Today, Tuesday, September 11, 2007, even though separated by hundreds or thousands of miles or kilometers, we have assembled as God commands us in his word. Today is one of God’s seven "appointed times," better known as the Feast of Trumpets. It is a new moon day, the first day of the seventh month, Ethanim, better known by its Babylonian name, Tishri. Beginning with the month of Abib in the spring, the Feast of Trumpets is the fourth, or middle, of God’s "appointed times" with three holy days before it and three holy days after it during the course of the year. It is not one of the three times during the year when we are commanded to take up an offering. That’s reserved for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Day of Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Over the years in the Church, we’ve all heard time and again about the Day of Trumpets but have you ever investigated for yourself to see what is its real meaning? Have you just taken for granted what you have been told? Some groups think it only pictures the return of Christ as King of Kings. Some groups think it only pictures the Great Tribulation and the coming World War III. Some groups keep the day as commanded but really don’t know what it pictures. Most groups, including most of modern "Christian" religions today don’t keep the day at all and really don’t care what it means because it’s just "one of those old Jewish holidays." Why is there so much confusion and uncertainty? As we investigate the origin and meaning of the day that God commands us to keep as "holy time," we’ll discover that it has much hidden meaning that’s not obvious and not on the surface for all to see. We have to do quite a lot of digging through the word of God. So, let’s get started. We have a lot of ground to cover.

There is not much written directly about the Feast of Trumpets but let’s examine what little there is, beginning in the book of Leviticus, where all of God’s Holy Days are mentioned. In the first verse of Leviticus 23, God instructed Moses to teach the children of Israel about all of his appointed times. Most of the appointed times were also commanded convocations or assemblies of the people but a few were just commanded observances or actions to be done at certain prescribed times. Moses explained to the people the seventh day Sabbath; the Passover; the first and last days of Unleavened Bread; the Wave Sheaf Offering; and the Feast of Weeks or First Fruits which we know in the New Testament Church as Pentecost. Focus specifically on verses 23 through 25.

(Lev 23:23-25 NASB) Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, {24} "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. {25} 'You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'"

In verse 24, the word trumpets is in italics. That means it’s not in the original text but was supplied by the translators. The Hebrew word for blowing is Strong’s #8643. teruah, which is, according to the New American Standard Bible Dictionary, "a shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy." The root of teruah is from Strong’s #7321. rua, which is "to raise a shout or give a blast."

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon defines teruah as: an alarm, a signal, a sound of tempest, a shout, a shout or blast of war or alarm or joy.

A Literal Translation of the Bible by Jay P. Green may render verse 24 more accurately: "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first of the month, you shall have a sabbath, a memorable acclamation, a holy gathering."

The Tanakh or "Holy Scriptures" by the Jewish Publication Society, known also as the "Jewish Bible" renders verse 24 in this manner, "Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts."

Numbers 29:1 is the only other place in the Old Testament where the Feast of Trumpets is mentioned directly. Additional instructions are given concerning which sacrifices were acceptable to offer before God on that day.

(Num 29:1-6 NASB) 'Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. {2} 'And you shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; {3} also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, {4} and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. {5} 'And offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, {6} besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their libations, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

We saw earlier in Leviticus 23:24, that the word trumpets was in italics and not really present in the text, so it was supplied by the translators. In Numbers 29:1 in most Bibles, the word trumpets is not in italics. Does that mean it’s actually in the text? Normally, it would mean that but in this case, it is the same Hebrew word as in Leviticus 23:24, teruah.

That’s perplexing. In one instance, the word "trumpets" is marked as being supplied by the translators and in another instance, the word "trumpets" is not marked as being supplied by the translators but the underlying Hebrew word, teruah, is the same in both instances. If there were horns blown on the first day of the seventh month, let’s see what they were.

The first day of any month of the year was marked as the New Moon day, with certain scriptural observances.

(Num 10:10 NASB) "Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God."

Earlier we read Numbers 29, where it lists the sacrifices God commanded the Israelites to offer on the first day of the seventh month. Those offerings were to be besides the normal offerings of the new moon. Numbers 28:11 shows what was to be offered to God at the beginning of every month.

(Num 28:11-15 NASB) 'Then at the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the LORD; two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect, {12} and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; and two-tenths of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram; {13} and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering for each lamb, for a burnt offering of a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. {14} 'And their libations shall be half a hin of wine for a bull and a third of a hin for the ram and a fourth of a hin for a lamb; this is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year. {15} 'And one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD; it shall be offered with its libation in addition to the continual burnt offering.

Go back to the tenth chapter of Numbers to see which trumpets God instructed to be blown.

(Num 10:1-10 NASB) The LORD spoke further to Moses, saying, {2} "Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out. {3} "And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting. {4} "Yet if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you. {5} "But when you blow an alarm [again, the Hebrew word is teruah: a clamor, that is, an acclamation of joy or a battle-cry; especially clangor of trumpets, as an alarm], the camps that are pitched on the east side shall set out. {6} "And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on the south side shall set out; an alarm is to be blown for them to set out. {7} "When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. {8} "The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations. {9} "And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm [this time, the Hebrew word is rua: to split the ears (with sound), that is, shout (for alarm or joy)] with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and be saved from your enemies. {10} "Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God."

Jewish tradition teaches that the shofar or ram’s horn was also blown on the Feast of Trumpets but we haven’t seen any scriptural evidence mentioning the shofar on that day. The Hebrew word used for the silver trumpets that were to be blown on the New Moon was Strong’s #2689 chatsotsrah, which simply means a trumpet.

In Joshua 6, we can see one of the ways Israel used the shofar.

(Josh 6:1-20 NASB) Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. {2} And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. {3} "And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. {4} "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets [that’s shofars]. {5} "And it shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet [that’s shofar], all the people shall shout with a great shout [that’s gadol teruah]; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead." {6} So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD." {7} Then he said to the people, "Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the LORD." {8} And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. {9} And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets. {10} But Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout [rua] nor let your voice be heard, nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout [Rua]!" {11} So he had the ark of the LORD taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. {12} Now Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. {13} And the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, while they continued to blow the trumpets. {14} Thus the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did so for six days. {15} Then it came about on the seventh day that they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times. {16} And it came about at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. {17} "And the city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. {18} "But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, lest you covet them and take some of the things under the ban, so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. {19} "But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD." {20} So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and it came about, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted [rua] with a great shout [gadol teruah] and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.

So, we saw in Numbers 10 that the priests were commanded to make a rua with the silver trumpets on God’s holy Feast Days and on the New Moon days. We saw in Leviticus 23 where the command on the first day of the seventh month is to make a teruah, a clamor or acclamation of joy or battle. Likewise, in Joshua 6 at the fall of Jericho, we saw that even though the priests were commanded to blow the shofars, it was the people who were commanded to shout with a great shout and make a teruah.

Let’s look further to see at what other times either the silver trumpets were used to blow or the people were to shout in acclamation. In 1 Samuel 4:3, the people made a great shout at the arrival of the ark of the covenant.

(1 Sam 4:3-6 NASB) When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies." {4} So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. {5} And it happened as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, that all Israel shouted with a great shout [that’s gadol teruah, literally a great acclamation], so that the earth resounded. {6} And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

In 2 Samuel 6:12, notice how the people made a great shout at the arrival of the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem.

(2 Sam 6:12-15 NASB) Now it was told King David, saying, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God." And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. {13} And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. {14} And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. {15} So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

Notice again in 1 Chron 15:24 how the people greeted the arrival of the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem with shouting and musical instruments.

(1 Chr 15:24-28 NASB) And Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were gatekeepers for the ark. {25} So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with joy. {26} And it came about because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. {27} Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. David also wore an ephod of linen. {28} Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the horn [shofar], with trumpets [chatsotsrah], with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres.

In Psalm 33, David spoke of rejoicing before God with shouts of joy.

(Psa 33:1-3 NASB) Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. {2} Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. {3} Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy [that’s teruah].

In Psalm 150, the last Psalm in the book of Psalms, the instruments of praise to God are listed.

(Psa 150 NASB) Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. {2} Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. {3} Praise Him with trumpet sound [shofar blast]; Praise Him with harp and lyre. {4} Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. {5} Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. {6} Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

In Exodus 19, the alarm of the shofar was also used by God at Mount Sinai to announce his presence to his people and to help instill in them proper fear and respect for the great God of Israel as he spoke to them the ten commandments, the terms of his covenant.

(Exo 19:16-19 NASB) So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. {17} And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. {18} Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. {19} When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder [Hebrew qowl, to call alound].

Teruah also applies to the alarm of war. In Jeremiah 4, the prophet speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem and here the alarm of war is again connected with the shofar.

(Jer 4:15-19 NASB) For a voice declares from Dan, And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim. {16} "Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim over Jerusalem, 'Besiegers come from a far country, And lift their voices against the cities of Judah. {17} 'Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about, Because she has rebelled against Me,' declares the LORD. {18} "Your ways and your deeds Have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!" {19} My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet [that’s shofar], the alarm [teruah] of war.

In Jeremiah 49:2, the prophet again speaks of the alarm of war but this time he speaks of the future.

(Jer 49:2 NASB) "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "That I shall cause a trumpet blast [teruah] of war to be heard Against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon [that’s the capitol of modern-day Jordan]; And it will become a desolate heap, And her towns will be set on fire. Then Israel will take possession of his possessors," Says the LORD.

What about the silver trumpets that were to be blown by the sons of Aaron? In 1 Chron 13.8, we find the same word used for the silver trumpets, chatsotserah, was also used to describe David’s and the people’s celebration at the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem.

(1 Chr 13:8 NASB) And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and with trumpets [chatsotserah].

Furthermore, in 1 Chronicles 16:4, David appointed as duties for some of the sons of Aaron to blow the trumpets before the ark of the covenant continually.

(1 Chr 16:4-6 NASB) And he [David] appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel: {5} Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, {6} and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

Concerning the later history of the Feast of Trumpets, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states "The instrument to be used in the trumpeting is not specified in the Bible, but Jewish tradition decided in favor of the horn and not the metal trumpet…"

In fact, we see by the time of David that Israel was already celebrating with both horns [shofars] and trumpets [chatsotsrah] together. We saw this displayed back in 1 Chron 15:28 where we read: "Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the horn [shofar], with trumpets [chatsotsrah], with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres."

We can also see that the shofar was used as a signal to announce the coronation of the new King Solomon during David’s last days.

(1 Ki 1:32-35 NASB) Then King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And they came into the king's presence. {33} And the king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. {34} "And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and blow the trumpet [shofar] and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' {35} "Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah."

In 2 Kings 11, we can see another example of trumpets being blown at the coronation of Judah’s King, Joash.

(2 Ki 11:1-4 NASB) When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring. {2} But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. {3} So he was hidden with her in the house of the LORD six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land. {4} Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him in the house of the LORD. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king's son.

Continue in verse twelve.

(2 Ki 11:12-14 NASB) Then he brought the king's son out and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!" {13} When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people in the house of the LORD. {14} And she looked and behold, the king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, with the captains and the trumpeters beside the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets.

After the exile of Judah in Babylon for seventy years, God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, to allow certain of the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. In Ezra 3, we can read about the rebuilding process and how they began to keep the feasts of the seventh month upon their return.

(Ezra 3:1-13 NASB) Now when the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. {2} Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brothers arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. {3} So they set up the altar on its foundation, for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. {4} And they celebrated the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, according to the ordinance, as each day required; {5} and afterward there was a continual burnt offering, also for the new moons and for all the fixed festivals of the LORD that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to the LORD. {6} From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, but the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid. {7} Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the permission they had from Cyrus king of Persia. {8} Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the LORD. {9} Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the temple of God. {10} Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD according to the directions of King David of Israel. {11} And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, saying, "For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. {12} Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy; {13} so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout [gadol teruah], and the sound was heard far away.

Years later, the book of Nehemiah concentrates on the governmental and societal reforms made in Israel and Jerusalem by Nehemiah, the governor of Judah under Artaxerxes, then the king of Persia. In Nehemiah 7 and 8, after rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem and reorganizing the city’s governing structure, Nehemiah and Ezra sought to reeducate the people on the proper structure of worship and behavior on God’s holy feast days.

(Neh 7:73 NASB) Now the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their cities. And when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Continue in chapter eight.

(Neh 8:1 NASB) And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. {2} Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. {3} And he read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning [the Hebrew word is "or" which means dawn or daylight] until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

You know, I think I’m going to have to talk to Mr. Bedwell next year because it’s obvious that our Feast of Trumpets service just isn’t long enough. Look at that! They met from dawn until noon for almost six hours. Now, that’s a lot of listening! Continue in verse four.

(Neh 8:4 NASB) And Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. {5} And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. {6} Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. {7} Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. {8} And they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading. {9} Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. {10} Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." {11} So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved." {12} And all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them. {13} Then on the second day the heads of fathers' households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law. {14} And they found written in the law how the LORD had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. {15} So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches, and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written." {16} So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate, and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. {17} And the entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing. {18} And he read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.

Look at verse eight again. It’s the example written to show us the proper worship and behavior on the Feast of Trumpets.

(Neh 8:8-12 NASB) And they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading. {9} Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. {10} Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." {11} So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved." {12} And all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.

What have we learned about the Feast of Trumpets so far? We’ve seen that it is more properly termed the Feast of Acclamation and that the acclamation was produced by the voices of the people, by the sons of Aaron with the silver trumpets and, over time, with the shofars. We’ve seen examples showing that the acclamations were produced as a sign of joy, as the warning of war, and as the herald of the arrival of a new king. Let’s see if we can shed any more light on the meaning of the day from the scriptures and prophecies of the New Testament.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for trumpet is Strong’s #4536. salpigx, and it means a trumpet. In Hebrews 12:18, Paul speaks of the opportunity and obligation we have in the New Testament church. He says that what was, in the Old Testament, a foreshadow of things to come, is now the reality of what awaits us.

(Heb 12:18-29 NASB) For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, {19} and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them. {20} For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED." {21} And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR AND TREMBLING." {22} But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, {23} to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, {24} and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. {25} See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. {26} And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN." {27} And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. {28} Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; {29} for our God is a consuming fire.

Look at verse 28 again, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe". Clearly, gratitude, reverence and awe are the keys to our service being deemed acceptable to God.

Paul also spoke of God’s power shaking the earth and heaven. That is the warning of the Feast of Trumpets: it’s the war that lies ahead of us during the fearful "Day of the Lord." In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us an overview of what will happen during those days.

(Mat 24:3-31 NASB) And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" {4} And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. {5} "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. {6} "And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. {7} "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. {8} "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. {9} "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. {10} "And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. {11} "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. {12} "And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. {13} "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. {14} "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come. {15} "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), {16} then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; {17} let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; {18} and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. {19} "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! {20} "But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; {21} for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. {22} "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. {23} "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. {24} "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. {25} "Behold, I have told you in advance. {26} "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. {27} "For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. {28} "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. {29} "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, {30} and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. {31} "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

In 1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul also explains the sequence of events surrounding the heralding of Messiah’s return.

(1 Cor 15:51-52 NASB) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, {52} in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul continues to comfort us concerning both the fate of Christians who have died in faith and the return of our Master. In fact, this is the only place in the New Testament where a certain Greek word for shout is used. It is Strong’s #2752, keleuma, and it means a shout of command and it comes from a root word, meaning to command.

(1 Th 4:13-18 NASB) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. {14} For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. {15} For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. {16} For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall 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. {18} Therefore comfort one another with these words.

We already have an example in Old Testament scripture foreshadowing the coronation of our returning king. Do you remember how David put Solomon on his mule and proclaimed him king to his subjects. In Mark 11:7, we see how Christ was received as a king when he entered Jerusalem, shortly before his execution.

(Mark 11:7-10 NASB) And they brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He sat upon it. {8} And many spread their garments in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. {9} And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; {10} Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!"

As you can tell, the circumstances did not exactly match the coronation of Solomon. It was missing the anointing, the crown, and the trumpets because it only foreshadowed Christ’s real coronation that is yet to come.

Before that coronation, however, God’s patience with the evil in this world runs out. From Daniel 12 to Matthew 24 to many other scriptures in both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, both we and the world have been given ample warning of the day of reckoning to come. God will determine the time for his judgment to be executed upon the earth. In the Old Testament, that time is known as the Day of the Lord. It is a time of fear and trembling, a day we all hope to somehow escape. One of the songs in our hymnal speaks of this time from the book of Joel.

(Joel 2:1-15 NASB) Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, {2} A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations. {3} A fire consumes before them, And behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them, And nothing at all escapes them. {4} Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run. {5} With a noise as of chariots They leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, Like a mighty people arranged for battle. {6} Before them the people are in anguish; All faces turn pale. {7} They run like mighty men; They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they deviate from their paths. {8} They do not crowd each other; They march everyone in his path. When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks. {9} They rush on the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter through the windows like a thief. {10} Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness. {11} And the LORD utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it? {12} "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning; {13} And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, And relenting of evil. {14} Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a libation For the LORD your God? {15} Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,

Continue in Joel 3:9.

(Joel 3:9-16 NASB) Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men! Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up! {10} Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man." {11} Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, And gather yourselves there. Bring down, O LORD, Thy mighty ones. {12} Let the nations be aroused And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding nations. {13} Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. {14} Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. {15} The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness. {16} And the LORD roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble. But the LORD is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.

Truly, the time of God’s vengeance as well as the time of God’s judgment is coming upon the earth. That time is announced and heralded by the sounding of trumpets.

Most people think the wrath and judgment of God are just concepts portraying the mean, angry, harsh, and unforgiving God of the Old Testament. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is consistent. He lives by the same standards and judges by the same standards he did thousands and even millions of years ago. As the Day of the Lord is announced with trumpet blasts in the book of Joel, the seven stages of the same time of God’s judgment are each announced with a trumpet blast in the book of Revelation.

(Rev 8 NASB) And when He broke 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 seven trumpets were given to them. {3} And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. {4} And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. {5} And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. {6} And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. {7} And the first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. {8} And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood; {9} and a third of the creatures, which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. {10} And the third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters; {11} and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. {12} And the fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were smitten, so that a third of them might be darkened and the day might not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. {13} And I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"

(Rev 9 NASB) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. {2} And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. {3} And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. {4} And they were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. {5} And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. {6} And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die and death flees from them. {7} And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. {8} And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. {9} And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. {10} And they have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. {11} They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. {12} The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things. {13} And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, {14} one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." {15} And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they might kill a third of mankind. {16} And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. {17} And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. {18} A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths. {19} For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads; and with them they do harm. {20} And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; {21} and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

Let’s continue in Revelation 11:15.

(Rev 11:15-17 NASB) And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." {16} And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, {17} saying, "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign.

We can get a glimpse of the future coronation by looking at the heavenly picture in scripture. Daniel shows us, in vision, the temporary transfer of power from the Father to the Son.

(Dan 7:9-14 NASB) "I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. {10} "A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened. {11} "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. {12} "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. {13} "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. {14} "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

We can fill in even more details from the New Testament through the visions given to the Apostle John in the book of Revelation.

(Rev 19:1-9 NASB) After these things I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; {2} BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER." {3} And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER." {4} And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" {5} And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." {6} And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. {7} "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." {8} And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. {9} And he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

Focus, for a minute, on verses eight and nine: "And it was given to her [the bride] to clothe herself in fine linen, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" and "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." So, here we have two important features of the Lamb’s wedding: the bride and the invited guests. We know that the bride of the lamb will be the saints because it says so: "the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." We don’t know much, however, about the invited guests but we can learn more by focusing on their clothing. The parable given by Jesus in Matthew 22:2 explains it in detail.

(Mat 22:2-14 NASB) "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son. {3} "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. {4} "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."' {5} "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, {6} and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. {7} "But the king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire. {8} "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy [Ah, so this parable is about worthiness]. {9} 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' {10} "And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. {11} "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes,

Look at that! Even though those in the second group of invited guests were indiscriminately chosen from people on the main highways, there were certain standards expected of them. They were expected to be wearing appropriate "wedding clothes." In this parable, we see the example is talking about physical attire but we just read in Revelation that the bride’s physical clothes of "fine linen" had a spiritual interpretation that was, in reality, "righteous acts." Can’t we see that the physical "wedding clothes" expected of the invited guests would, similarly, portray the standards expected of the guests? Let’s continue in verse 12.

(Mat 22:12-14 NASB) and he [the King] said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And he was speechless. {13} "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' {14} "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Remember verse 14: "For many are called, but few are chosen."

In the New American Standard Version, there is another instance of the word translated "shout." It is, however, a different Greek word with a slightly different meaning. It is Strong’s number 2906, kraugay and it means an outcry. Its root is from a word meaning to cry out.

Matthew 25 details the parable of the ten virgins. For many years, we’ve heard the warnings expounded from this parable and have been told to be diligent to be on guard in order to avoid missing out by spiritually sleeping on the job and not being filled with God’s Holy Spirit. That’s true, we should take warning from this parable but there’s more to the parable than just warning. Let’s look at it again. To gain the whole sense of the parable, let’s start at the beginning in Matthew 25:1.

(Mat 25:1-13 NASB) "Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. {2} "And five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. {3} "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, {4} but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps [that oil is symbolic of the gift of God’s Holy Spirit]. {5} "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. {6} "But at midnight there was a shout [that’s kraugay, outcry], 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' {7} "Then all those virgins rose, and trimmed their lamps. {8} "And the foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' {9} "But the prudent answered, saying, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' {10} "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. {11} "And later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' {12} "But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' {13} "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

The parable of the ten virgins is all about a wedding feast. Speaking to the Church of God at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul identifies the two parties involved in the coming spiritual marriage.

(2 Cor 11:2 NASB) For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.

At his return to earth, Jesus Christ is to be married to the Church of God and those "virgins" found to be worthy for admittance to the wedding feast. He will be announced with a "shout or outcry" but note that not all of the "virgins" originally called to the feast will be counted as worthy to be admitted to the feast. Remember, the answer given to half of the ten virgins is "I do not know you."

Our righteous redeemer is coming to dispense the glorious government of his great Father in heaven. With his chosen servants, the saints, he will judge the entire world by the Father’s standards with fairness and equity for all. We can see a glimpse of that righteous government in Isaiah 42.

(Isa 42:1-14 NASB) "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. {2} "He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. {3} "A bruised reed He will not break, And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. {4} "He will not be disheartened or crushed, Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law." {5} Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk in it, {6} "I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, {7} To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon, And those who dwell in darkness from the prison. {8} "I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. {9} "Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you." {10} Sing to the LORD a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it. You islands and those who dwell on them. {11} Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices, The settlements where Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud, Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains. {12} Let them give glory to the LORD, And declare His praise in the coastlands. {13} The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout [that’s a rua], yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies. {14} "I have kept silent for a long time, I have kept still and restrained Myself. Now like a woman in labor I will groan, I will both gasp and pant.

The Day of Trumpets shows in many ways that there is much in store for us. In one sense, Yom Teruah, the Day of Acclamation, is a somber day of warning and an alarm to prepare for the coming World War of the Day of the Lord. At the same time, however, it is a day of joyful shouts of praise to our Great Father because he is sending our Messiah and King back to earth to rule the world in peace forever. That is the Good News or gospel of the Kingdom of God. At Christ’s return, all the "virgins" of the Church of God, both the living as well as the resurrected saints, will be joined to the Messiah and will rule with him in God’s government on earth.

We just read in Matthew 25:13, "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour." In Matthew 24:36, Christ stated to his disciples that no one except the Father knows his actual day of return.

(Mat 24:36 NASB) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Did you get that? Just think how great our Father is. There is not one other spiritual being in heaven who knows the day and hour of Christ’s return to earth. Even Jesus doesn’t know the exact time of his return. That decision is in the hands of our righteous Father, God Most High. What great power and insight our Father has!

Whether Christ’s return is actually going to be on the day of the Feast of Trumpets, or on the Day of Atonement when Satan is banished, or on the Feast of Pentecost with the harvest of the firstfruits, or on some other day, only the Father knows for sure. The memorial of the acclamation pictured by the Day of Trumpets is the same, however.

Today is a day to celebrate. "Go, eat of the fat [things], drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord [Adonai]. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD [Yahweh] is your strength."

So, make a joyful noise to God, the Father of all, and shout, shout, shout with joy - for the King returns!

Sermon by Philip Edwards

September 11, 2007