Opening Story: A Sound You Can’t Ignore

One day, I was helping my oldest daughter try out her new candle-making kit. It was one of those simple, quiet moments you don’t expect to become memorable. We placed soy wax into a container and set it on the burner, watching as the solid flakes slowly melted into liquid. Once the wax was ready, we poured some into a jar to form a candle, then placed the container—with the remaining wax—back on the warmer.

That’s when it happened. Without warning, the smoke detector went off.

The sound was sharp, loud, and immediate. We both spun around just in time to see flames shooting up from the container. The wax had caught fire. Instinct kicked in. I grabbed a wet cloth, threw it over the flames, removed the container from the warmer, and placed it in the sink under running water. The fire was out almost as quickly as it started.

And then my phone rang. It was our security company calling to check on the alarm. Somewhat embarrassed, I explained what had happened and assured them there was no need to send firefighters. Crisis averted. No damage done. But the moment stuck with me.

Where Trumpets Fits in the Feasts

The Feast of Trumpets (also called Yom Teruah) begins the fall festival cycle and prepares Israel for the holiest days of the year— the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. In Scripture, the sound of the trumpet is a summons: to gather, to repent, to prepare, to rejoice, or to meet God.

In this post, we’ll explore: (1) how Israel celebrated the Feast of Trumpets, (2) how it points to Jesus and His return, and (3) what Trumpets teaches us about walking with God today.

1) How Israel Celebrated the Feast of Trumpets

A. A day of rest, assembly, and shofar blasts

Leviticus 23:23–25 commands a day of solemn rest, a “memorial of blowing” (teruah), a holy assembly, and offerings presented to the LORD. Uniquely, the Torah gives no additional rituals. Trumpets is defined almost entirely by sound—a divine interruption in Israel’s normal rhythm.

The blast of the shofar was intended to jolt God’s people awake, calling them to attention before the final and most solemn feasts of the year.

B. A feast that begins the fall movement

By the time of the prophets and through later Jewish tradition, Trumpets became associated with the beginning of the civil calendar (Tishri 1) and a season of reflection leading to the Day of Atonement. While these themes go beyond the brief Torah description, they reinforce Trumpets’ core purpose: an awakening summons.

C. The new moon and the call to watchfulness

Trumpets is the only feast that begins on a new moon (Lev. 23:24). This meant it could not be prepared for with absolute precision. It required active watchfulness. In later practice, new-moon timing involved observation, testimony, and (eventually) calculation debates. In other words: you were ready when the trumpet sounded.

D. Themes of remembrance and judgment (later tradition)

Over time, Jewish tradition associated Yom Teruah with themes like divine kingship, self-examination, and judgment imagery. While these themes are post-biblical developments, they fit the feast’s original function: awakening the people of God to live with seriousness and hope in light of the LORD.

2) How the Feast of Trumpets Points to Jesus

Trumpet imagery fills the New Testament, especially in passages about the return of Christ. The symbolism of Trumpets becomes a window into the hope of Jesus’ Second Coming.

A. The trumpet that gathers God’s people

Jesus taught: “He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect.” (Matt. 24:31). Paul wrote: “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven… with the trumpet of God.” (1 Thess. 4:16), and again: “We shall all be changed… at the last trumpet.” (1 Cor. 15:52).

B. A cohesive story: fulfilled feasts and future hope

The feasts tell a unified story. The spring feasts align with Christ’s first coming (His death, burial, resurrection, and Spirit outpouring). The fall feasts point forward to what is still to come: Trumpets anticipates Christ’s return, Atonement points to final judgment and cleansing, and Tabernacles points to God dwelling with His people forever. This is a framework for understanding redemption—not a calendar for date-setting.

C. Trumpets as a call to repentance

Trumpets initiated the season leading toward the Day of Atonement, a time of reflection and self-examination. Jesus echoed the same urgency: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17). Trumpets is a divine summons: wake up, return, and prepare to meet the Lord.

D. Trumpets points to Jesus as the true King

In Israel, trumpets announced royal coronations (1 Kings 1:34). Revelation declares: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.” (Rev. 11:15). Trumpets proclaims that Jesus is the rightful King—and one day His reign will be openly and universally acknowledged.

3) What Trumpets Teaches Us About Following God Today

A. God wakes His people up

The sound of the shofar cuts through distraction and spiritual apathy. Trumpets asks: Are we awake? Have we drifted? Are we ready to meet the King? Are we living with eternity in view?

B. Live watchfully, not speculatively

Because the feast depended on new-moon timing, it trained Israel to watch and wait. Jesus applies that posture to His return: stay awake, be ready, watch—because we do not know the day or hour. The goal is not speculation but expectation.

C. Examine the heart

While Christians are not bound to later Jewish “Days of Awe” practices, the spiritual pattern remains powerful: humility, confession, reconciliation, and renewed obedience. God continues to call His people to wakefulness and repentance.

D. Long for Christ’s return

Trumpets lifts our eyes forward: Christ will return, the dead will rise, evil will be judged, the kingdom will come, and creation will be renewed. The feast trains our hearts to pray: “Come, Lord Jesus.”

Conclusion: A Sound That Shakes the Soul

The Feast of Trumpets is God’s holy interruption—a divine alarm calling His people to pay attention, return, prepare, and look for the King. One day the trumpet will sound, and we will see the Lord.

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Footnotes & Sources

1. Feast of Trumpets command: Leviticus 23:23–25. Related trumpet uses: Numbers 10:1–10; Joel 2:1.
2. New-moon and watchfulness themes: Leviticus 23:24; broader calendar discussions appear in Second Temple literature and later tradition. (David Instone-Brewer, Feasts and Sabbaths: Passover and Atonement, vol. 2A, Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011, iii.)

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