Jubilee Community Church
Sunday Service
  • You Saved Me
  • Open The Scroll (Only You Are Worthy)
  • Reigning
  • His Name Is Jesus
  • We Fall Down
  • Center
  • Names Of God
  • Rescue Story
  • All of a Sudden
  • Made For More
  • You Love Me Anyway
  • Never Lost
  • You Are Holy (Isaiah 6)
  • How He Loves

  • What the Feast of Trumpets Reveals About Christ

    PRIMARY SCRIPTURE READING
    Leviticus 23:23–25 ESV
    23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”

    INTRODUCTION — GOD HAS A CALENDAR

    This past Friday evening, September 11, at sundown, something significant happened on the biblical calendar.
    The Feast of Trumpets began.
    Most Christians know Christmas. We know Easter. We know Pentecost.
    But many Christians know very little about the feasts that God established in Leviticus 23.
    And yet God Himself calls them:
    “the feasts of the LORD.” — Leviticus 23:2
    Notice that God did not merely call them the feasts of Israel.
    He called them “My feasts.”
    The Hebrew word translated “feasts” is מוֹעֵד — mo’ed, Strong’s H4150.
    It means:
    an appointed time, appointed place, meeting, or sacred season.
    These were divine appointments.
    God placed certain days on Israel’s calendar that taught His people something about Himself, His covenant, His redemption, and His purposes.
    And when we come into the New Testament, something remarkable becomes apparent:
    The feasts form a powerful framework through which we can understand the work of Jesus Christ.
    Paul writes:

    Colossians 2:16–17

    “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday… Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
    A shadow is not the substance.
    But a shadow tells you something is coming.
    The feasts were not the Savior.
    They pointed toward the Savior.
    And when we understand the Feast of Trumpets, suddenly passages such as these become even more vivid:
    “For the trumpet shall sound…” — 1 Corinthians 15:52
    “With the trump of God…” — 1 Thessalonians 4:16
    “At the last trump…” — 1 Corinthians 15:52
    Church, God has been using the imagery of the trumpet for thousands of years.
    And its message is still:

    WAKE UP.

    GATHER TOGETHER.

    PREPARE YOUR HEART.

    THE KING IS COMING.

    1. THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS WAS GOD’S APPOINTED DAY

    Leviticus 23:24

    “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.”
    The biblical name of this observance is commonly called Yom Teruah — “Day of Blowing/Shouting.”

    Numbers 29:1

    “It is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.”
    The Hebrew word associated with the trumpet blast is:

    תְּרוּעָה —

    teruah
    Strong’s H8643
    It can refer to:
    a shout, alarm, battle cry, signal, or trumpet blast.
    That is important.
    Because a trumpet in Scripture was not background music.
    A trumpet demanded a response.
    When Israel heard the trumpet, they knew:
    Something is happening.
    Something is changing.
    Pay attention.
    Prepare yourself.
    Move.
    Gather.
    The trumpet was a divine interruption.
    And sometimes we need God to interrupt our routine.

    2. THE TRUMPET CALLED GOD’S PEOPLE TO ASSEMBLE

    God had already established the significance of trumpets in Israel.

    Numbers 10:2–3

    “Make thee two trumpets of silver… that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly… And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee…”
    The trumpet gathered the people.
    When the sound went forth, scattered Israel knew:
    Come together.
    That gives extraordinary significance to Paul’s description of the return of Christ.

    1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

    “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:
    Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…”
    Look at the language.
    A shout.
    A trumpet.
    A gathering.
    The same God who used the trumpet to assemble His covenant people gives us the picture of the trumpet accompanying the ultimate gathering of His people to Christ.
    The trumpet says:

    THE KING IS GATHERING HIS PEOPLE.

    3. THE TRUMPET ALSO SOUNDED AN ALARM

    The trumpet did not always mean celebration.
    Sometimes it meant:
    WARNING.

    Joel 2:1

    “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain… for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand.”
    That changes the tone.
    Because the trumpet can announce both hope and warning.
    For the prepared, the trumpet is good news.
    For the unprepared, the trumpet is an alarm.
    Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples:

    Matthew 24:42

    “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
    The message is not:
    Figure out the date.
    The message is:

    LIVE READY.

    There is a tremendous difference.
    Biblical prophecy was never given merely to satisfy curiosity.
    Prophecy was given to produce readiness.

    4. THE TRUMPET IS CONNECTED TO THE COMING OF THE LORD

    Now we begin seeing why this feast matters to Christians.

    Matthew 24:30–31

    Jesus says:
    “And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
    And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds…”
    Notice again:
    COMING.
    TRUMPET.
    GATHERING.
    Then Paul writes:

    1 Corinthians 15:51–52

    “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
    In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
    This trumpet announces something creation has never witnessed before.
    Death loses its grip.
    Graves surrender their occupants.
    Mortality puts on immortality.
    Corruption puts on incorruption.
    The trumpet sounds—
    AND THE DEAD RISE.

    5. THE WORD “LAST” SHOULD GET OUR ATTENTION

    Paul does not merely say:
    “At a trumpet.”
    He says:
    “At the LAST trump.”
    The Greek word is:

    ἔσχατος —

    eschatos
    Strong’s G2078
    Meaning:
    last, final, farthest, uttermost.
    It is the word from which we get eschatology — the study of last things.
    Whatever conclusions we reach concerning the precise prophetic chronology, we should not rush past Paul’s terminology.
    He deliberately connects:
    Christ’s appearing
    the resurrection
    the transformation of believers
    and the trumpet.
    The trumpet is not a minor prophetic detail.
    It is woven throughout Scripture.

    6. TRUMPETS ANNOUNCED THE PRESENCE AND KINGSHIP OF GOD

    Go all the way back to Sinai.

    Exodus 19:16

    “There were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud…”
    Then verse 19:
    “And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.”
    God descends.
    The mountain shakes.
    The trumpet sounds.
    Then Psalm 47 gives us another picture.

    Psalm 47:5

    “God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.”
    And verse 7 declares:
    “For God is the King of all the earth.”
    The trumpet is associated with royal announcement.
    So when the New Testament tells us:
    “The Lord himself shall descend…with the trump of God…”
    we should hear something more than noise.
    We should hear:

    THE KING IS COMING.

    Jesus is not returning as the suffering servant.
    He is not coming back to stand before Pilate.
    He is not coming back wearing a crown of thorns.
    He is not coming back carrying a cross.
    He is coming in power and great glory.
    The trumpet announces:

    THE KING IS HERE.

    7. LOOK AT WHERE TRUMPETS FALL IN GOD’S FEAST CALENDAR

    This is where the structure becomes fascinating.
    Leviticus 23 contains seven major appointed observances.
    Spring:
    Passover Unleavened Bread Firstfruits Pentecost
    Then comes a long interval.
    Then the fall appointments:
    Trumpets Day of Atonement Tabernacles
    For Christians, the Christological parallels in the spring feasts are striking.

    PASSOVER

    1 Corinthians 5:7

    “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
    Jesus is our Passover Lamb.

    UNLEAVENED BREAD

    Leaven frequently symbolizes corruption or sin.
    Christ was without sin.

    FIRSTFRUITS

    1 Corinthians 15:20

    “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”
    Paul explicitly calls the risen Christ the firstfruits.

    PENTECOST

    Acts 2:1

    “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…”
    The Spirit was poured out.
    And then, on the biblical calendar, there is an interval before the fall feasts begin.
    And what breaks that interval?

    A TRUMPET.

    That does not give us permission to set dates or claim that Christ must return on a particular Feast of Trumpets.
    But it certainly gives Christians reason to pay attention to the biblical pattern.

    8. THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS TEACHES US TO REMEMBER

    Leviticus calls it:
    “a memorial of blowing of trumpets.”
    The Hebrew idea behind “memorial” involves remembrance.
    The trumpet told Israel:
    Remember your God.
    Remember His covenant.
    Remember His deliverance.
    Remember who you belong to.
    We need that trumpet today.
    Because the world constantly tries to make us forget.
    Forget who you are.
    Forget what Christ did.
    Forget eternity.
    Forget judgment.
    Forget His promises.
    Forget that this world is temporary.
    But Scripture sounds the trumpet:

    REMEMBER.

    You were bought with a price.
    You belong to Jesus Christ.
    Your citizenship is in heaven.
    Your King is returning.
    Your body will be redeemed.
    Your grave does not have the final word.

    9. THE FEAST DOES NOT MEAN CHRISTIANS MUST BECOME JEWISH

    This needs to be explained clearly.
    We are not saved by keeping biblical feast days.
    We are not justified by observing a calendar.
    Paul explicitly warns against judging believers concerning feast days in Colossians 2:16–17.
    The feast is a shadow.
    Christ is the substance.
    So why study the Feast of Trumpets?
    Because understanding the shadow can help us appreciate the One who casts it.
    I don’t study Trumpets because I am trying to become Jewish.
    I study Trumpets because I want to understand Jesus.
    I don’t keep a feast to earn righteousness.
    Christ is my righteousness.
    I don’t blow a trumpet to earn salvation.
    I listen to what the trumpet teaches me about my Savior.

    10. THE TRUMPET ASKS THE CHURCH ONE QUESTION: ARE YOU READY?

    Jesus said:

    Matthew 24:44

    “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
    That is where this message has to become personal.
    We can study Hebrew.
    We can study Jewish history.
    We can chart the feasts.
    We can debate eschatology.
    We can compare Daniel, Matthew 24, Thessalonians and Revelation.
    But none of that matters if we miss the message:

    BE READY.

    The Feast of Trumpets reminds us that history is going somewhere.
    God has an appointed purpose.
    Christ has come.
    Christ died.
    Christ rose.
    Christ poured out His Spirit.
    And—

    CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN.

    APPLICATION — HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

    If I believe the trumpet will sound, then I cannot live as though this world is permanent.
    If I believe Jesus is returning, then holiness matters.
    Prayer matters.
    Repentance matters.
    Forgiveness matters.
    Evangelism matters.
    My family matters.
    My witness matters.
    My relationship with Christ matters.
    Paul tells us exactly how prophetic hope should affect our lives.

    Titus 2:12–13

    We should live:
    “soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
    Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
    The proper response to prophecy is not obsession.
    It is transformation.

    PROPHETIC INSIGHT — LISTEN FOR THE SOUND

    Church, there is coming a sound this world will not be able to ignore.
    For thousands of years trumpets have sounded.
    Trumpets called Israel together.
    Trumpets announced kings.
    Trumpets warned of approaching danger.
    Trumpets accompanied God’s presence.
    Trumpets announced battle.
    But Scripture points us toward a trumpet unlike any that has sounded before.
    Paul said:
    “The trumpet shall sound.”
    Not might sound.
    Not possibly sound.

    IT SHALL SOUND.

    One generation of believers will hear what generations before them only preached about.
    One generation will experience what Paul saw prophetically.
    One generation will be alive when the heavens reveal the returning King.
    I cannot tell you the date.
    I cannot tell you the hour.
    And I will not set one.
    But I can tell you what Jesus told us:

    WATCH.

    I can tell you what Paul told us:

    BE READY.

    I can tell you what Scripture promises:

    THE TRUMPET SHALL SOUND.

    And when that trumpet sounds, the question will not be:
    Did you understand every prophetic chart?
    The question will be:

    DO YOU KNOW THE KING?

    CLOSING

    Maybe that is the message we need to hear from the Feast of Trumpets.
    Not:
    “Predict the day.”
    But:
    “Prepare your heart.”
    Not:
    “Become obsessed with dates.”
    But:
    “Become consumed with Christ.”
    Not:
    “Fear what is coming.”
    But:
    “Know Who is coming.”
    Because for the child of God, the trumpet is not merely an alarm.
    It is an announcement:

    YOUR KING IS COMING.

    And when the trumpet sounds—
    the dead in Christ shall rise.
    Mortality will put on immortality.
    Corruption will put on incorruption.
    The saints will be gathered.
    And we shall meet the Lord.

    1 Thessalonians 4:17–18

    “And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
    Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
    That is the message of the trumpet.
    Remember.
    Wake up.
    Gather.
    Prepare.
    Look up.

    THE KING IS COMING.

      • Leviticus 23:23–25ESV

Jubilee Community Church
jubileeministries31773@gmail.com
229-224-3359
http://jccministries.org
10 members • 6 followers