In the Old Testament, when the seventh month of the Hebrew year arrived, the ram’s horn was blown for Firstfruits when the sliver of the moon was spotted in the sky on the darkest night of the month. Afterwards, the silver trumpet was blown to signify it was the Feast of Trumpets, or also known as the “Day of Awakening.”

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying; ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month (Firstfruits), you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation” (Lev. 23:24; also found in Numbers 29:1-6).

On this “appointed” day, there were two separate types of horns signifying two events that were happening at the same time. One horn was made from the horn of an animal, which is the shofar.  The other horn was made by man from silver – the trumpet. Both came together as ONE on this day of REMEMBRANCE, READINESS, and RESURRECTION.

The shofar was blown for Firstfruits as a reminder that God is the One who provides and honors His Covenant, inspiring a response of thankfulness to the Lord (Num 10:10).  This then became the sound of the beginning of “Firstfruits.” It was also a reminder to the children of Israel of the event when God stopped Abraham from offering up Isaac and supplied the ram from which the shofar was made (Gen. 22:13,14).

“Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a ticket by its horns.  So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.  And Abraham called the name o the place, “The-LORD-Will-Provide; and it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided”(Gen. 22:13-14).

The silver trumpet was blown to awaken to a memorial.. of what?

The Lord instructed the children of Israel to always remember the sound of the trumpet as it related to events that transpired at Mt. Sinai.  What event during that time was significant to Trumpets?

To answer that question, we have to go back to Ex. 19:5, when God proposes to the children of Israel to be His “special treasure” above all other people. The people responded in verse 8 and said “We do.”  God instructs Moses on how He wants the “marriage ceremony” to go and it happened like this:

“Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled (Ex. 19:16).  

Moses brought the people (bride) out to meet God (Ex. 19:17).

“Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire….And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.  THEN the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain.  And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up” (Ex. 19:18-20).

Jesus shares a prophetic proclamation of the future event that will take place when He returns. The same symbolism of the thundering’s and lightnings are given; the thunder of HIs glory flashing from the east to the west as He comes with the desire to join His Bride:

“For as the lightning comes form the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:27).

God wanted His people to always remember the Covenant of Marriage then, so we will understand how the Covenant is redeemed up ahead through Christ.  As the children of Israel waited at the base of Mt. Sinai and the Lord descended and came down to the people in the form of a cloud, lightning, thundering, fire and VOICE, it was a moment of matrimony. (I wish I could have been there!)

When Moses went up the mountain by himself afterwards, it was symbolic of Christ ascending and presenting Himself as the “Firstfruits.” 

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep…..But each one in his own order:  Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1Cor. 15:20,23).

We too anticipate the time when we will be able to follow Christ’s example and be able to go before the throne in heaven and come back to earth in a glorified body.  The Feast of Trumpets marks the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise of resurrection, followed by another “wedding ceremony” of the Bride (Church) with the Groom (Christ).

It is worth noting that in Deut. 4:25-40, we get an account of how the children of Israel responded to the voice of God. They trembled out of fear, hid, and asked Moses to stand before them.

In Ex. 20:19-21 it says:

“Then they said to Moses, ‘You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.’  And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may no sin.’  So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.”

Today, we have had Christ make a way for the Lord’s voice to be heard again through the Holy Spirit. Believers are faced with the same choice now that the children of Israel had: to draw near to His voice as Moses did, or hide and have another stand in the gap and become the voice of God (religious leaders).

I am certainly not saying it’s not important to hear what religious leaders have to share.  But we should not lean on them first to hear the Lord for our own lives, or think religious leaders are the only ones who hear from the Lord.

We also learn from this blueprint in Exodus that believers who draw near to the Lord’s voice and His presence, as did Moses, will be “caught up” to meet God in the “air” and come back with Him to reign in the Millennium.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with Me.  To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”(Rev. 3:20-22).

The Trumpet signals to the Bride to awaken because the Groom has determined it is time to for the ceremony of union to begin.  Have you noticed that the angels in the book of Revelation use trumpets, not shofars, to sound the alarm?  Those who hear and are ready will run towards the Lord.  Those who aren’t will want to hide.  The Day of Atonement that follows after the Feast of Trumpets sifts this all out.