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And greetings, brethren. This is the Feast of Trumpets, 2001. And as we see world events develop, as we see things happen, this day the Feast of Trumpets, as we will see, pictures the literal return of Jesus Christ and the saints on the earth. Now as we have seen, all the feasts of God are connected one with the other. Passover with Unleavened Bread. Unleavened Bread with Pentecost. And now Pentecost with Trumpets because there are a lot of events that take place especially in the last year before Christ puts His feet on the earth, and it comes through Pentecost and then right on up into Trumpets.
Now let’s begin by going to Leviticus 23 as we always do. And here’s a command to keep the Feast of Trumpets. And of course as we will see and understand that this is very important concerning the plan of God. Now, Leviticus 23:23, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD” (Lev. 23:23:24). Now we always take up an offering on all the holy days because we find in Leviticus 23 that every holy day a special offering was given.
Now, let’s go to Luke 21, and let’s just ask the question, because many times we don’t think of things that God looks at them. And so let’s look at them the way that God looks at them, and let’s ask the question that we find here as we examine Luke 21. Because here’s a living principle that is absolutely true, as we covered last time on Pentecost. If you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly. Well here in Luke 21 we have another principle which is very important.
“And He [Jesus] looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And He said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offering of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had” (Luke 21:1-2). There are two important things to understand here. Number one, if you want God to be generous with you, then you be generous with God. And you have to ask the question in giving offerings: Do you give from what you have left over, or do you give from just your abundance, or do you give because you love God and because God commands an offering to be given? Now these are the things that we all have to ask ourselves concerning offerings that we give to God, whether it be holy day offerings, or whether it be offerings during the year, or whether it be the tithes that we give to God. And an old saying is, if you’re going to be a curmudgeon with God, God will be a curmudgeon with you. And you can find that principle all the way through the scriptures. So as we take up the offering I just wanted to comment on that and just make things a little bit different for the offering since we take them up every holy day. So right at this time we’ll take a pause and we’ll take up the offering.
(Pause)
The Feast of Trumpets is actually a feast depicting war. The trumpet is used in all occasions concerning war. Now we know from the Feast of Unleavened Bread that during the days of Joshua when the circled Jericho, they blew the trumpet as they circled it. And they circled it once. And the priest went out with the Ark and they had seven rams horns which they blew the trumpet. Those were the trumpets that they blew at this particular occasion called a shofar. Then we also find that on the last day, the seventh day that they circled it, then they blew the trumpet seven times as they circled seven times. And isn’t it interesting how that at the seventh time that they blew it that all the people shouted and the walls of Jericho fell in, and Jericho belonged to Israel. God destroyed the enemy in a day, instantly. And we will see that there are some parallels when we come to the book of Revelation, but not exactly just in one day that this happens like it did at Jericho.
Now let’s go to the book of Judges 7:15, and we will see another instance where trumpets are used and it’s depicting war. Now this is the battle of Gideon, and remember what happened. God said, “I want you to go against the Midianites. So you get an army Gideon.” So 30,000 showed up and God said, “That’s too many cause it’s My battle, it’s not your battle.” So then He said, “All those that lap up water like a dog, they are the once that you are going to use for your troops.”
So we come to Judges 7:15, “And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers” (Josh. 7:15-16). So they had empty water pitchers, and they had a lamp. In other words a little torch in there so they could see where they were going but the light would shine down and the enemy wouldn’t know that they were coming.
“And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp [that is of the Midianites, where they were camped at night], it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do [you shall do the same]. When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And so Gideon and [the 300 men]…”, I always like this account, this is really a good account here, “…that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.” So the flames instantly became seen. “And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands [what a great way to fight a battle] to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp [they didn’t even draw the sword to go in]: and all the host [that is of the Midian] ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow…” (vs. 17-22). So God just turned each one of the Midianites against each other and they killed themselves. So that’s quite a way to fight a battle. You don’t have to go out there and worry about casualties. And so that’s what happened. The battle was God’s.
Well, we have battles that God is going to fight for us. We’re going to see some other things here concerning the trumpet, that it’s always at a time of war. Let’s come to Jeremiah 4, and here’s part of the warning that God gave to Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem during his warning.
Let’s pick it up beginning in verse 3. Now when these things come, when war comes it is a judgment for sin. So this feast, the Feast of Trumpets is not only a war feast, it is a judgment feast. And it also is a feast of the Day of the Lord. Before God does anything He always calls the people to repentance, like He did here. But He warned them and He said, “For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart…” In other words your stubbornness and your wretchedness and your rebellion against God. “…Ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest My fury come forth like fire…” And we’re going to see that fire has an awful lot to do with God’s judgment. “…And burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jer. 4:3-4). So God gave the warning.
So He says, “Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities. Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north…” Now He’s saying in this case, “You go try and defend yourselves. You blow the trumpet but I am bringing the army from the north.” “…And a great destruction. The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate [that’s Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon]; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us” (vs. 5-8).
And then it says the priest were astonished, and the prophets, that is all the prophets - the false ones. They were wondering what was going on because they were saying, verse 10, “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely Thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul” (vs. 9-10). No, it was they deceived themselves. What God did was not deceive them, but this expression means that God let them deceive themselves with their own devices.
Now let’s come down here to verse 14. “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” Now it’s the same way with us today brethren, in this society. How long is it going to be that this world is going the way that it is? In it’s sin and it’s rebellion and the whole world. Well, God is going to use this day to send Christ back to straighten out the whole world and prepare for the rule of the Kingdom of God.
Now let’s come over here to verse 19. “My bowels [Jeremiah says], my bowels!” Just seeing in prophecy and in vision all these things that are going to take place. “I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction…” And when it happens at the end time God says that the dead will be from one end of the horizon to the other end of the horizon. God is going to execute His judgment in vengeance and in power and in understanding, and in glory. “…Suddenly are My tents spoiled, and My curtains in a moment. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For My people is foolish [God says], they have not known Me; they are sottish [rebellious, stubborn] children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void…”, because of war. There was another time when it was without form and void and that was after the war between Satan and his angels and God and His angels, and left the earth in great destruction and that was the judgment of God upon Satan and the angels that fell with him, the demons. Now we have the same thing here, without form and void. “…And they had no light” (vs. 19-23).
“I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by His fierce anger” (vs. 24-26). And we’re going to see that’s going to happen to the whole world as this Feast of Trumpets pictures.
Now let’s see how that this Feast of Trumpets pictures the Day of the Lord. Let’s go to Joel 1. And in the book of Joel it talks about the Day of the Lord. And the Day of the Lord means the literal day in which Christ and the saints are going to put their feet on the earth. It means the last year of prophecy as the events take place beginning with the trumpet plagues, and it also means the whole 3 ½ years of the Tribulation period. So from the context of the scripture we’re reading then we’ll understand which Day of the Lord it’s talking about here.
Now, let’s come here to Joel 1:14, and I want you to understand why does God do these things. One, for judgment, and two for repentance. Because you see when everything is smooth and nice people see no need to change. People see no need to repent. But when things are in upheaval, when there is trouble and difficulty and war and destruction, and death and starvation, and famine and pestilence then people begin to examine their lives and say, “Oh, God, what have I been doing.” So God calls for a fast.
“Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come” (Joel 1:14-15).
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;” (Joel 2:1). And brethren let me just tell you one thing, very important. It’s nearer than when we first believed, as Paul said. And also another thing to keep in mind is this: is that for many of the seniors the Day of the LORD will not be one that they will see until they are resurrected, but the Day of the LORD comes when they are brought into their rest and their final sleep to be in the grave and wait the resurrection. And so we need to keep that in mind too. So while it’s all peaceful and nice and we have all the blessings that God has given us, we need to understand that all of those things are all temporary. And remember, when they say “Peace, peace.”, then sudden destruction comes.
Now let’s continue on. This day is going to be a day like none other. “A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” Going right on into the millennium. So this army is going to be vast. It is going to be great. And we’re going to see it here as we go back and review some of the events in Revelation 8 and 9. “A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them” (vs. 2-3). And it talks about the appearance of them as horses and horsemen, so they run. And it’s going to be awesome. Maybe… I’m going to ring my cowbell here [ring]. Many of you know I have a cowbell when I give my opinion. But could it be that a lot of these troops are not only programmed to do the things that they are doing, but also that there are demons who possess them, and also could it be that they have some sort of microchip in them to cause them to do the things that they do, to where when they are wounded they don’t drop dead they just keep going? Who knows what they can do between now and the time when the final Feast of Trumpets comes. We don’t know.
Now continuing, verse 5. “Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:” (vs. 5-7). Now, you stop and think about some of the movies that they are putting out today. Don’t they show men running up on walls and leaping from buildings and climbing up and jumping through windows, and all of that sort of…just picture right here.
“Neither shall one thrust another…” In other words they are going to be almost impregnable. You’re not going to have a spear to thrust through them or anything. “…They shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded” (vs. 8). That’s quite a thing, isn’t it? How can you fall on a sword and not be wounded? Well that’s something that they are trying to work on to have it so that men in battle will not die. Now we’re also going to see then, what weapon does God use? Well God has some very powerful weapons that He uses.
“They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:” Now we’re going to see that’s an accurate description of things in the book of Revelation as they take place. “And the LORD shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that executeth His word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (vs. 9-11). That is, who can live in it? So then once again God calls to repentance. And as we will see, as we did on Pentecost, that the seals are opened and all of the terrible things take place of that, and all of a sudden there’s a respite. And then there’s a call to repentance.
Is this in verse 12 here, when Israel in captivity repents, as we covered leading up to the day of Pentecost? Very likely, look at what it says here, verse 12. “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, Turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart…”, that is in true repentance. And that is why God seals the 144,000. Listen, when Israel goes into captivity, God is going to lead all the 12 tribes into repentance, so that the purpose of the captivity will be that they will return to God. And the purpose of Christ coming is to return the whole world to God. So that’s why we have these calls to repentance. So while we have life and while we have time we need to think about that in our lives. Are there things that you need to repent of? Are there things in your life that you need to change so that the judgment of God does not come upon you as it is coming upon the people here that are going to go into the great tribulation, as we will see. “…Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, and slow to anger, and of great kindness, an repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him;…” (vs. 12-14). So that’s the whole purpose of it.
Now verse 15, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:…” So this is the reason why these things take place. And I think during the tribulation there are going to be pockets of people here, and pockets of people there who are going to be repenting, who are going to be turning to God. After all there’s the whole great innumerable multitude as well as the 144,000 of Revelation 7.
Now notice, He says, “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O LORD, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” And so God is going to intervene. “Then will the LORD be jealous for His land, and pity His people.” And that’s when they repent. “Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto His people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine…” (vs. 16-19), then it goes right on in to the millennium from there.
Now let’s come to Matthew 24. Let’s understand that these times Jesus prophesied about. And there are some tremendous things that are going to happen. Matthew 24 is a very key and focal prophetic chapter in the book of Matthew. Now we know that the things are going to take place, they are going to lead up to the end. So what I want to do is lead up to, and show the events in sequence right to the last Feast of Trumpets, that is, not the last one that will be observed, but the last one as Christ comes down to the earth.
Now let’s come here to Matthew 24:12, so we can pick it up as it is in the society today. “And because iniquity shall abound [multiply], the love of many shall wax cold.” And brethren that is the challenge for us today. Living with so much iniquity and lawlessness around us, living in a time of plenty and affluence, living in the Laodicean age, can we repent? Can we change? Can we love God and not let the love in us grow cold to where we become callused and unfeeling, and having not the love of God. Not only the love of many toward each other, but the worse kind of love going cold is the love of God, because if you let the love of God grow cold and you become so lukewarm, you see, whereas when you’re called you’re zealous for God, then your love grows cold and you become what? Lukewarm. And then God spews you out of His mouth while the world is in a total cold situation, as God said, “I would you were hot or cold.” But you see, as it grows cold in you it becomes lukewarm.
Now let’s continue on, verse 13. “But he [the one who] that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” So there is the enduring that we need to do. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world…” And that means right at the end it’s going to be preached again. Now it’s been preached in every age, every century, all the way down from the time of Christ. God has made sure that the gospel has been preached. But here at the end-time now it has to be preached to the whole world. Not only is the Church going to be involved, but the two witnesses are going to be involved. And they are going to start their ministry just before the tribulation begins.
Now notice it says the gospel is going to be “…preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations…” And that has to be for all nations and all inhabitants on the earth that are living at that time. God is not going to have it so that not one person is going to be able to say to God, “God, I never heard. God, I never knew. Why didn’t you tell me these things were coming?” No, it isn’t going to be. He says, “…then shall the end come” (vs. 14).
Now, hold your place here in Matthew 24 and let’s come to Revelation 11, and let’s look at the two witnesses. Now let’s also understand something that’s important when we’re talking about the two witnesses. That God is not going to leave all the preaching to them. Now I’ve heard a lot of ministers say, “Well, you know we really don’t need to preach the gospel to all the world yet because you see the two witnesses are going to do that.” And so they lie down on the job and become lukewarm. No, we are to preach with whatever means, with whatever method, with whatever God gives us to do.
And it’s not just for the ministers to do. It’s for the brethren also to do, because it talks about there in Hebrews 10 that we have the laws and commandments of God written in our hearts and in our minds. And the day is coming that we’re going to have to go out and we’re going to have to do just exactly like the disciples did when the persecution did when the persecution came on them in the book of Acts, and they scattered everywhere and the Church grew as all the brethren went out because they preached the gospel, they understood it. It was a one to one relationship with people. So let’s not back away and say, “Oh well, we don’t need to preach any of the gospel anywhere because the two witnesses are coming. Well the two witnesses are coming. And if we do what we’re supposed to do perhaps some of those people that you communicated with and talked to and were able to give a witness to will say, “Aha, I heard that someplace before.”, and repent and be in the Kingdom of God as one of the last ones who repent, you see.
Now let’s pick it up here in Revelation 11:1. “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple [that is, separate from the temple] leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Rev. 11:1-2). Now if you do not have the two tapes that I did, it’s from the series of Revelation - Revelation 1 and Revelation 2 - I have some charts which go through and show the approximate time frame when these things take place. But the long and the short of it is, is that there is a difference in the beginning and the ending of the 42 months for the Beast, and the beginning and the ending of the 1260 days for the two witnesses. Because the two witnesses start before the Beast receives the deadly wound. And the two witnesses 3 ½ years plus 3 ½ days ends on the last Pentecost before the last Trumpets. So let’s see.
One more thing on the Temple. It is now quite well established that where the El-Aksa Mosque and the Mosque of Omar are, that’s not where the Temple was. The Temple was south of that. Those are to the north. And the big stones that you see on the western Wailing Wall are not the stones from the Temple, but those are the stones from the foundation of the Antonio Fort, which was legally the property of the Romans, and the Roman soldiers were garrisoned there. So everything coming south from the western Wailing Wall has been scraped bare. And true to what Jesus said, not one stone was left upon another. So they’re going to build a Temple and they’re going to find out that that is the area and that will be the ultimate solution to the Mosque of Omar and the El-Aksa Mosque problem and the Temple that they will build.
Now let’s continue on here, verse 3. “And I will give power unto My two witnesses…” Now if you don’t have the tape on “The Two Witnesses and Elijah”, write in for it. So you’ve got two things to write in for: the series on Revelation, and “The Two Witnesses and Elijah”. “…And they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” Now God is going to take two men with no apparent power, have them clothed in sackcloth and ashes, and they are going to be the two most powerful men in the world up against the Beast and the False Prophet, and their weapons are going to be the power of God. It’s not going to be in armaments. It’s not going to be in armies. It’s not going to be in multitudes of people. But two men standing against the whole world. And you see the reason God does that is because God delights in weakness. And God uses the small things. So here He’s going to raise them up and give them His power. And that’s why He does it, so that everyone will know this is from God.
Now notice verse 4. “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” And the sermon on the “Two Witnesses and Elijah” explains clearly who the two witnesses will probably be. Now verse 5, “And if any man will hurt them [that means, attempt to hurt them], fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies;…” Now you see this is much more powerful then when God intervened to call the children of Israel out of Egypt, and sent Moses and Aaron. Now there were plagues and miracles that took place, but these two men are going to stand face to face with the Beast and the False Prophet. Now notice, “And if any man will hurt them [and that is, I am sure, attempt to hurt them], he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (vs. 4-6). Now these are in addition to the plagues that we are going to read about in Revelation 8, 9, and 16. These are in addition. But these are the tools that God uses. God uses weapons that men cannot fight. It’s not like dueling with a sword. He’s going to send His power. He’s going to send fire. He’s going to send plagues. He’s going to turn water to blood.
Now notice, “…as often as they will.” Whenever God inspires them to say, “It’s not going to rain over here.” There’s going to be a drought. When there’s going to be rain over here and flooded out, it’s going to be there. And if they continue to rebel and not repent their drinking water is turned into blood. Now you know what happened. We’ll compare some of that with the plagues in Egypt. But these are the plagues that God always uses. These are the weapons of God. They’re fantastic.
Now notice God also does another thing. God let’s the wicked think that they have won. Verse 7, “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out to the bottomless pit [the abyss] shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” So God is going to let think, “Boy, we have finally gotten rid of these two men.” And they’re going to be so happy about it that they’re going to display their bodies in the streets of Jerusalem. “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half…” (vs. 7-9). Now that is… God does it for 3 ½ days so that the world will know that they are dead. You see there’s also a law that the Jews followed, which I’m sure came from God, that a person has to be dead for more than three days in order to be completely legally dead.
So here God let’s them lie there for 3½ days. Didn’t let their bodies be put into the graves. “And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them…” Now you see, instead of having this pause to use for repentance the world is going to rejoice, “…and make merry and send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth” (vs. 10). And now God’s surprise. God is going to literally, at the resurrection of the last Pentecost before Trumpets, He’s going to raise the two witnesses from the dead and the very last that died and were martyred for Christ will be the first raised from the dead to fulfill another principle of God. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.
Now notice verse 11. “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.” Now notice. “And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” I imagine some of them had the binoculars trained on them as they saw them disappear into the clouds. “And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly” (vs. 11-14).
Now then we’re right at the point of the resurrection when the seventh trumpet is sounded. And that seventh trumpet is blown, not on the Feast of Trumpets, but on the Day of Pentecost. For the resurrection, as we saw, that the trumpet was blown when the law was given. The trumpet is always blown on the Feast of Pentecost. And when God sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, there was the trumpet blown, and then I’m sure that’s when the Holy Spirit came and they began to speak in tongues. So here the trumpet is going to be blown and all the dead will be raised in this last Pentecost before the last Trumpets when Christ and the saints put their feet on earth.
Part 2
Now let’s review some of the weapons of war that God uses, and that He used against Egypt and the Pharaoh. Now we’re not going to turn back there and go through the scriptures. Rather, I’m just going to list them out so you can list them. There are a total, combining signs and plagues, 11 different things that God used.
1) The rod. Remember the rod of Aaron turned into a serpent and ate up all the rods of the magicians.
2) Turning water to blood. And we’ll see that in the book of Revelation, too.
3) Frogs. And of course those frogs weren’t just little pet frogs. These were the giant African frogs leaping everywhere. That must have been something. Frogs all over the place. See, God also has a sense of humor as well as judgment, see. But the frogs in Revelation 16 are a little bit different.
4) The lice. Now it doesn’t really matter how modern your equipment is, how great your house may be, how fantastic of ability that you may have, if you have lice crawling all over you, you are worthless. And they bite and probably get a lot of infection. Ok, now that was over then what happened?
5) Then swarms of flies, everywhere. And when God sent the swarms of flies, which was number 5, which is the number of grace, then God severed the land of Goshen from the rest of Egypt. They received none of the rest of the plagues that came upon the Egyptians. Now could this be what God may do with the 144,000 of the children of Israel of Revelation 7? Could very well be. As we saw they go through two full years of the Tribulation. Then at the beginning of the third year, then God raises them up.
6) The murrain. And the murrain is it’s just like a constant irritant raining down. How could I describe it? If you’ve ever been in an area where there was a volcanic dust coming down. Now I was up in Portland after Mt. St. Helen’s blew, and the dust was still coming down two days later and it was thick and just like powder everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. In the trees, on the houses, on the roofs, on the cars, on the road, on the sidewalk. All the people had to wear these masks so they could breathe. And it was just like a gray death everywhere.
7) Boils. Now God used that with Job, too, didn’t He? But they had boils, and also we’re going to see God uses boils again in Revelation 16.
8) And then hail. Remember God sent the hail and it had fire mingled with it as it went along the ground there in the book of Exodus. Well now this time is going to be the greatest hailstorm of all, as we will see in Revelation 16.
9) Locusts. And we’re going to see that locusts in this case are not just the physical ones, but the demonic angels who appear like locusts.
10) Three days of thick darkness. It was so dark that you could feel the darkness. Can you imagine so dark you could reach out and just touch it? And it caused great pain for three days. We’re also going to see that God also uses darkness again.
See, these are the weapons that God uses. And what can man do against it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
11) The last one is judgment. And isn’t that what God said, “I will pass through the land of Egypt and judge all the gods of the Egyptians and kill the firstborn of man and beast.” Well, this time it’s not going to be just the firstborn, it’s going to be the finest troops that the world can produce against the greatest weapons that the world can make. And we are going to see that some of these things right now are on the verge of being put into play. And they are going to be amazing things that will take place. And with that final one Pharaoh let the children of Israel go.
Now, when we come down to the end, let’s look at something here that’s very important. Since we’re right here in Revelation 11, let’s just come over here to Revelation 12. Now years ago before “Star Wars” movie ever came out I wrote an article… I’ll have to get it resurrected now. …called “Space Wars in Prophecy”. And I said at that time, and so I’ll ring my bell again, that could it be that the Beast goes up to a space station and possessed by Satan and from there he’s cast back down to the earth. And is that how he receives his deadly wound? We don’t know. So remember, I rang my bell. But at least we can think about it.
Now let’s come here to Revelation 12:7. And this is a war which is yet to be fought. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels [fought]…” Those are all the demons of Satan. “…And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven [for them]” (Rev. 12:7-8). Now Satan can go to the throne of God. That time, he’s cast down. So there’s war in heaven.
Now let me read to you a very interesting article that just came out on one of the websites. And it says, “Preparation for space war against King Jesus when He returns as - - - media blackout.” Very interesting. Disclaimer: “The following site is not a Christian site, therefore a Christian point of view is not given. The site is not endorsed beyond the following article.” And then he quotes Revelation 19:11-20, which we will cover a little bit later. He asks the question… Now you see there is more than one way of God being able to work with someone’s mind. So this person doesn’t claim to be a Christian but says, “Could it be that Satan is preparing the world governments for war in space against Christ when He returns as the Lion rather than the Lamb. Question: You be the judge.”
Here’s the article. “The United States is seeking to make space a new arena of war. But you wouldn’t know that from the mainstream media which limits its coverage to U.S. plans for missile defense only. The wider space military program is laid out in publicly available documents, easily accessible to media, such as the recent report of the Space Commission, chaired by the new U.S. Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. And thus a blueprint for a space military program of the Bush Administration. Power projection in…” Now this is quote. “… ‘from and through space’ is advocated for the U.S. in the report by the 13 member Space Commission formerly called, Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization. Its report issued January 11 says, “In the coming period the United States will conduct operations to, from, in, and through space in support of its national interests, both on the earth and in space. It urges the President to have the option to deploy weapons in space.”
Now this is why the NATO members and other countries are upset about it. They know what the scoop is. Americans are upset because after all, we just want to defend ourselves, so we’re told. However, it’s more to it than that, because you see what you’re looking at with the defense is only looking at the tip of the rocket. You have to see the whole thing.
Now also it says here, “It recommends that the U.S. Space Command, which now coordinates Army, Navy, Air Force space divisions, become a Space Corps modeled after the Marine Corps and then possibly a separate Space Department modeled equal to the Department of the Army, Department of Navy, and the military reports.” So they call for the U.S. to control space. And from space to dominate the earth below. And you would absolutely do that, wouldn’t you? Yes. Now you know why the rest of the nations are all upset.
“As the U.S. Space Command’s long range plan declares, the time has come to address among war fighters, and national policy makers the emergence of space as a center of gravity for the D.O.D. [that is the Department of Defense], and the nations interests. Space power in the 21st century looks similar to the previous military revolution, such as the air craft carrier warfare and blitzkrieg. A key rational for Star Wars now is the global economy.” Now think of that because Babylon the Great is tied in with a global economy and war making power. “When it first emerged under Ronald Reagan in 1983, the U.S. Star Wars program was purportedly needed to fend off what Reagan regarded as the “evil empire” of the Soviet Union. But there is no Soviet Union any longer. Now the U.S. would, from the ultimate high ground of space, dominate the planet below, in part to keep the global economy on track.”
“The U.S. Space Command’s “Vision for 2020” report covers things such as depicting a laser weapon shooting down a being from space zapping a target below.” Hello, we have troops already trained don’t we? Did you ever play video games? There you go. You’ve got it. “The globalization of the world economy will also contribute to the widening difference between the have’s and have-not’s. From space the United States, the engine of the global economy, would keep those have-not nations in line. “Vision 2020” declares the mission of the United States Space Command as dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect U.S. interests and investments, integrating space forces into war fighting capabilities across the full spectrum of the conflict. “Vision For 2020” [that’s the report] compares the U.S. effort to space control and the earth below to how centuries ago nations build navies to protect and enhance their commercial interests, referring to the great empires that ruled the waves and thus the earth to maintain their empirical economies. The long range plans states, ‘The United States will remain a global power and exert global leadership. The United States will always be able to forward its bases of forces, that is on the ground, out in different nations. Widespread communication will highlight disparities and resources and quality of life contributing in unrest in the developing nations. The global economy will continue to become inter-dependent, much more as time goes by. Economic alliances, as well as the growth and influence of multi-national corporations will blur security arrangements that now exist between nations. The gap between the have and have-not nations will increasingly widen and there will be regional unrest and instability.”
So the way you solve it is, you have control from space. You have weapons that can shoot down. Not just to shoot missiles that are coming at you, but to go to reach down and take care of the enemy below. Now how can you have any defense against that? You cannot. So that’s what they’re really looking for here.
“One of the long acknowledged and commonly understood advantages of space based platforms is no restriction or country clearance to over-fly a nation from space.” In other words, they are saying this: When ever they would have to fly troops to another nation because there was unrest, they would have to get clearance from different nations in order to fly over their sovereign space, which runs straight up from the borders from the land. This way then they won’t have to ask permission. They’ll just go do it. Now with this I want you to think big. I want you to think that the United States has the capacity to do this, but I also want you to understand that once it’s in place it’ll probably be controlled by the United Nations.
Now I want to read another scripture to you. Revelation 13. This is talking about the Beast, the final Beast of Revelation 13. Because you see, since it’s going to involve all nations the only logical authority to have control over this will ultimately be the United Nations. And isn’t that what the Americans have always done? They have given in to the United Nations. That is what I think is going to happen. Let me ring my bell [ring], because let me read this. After the deadly wound was healed, Revelation 13:4, “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying…”, now notice, “…who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Because see, he controls from space. Aha, God controls from higher space. So there’s going to be the time when they think that they are really going to bring the whole world together and force it together by power of military might and no one is able to make war against the Beast. Now you think about this space war, space control, and then have the U.N. controlling all nuclear weapons. And then think about the world army that the U.N. has considered. We’re looking at big, tremendous worldwide things that are going to take place.
Now notice, because of this, because of the Beast coming back to power, coming back to life, they’re going to say he’s God. And verse 5, “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies…” Just put in your margin right there, 2 Thessalonians 2, “The man of sin, the son of perdition.” This is it right here. “Going into the temple of God saying that he is God.” “…And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” That’s after the deadly wound was healed. Forty two months is the time of evil. Forty two months ends with the last Feast of Trumpets when the Beast and False Prophet are taken and thrown into the lake of fire. The 1260 days for the two witnesses ends at the last Pentecost when the resurrection takes place. But there are going to be some things that take place between Pentecost and Trumpets. But never the less, here’s the Great Tribulation.
“And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them…” So here’s the martyrdom of the saints. And we know from the other half of Revelation 13 that that is going to come because when the Beast comes back to life and is declared as God, then they are going to enforce the mark of the Beast and you will either take it or you will be killed. That’s why he overcomes the saints. “…And power was given to him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (vs. 6-8).
So brethren, we are getting down to cases. Now we don’t know how long we have until the end. We don’t know how long it’s going to take to develop the space capacities. We don’t know…this report says 2020, but I want you to understand, never if there is time left more than we expect, never ever, ever get yourself into a lackadaisical position by saying, “Oh well, there’s time left. I’ll just sit back and wait.” Don’t do that. Remember the parable of the farmer who said, “I’ve had great crops, what will I do? I’m going to sit back and have ease. I’m going to build me bigger barns and better this and that.” And God says, “Fool. Your life is required for you this night.” So we can’t play games with God. Don’t play games with yourself, and don’t play games with God. We don’t know how long it’s going to be. We don’t know how this is going to come about, how long it’s going to take. But it is there.
Now let’s pick up where we left off with the Feast of Pentecost. Let’s come to Revelation 14, and let’s look at the harvest of the wicked. Now on Pentecost I told you the rest of the story. Well you’re getting the rest of the story. I said you have to come back on Trumpets to be able to get the rest of the story. So let’s continue on with it. Now let’s just review. All the saints are on the sea of glass with Jesus Christ. God the Father comes down, I’m sure and I’ll ring the cow bell again [ring], ok., and marries Christ and the Bride. There are millions of guests there besides the Bride, and they will have inherited eternal life along with the rest. Then here we are all on the sea of glass. Now God is going to perform His great work and wonder against the world and for all the saints to see. We’re going to see the judgment of God. We are going to see the seven last plagues poured out. We are going to see the harvest of the wicked.
Now let’s pick it up here in Revelation 14:17. “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth [the wild vine of Satanism], and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs” (Rev. 14:17-20).
Now let’s go back to Joel 3 and see and let’s see the prophecy of this. Let’s see where this thing was prophesied. You see, the works of God are known from the beginning to the end. That’s why Jesus is called the Beginning and the Ending. Now here in Joel 3:1, “For, Behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity [that is bring back out of captivity] Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for My people and for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted My land. And they have cast lots for My people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink” (Joel 1:1-3). God says that He is going to bring them and there shall be the harvest.
Now let’s come over here to verse 9. “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel” (vs. 9-16). Now let’s come back to Revelation 14. The prophecy there in Joel 3 is fulfilled here in Revelation 14.
Now let’s come over there to chapter 15:5 and let’s see that part of the events leading up to the Feast of Trumpets. You see Pentecost and Trumpets are connected, even though the space of time is in between. Verse 5, “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: and the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four [living creatures] beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, Who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled” (Rev. 15:5-8).
Now let’s follow right along in chapter 16. “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore [worse than boils] upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image” (Rev. 16:1-2). Now, it really doesn’t matter what powerful weapons you may have at your disposal. If you are covered from head to toe with boils and sores you’re not going to be able to work. So you see God’s judgment is perfect. He catches men in their craft. Men think they have his all-powerful thing that they can do, but God sends a grievous sore and there is nothing they can do about it.
Now notice again here we have a comparison with what we saw in the book of Exodus. Verse 3, “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.” Every living thing. So when Christ and those of us who are the saints come back with Christ to the earth, we’re going to have a mighty task to do, aren’t we? This earth is going to be nearly completely destroyed because of the sins of the world, and the sins of men, and the armies and the fighting and the things that went on.
“And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.” Over here we saw leading up to Pentecost that they become blood, 1/3rd of if. Now here we have all of it, see. “And I heard the angel of the waters say…” Now this is interesting. There must be an angel that is in charge of all the water on the earth, because this angel said, “…Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast judged thus [this way]. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy” (vs. 4-6). Now I’m going to mention another book which came out in August which is “The Vatican Assassins”. I’ll be able to get you a little more information on this a little later on, but if you want to know where all the blood of the saints lies, where all the wars in the world have been initiated, and who is behind it, and who controls the synagogue of Satan, then I’ll get you the information for that book. This is going to open your eyes like nothing you have ever, ever read before in your life. That’s why God says they are worthy of it.
“And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments”(vs. 7). Now men looking at this think, “Oh, terrible.” But you see, look at what men and Satan have done to the saints, and the blood that they have shed, and the wars that they have caused. And this is truly the war to end all wars.
“And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God…” Now how hard headed and hard hearted and unrepentant can men be. They must be so absolutely totally indoctrinated and sold to Satan the devil that there is no other recourse that God has but to exterminate them. Notice as we went through and saw that God gives space of repentance, doesn’t He? But here there is no repentance. “…and they repented not to give Him glory” (vs. 8-9).
“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat [the capital] of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness [just like in Egypt]; and they gnawed their tongues for pain…” So this, between the grievous sores they have and the darkness which is so powerful and penetrating that you can actually reach out and feel it, it causes great pain and agony. “…And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds” (vs. 10-11). Now you see brethren, let’s just stop here and say something very important. It’s very important that you always have a tender heart toward God, and that you always need to understand that with the very nature we have we need to repent every single day as Jesus said there in the model prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive others.” That way then we will never be hard hearted and unrepentant like these men are.
“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [so there we are again very similar to what it was in Exodus], come out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of [demons] devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (vs. 12-14). They went out and said, “Look, we know this big alien space platform is up there. We know they are going to come to invade. We know that we’ve had all these things happen to us, but trust us we can win, we can fight. We have no alternative. The only way that we can continue to control the world is to repel this invasion from outer space.” They’re going to say, “Yes, let’s do it. Get all the armies together. Come marching on down to the valley of Jehoshaphat and there give your life in sacrifice for your evil deeds.”
Notice the warning here in verse 15. “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” A little warning to all Laodiceans. Now verse 16 continues on. That little inset verse 15 is quite important. “And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Which is the valley of Jehoshaphat.
And after He gathers them there, “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon 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…” I can just picture this great twin tower down there in Malaysia, just collapsing. They fell. “…And great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” It’s going to literally turn everything on the face of the earth upside down. “And there fell upon men…” Now there is no weapon that can fight this. So here again, just like God used hail in the book of Exodus, here now He uses great hail. Hail stones 180 pounds in weight. Now I don’t care how much armor you have. I don’t care of the size of your tanks. I don’t care what kind of airplanes you have, you cannot fight against hailstones weighing 180 pounds. “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent [180 pounds]: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great” (vs. 17-21). So there’s still some armies left to fight, aren’t there? Still some things that are going to take place.
Now after the enemy has been softened up because of the seven last plagues, and after the nations of the world have been brought completely, just almost totally destroyed, there still remains some more fighting that’s going to be done. And we’re going to do it with Christ. And so then a great phenomenal thing is going to take place. After they see that they cannot destroy this great sea of glass on which Christ and the saints are on, then they are going to look up and see us descending with Christ to the earth. Now let’s read it here. Revelation 19:11, “And I saw heaven opened…” There it is open. Bam, just like it did back there with the sixth seal. “…And behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” That’s Christ. “His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood…”, because the Feast of Trumpets is a war feast. And I’m sure just before this army of saints descends out of heaven the trumpets will blow and to announce the great battle of God Almighty and the saints. “…And His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev. 19:11-14).
“And out of His mouth goeth a sharp [two-edged] sword…” All Christ has to do to fight is speak and it happens. “…That with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” All He has to do is speak, and we’re going to see what happens here. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” And this is when the world is going to know Who God really is. That’s the very first start. Their encounter with God is going to be much different than ours. “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great” (vs. 15-18). Just like in Zechariah 14. When Christ and the saints return to the earth, those who fight against Christ, their flesh is going to fall right off of them. They’re just going to be consumed. It’s just going to be bones and flesh heaped all over the place. So God has the birds do all the clean up.
Now there are two individuals that this doesn’t happen to yet. And this is going to end the day of the Feast of Trumpets when Christ and the saints put their feet on the earth. “And I saw the best, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.” His armies going to be pretty worthless, isn’t it? If all their flesh is falling off them? Yes, indeed. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (vs. 19-21).
And so that is the mighty day and meaning of the Feast of Trumpets. And brethren, when we begin to rule as kings and priests on this earth with Christ, we are going to have a mess on our hands with the destruction of almost the complete destruction of the whole earth. But we’ll have the power of God, and the Spirit of God, and the plan of God, and we’re going to bring peace to the whole world.
But there’s one other thing that needs to take place, because the story does not end until the Last Great Day. So you come back on Atonement and we will get some more of the rest of the story.
