We have already discussed how that these feasts picture the great events that occurred in the Life of Christ and the Church.
The Last 3 Feasts are prophetical pictures of great events to come.
Let’s examine the next feast outlined in Leviticus 23:23-25 - The Feast of Trumpets.
II. The Use of Trumpets
God seems to have enjoyed the Trumpet ever since Isaac was spared by virtue of the "ram" being caught in the thicket by itshorn.
After all, were it not for Isaac, we would not have had Jacob, nor the tribes of Israel; without the Jews, we would not have had the Bible, the apostles, the disciples, and of course, the Messiah.
The Jewish "shofar" (trumpet) was nothing but a "ram’s horn".
In the Jewish economy, the trumpet had many important uses as seen in Numbers 10:
Sound a Warning
Sound an Alarm
Sound for Worship
Sound to Assemble
Sound to Move
It would seem then that God enjoyed the hearing of the Trumpet we see how it was used so often in the days of the Old Testament.
It was used in the "defeat of Jericho"; It was used to announce the "Year of Jubilee" outlined in Lev.
25:8-10 - "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" is engraved on the "Liberty Bell" in Philadelphia, PA.
However, even previous to Jericho, God instructed Moses to use the trumpet on Mt. Sinai concerning the 5th Feast. (Lev. 23:24)
III. The Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25)
The purpose of the Feast of Trumpets as outlined in Lev. 23 was so that the Jews would be assembled together to in the temple.
The first three feasts occurred in the 1st month (Nisan) which was in the spring and normally in the month of April.
These first three feasts had to do with the spring harvest and they looked forward to greater harvests of summer & fall.
Pentecost celebrated the summer harvest and usually occurred in early summer during the month of May or early June.
The harvest that was gleaned during this time of the year was greater than that of the spring harvest, but not
as great as that of the fall.
In the fall month of September (7th month - Tishrei), there was a greater harvest than both the spring or the summer!
The Feast of Trumpets began on the 1st day of the 7th month (Tishrei) and it was initiated by the blowing of the trumpet by the High Priest.
On that day, the High Priest would stand upon the SW parapet of the Temple and blow the trumpet so that it could be heard by all in the surrounding fields.
At the instant that the Jewish workers heard the trumpet sound, all would immediately stop harvesting, even if they were not finished (think about that!) and go to the Temple for worship!
In those days, as it is sometimes today, a Jew & an Arab might be working side by side in the fields - but when the trumpet sounded on this particular day, the Jew would stop and go to worship, while the Arab kept on harvesting.
Jesus used this same analogy in Matt. 24:36-44 of the 2nd Coming.
IV. Prophetic Pictures of Feast of Trumpets
We find quite a long span of time between the first four feasts and the 5th Feast.
Many believe, and so do I, that this long span of time is a picture of the present age in which we are living.
The Death, Burial, & Resurrection of Christ has already come to pass; The Descend of the Holy Spirit & The Birth of the Church has also come to pass - We are now living in the "Age of Grace - The Church
Age!"
The next great event on God’s prophetic calendar is the Rapture of the Church!
The Rapture Is Clearly Associated with Trumpets:
1 Thess. 4:16-18
1 Cor. 15:51-52
When that great trumpet sounds, the miracle of all miracles will take
place!
V. Old Testament Picture of the Rapture - The Triumph of Jericho
The story of Jericho is a beautiful picture of the Rapture of the Church!
As a matter of fact, the whole story from Exodus to Jericho gives a wonderful illustration of the first 5 Feasts we have now studied.
The story of the Passover, our first feast, illustrates the salvation of the believer by the blood of the Lamb of
God.
The trip through the Red Sea pictures Baptism; then the wilderness wanderings picture this life on earth!
Finally, we see Jericho - that beautiful city - The first thing that the nation of Israel saw after a long period of wandering in the harsh desert or wilderness was the beautiful city of Jericho - an oasis in the middle of the hot, arid sands!
It was NO coincidence that God chose for Israel to cross over into the promised land at this place - It was loving and kind!
Josh. 6:5 states that after the blowing of the Trumpet, the people shouted and the walls fell down, "and every man ASCENDED UP into the CITY!"
If the Israelites could believe that God could help them cross over and defeat such an armed and walled city as Jericho, then why should we doubt that God will deliver us from this world by way of translation or Rapture???
Another important note - Joshua/Yeshua are the same names in both Hebrew & English.
VII. Conclusion
Sadly, only a remnant of Israel will be harvested in this great
day!
Jeremiah 8:20 - "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."
He realized that many of the Jews would not be in that wonderful harvesting of souls!
However, for the remaining Jews not in the Rapture, God has not forsaken them - Remember, the Feast of Trumpets was a call to assemble for Israel.
When the Rapture occurs, Israel will be regathered in their home- land - Palestine.
Today, we are seeing a beginning of such a restoration, but many Jews are stilled scattered over the globe - Most by choice.
Isa. 27:12-13 - (READ) "Regathering of
Israel"
Why will Jews regather to Israel??? (Illustration of Gary in Tel-Aviv - something was drawing him there)
Another probable reason is the False Covenant with Antichrist -
However, 2 Thess. 2:3-4 reveals that the Antichrist will desecrate the temple and exalt himself as God!
No doubt the Jews will resist such a terrible ruler, find themselves highly persecuted, and many will die.
When the Lord returns, Rom. 11:26 - "And so all Israel shall be saved…." - That is, all that is still alive and faithful!
Another
interesting note - the Feast of Trumpets occurs on the 7th New Moon of the Year - (Seventh Month - Tishrei); This is a significant time for the conclusion of an age - 6,000 yrs. have already come to pass. - The 7th Millennium is about to begin!
post by,
Jeremiah