But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you. - John 14:26
by Nicholas Jackson
This year God spoke into our hearts that we should journey through the feasts. We have always seen that the feasts are as a prophetic calendar and that the church corporately is to enter into the fulfilment of these feasts experientially and that they show us something of the eternal purpose of God. More recently it was quickened to us that God required Israel to meet Him at these feasts annually, "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year" Exodus 23:14. God expects His people to meet with Him in a specific and peculiar way three times a year and that through these meetings we will grow in the knowledge of God and be transformed by experiencing the particular aspects of who He reveals Himself to be at these feasts.
The three Feasts are the "Feast of Unleavened Bread [Passover]...Feast of Harvest [Weeks/Pentecost]...and the Feast of Ingathering [Tabernacles/Booths]" Exodus 23:15-16. Involved in these three feasts there are seven appointed meeting times with God. Three are involved with Passover, Weeks is a one day feast, and three appointments are at Tabernacles time. We are now in the season of coming to the Feast of Tabernacles which begins with the "memorial of blowing of trumpets" which is on the first day of the seventh month in the Hebrew Calendar (Leviticus 23:24). It is the fifth appointed meeting time with God in the calendar and leads into the Day of Atonement and the actual Feast of Tabernacles later in the seventh month.
In Genesis 1:14 God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens...and let them be for signs and seasons and for days and years". On the fourth day of creation God created the sun, moon and stars in the heavens to be for"signs and seasons". The word here for "seasons" is a Hebrew word 'mo'ed' which means "A fixed time, appointment, appointed season, festival, feast, solemn assembly, appointed place. Mo'ed is used for the seven "feasts" of the Lord, actually Yahweh's seven sacred appointments, the times He meets with Israel. The entire plan of redemption is revealed in the progression of the seven mileposts which unfold yearly in the Hebrew Calendar." {Word Wealth, Numbers 9:2, New Spirit Filled Life Bible}.
In Leviticus 23:2, God says, "The feasts of YAHWEH, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts". The word "feasts" is the Hebrew 'mo'ed'. In other words God gave the sun, moon and stars in the sky to speak of God's appointments with His people, to be there for signs and for feast times, appointments with God. We are in a season where there are 4 lunar eclipses or "blood moons" that occur over 2014 and 2015. These blood moons actually occur on feast days, the next one happening on October 8 to begin the Feast of Tabernacles. We are in a season where God is showing signs in the heavens that it is time to meet with Him and be prepared for what He wants to do in us as His people.
The next appointed time to meet with God this year is the "memorial of blowing of trumpets". "Then YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, 'In the seventh month, on the first of the month, you shall have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to YAHWEH" Leviticus 23:23-25.
Being the "seventh month" is significant as seven in the Bible speaks of entering the rest and coming to completion or perfection. This is the appointed time that is calling us to enter the rest. There is a calling for the church to come to perfection, to come to maturity and no longer remain in Pentecost, the previous appointment with God.
The blowing of trumpets on this day is called a "memorial". What are we meant to be remembering? The word"memorial" in Hebrew is the word 'zikron' and means "A memorial, remembrance, record, memento, a written record, a momentous event which is long to be remembered" {Word Wealth, Exodus 39:7, New Spirit Filled Life Bible}. The first time this word is mentioned in the Scriptures is in the context of the blood of the Passover Lamb in Exodus 12:14, "Now this day shall be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it as a feast to YAHWEH throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance."
So the first use of the word is in connection with the Lamb being sacrificed and its blood being used for the redemption and deliverance of God's people from bondage in Egypt. This is speaking of the blood of the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" John 1:29. Every time we partake of the Lord's Table there is a memorial. We are to keep the Lord's Table in "remembrance of Me" Luke 22:19.
The original memorial offering was at Passover to remember the sacrifice of the Lamb that delivered Israel from Egypt, which for us speaks of our initial salvation through the blood of Jesus, delivering us from the world.
Even at the Feast of Pentecost there was to be offerings made (Leviticus 23:18:21). This teaches us that what Jesus accomplished on the Cross was not only to forgive us and take our sins away but also to enable us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. "When the day of Pentecost had fully come...they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" Acts 2:1,4. We need to see that what Jesus accomplished on the Cross is central to experiencing what God wants to give us at every feast.
What are we remembering at the blowing of trumpets?
At the "memorial of blowing of trumpets" we are remembering what Jesus accomplished on the Cross in a much deeper way. This feast is in the seventh month which speaks of completion and maturity. This is remembering "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" Hebrews 10:14. We are remembering "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" Hebrews 2:10.
We are remembering that what Jesus accomplished on the Cross actually perfects us, brings us into sonship and causes us to inherit the glory. This is now entering the deeper wisdom of God "which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory" 1 Corinthians 2:7-8. The blowing of trumpets is speaking to the church to remember the awesome cosmic victory of Jesus, not only to "save us from our sins" but to cause us to become perfect as sons!
When Paul was writing to the Colossians he made known the allconquering nature of what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. He says that Jesus, "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it [the Cross]" Colossians 2:15. The blowing of trumpets is heralding the full and final defeat of the devil and all his army and is calling the church up into the revelation of this so we can walk in it. Do we truly believe that the devil has been defeated?
The blowing of trumpets is to remind us that "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" Hebrew 2:14-15. Jesus has destroyed the devil and released us to not fear death because of the power of the resurrection.
The blowing of trumpets is to remind us of the power of the resurrection, preparing us for the day when He comes "For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible..." 1 Corinthians 15:52. Jesus destroyed the devil who had the power of death. He did
this through the one offering which perfects us for ever. This is the victory of the cross.
This is "according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" Ephesians 3:11. What was the eternal purpose that was accomplished? We have seen that through Jesus' death on the Cross He disarmed principalities and powers! Now it is for us to "preach the unsearchable riches of Christ", making known this awesome reality, "to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" Ephesians 3:8-10.
Preaching is as blowing a trumpet! It is actually the plan of God to use the church to occupy the heavenly realm that has been occupied by demonic forces up until this time. How does the church do this? By blowing the trumpet! Proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ! Making known the deeper reality of what Jesus accomplished at the Cross.
Jesus died and rose again to give us five ministries
Another aspect of the death and resurrection of Jesus to remember is that through Jesus descending and ascending He has been able to release "gifts to men". "He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers" Ephesians 4:8-11. Jesus died and rose again to release these ministries to blow the trumpet, that is, to preach and teach the Word, calling the church to come to "the unity of the faith, to the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" Ephesians 4:13.
The trumpet is calling His church to come to maturity. When we remember Jesus dying on the Cross we are to remember that through His death and resurrection He gave five ministries to herald the Word of God to bring the church to maturity, to a "perfect man"!
The proclamation of His death until He comes
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes" 1 Corinthians 11:26. Every time we partake of the Lord's Table we are blowing a trumpet! We are making a proclamation! We are declaring that Jesus has won the complete victory over sin, death and the devil - this is proclaiming His death. Then we are also proclaiming that He is coming!
Now we have looked at why the appointed time is a "memorial". We should also look at the trumpets themselves. What are trumpets used for in the Scriptures? The word for "blowing of trumpets" is 'teru'ah' and means"clamour, that is, acclamation of joy or a battle cry...as an alarm" {Strongs Concordance Hb. #8643}. It has the sense of a war cry as well as a victory cry filled with joy. Hallelujah! When we hear the blowing of trumpets we are to know that victory is assured if we remain with Jesus.
1. Exodus 19:16-20 - this is the first mention of the trumpet in Scripture and referred to the 'shofar' or 'ram's horn'. This trumpet was heralding the descension of God Himself onto Mt Sinai to meet with Moses. God comes down at the sound of the trumpet! We also know that "the Lord Himself will descend from heaven...with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first" 1 Thessalonians 4:16. The trumpet heralds the resurrection and the coming of the Lord!
2. Numbers 10:2a "Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work" - Silver can speak of the pure word of God "The words of YAHWEH are pure words, silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times"Psalm 12:6. The silver trumpets speak of the pure, perfected Word of God being proclaimed. The number "two" in Scripture speaks of witness. This is a picture of the Word being spoken by Jesus witnessing church, "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" Matthew 24:14. The end comes when the "two silver trumpets" are blown throughout the world, the full witness of the kingdom of God!
3. Numbers 10:2b "you shall use them for calling the congregation". The trumpets are used to call the assembly, the congregation! Jesus is calling His church to come out of denomination and congregate around Him and Him alone. John heard"behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet...and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst...the Son of Man...the seven lampstands are the seven churches" Revelation 1:10, 12-13, 20. Jesus' voice is as a trumpet in the midst of His church. He is calling all who will hear to join Him and meet with Him in the midst of His assembly.
4. Numbers 10:2c "and for directing the movement of the camps". The trumpets are used to move the camp on. It is time to"go on to perfection" Hebrews 6:1. Do you hear the trumpet calling you on into the glory. John saw a "door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here..." Revelation 4:1. The trumpet is calling us up into the heavenly realm of God's Throne, the Holy of Holies! It is time to enter the glory!
5. Numbers 10:8 "The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations". It was the job of the priests to blow the trumpet. Jesus "has made us kings and priests to our God and Father" Revelation 1:6. All baptised, spirit-filled believers are consecrated as a "holy priesthood" 1 Peter 2:5. We are to blow the trumpets!
6. Numbers 10:9 "When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you; then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before YAHWEH your God, and you will be saved from your enemies".The trumpets are blown in war! When they are blown God will remember us. The memorial blowing of trumpets is also for God to remember us and give us the victory over principalities and powers. "So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell down flat...and they took the city" Joshua 6:20. Cities and nations will fall as we meet with God at the memorial of blowing of trumpets!
7. Numbers 10:10 "Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be amemorial for you before your God". The trumpets are to be blown over the sacrifice! We are to herald the Word of God over the sacrifice of Jesus knowing that we only have the victory because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross.
8. Ezekiel 33:3 "when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people..." The trumpet is to warn the people. We are to preach Christ, "warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" Colossians 1:28.
9. 2 Chronicles 5:12-14 "and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets...when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard...the house of YAHWEH was filled with a cloud...for the glory of YAHWEH filled the house of God".
When there is one sound to be heard, when we are "speaking the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement" (1 Corinthians 1:10), then Jesus will come and "be glorified in His saints" 2 Thessalonians 1:10 and the revelation of the mystery of God will be complete (Revelation 10:7), Christ in us the hope of Glory being revealed (Colossians 1:27)!