Feast of Trumpets 2017

Feast of Trumpets 2017                             September 21, 2017 

A Day of blowing of trumpets – play the sound 

Israel’s festival cycle runs with the agricultural year in the land and as we approach the end of the season, along with the harvest, of course, grow the tares, which are weeds that look like wheat, but have no fruit.  The end of the season will happen with the sounding of the shofar (trumpet) blast on Rosh HaShana (the civil New Year) or Yom Terurah (Feast of Trumpets) which occurs on the same day. 

On this day the high priest was to blow a trumpet. Not just an ordinary trumpet, but a special one made out of a large ram's horn. It was called a shofar. You could not play a tune on it; all it could do was giving out one piercing blast. 

Shofar: hollowed-out curved ram’s horn trumpet, signified a warning, an alarm of war   

Spiritually, as we wait, the harvest continues to mature and made up of wheat and the tares.   

Matthew 13:29-30 But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." 

As we mature, we will know the difference when the final harvest comes. 

Malachi 3:18 Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him. 

The wheat heads will be heavy and bowed low with their goodness and blessing; the empty heads of the tares will be lifted high.

Today evil people are becoming more and more evil while the Saints grow in grace and knowledge and bow before our Creator God. 

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: (2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 

Do we realize that when the trumpet sounds it will be too late for change.  The last trumpet will bring an end to this creation or age and warfare will come.  The Lord Jesus will receive His crown when the Seventh Trumpet sounds and with it, all the authority in the universe.   

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" 

Jesus return will not be welcomed by the armies and the leaders of this world. In fact, the coming of Christ is accompanied by a time of war. The  "kingdom of the world" will not willingly yield to nor submit to Jesus Christ and Jesus will have to make war. 

Revelation 11:18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." 

The Feast of Trumpets foreshadowed certain aspects of the ministry of Jesus Christ, one aspect is the blowing of trumpets to the future Day of Judgment.  

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: 

Joel goes on to describe the firestorms of nuclear war (verses 2-10) erupting on the earth, like we mention last time. 

Jesus our Lord will return to the earth,  

1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. 

Jesus literally touching down on the Mount of Olives across from the Temple Mound in Jerusalem. He will instantly destroy all the armies gathered to fight at the Jezreel Valley in what is referred to as the “Battle of Armageddon.” 

Zechariah 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 

All will bend a knee to Jesus, our Messiah 

Romans 14:11 For it is written: "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS TO GOD." 

The last trumpet have not sounded yet, so we are blessed with a time of growing and maturing and still able to repent and ask for forgiveness, still bear fruit.  Once the trumpet sounds, we will be changed to Spirit. 

Before we go any further, we observe the Feast of Trumpets because God clearly commands us to: 

Leviticus 23:23-24 Then the LORD 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. 

Convocation just means a "meeting" or "assembly." 

Numbers 29:1 'And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. 

The Feast of Trumpets pictures the time when Jesus Christ steps into our world and imposes His Kingdom in place of every human government and Jesus return will not be welcomed by the armies and the leaders of this world.  The Day of the Lord. 

Zephaniah 1:14-18 The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. (15) That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, (16) A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.  

(17) "I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse." (18) Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land. 

Joel 2:30-31 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.   (here is the Blood Moon) 

The Blowing of Seven "Trumpets" A Day of Blowing of Trumpets 

According to the book of Revelation, the soon-coming "Day of the LORD" will be divided up into "seven trumpets" -- seven angels will blow seven trumpet blasts, and these will introduce seven plagues that God will send on the earth.  The apostle John writes: 

Revelation 8:6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.   (Warnings from God to repent) 

The Seventh Trumpet – Major war  

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"  (Jesus returns in power) 

Revelation 11:18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." 

The Father will send His Son, Jesus the Messiah, to the earth to save mankind from nuclear mass destruction, to end human misery and suffering, to usher in peace, happiness and joy for all mankind. 

Revelation 19:13-16  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  (we will be on white horses) 

(15) Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (16) And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

This explains why Jesus robe is dipped in blood and wielding a sword that will  "strike the nations.  (before His feet is on Mount of Olives) 

Isaiah 63:1-4  Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?— "I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."  (2)  Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?   

(3)  "I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes.  (4)  For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.  (Petra) 

It also pictures the resurrection of what is called in the Bible the "dead in Christ"   (when Jesus returns in Power and what He does) 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.    (those who have died in the faith) 

(15) For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 

(17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (18) Therefore comfort one another with these words.  (what a miracle, these are comfort and encouraging words)

We are changed to a glorified spirit life—becoming spirit beings in the family of God.   Members of God's Church, body who are still living and died when Christ returns will be changed on that day. (will be a great cheer from us) 

1 Corinthians 15:50-58  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. (51) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  (we all like a good mystery) 

(52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY."   (Hosea 13:14) 

(55) "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?" (56) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 

Jesus  stated that He Himself would raise and gather His followers or Saints at this future time  

John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Matthew 24:30-31 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

A memorial of blowing of trumpets is the sign of the return of Jesus. 

Jesus will fulfill the fall holy days by coming on the Feast of Trumpets to catch away His Bride to celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Heaven.  

John 14:2-4 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (4) And where I go you know, and the way you know." 

We know the real power on the earth is Satan the Devil and he will be replaced when Jesus returns to the earth.  This will be covered by the Day of Atonement. 

Interesting side However, unlike the Feast of Tabernacles, there is no command that the Feast of Trumpets must be kept in a specific location—what we call a "Feast site." We are free to keep the Feast of Trumpets in our home church locations.  

This feast symbolizes a vast turning point in world history. It pictures the  changeover between the age of man, of darkness, and of Satan to the age of God, the World Tomorrow, the Millennium, and the Kingdom of God. 

This is why we are here to celebrate this day, the Feast of Trumpets.