Moses' Two Trumpets in Prophecy: Part 1

I have written in general about the three main feast days of Israel and how they are the basic outline of Bible prophecy. I have also shown that Passover and Pentecost (April-May) were fulfilled in the New Testament era, and that the feast of Tabernacles is to be fulfilled in the time of Christ's second coming.

The feast of Tabernacles is not a lone feast day, however. There is a progression of events leading up to it: Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and finally Tabernacles. These occur over a period of three weeks from Tishri 1 to Tishri 22 on the Hebrew calendar. Thus, also the events surrounding Christ's return will take place in a three-week period. For a longer study on this, see FFI #206 entitled, "They Shall be Priests of God."

If we look more closely at these three events, we will see that, like the others, they commemorate events in the history of Israel under Moses. The day of Trumpets (Tishri 1) commemorates the day that Moses built the two silver trumpets in Num. 10:2. The Day of Atonement (Tishri 10) commemorates the day that the twelve spies gave their report and Israel refused to enter the Promised Land (Num. 13, 14). The feast of Tabernacles (Tishri 15) commemorates the day that they WOULD HAVE entered the land, if they had had the faith to enter.

Theoretically, if they had entered at that time, they would have literally fulfilled the purpose of that feast. That is, they would have entered as manifested sons of God and would have conquered the land, not with physical swords, but by the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Canaanites would have seen the glory of God and would have submitted to the rule of Joshua (Yeshua = Jesus) by the end of that feast (Tishri 22). The conquest would have not have involved carnage and bloodshed at all, but conversion to the true God through the preaching of the Word.

But let us focus first upon the day of Trumpets, commemorated by Moses' two trumpets. Josephus tells us in "Antiquities of the Jews," III, vii, 6, "Moreover, Moses was the inventor of the form of their trumpet, which was made of silver. . . it ended in the form of a bell." The prophetic purpose of these trumpets is given in Num. 10:3 and 4,

"And when BOTH are blown, all the congregation [kahal, "church"] shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Yet if only ONE is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you."

So we see that one trumpet was blown to gather the RULERS of the people; both trumpets were blown to gether the entire congregation, that is, the CHURCH.

The day of Trumpets (Tishri 1) prophesies of the resurrection of the dead. For thousands of years, the day has been called "The day of the awakening blast." It is the first event leading to the second coming of Christ, for as Paul says in 1 Thess. 4:16, "the dead in Christ shall rise FIRST."

But because there is more than one resurrection, we must determine who is raised at the end of this present age and who must wait for the general resurrection at the end of the thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). This is determined by how many trumpets are blown.

In 1 Thess. 4:16, Paul tells us clearly that he was speaking of the FIRST resurrection, at which time "the trumpet (singular) of God" would sound. He again uses the singular word, "trumpet" in 1 Cor. 15:52, "at the last trumpet." This indicates a PARTIAL resurrection that includes only the RULERS of the people--not the entire congregation or Church.

From my childhood I was taught that the first resurrection would include the whole Church, while the second resurrection would include only unbelievers. But years later I discovered Jesus' statement in John 5:28, 29 that contradicted that teaching:

"Do not marvel at this; for AN HOUR is coming, in which ALL who are in the tombs shall hear His voice and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."

This speaks of a single resurrection in a single "hour" in which both believers and unbelievers are raised. This obviously cannot be the first resurrection, described in Rev. 20:4-6, which describes a partial resurrection that includes only believers. It does NOT say that ALL believers are raised at that time. It sayss ONLY believers are raised. Jesus makes it clear, then, that some believers will not inherit the first resurrection, but will await the second, where they will receive their immortality "with the unbelievers" (Luke 12:46).

It is plain, then, that as Rev. 20:4-6 tells us, those who inherit the first resurrection will "reign with Him for a thousand years." They are the rulers of the people and are therefore gathered by the blowing of a single trumpet.

The Apostle Paul gives testimony of his belief in the second resurrection, saying in Acts 24:14, 15,

"But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law, and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be A RESURRECTION OF BOTH THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED."

Paul was not expounding upon the first resurrection, because he was talking with unbelievers who probably did not understand the difference between the two resurrections. So he focused upon the final, general resurrection. Presumably, at that time, the people will be gathered by TWO trumpets.

Because there are two resurrections, one for the overcomers and the second for the Church in general, it is important for us to understand these things. Most of the Church is being taught that they are going to participate in the first resurrection, and so they think one only needs to be justified by faith to obtain it. They are going to be disappointed. They will certainly be citizens of the Kingdom, but they will not be rulers. If they want to reign with Christ in His Kingdom on earth in the thousand-year Age of Tabernacles that is to come, they must go beyond the Passover experience into both Pentecost and Tabernacles.