Matthew 24:30-31 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (NIV).
The disciples of Jesus asked two questions, as recorded in Matthew 24:3. Now we are reaching the fullness of Christ’s response to the second question! The question was: What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?
The bottom line: What is now termed “The Second Coming of Christ” will take place in two stages, and Jesus has begun revealing the commencement of it all.
Decades before Paul wrote his first epistle to the Thessalonians, Jesus revealed what is now commonly termed the “rapture.”
Quite the opposite of an invisible and silent rapture, the “rapture” will involve “a loud trumpet call.”
Decades later, Paul would give a detail which connected the revelation by Jesus recorded here in Matthew 24 with his own teaching about that event. Paul told there will be “the trumpet call of God,” recorded in I Thessalonians 4:16.
The word trumpet is found frequently in Scripture, and trumpet calls had a number of purposes. I mention several here.
First of all, as the LORD was descending upon Mount Sinai, a trumpet sound was involved: “…there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast…” (Exodus 19:16). The author of Hebrews even addressed this event as recorded in Hebrews 12:18-20.
If you keep reading that Exodus passage through to Exodus 19:23, holiness is signaled. The loud trumpet blast likely indicated the holiness of God.
Trumpets were to be used in a feast which preceded the “Day of Atonement.” “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts’’” (Leviticus 23:23-24).
Nine days later, the “Day of Atonement” would take place.
Trumpets here signified a sacred occasion and coming atonement.
Plus in the year of jubilee: “Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land” (Leviticus 25:9).
Trumpets here were a sound of celebration!
Trumpets were used for the anointing of a king as recorded in II Kings 9:13 and I Kings 1:39.
Regarding Solomon being anointed as king: “Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, ‘Long live King Solomon!’” (I Kings 1:39).
Trumpets here signified a celebration of royalty and rule.
When the temple was dedicated: “… the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing” (2 Chronicles 7:6).
Such an occasion involved a sacred dedication.
When the prophet Isaiah spoke of bringing back Israelites to their homeland, he stated: “And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 27:13).
The trumpet here was a call to worship.
The prophet Jeremiah asked: “How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?” (Jeremiah 4:21).
Trumpets were often used as a call to battle.
During my intense Lenten study of Joel, a trumpet call was invoked: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly” (Joel 2:15).
Trumpets were used to call a sacred assembly.
Progressing into the New Testament, Paul stated “the trumpet will sound” in I Corinthians 15:52.
Resurrection is spoken of in this passage!
Starting in Revelation 8:6, each angel sounds a trumpet!
Trumpets indicate judgment in this context.
And I must quote Revelation 11:15. “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.’”
Absolutely incredible that each of these specific purposes of a trumpet call will be signified in the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus is God the Son, thus His very nature is holy and sacred. Jesus made atonement for anyone on the cross, and all believers will be brought into His presence in full at this first stage of the Second Coming in a sacred assembly unlike any in history. Indeed believers will share in the resurrection of Christ. And in the wake of the “rapture,” Jesus will descend to the Mount of Olives. The last battle call will be carried out, and Jesus will be victorious. Final judgment will be carried out by Jesus as He judges the living and the dead, and His righteousness will be carried out. Then Jesus will reign forever as the King of kings.
And along with all the meaning of this epic trumpet call from God, the sound will blare out a call to celebration to every believer of Jesus. People who follow Jesus will be united in full with their Savior and Lord on that glorious day! Celebration will be the result.
Billions of human beings will celebrate eternal life, a grand blessing beyond any description I can offer.
In this day and age of rock music, it seems a bit old fashioned to imagine a loud trumpet call blaring from heaven. Yet though there is much symbolism behind the trumpet call, it will be a literal calling of victory and celebration.
And you can celebrate eternal life even today. What you need to do is believe in Jesus.
Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for the consequence of sins, which is spiritual death. Then Jesus was resurrected. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will be forgiven of your sins, and you will have eternal life! And you will be able to celebrate in your heart the goodness of God, even today.
Hunter Irvine
