Chapter 6
THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come to You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father, please grant us spiritual wisdom and understanding so we can better understand Your Word. We ask this so we can come to a better knowledge of You and Your ways and desires. Lord, please reveal to us the foreshadowing that comes from the Feast of Trumpets.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
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 purposes for which the sound of the trumpet was used.
3. Discover that, in addition to offering God worship and praise, this feast along with the Joshua’s invasion of Jericho were also recorded to be foreshadowings that point to the time when our Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth and 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 sounding of the trumpets.
2-4 … In addition to the sounding of the trumpets the people of Israel were to also offer a whole burnt offering. This offering was to symbolize total dedication to God.
5 … 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 also 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 various feasts. 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 a better understanding of the various purposes or reasons for why the sounding 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 sounding of the trumpets were used for at least the following four reasons or purposes.
First of all we find that the sounding of the trumpets were used for,
GATHERING 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.
A good example of this is when God instructed Moses to gather the people to the foot or base Mount Sinai. It was here when God was going to give Moses the Ten Commandments. To read God’s instruction we go to,
Exodus 19:10-13
[10] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. [10] And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. [12] You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. [13] Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”
To read what happened we go to,
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 trumpets 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 an imminent danger from an enemy and (2) initiate an attack against the enemy.
To see that the trumpet was used to sound a warning of imminent 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 the wall of an impending attack the trumpet was to be 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 sounding of the trumpet was also used by the people of Israel to initiate the attack.
A good example of this is recorded in the instructions God gave to Joshua on how he 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,
1-4a … For six days the nation of Israel was to march around the walls of Jericho. During this time seven priests carried and sounded seven trumpets before the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 6:6-9). I believe this was a warning for the people of Jericho that an attack was imminent. This gave the inhabitants of Jericho one last chance, as Rahab did when she encountered the two Israelite spies (see Joshua 2:1-21) to come to the Israelites and ask for mercy.
4b-5 … On the 7th day around the city wall and on the 7th sounding of the trumpets, the Israelites shouted and the walls of the city collapsed. Then, Joshua and the Israelites attacked and destroyed the city along with all that was in it (Joshua 6:21).
It is noted that, because the scarlet cord that was hanging from Rahab’s window, she and all who were inside her house were spared from the destruction (Joshua 2:1-21 and Joshua 6:15-17).
As we will discover later in this study, all of the above events including the sparing of Rehab were foreshadowings that pointed to the events that will precede the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and His attack and victory over the evil forces upon the earth.
The third usage of the trumpets was to,
ANNOUNCE THE 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 in,
1 Kings 1:32-35
"[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."
Another example of this usage for the sounding of the trumpet occurred after the prophet Elisha, under God's direction, anointed 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.
12-13 … 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 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 imminent danger and/or 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 which is to explore
THE FORESHADOWINGS OF THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS AND JODHUA’ CONQUEST OF JERICO
To do this we will discover how each reason the trumpets were used in the Old Testament correspond to and point to 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 earth, a trumpet will sound to gather to Himself all those who are His.
2. Six trumpets will sound to warn those remaining on earth that our Lord's return is imminent.
3. The seventh trumpet will sound to initiate the attack of our Lord Jesus Christ and His saints to put an end to the reign of Satan and his followers.
4. The sounding of the trumpet will also announce the arrival of the King of kings, who is Jesus Christ.
5. The sounding of the seventh trumpet will also signal the beginning of the one thousand year reign of God's Kingdom upon this earth.
To see these things we begin by noting that in our survey of the Old Testament we found that the sound of the trumpets was used to,
GATHER THE PEOPLE OF GOD
As we study the New Testament we 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.
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?" To find out we begin with,
The Faith of Rehab
Let us recall that before Joshua and the Israelites advanced to the city of Jericho, Joshua sent two men to spy out the land. The Bible records for us that Rahab knew and believed that the Lord had given the Israelites the land. To see this let us read from,
Joshua 2:8-11
[8] Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, [9] and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. [10] For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. [11] And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
In other words, Rahab professed her faith and belief in the God of Israel and what he was about to do through Joshua and the Israelites. Consequently, Rahab reached out to the two spies to spare herself and her family from the impending destruction. This is recorded in,
Joshua 2:12-14
[12] Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, [13] and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” [14] So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
After Rahab let the spies escape from the people of Jericho, the spies told her to tie a scarlet, which means bright red, cord to hang down through the window they just escaped from. To see this we go to,
Joshua 2:15-21
[15] Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. [16] And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.” [17] So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, [18] unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. [19] So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. [20] And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.” [21] Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
In other words, during the upcoming invasion of Jericho, the Israelites were not to enter into the house where the scarlet cord was hanging. This was a type of blood covering. Thus, those inside Rahab’s house were passed over and saved from destruction. From this time forward Rahab’s household dwelt with Israel … God’s chosen (Joshua 6:22-25).
This brings us to the discussion to see how the incident with Rehab relates to,
The foreshadowing of the Feast of Trumpets
This unfolds by recalling that during the Feast of Trumpets the people were to offer the following two sacrifices:
1. The Whole Burnt Offering
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 12). It further teaches us that as born again believers in Christ Jesus we, in Him, are also dedicated to God the Father.
2. The Sin Offering
The sin offering was a foreshadowing to teach us about the bloody sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins (see chapter 9). 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. In other words, as we discovered in our study of the Feast of Passover, the red blood of our Lord Jesus Christ shed on our behalf is our covering. Thus, as the Israelites were saved from destruction by the destroying angel by the blood covering of the Passover Lamb and as Rehab was saved from the destruction of Jericho by the scarlet, a type of blood covering, so will the born again believers be saved from destruction by the blood covering they have received from Jesus Christ.
Thus, in addition to the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets reveals to us that those who are the born again Christians belong to the Lord. Consequently, to save those who are His from the impeding attack and destruction of the nations and followers of Satan, Jesus will gather to Himself all those who have been covered by His blood.
This brings us to,
The gathering of the Lord’s people
Before we begin this discussion it must be noted that the Bible is vague with respect to the exact time or sequence as to when this gathering will occur. Consequently, over the years, Biblical scholars and theologians developed the following three viewpoints:
1. Pretribulation – This view states that the gathering of the Lord’s people will occur prior to the tribulation period that precedes our Lord’s return. The implication of this is that the Lord’s people are gathered to Jesus prior to the opening of the first seal recorded in Chapter 6 of Revelation. Therefore, they will be spared from the entire tribulation period.
2. Mid Tribulation – This view states that the Lord’s people are gathered to Him in the middle of the tribulation period. This belief is derived by dividing the 7 year tribulation period prophesied by Daniel into two equal parts. The view is that after the first 3 ½ years or 42 months (1,260 days) the lord’s people will be gathered to Him. Thus, they will be spared from the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulation.
3. Post Tribulation – This view states that the Lord’s people will be gathered to Him after the tribulation period. Therefore, the ones on the earth will experience the tribulation but will be spared from Jesus’ attack
The rational for the third viewpoint is derived from the following Scripture that records what will happen at time when our Lord Jesus Christ gathers to Himself those who are His. As recorded below, this gathering will be signaled by the sounding of the trumpet,
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."
The last trumpet recorded in the Bible is the 7th trumpet. As we will discover later, it will be sounded to announce the attack against the followers and nations of Satan is about to begin. Thus, at this time those who belong to Jesus and covered by His blood will be spared from the impending destruction.
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." [17] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
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 imminent attack and (2) they were sounded to launch an attack.
Let us begin by exploring,
The warning
With respect to the usage of the trumpets as a warning prior to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we find that trumpets were given to the seven angels who are going to send the seven various plagues upon the earth. Each angel will sound a trumpet at the time a new plague will be sent.
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 continue by reading 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 sounding of the trumpets and the accompanying plague will continue up to and including the sixth trumpet (Revelation 8:6-9:1). As Joshua and the people of Israel marched 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 imminent. 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 brings us to the second usage of the trumpet during the time of war.
The initiation of the attack
As was the case with the sounding 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 sounding 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."
Let us notice the following verses,
18b … As we read earlier in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, these are the ones who have been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and have been gathered to Him. To expand upon this a bit let us read from,
Revelation 7:9-17
[7] After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [8] and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” [11] All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, [12] saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
[13] Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” [14] And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [15] Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. [16] They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor will any heat; [17] for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
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
Not only will the seventh trumpet sound the time for the gathering of those who belong to God and for the time of the attack of Jesus and His army, but it will also sound to announce Jesus Christ’s 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 also 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."
In other words, as the Year of Jubilee revealed to us, these souls will be reunited to the family of God and restored to their citizenship in Paradise.
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, who 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.
AMEN and AMEN