These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which
ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall
ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy
convocation (Lev 23:4,24)
Notice, he did not say these were the feasts of the Jews or
the feasts of the Christians, but the feasts of the Lord. They
are to be celebrated in honor of our Lord!
A CALL FOR ASSEMBLY
The Feast of trumpets celebrates a special call of God to His
people to assemble. The trumpet is a symbol of a specific message
for a particular time.
Both Christian and Jew believe that the Messiah was to bring
the message of deliverance to mankind. Jesus is identified by
Zacharias as the "horn of salvation" in Luke 1:69.
Messiah was to be the voice of God in the earth declaring the
gospel of the Kingdom of God. The Apostle John tells us that
Jesus was the word of God made flesh. He has been the word,
the voice or the horn of God since before time. (John 1:1)
DAYS OF AWE AND NEW BEGINNINGS
This festival signals the beginning of an annual ten day period
of time called "the days of awe" .(repentance) It
includes the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Atonement. The
days of awe provide a time for self-examination and introspection.
They were to have a humbling effect on the people of Israel
as indeed they should have upon us all. [They could be called
the days of Humility] All of this was leading up to the celebration
of the last great festival of the year, the festival of "Tabernacles".
Tabernacles is by far the most joyous of annual celebrations.
It is the principle of spiritual assessment and repentance
that lies behind this declaration of God through Isaiah the
prophet;
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and
shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their
sins. (Isa 58:1)
Rosh Hashanah is the Hebrew name for the festival of Trumpets,
meaning "the beginning". The seventh month of Tishri
is what is considered the beginning of the Jewish fiscal New
Year. It is also considered by Jewish sages to be the beginning
or creation of the world.
TRUMPETS AND SHOFARS
"With trumpets
and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the
King." (Ps 98:6)
Originally, there were two silver trumpets used by the priests
to signal the approaching pilgrimage festivals. Eventually,
it appears that they were replaced by the shofar (a ram's horn)
The shofar is one of the more prominent of biblical symbols.
The ram's horn is very meaningful for historic and prophetic
reasons. The significance of its use is found in the story of
Abraham and Isaac,
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind
him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went
and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in
the stead of his son. (Gen 22:13)
This is one of the greatest sacrificial lessons of the biblical
record. It is certainly one of the greatest prophetic lessons
of all time regarding the coming messiah. God asked Abraham
to sacrifice his own son which Abraham was willing to do but
God prevented him by providing a ram in substitution for his
son Isaac. This is an Old Testament allegory reflecting John
3:16,
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
Every time the Christian hears the sound of the shofar, he
should be refreshed in that profound redemptive lesson. The
church today should make greater use of the Shofar in celebration
and worship.
THE LAST TRUMP
Finally, the Feast of Trumpets is prophetically fulfilled when
the last trump sounds and the Lord returns for his people in
preparation for establishing his physical Kingdom upon the earth.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
(1 Thess 4:16)
[Do not interpret this trumpet to be a gigantic solar bugle
that some have envisioned.] This verse is simply speaking of
a profound message of preparation being declared in anticipation
of our Lord's soon return to earth in power and great glory.
It is a sound comparable to what John the revelator heard in
his vision while in exile,
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:
and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet
talking with me;
The Feast of Trumpets serves to remind us of the
importance of hearing the voice of God. Lord, give us ears
to hear!,
Maranatha!
Celebrate
the Feast of Trumpets