Feast of Trumpets—2017

Events of the Day of the Lord
Battle of Armageddon: war, death, destruction

Fred R. Coulter—September 21, 2017

- Video | - PDF | Audio | [Up]

Greetings, brethren! Welcome to the Feast of Trumpets! Time, as we say every year, marches on! We're getting closer and closer to the return of Christ every year, but how far that is away from what we are doing now, and what is going to happen, we don't know.

God knows! But we do understand the Scriptures concerning the Holy Days and the meaning of them.

Let's read the command concerning the Feast of Trumpets. As you read all of Lev. 23, the Feast of Trumpets is the least defined in this chapter.

Leviticus 23:23: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel saying, "In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of ram's horns, a Holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein but you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD"'" (vs 23-25).

One short verse and two medium length verses, and yet, this is one of the greatest and most profound days in its fulfillment for the whole world.

Sidebar—another principle: The least shall be the greatest!

We are told to take up an offering on the Holy Days, so we will take up an offering. Always remember that God expects from the Church of the Firstborn, those of us who are the firstfruits, the first of everything:

• our allegiance
• our love
• everything that we have
• everything that we own
• everything that God gives us

That belongs to Him! Keep that in mind with the taking up of this offering, and also remember that God is able to provide all our needs:

• through the grace
• through the blessing
• through the righteousness of God

 (pause for the offering)

Let's see something important that God always does. He always gives a warning and offers repentance! Rev. 14 probably starts right at the beginning of the Tribulation.

Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and language and people."

When does this take place? Right at the beginning of the Tribulation! A warning! Remember, the Feast of Trumpets is the "blowing of ram's horns." The ram's horn is the horn that is blown for war! The silver trumpets at the temple will blow, as well. But the trumpets are blown all day long to signal the ferocity of what's going to take place.

Let's see that God does offer repentance, even in the most troubling and terrible times that there are. Let's see what God says concerning what we are to do, what we are to preach, and in this case—Ezek. 33—the preaching is done by the first angel of the three angels. It also probably coincides with the two witnesses coming on the scene who also proclaim repentance.

Let's see the principle that God always works with as we find here. This is interesting because this starts out a series of chapters where there is death, doom, gloom and destruction!

Ezekiel 33:1: "And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them, "When I bring the sword upon a land…"'" (vs 1-2). God is the One Who does it. We need to understand God! God brings it.

God raises up a nation and takes down a nation. Remember when He brought Nebuchadnezzar to take down Jerusalem and Judea, He called him My servant! You need to understand that.

Just like it's hard for people to grasp that God said He would bring terror on His people for breaking His laws! Some people might say that's really bad, why would God do that? If you don't believe it, then think on this:

Would you rather have God strike people down with a bolt of lightning because they sin? orWould you rather becoming against other human beings, and maybe that will lead you to repentance? That's why God does it!

"…and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman" (v 2).

Don't anyone get the idea that I'm trying to set myself up as Ezekiel's 'watchman on the wall.' These are the words of God that come down through time to the people and the children of Israel. As a matter of fact, every minister in the Church of God needs to be doing this very thing.

Verse 3: If, when he sees the sword come upon the land, he blows the ram's horn…" That a sign of war. What is the Feast of Trumpets; it is blowing the ram's horn all day long!

"…and warns the people, Then whoever hears the sound of the ram's horn and does not take warning, if the sword does come and take him away, his blood shall be on his own head…. [here's the reason]: …He heard the sound of the ram's horn and did not take warning…." (vs 3-5).

How many warnings are going to the people of Israel today? Not only from those who should be doing it, such as every minister who belongs to the Church of God, but also military people, governmental people, others talking about the different weapons what will come along? How many warnings do we need?

Remember, we today are the most vulnerable with an EMP—electronic magnetic pulse—a hydrogen or atomic bomb exploded in an area over the country and all the electricity is fried! When that happens, no one is going to be able to do anything! Millions and millions will die in a very short period of time. But you know what the government says? We understand that this is a problem, but we don't have any defense for it! You think on that!

Verse 6: "But if the watchman sees the sword coming, and does not blow the ram's horn and the people are not warned; if the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity. But I will require his blood at the watchman's hand. 'And you, son of man, I have set you as watchman to the house of Israel…." (vs 6-7).

Remember that when this was given, they were already in captivity. So, this is a prophecy at whatever time God comes against His people in correction, especially at the end-time, and especially when applied to the Feast of Trumpets. Here God offers repentance.

"…Therefore, you shall hear the Word from My mouth, and warn them from Me" (v 7). And the Word of God comes from the mouth of God.

Verse 8: "When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked one, you shall surely die'; if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked one shall die in his iniquity; but I will require his blood at your hand. But, if you warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it; if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. And you, son of man, speak to the house of Israel…." (vs 8-10).

Remember, the Jews were in captivity. He was with the Jews. House of Israel, this is an end-time prophecy.

"…Thus shall you speak, saying, 'When our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are wasting away in them, how then shall we live?'" (v 10). Does that not describe what we're experiencing today? In all of the modern descendants of the tribes of Israel?

Verse 11: "Say to them, 'As I live'… [God is swearing my Himself] …says the Lord GOD, 'I have no delight in the death of the wicked, except that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?'"

Then He warns the righteous man, that if the righteous turns to sin and does not repent, all of his righteousness will not be mentioned. Amazing, isn't it? That's how God works; He offers repentance!

We're going to see that the book of Joel fits right in with:

• the saving of the 144,000
• the beginning of the Great Tribulation
• the expansion of it when we get to Rev. 8
• how it consumes the whole world.

Joel 2:12: "'Therefore, even now,' says the LORD, 'turn to Me with all your heart'…" This is what God wants from the wicked. This is the message that God wants given to the people before the Tribulation comes in upon them. This is what must be given.

God is gracious, merciful and righteous, and He will offer repentance and spare them as evidence by what we saw in the book of Revelation with the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude.

"…and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. Yes, rend your heart and not your garments…" (vs 12-13). True deep profound meaningful repentance from the very depths of your being.

"…and return to the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He repents of the evil" (v 13). God prefers that they turn (Ezek. 33). God has no delight in the death of the wicked. So, this is quite a thing when we understand it.

Let's see what's going to happen after the sealing of the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude. That's all based:

• on mercy
• on forgiveness
• on the Scriptures that we just read

Even in times of trouble and difficulty, God shows that He is merciful. The 144,000; very interesting when that takes place. That's right after the heavens being 'rolled back as a scroll.' That's going to cause many, many people to repent.

Remember how, from the book of Hosea, that the Tribulation against Israel lasts for two years, and then there's a year and a half left for the rest of the world. The time between Pentecost and Trumpets the 144,000 and great innumerable multitude are saved, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and angel is sent to seal them. Keep that in mind, because those in the martyrdom of the 5th seal eliminated all of those who were not in a place of safety. There will be a few in a place of safety. Of course, we have seen that the angels of God are going to carry them there.

All of these ministers who think that they're going to buy into Petra and set it up and going to be in charge and they're only going to let certain people in. Nonsense! God is going to take whom He wants, and put them there! They will be alive and that's to fulfill the promise that Jesus made when He first revealed about His Church to His apostles.

That's when He asked His apostle, 'Who do you say that I am?' They said, 'Some people say Jeremiah, some say one of the Prophets,' and Peter said, 'You are the Son of the living God!' Jesus said, 'Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven! And upon this Rock—Himself—I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it!' That's why there are those in the place of safety.

With the fifth seal, Rev. 6, all of those who are not in a place of safety are killed and martyred. But Jesus said, 'The gates of the grave shall never prevail against His Church.'

So, when the heavens are rolled back like a scroll, there is repentance with the children of Israel, there's repentance with the great innumerable multitude of every nation, language, and so forth. Isn't that what it says about the first angel (Rev. 14) preaching the Gospel? Yes!

They are sealed, and keep that in mind because this becomes important when we get into Rev. 8, 9, and so forth. That means they have the Holy Spirit of God, and these represent the fulfillment of the parable of the laborers at the eleventh hour. So, they will be saved.

When you read the rest of Rev. 7, it looks like they immediately go before the throne of God. NO! That's a description by one of the 'elders' as to who they are. That's where they will be, but no one is resurrected from the dead until the seventh trump. Those who are alive, which will be the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude, will not precede those who have died, or are asleep in the grave.

So, you have to apply all the Scriptures to properly put it together. Let's see how this is going to unfold. Also remember that God says that He is going to punish the world. We will see that. Here is a description of the punishment of Babylon the Great. What was the message of the second of the three angels? Babylon is fallen! Is fallen!

So, here's a prophecy of it in Isa. 13. Let's see how it talks about the Day of the Lord. This is the last year of the year and a half [of the Tribulation] that represents the Day of the Lord. Remember the time between Pentecost and Trumpets is when the world is out there:

• getting their roads all up
• getting their rails for their trains all up and going
• building more armaments
• getting more people into the armies

They'll be doing that, preparing to fight Christ! The world is being prepared that the return of Christ represents the alien invasion from outer space, which in a sense is true. The true Jesus is an alien to this world.

Isaiah 13:1: "The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw: 'Lift up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice to them, wave the hand, so that they may go into the gates of the nobles…. [right into Jerusalem] …I have commanded My Holy ones, I have also called My mighty ones for My anger, even those who rejoice in My triumph.' The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together…" (vs 1-4).
When we get to Rev. 8 on through to Christ and the Church—all the saints—coming back to the earth, it's going to be the greatest time of the greatest warring and greatest fighting that has ever been in the history of the world. This describes it.

"…the LORD of hosts gathers an army for the battle. They come from a far country… [the way of the kings from the East] …from the end of heaven, the LORD and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole earth" (vs 4-5).

We can understand that everything on earth is going to be looking like the Middle East in the middle of a war! Everywhere!

Verse 6: "Howl! For the Day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore, all hands shall be faint, and every man's heart shall melt; and they shall be afraid. Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them. They shall be in pain like a woman who travails. They shall be amazed at one another, their faces are like blazing fire. Behold, the Day of the LORD comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to make the earth a desolation; and He shall destroy the sinners out of it, for the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not give light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not reflect its light. 'And I will punish the world for their evil…'" (vs 6-11).

These are the great battle that are at the end (Rev. 8; 9; 16; 19)—all of it. The greatest destruction of all. Think about what we start out with when we start ruling and reigning with Christ: a world that is near desolation everywhere! That's going to be something!

Verse 11: "And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease… [the beast and the false prophet] …and will lay low the haughtiness of the tyrants. I will make man more scarce than gold; even man more than the fine gold of Ophir. Therefore, I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall move out of its place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger" (vs 11-13). That's something! That's how God is going to do it!

Let's see, again, what God says about this very thing and how it's going to take place. This is going to be awesome! This is going to be fierce! Remember that it said all desolation! Think of what we're going to have to do. The first thing is how do we help these people rebuild their lives; those who survive through it! Our ministry to them is going to be that God rules in Jerusalem!

• the wars are over
• the killing has stopped
• the beast and the false prophet have been destroyed in the Lake of Fire; they have been removed
• the whole world is going to be shell-shocked

Think of that!

Isaiah 24:1: "Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, and turns it upside down…" Isn't that what happens with an earthquake? Everything upside down!

"…and scatters its inhabitants. And as it is with the people, so it shall be with the priest; as with the slave, so with the master; as with the handmaid, so it is with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be completely laid waste, and utterly stripped; for the LORD has spoken this word" (vs 1-3).

Remember what we have always learned: every prophecy of God is going to be fulfilled to the maximum! Not to the wee itty-bitty, little minimum, but to the maximum! You need to keep that in mind when you read these Scriptures when it talks about all nations, when it talks about all people. We're coming to the worldwide fulfillment of the Word of God and the return of Christ.

Verse 4: "The earth mourns and languishes; the world withers and languishes; the proud people of the earth wither. And the earth is defiled under its people; because they have transgressed the Laws…" (vs 4-5).

Sidebar: What does this tell us? If there's no Law, there's no sin! Is God correcting them for their sins, iniquities and evils? The house of Israel and the house of Judah and all the nations of the world? Yes! Therefore, God expects every person to keep His Laws in the letter. Conversion is another whole story.

"…changed the ordinance, and have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, the curse has devoured the earth, and they who dwell in it are desolate; therefore, the people of the earth are burned, and few men are left" (vs 5-6).

How many billions are going to die? It's beyond what we are able to grasp! But let's understand something else, we will see the finality of these prophecies after we're resurrected and are on the Sea of Glass with Jesus Christ and all the saints.

Jer. 25 is always read on the Feast of Trumpets, because of the meaning and prophetic timing of these events.

There's going to be no secret rapture. Jesus is not going to come and just take those who are 'goody-two-shoes' up to heaven with Him. NO! this is going to be:

• power
• wrath
• indignation
• war
• catastrophe
• killing
• death

It's going to be something, because God is never going to be mocked by anyone!

God told Jeremiah to take this cup and go to every nation on earth, and make them drink! So, he did!

Jeremiah 25:26: "And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world…"

• What does that mean? That this message that's being preached here will go to all the world!
• How is that going to be done? By the two witnesses and the three angels!

Until that time it's going to be done by the Churches of the people of God. We need to think beyond just saving our own necks! We need to understand and realize that God has called us to rule this world, to straighten it out! The only way that it is going to be brought back to God is because all the evil is going to come to a great climax, and God is going to destroy it!

"…all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the face of the earth…" (v 26). Does that mean just that? Yes! Every nation! What does it say of other things? The isles and the oceans shall move! There will be no place of safety outside the few who are in a place of safety. There will be no escaping what's taking place, unless you're protected as the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude. It's coming on all the world! That's why God gave this.

"…and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them… [that is the coming beast power] …'Therefore, you shall say to them, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Drink and be drunk, and vomit, and fall, and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you. And it shall come to pass if they refuse to take the cup at your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'You shall certainly drink. For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city, which is called by My name…'" (vs 26-29). It's going start right there at Jerusalem. The events in Jerusalem:

• the two witnesses
• the beast going into the temple of God saying that 'he is God'
• the Great Tribulation starting

"'…and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished. For I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth'… [think of what that means] …says the LORD of hosts. 'And prophesy against them all these words, and say to them, "The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His Holy habitation. He shall mightily roar over His dwelling place. He shall give a shout, like those who tread out grapes, against all the people of the earth"'" (vs 29-30). When God says all He means each and every one.

Verse 31: "'A noise shall come to the ends of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with the nations; He will plead with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,' says the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be stirred up from the farthest corners of the earth. And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth; they shall not be mourned, nor gathered, nor buried. They shall be as dung on the ground'" (vs 31-33). Think of the mess that's going to be to clean up!

Verse 34: "Howl, you shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, you lords of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and of your scatterings are fulfilled; and you shall fall like a choice vessel." That's something! Remember, this is the Day of the Judgment of God!

Verse 35: "And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the lords of the flock to escape. A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a howling of the lords of the flock shall be heard; for the LORD has spoiled their pasture. And the peaceful pastures are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. Like the lion, He has left His den; for their land is wasted because of the fierceness of the oppressing sword, and because of His fierce anger" (vs 35-38).

That's something! You need to think about that!

(go to the next track)

Rev. 8 starts on the next to the last Trumpets, and at the next Trumpets Christ and all the saints will return with Him to the earth. This year may be a leap year, which means there are 13 months, 390 days.

The whole scene changes. Instead of armies of men against armies of men and killing people, now it's the armies of the world against the angels of God and the power of God.

This becomes the greater portion of the Great Tribulation, which is why Jesus said that 'unless He had limited the days there would be no flesh be saved.' Notice how this comes about. And just like everything else, just like the six seals, God opened the six seals in the person of Christ. Then He opens the seventh seal, which begins Rev. 8.

Revelation 8:1: "Now, when He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God… [right at the throne of God] …and seven trumpets were given to them" (vs 1-2).

These trumpets are like the silver trumpets, but also—because this is probably starting on the Day of Trumpets—there will be the ram's horns.

Verse 3: "And another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar; and much incense was given to him, so that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that was before the throne."

Who are all the saints? The saints who have died are still in the grave. The saints here in this case, are the 144,000, the great innumerable multitude and those in a place of safety! So, they're praying.

Verse 4: "And the smoke of the incense went up before God from the hand of the angel, ascending with the prayers of the saints. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar… [directly from God] …and cast it into the earth; and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake" (vs 4-5).

Throughout all of this there are many earthquakes that take place. What happens when there are earthquakes? Volcanoes!

Verse 6: "Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound their trumpets. And the first angel sounded his trumpet; and there was hail and fire mingled with blood, and it was cast upon the earth; and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up" (vs 6-7). We will see something about this a little later; a great fire!

The first four of these trumpet plagues come very quickly, one after the other.

Verse 8: "Then the second angel sounded his trumpet; and there was cast into the sea as it were a great mountain burning with fire, and a third of the sea became blood; and a third of the living creatures that were in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded his trumpet; and there fell out of heaven a great star, burning like a lamp; and it fell on a third of the rivers, and on the fountains of waters. Now, the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from drinking the waters because they were made bitter. Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet; and a third of the sun was smitten, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars; so that a third of them were darkened; and a third part of the day did not shine, and likewise a third part of the night" (vs 8-12).

Stop right here! This is why no man knows the day or the hour, because time is all discombobulated with:

• the shaking of the earth
• the shaking of the seas
• the shaking of the dry land
• the earthquakes that take place
• the wars that are taking place

And now everything changes! That's why it's in the authority of God the Father, as Jesus said.

Verse 13: "And I looked; and I heard an angel flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice… [another warning]: …'Woe, woe, woe to those who are dwelling on the earth, because of the voices of the remaining trumpets of the three angels who are about to sound their trumpets.'"

Fantastic and awesome things are going to take place now, such as there was never before.

Revelation 9:1: "And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet; and I saw a star… [a fallen angel] …that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and there was given to him the key to the bottomless abyss." That's why it's an angel.

Verse 2: "And he opened the bottomless abyss; and there went up smoke from the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. Then locusts came onto the earth from the smoke; and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power" (vs 2-3

What happens when you have all the darkness, all the clouds; you're going to have a lot of rain. So, after a third of the trees are burned up, all the grass is burned up, then there is the rain. What happens to grass when it receives water? It grows! The plants have nothing to do with the battles of warring and fighting going on. We're going to see a very unusual statement as we read on.

Verse 4: "And it was said to them that they should not damage the grass of the earth…"—because between the time when it was first burned up and now there is rain and grass grew back up again.

"…or any green thing, or any tree, but only the men who did not have the seal of God in their foreheads" (v 4). We've already identified who they are and where they are.

Verse 5: "And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death but will not find it; and they will desire to die, but death will flee from them. And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for war…" (vs 5-7).

Here comes the satanic power of the armies. It makes me wonder:

• What are they going to discover with the Hadron Collider?
• What are men going to discover with these things?
• What are they going to do?
• What will the weapons be?
• How powerful will they be?

Verse 7: "And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for war; and on their heads were crowns like those of gold; and their faces were like the faces of men; and they had hair like women's hair; and their teeth were like those of lions. And they had breastplates like iron breastplates; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots drawn by many horses running to war; and they had tails like scorpions, and stingers; and they were given power to injure men with their tails for five months" (vs 7-10).

This is going to look like this super-secret demonic weapon is going to come, and this is probably the King of the North going after the northern and eastern countries, because Dan. 11 says that 'the King of the North will hear things from the North and the East.' Here's the fulfillment of it.

Verse 11: "And they have over them a king, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but the name he has in Greek is Apollyon. The first woe is past. Behold, after these things two more woes are still to come" (vs 11-12).

Notice the sixth angel, and this is going to be a powerful thing. Let me just preface this by saying—because this has to do with all the armies, the kings of the East and the North, all coming together and coming to the area of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. These armies are going to be fantastic.

Right now they're actually building roads, rail trains going from eastern China all the way into Europe, all the way into the Middle East and down into Pakistan and India. That's what they are working on now. So, all of these armies will be coming. It's going to be a grouping of armies of 200-million! They can't all be in one place at one time, so they're strung out from the North, from the East and from the Southeast.

Verse 13: "And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet; and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God"—directly from God. Remember: none of these things can happen until God says they will happen!

Verse 14: "And it said to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, 'Loose the four angels who are bound in the great River Euphrates.' Then the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year… [these are demons bound in the River Euphrates; still there to this day] …were loosed, so that they might kill a third of men" (vs 14-15).

A lot of people speculate: Are these robot soldiers? No! It says they are men! There may be some robotics involved with modern weaponry, that is true, but you're not going to have a robotic army of 200-million and then have 2-billion people living back in their countries just sitting back and relaxing while the 200-million robots go fight. No way!

Verse 16: "And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred thousand thousand… [200-million] …and I heard the number of them. And so, I saw the horses in the vision, and those sitting on them, who had fiery breastplates, even like jacinth and brimstone. And the heads of the horses were like heads of lions, and fire and smoke and brimstone shoot out of their mouths" (vs 16-17). Modern weaponry! Powerful!

Stop and think: How long is going to take for these armies to be building up? It's going to take some time! Yes, the Chinese have a big army, but nothing like here. There are going to be the Chinese, Mongolians, Russians, Indians, Pakistanis, Iranians and Iraqis all involved in this battle.

Verse 18: "By these three a third of men were killed: by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone that shoot out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouths; for their tails are like serpents, and have heads, and with them they inflict wounds" (vs 18-19).

Notice this; this becomes very important, and remember where we started.

Verse 20: "But the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands…"

• men: repentance
• human beings: repentance

Robots cannot repent!

"…that they might not worship demons… [yes, there are demon powers] …and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood, which do not have the power to see, nor to hear, nor to walk. And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thievery" (vs 20-21). Men in battle!

Rev. 10 is quite an interesting chapter. Of course, John was told not to write it, because it was so terrible the things that are coming from the seven thunders.

Sidebar: If any man tells you what the seven thunders are, you know he is lying, because God never said what they were. Unless he is actually one of the two witnesses… They might know, but I even doubt that! No one knows!

Revelation 10:7: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall also be completed, according to the Gospel that He declared to His servants the prophets."

Then John was instructed to take this book, v 8: "…'Go, take the little book that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the earth'"—and John ate it.

Verse 9: "…'and it shall make your belly bitter, but in your mouth it shall be sweet as honey.'"

Verse 11: "And he said to me, 'You must again prophesy against many people, and nations, and languages and kings.'"

Here's the last warning, the very last warning that God is going to give. All along, in every one of these things, God has given a space of repentance! But they wouldn't repent! They wouldn't yield to God! They're driven on by Satan and the demons into a horrendous fight against Jesus Christ and the saints and all that goes with that.

Then we have the two witness; Revelation 11:1: "Then the angel gave me a measuring rod like a staff, saying, 'Arise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it.'" That's why there has to be a temple in Jerusalem rebuilt. Also, Matt. 24 says that the abomination of desolation, as well as Mark 13 and 2-Thess. 2.

Verse 2: "But leave out the court that is within the temple area, and do not measure it because it has been given up to the Gentiles; and they shall trample upon the Holy city for forty-two months.: And I will give power to My two witnesses…" (vs 2-3)—that God raises up. As we've point out before, in Zech. 3 the high priest Joshua, and the governor of Judea pictured by Zerubbabel. These are God's two witnesses. He selects them, no man can select them!

One arrogant man who is supposed to be a teacher in one of the Churches of God says that he is 'the apostle for the 21st century' and that 'he will be over the two witnesses.' He needs to repent! These are chosen by God and not by any man. No an can appoint himself as part of the two witnesses like another man did. He said, 'I and my wife are the two witnesses.' He was immediately caught for lying, cheating, stealing and thrown into Federal prison.

Did God answer that arrogance? Yes, indeed! Here's why we know it's from Zech. 3 & 4

"…and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands that stand before the God of the earth" (vs 3-4). The greatest power given to any of the prophets of God.

Verse 5: "And if anyone attempts to harm them, fire will go out of their mouths and devour their enemies. For if anyone attempts to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have authority to shut heaven so that no rain may fall in the days of their prophecy; and they have authority over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they will" (vs 5-6)—because God has selected them, and God has given them the power.

As you can see and hear, this is an intense sermon because this is an intense day. This is the Day of the Lord God Almighty! And His great armies, great power, and two witnesses.

Verse 7: "And when they have completed their testimony, the beast who ascends out of the abyss will make war against them, and will overcome them, and will kill them. And their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations shall see their bodies three and a half days, for they will not allow their bodies to be put into tombs. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, and will make merry, and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets had tormented those who dwell on the earth" (vs 7-10). When it looks like everything is defeated and taken care of three and a half days later.

Verse 11: "Then after the three and a half days, the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a great voice from heaven, say, 'Come up here!'…. [the last two martyrs are the first two resurrected] …And they ascended into heaven in a cloud; and their enemies saw them rise. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; and seven thousand men were killed in the earthquake. And the rest were filled with fear, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming immediately" (vs 11-14).

Here they're raised from the dead, and as they're ascending to meet Christ in the air on the Sea of Glass… As we saw, the second sun is going to come and swoosh down to the earth and then settle in right over the Holy Land for the resurrection. All the saints will be raised and meet Christ in the air, in the clouds on the Sea of Glass and stand before God.

This is when the resurrection begins, v 15: "Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign into the ages of eternity.' And the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come; for You have taken to Yourself Your great power, and have reigned. For the nations were angry…'" (vs 15-18).

Of course, when the resurrection takes place—and I believe—the world is going to see the angels carrying those in the resurrection up to the Sea of Glass. The men on the earth—the kings, the captains, the armies, the generals, all the weapons—will all be there, and they will look at this thing and they will say, 'We're being invaded! Look at this, they're all up there; we have got to destroy them.'

They will gather all of their armies to Jerusalem. There will still be a lot of them strung out going clear to the Far East, but there is going to be this great battle that's going to take place right there.

Then what happens? Revelation 15:1: "Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and awesome: seven angels having the seven last plagues…" Then it talks about the saints standing on the Sea of Glass.

How many Scriptures does it take to make it true? One! We saw the Sea of Glass (Rev. 4 & 5). We saw the Sea of Glass (Exo. 24).

• How are we going to meet Christ in the air?
• How are we all going to see the seven last plagues poured out unless we are all on the Sea of Glass and we see it take place?

Verse 5: "And after these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And the seven angels who had the seven last plagues came out of the temple; they were clothed in linen, pure and bright, and girded about the chest with golden breastplates. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, Who lives into the ages of eternity. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no one was able to enter inside the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled" (vs 5-8).

Here is the vengeance of God. We're told to wait for the vengeance of God. We will see the vengeance of God, and here's how it's poured out. Now then, again, angels against Satan, the beast, the false prophet and men! Isn't that something?

So, they all gather together. There's this space of time from Pentecost—the resurrection (Rev. 15)—to Trumpets that we're on the Sea of Glass. That's when the nations gather together and that's when the seven last plagues are poured out. Let's see it. That's quite a thing! Very powerful!

Revelation 16:1: "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the vials of the wrath of God onto the earth.' And the first angel went and poured out his vial onto the earth; and an evil and grievous sore fell upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and upon those who were worshiping his image. And the second angel went and poured out his vial into the sea; and it became blood, like that of a dead man; and every living soul in the sea died" (vs 1-3).

Look at what the earth is going to be like when we return to take it over.

Verse 4: "And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers, and into the fountains of waters; and they became blood."

Go back to the book of Exodus and read about the plagues that God brought upon Egypt. Same weapons! Are they effective? Yes! Can men do anything about it? No! But notice how the angels look at this after seeing what has happened for all the history of mankind down to this point.

Verse 5: "Then I heard the angel of the waters say, 'You are righteous, O Lord, Who are, and Who was, even the Holy One, in that You have executed this judgment.'" All of us are going to be on the Sea of Glass and we're going to witness this.

I don't know how high up in the air that Sea of Glass will be, but I'm sure at that time that there will be clouds around it. But we will be able to look down and see what's going on. This is going to be utterly amazing!

Verse 8: "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given to it to scorch men with fire. Then men were scorched with great heat; and they blasphemed the name of God… [rather than repent] …Who has authority over these plagues, and did not repent to give Him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain" (vs 8-10). Didn't that happen in Egypt? Yes!

Verse 11: "And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; yet, they did not repent of their works." There are people who will not repent under any circumstances—period! That's going to be something!

Verse 12: "And the sixth angel poured out his vial into the great River Euphrates; and its waters were dried up…"—because it began flowing again after the firs wave of the armies got over there.

"...so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet" (vs 12-13).

Great miracles to deceive them into the final battle: 'If we can just get all the armies and all our weapons, all of our planes, all of our nuclear things that we have, and our special ray guns and that which disintegrates material. Bring them all here and let's line them up and go to this great platform that we see up there in the heavens. If we can destroy it and it falls down to the earth they will all die, and we will be able to win!'

That's the message that goes out and the armies come!

Verse 14: "For they are spirits of demons working miracles, going forth to the kings of the earth, even of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of the Almighty God."

Then He gives a little warning here, v 15: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is the one who is watching and is keeping his garments, so that he may not walk naked and they may not see his shame." All Laodiceans, pay attention!

Verse 16: "And he gathered them together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Then the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, 'IT IS FINISHED.'" (vs 16-17)—the completion of the age; it has ended!

Verse 18: "And there were voices and thunders and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were on the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great."

What happens after the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper? Now we are ready to come and fight! Isn't that what Jesus said? If My kingdom were of this world then would My servants fight! Now we're going to fight; we're going to fight God's way with the power that God gives us:

• to take care of the enemy
• to take care of any who resist
• to bring mercy and repentance to those who are willing to repent and accept God
• to heal them from all their wounds, bruises and everything that has happened

The first job for all of the living human beings will be to bury the dead! But God has something special for the armies that come to fight that very last battle at Armageddon. Let's see what that is.

Revelation 19:11[corrected]: "And I saw heaven open; and behold, a white horse; and He Who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written that no one knows except Him. And He was clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and His name is The Word of God. And the armies in heaven… [that's us and the angels] …were following Him on white horses; and they were clothed in fine linen, white and pure. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations; and He shall shepherd them with an iron rod; and He treads the winepress of the fury and the wrath of the Almighty God. And on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords" (vs 11-16).

Here's the final battle, v 17: "Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, 'Come and gather yourselves together to the supper of the great God so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of chief captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all, free and bond, and small and great.' And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to make war with Him Who sits on the horse, and with His army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked miracles in his presence, by which he had deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Those two were cast alive into the Lake of Fire, which burns with brimstone; and the rest were killed by the sword of Him Who sits on the horse, even the sword that goes out of His mouth; and all the birds were filled with their flesh" (vs 17-21).

We find what that is in Zech. 14, that special weapon of Christ. Here we have a great and fantastic thing take place.

Zechariah 14:12: And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will smite all the people who have fought against Jerusalem…. [Rev. 19] …Their flesh shall consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets. And their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."

Here they are all ready to fight, however many there are in the army, and Christ gives the word and their bodies just fall apart. Their skeletons collapse to the ground, and the great birds, the flesh-eating birds, are coming to clean up the greatest mess from the greatest war that has ever been! As they are circling and coming then we are coming down to the earth and the angel takes the beast and the false prophet and casts them into the Lake of Fire. Then we begin to reign!

Verse 3: "And the LORD shall go out and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives…" (vs 3-4). Right from where He ascended to heaven, He'll come right back to that place.

"…which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall split in two, from the east and to the west, and make a very great valley. And half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 'And you shall flee…'" (vs 4-5).
Verse 6: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark. And it will be one day, which shall be known to the LORD, neither day nor night; but it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light" (vs 6-7).

All the saints are with Him. There we are; quite a thing! Fantastic battle; a great thing is going to take place! We are going to come and start cleaning up the earth and showing people what to do. God is going to rule in Jerusalem!

That's is the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets!

All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:23-25

• Revelation 14:6
• Ezekiel 33:1-11
• Joel 2:12-13
• Isaiah 13:1-13
• Isaiah 24:1-6
• Jeremiah 25:26-38
• Revelation 8:1-13
• Revelation 9:1-21
• Revelation 10:7-9, 11
• Revelation 11:1-18
• Revelation 15:1, 5-8
• Revelation 16:1-5, 8-18
• Revelation 19:11-21
• Zechariah 14:12, 3-7

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Revelation 6
• Daniel 11
• Matthew 24
• Mark 13
• 2 Thessalonians 2
• Zechariah 3; 4
• Revelation 4; 5
• Exodus 24

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 7/30/17

Copyright 2017—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.