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(Feast of Trumpets)
Fred R. Coulter—September 16, 2023
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Greetings, brethren, welcome to the Feast of Trumpets! This is the day that the world needs, and all Christians have been praying for, and it's going to save the world, but the world is going to fight against it!
Let's see how that works! As you know, all the Holy Days are listed in sequence according to the Calculated Hebrew Calendar in Lev. 23:
God has put them there so that those who know the Word of God will understand. Those who don't know the Word of God will not understand.
Leviticus 23:23: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying."
These are the words of God, so if anyone wants to know what God wants, all you have to do is read what He has said. Most people aren't willing to do that, and most people aren't willing to believe that! But that's how we are able to understand what God is doing.
- not because we're great
- not because we're more intelligent
- not because we have anything special beyond any other human being
except that
- we have the Holy Spirit of God
- we believe God
He spoke it and these are His words, and they are to us!
Verse 24: "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… [and silver trumpets (Num. 10)] …a Holy convocation.'"
God wants us to come together, because with this we're taught what we need to look to in the way of how God is going to fulfill His Word, and why we are here!
Verse 25: "You shall do no servile work therein but you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD."
Today we don't make offerings by fire, but we take up an offering. If you made an offering made by fire, you bring in a nice young bullock or a lamb or a goat. Think of the Feast with that! Think of the cost of it, if you look at it cost-wise especially in today's markets when you go the store and see how much everything costs. You can't pay for the grinding of meat, it's too expensive.
Let's see what God says about the blowing of trumpets, then we will see that this is talking, on the Feast of Trumpets, about the return of Christ. When we bring an offering, we bring it because we love God and we want to obey God and do His will. When the Church receives it, it must be handled according to the way that God wants it done:
- to serve the brethren
- to preach the Gospel
- to publish the Gospel
- to provide for the brethren the things that they need to grow in grace and knowledge
The whole object of everything that God is doing is contained in Matt. 10. it sufficient that the disciple—that's us—become as the Teacher—that's Christ!
What is it that we're supposed to have with Christ? The mind of Christ! The mind of Christ with the Holy Spirit gives us understanding.
Numbers 10:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Make two trumpets of silver for yourself. You shall make them of beaten work. And they shall be used for the calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps'" (vs 1-2).
What we're going to see is that on the Feast of Trumpets, they had a memorial of blowing of trumpets from sunrise to sunset. But all of the functions of Num. 10 will be fulfilled in the Feast of Trumpets when Christ returns!
"…the calling of the assembly…"—what is that assembly? We will see that we get ready to come back to the earth with Christ! Also, the bringing of all of the nations together to fight against Christ and the saints.
Verse 3: "And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall gather themselves to you at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And if they blow with one, then the leaders who are heads of the thousands of Israel shall gather themselves to you. When you blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall set out" (vs 3-5). So, God had a marching order!
Think about this: the Feast of Trumpets is the call of alarm!
- Are we not going to be organized in what we need to do by being on the Sea of Glass from Pentecost until Trumpets?
- Did God not have it all organized how they should march and where they should go, and how the battle should be?
If He did that with the children of Israel in the wilderness, think about what He's going to do in taking over the world!
It's got to be organized! We have to know what we're going to do, as we pointed out on the Day of Pentecost.
Verse 6: "When you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall set out. They shall blow an alarm for their journeys. But when the congregation is to be gathered, you shall blow, but you shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the silver trumpets. And they shall be to you for an ordinance forever throughout your generations." (vs 6-8).
Verse 9: "And if you go to war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, then you shall blow with the silver trumpets…. [also the ram's horn] …And you shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, and in your appointed Feasts…" (vs 9-10). Remember:
- the trumpet sounded on Pentecost
- the 7th trump is blown on Pentecost
- the resurrection takes place on Pentecost
"…and in the beginnings of your months, you shall blow with the silver trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, so that they may be to you for a memorial before your GOD. I am the LORD your God" (v 10).
There are all the instructions, and these—in type—will be fulfilled on the Feast of Trumpets at the return of Jesus Christ.
Since we are take up an offering on the Day of Trumpets, let's take a break and take up the offering.
(pause for the offering)
Brethren, thank you very much for your offering, and as you know, we use it the way God wants us to use it. We give a report every year from our outside accountant for everything that is done with the money that you send in.
As I've mentioned before, we have no debts, we pay no interest and we pay everything in cash or whatever form of currency that comes in: cash, check or digital. But they're all paid.
Let's understand something concerning the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets is shown in the book of Revelation, which pictures the return of Jesus Christ.
The seventh trump, which is blown on Pentecost, pictures the resurrection. The return of Jesus Christ is not going to come all at once, because God is interested in repentance, that we all come to repentance before Him!
But for the world, it's going to be the confrontation of God with all of the kingdoms of the world. As we have pointed out, the book of Isaiah especially has so many things that are scattered concerning all the prophecies that take place in the Bible that you have to know and understand the sequence of the Holy Days in order to understand when these days come.
Here in Isa. 2, the first part has to do with the setting up of the Kingdom of God on earth and the beginning of the Millennium. Then it goes backward to the time when the Feast of Trumpets is being fulfilled and we'll read what happens with all of the nations. Here's what God says:
Isaiah 2:8: "And their land is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made."
Think about that! Isn't that true, everything that we have? Yes, indeed!
Verse 9: "And men will be brought low, and humbled—forgive them not."
There will be a lot of people who won't repent at that time. Here's one we will see a little later on that is brought out in Rev. 6.
Verse 10: "Enter into the rock and hide in the dust for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty." They're going to see it!
Every eye is going to see it for a longer period of time than the world would ever imagine. They're going to have plenty of time to think about what's going to happen. What's going to happen on this day is:
Verse 11: "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the pride of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day, for the Day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every proud and haughty one…" (vs 11-12).
We have seen that, looking at some of the things that this world elite are planning in their takeover of the world, which is exemplified by the prophecy in Rev. 13 with the two beasts!
"…and upon every exalted one; and they shall be brought low…the beast who says—before he's brought low—'I'm God'] and it shall be upon all the high and lifted up cedars of Lebanon, and upon all the oaks of Bashan… [all the leaders and their armies, symbolically speaking] …and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall; and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasurable craft" (vs 12-16).
The Day of the Lord no one is going to escape!
Verse 17: "And the pride of man shall be bowed down… [isn't going to get the anywhere] …and the haughtiness of men shall be made low… [Why?]: …and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day."
What are they going to do? Once they find out their god—the beast—and all of the armies, all of their idols couldn't save them! Just like it says in Isa. 40 and other places where it says that anyone who makes an idol is stupid!
Verse 18: "And the idols He shall utterly abolish."
Now, here's what's going to happen, and here's how they're going to humble themselves and we'll see why that will take place because this earth and the heavens are going to be shaken like never before.
Verse 19: "And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth for fear of the LORD and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth."
Let's understand this: All of this was written in the 800sB.C. This tells us that we're looking pretty close to 3,000 years!
- Is the Word of God true?
- Will it always happen?
- Yes, indeed!
But there would be a lot of people who would read this and say that 'this was written back in the 800sB.C. and that never happened! Well, that doesn't mean it won't! This is a prophecy!
Verse 20: "In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth" (vs 20-21). We're going to see that He's going to:
- shake the heavens
- shake the earth
- shake the dry ground
- shake all the oceans
This day is going to be such an awesome day in the fulfillment of it!
Remember that in the fulfillment of prophecy, a day is a year, and sometimes even a little bit more. But every one of these prophecies we just read in Isa. 2 you find fulfilled in the book of Revelation.
Jer. 25 is profound because this means that God is bringing this upon the whole world. No nation is going to escape! No place of safety is going to be safe, except that one little place a few of the saints are to preserve the Word of God, that the Church would never die out. But all the rest of the world is going to be effected by this.
Jeremiah was given a vision and he was given a cup of the wrath of God. He was to take it to every nation that is listed in Jer. 25, but that is symbolic of all the nations of the world at the end-time. It talks about one king in particular. Let's see what's going to happen. This day, remember, no one is going to escape! All the saints will be up on the Sea of Glass.
When all of these events happen—at a certain point we'll be resurrected and be on the Sea of Glass—a lot of these things refer to the seven last plagues, as we find in Rev. 16.
Jeremiah 25:26: "And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them." This is drinking of the wrath of God!
Verse 27: "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'"'" (vs 27-28).
How about that for being thorough and complete!
Verse 29: "For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city, which is called by My name…"—Jerusalem!
This is when all of this starts to unfold. When the King of the North comes down against the King of the South and then enters into the Holy Place in the temple that's going to be built, and he calls himself 'God' this is when it starts!
That brings in the Tribulation, which the total amount of time is 3-1/2 years, and it's divided up into certain segments that we will see here in a bit. So, the LORD says to the rest of the world, 'If I start with My city, Jerusalem:
"'…shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished. For I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,' says the LORD of hosts" (v 29).
- You want a fight?
- You want a war?
Watch out when you fight against God! The sword of the Lord is swift, sharp and powerful!
Verse 30: "'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.'"
Think about this: the finality of all of this we are going to see when we're on that Sea of Glass. All that takes place leading up to it is going to be awesome indeed in itself and according to the Word of God. Here's why:
Verse 31: "A noise shall come to the ends of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with the nations… [every nation on earth] …He will plead with all flesh…"
That's what it is, and these things come in hopes that there will be some repentance; and yes, we will see that there is some repentance.
"…He will give those who are wicked to the sword,'" says the LORD" (v 31).
Verse 32: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation… [it's going to encompass the whole world] …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 32-33).
Why? Because they have all followed Satan the devil, and they have all rejected the Truth of God! Notice how He blames the shepherds:
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."
Think about that, all you wondrous ministers on Day Star and TBN, the pope, all the cardinals, bishops and everything else, pay attention, because it's coming on you like never before!
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" (vs 35-36).
Just because God takes a long time to come to this place doesn't mean it won't occur exactly as God has said.
Verse 37: "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 37-38).
Read the book of Ezekiel; it talks about the encirclement of doom! That's what's going to happen!
Let's see how else this is going to occur. This power and return of Christ to the earth, and the setting up of the Government of God is such a fantastic and awesome thing, and it's scattered throughout the Bible. When you put it all together and put all of these Scriptures and then tie it in with the book of Revelation, then you get a full scope of what's going to happen.
Remember that Jesus said, 'As in the days of Noah, before the Flood, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man. What did God do? He destroyed all flesh! Isa. 40 is quite a chapter. You read this and you will see how much of the way that book of Isaiah is written. Different parts from different timeframes in the fulfilling of Scripture are placed in different places. It has to be as we have covered, rightly divided and put together in order to understand it!
Isaiah 40:3: "A voice is calling out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
A type of that fulfillment was John the Baptist, but then it goes right into the end, right where it is when God says that He's going shake the heavens and shake the earth!
Verse 4: "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the LORD shall be revealed…" (vs 4-5).
We will see that as the sign of the Son of man! The whole world is going to see this, because the return of Jesus Christ happens in three phases, as we will see. Not all at once! Why does God do it that way? Because He's interested in repentance!
"…and all flesh… [those who are alive at that time] …shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (v 5).
Think about that for a minute! Whatever God says will be, because He's God! When He speaks it, He means it! Let's see what's going to happen to the earth. Remember that it's to all the nations that are upon the face of the whole earth.
Isn't it interesting that we have all the means of communication today to do that, as far as other people seeing it visually? Yes! But when God does it, coming from the heavens, the whole world is going to see it. These are really some powerful Scriptures here:
Isaiah 24:1: "Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, and turns it upside down…"
How He's going to do that we don't know. That can be done by just changing the poles, and they know that that's been done a couple of times.
"…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…" (vs 1-3).
That's going to happen, because everything of man must be destroyed! Think about all the things that men have done to make caves, have secret places. Well, when God shakes the whole earth He's going to crush all of those to nothing, because they were dens of iniquity for demons and Satan!
"…and utterly stripped; for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and languishes; the world withers and languishes; the proud people of the earth wither" (vs 3-4). Yes, it's going to be a day of great humiliation!
Verse 5: "And the earth is defiled…"
That's what's happening right now; that's why we're having all the difficulties we are, wherever you look in the world! There are problems, crisis, droughts, economic factors and perversions, like I have covered with the sexualization of the world trying to make it just like Sodom and Gomorrah! That punishment is going to come as never before!
Verse 5: "And the earth is defiled under its people; because they have transgressed the Laws… [Laws of God] …changed the ordinance…"
We have Sunday. Aren't we wonderful people, we only defy God and forget His Sabbath. But you come with us and have a good time every Sunday morning because we're good people.
That's coming to an end!
"…and have broken the everlasting covenant" (v 5).
When you break a covenant death is prescribed! That's why all of this is coming!
Verse 6: "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." Few compared to what it started out at the beginning! Everything will be eliminated!
Verse 7: "The new wine mourns, the vine withers, all the merry-hearted sigh. The gladness of tambourines ceases, the noise of those who rejoice ends; the joy of the lyre ceases. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to those who drink it. The city of shame is broken down; every house is shut up so that no one may come in" (vs 7-10). Everything comes to an end!
Verse 19: "The earth is broken, yea broken down! The earth is crumbling, yea crumbling to pieces! The earth is tottering, yea tottering!"—in its orbit!
The power of shaking the earth is going to be so mighty!
Verse 20: "Like a drunkard the earth is staggering, yea staggering! And it rocks to and fro like a tree hut! And its transgressions are heavy upon it; and it shall fall and not rise again."
Just because the wicked prosper for a while does not mean that God is not paying attention. He is! But He's going to take care of it in His way and in His time! That's why we have the Feast of Trumpets!
Verse 21: "And it shall come to pass in that day, the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high…"
- all of the elite
- all of those who worship Satan the devil
- all of the billionaires
- all of those who said that they are going to make this world a better world
- all of those who said they knew how to do it
'We're going enslave everyone of you and make you serf and vassals under our feet!'
"…and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered, as prisoners are gathered in a dungeon. And they shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days they shall be punished. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed, for the LORD of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, and gloriously before His elders" (vs 21-23).
There's a glorious end to it! We know, because the Feast of Tabernacles is coming!
(break@38:55)
We are one year closer to the return of Christ!
Isa. 13 is quite a chapter! You tie all those sections together that we have covered and that tells you that God means what He says. Sin has a great penalty to be paid. That's why God is interested in repentance!
We will see even though the thick of all of this that's going on, that's what God is interested in. how much moreso for us every day:
- as we grow in grace and knowledge
- as we come to understand the Word of God
- as we get closer and closer to the return of Christ
- as we see all of these things happening around us everywhere
- we've got to be strong in the Lord
- we've got to know and have that confidence
God is the only One Who can solve these problems, and it must be done God's way! But there must be the punishment of the sinners who have caused it!
Isaiah 13:6: "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" (vs 6-7).
They will realize that they are just flesh and blood!
Verse 8: "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."
In other words, it's so startling that it's incredible to understand.
Verse 9: "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… [look what's going to happen, we will see how this is going to be in the book of Revelation] …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" (vs 9-10).
Notice v 11 and realize that whenever there is pleasure in sin for a season, punishment is on its way! It's going to come in a way before the Day of the Lord upon all of those who sin that they don't expect! When it comes with the Day of the Lord, there is going to be nothing that any man or woman can do except repent or die!
Verse 11: "And I will punish the world for their evil…"
Think about that and go back and think about what it was before the days of the Flood, that every thought of the imagination of the heart of everyone was only evil continually!
"…and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, 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 going to come!
Let's set the stage on the timing at this point. What is going to happen. We know from Dan. 9 that there's a last 7-year period called the 70th week. In that week, each day is a year in fulfillment. The first 3-1/2 days will look like all men are going to solve all of their problems and everything is going to be fine.
Then in the middle of the week, everything is going to come unglued! The King of the South will come against the King of the North, who will come against the King of the South and take over the area of Egypt, the Holy Land and different countries surrounding it, as well.
Then—as it says in the book of Daniel—he will cause the sacrifice and the oblations to cease! Like Jesus said, 'the abomination of desolation shall stand in the Holy Place!' that's at the beginning of the 3-1/2 year Tribulation Period. We will talk about the sections that it's divided into in just a minute
That's where the one who is the Beast Power and all the world worships—worships Satan and the beast who gave the beast his power (Rev. 13) and he has power over all nations.
Let's set the stage for how this begins. Remember that Rev. 5 tells us that nothing is going to happen on the earth except that it is orchestrated from the Throne of God! Everything is written in the Scroll sealed with seven seals! Those seals are opened up in sequence. The first seal that is opened up is the great false religion that's going to encompass the whole world.
The whole world will follow it! They will worship the beast as 'God in the flesh'! As we now know, they're going to have a new Bible written by Artificial Intelligence! When they're done with that, the whole world is going to rejoice, be happy and come together, because God has given it into the hand of Satan to do that! That's the first seal!
Then the second seal the Beast Power comes into power! Then when he—the beast himself—enters into the Holy of Holies, that's when the Tribulation begins as Jesus said in Matt. 24: Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, let the one who reads understand! That last phrase there was put in by the Apostle John when he was canonizing the New Testament! When he wrote that phrase in there in canonizing the N.T. the temple was gone! Yet, in Rev. 11 the two witnesses are there and God told him to rise and measure the temple. That's why it has to be built!
When it comes to the point that the Great Tribulation begins, this is when Israel goes into captivity wherever they are, and they will be in captivity for two years (Hos. 5:21 & Hos. 6:1-4)! At the end of two years it says that God will raise Israel up. So, at the end of two years is where we are when we enter in to the events in Rev. 6:12.
There are two years of war, two years of Tribulation, but that's not the Day of the Lord and that's not the wrath of God! Right in the middle of that, at the end of two years, God is going to make His first visible intervention in the world! All of these other Scriptures that we have read up to this point will begin to be fulfilled in rapid-fire order for the next year and a half. We will see that in the book of Revelation.
Rev. 6:12 brings us to the sixth seal! This is when everything changes! This is when God shakes the heavens, shakes the earth and everything in it. He shakes it more than once. Remember that Satan is preparing the world for an invasion from outer space!
Phase One of the Return of Christ
Here we see the first phase of Jesus' return. There are three phases to it that we will cover. The first one is here:
Revelation 6:12: "And when He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as the hair of sackcloth, and the moon became as blood… [we already read about that] …and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its untimely figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind" (vs 12-13).
Verse 14: "Then… [this is going to startle the world] …the heaven departed like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place." The shaking of the heavens and the earth!
Verse 15: "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the powerful men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains"—tie in Isa. 2, written 3,000 years ago; here we see the fulfillment!
At first, they're going to really be thinking that this is the return of Jesus Christ! But something happens and they change their mind. That's because of what occurs with this:
Verse 16: "And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of His wrath has come… [just starting] …and who has the power to stand?'" (vs 16-17).
- What is this "…the heaven departed like a scroll…" (v 14)?
- What's that going to reveal? The first phase of the coming Christ!
But it will take more time until He and the saints come on the earth, and that's what the Feast of Trumpets is all about.
Matthew 24:29: "But immediately after the Tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened… [Rev. 6:12] …and the moon shall not give her light… [Rev. 6:12] …and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken."
Why have the heavens roll back as a scroll? So that everyone can see this! Everyone on the whole earth is put on notice that God—the Creator Who made the heavens and the earth—is intervening directly in the affairs of this world! When it's rolled back then what's going to be?
Verse 30: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven…"
What is the sign of the Son of man in heaven? Christ is not going to come suddenly right to the earth. He's going to roll back that clouds, the sky, the heavens and there's going to be the sign of the Son of man. He's giving them notice! 'I'm coming, everybody! I'm coming!'
"…and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (v 30).
- What is that going to be like?
- How long will that be?
The next major event will be the resurrection of the saints, but that won't take place for another year from the opening of the heavens! What do we have? We have in Mal. 4 where it talks about the Sun of Righteousness shall arise!
So, the sign of the Son of man in heaven above is the Sun of Righteousness as depicted in Mal. 4. There will appear out there in the heavens, because when the heavens roll back as a scroll there will appear another sun. People at first are going to be startled! We will also see that this will lead to a great repentance, because God is interested in repentance!
Malachi 4:1: "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like a consuming oven; and all the proud, and every doer of wickedness, shall be stubble. And the day that comes shall burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and will leave them neither root nor branch.'"
This can also be carried out to the time of the Lake of Fire! But this tells us, not yet:
Verse 2: "But unto you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise…"—the sign of the Son of man (Matt. 24)!
So, the heavens roll back as a scroll and there it is, another sun! Now, it doesn't come close to the earth. It's out there somewhere. How far away from the earth we don't know. But there it is! There will be a time when this is there, and this will be there for one whole year, from Pentecost to Pentecost!
"…and healing will be in His wings. And you shall go out and grow up like calves of the stall" (v 2).
Let's look at the first reaction that God wants in showing the sign of the Son of man and rolling back the heavens like a scroll so that this Sun can be seen! They know it's from God!
What do we have in Rev. 7? We have the greatest mass repentance ever in the history of the world starting with the 144,000 of the children of Israel!
After the heavens roll back and everything is shaken out of its place, then there will become a calm, and that calm will last from Pentecost to Trumpets. In that period of time the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude of every nation, every language repent! That's what God wants!
Those who repent in Rev. 7 are likened to the parable of the laborers to go into the vineyard and work. When the lord went out there at the 11th hour there were those who hadn't been employed. He said, 'Has no man hired you?' No, lord! 'You go work in my vineyard and I will pay you what is right.'
So, all of these 144,000 and great innumerable multitude represent the last of the workers who are converted in that last year, given the Holy Spirit and sealed because of their repentance, and God sends an angel to seal them with the Holy Spirit. With that calm from Pentecost to Trumpets all of this is going to take place.
One thing to understand, because when you read Rev. 7 it looks like that they go to the Throne of God, but that doesn't happen until the resurrection. The resurrection doesn't happen until the 7th trump sounds, the last trumpet!
Picture this: This repentance begins on Pentecost!
- When did the Church start? On Pentecost!
- What happened there at the Temple? 3,000 were converted that very first day, because they all heard them speaking the Word of God in their own language! Right at the Temple!
Here are the children of Israel in captivity! Others are in captivity, and the heavens roll back as a scroll and the sign of the Son of man, another sun, appears out there in the heavens, and they repent! They understand that Christ is coming! These are the laborers of the 11th hour in the parable of the workers in the vineyard.
Rev. 8 begins the real war and destruction of angels against men and demons fighting each other. And we have the seven trumpet plagues! The seven angels were each given a trumpet and to sound their trumpets. This ties in with the account in Joel 2 and the army of God!
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, and seven trumpets were given to them. 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" (vs 1-3).
Look at all the new saints newly converted here. The fifth seal: all the saints are killed except those in a place of safety. Here these people are praying to God and thanking God, and being converted. God hears their prayers. Just like with us when we go to pray. God hears our prayers and He answers our prayers. He leads us in the way we need to go.
- sometimes He answers right away
- sometimes His answer is no
- sometimes His answer is okay, later I'll answer that prayer
But He always answers! Yes, no or later!
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, and cast it into the earth; and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake" (vs 4-5).
Another earthquake! When He shook the heavens and the earth, there was a big earthquake in Rev. 6. Now here's another earthquake.
Verse 6: "Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound their trumpets." Now God is directly intervening!
Satan is going to respond as we see in Rev. 8. then the battle is going to be between men and men, and angels and demons. A battle such has never have been seen on the face of the earth.
Verse 7: "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."
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." That's something when God intervenes!
Like Job said, 'Oh, I wish that God would speak to me.' Boy, did his attitude change when God spoke to him! You don't really want that! You want to be first on God's side:
- with His blessing
- with His Spirit
- with His protection
That way you meet God in peace!
Verse 10: "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" (vs 10-11).
Verse 12: "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."
Everything is going to change! All of these fantastic measures that are coming upon the earth, orchestrated by God and the angels are going to be absolutely startling! Even in this, we will see in just a little bit, God is interested in repentance!
Will any repent? Well, very few, if any! From this point on they don't. the greatest mass repentance was in Rev. 7.
Verse 13: "And I looked; and I heard an angel flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, '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.'"
How far down into that last year and a half that's going to be, we don't know. Notice that all of these trumpets are numbered 1-7. There's the 1st and there's the 7th, the 7th one is the last one. That's the one for the resurrection of the saints.
So, we go from Pentecost to Pentecost—the resurrection!
Let's see what happens with the 5th angel, and this becomes even more intensified with Satan and the demons and men fighting against each other, demons against demons! It's just a great massive mess of war!
Revelation 9:1: "And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet; and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and there was given to him the key to the bottomless abyss." This star is an angel who descended from heaven!
Verse 2: "And he opened the bottomless abyss…"—the prison of the demons!
How many are there we don't know, but when these come out with a great plague, and it's going to be awesome, indeed! When they came out:
Verse 3: "Then locusts came onto the earth from the smoke; and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was said to them that they should not damage the grass of the earth…"
There's a space of time of four months. Whenever grass burns, if you have any water it grows! The grass has no understanding about all of these things going on. It's just grass! God made it so that it's in the soil and if it's dry it won't grow, if you give it water, it will grow!
A third of the grass was burned up previously, so now with the space of time between and probably rain, as well, now there's grass. So, you don't hurt the grass of the earth:
"…or any green thing, or any tree, but only the men who did not have the seal of God in their foreheads" (v 4).
This means God is giving protection to the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude!
Verse 5: "And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months…:
- from Pentecost to Pentecost is 12 months
- from Trumpets to Trumpets in a leap year is 13 months
That's probably what it's going to be like in that last year!
"…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; 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" (vs 5-8). Great weapons, demonic weapons!
Verse 9: "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 9-10).
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." Satan the devil himself!
Verse 12: "The first woe is past. Behold, after these things two more woes are still to come."
Verse 13: "And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet…"—and the greatest army in the history of the world: 200-million stretching from the Far East all the way to the Holy Land!
They're gathered to this battle! All of the armies don't come all at once. Some come and then the River Euphrates is dried up so they can come and fight! There was great destruction and a third of men died because of it.
Verse 17[transcriber's correction]: "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. By these three a third of men were killed… [great slaughter such has never been] …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 17-19).
Notice a very key thing here in v 20 with all of this going on, what is God interested in with those down on the earth at that particular time?
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 that they might not worship demons, 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).
Rev. 10—seven thunders! We don't know what they are, because never told us! You can't go back and look at the seals and the other plagues that took place and say that you understand what they're going to be. No, God never revealed it! But then there's another warning given to John in Rev. 10 that there is yet to be a preaching of the Gospel of Repentance, because God is interested in repentance!
Phase Two of Christ's Return
Then we come to the 7th trump, which is the resurrection! So, we have
- Pentecost—144,000 and the great innumerable multitude converted.
- the next Pentecost—the 7th trumpet sounds (Rev. 11); all of the dead are raised
As Jesus said, 'the angels take them into the air.' Where do they go? Rev. 15 shows to a Sea of Glass! We are all there on the Sea of Glass!
How does that Sea of Glass get there. Well, we have that second Sun that is out there, and the world is seeing for a whole year. Then all of a sudden, just before the 7th trumpet sounds, that Sun comes streaking toward the earth. Then varooom! and it becomes a great Sea of Glass!
Then all the saints are going to stand on it! All those who are resurrected (Rev. 15).
Revelation 15:2: "And I saw a Sea of Glass mingled with fire, and those who had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, standing on the Sea of Glass, having the lyres of God."
Yes, we must be taught because from Pentecost of the resurrection to Trumpets[transcriber's correction] is a period of about 4-1/2 months! So, as we covered on Pentecost, all the things we need to learn and understand and then:
- the marriage of the Lamb and the Bride
- the wedding feast
- the preparation for war
This is when we all see the seven last plagues when we're standing on the Sea of Glass! This is going to draw all nations to come and fight against 'aliens' on the Sea of Glass, because we will be aliens. They won't know us!
Today, is the world being programmed by Ancient Aliens? Yes the programs on television digging up these old civilizations and finding their gods and what they wrote about them! They're going to say that aliens are coming to invade the earth! The world is going to believe them!
For all of us up on the Sea of Glass we're going to see the seven last plague poured out! They are going to be mighty, indeed! Those seven angels who have the seven last plagues are going to pour them out right out of the cups or vials that they have of pure gold. They are going to pour them out on the earth!
Rev. 16 is the finality of the Day of the Lord! That day runs from Trumpets to Trumpets!
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.'"
Here we are on the Sea of Glass, and we can see the Throne of God, the seven angels giving these seven last plagues. We can see them go!
Verse 2: "And the first angelwent 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."
Understand that all of these weapons of God He always uses! Go back and read about the plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians, same thing!
Verse 3: "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."
How about that! All those who believe in the immortality of the soul, the word there is 'psuche' which is translated soul in the KJV! They didn't even understand where it said, 'All the souls in the sea die and that means all the living things in the sea. So, the soul can die, man and beast!
Verse 4: "And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers, and into the fountains of waters; and they became blood."
How do the angels look at these things having known the whole history of mankind, and what all men have done, what Satan has done, what the demons have done in bringing this great evil upon the earth.
These are horrible and terrible, and unbelievable plagues!But how do the angels look at them?
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. For they have poured out the blood of saints and of prophets, and You have given them blood to drink; for they are worthy'" (vs 5-6).
Verse 7: "And I heard another voice from the altar say, 'Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.'"
To bring these things upon Satan and the demons and the men who follow them.
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, Who has authority over these plagues, and did not repent to give Him glory" (vs 8-9).
Again, even in all of this, God is interested in repentance!
Verse 10: 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, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; yet, they did not repent of their works" (vs 10-11). Again, repentance!
Verse 12: "And the sixth angel poured out his vial into the great River Euphrates; and its waters were dried up, so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. Then I saw three unclean spirits…" (vs 12-13).
In order to bring all the nations together, the final deception on them occurs right here in v 13:
Verse 13: "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; 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" (vs 13-14). That's going to be something!
Then there's this little inset verse for all of us; a warning for everyone who has a Bible and can read it:
Verse 15[transcriber's correction]: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is the one who is watching and is keeping his garments…"
So, not only is God interested in repentance, but He's also interested in faithfulness!
"…so that he may not walk naked and they may not see his shame. And he gathered them together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon" (vs 15-16).
Verse 17: "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.'"
- It is accomplished!
- It is fulfilled!
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. And the great city was divided into three parts; and the cities of the nations fell; and Babylon the Great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. And every island disappeared, and no mountains were found" (vs 18-20).
Remember where we started in Isa. 40—every valley shall be exalted and every hill shall be brought low!
Verse 21: "And great hail, each stone the weight of a talent… [180 pounds] …fell down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague was exceedingly great."
Now comes the final fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets, and whenever there's an ending there's always a new beginning. So, with this ending, there will be a new beginning.
That's why we have Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles coming quickly! So, we have Rev. 19 and everything that took place there with the marriage of the Lamb, and we all know what we're going to do and then we come to v 11, the final thing that's going to happen on the Feast of Trumpets. All the saints from Abel through all the:
- patriarchs
- kings
- prophets
- apostles
- all the saints
- the ministers
- the people
all those who
- love God
- serve Him
- believe Him and have received their rewards
We all have our assignments and know what we're going to do. We're all assembled to go and Christ comes:
Phase Three of the Return of Christ
Revelation 19:11: "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." Yes, the Lion of the tribe of Judah!
Verse 12: "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" (vs 12-13).
John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and the Word was God."
Revelation 19:14: "And the armies in heaven were following Him…"
That's us, all the saints, everyone in the first resurrection. We're all organized! You don't go on an attack if you're not organized in what you're going to do, what your goal is and what you have to accomplish!
"…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 14-16).
He is coming to take His Kingdom, to take the world! To bring it:
- peace
- love
- joy
- prosperity
to complete the Plan of God!
Verse 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.'"
All of the flesh, all of the blood God is going to clean up immediately. All of these birds are going to come from wherever in the world to this great feast! It's going to be quite a thing to see all of them devouring the flesh of these men. The flesh is going fall right off their bones!
Verse 18: "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."
Verse19: "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." They don't stand a chance!
Like it says in Zech. 14, their flesh falls right off their bones! Think about what a bloody mess that's going to be!
Verse 20: "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."
That's their first death! Their second death will be the same thing!
Verse 21: "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."
To summarize all the events leading to the return of Jesus Christ and the saints on the earth, let's just do a quick review on the three phases of Jesus' return:
- First Phase—the sign of the Son of man in heaven that shines from the east to the west, which is the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:1).
That happens on Pentecost, the great innumerable multitude and the 144,000 repent and are saved.
- Second Phase—one year later—of the return of Christ comes which is that the sign of the Son of man comes down toward the earth and when it gets into the atmosphere it will burst out into a huge Sea of Glass and the resurrection will occur. We'll al be there from Pentecost until Trumpets and all the events that will take place on the Sea of Glass we cover on Pentecost.
- Third Phase—is with all the resurrected saints together coming as the army of God (Rev. 19)
The meaning of the Feast of Trumpets is great and awesome! Various parts of the Bible bring it all out!
Have a good Feast of Trumpets and prepare for Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles that are coming and are likewise great and wonderful Feasts of God! So we can say, "Amen"!
Scriptural References:
- Leviticus 23:23-25
- Numbers 10:1-10
- Isaiah 2:8-21
- Jeremiah 25:26-38
- Isaiah 40:35
- Isaiah 24:1-10, 19-23
- Isaiah 13:6-13
- Revelation 6:12-17, 14
- Matthew 24:29-30
- Malachi 4:1-2
- Revelation 8:1-13
- Revelation 9:1-13, 17-21
- Revelation 15:2
- Revelation 16:1-21
- Revelation 19:11-13
- John 1:1
- Revelation 19:14-21
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Matthew 10
- Daniel 9
- Revelation 13; 5; 11
- Hosea 5:21; 6:1-4
- Joel 2
- Revelation 10
- Zechariah 14
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 7/27/23
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