The Feast of Trumpets

Reading:
Numbers 10 & Jeremiah 4

1. Introduction

Every one is familiar with the musical instrument called the trumpet. Made of a variety of materials, ranging from animals horns, copper, brass, silver-plated brass, steel and even pure silver, the trumpet is used in virtually every country on earth. Because the trumpet is audible at great distances, it is used in war and worship, especially outdoor worship. Every army has its trumpeters or buglers to draw the attention of the troops, to sound the alarm, or to convey a general's commands to his army.

But why do we observe a FEAST OF TRUMPETS?

What has a trumpet to do with a Feast of the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel? What does the trumpet symbolize?
What is this Feast of Trumpets a memorial of - anyway?

Why are we here today when the majority of mankind is busy going about its day to day business, oblivious of this sacred Sabbath? Today, this Day of Trumpets I hope to answer these questions. Let us begin by reading a passage about two silver trumpets Yahweh commanded Moses to make.

Numbers 10: 1: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2: Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
3: And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
4: And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.
5: When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward.
6: When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.
7: But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.
8: And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.
9: And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
10: Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

Notice the trumpets use:

One trumpetwas used to assemble the elders of Israel.
Two trumpets used to assemble the whole congregation.
Alarm blasts were sounded to begin journeys.
The trumpets were sounded in times of war.
At the Feasts, the Sabbath and the New Moons.
...The priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.
That they may be to you for a memorial before your God.

These are detailed instructions which contain vital information, the significance of which we need to understand. 'What and why' you may well ask, 'do we need to know?' Are all these Old Testament details important to us approaching the 21^st century?

2. The Heavenly Originals

The answer is: they are important, very important. We need to understand because every article, every instrument, every animal, every spiritual procedure used in the service of the Almighty God of Abraham was designed for a specific purpose. Moses received instructions from God in the mountain of Sinai. 'Make everything,' God said to Moses: Moses received instructions from God in the mountain of Sinai. “Make everything,” God said to Moses:

Exodus 25:

9: “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”

The writer of Hebrews refers to this command:

Hebrews 8: 5: “See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”

Yahweh's ceremonial commands foretell specific acts in the Plan of Salvation: each put there to point out an eternal concept or moral principle the Almighty wants to bring to man's attention. The silver trumpets mentioned in (Numbers 10) are no exception. They both point to the heavenly originals, the Trumpets of the LORD, which are blown by the Almighty and His Son. We first see the use of heavenly trumpets in the giving of the ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.

Exodus 19: 16: “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.”
Exodus 19: 19: “And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.”

Sound, many of us know, can shatter glass, split rocks and cause buildings to explode into dust. In this instance the whole mountain range of Sinai shook and the nation of Israel trembled. Later we will consider those original heavenly trumpets and their use.

3. The Feast of Trumpets

Yahweh’s Feasts, as we have taught for many, many years, are shadows and memorials of His mightiest acts in the Programme of Salvation. When they are celebrated before the event they foreshadow things to come. When they are celebrated after the event they are memorials, and will continue to be memorials for all time!

The Feast of Trumpets, occurring as it does on the first day of the seventh month of Ethanim (Tishri) has still to be fulfilled. To my knowledge, nothing of great spiritual significance, which could be taken as a fulfilment of this Feast, has ever occurred on this day. It still awaits fulfilment! Bear in mind all Yahweh's Feasts are shadows of things to come.

The Passover prefigures the time when the death angel will Pass Over all who are covered with the blood of the Passover Lamb, Yeshua the Messiah. Luke 22: 15: And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. No doubt, the Passover Lamb (Yeshua) has already been slain. But the Passover itself (the event of being spared when the angel of death passes over us) is still future.
The Feast of Firstfruits prefigures the first (in sequence) and first (in quality) fruits of the harvest. The Apostles were the first. Speaking of the 144000 (the best) Scripture says: Revelation 14:4: These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
The Feast of Trumpets prefigures an event which has still to occur! When that event occurs, then the Feast of Trumpets will be celebrated throughout eternity as a memorial. Right now (2011) it is still a shadow of that event still 'to come.' Here is Yahweh's command concerning this feast.
Numbers 29:1: And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.
Leviticus 23:24: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, 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.

What is the event that is still to come? What is this feast a memorial of? I do not profess to know all the facts concerning this feast, any more than the disciples knew what was going to happen on the day of Pentecost: but I'm certain the verses I have just read are directly linked with mighty events soon to occur. When they occur, heavenly trumpets - the originals - will herald them. We will hear the trumpets like air raid sirens sounding throughout the earth. We'll need to wait and see what will actually happen then. I'm certain it will be marvellous.

If one trumpet sounds then church leaders all over the globe will assemble before God; just as the leaders of the early church assembled on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. If both trumpets sound the entire believing congregation on earth will be summoned. The end-time church will move forward, 'take its journeyings,' at the sound of those heavenly trumpets. Nothing short of a 'signal from heaven' or a visit by holy angels as in Lot's case, will satisfy me before I move out of civilisation.

4. The Trumpet Shadows

The trumpet figured extensively in Israel's past. Trumpet-backed dramas are recorded in the Scriptures. Most are dramatised prophecies for our time. They were staged by the Eternal to inform the entire universe of what He is planning to do in the last days of earth's history. The Apostle Paul writes:

1 Corinthians 10: 11: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Let us now look at some of those ‘prophetic dramas,’ those ‘shadows of coming events’ and see what we in (2010) can learn from them.

Holy War

Numbers 31: 6: “And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.”

The Fall of Jericho

Joshua 6: 4: “And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5: And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
6: And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.”

Joshua 6: 13: “And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.”

Verse: 20: “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”

A similar collapse of earth’s cities is foretold in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 16: 15: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16: And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17: And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18: And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19: And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”

Gideon’s Victory

Judges 7: 18: “When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.”

The Ark of the Covenant

2 Samuel 6: 15: “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.”

1 Chronicles 15: 28: “Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet (yobel), and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.”

Anointing the King

1 Kings 1: 39: “And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.”

Revelation 11: 15: “And the seventh angel sounded (his trumpet) and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Dedication of Solomon’s Temple

2 Chronicles 5: 12: “Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:”

King Abijah's victory over Jeroboam

2Chronicles 13: 1-20 (Read about this battle where 500,000 soldiers were slain)
King Abijah said these words: “And behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.”

Building the Second Temple

Ezra 3: 10: “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.”

The Jubile Trumpet:
Hebrew Yobel= Jubile, a ram's horn (Shofar)

Leviticus 25: 9: “Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.”

5. Still Future

These laws and the experiences bear in mind are prophetic dramas, shadows, types, miniature examples of great universal realities due to occur in our day. This includes the sacred trumpets on high and the yobel (ram’s horn) trumpeters on earth.

Isaiah 18:

3: “All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.
4: For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

Isaiah 27:

1: “In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
2: In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.
3: I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.
4: Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.
5: Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me...
12: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
13: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the GREAT TRUMPET shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.”

The Resurrection
When the Trumpet of the Lord sounds, even the dead will hear it. It will trigger the resurrection. Millions of believers from ages past will rise out of their graves to greet the coming king. I tell you there will be a shout of delight so loud that the earth will shake. It will be the greatest day this old universe has ever witnessed. A day of freedom. A day of victory over death, pain, sickness, sorrow and separation.

This is the reason why I suspect that the Saviour may well return on a Feast of Trumpets in some future year.

1 Thessalonians 4: 16: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

1 Corinthians 15: 52: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

6. We Preachers are Trumpets

But what about the ram's horn trumpet istelf - the shophar. The shophar is a symbol of Yahweh's mouth piece: His prophets, priests and preachers. It is through such human agents that His Holy Spirit blows. Our task as the Almighty's spokesmen is as follows:

To identify Sin - Loud and Clear!

Isaiah 58: 1: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”

1 Corinthians 14: 8: “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”

Jeremiah 4: 19: “My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.”

To Warn the Church

Joel 2: 1: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;”

Christian Apathy

Jeremiah 6: 17: “Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.”
Ezekiel 7: 14: “They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.”

The Watchman’s Responsibilities

Ezekiel 33: 3: “If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4: Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5: He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6: But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.”

7. The Day of the LORD

Joel 2:	15: Blow the trumpet in Zion,* sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:*
Zeph: 1:	15: That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16: A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17: And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18: Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land
Zech: 9:	14: And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

Jer. Chapter 4 ... Read this chapter through. Pause and concentrate on verses 13:

Isa.27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come that were ready to perish in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship Yahweh in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

In view of these facts:

Isa.18:3 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

In other words, let all on earth, let all the men in the world watch when the signal is raised, (a visible alarm) and take heed when the trumpet is blown! (an audible alarm)

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN FOR US?
We are the Almighty's trumpets, cornets, spiritual instruments Yahweh uses to warn others.

The Trumpet Message:

Isaiah 58: 1: “Lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgressions.”

Where to Blow:

Jeremiah 51: 27: “Set up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations.”

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS OF REVELATION
Fifth Trumpet: (Revelation 9: 1-12) 1st Woe Abaddon's five month rule of terror begins.

Sixth Trumpet: 2nd Woe (Revelation 9: 13 to Revelation 11: 14) During this Woe

A third of earth's population is scheduled to perish.
The Two Witnesses to preach for 1260 days during this woe.
The church will be in the wilderness for 3.5 years. Jerusalem will be under Gentile domination for this same period.
See The 6th.Trumpet.

Seventh Trumpet: 3rd Woe. (Revelation 11: 15 - on to chapter 19) & Messiahs return

War in heaven/Church in the wilderness for 1260 days (Revelation 12)
The Beast's Reign of 3.5 years begins on earth (Revelation 13)
Worldwide Warning by 144000 prophets of God who were sealed ealier. (Revelation 14)
The Seven Last Plagues: (Revelation chapters 15 & 16)
The total defeat of Babylon the Great (Revelation chapters 17 & 18)
The Saviour Returns: (Revelation 19)
See The 7th & Last Trumpet.

Conclusions

All these important events will be heralded by the sounding of Yahweh's heavenly trumpets. We should not only be aware that these events will happen, but mentally and spiritually prepared before they do happen; and that is now! The questions we should be asking are:

Am I doing the best I can to be ready when Yahweh and His Son Yeshua. the two great Trumpeters, shake the entire universe.
Am I acquainting myself with the Time Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation which are linked to the Feasts of the Almighty? For example if I heard Yahweh's trumpet on a Feast Day, would I know what events would follow and for how long they will continue?
Do I realise that even my warning voice is in its small way a 'yobel' trumpet call which could carry a warning message to people near and far?
Do I know the Trumpet Message (Yahweh's Sabbath Truth) enough to be able to lift up my voice and proclaim it?

Think about these things and pray, pray and pray again that you be accounted worthy to escape with your life - eternal life!

AMEN!

In the Son’s Name — For the Father’s glory.
Elder: Max W. Mader

Exodus 19:	16: “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.”
Exodus 19:	19: “And when the voice of the trumpet* sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.”*

Joshua 6:	4: “And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5: And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 6: And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.”
Joshua 6:	13: “And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.”
Verse:	20: “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”

2 Samuel 6:	15: “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.”
1 Chronicles 15:	28: “Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet (yobel), and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.”

1 Kings 1:	39: “And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet;* and all the people said, God save king Solomon.”*
Revelation 11:	15: “And the seventh angel sounded (his trumpet) and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

1 Thessalonians 4:	16: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:* and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”*
1 Corinthians 15:	52: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:* for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”*

Isaiah 58:	1: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
1 Corinthians 14:	8: “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”
Jeremiah 4:	19: “My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.”

Jeremiah 6:	17: “Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.* But they said, We will not hearken.”*
Ezekiel 7:	14: “They have blown the trumpet,* even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.”*