The Blowing of Trumpets

¹⁶ 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.

1 Thessalonians 4.13-18

This Month in Prophecy, and it happens to be Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish Festival which began at 18:38 this evening. I just asked a Jewish man when it began, and he said 18:38.

So, we’re about 20 minutes into the year 5783 in the Jewish Calendar. And, apparently, all the years have some name given to them. And this is the year of Retribution or Restoration: take your pick.

But the Bible doesn’t mention the fact that it’s a new year, it calls it the Feast of the Blowing of Trumpets, Yom Chua. In Leviticus it says,

So, this is the Feast of Trumpets, and it begins the cycle of the Jewish Holy Days for the Autumn time. And, if you look at this little diagram here you can see something which I’ve taught on before.

I won’t give the details now, but, just very briefly, if you look at the Jewish Festivals in the Torah, there are three festivals at the time of the Spring, that’s Passover, First Fruits, and Pentecost. And three in the Autumn, that’s Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles).

Interestingly, each one of them has a significance. In the Spring festivals this is in relation to the first coming of Jesus, and. in the Autumn festivals, in relation to the second coming of Jesus.

The first coming Spring feasts of Passover: the time when Jesus was crucified it speaks of the Messiah being sacrificed and the blood of the Lamb being put on the doorpost of the house so that, if you’re under the blood of the Lamb, you pass over from Death to Life. A very vivid picture of the blood of Jesus shed for us. Meaning that, if we believe in Him, under the blood of Jesus, we pass from Death to Life and we are safe from the Angel of Death.

This is followed by the Feasts of First Fruits which corresponds to the resurrection of Jesus which happens on the first day after the first Sabbath or, the only Sabbath during the Passover week. On the first day of the week, on the Sunday – today – when Jesus rose from the dead.

This is then followed, 50 days later, by the Feast of Shavuot which corresponds to Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given.

You’ve got those three festivals, all relevant to the first coming of Yeshua /Jesus the Messiah.

After that, you have a long period of time in between before you come to the Autumn festivals which begin with the one happening today / tonight: the day of the Feast of Trumpets. Followed by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and, later, the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. And all of those speak in some ways of the Messiah’s return: trumpets gathering the people together to the Lord for the sound of the trumpet, Yom Kippur the time of Jacob’s trouble or Great Tribulation, leading to Israel’s National repentance and faith in Yeshua and Sukkot, the Millennial Reign of Messiah after Jesus returns and reigns for a thousand years.

Therefore, that cycle is now beginning with the Feast of Trumpets.

A short meditation on what trumpets signify in the Bible. As I have already mentioned, something about this but the trumpets, you find in the Bible that trumpets are used in Exodus 19 to make a great announcement: the giving of the Ten Commandments.

In Leviticus 25.9, we see the Feast of Freeing of Captives. In Numbers 10 there is the calling people to a great assembly. In 2 Kings 9.13 the crowning of a king. In Jeremiah 6.1 a warning of danger. In Joel 2.15 announcing the day of the Lord. In Isaiah 27.13 the gathering of Israel, and in Ezekiel 33 verse 1 to 6 the giving of the prophetic Word.

Look at all those references, put them together and what have you got? The sound of the trumpet is connected to the coming of the Messiah, a great announcement, freeing the captives, calling the people together for an assembly, the crowning of the king, announcing the day of the Lord, and the gathering of Israel for the prophetic Word of God.

Of course, when you come to New Testament, you have the trumpets in Matthew 24.31 the gathering of the elect after the tribulation period. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 the trumpet is used to call on the resurrection of the dead. Revelation chapter 11 speaks of the last trumpet:

The trumpet is ever proclaiming the Kingdom of God and, in the prophetic scheme which we’re looking at tonight particularly, the Feast of Trumpets relates to the event we call the Rapture of the Church. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4

We have the great debate about whether the Rapture occurs before, in the middle or at the end of the Tribulation. Yet we know that whatever is going to happen will happen.

I do believe it will take place before the Tribulation. In which case, it could be imminent.

In fact, some people believe that because of this typology, the Rapture must come at the time of the Feast of Trumpets or the Jewish New Year, which means that, if it’s going to come this year, it will take place in the next two days!

I don’t believe that because Jesus said it could happen at any time. That means that, if you get through these next two days, it won’t happen for another year.

So, really, we should be ready for the Lord to come at any time. But there certainly is a connection. We can see it with this Feast of Trumpets.

And, behind that, you’ve got a call to repentance and faith in preparation for the soon coming of Yeshua the Messiah.

No matter what, be ready for the coming of the Lord. If it is at the end of the Tribulation, be ready for a time of trouble. But you will be able to survive during that time.

That’s a brief introduction on the Feast of Trumpets. Are current events preparing for this?

See our latest analysis here: This Month in Prophecy