Rosh Hashanah--A Feast of Trumpets

In ancient Israel the seventh month began with an important spiritual holiday. It is referred to as the Feast of Trumpets and begins the most holy month of the year. The month is Tishri, and even though it's not the first month like January on our calendar, it's the equivalent of New Year's Day. It is still celebrated in Judaism today as Rosh Hashanah. In Hebrew it literally means "head of the year." You can find this feast and all feasts in Leviticus, of course, in Chapter 23. Can you tell I'm addicted to Leviticus? And we don't even touch it in Gospel Doctrine.

The Lord said to Moses, "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" (Leviticus 23:24-25).

The main ceremony was the blowing of the trumpet, and this trumpet is a ram's horn, symbolizing the power of the resurrected Lamb of God. It is the sounding of the shofar. You can hear the shofar by going to http://www.jewfaq.org/sound/shofar.mid. 

THE TRUMPETS BLOWN AT JERICHO

The sounding of the trumpet played an important part in Israel's history, and it plays a major role in modern Church history. You will remember that the priests at the time of Joshua compassed the city of Jericho bearing seven rams' horns. On the seventh day when the seven priests had circled the city seven times and had blown the trumpets of rams' horns, Joshua gave the command to shout; and the walls of the city fell flat and Jericho was conquered (see Joshua 6:3-16). 

THE TRUMPET AND SWORD OF GIDEON

During the time of the judges, the Lord saves Israel from the Midianites by separating out 300 men (who drank water hand to mouth) and they were divided into three companies, bearing pitchers of light and trumpets. When Gideon blew the trumpet, the men in the companies broke the pitchers and blew the trumpets and the Midianites were in disarray and fled (Judges 7:6-22). The people shouted, "The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." By the way, the Lord does have a sword and bible scholars consider this to be kingly paraphernalia matching the sword of God's justice referenced during Samuel the Lamanite's speech to the Nephites. Samuel said, "Four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people (Helaman 13:5).

TRUMPETS OF THE WATCHMEN ON THE TOWER

Ezekiel was commanded to warn the Israelites as the Lord said, "Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people" (Ezekiel 33:2-3). Notice there was a sword in this reference also.

The sound of the trumpet, or shofar, became an announcement of victory or some other great event, and it also became a voice of warning.

MORONI'S TRUMPET

This year (2014) the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah will occur on September 25. In the year 1827, Rosh Hashanah occurred on September 22 (see www.hebcal.com). You may remember the significant event occurring on September 22, 1827. It was the day Joseph Smith received the golden plates containing the Book of Mormon record from the hands of Moroni (see Joseph Smith History 1:59). Joseph also received a warning that he must protect this sacred record. And today, you can see Moroni blowing his trumpet at the pinnacle of each temple, as he announces a new era at the head of a new dispensation, to prepare for the great Millennial feast of fat things spoken of by Isaiah (chapter 25). It will happen in the seventh seal, matching the Feast of Trumpets occurring in the seventh month.

And yes, there is a sword. In the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says:

"Wherefore the voice of the Lord (like a trumpet) is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear:

"Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh;

"And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth" (D&C 1:11-13).