The appointed time of trumpets is one of the simplest appointed times which shows us when new moon day is. In Leviticus 23:23-25 it says:

23 Then Yahuwah spoke to Moses, saying,

24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahuwah.’ ”

The main point

This study considers when the sign of the new moon is seen in relation to the appointed time of Trumpets.

The first visible crescent is the signal to sound the trumpet. Once the crescent is seen, the trumpet announces the new moon; the following daylight period is New Moon Day.

The distinction is between sounding the trumpet in response to the sighting and sounding it beforehand because we assume the new month has begun. The illustrations show why that assumption can lead to an announcement at the wrong time.

I am a very visual person. I like thinking about problems by seeing how it all goes together. A visual for me allows me to rule out the options very easily. I can quickly see what methods work and what methods do not.

How the illustration relates to the calendar

In the calendar understanding presented here, a month contains either 29 or 30 days. The first visible crescent is the sign used to identify the approaching New Moon Day. This study considers whether that sign identifies the day already passed or gives notice of the day ahead.

• The end-of-track sign represents the first visible crescent.
• The first kilometre represents New Moon Day.
• Flashing the headlights during the first kilometre represents observing New Moon Day during its proper daylight period.

The question is simple: can a sign reliably tell us when to act if it is not seen until after the event has already occurred?

Consider for a moment that you are driving along a track.

• The track has markings on it which you cannot see until you are right upon them.
• The track varies between 29 kilometres long and 30 kilometres long.
• You are told that you need to flash your headlights (blow the trumpet) during the 1st kilometer.
• You are told to flash your headlights throughout the first kilometre of the next lap. This represents observing New Moon Day.

The trumpet announces the new moon when the crescent is sighted. The following daylight period is New Moon Day. The road illustration examines whether the sign identifies that day in advance; flashing the headlights represents observing the day, rather than the moment of the trumpet announcement.

Now consider these two models:

Model 1: The sign is seen after the event

In this model, the person does not know whether the first kilometre has begun until they reach the sign (the new moon) at the end of the track (end of the day). This creates uncertainty: they may act too early, or fail to act at the correct time.

This model places the sign that we have reached the end of the track, after we have completed the distance required.  That is, we do not know we have started the first kilometer until we reach the end of it. This might sound logical, until we actually test it to see how it works.

Below, the person approaches the end of the 29th km. They may believe that this track only has 29km so they start to flash their lights as they believe they are in the 1st kilometre now. But as they round the curve they see the sign which says 30km. They have just flashed their headlights, but did not do it at the correct time.

In these illustrations, the STOP sign marks the end of the first kilometre. The STOP AHEAD sign provides advance warning. The action being tested is flashing the headlights during that kilometre.

Here is how this would play out:

This would become even worse when you consider what happens when we assume there are 30km on this track and arrive around the corner to discover that there is only 29km.

In the next example, the person believes that there are 30km on this track. So as they pass the 29th km, they do not yet start to flash their lights as this is to be done only during the first kilometer. However as the round the curb, the sign is seen which tells them they have just reached the 1km mark. The person has failed to flash their lights during the 1st kilometer.

This example follows the alternative interpretation being tested: the crescent is taken to identify the day that has just ended. It illustrates the difficulty of recognising an appointed day only after its daylight hours have passed.

Here is how this would play out:

In both of these examples, the sign is seen after the event. The event is the first kilometer and the sign is at the end of the event. Seeing a sign after an event, does not tell the person when the event is.

In the first example, the assumption was made that it was the 1st kilometer and the lights were flashed. It was discovered at the end of the trip that it was actually the 30th kilometer. They flashed their lights too early.

In the second example, the assumption was made that it was the 30th kilometre and the lights were not flashed. Instead, when they arrived at the end, they found that it was actually the 1st kilometer. They flashed their lights too late.

Model 2: The sign is seen before the event

Yahuwah tells us that He gives us the luminaries to be used for signs. Consider what a sign is. For a sign to provide advance notice, it must be recognised before the action is required. It is designed to warn.  Seeing a sign after an event, as we have just seen in Model 1, makes the purpose of the sign null and void. The sign only tells you that the event has already been.

In the following example, the sign is seen before the event. The sign is a warning that the 1st kilometer is approaching. At the 29th or at the 30th kilometer, a sign is seen right before the 1st kilometer, telling the driver to flash his lights.

Here is how this would play out:

Conclusion

The road illustration shows why the sign must be seen before the event it identifies. If the sign is only discovered after the event, it tells us too late to act during the period that has already passed.

Applied to the appointed time of Trumpets, the first visible crescent is seen on the final evening of the month. The trumpet is sounded at that sighting to announce the new moon. The following daylight period is observed as New Moon Day.

The sequence is therefore:

1. The first visible crescent is observed in the evening.
2. The trumpet is sounded at the sighting to announce the new moon.
3. The following daylight period is observed as New Moon Day.

This allows the appointed time to be observed with certainty, rather than being guessed before the sign has been seen.

Watch: the timing of Trumpets and the new moon

This video also points out from the word of God, that the it is blown the evening of seeing the sign and the day after known as the day of Trumpets!