The Feast of Trumpets is the first day of the Hebrew year on the civil calendar. On this day God's people stop work. It is a holiday, or a 'holy day'. And it is called Rosh Hashanah, meaning in Hebrew, 'head of the year'.
Our coming Messiah is in the Order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek as King of Salem or 'peace' was also Priest of God most High. So our Messiah has dual offices or authority. He is to be both King of Kings and High Priest. He rules in the priestly or religious authority. He also rules in the royal or kingdom authority. His Kingdom is to be ruled from the Throne of David of the Jewish House of Judah.
So as our coming Messiah He is therefore both priest and king. This is a very important point. His future Millennial dominion embraces both the realms of politics and also religion or Church and state as it were. This is a key prophecy for us to understand.
Messiah's First coming fulfilled the spring feasts. The three of them celebrate His priestly ministry at Calvary and the Garden Tomb.
Messiah's Second coming will fulfill the fall feasts. They will celebrate the coming of His kingdom rule with the Millennium of Messiah.
This issue of the dual offices of the Order of Melchizedek is very important. It is a key to our understanding of the feasts in their spring and fall groupings. The kingdom and priestly offices of Messiah also helps us understand the basis for the the eventual reconciliation of both houses of Israel and the gathering of all the covenant people of God. God will seek out His people. He will call them from out of the Church. He will also call them out from the Jewish nation. The New Covenant will also go out to connect with people from all across the world. The Light of Israel will bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
God has an agenda for holy history. It has been set forth plainly in the Holy Scriptures. Our Messiah came 2,000 years ago as the prophesied Suffering Servant. At that time He was manifest in His priestly role as both our High Priest and also our promised Sacrifice Lamb. In His priestly role, we saw Him fulfill the first three feasts, which are the spring feasts. Now we await the fulfilment of the Fall Feasts.
In the Fall Feasts we shall be seeing Messiah emerge in His Royal Kingdom role. It will be the politics of Messiah that will be seen this time. He will come as the conquering King of Kings. God's determined dealing with His covenant people will begin. And this final seven year period, the final "week" of Daniel's 70th Week will begin. It will be announced with the blowing of Trumpets.
THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF BLOWING OF TRUMPETS IN SCRIPTURE AND THE VITAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WATCHMAN TO WARN GOD'S COVENANT PEOPLE IN A TIME OF APPROACHING CRISIS.
If we do a word study of 'trumpets' or 'blowing of trumpets' throughout the Bible we come to a clear and straightforward conclusion. Apart from the annual and ceremonial events the occasions when trumpets were blown are pivotal momemts in the history of God's people. Typically the blowing of trumpests marked the emergence of some crisis in the history of the nation of Israel. So wrapped up in this act of blowing of trumpets is the idea of watchfulness and, (when necessary), the sounding of an alarm.
"Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober-minded." (I Thessalonians 5:6)
In blowing the trumpet the watchman is announcing to the people under his care, "Look, pay attention!! Here, I am bringing you some vital information concerning an imminent and present danger. Come, let us gather together as an assembled corporate body of people. And let us deal with this crisis before our God."
This is how a faithful watchman operates. In doing this he may well be putting his own life in jeopardy. The first order of business for an invader is to take out the sentries. Those are just the facts of life for a watchman.
THE VITAL AND ESSENTIAL WORK OF THE WATCHMAN OVER GOD'S COVENANT PEOPLE.
Our religious leaders have an awesome responsibility here. We are told that God holds His ministers responsible for the proper and timely warning of His people. When the enemy is sighted by the watchmen on the wall they have a sacred responsibility. The people need to be warned. When an enemy threatens to attack or maneuvers against their city or camp then the watchman is expected to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm.
The sounding of the trumpet is an alarm, calling the people of God to 'wake up' and 'pay attention'. But that is not all. The trumpets also summon the covenant people to assemble themselves before God. Indeed this positive response to God's call to assembly is what actually makes them the 'called out', the 'ekklesia'/'church', or the 'congregation' of God.
Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness...
Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; 16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar.
The last trumpet is about to blow. Are you awake? Are you watching?
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