Chapter 6

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS

Before we begin our study let us pray,

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come to You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father please provide me with spiritual wisdom and understanding so I can better understand Your Word. I ask this so I can come to a better knowledge of You and Your ways and desires. Lord please reveal to me the teaching that comes from the Feast of Trumpets.

Amen

In our study of the Feast of Trumpets we will:

  1. Read the instruction God gave to Moses for the establishment of this feast.
  2. Conduct a short survey of the Old Testament to familiarize ourselves with the various circumstances for which the sound of the trumpet was used.
  3. Discover that, in addition to offer God worship and praise, this feast was also established as a foreshadowing to teach us about the time when the Messiah, that is our Lord Jesus Christ, will return to earth to establish His Kingdom.

With the above outline in mind let us now begin our study by reading the,

INSTRUCTIONS GOD GAVE FOR THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS

To do this let us read from,

Numbers 29:1-6

""'[1] On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. [2] As an aroma pleasing to the LORD, prepare a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. [3] With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths ; [4] and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. [5] Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. [6] These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are offerings made to the LORD by fire--a pleasing aroma."

Let us notice the following verses,

1 … This was the day for blowing of the trumpets.

2-5 … In addition to the blowing of the trumpets the people of Israel were to also offer a whole burnt offering. As we saw in earlier chapters this offering was to symbolize total dedication to God. In addition to the burnt offering, a sin offering was to be made. This was done for the forgiveness of sins. The significance of these offerings during this feast will be seen later on in this chapter.

With respect to the trumpets that were to blown during this feast, we know from reading the Psalms that in addition to the human voice, musical instruments, such as the trumpet, were to be used for the praise and worship of God. To see this let us read,

Psalm 150:1-6

"[1] Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. [2] Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. [3] Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, [4] praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, [5] praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. [6] Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD."

This usage of the trumpet for the praise and worship of God was to carry into the celebration of the feasts. They were to be blown during the offering of the whole burnt and fellowship, that is peace, offerings. This is recorded for us in,

Numbers 10:10

"[10] Also at your times of rejoicing--your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals--you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.""

Was the whole reason God instituted the Feast of Trumpets for the worship and praise to Him? (or) As with the previous feasts we studied the Feast of Trumpets was also established to be a foreshadowing to teach us about another aspect or facet of the mission of Jesus Christ?

What we will find is that the Feast of Trumpets was also established to teach us about the time when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will come and establish His one thousand year reign upon this earth.

To see this we must first have an better understanding with all the circumstances under which the sound of the trumpets were used. To do this let us conduct a brief survey of the Old Testament to find,

THE VARIOUS USES OF THE TRUMPETS

In reading the Old Testament we find that in addition to worship and praise the blowing of the trumpets were used for at least the following four sets of circumstances or situations.

First of all we find that the blowing of the trumpets were used to,

Gather the People of God

For this particular activity we find that the trumpets were used to assemble the people of Israel for two purposes: (1) to meet with God and (2) to direct the movement of the people during their journey to the promised land.

To see that the trumpet was used to assemble the people of Israel to meet with God, let us read how God called them to assemble before Him at the foot of Mount Sinai. It is recorded for us in,

Exodus 19:16-19

"[16] On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. [17] Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. [18] Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, [19] and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him."

To see that the blowing of the trumpet was used to direct the movement of the people during their journey to the promised land of Canaan, let us read from,

Numbers 10:1-8

"[1] The LORD said to Moses: [2] "Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. [3] When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [4] If only one is sounded, the leaders--the heads of the clans of Israel--are to assemble before you. [5] When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. [6] At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. [7] To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal. [8] "The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come."

The second usage of the trumpets was,

During the Time of War or Conflict

Under this situation the trumpet was used to: (1) sound a warning of eminent danger and (2) initiate an attack against the enemy.

To see that the trumpet was used to sound a warning of eminent danger or attack let us read what the Bible says with respect to those who were appointed as watchmen to guard their cities.

Ezekiel 33:2-6

""[2] Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, [3] and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, [4] then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. [5] Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. [6] But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'"

Another example of this is provided to us after the nation of Israel was released from their bondage to the Babylonians. When they returned to Jerusalem they took on the task of rebuilding the wall around their city. Unfortunately the people living in that area felt threatened. To prevent the wall from being rebuilt they would periodically attack the people of Israel. To warn the people building this wall of an impending attack the trumpet was sounded. To see this, let us read how Nehemiah organized the people for this work of building the wall around Jerusalem,

Nehemiah 4:15-20

"[15] When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. [16] From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah [17] who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, [18] and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. [19] Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. [20] Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!""

In addition to serving as an alarm the blowing of the trumpet was also used by the people of Israel to initiate the attack.

A good example of this is recorded for us in how Joshua was to overthrow Jericho and enter into the promised land of Canaan. We find God's instructions recorded in,

Joshua 6:1-5

"[1] Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. [2] Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. [3] March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. [4] Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. [5] When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.""

Let us notice the following verses,

1-4(a) … For six days the nation of Israel were to march around the walls of Jericho. During this time the priests carried the trumpets before the Ark of the Covenant. I believe this was a warning for the people of Jericho that an attack was eminent. Thereby giving them one last chance to come to belief in God and cry out to Him for mercy. Just as Rahab did when she encounter the two Israelite spies (see Joshua 2:1-21).

9 … The long blast of the trumpet was to signal the time when the walls would fall down and Israel was to initiate their attack and take the city. This was also their first real entry into the promised land of Canaan.

The third usage of the trumpets was for the,

Announcement or Arrival of the King

To see this let us read about the time when God, through King David, appointed his son Solomon, to reign as David's successor. This event is recorded for us in,

1 Kings 1:32-39

"[32] King David said, "Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada." When they came before the king, [33] he said to them: "Take your lord's servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. [34] There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, 'Long live King Solomon!' [35] Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah." [36] Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. [37] As the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!" [38] So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David's mule and escorted him to Gihon. [39] Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!""

Another example of this usage of the trumpet centers around Jehu. In this case the trumpets were blown after the prophet Elisha, under God's direction, anointed him (Jehu) as king over Israel. This event is recorded for us in,

2 Kings 9:11-13

"[11] When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, "Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?" "You know the man and the sort of things he says," Jehu replied. [12] "That's not true!" they said. "Tell us." Jehu said, "Here is what he told me: 'This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.'" [13] They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!""

Let us notice the following verses,

11 … Notice that Jehu and his servants considered Elisha an eccentric or radical believer in God.

13 … Also, notice Jehu's servants did believe that Elisha spoke the Word of God. Consequently, they believed that God, through Elisha, anointed Jehu to be king of Israel. Thus, his servants blew the trumpet to announce his kingship.

The fourth and final use of trumpets was to,

Announce or Usher in the Year of Jubilee

To see this let us read from,

Leviticus 25:8-10

""'[8] Count off seven sabbaths of years--seven times seven years--so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. [9] Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. [10] Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan."

Summary

Before we proceed with our study let us first summarize what we have found in our brief survey of the Old Testament for the various uses of the trumpets. In addition to being an instrument used in the praise and worship of God, the trumpets were also used to: (1) assemble the people of God, (2) warn the people of eminent danger and initiate the attack against their enemies, (3) announce the arrival of their king and (4) usher in the Year of Jubilee.

With all the above background we now come to the heart of this study. Specifically, we will now discover how,

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS TEACHES US ABOUT THE EVENTS THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THE RETURN OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

To do this we will examine each reason the trumpets were used in the Old Testament to see how they correspond to and help us understand the events that will surround the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the establishment of His one thousand year reign upon this earth. Specifically, we will discover that,

  1. Before our Lord wages war against all the evil and wickedness upon this earth a trumpet will blow to gather to Himself all those that are His.
  2. The trumpets will blow to warn those remaining on earth that our Lord's return is eminent. This occurs with the hope that the people would repent and call out to God for forgiveness and mercy.
  3. The trumpet will blow to initiate the attack of our Lord Jesus Christ and His saints that will put an end to the reign of Satan and his followers.
  4. The trumpet will blow to announce the arrival of the King of kings, that is Jesus Christ.
  5. The trumpet will also signal the beginning of the one thousand year reign of God's Kingdom upon this earth.

To see these things let us begin by noting that in our survey of the Old Testament we found that the sound of the trumpet was used to,

Gather the People of God

As we study the New Testament we also find that the trumpets will sound when our Lord Jesus Christ gathers to Himself all those who are His. He does this before He arrives to establish His Kingdom and rule upon this earth (Revelation 20:1-6).

Before we read about this gathering let us first address the question of, "Who are those that He will gather?" In other words, "Who will be the people that our Lord Jesus Christ will gather to Himself?" We get a clue to the answer to this question by remembering that during the Feast of Trumpets the people of Israel were to offer the following two sacrifices.

  1. The Whole Burnt Offering
  2. From our previous studies we discovered that this offering was a foreshadowing to teach us about the total dedication of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to God the Father (see chapter 9 for a more in depth study). It further teaches us that as born again believers in Christ Jesus we, in Him, are also dedicated to God the Father.

  3. The Sin Offering

In previous studies we found that the sin offering was a foreshadowing to teach us about the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins (see chapter 12 for a more in depth study). It further teaches us that the born again believer in Jesus Christ has been forgiven of all their sins and is now reconciled to or at peace with God the Father.

Thus, the Feast of Trumpets reveals to us that those who are the born again Christians are the Lord's. In other words when our Lord Jesus Christ is about to return to this earth He will gather to Himself all those who have: (1) received Him as their Lord, that is submitted and dedicated themselves to Him, and (2) received Him as their Savior, that is accepted or received the forgiveness resulting from His death and resurrection.

With this in mind let us now read about what will happen during that epoch event when our Lord Jesus Christ gathers to Himself those that are His. Notice, this gathering or rapture will be signaled by the blowing of the trumpet. To see this let us first read from,

1 Corinthians 15:52

"[52] in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

And now let us read from,

1 Thessalonians 4:16

"[16] For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

We also read in the Old Testament that the trumpets were used during,

The Time of War

Under these circumstances the trumpets served a twofold purpose: (1) they were sounded as a warning of an eminent attack and (2) they were sounded to launch an attack.

With respect to the usage of the trumpets as a warning prior to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we find in the book of Revelation that trumpets were given to the angels that are going send various plagues upon the earth. These trumpets will be blown each time a new plague will be sent to inflict those who remain. To see this let us read from,

Revelation 8:1-2

"[1] When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. [2] And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets."

Let us now read from,

Revelation 8:6-7

"[6] Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. [7] The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up."

This blowing of the trumpets and the accompanying plague will continue up to and including the sixth trumpet. As Joshua and the people of Israel were to march around the city of Jericho six times to serve as a warning to the inhabitants of Jericho, these trumpets and associated plagues are also to serve as a warning. However, this time it will be a warning to those who will be living upon the earth that the return of our Lord is eminent. Unfortunately, as it was with the stubbornness of the people of Jericho, the people living upon the earth during this time will also not repent and come to God. To see this let us read from,

Revelation 9:20-21

"[20] The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. [21] Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts."

This now brings us to the second usage of the trumpet during the time of war. That is, it was used to initiate the attack.

As was the case with the blowing of the trumpets during their seventh march around the city of Jericho, so it will be when our Lord returns to earth. In this case, the blowing of the seventh trumpet will signal the attack by our Lord Jesus Christ and His saints upon the forces of Satan and the nations under his control. To see this let us first read from,

Revelation 11:15-19

"[15] The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." [16] And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, [17] saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. [18] The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth." [19] Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm."

With the above in mind, let us now read about our Lord's attack and victory over all the forces of evil and wickedness.

Revelation 19:11-21

"[11] I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. [12] His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. [13] He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. [14] The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. [16] On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. [17] And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, [18] so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." [19] Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. [20] But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. [21] The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh."

The Old Testament also taught us that the blowing of the trumpet was to,

Announce the Arrival of the King

As we read above, not only does the seventh trumpet sound the charge of Jesus and His army, it also announces His arrival as the true King of this earth. To see this let us reread from,

Revelation 11:15-17

"[15] The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." [16] And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, [17] saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign."

Finally, in our survey of the Old Testament we found that the sound of the trumpet was used to usher in the Year of Jubilee. Let us recall from our study of the Feast of Pentecost that this was the time when the Israelites who, because of poverty were sold into bondage, were to return to their family and land. This too is a foreshadowing to teach us about the return to earth of Jesus Christ and His people to usher in the,

One Thousand Year Reign of God's Kingdom upon the Earth

To see this let us read what is going to happen after Jesus and His saints defeat Satan and his followers,

Revelation 20:1-4

"[1] And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. [2] He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. [3] He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. [4] I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

CONCLUSION

Thus, we find that the Feast of Trumpets, the day when the trumpets were to be blown, was not only established as a feast in which the people of Israel were to worship and praise God. No, the Feast of Trumpets was also a celebration to foreshadow the events and activities that will characterize the time when the Messiah, that is Jesus Christ, will return to earth and mark the beginning of a thousand year reign of His Kingdom. It truly was a time of joy and anticipation.

With this in mind let us close our study by offering praise and worship to God by reading the following Psalm,

Psalm 145

"[1] A psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. [2] Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. [3] Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. [4] One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. [5] They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. [6] They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. [7] They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. [8] The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. [9] The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. [10] All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. [11] They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, [12] so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. [13] Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. [14] The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. [15] The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. [16] You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. [17] The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. [18] The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. [19] He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. [20] The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. [21] My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever."

AMEN and AMEN

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