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The Feast of
Trumpets
(Yom Teruah or
Day of Acclamation)
Today is the Feast of Trumpets. It is commanded by Lev
23:23-25. Let= s read it:
(Lev 23:23-25 NASB) Again the LORD spoke to Moses,
saying, {24} "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month
on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing
of trumpets, a holy convocation. {25} 'You shall not do any
laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'"
So, let= s
discuss this yearly high-day - this day of joyful acclamation.
The seventh biblical month is commonly called by its
Babylonian name, Tishri. The Hebrew name for the seventh month is Ethanim.
Being the first day of the month, it is also a new moon
day. In fact, it is the only yearly High Day to fall on the first day of
the biblical month.
In some translations the words
A of trumpets@
in verse 24 are in italics. That is because these words are not in the
original text. They have been provided by the translators. So, verse 24
should read A Speak to the sons
of Israel, saying, > In the
seventh month on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder
by blowing, a holy convocation.=
A By blowing.@
What does that mean? Let= s look
at the word. The Hebrew word for A
blowing@ is
A teru=
ah,@ Strongs=
number 8643, which means A a
shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy.@
The root of teruah is rua, Strongs=
number 7321, which means A to
raise a shout or give a blast.@
The Tanakh says the following for verse 24:
A Speak to the Israelite people
thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall
observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts.@
What are A loud
blasts?@ Let=
s look at some scriptural examples.
Numbers 10:10 tells us to blow trumpets on the first day
of each month.
(Num 10:10 NKJV) "Also in the day of your gladness, in
your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall
blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of
your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your
God: I am the LORD your God."
But, the word A
trumpets@ in this verse is a
translation of the Hebrew word Achatsotsrah,@
Strongs= number 2689, which is
described as a long metal tube with a flared end. Jewish tradition tells
us that the shofar or ram=
s horn, #7782, was blown on the Feast of Trumpets but Numbers 10:2,10
tells us that silver trumpets were blown, not ram=
s horns.
Let= s look at
another scripture which describes the use of the shofar or ram=
s horn.
(Josh 6:1-5 NKJV) Now Jericho was securely shut up
because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. {2}
And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand,
its king, and the mighty men of valor. {3} "You shall march around the
city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This
you shall do six days. {4} "And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets
of rams' horns [shofar] before the ark. But the seventh day you
shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the
trumpets. {5} "It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with
the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet [shofar],
that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the
city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight
before him."
In verse 4, the we are told that the priests shall blow
what is translated as A trumpets@
of rams= horns from the Hebrew
word A shofar,@
Strongs= number 7782. The same
is true for verse 5, but in verse 5 we are told that the people should
also shout with a great shout.
In Numbers 10 we see that the priests were commanded to
make a loud noise with silver trumpets on God=
s holy Feast days and on the New Moon days. In Leviticus 23:24 we see that
the people were to make a loud noise by blowing (teruah or shouting); and
in Joshua 6:4 and 5 that the priests were to make a loud noise by the
blowing of rams= horns while the
people shouted.
Let= s look at
another event about the people making a great shout.
(1 Sam 4:3-6 NKJV) And when the people had come into the
camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today
before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD
from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the
hand of our enemies." {4} So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might
bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who
dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and
Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. {5} And when
the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel
shouted [ruwa, 7321, a joyful shout] so loudly that the earth shook. {6}
Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What
does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?"
Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.
The same type of joyful shouting occurred involving
King David.
(2 Sam 6:12-15 NKJV) Now it was told King David, saying,
"The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to
him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of
God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. {13}
And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six
paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. {14} Then David danced
before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
{15} So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD
with shouting [teruah, 8643] and with the sound of the trumpet [shofar].
Later, the ark was again welcomed and celebrated with
shouting and musical instruments.
(1 Chr 15:24-28 NKJV) Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel,
Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the
trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah, doorkeepers
for the ark. {25} So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over
thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the
house of Obed-Edom with joy. {26} And so it was, when God helped the
Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered
seven bulls and seven rams. {27} David was clothed with a robe of fine
linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and
Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen
ephod. {28} Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the
LORD with shouting [teruah, 8643] and with the sound of the horn [shofar],
with trumpets [chats-o-tser-ah=
] and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.
In Psalms, David spoke of rejoicing before God with shouts
of joy..
(Psa 33:3 NKJV) Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully
with a shout of joy [teruah].
(Psa 150:3 NKJV) Praise Him with the sound of the
trumpet [shofar]; Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Teruah also applies to the alarm of war. In
Jeremiah 4, the prophet speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem and here
the alarm of war is again connected with the shofar.
(Jer 4:15-19 NKJV) For a voice declares from Dan And
proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim: {16} "Make mention to the
nations, Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, That watchers come from a far
country And raise their voice against the cities of Judah. {17} Like
keepers of a field they are against her all around, Because she has been
rebellious against Me," says the LORD. {18} "Your ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you. This is your wickedness, Because it
is bitter, Because it reaches to your heart." {19} O my soul, my soul! I
am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold
my peace, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet [shofar],
The alarm [teruah] of war.
In Jeremiah 49:2, the prophet again speaks of the alarm of
war but this time he speaks of the future.
(Jer 49:2 NKJV) Therefore behold, the days are coming,"
says the LORD, "That I will cause to be heard an alarm [teruah] of war
In Rabbah [the capitol of modern-day Jordan] of the Ammonites; It shall
be a desolate mound, And her villages shall be burned with fire. Then
Israel shall take possession of his inheritance," says the LORD
In 1 Chron 13:8, we find the same word, chatsotserah, (khats-o-tser-aw=
) was used for the silver trumpets, as was used to describe David=
s and the people= s celebration
at the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem.
(1 Chr 13:8 NKJV) Then David and all Israel played music
before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed
instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with [silver] trumpets.
Concerning the later history of the Feast of Trumpets, the
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states "The instrument to be
used in the trumpeting is not specified in the Bible, but Jewish tradition
decided in favor of the shofar and not the silver trumpetY
"
In fact, we see by the time of David that Israel was
already celebrating with both horns [shofars] and trumpets [chatsotsrah]
together. We saw this displayed back in 1 Chron 15:28 where we read: "Thus
all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting,
and with sound of the horn [shofar], with trumpets [chatsotsrah],
with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres."
We can also see that the shofar was used as a
signal to announce the coronation of the new King Solomon during David=
s last days.
(1 Ki 1:32-35 NASB) Then King David said, "Call to me
Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada."
And they came into the king's presence. {33} And the king said to them,
"Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride
on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. {34} "And let Zadok the
priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and
blow the trumpet [shofar] and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' {35} "Then
you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and
be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel
and Judah."
In 2 Kings 11, we can see another example of trumpets
being blown at the coronation of Judah=s
King, Joash.
After the exile of Judah in Babylon for seventy years, God
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, to allow certain of the
Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. In Ezra 3, we can read
about the rebuilding process and how they began to keep the feasts of the
seventh month upon their return.
(Ezra 3 NKJV) And when the seventh month had come, and
the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together
as one man to Jerusalem. {2} Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his
brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his
brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt
offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
{3} Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those
countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt
offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt
offerings. {4} They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is
written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by
ordinance for each day. {5} Afterwards they offered the regular burnt
offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of
the LORD that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly
offered a freewill offering to the LORD. {6} From the first day of the
seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although
the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid. {7} They
also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and
oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to
the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus
king of Persia. {8} Now in the second month of the second year of their
coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel,
Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests
and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to
Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old
and above to oversee the work of the house of the LORD. {9} Then Jeshua
with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of
Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the
sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites. {10}
When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the
priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons
of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance
of David king of Israel. {11} And they sang responsively, praising and
giving thanks to the LORD: "For He is good, For His mercy endures
forever toward Israel." Then all the people shouted with a great shout,
when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the
LORD was laid. {12} But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the
fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud
voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet
many shouted aloud for joy, {13} so that the people could not discern
the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the
people, for the people shouted with a loud shout [teruah] , and the
sound was heard afar off.
What have we learned about the Feast of Trumpets so far?
We= ve seen that it might be
more properly termed the Feast of Teruah, heralding Christ=
s return. The Teruah, the loud shout, was produced by the voices of the
people, by the sons of Aaron with the silver trumpets and, over time, with
the shofars. We=ve seen examples
showing that the shouts were produced by the people as a sign of joy and
to herald the arrival of a new King. Teruah was and will also be a warning
of war. Let= s see if we can
shed any more light on the meaning of the day from the scriptures and
prophecies of the New Testament.
In the New Testament, the Greek word for trumpet is
Strongs= # 4536, salpigx (sal=
pinx), and it means a trumpet. In Hebrews 12:18, Paul speaks of the
opportunity and obligation we have in the New Testament church. He says
that what in the Old Testament was a foreshadow of things to come, is now
the reality of what awaits God=
s chosen people.
(Heb 12:18-29 NKJV) For you have not come to the
mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness
and darkness and tempest, {19} and the sound of a trumpet and the voice
of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be
spoken to them anymore. {20} (For they could not endure what was
commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be
stoned or shot with an arrow." {21} And so terrifying was the sight that
Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.") {22} But you have
come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, {23} to the general
assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to
God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, {24} to
Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling
that speaks better things than that of Abel. {25} See that you do not
refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who
spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him
who speaks from heaven, {26} whose voice then shook the earth; but now
He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but
also heaven." {27} Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of
those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the
things which cannot be shaken may remain. {28} Therefore, since we are
receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which
we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. {29} For our
God is a consuming fire.
Paul also spoke of God=
s power shaking the earth and heaven. That is the warning of the feast of
trumpets: it= s the war that
lies ahead of us during the fearful A
Day of the Lord..@ In Matthew
24, Jesus gives us an overview of what will happen during those days.
(Mat 24:3-31 NKJV) Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives,
the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these
things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of
the age?" {4} And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no
one deceives you. {5} "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the
Christ,' and will deceive many. {6} "And you will hear of wars and
rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet. {7} "For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines,
pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. {8} "All these are the
beginning of sorrows. {9} "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation
and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.
{10} "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will
hate one another. {11} "Then many false prophets will rise up and
deceive many. {12} "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of
many will grow cold. {13} "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
{14} "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world
as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. {15}
"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him
understand), {16} "then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains. {17} "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take
anything out of his house. {18} "And let him who is in the field not go
back to get his clothes. {19} "But woe to those who are pregnant and to
those who are nursing babies in those days! {20} "And pray that your
flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. {21} "For then there will
be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the
world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. {22} "And unless those
days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake
those days will be shortened. {23} "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look,
here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. {24} "For false
christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to
deceive, if possible, even the elect. {25} "See, I have told you
beforehand. {26} "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the
desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not
believe it. {27} "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes
to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. {28} "For
wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
{29} "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. {30} "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.
In 1 Cor 15:51, Paul also explains the sequence of events
surrounding the heralding of Messiah=
s return.
(1 Cor 15:51-52 NKJV) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; {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.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul continues to comfort us
concerning both the fate of Christians who have died in faith and the
return of our Lord. In fact, this is the only place in the New Testament
where a certain Greek word for shout is used. It is Strongs=
#2752, keleuma (kel= -yoo-mah),
and it means a shout of command. It comes from a root word, meaning to
command.
(1 Th 4:13-18 NKJV) 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. {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.
We already have an example in Old Testament scripture
foreshadowing the coronation of our returning king. Do you remember how
David put Solomon on his mule and proclaimed him king to his subjects? In
Mark 11:7, we see how Christ was received as a king when he entered
Jerusalem, shortly before his execution.
(Mark 11:7-10 NKJV) Then they brought the colt to Jesus
and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. {8} And many spread
their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the
trees and spread them on the road. {9} Then those who went before and
those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes
in the name of the LORD!' {10} Blessed is the kingdom of our father
David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
As you can tell, the circumstances did not exactly match
the coronation of Solomon. It was missing the anointing, the crown, and
the trumpets because it only foreshadowed Christ=
s real coronation that was yet to come.
Before that coronation, however, God=
s patience with the evil in this world runs out. From Daniel 12 to Matthew
24 to many other scriptures in both the Old Testament as well as the New
Testament, both we and the world have been given ample warning of the day
of reckoning to come. God will determine the time for His judgment to be
executed upon the earth. In the Old Testament, the time is known as the
Day of the Lord. It is a time of fear and trembling, a day we all hope to
somehow escape. One of the songs in our hymnal speaks of this time from
the book of Joel.
(Joel 2:1-15 NKJV) 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: {2} A day
of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the
morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and
strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such
after them, Even for many successive generations. {3} A fire devours
before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden
of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely
nothing shall escape them. {4} Their appearance is like the appearance
of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. {5} With a noise like
chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire
that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array. {6}
Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color.
{7} They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every
one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks. {8} They do not
push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge
between the weapons, They are not cut down. {9} They run to and fro in
the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter
at the windows like a thief. {10} The earth quakes before them, The
heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish
their brightness. {11} The LORD gives voice before His army, For His
camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the
day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it? {12}
"Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With
fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." {13} So rend your heart, and
not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and
merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from
doing harm. {14} Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a
blessing behind Him; A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD
your God? {15} Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a
sacred assembly;
Let= s continue
in Joel 3:9.
(Joel 3:9-16 NKJV) Proclaim this among the nations:
"Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw
near, Let them come up. {10} Beat your plowshares into swords And your
pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'" {11}
Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around.
Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. {12} "Let the nations
be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will
sit to judge all the surrounding nations. {13} Put in the sickle, for
the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats
overflow; For their wickedness is great." {14} Multitudes, multitudes in
the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of
decision. {15} The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will
diminish their brightness. {16} The LORD also will roar from Zion, And
utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But
the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the
children of Israel.
Truly, the time of God=
s vengeance as well as the time of God=
s judgment is coming upon the earth. That time is announced and heralded
by the sounding of trumpets.
Most people think the wrath and judgment of God are just
concepts portraying the mean, angry, harsh, and unforgiving God of the Old
Testament. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is consistent. He
lives by the same standards and judges by the same standards He did
thousands and even millions of years ago. As the Day of the Lord is
announced with trumpet blasts in the book of Joel, the seven stages of the
same time of God= s judgment are
each announced with a trumpet blast in the book of Revelation.
(Rev 8 NKJV) When He opened the seventh seal, there was
silence in heaven for about half an hour. {2} And I saw the seven angels
who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. {3} Then
another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He
was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all
the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. {4} And
the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended
before God from the angel's hand. {5} Then the angel took the censer,
filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there
were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. {6} So the
seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
{7} The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with
blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were
burned up, and all green grass was burned up. {8} Then the second angel
sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was
thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. {9} And a
third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships
were destroyed. {10} Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell
from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers
and on the springs of water. {11} The name of the star is Wormwood. A
third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water,
because it was made bitter. {12} Then the fourth angel sounded: And a
third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the
stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not
shine, and likewise the night. {13} And I looked, and I heard an angel
flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe,
woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of
the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"
(Rev 9 NKJV) Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a
star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the
bottomless pit. {2} And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose
out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air
were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. {3} Then out of the smoke
locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power. {4} They were commanded not to harm
the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those
men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. {5} And they
were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five
months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes
a man. {6} In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they
will desire to die, and death will flee from them. {7} The shape of the
locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns
of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. {8}
They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.
{9} And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound
of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running
into battle. {10} They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings
in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. {11} And they
had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in
Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. {12} One woe
is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things. {13}
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of
the golden altar which is before God, {14} saying to the sixth angel who
had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great
river Euphrates." {15} So the four angels, who had been prepared for the
hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of
mankind. {16} Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred
million; I heard the number of them. {17} And thus I saw the horses in
the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red,
hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like
the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and
brimstone. {18} By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed; by
the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.
{19} For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their
tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. {20}
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not
repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons,
and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see
nor hear nor walk. {21} And they did not repent of their murders or
their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Let= s continue
in Revelation 11:15.
(Rev 11:15-17 NKJV) 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!" [Not just a thousand years] {16} And the
twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their
faces and worshiped God, {17} saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You
have taken Your great power and reigned.
We can get a glimpse of the future coronation by looking
at the heavenly picture in scripture. Daniel shows us, in vision, the
interrelationship between the Father and the Son.
(Dan 7:9-14 NKJV) "I watched till thrones were put in
place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as
snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a
fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; {10} A fiery stream issued And
came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And
the books were opened. {11} "I watched then because of the sound of the
pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was
slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. {12} "As
for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet
their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. {13} "I was watching
in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with
the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought
Him near before Him. {14} Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a
kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass
away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
We can fill in even more details from the New Testament
through the visions given to the Apostle John in the book of Revelation.
(Rev 19:1-9 NKJV) After these things I heard a loud
voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and
glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! {2} "For true and
righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who
corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the
blood of His servants shed by her." {3} Again they said, "Alleluia! Her
smoke rises up forever and ever!" {4} And the twenty-four elders and the
four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne,
saying, "Amen! Alleluia!" {5} Then a voice came from the throne, saying,
"Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small
and great!" {6} And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude,
as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings,
saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! {7} "Let us be
glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has
come, and His wife has made herself ready." {8} And to her it was
granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine
linen is the righteous acts of the saints. {9} Then he said to me,
"Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the
Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."
Focus, for a minute, on verses eight and nine:
A And it was given to her [the
bride] to clothe herself in fine linen, for the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints@
and A Blessed are those who are
invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.@
So here we have two important features of the Lamb=
s wedding: the bride and the invited guests. We know that the bride of the
Lamb will be the saints because it says so:
A The fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints.@
We don= t know much, however,
about the invited guests but we can learn more by focusing on their
clothing. The parable given by Jesus in Matthew 22:2 explains it in
detail.
(Mat 22:2-14 NKJV) "The kingdom of heaven is like a
certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, {3} "and sent out his
servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were
not willing to come. {4} "Again, he sent out other servants, saying,
'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen
and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the
wedding."' {5} "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to
his own farm, another to his business. {6} "And the rest seized his
servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. {7} "But when the
king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies,
destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. {8} "Then he said
to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were
not worthy. {9} 'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you
find, invite to the wedding.' {10} "So those servants went out into the
highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.
And the wedding hall was filled with guests. {11} "But when the king
came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a
wedding garment.
Notice that! Even though those in the second group of
invited guests were indiscriminately chosen from people on the main
highways, there were certain standards expected of them. They were
expected to be wearing appropriate A
wedding clothes.@ In this
parable, we see the example is talking about physical attire but we just
read in revelation that the bride=
s physical clothes of A fine
linen@ had spiritual
interpretation that was, in reality, A
righteous acts.@ Can=
t we see that the physical A
wedding clothes@ expected of the
invited guest would, similarly, portray the standards expected of the
guests? Let= s continue in verse
12.
{12} "So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in
here without a wedding garment?' [without righteousness] And he was
speechless. {13} "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and
foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.' {14} "For many are called, but few are
chosen." [He was called but not chosen.]
Remember verse 14. A
For many are called but few are chosen.@
In the New American Standard version, there is another
instance of the word translated A
shout.@ It is, however, a
different Greek word with a slightly different meaning. It is Strongs=
number 2906, kraugay and it means an outcry. Its root is from a word
meaning to cry out.
Matthew 25 details the parable of the ten virgins. For
many years, we= ve heard the
warning expounded from this parable and have been told to be diligent to
be on guard in order to avoid missing out by spiritually sleeping on the
job and not being filled with God=
s Holy Spirit. That= s true. We
should take warning from this parable but there=
s more to the parable than just a warning. Let=
s read it. To gain the whole sense of the parable, we=
ll start at the beginning in Matthew 25.
(Mat 25:1-13 NASB) "Then the kingdom of heaven will be
comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet
the bridegroom. {2} "And five of them were foolish, and five were
prudent. {3} "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil
with them, {4} but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their
lamps. {5} "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy
and began to sleep. {6} "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' {7} "Then all those virgins rose, and
trimmed their lamps. {8} "And the foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us
some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' {9} "But the prudent
answered, saying, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go
instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' {10} "And while
they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and
those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door
was shut. {11} "And later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord,
lord, open up for us.' {12} "But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to
you, I do not know you.' {13} "Be on the alert then, for you do not know
the day nor the hour.
The parable of the ten virgins is all about a wedding
feast. Speaking to the Church of God at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:2,
Paul identifies the two parties involved in the coming spiritual marriage.
(2 Cor 11:2 NKJV) For I am jealous for you with godly
jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
At His return to earth, Jesus Christ is to be married to
the Church of God and those A
virgins@ found to be worthy for
admittance to the wedding feast. He will be announced with a
A shout or outcry@
but note that not all of the A
virgins@ originally called to
the feast will be counted as worthy to be admitted to the feast. Remember,
the answer given to half of the ten virgins is
A I do not know you.@
Our righteous redeemer is committed to dispense the
glorious government of His great Father in heaven. With his chosen
servants, the saints, he will rule the entire world by the Father=
s standards with fairness and equity for all. We can get a glimpse of that
righteous government in Isaiah 42.
(Isa 42:1-14 NKJV) "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My
Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He
will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. {2} He will not cry out, nor
raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. {3} A
bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He
will bring forth justice for truth. {4} He will not fail nor be
discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the
coastlands shall wait for His law." {5} Thus says God the LORD, Who
created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth
and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And
spirit to those who walk on it: {6} "I, the LORD, have called You in
righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as
a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, {7} To open blind
eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness
from the prison house. {8} I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory
I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. {9} Behold,
the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before
they spring forth I tell you of them." {10} Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea,
and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! {11}
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that
Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from
the top of the mountains. {12} Let them give glory to the LORD, And
declare His praise in the coastlands. {13} The LORD shall go forth like
a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry
out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. {14} "I
have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once.
In conclusion, the Day of Trumpets shows in many ways that
there is much in store for us. In one sense, Yom Teruah, the Day of
Trumpets, is a somber day of warning and an alarm to prepare for the
coming World War of the Day of the Lord. At the same time, however, it is
a day of joyful shouts of praise to our Great Father because he is sending
our Messiah and King back to earth to rule the world in peace forever.
That is the good News or gospel of the kingdom of God. At Christ=
s return, all the A virgins@
of the Church of God, both the living as well as the resurrected saints,
will be joined to the Messiah and will rule with him in God=
s government on earth.
We just read in Matthew 25:13,
A Be on the alert then, for you
do not know the day nor the hour.@
In Matthew 24:36, Christ stated to his disciples that no one except the
Father knows his actual day of return.
(Mat 24:36 NKJV) "But of that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Did you get that? Just think how great our Father is.
There is not one other spiritual being in heaven who knows the day and
hour of Christ=s return to
earth. Even Jesus doesn't know the exact time of his return. The decision
is in the hands of our righteous Father, God Most High. What great power
and insight our Father has!
Whether Christ=
s return is actually going to be on the day of the feast of trumpets, or
on some other day, only the Father knows for sure. The memorial of Yom
Teruah, pictured by the Day of Trumpets, is the same, however.
Today is a day to celebrate.
A Go, eat of the fat [things],
drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for
this day is holy to our Lord [Adonai]. Do not be grieved, for the joy of
the LORD [Yahweh] is your strength.@
So, make a joyful noise to God, the Father of all, and
shout, shout, shout with joy - for the king returns!
Sermon given by
Wayne Bedwell
19 September
2009
with attribution
given to Hebrew Roots Magazine and Philip Edwards
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