Joshua, Jericho, Pentecost and Trumpets / Shouting
 
Warm greetings Doves all….I read Sherry’s letter of April 24
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/apr2007/sherry424.htm
and her outline of Rosh Hashanah events, and thinking of these things I recalled reading in the book of Joshua recently about those trumpets that took down the walled city of Jericho.
 
It was right after Passover, that Joshua was met near Jericho by the “captain of the host of the Lord”
 
Joshua 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?
15 And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

 
Right after this, the story of the taking of Jericho begins,,,,so this must have happened between the Passover, and Pentecost?  And Rahab had been drying the flax on her roof. which is harvested at the same time as the barley crop.
The Holy Spirit puts much emphasis on the counting of sevens in this story…the priests were to circle the city six days,,,followed by the seventh day, in which they were to circle the city seven times total….blowing their trumpets each time they circled the city.  But there was to be one long, final blast of the trumpet (the seventh trumpet on the seventh day), and the Lord gave instructions to Joshua to have the people “shout” when they heard this last, long blast of the trumpet.  All of this was to be done, with the Ark of the Covenant also circling the city with the priests and the men of war.  God’s ways are far above our ways, it is true.  I suppose that today one might call this type of weaponry “scalar waves” or sound-wave weapons, which men try to use,,,or like a soprano who can break a glass with high-pitched singing.   For certainly God used the sounds of the trumpets, together with His mighty hand, to bring down a whole city,,,except for one place on the wall,,and that is where Rahab resided, for her house was on the “city wall”,,,,so only this portion of the wall did not come down,,,for God honored her agreement with the two spies, and saved her whole family from the destruction and holocaust of the city.
 
The people had crossed the Jordan into their inheritance land on Nisan 10, and then Joshua met with the Lord Who had a sword in His hand…signifying battle / judgment to come, right after their Passover.   Or perhaps the great Archangel Michael who stands up for the people as captain of the Lord of Hosts to initiate the battles for taking of the land.
 
There appears to be a count of seven times seven, which is the same count as that seven weeks leading up to Pentecost.  On the final day, there were seven circlings of the city by the priests and men of war,,,and seven trumpet blasts on the seventh day, with only one trumpet blast the prior six days…,,,the last one being long and loud.   This is very similar to that sound which the people heard at Sinai, when they were gathered at the mountain, and the mountain quaked and God’s voice was an exceedingly loud voice, like a trumpet.
Paul speaks of a “last trump”, which we shall hear, and at which time we will be raised / changed.  Joshua told the people to be very quiet and not utter a word, until that last trumpet sounded,,,and then they were to SHOUT.
Joshua 6:10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

 There is also a shout to which Paul refers at the same time as the last trump, for “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of the Archangel, and the trumpet of God.”   This moment is when the city of Jericho fell apart, and perhaps this moment will be when we are changed also.
Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

 
New Jerusalem?  For the people “went up, into the city”..
In the Bible,,,trumpets were used for gathering the people,,,and the announcing of feasts, etc., and also calling the people to battle,,,and in 1st Corinthians Paul references this kind of trumpet, a battle trumpet:
 
1st Corinthians 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
 
and a little later also in 1st Corinthians, Paul says that there shall be a resurrection, at the sound of a trumpet:
 
1Corinthians 15:52
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.
 
After military watches, a trumpet would be sounded, for a change of  watch, so that the soldiers who had been on watch, could rest…..And, that Paul had just mentioned the military-type trumpet in 14:8,,,and then in 15:52 mentions the sound of the trump, could he have been referring to the trumpet as used for calling to battle, or military trump such as that seen in the taking of Jericho?  Having just mentioned an “uncertain” trumpet sound,,,,he may have been intimating that this, God’s trumpet, will be very sure….. He also refers to the “last trump”, and there was definitely a last trump that the priests were to blow on the seventh day, seventh trump…and it was to be long and loud,,,,like the trumpet / voice was long and loud at the first Pentecost / Mt Sinai, as:
 
Exodus 19:13-19
…when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
 
Also this was on the third day, in the morning, that God’s trumpet / voice was heard,,,,an allusion to the resurrection…..the trumpet heard on Pentecost at Mt Sinai, was also a “voice”….and in Revelation, John twice referred to a trumpet, which was also a “voice”
 
Rev 1:10
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 4:1
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
 
I think the only time that a trumpet is associated with God’s voice, is at the first Pentecost / Mt. Sinai.  At Jericho, there was the long and loud trumpet, and the people themselves shouting.   In the fall, at Rosh Hashanah, there is not a prior 49-day count, as there is at Pentecost.  So maybe this voice and trumpet, refers to Pentecost.  John in Revelation is called up to heaven by a trumpet that “talks”, like God’s voice/trumpet at Mt. Sinai did.
 
The trumpet were also to be sounded at the announcement of the jubilee year,,,,and the feast of trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) does seem to have so much going for it, as a time of the Lord’s return, as Sherry has pointed out,,,,,and there is that 10-day period after Rosh Hashanah, but also there is a ten-day period after Ascension Day, until Pentecost.
And, it would appear that this taking of the city of Jericho does happen sometime between Passover and Pentecost…..maybe even on Pentecost, by the count of seven sevens….so we might watch for the great trumpet of God to sound, and with it to hear His voice… sometime yet this spring…………
 
I do so much hope that this is the year of our beloved Lord and Master’s return, whether this spring or in the fall,,,,,may it be this year !   One thing I thing is sure,,,and that is when we hear that trumpet we also will surely SHOUT for joy…..!!!
love to all, from your sister in Christ,,,,,,,,,,,Arlene