The Significance Of The Feast Of Trumpets

By Matthew Sanders


The Jewish calendar has many special sabbaths, or 'feasts'. These are set apart as days of rest, when no work is to be done, and attention is paid to spiritual things. In the Torah and the Christian Old Testament, there are seven of these special events expressly ordained by the Lord. One of these seven is the Feast of Trumpets, a two-day observance that falls at the new moon of the seventh month, in autumn.

The day is not a joyous festival but one of solemn import. It was to be announced by the blowing of horns, both the shofar or ram's horn and the silver horns used by the temple priests. It is also a time of general noise, the sound of horns joined by shouting, according to psalms.

The purpose of this special time was to set worldly things aside and spend two days in soul searching and repentance. Later in the same month came the Day of Atonement, another time when no one worked but all assembled before the Tabernacle or the Temple. The high priest would make atonement for the people, and sacrifices and sin offerings would finish the symbolic cleansing of sins committed during the previous year.

The meaning of this feast was a warning. Just as the sound of trumpets and of tumult would mean an enemy outside the walls, these trumpets warned that the people were in danger of offending their God and losing His blessing. The danger wasn't physical but spiritual.

The scriptures say that 'the wages of sin is death'. The danger is real for anyone who has fallen short of perfect observance of God's laws of righteousness - which is everyone. The Torah prescribes ritual sacrifice, as well as prayer and repentance, as the way to restoration with their holy Lord. Christians believe that Jesus, by dying on the cross, was the final, perfect, sufficient sacrifice for all who believe in Him and accept His death as payment for sin.

This important feast is still observed by Jews. It is also recognized by Christians as a prophetic event foreshadowing the days of fear and turmoil before the second coming of Christ. His appearance signals the beginning of His earthly kingdom, since He will come as a conquering king this time. The Bible says that His arrival will be signaled by the sound of a trumpet.

The Day of Atonement, which occurs later in the same month, foreshadows the final Judgement Day, when all mankind will stand before the throne of God and find out the eternal destiny that awaits. This fearful, fateful day is appropriately preceded by a call to awe and repentance. The feasts are seen as important days on which events will take place during the 'end times'.

The feast still has original significance for orthodox Jews, and many Christians value the Jewish traditions that are the roots of their faith. The feasts fall at different phases of the moon, and scripture gives significance to the signs in the skies.




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