This coming September the first of the Fall Feasts will occur – The Feast of Trumpets. This year it will occur on September 19-20. Leviticus 23 states –

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.” – Lev. 23:24, 25

Liberty Bell

In Scripture, God often uses the Shofar. For example in Leviticus 25:8-10, He specifies its use in having trumpets, “proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” This quotation appears today on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia assuring us that America was founded by Bible readers! 

In an article titled “The Jewish Holidays, A Simplified Overview of the Feasts of the Lord” an interesting take of the Feast of Trumpets is given.

“The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September. This jump in time from the Feast of Pentecost in May or June seems to represent the Church Age in God’s planning, since the trumpet likely represents the Rapture of the Church. The trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come into the Temple. The High Priest actually blew the trumpet so that the faithful would stop harvesting to worship. Now when the trumpet sounds in accordance with 1 Corinthians 15:51, living believers will cease from their harvest and rise from the earth. The Church will be taken out of the world.”

This Scripture is given below –

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” – 1 Cor. 15:51-53

The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) was changed during Talmudic times to Rosh Hashanah, which means Head of the Year. It is now celebrated as the Jewish New Year. Jewish tradition states that the universe was created by the LORD on Rosh Hashanah thus marking the sixth day of creation, when the LORD created Adam and Eve. It is a Day of Remembrance and the trumpet is blown to coronate God as King of the Universe.

The Shofar is blown at least 100 times during the Rosh Hashanah service thus satisfying the commandment to make Teru’ah (a shout or noise) on this day. It is a call to repentance because 10 days later (called the Days of Awe) on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the Books in heaven are opened for judgement. The Apostle John refers to this day in the Book of Revelation –

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” – Rev. 20:11, 12

During the feast of Trumpets there are four primary types of shofar blasts:

1. Tekiah – A long single blast to coronate the King
2. Shevarim – Three short wail-like blasts signifying repentance
3. Teru’ah – Nine staccato blasts of alarm to awaken the soul
4. Tekiah ha-Gadol – A great long blast for as long as you can blow

The sound of the shofar is meant to stir the heart to fear and to inspire repentance as Amos writes – “When the shofar is blown in the city, don’t the people tremble?” (Amos 3:6).

So, when the Shofars begin to sound, it is a serious time. It means the end is almost here. It is the last time you have for repentance before the Lord comes and the books are opened in heaven. It is possibly the time of the rapture when the righteous are caught away to meet the Lord in the clouds.

September 19th is not far off when we will celebrate the Feast of Trumpets and the shofars will once again blow. Will it be the last Feast of trumpets? No one knows for sure but, it is certainly time to remember that the LORD is our Creator and He created us for a purpose. Will you fulfill that purpose?