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Last Trumpet |
Dear Brethren,
God's Feast of Trumpets pictures the time of a climactic world
war and the establishment of the Kingdom of God ruled by Jesus
Christ upon the earth. When He does intervene, God's faithful
saints will rejoice at His coming. They will have known and
been celebrating the Feast of Trumpets – the Holy Day in God's
Master Plan which pictures this very event.
The Feast of Trumpets is the next of God’s Holy Days to be
fulfilled in God's grand scheme of things. The previous Holy
Day to be fulfilled was Pentecost (Acts 2:1). Pentecost
corresponds to the period of the called-out Church brethren,
which began shortly after Christ’s resurrection and continues
until the last trumpet. “In a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1Corinthians 15:52)
The Feast of Trumpets pictures war – world war. We are living
in a fool’s paradise if we believe that awesome, terrifying war
is not on the horizon. Humanity at Jesus’ second coming will be
almost totally destroyed. Jesus Christ said that it will
be such an overwhelming war and cause such distress that there
would be no survivors – “no flesh saved alive” – unless
He personally intervened to cut short the hostilities. (Matthew 24:21-22)
Why is God’s wrath coming against the entire world? Trumpets
will be the time of God's wrath against rebellious mankind
(Revelation 6:17). The purpose of the Trumpet plagues is for
all sinful men to repent. Armies now possess nuclear devices
capable of setting the world ablaze. What events and
circumstances would bring about their use – resulting in such a
terrible conflagration? What has the entire population of the
earth done to provoke such a great rage from God? Jesus said
that it is the time of “Jacob’s trouble” a time like
nothing else the world has ever seen.
“The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children
of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the
month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of triumph, or
shouting for joy, with trumpets, an holy
convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall
offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” (Leviticus
23:23-25) It is from this ceremony that the Festival of
Trumpets draws its name. Jewish tradition preserves the record
that in addition to the silver trumpets, a ram’s horn or shofar
was blown on the first day of the seventh month.
The Feast of Trumpets represents the time when man’s rule on the
earth will give way to the rule of Jesus Christ over the Kingdom
of God. Years ago in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve decided
they did not need God’s guidance and protection. They decided
that they could “go it alone” without God’s help. The ultimate
result of that erroneous decision will become apparent to the
whole world during the Day of the Lord. Unless
we understand the significance of the Feast of Trumpets – and
are keeping it as a sign of our obedience – we will have no
protection from the horrible destruction just ahead!
We live in a world that is anti-God. This world hates
everything about God’s way, truth, law, peace, and happiness –
in short, this world hates God. The Feast of Trumpets pictures
Christ’s conquest over this world – and over all evil and
lawless men. It pictures the terrible time of total world war
just ahead, and the intervention of Christ to save the living
from total annihilation. Who will be counted worthy to escape
the coming total devastation? (Luke 21:36)
How will the last war begin? It can be one incident, or a
series of incidents that can plunge nations into all out
hostilities. Does God expect the world to receive an advance
warning of the coming Kingdom of God? “This gospel of the
Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto
all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew
24:14) God's true ministers are sounding a warning – reminding
people that before the coming of God's Kingdom, there must first
come wars and rumors of wars ending in the most horrifying world
war this world has ever experienced (Mark 13:7).
We are so privileged to be able to see how God is going to work
it all out. This world – that seems to be on top of everything
– is going to be brought down to nothing by Jesus Christ – that
is what The Feast of Trumpets pictures.
The world cannot see what we in God's Church see because they do
not believe God and they will not observe His Holy Days – which
would open up the meaning of the plan of God to them, if only
they were willing to observe the Feasts of the Lord. But now,
they are blind to the tremendous plan of God – it is hidden to
them.
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Sermon: |
"Last Trumpet"
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