Trumpets, Feast of

An annual, one-day festival, of soul-searching and repentance, extending forgiveness and remembering God's judgment, as well as a joyful day of celebration of gathering in the last of the harvest, while looking forward to God's goodness and mercy in the New Year as it is held during the month of September, on the first day of the month that begins the Jewish civil calendar (Lev 23:23-25; Num 29:1-6). It is one of the three feasts that occur in the autumn; followed by the Day of Atonement on the tenth day, then the Festival of booths beginning on the fifteenth day of the same month. As with other festivals, the normal routine of daily life was set aside.

The first four festivals teach us about significant events in the first coming of the Messiah, while the last three on events surrounding His second coming — beginning with Christ’s ingathering of Christians, His return and setting up His Kingdom on earth (Jn 14:3; Act 1:11; Rev 11:15). The NT teaches the rapture, when all true believers will be taken from the earth will be heralded by “the trumpet of God” to call us to heaven and warn the world of coming judgment (1 Cor 15:51,52; 1 Thes 4:13-16).

See also: feasts, rapture, trumpet.