Sunday Bulletin – 19 January 2025

Pastor Brian Chua | Jan 19, 2025

Beloved Saints of God,

The type of trumpet that was blown is the ram’s horn for which the Hebrew word is “shofar.” It was blown in remembrance of the ram that was sacrificed in place of Isaac: “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13NIV). We should be able to see the connection between the sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Jesus who will sound the “Great Shofar” at His Coming. Jewish tradition teaches that God blew one of the ram’s horns at Mount Sinai at Pentecost when He gave them the Torah (the Ten Commandments) and will blow the other ram’s horn for our redemption at the Coming of Christ.

God used trumpets (shofars) in the Bible as a means of communication with His covenant people. God could not speak directly to the people without terrifying them. So He spoke to them indirectly through the use of the shofars. To the Jews, the sound of the shofar represented both the voice of God and the might of God in warfare. One of the clearest demonstrations of the use of shofars in warfare was the battle of Jericho where the walls of Jericho fell, enabling the Jews to take the city (see Joshua 6:1-21).

In the Jewish tradition, the Feast of the Trumpets is a call to spiritual awakening, warfare and repentance. The sound of the shofar on New Year Day (Rosh Hashanah) serves as a warning to people to wake one out of their lethargy, to scrutinize their deeds and to improve their conduct. It also serves as a reminder that one day, the Kingdom of God – the Time of the Messiah – will be announced to the whole world (Revelation 11:15).

In the Book of Revelation, Apostle John likens the sound of the trumpet (shofar) to the voice of Jesus (Rev. 1:10): “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet (shofar)”. The shofar is so important that the Bible says that the Lord Himself will blow it when He comes to redeem His people (see Zech.9:9, 14). The sound of the shofar is a demonstration of God’s glory! Our Lord Jesus Christ is the trumpet (shofar) of God – the HORN OF OUR SALVATION, the GREAT WARRIOR – KING!!! Hallelujah!
Shalom in Jesus’ love,
Pastor Brian Chua