Feast of Trumpets Fun Facts
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52
The Next Appointed Time
The Feast of Trumpets is the next appointed time to be fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled the first four feasts (i.e., appointed times) in His first coming, dying on Passover, being buried during the first few days of Unleavened Bread, and rising on the feast of First Fruits. Shortly after, on the feast of Pentecost, Jesus poured out His Holy Spirit on His church. Therefore, if God continues to fulfill the appointed times chronologically, the next feast on the agenda is the Feast of Trumpets.
Names, Themes, and Idioms
How might God choose to fulfill the Feast of Trumpets? We can start to answer this question by gathering hints from The Seven Festivals of the Messiah by Eddie Chumney. The following are twelve names, themes, and idioms associated with the Feast of Trumpets:
Teshuvah (repentance)
Rosh HaShanah (Head of the Year, Birthday of the World)
Yom Teruah (the Day of the Awakening Blast [Feast of Trumpets])
Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment)
HaMelech (the Coronation of the Messiah)
Yom HaZikkaron (the Day of Remembrance or memorial)
The time of Jacob's (Ya'akov) trouble (the birthpangs of the Messiah, Chevlai shel Mashiach)
The opening of the gates
Kiddushin/Nesu'in (the wedding ceremony)
The resurrection of the dead (rapture, natza)
The last trump (shofar)
Yom Hakeseh (the hidden day)
The Day of Resurrection and the Day of Judgment?
You may notice that the themes of the Feast of Trumpets point to both the rapture and the day of the Lord (the tribulation). So, should we expect these events (that is, the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation) to coincide?
Well, according to the Bible, we should certainly expect to hear the trumpet of God (the last trumpet according to 1 Corinthians 15:52) at the rapture, as Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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.”
Paul then immediately associates the rapture/resurrection with the beginning of the tribulation just two short verses later in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. (Also, please note the careful usage of “you” and “brethren” versus “they” and “them” if you are troubled by the thought that the church might go through the tribulation.):
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”
In case any doubt remains in your mind that the rapture/resurrection and the beginning of the tribulation will occur within a short time window, let us reference Jesus’ words in Luke 17:26-36:
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”
Jesus makes it clear that in both judgments, Noah and Lot, God’s righteous remnant, were taken out of harm’s way just before God’s wrath swept away the world and leveled Sodom and Gomorrah, respectively. In the paragraph that follows, Jesus explains that those who love the world will lose their hope of salvation in the rapture (1 John 2:15-17), at which time people will be taken from the earth before God’s wrath consumes everyone who is left.
Therefore, it is not a contradiction that the Feast of Trumpets is associated with both judgment and the rapture/resurrection, rather it is the opposite; it is entirely Biblical!
Indeed, a Hidden Day
Now that I have suggested that the day of the Lord could begin on the Feast of Trumpets, you might be a little squeamish trying to reconcile that claim with Jesus’ popular words in Matthew 24:36:
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
So, first, I would like to point out that I am not claiming that the rapture/resurrection or the day of the Lord must occur on the Feast of Trumpets. God is sovereign and is free to start the tribulation and rapture the church whenever He pleases.
Second, the Feast of Trumpets is known as Yom Hakeseh (the hidden day) because it is the only feast to occur on a new moon, “when the moon is dark except for a thin crescent.” Historically, two witnesses had to report their sightings of this thin crescent moon to the Jewish leaders (so that they may announce the beginning of the feast) at a time of year when the moon is visible only for a very short time after sunset. Therefore, the timing of the Feast of Trumpets was very unpredictable as weather conditions and sunlight may prohibit the brief opportunity to witness the new moon.
To this day, the exact days of the Feast of Trumpets remain difficult to predict. This year, in 2023, if you search it up on Google, the Feast of Trumpets begins at sundown (when the Jewish calendar begins its days) on September 15th and ends at sundown on September 17th. However, it is not until sunset on September 16th that the inhabitants of Jerusalem can first witness the first sliver of the new moon, as the moon is completely dark on September 15th. Even then, as I pointed out before, depending on the lighting and weather, it may not be until the 17th or 18th that the Jews could witness the first sliver of the new moon.
Thus, even if we can learn from the Bible that the day of the Lord begins on the Feast of Trumpets, because the timing of the two-day feast is entirely dependent on sighting a sliver of a new moon at a time of year that is difficult to see the moon in general from the northern hemisphere, there is still no way of knowing the day or hour that the tribulation begins.
A Seven-Year Covenant with Many
Despite our inability to predict the exact two days that the Feast of Trumpets will occur, there are still some thought-provoking events worth noting, which point to the beginning of the tribulation and rapture of the church, that occur within a couple of days of the feast’s probable occurrence between September 16th and 20th.
As I have covered in a previous article, The United Nations Revealing the Antichrist?, on September 18-19th, 2023, the United Nations is gathering in New York to confirm their intentions to execute Agenda 2030. In their own words, the 2023 SDG Summit will “mark the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals with high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to 2030.” In other words, many nations are gathering to strengthen (or confirm) a pre-existing covenant for seven years, which predicts global Revelation-esque disasters and seeks to deploy technology reminiscent of the mark of the beast upon all of humanity.
In Daniel 9:27, which is one of the foundational verses for believing that the tribulation will be seven years (or a “week”) in length, we read:
“Then he [the antichrist] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”
Interestingly enough, the conclusion of this seven-year covenant with many is in the year 2030, exactly 2,000 years after Jesus was crucified (given He was crucified in 30 AD). As I previously explained in the article, Messiah (September) 2030, I believe the Bible teaches that God declared a 7,000-year-long plan for creation in Genesis 1 and 2 (2 Peter 3:1-8, Genesis 2:17, Genesis 5:5, Psalm 90:4). So, if Pentecost fulfilled the fifth day/millennium of creation shortly after Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection fulfilled the fourth day/millennium of creation, and the millennial reign of Jesus on earth fulfills the seventh day/millennium of creation, then we should expect that Jesus should return no more than 2,000 years after Pentecost.
Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars
If you are not yet on high alert for the rapture and the day of the Lord on this Feast of Trumpets, the sun, moon, and stars also seem to proclaim the importance of this rapidly approaching appointed time.
First, many speculate that the Revelation 12 sign will appear in the heavens during the Feast of Trumpets this year. Revelation 12:1-6 reads:
“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”
The following video does a great job of explaining the speculation behind the possible Revelation 12 sign, which will occur on September 19th, 2023:
Now, if this is the Revelation 12 sign, it is quite interesting that it might occur on the Feast of Trumpets in 2023, seven years (inclusive) after one like it appeared in the sky on the Feast of Trumpets in 2017… This timing shares quite a curious resemblance to the story of Joseph in Genesis 41:29-30:
“Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.”
Furthermore, also around September 19th, the morning star, Venus, will be its brightest in the morning sky in 2023. Since Jesus refers to himself as the “Bright and Morning Star” in Revelation 22:16, perhaps this is yet another sign that the morning star will rise in our hearts (i.e., we will be raptured) on the Feast of Trumpets just before the heat of the day (i.e., the final, tribulation judgment by fire) engulfs the entire earth (2 Peter 1:19, 3:7).
Convergence
Of course, all of these signs pointing towards the onset of the tribulation and rapture of the church on the Feast of Trumpets would be a moot point if they stood alone. However, we see all the birth pains Jesus warned us of in Matthew 24:3-12 infiltrate every nook and cranny of our world. Additionally, in the last 75 years, we have seen the regathering of Israel and significant progress towards rebuilding the third temple, which are both prerequisites to the tribulation. Therefore, it is pertinent that we remain watchful during this Feast of Trumpets, as we very well could meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the sky to go to the place He has prepared for us (John 14:1-3).
If you do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I highly recommend you get to know Him as we see these 2,000+ year-old prophecies fulfilled all around us. After all, it is written, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Getting to know Him is as simple as Romans 10:8-10 makes it out to be:
“‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Therefore, repent from your sins by crying out to Jesus in earnest prayer, proclaiming that His perfect life, sacrifice on the cross, and resurrection on the third day atones for your sins (as it has mine) so you may no longer offend God with your wickedness. And finally, always look forward to and prepare for His appearing, like a bride looks forward to and remains faithful to her fiance before her wedding day, for we are the bride of Christ, our perfect and glorious bridegroom, as per Ephesians 5:25-32:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”