Law would now be written upon hearts of flesh, not on stone (Jer 31:33). It is at this time that the Church of God was birthed!
After a long dry spell, we arrive at the final three feasts known as Tabernacles. Again, these are a group of three – Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth). These feasts are yet to be fulfilled and many scholars tell us we are prophetically living in the season of Trumpets. Indeed, with all the crazy events happening around us, one has to be spiritually dense not to hear the shrill sound of God’s shofar sounding a warning to humanity that we are on a collision course with the God of Creation!
It pays to take heed because there is hope amidst the coming darkness. The Bible says, “For whatsoever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope”. (Romans 15: 4).
The Jewish year is calculated from the date of the creation of mankind. Almost 6,000 years of history has been accomplished. We are, according to the rabbinic traditions, in the 5,781st year. We are right on the threshold of the 6,000 year mark, poised for the rapture of the church and the seven-year period (marriage feast in heaven or tribulation on earth – depending on your acceptance of rejection of Christ), followed by a return to earth for Christ’s 1,000 year millennial reign.
Early Christian scholars taught that there would be dispensations to mark the significant events in the Bible. For example, Lactanius wrote: “As there has been 2,000 years from Adam to Abraham, and 2,000 years from Abraham to Christ, so there will be 2,000 years for the Christian era and then would come the Millennium (the remaining 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth)! This tallies with what Peter says, “…for the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years is the same as one day” (2 Peter 3:8 CEV).
Each Hebrew letter has a corresponding numeric value and picture. For example, A (aleph) = 1 (echad), and means bull, leadership, strength, unity. B (beth) = 2 (shtaim), and means house/tent, family. To interpret the year, the number 57 is usually left as it is, and just the remaining two numbers are interpreted. This is similar to abbreviating our year to the last two numbers (e.g., ’20, instead of 2020). So we interpret just the final two numbers – 81. The decade 80 is ‘Peh’ which means mouth, and 1, as we saw, is aleph.
Until Sept 18, we are still in the year 5780 – the year of the Peh. It is also the decade of Peh. We were told this was to be a season of declaring, decreeing, prophesying and speaking with our mouths what God says in His word.
For example, when God says “you are more than a conqueror in Christ” (Romans 8:37), you are to prophesy that over your life. When He says, “no evil shall befall you and no sickness shall come near your home/family” (Psalm 91:10), that becomes an object of your faith through confession.
We are to speak and prophesy life over our homes and families, our churches and our nation. There will be an increase in demonic activity in the spirit but will God raise the Church as a standard (Isaiah 59:19) to speak God’s word to triumph over every evil situation.
Yet, what happened in January 2020? Coronavirus hit, and the very ‘instrument’ to speak (mouth/Peh), was required all over the world to be masked shut! How classic is that for a hit back from the enemy! Indeed, let’s be obedient and follow the protocols – but that does not mean we are not to speak and declare God’s word today.
No devil in hell shall keep shut the mouth of the Church of the Living God! Jesus said in Matt 16:18: “…I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it”.
Apart from declaring life and health amidst the ravages of sickness unleashed by the devil in the world, we also have the mandate to declare the Gospel of salvation throughout the length and breadth of this nation.
Prophecy teachers tell us we could be walking into a sliver of time, a window of opportunity or the last roll of the dice to tell a dying world that the only hope left now is Jesus! God will keep this window open as long as He can, and when He decides the door of the Ark has to be closed, He Himself will shut it (Gen 7:16b). And no man shall ever open it again.
So church, this is the remaining time we have to tell others about the hope we have in Jesus before the rapture of the church takes place. As such, evangelism, under its many faces in this ‘new normal’, should be the priority in every church.
But what about the number 1 in 81? One is echad and refers to strength and leadership in unity. In this new season, strong and decisive leadership is required to steer the church through these years remaining in this window of time. Strong God-fearing and decisive leadership who will bring God’s people together in unity, and lead from the front. The era of compromising immoral leaders who are in the ministry to play politics and get what they can out of it have no place in this final move of God.
The shofar is sounding loudly. Nations are falling into recession and financial hardship is being predicted all over the world. Sickness (Covid-19) rampages on, bringing death and fear in its wake. Today, we see, “no mask – no service”. Soon, we will see, “no mark – no service”! What mark? Read Rev 13:16-18. We are told, “no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark (verse 17). We are rehearsing for what is to come.
Is this a conspiracy theory? Yes it is – a conspiracy of the devil revealed and exposed by the Spirit of the Living God and His word. Many small people in the pews who know their bibles know where we are and what is happening, but many clever and ‘learned’ people high up do not. God surely knows where He is bringing this to! In fact, the antichrist’s campaign is hardly hidden now. One has to be spiritually dumb or blind not to see it!

Conclusion
As the trumpet is sounding all over, where do you stand? Have you sorted out your salvation issues by surrendering totally to Jesus Christ? Are you walking with Him, waiting eagerly for His imminent return?
If you are, you have done well. If not, I plead with you to speak to God today, turn from your sins and give yourself completely to Jesus Christ. Then, become part of a local church where you will receive encouragement and strength as you grow in the Lord. Time is of the essence. Don’t leave it too late…!

• Rev Seik Pitoi is a freelance writer.