Second Coming

Feast of Trumpets

(Sermon Notes) By Warren Zehrung 9/19/2020

OffertoryNear unto Heaven

Today is the Feast of Trumpets, and we begin with the Offertory Message – titled, Near unto Heaven.

Genesis 2:4  These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

God’s Plan originated in heaven. Absolutely everything we see on earth existed in God’s mind – in heaven – before it was created on earth. 

Genesis 2:5  And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 

Jesus is now set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 

Hebrews 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true [heavenly] tabernacle, which the Lord pitched,

Hebrews 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. (Exodus 25:40)

The Garden of Eden existed in heaven before it ever existed on earth. (Ezekiel 28:13)  [Eden the garden of God;]

Brethren, in my lifetime I have had the blessed opportunity to actually view so much of God’s Plan and creation. I want to share a very few of those beautiful moments where I was, so thankfully, allowed by God to view up-close, those heavenly creations. God’s beauty on earth is a glimpse into His heaven.

I have visited the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History where I saw the best examples of God’s elements and minerals on earth! I have seen every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx [and the Opal], and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, [Ruby] and the carbuncle, and gold: Amethyst, Turquoise, Pearl [every element, every crystal, the very best examples on earth]

Yes, I have been near unto heaven. It is so great to see God’s creation firsthand like that. I am so thankful.

I have been in deep in salt mines with crystals as large as homes. I have been above 40,000’ – above the highest mountains on earth and above most of the atmosphere on earth. Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

I have walked the sea bed with their exquisite life forms with every unimaginable color of Iridescence and Pearlescent colors, shapes and life forms. Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

I have been to the Bass Pro shops, with an example of the most perfect form of wildlife: Fowl: of every kind. Wildlife: Varied enough to fill every imagination. And Fish: Too numerable to begin to mention. There, I saw perfect replicas of every record breaking fish species imaginable: Trout, Bass, Bream, Perch, and Salmon – all in their mature size, color and form! Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

I’ve heard Music performed in European stone cathedrals by world class choirs – not to mention the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or the Young Ambassador Chorale and Band performing in the splendid Ambassador Hall. Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

We have been to Butterfly farms: with every variety of opalescent colorful wings. The larva spends its time eating and growing, not knowing that it will emerge from the silk cocoon to become the most glorious of insects – adorned with exquisite wings and able to span oceans and continents. An apt picture of our resurrection. Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

I’ve been inside of Aviaries – with thousands of bird species – with every beautiful bird in God’s creation, Parrots, Owls, Hawks, Eagles, Humming Birds, Doves and Pigeons, Finches and Sparrows, Snipe and Nighthawks, Heron, Ibis, Swallows and Woodpeckers, Storks and Kingfishers. Not to mention Turkeys, Chickens, Ducks and Geese… Larks and Flamingos – the list is endless… An incredible variety in every species. Why has God created so many, and why has He shown them to us? Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

We entered the Festival of Sukkoth in Jerusalem with a world-class display of every kind of exquisite food, plant, bread, fish, meat and poultry. Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

Sharon and I have been to National Livestock shows – with the best examples of livestock anywhere. I have been to the state fair with the very best examples of Livestock, Sheep and poultry. Cattle: Hereford, Angus, Charolais, Holstein, Jersey, Texas Long-Horn. Horses: Arabian, the huge Scottish Clydesdale, the splendid Tennessee walker, Quarter horse and Thoroughbred, Sharon used to prepare the ribbons and rewards for best of the show, the Habsburg monarchy’s Royal Lipizzan, the American Paint and Appaloosa and the wild Mustang. Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

Even in December – every fruit and vegetable known to man is easily available: Apples, Pears, Bananas, Oranges, Cilantro, Celery, Onions –

Numbers 11:5  We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:

And that is just in the vegetable section at Kroger’s Super Market!!! Yes, I have been near unto heaven. I have witnessed so much of God’s creation so that I might share it with my children and grandchildren…

I walked the award winning Ambassador College Campus grounds with its Eden-like beauty and witnessed the Godly and wholesome young student body with its Millennial quality, that I fully believed would be embraced by many and be replicated and built upon all around the earth. Yes, I have been near unto heaven.

I have been privileged to witness so much of God’s incredible creation firsthand, and now it is available to everyone by way of Google Images.

I have witnessed the greatest miracle of all – when a new born babe comes into the world – leaving the warmth and safety of its mother’s womb – and draws its first breath – and begins to cry out in the hope and expectation of all of God’s magnificent creation, OR crying out in fear of the unknown

After traveling to all these places and seeing the marvels of God’s magnificent creation – And Yes, having been near unto heaven – I came back home to the present reality…

And I must Sound the Shofar – a warning to the nations. At the Feast of Tabernacles in 1983, I bought my shofar in the northeastern sector of the ancient walled Old City of Jerusalem known then as the Arab Quarter. Today it is known as the Muslim Quarter and sometimes the Moslem Quarter.

Sound the Shofar Warning

I came back down to earth to the present reality… The eradication of God in so much of our society. A man-made fabricated and formulated COVID-19 pandemic, and civil disorder and lawlessness, insane riots of murder, destruction, and streets on fire, moral decay, rampant drug abuse, the Black Lives Matter Organization whose primary purpose and ambition is the destruction of America, and the destruction of the nuclear family – the breakup of the family – a mom, dad and their kids.

A Supreme court that is pro-tax funded abortion, Anti-establishment lawlessness, chaos.

Antifa, whose purpose and ambition is the destruction of all history, law and order like the tyrants of old who burned the museums and libraries. Division of our peoples. Rampant Lying in Congress and in the News. Weather extremes of Tornadoes, Hurricanes and Wildfires. Our schools, colleges, culture and society are rapidly falling away from the knowledge of the true God.

And, So, as the True People of God, we bring our offering to Him – begging His mercy on His people everywhere.

Today’s Sermon is titled:

Second Coming

When we think about the Feast of Trumpets, we should think about the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the Day of the Lord.

We think about how, in the Tribulation before Christ returns, the whole earth is going to experience the worst trouble from wars and pandemics we can imagine. It will be the time of the most inconceivable fear, horror, and dread. 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)

Alas! for that day is so great that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7).

John the Baptist knew all of the Old Testament Scriptures that point clearly to the Day of the Lord’s wrath:

Isaiah 66:15 Behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.

Isaiah 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.

John the Baptist knew from the Scriptures how the Messiah would come with vengeance against wicked and scornful oppression and tyranny (Isaiah 29:20). John the Baptist did not see that taking place in Christ’s ministry, and he was disturbed.

Leviticus 23:23-25 The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, [That is today] you shall have a [High] Sabbath, a memorial of triumph, or shouting for joy, with trumpets, an holy convocation…”

Just before the Feast of Trumpets early in the ministry of Jesus Christ, the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming began to weigh heavily on John the Baptist’s mind because they were not happening as he fully expected them to transpire.

John the Baptist had a momentous commission from God to fulfill, and he began to have serious concerns as to whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. The prophecies were not unfolding as John the Baptist fully expected them to occur. John the Baptist sought reassurance from Jesus because his ministry had been commissioned by Gabriel, an angel of the Lord, who told Zachariah that he, John the Baptist, would be great in the sight of the Lord, and …be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 

He shall turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:5-25).

Isaiah 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach the Gospel unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 

Isaiah 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn. 

Brethren, we are examining the meaning of Feast of Trumpets – the second coming of Jesus Christ – and the Day of the Lord’s wrath (Zephaniah 1:14-17).

Zephaniah 1:14  The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 

Zephaniah 1:15  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 

Zephaniah 1:16  A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 

Zephaniah 1:17  And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 

John the Baptist was relying on prophecies like:

Isaiah 35:4  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. 

Isaiah 35:5  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 

Jesus is going to quote these miracles to John the Baptist:

Isaiah 35:6  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 

All the prophecies about the Messiah and the Day of the Lord were not being fulfilled at that time – and, John the Baptist – knowing that his days were numbered – began to have doubts about Jesus being the end-time Messiah

John the Baptist Exalts the Messiah

John 3:22  After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 

John 3:23  And John the Baptist also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 

John 3:24  For John was not yet cast into prison. 

John 3:25  Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. 

John 3:26  And they came unto John the Baptist, and said unto him, Rabbi, he [Jesus] that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizes, and all men come to him. 

John 3:27  John the Baptist answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 

Jesus is fully authorized to baptize.

John 3:28  Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Messiah, but that I am sent before him. 

John the Baptist was six months older than Jesus – and began his ~ one and a half ministry before Jesus began His Public Ministry.

John 3:29  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the Best Man [John the Baptist] of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 

John 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease

Joh 3:31  He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. 

John 3:32  And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifies; and no man receives his testimony. 

John 3:33  He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. 

Set to his seal …Confirmed the truth that God is true; as a testator sets his seal to an instrument in order to confirm it in drawing up a last will and testament,

John 3:34  For he whom God hath sent speaks the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. 

John 3:35  The Father loves the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him. 

The coming wrath of God was very much on John the Baptist’s mind. John the Baptist sent word by way of his disciples to Jesus:

Luke 7:18  And the disciples of John shewed him of all these [Miracles of Jesus] things. 

Luke 7:19  John [the Baptist] calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou He that should come? Or should we look for another? 

Luke 7:20  When the men were come unto [Jesus], they said, John the Baptist has sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? Or should we look for another?

Luke 7:21  And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight

Most people in that day expected a Messiah who would expel the Gentile oppressors from the land and establish a Kingdom of Righteousness and Peace. In spite of Isaiah’s prophecies of a suffering Messiah, Pierced for Our Transgressions, smitten of God, and afflicted, they did not expect things to turn out as they did (Isaiah 52, 53). They did not fully realize that Jesus would die at their hands without having poured out His vengeance upon this un-godly world.

It actually took the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost before the disciples were able to understand and put together the two-fold nature of Jesus Christ’s ministry. Jesus sent this answer back to John the Baptist in prison:

Jesus sends back a list of His miracles – the very things the Messiah would be doing as proof that He is actually the Messiah – as we saw in Isaiah 35 a moment ago: What Jesus listed was a number of miracles that the prophet Isaiah had said would be done by Messiah. Those are the things that only the Messiah could perform.

Matthew 11:5  The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. 

Luke 7:22  Then, Jesus answering said unto [John the Baptist’s disciples], Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the Gospel is preached.

Luke 7:23  And blessed is he [namely, John the Baptist], who shall not be offended in me. 

John the Baptist did not understand that Jesus coming as Messiah would be in two phases – His public ministry – and then, as King of Kings at His second coming in the Day of the Lord, to establish the Kingdom of God over all the earth. Of course we understand the two-phase coming of Jesus today – we are between His 1st and 2nd coming!

That is why Jesus said to John the Baptists’ disciples, “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” In other words, do not doubt, because there will be a second coming of Jesus. John the Baptist was expecting the Day of the Lord’s wrath to precede His coming – or at least be a part of His coming. It did not happen that way. Notice what John the Baptist had preached:

Matthew 3:7 When [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to His baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

John the Baptist did not comprehend that the Day of the Lord’s wrath would not fully come until the second coming of Jesus. That is why John wondered whether or not Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah. Today, we are able to understand much better! We have Jesus own explanations in Matthew 24. We have the Book of Revelation – which also goes a long way to explain the prophecies of Daniel.

We find that the Tribulation precedes the return of Jesus Christ pictured by the Feast of Trumpets. There is coming a final vengeance when the glory of the Lord will be seen and felt by those who hate God.

Let’s look at this concept of Jesus’ two-fold coming that John the Baptist did not know or understand. Jesus certainly understood what His role was at His first coming: As we come to Luke 4, Jesus is beginning His Public Ministry – having just overcome Satan:

Luke 4:14  And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 

Luke 4:15  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 

Luke 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 

Luke 4:17 And there was delivered unto [Jesus] the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

Brethren, something is happening here that is easy to miss. Jesus is not simply reading a few Scriptures like a sermonette man would do. It is clear to all present that Jesus is emphatically applying these words directly to Himself.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed [ordained, appointed] me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Luke 4:19 + (Isaiah 61:1-2) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. [Jesus Stopped at this point]

Luke 4:20 And [Jesus] closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

I guess so! Jesus had just declared Himself to be the Messiah – certainly all eyes were fastened on him.

Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day this [part of the] scripture is fulfilled in your ears.

Brethren, did you notice where Jesus stopped mid verse? He did not read, “and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.” He deliberately left that part out! Jesus stopped mid-sentence and short of the verse that referrers to His second coming and the Day of the Lord and the millennial period. (Isaiah 61:2)

Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. [period! Jesus stopped right there], and the day of vengeance of our God;

Jesus stopped short of completing the verse. Jesus left out the part of the Day of the Lord’s vengeance – because that is reserved for Christ’s second coming. John the Baptist did not know that the Day of the Lord’s wrath would not fully come until the second coming of Jesus. John had been teaching about the wrath to come:

Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore, every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, OR, with fire:

John the Baptist understood correctly that the wrath of God would come with the rule of the Messiah – but he inaccurately anticipated it with Jesus’ first coming.

John the Baptist was relying on Old Testament scripture like:

Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

John the Baptist was thinking that all these things would occur with the coming of the Messiah – and He was not seeing those things happen. John the Baptist knew that in the time order of things he, himself, would precede the Messiah because of Malachi 4:5. Again:

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

The verse does not say immediately before – or just before – like so many make the mistake of assuming even today. And so, Jesus sent word back to John of evidence that He was indeed the Messiah to come. Then Jesus begins to speak about John the Baptist:

Luke 7:24  And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 

Luke 7:25  But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.

Luke 7:26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

Luke 7:27  This is he [John the Baptist], of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 

Luke 7:28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Brethren, be very careful when using Google – they have really gone off track big time!:

It is generally regarded… that Muhammad is the last of the prophets sent by God.”

It should be becoming clear that the Messiah has a two-fold coming. The end-time Church of God is able to recognize that God’s Plan is right on schedule – even as we speak.

The Feasts of Trumpets, embracing the second coming of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the Saints is about to be fulfilled – immediately after the Tribulation of Satan’s wrath, and the Day of the Lord.

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.

Joel 2:1  Blow ye the trumpet in Zion [Church, Israel], and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD [Feast of Trumpets] comes, for it is nigh at hand; 

We are beginning to hear a great deal about Peace in the Middle East! Will that soon become “Peace and Safety?”

1Thessalonians 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Brethren, how many times have you heard it said about the USA – It is the greatest and strongest nation that there has ever been? We have everything – like in the veritable garden of Eden!

Joel 2:2  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not ever been the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 

The earth will be purged of all evil works as Jesus destroys the works of the devil. The glory of America will be turned to dust and ash.

Joel 2:3  A fire devours before them; and behind them a flame burns: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 

That sounds like the desert wastelands of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and parts of Texas. This sounds like an enemy invasion of our country…

Joel 2:4  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.  [Possibly drones]

Joel 2:5  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 

Joel 2:6  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 

Joel 2:7  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 

Joel 2:8  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 

Joel 2:9  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 

Sounds like the sixth seal – heavenly signs:

Joel 2:10  The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 

Joel 2:11  And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executes his word: for the day of the LORD [Trumpets] is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?  

This time, Jesus will come in great power – not like His first coming.

Matthew 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 

Matthew 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 

Matthew 24:31  And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Mark 13:24-27, 1Thessalonians 4:16, 1Corinthians 15:52).

The Feast of Trumpets pictures the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord will arrive in conjunction with the Second Coming of Christ. Notice how God declares that dealing with Satan is an integral part of His Plan:

1John 3:8  He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 

Jesus Christ will overcome all evil kings and rulers of this world. He will conquer the Beast and the False Prophet with divine wrath (Revelation 17:13-14; 19:20). He will bind Satan. He will establish the Kingdom of God over all the earth (Revelation 19:14-16). Jesus will unleash His indignation against all wickedness on the earth described as the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

The seven trumpets signal the day of God’s wrath, the Day of the Lord. The feast of Trumpets is God’s fourth phase in His Plan!

The Feast of Trumpets pictures the soon coming return of Jesus Christ in great power to replace the kingdoms of this present world (Revelation 19:15).

Let’s close with the Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

We pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” The Feast of Trumpets pictures God’s divine judgment on a sinful world while He shows mercy to His repentant saints. We are so privileged to be able to see how God is going to work it all out.

We have come to the point where John the Baptist was – so many years ago. Our nation is not repenting. Therefore, we are looking for God’s wrath and vengeance on a world of rebellious mankind that has rejected Him. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the time when Jesus Christ will return to the earth in great power.

Isaiah 66:15  For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire

Isaiah 66:16  For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.  

Trumpets shows that Christ is going to return and intervene in world affairs. The Holy Days show us that God’s Plan is sure and it is on track. 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 of, 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.

Brethren, these are momentous days, and time is short.

End: Second Coming