This is a continuation of the seven feasts of the Jewish faith. Click the click the links below if you missed any articles.

Introduction

Passover

Unleavened Bread

Feast of Trumpets Description:

The Feast of the Trumpets occurs in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. In our calendar, this would fall sometime in September or October. While the spring feasts speak of the mighty works of God that have already been fulfilled by Christ, the fall feasts speak of prophetic things to come. They will be fulfilled when Christ returns. 

Seven is considered to be God’s number. It symbolizes completeness and perfection. It is in stark contrast to the incompleteness of the number six. In the story of creation, the seventh day is a day of rest. There are many instances of the number seven in Revelation as well. 

• Revelation 1:5 ESV – 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
• Revelation 3:1 ESV – 1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
• Revelation 4:5 ESV – 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,
• Revelation 5:6 ESV – 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Leviticus 23:23-25 tells us,  “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD.” 

Www.gotquestions.org describes it this way,  “The Feast of Trumpets marked the beginning of ten days of consecration and repentance before God. It is one of seven Jewish feasts or festivals appointed by the LORD and one of three feasts that occur in the autumn. The Feast of Trumpets began on the first day (at the new moon) of the seventh month. Its name comes from the command to blow trumpets i(Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1-6). It is also called Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year,” because it marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. During this celebration, no kind of work was to be performed, but burnt offerings and a sin offering were to be brought before the Lord.”

In her book, A Prophetic Calendar: The Feasts of Israel, Jill Shannon writes,  “The shofar is sounded on the opening evening of this special day; in addition, the Jewish people have incorporated three specific types of blasts throughout the twenty-four hour observance. The ram’s horn produces two tones: a lower and a higher tone. One blast hits the low note quickly, and then holds the high tone as a long, steady note. The second type of blast consists of three shorter repetitions of both notes. The third kind of blast has a staccato repetition of the higher note, which could be likened to the hammering of a woodpecker, echoing through the woods.’”

She goes on to write, “There were two types of trumpets cited in the Bible. One was the ram’s horn (shofar), reminiscent of the ram caught in the thicket by its horns, who became the substitute for Isaac on the altar of sacrifice. The other type was a pair of trumpets, hammered in silver, which the Lord described to Moses in Numbers 10. Both types are sacred and have ceremonial functions in the Lord’s feasts, as well as other uses.” p  141

Why should Christians be concerned with the feasts? Let’s look at what Scripture says about trumpets:

• Psalm 81:3:  “Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.”
• Joel 2:1:  “Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,”
• Zephaniah 1:14:  “The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there” 
• Zephaniah 1:16: “a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:51-52:  “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:52: “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Christ’s fulfillment:  The trumpet blast will announce the return of the Lord. When Christ returns, the remainder of the feasts will be fulfilled by Christ. What a glorious day that will be!

What can we learn from this particular feast? It was the celebration of the agricultural year. It began a ten-day period of reflection and confession of sins. It was often referred to as the “Ten Days of Repentance” or the “Days of Awe.” Our church has a Maunday Thursday service that commemorates the Last Supper and allows us to reflect on our sinful nature that Christ redeemed us from. Many years ago, we were asked to write some of our sins on a piece of paper. They were collected and nailed to a cross. It was so impactful to hear the nails being hammered and knowing that it was for our sins. 

When we hear that final trumpet blast, we will no longer have the opportunity to express our faith in Christ. We need to take notice and prepare. Is your eternity secure in the blood of Jesus?