Fall feast
Feast of Trumpets
Rosh Hashanah
1st of Tishri
Every trumpet blast announces a king.
In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with trumpet blasts. (Leviticus 23:24)
Trumpets called the people to assembly. They announced arrivals. They signaled war. They proclaimed kings. This feast is a shofar blast in time, pointing to a day when the last trumpet will sound.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
The spring feasts were fulfilled at Jesus' first coming. The Feast of Trumpets looks forward. It is the first of the fall feasts — the last series of appointed times still unfulfilled, still pointing ahead.
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
This feast points most directly to the return of Jesus. The last trumpet will sound. The King will arrive. Every previous trumpet blast in Israel's history was a rehearsal for this one.
You’ve seen the shadow,
the fulfillment, and the promise.
Now read the complete guide to Feast of Trumpets — history, meaning, practice, and what it still reveals about Jesus.
Read the full guide ↓What Is This?
The Feast of Trumpets is a day of loud noise. Trumpets and rams' horns called shofars are blown. The people shout. It is a day of solemn assembly, rest, and calling out to God.
The Bible does not explain exactly what this feast is for as clearly as the others. God said to blow the trumpets, rest, and bring offerings (Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1). But because of where it falls in the pattern of the feasts, and because of what the Bible says about trumpets in prophecy, this feast carries some of the most powerful things to come that any appointed time points to.
There is a gap of about four months between the spring feasts and the fall feasts. Four months of silence. And then, with no warning, the trumpets blow. That is the picture.
Practice
How will you observe Feast of Trumpets?
Walk through it step by step — for families or on your own.
Key Scriptures
- Leviticus 23:23-25
- Numbers 29:1-6
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
- 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
- Matthew 24:30-31
- Revelation 11:15
- Joel 2:1
- Numbers 10:1-10
The Shadow: What the Feast of Trumpets Pictures
In ancient Israel, trumpets were used for specific purposes. They called the people to assembly. They signaled the beginning of a new month. They called soldiers to war. They announced the arrival of a king. And they sounded when God was about to move.
The shofar is a call to attention. Something is happening. Something important is about to begin. Pay attention. Get ready. Come together.
The Feast of Trumpets is also the beginning of a new year in the civil Jewish calendar. It is the start of something. A new season. A turning point.
All of this together makes the Feast of Trumpets a picture of arrival and announcement. Someone is coming. The trumpet says so. And the whole Bible pattern of trumpets points toward one great arrival.
Jesus is coming back. When he does, there will be a trumpet.
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God." (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
First Coming: Did Jesus Fulfill This Feast?
The spring feasts were fulfilled by Jesus at his first coming. The fall feasts are different. They are still ahead.
Jesus did not fulfill the Feast of Trumpets when he came the first time. He came quietly. He was born in a stable, not announced with trumpets. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, not as a conquering king on a warhorse. He came to serve and to die.
But when he comes back, it will be different. The whole Bible says so. He will return with a trumpet, with a shout, with the voice of an archangel. Every eye will see him. Every knee will bow. The second coming will not be quiet. It will be loud.
The Feast of Trumpets has been waiting for that day.
Second Coming: What the Feast of Trumpets Points To
This is the feast that points most directly to the return of Jesus.
When the trumpet sounds, those who have died in Christ will be raised (1 Corinthians 15:52). Those who are still alive and belong to Jesus will be gathered to meet him (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The angels will be sent out to gather God's people from the four corners of the earth (Matthew 24:31).
The blowing of the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets is a rehearsal for that day. Every year when the trumpet blows, it is a reminder that the great trumpet is coming. The question is not whether it will happen. The question is whether you are ready.
The Feast of Trumpets is also associated with the throne of God and with kingship. Revelation 11:15 says that when the seventh and last trumpet sounds, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." The last trumpet declares the arrival of the King.
What This Means for the Church
The church is a people who are watching and waiting.
Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica to comfort people who were worried about what had happened to believers who had died. His comfort was the trumpet. Do not grieve like people who have no hope. Because when the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then those who are alive will be gathered. We will all be with the Lord.
The church lives in the tension between "it is finished" and "it is not yet complete." Jesus has died, been raised, and given us his Spirit. The spring feasts are done. But the fall feasts are still ahead. We live in the gap, the four months of silence between the spring and the fall, between the first coming and the second.
But the trumpet is coming. The silence will end. The King will arrive.
The Feast of Trumpets calls the church to stay awake, to live with purpose, and to look up. Not with anxiety. With expectation.
Scripture vs. Tradition
| What it is | Description |
|---|---|
| Scripture says | Blow trumpets and gather on the first day of the seventh month (Leviticus 23:24) |
| Scripture says | Jesus will return with the sound of a trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16) |
| Scripture says | The last trumpet will raise the dead and change the living (1 Corinthians 15:52) |
| Helpful practice | Spending this day in reflection on the return of Christ |
| Helpful practice | Reading the great "return of Christ" passages in Scripture |
| Optional tradition | Blowing a shofar or ram's horn |
| Optional tradition | A meal celebrating the new season with anticipation |
| Extra-biblical | Tashlich (casting bread on water for sins) |
| Extra-biblical | Specific Rosh Hashanah liturgy and prayers |
| Extra-biblical | Round challah and apples with honey (Jewish New Year traditions) |
Reflection and Prayer
Questions to think about:
- If Jesus returned today, would I be ready? What does "ready" actually mean?
- Am I living for the things that will matter when the trumpet sounds?
- Do I grieve the loss of loved ones in Jesus with hope? Or with the same hopelessness as people who have no faith in the resurrection?
- What is the Spirit calling me to do differently while I wait?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe you are coming back. The trumpet will sound. The dead will rise. Every eye will see you. Help me to live like that is true every single day. I do not want to be so focused on this life that I forget what is ahead. I do not want to waste the days between now and the trumpet on things that do not matter. Fill me with the same hope Paul gave to the Thessalonians. And let me carry that hope to others who are grieving and afraid. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
How to Observe Feast of Trumpets
Walk me through it —
Key Scriptures
- Leviticus 23:23-25
- 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16
- Revelation 8:2
- Matthew 24:31
Connected Feasts