First Trumpet Blows

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Jesus / Yahshua said He would come back at the “last trump.”    When do the trumpets actually begin?

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Most people are interested in which trumpet is the last one, but we will not get a clue until they begin, officially.

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The Christian focus is typically on Rosh Hashanna, the feast of Trumpets, as the start time.

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But actually, the trumpets start blowing before that, in Elul.

It is a time to return to our Beloved YHVH:

http://www.jewfaq.org/elul.htm

The shofar is first sounded on the 2nd day of Elul, during morning services, and goes until the 28th day.

This is a time of repentance, in preparation for the High Holy days.

Tradition teaches that the month of Elul is a particularly propitious time for repentance.

This mood of repentance builds through the month of Elul to the period of Selichot, to Rosh Hashanah, and finally to Yom Kippur.

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Customs of Elul

During the month of Elul, from the second day of Elul to the 28th day, the shofar (a hollowed out ram’s horn) is blown after morning services every weekday. See Rosh Hashanah for more information about the shofar and its characteristic blasts.

The shofar is not blown on Shabbat.

It is also not blown on the day before Rosh Hashanah to make a clear distinction between the rabbinical rule of blowing the shofar in Elul and the biblical mitzvah to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

Four blasts are blown: tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah. The MIDI file on theRosh Hashanah page emulates this combination of blasts.

Rambam explained the custom of blowing shofar as a wake-up call to sleepers, designed to rouse us from our complacency.

It is a call to repentance. The blast of the shofar is a very piercing sound when done properly.

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Elul is also a time to begin the process of asking forgiveness for wrongs done to other people.

According to Jewish tradition, G-d cannot forgive us for sins committed against another person until we have first obtained forgiveness from the person we have wronged. This is not as easy a task as you might think, if you have never done it.

This process of seeking forgiveness continues through the Days of Awe.

Many people visit cemeteries at this time, because the awe-inspiring nature of this time makes us think about life and death and our own mortality.

In addition, many people use this time to check their mezuzot and tefillin for defects that might render them invalid.

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Selichot

As the month of Elul draws to a close, the mood of repentance becomes more urgent.

Prayers for forgiveness called selichot (properly pronounced "s’lee-KHOHT," but often pronounced "SLI-khus") are added to the daily cycle of religious services.

Selichot are recited in the early morning, before normal daily shacharit service. They add about 45 minutes to the regular daily service.

Selichot are recited from the Sunday before Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur.

If Rosh Hashanah begins on a Monday or Tuesday, selichot begins on the Sunday of the week before Rosh Hashanah, to make sure that there are at least 3 days of Selichot.

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List of Dates (Remember YHVH uses a Hebrew calendar, not a secular one)

The month of Elul will begin on the following days of the secular calendar:

Jewish Year 5773: sunset August 6, 2013 – nightfall August 7, 2013

Jewish Year 5774: sunset August 26, 2014 – nightfall August 27, 2014

Jewish Year 5775: sunset August 15, 2015 – nightfall August 16, 2015

Jewish Year 5776: sunset September 3, 2016 – nightfall September 4, 2016

Jewish Year 5777: sunset August 22, 2017 – nightfall August 23, 2017

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The first Selichot service will be held around midnight on the following days of the secular calendar:

Jewish Year 5773: midnight August 31/1, 2013

Jewish Year 5774: midnight September 20/21, 2014

Jewish Year 5775: midnight September 5/6, 2015

Jewish Year 5776: midnight September 24/25, 2016

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Finally, Rosh Hashanna arrives, and the shofar is sounded again, for the Ten Days of Awe, concluding on Yom Kippur.

So the “last trumpet” (shofar blast) would be in the evening time after the last Yom Kippur service.

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Conclusion

For those that are expecting things to start in the late fall, they might want to consider late summer instead.

When YHVH sounds the time to repent, He will start in Elul, and the sounding will increase and become more urgent as Tishrei begins.

But, as our wisdom would teach us, we should not wait until Elul to repent if we need to do this.

The 7 trumpets of Revelation may also fit into this time frame.

I believe YHVH will start giving warnings on the earth in Elul to coincide with the trumpets in Elul.

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See also:

First Trump

Scott’s Vision on June 10, 2013