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.

***

Sermon:  "Last Trumpet"

image
image