The In Voice is Due
If we incur a debt, then inevitably the bill comes due. At least, that was the principle until recently when “debt forgiveness” became a common term. This generation of “green” children expect the adults will write off their college debts. This generation of adults believes it can spend and spend, yet somehow the next generation will forgive their national debt when it comes due. Perhaps this the ultimate fruit of grace-without-Torah doctrines.
But you and I know that no matter how long we ignore the invoice, the collector will eventually knock on the door.
It’s just a matter of time.
So what is time? In the natural world, we measure it with seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years. We measure it with growth rings and wrinkles and dental records. What is time in the realm of Heaven, though? It is the reality of time, while we live the parable of time by counting the days. There is “time” in Jerusalem above, for the trees bear fruit every “month” without the catalysts of sun and moon in their cycles. It is the truest time, perceived without natural eyes.
It is this kind of time that the shofar links to its hearers, or those on earth who “know” the sound. The shofar, or yovel, as well as silver trumpets, are to be blown over multiple important times to Israel (Le 23:24; Nu 10:2, 10). While the Torah only designates the trumpets, the assumption is that Israel will follow the commandment from its seed prophecy at Mount Sinai, when the Ten Words were given to the voice of the yovel, or a Divine ram’s horn. At Sinai, the Israelites agreed to do and hear everything, from the Ten Words to the fullness of their explanations which were yet to be heard from Moses.
The silver trumpets were to be added to the sound of the shofar. In Psalms, the reader sees that it was assumed that the shofar also would be blown at the appointed times:
- Blow the trumpet [shofar] at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. (Ps 81:3)
Unlike the animal horns and silver trumpets, the Divine yovel/shofar had a voice (kol) that could even be seen with the eye:
- “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.” Ex 20:18
- “Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice.” Dt 4:12
Of course, we know Israel’s response: “We will do and we will hear.” Although terrified by the sight and sound of the words, Israel committed themselves to the appointed times by their agreement to observe Shabbat. Each appointed time contains at least one Shabbat, which is considered the first of the appointed times. Just as the weekly Shabbat is the appointed time of the days, so the seven feasts are the appointed times of the years.
If we say we will, then we must. It is our end of the agreement to New Covenant identity, and perhaps why Hebrew does not distinguish between “new” and “renewed” with chadash/chodesh, Hebrew for the months. We agree to establish on earth with natural time what already exists in the Heavenlies in spiritual time, whatever that may be like.
If we don’t fulfill this obligation of time, then eventually, the bill will come due. The voice will be heard. The voice will be seen. Yeshua is coming with the sound of battle. It is a yovel proclaiming the Anointed One of War’s arrival with the voice of Elohim. It will inspire either shouts of joy in the tents, or fear in the hiding places among the mountains of the nations, where the wicked will beg the rocks to fall on them to hide them from the voice (Lk 23:30; Re 6:16). Yeshua is coming to judge in all the earth. Debts will come due.
It is thought that at the Feast of Trumpets, Adonai descends from the Throne of Judgment with a shout, then ascends the Throne of Mercy. It occurs at a particular time, when the voice of the shofar sounds the shout, or teruah of battle:
- God has ascended with a shout, the LORD, with the sound of a trumpet. (Ps 47:5)
Joshua thought there was a sound of war in the camp of Israel when he and Moses descended Mount Sinai, and there was! Righteousness was battling unrighteousness, a bride battling a harlot.
Paul describes the moment Adonai descends/ascends with a shout. As He moves down from judgment, He shouts to gather His beloved before His Throne of Mercy:
- For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Th 4:15–18)
It is a sound calling together the righteous to the Mercy Seat, yet at the same time a sound of battle announcing the Anointed One of War is going forth to collect on the invoices with wrath. Whatever is owed to Heaven will finally be called to account and reckoning.
Shofar comes from a verb meaning “to beautify” [shufra]. The Word beautifies those who hear it. Repentance beautifies the righteous. Hearing the shofar blasts is said to arouse a special sense of love for the Creator, prepared the righteous for Him like a Bride. There are three basic sounds on the shofar, each formed from a verb:
- Tekia-clap, strike: the sound of judgment and to awaken the sleeper.
- Shevarim-break: to shatter harsh judgment with repentance.
- Teruah-shout: the sound of battle; the hearer changes and reconciles with The King.
- Tekia Gdolah-great clap or strike: marks the acceptance of repentance from shattered hearts and the Divine countenance.
If we do not “know” the sound, then we may sleep through the battle. Sleep is figurative of death in Scripture. Rather than resurrect, the walking dead enter the war in a stupor of confusion and terror. Simply telling the bank you don’t owe what you owe is self-deception. Simply citing grace in lieu of walking with Yeshua in his righteousness is also self-deception.
Knowing (in Hebrew) is to experience something so deeply that we sacrifice for it. Adam suffered figurative death and lost a rib to have a bride that was one with him. Then he “knew” her, for he had “died” and lost something of himself to gain her. Together, they had to depart the Garden, for Elohim did not “know” them in their hiding from their sin:
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“They heard the sound [voice] of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day [l’ruach ha-yom], and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Ge 3:8)
The Hebrew word for “cool” of the day is ruach, which can also mean “breath.” The human beings heard the voice of their Creator “walking” in the Spirit, or “breath” of the Day. Possibly for this reason, some sages believe that the first sin occurred on a Shabbat, “The Day.” This breath of The Day is associated with the shofar, which represents His voice “walking” in a time of Divine rest. On this day, the earth’s rest synchronizes with Heavenly “time” in a special way so that it may hear the breath of Elohim walking.
There is a special voice on Shabbat, the breath of Elohim breathing life into us. It is not hide-n-seek day. He knows where we are! Rather than hide behind why we don’t listen to the voice walking, why not simply recognize the Voice of Yeshua, the breath of Elohim which he breathed into his disciples:
- Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (Jn 20:20-23)
Why didn’t Adam and Eve simply repent and receive forgiveness? The voice of the shofar is the final invoice for mankind. Will we try to hide among the trees, caves, or rocks? Or will we “know” the voice and rejoice that Yeshua has accepted our repentance, forgiven our transgressions, and the invoice has a zero balance?
“Just as the shofar’s sounds are produced by a human being breathing into it, its sound reminds us of another breathing, the ‘breath’ of Hashem with which He infused life into the first man: ‘He blew into his nostrils the soul of life; and man became a living being.” (Ge 2:7) (Stern, p, 132)
This might be one reason that the Feast of Trumpets is known by the name “The Hidden Festival.” Other feasts are characterized by a remembrance of specific words and deeds Adonai performed for His people. On the Feast of Trumpets, which commemorates the Divine Breath with the shofar, we enter the Garden once again. We await our resurrection with the breath Elohim and the final forgiveness of sin. As they neared their final destination, the Promised Land, Moses tells the people who survived the wilderness journey:
- “But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.” (Dt 4:4)
This is the reward of walking with Yeshua in repentance each day. We will resurrect. Live. Instead of arriving to explain the unauthorized charges on our invoice, we will find that the Holy One is eager to pay us:
- One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.(Pr 19:17)
This is a main theme of the appointed times, to give and share with the alien, stranger, orphan, and widow. It is a special time to create a different kind of invoice, to put a charge on the Father’s account! Wow!
Although the breath of Elohim sent Adam and Eve away from the Garden, it is thought that He let them spend the rest of the Shabbat in the Garden. When the night set in, He sent them away with a gift of physical fire so they wouldn’t be terrified of the darkness. It was also the path of repentance, giving them fire for the altar of repentance.
This is the pattern. Adonai requires repentance, yet He provides the Heavenly fire for us to do so. The Divine fire on Mount Sinai provided the path to repentance from the idols of Egypt (Ezek 20) so that Israel could hear the breath of Elohim resurrecting them to life with the sound of the ram’s horn.
Adonai asks of us what He has already provided, like Abraham’s ram. Although we must accept Yeshua as our sacrifice and resurrection, the Father has already provided what we need! It is our job to do it and hear it through repentance so that we do not have to be ashamed.
To know the sound of the shofar is to listen for the resurrection in a state of readiness, like the three days of preparation at Sinai:
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Blessed are the people who know [yodea] the joyful sound! LORD, they walk in the light of Your face. (Ps 89:15)
As the Aaronic Benediction is thought to be the resurrection song to those who know Him, so He lifts up His countenance upon those being resurrected to eternal life to stand before the MERCY seat of the Mishkan, knit and woven together, precious stones on the Cohen HaGadol’s heart and shoulders. What an advocate in judgment! Lifted up in beauty from the Ruach...working through Israel to form His people to tend to His eternal Light. Yodea (know) is singular, one people.
The specific sound of the shofar/yovel that is known by Israel is the TERUAH, or shouting sound of battle. If they have known it before, experienced it before, then they will know it again. Yeshua explains that his disciples must “know” him, which explains knowing the sound of the shofar that breathes out the commandments of Elohim on that day:
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“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; LEAVE ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock… (Mt 7:21-24)
Those who know the sound of the shofar know the daily battles we wage to live according to the Ruach walking in the The Day. They’ve battled, repented, battled, repented. They know that sound because they’ve heard it every day since accepting the blood of the Lamb as their sacrifice for the garment of salvation, and they fought battles to walk in his robe of righteousness. They gather to be carried in the bosom of their Great High Priest before the Mercy Seat of the Tabernacle, and some will share in the administration of his kingdom, perched securely on his shoulders as he ministers.
The In Voice Due Day is coming. In fire. Thunder. Lightning. Hail. We will be reckoned for rest or wrath. Know Yeshua in the shout of battle, and you will know him in the joyful shout of gathering.
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SHABBAT SHALOM!
