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The solemn encompassing of the walls of the city for the six days must have been a
severe test of the people's faith; and had they not had the crossing of the Jordan fresh in
their minds, their hearts might have failed them.
The sounding of the trumpets on the seventh day at the completion of the seventh time
of encircling the city by the seven priests is prophetic. The fulfillment of the type is
found in the Revelation:--
"In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the
mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets"
(Rev. 10: 7).
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdom of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He
shall reign for ever and ever . . . . . The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come . . . . .
there was seen in His temple the ark of His testimony" (Rev. 11: 15-19).
Another and important point is the special type of trumpet which the priests were
commanded to blow. The trumpets used here must not be confused with the
chatsotserah, the straight trumpets used of war:--
"Make thee two trumpets of silver . . . . . for the calling of the assembly . . . . . if ye go
to war in your land against the enemy . . . . ." (Num. 10: 1-9).
The trumpets used at the fall of Jericho are called trumpets of rams' horns, or better,
"trumpets of Jubilee". They were used for announcing the Jubilee, and it is the typical
fulfillment of Israel's Jubilee that is impressed upon us here at the fall of Jericho.
The word "Jubilee" is a translation of the Hebrew word Yobel. Its first occurrence is
in Exod. 19: 13, and the last in Josh. 6: 4-13. The remaining occurrences are all found
in Leviticus and Numbers, and are all translated "Jubilee".
"And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years;
and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be forty and nine years. Then shalt
thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month
. . . . . ye shall proclaim liberty . . . . . ye shall return every man unto his possession
. . . . ." (Lev. 25: 8-19).
The fall of Jericho at the end of the seventh day and at the sounding of the seven
trumpets, looks forward to the day when the seventy times seven years shall eventuate in
the overthrow of Babylon and Satanic opposition, and the final restoration of Israel to
their rightful place in the purpose of God (Dan. 9: 24-27). The sounding of the trumpet
on the tenth day of the seventh month is the "last trump" of Israel's typical year. "The last
trump" in I Cor. 15: 50-57, the "trump of God" and "voice of the Archangel" in
I Thess. 4: 16, and the sounding of the seventh angel in Rev. 10:, 11: all belong to the
same period, and fulfil the type of the Jubilee. Only those who endeavour to adjust
I Cor. 15: and I Thess. 4: to the hope of the Mystery will find any difficulty in
accepting this as truth.