September, 2005

Fred R. Coulter, Minister

September 9, 2005

Dear Brethren,

Last week our country witnessed the tragic horror of the gigantic hurricane, Katrina, which struck with indiscriminate ferocity the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. It was the worst disaster ever to hit the United States and reportedly more devastating than 9/11.  Katrina’s path left a swath of over 90,000 square miles in shambles. The death toll is yet unknown. Multiple thousands of people lost their loved one, homes, jobs and businesses—everything they had. Cities were destroyed—roads and bridges obliterated. Nearly all commerce ceased. Electric and phone services were inoperative—cell phone towers were knocked down.

Many of the unfortunate survivors, who did not leave or were not evacuated, were left in New Orleans without water and food for up to five days in blistering heat and oppressive humidity.  Most of those who survived only had the clothes they were wearing and were transported to shelters where they received food, medical care and encouragement. As long as there is life there is hope.  They must begin to rebuild their lives from scratch.  The cities of New Orleans, LA; Biloxi and Gulf Port, MS were hit the hardest.  When rescue efforts finally reached high gear, they were able to move all the survivors to safety and transport them to other cities in Louisiana, Texas and other states. 

Surely everyone asks the question, “Why did this happen?” All too often we like to give uncomplicated answers. However, there are probably many reasons why this hurricane struck the USA.  Because God is in charge and He knows the hearts of all men and women, we can be sure this disaster has to do with His judgment against our nation. It has forgotten God.

There has never been anything like this in the Gulf states.  They have been hit by seven hurricanes within one year.  Four last year, Dennis three months ago, and Katrina is counted twice because it hit southern Florida before it hit the Gulf states.  Yesterday, I talked with Glenn Daniel and he reported that Gulf Shores, Alabama was yet devastated again with Katrina.  This is the third hurricane to hit that area in one year—Ivan last year, Dennis and Katrina this year.  As a result, it would be impossible to keep the Feast of Tabernacles there.  We are thankful that God made it possible for us to secure facilities in Waco, Texas for the Feast as a replacement for Foley/Gulf Shores, Alabama.

After the hurricane hit, Jim Hyles, Kimberly and I were on the phones trying to contact any brethren who are on our mailing list to see if they are safe and how the storm has affected them.  From what we have been able to determine, most, if not all the brethren who are with us suffered very little damage or were not affected at all.  We thank God for His mercy and protection.  However, because we have not yet heard from all the brethren in those states, we have set aside a special fund to help those who may be in need because we are our brother’s keepers.  We should know shortly what their circumstances are and what assistance they may need.  If you know of anyone who was affected by this disaster, please let us know and how we may contact him or her.

We need to pray for all the people affected.  We are grieved about those who have died, and pray that the survivors will realize that what they experienced was the hand of God and they need to repent and change their lives.  While most will not repent unto salvation, they surely can repent and begin to live their lives in accordance to the letter of God’ laws.

As the nation did with 9/11 and the hurricanes last year, America as a whole should pull together to help restore the survivors lives and rebuild the destroyed cities and homes.  When they begin to rebuild they will have to do it virtually from the ground up and it will take several years to complete.  The damage is estimated to be about one hundred billion dollars. It makes one wonder how many more disasters this nation can handle and how many insurance companies will go bankrupt because of insurmountable costs.

To rebuild New Orleans, which is below sea level, they should first investigate the way the Dutch have built their dikes to hold back the North Sea and survive two hundred miles an hour wind.  Also, when they begin to rebuild their lives, homes and cities, they need to consider some basic physical and spiritual principles spoken by Jesus: “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and practices them, I will compare him to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; but it did not fall, for it was founded upon the rock.

“And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not practice them shall be compared to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain came down, and the floods came, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:24-27).  This is true physically and spiritually.

We can be guaranteed that the rains, winds and floods will come—especially in the tornado, hurricane or flood vulnerable states. Consequently, there should be preparation for any eventuality as they rebuild their lives, homes and business.  However, if they repeat the same mistakes, when disasters strike in the future, they will again suffer. Here are two practical proverbs that come to mind: “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Pro. 22:3).  Always prepare ahead for possible calamity.  Incorporate a plan of survival in case a disaster may hit.  And again, “Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly” (Pro. 13:16).  They need to be wise in their plans to rebuild.  They need to change their lives and not let sin rule them.  But remember: All plans are to no avail when God punishes and pours out His wrath.

Halloween Book: What started out to be a booklet on Halloween, has evolved into a full-fledged book.  The new title is Occult Holidays or God’s Holy Days—Which?  It will be approximately 200 pages covering the satanic, pagan origin of all the holidays of orthodox Christendom—including Sunday.  It documents the occult holidays in the Bible—showing that God has never accepted them in worship toward Him. When Israel and Judah forsook God, they observed all the occult holidays, as do professing Christians today.  It also surveys the Sabbath, feasts and holy days of God. Because we are close to the feast of Trumpets, we are enclosing, a copy of the first part of Chapter Eleven concerning the feast of Trumpets.  As I was writing this chapter and watching all the things that were happening with the rescue operations in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, I could not help but think of how the entire world will be in a far worse condition when Jesus returns. We will be confronted with these conditions when we begin to rule under Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God.  But, in every disaster there is hope.  When the saints return to the earth with Jesus Christ, we will be the hope of the world to begin the building of the kingdom of God that will last for a thousand years—the greatest time in the history of mankind.  We will have to restore people, heal them, and lead them to repentance and conversion. We will direct the rebuilding of their lives, families, cities and nations—a mind-boggling task.  As spirit beings, under the direction of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, we will restore and transform all people. The entire world will become a fabulous, beautiful Garden of Eden through the power and blessings of God.

My Schedule for the Feast of Tabernacles: This year I will begin the Feast in Goshen, Indiana—October 17-18; Waco, Texas—October 19-21 and Monterey, California 22-25.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone and fellowshiping with you.

Brethren, we love you and thank you for your love, prayers for the brethren, as well as your continued support through God’s tithes and offerings.  We realize that you are making every effort to grow and overcome spiritually; and to cope with the problems pressing in on your daily lives because we live still have to live in this sin sick world.  We are continually praying for you every day that your love and knowledge of God increase as you grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  May God’s love, grace and blessings be with you in everything.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC

Chapter Eleven

A Survey of God’s Fall Feasts

and Holy Days in the New Testament

The fall feasts and holy days, which occur in the seventh month of the calculated Hebrew calendar, reveal the future fulfillment of prophecies in God’s plan for all mankind. The knowledge and meaning, as well as the keeping of these days impart to us the understanding of how and approximately when the events prophesied at the end time will unfold as foretold in the Old and New Testaments.  Our focus will begin with the feast of Trumpets which is the fourth, or middle holy day of God’s seven holy days of the year.  As we will learn, it is the fulcrum or tipping point in the history of the world and humanity.  The endtime events portrayed by this holy particular day reveal God’s direct visible intervention in the world leading to the return of Jesus Christ and His establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.

The Feast of Trumpets in the New Testament

On the feast of Trumpets, the first day of the seventh month in Leviticus 23:23-25, God instructs the priests and Levites to blow the trumpets as a memorial, meaning they were to blow them all day long (Psa. 81:3).  In addition to the silver temple trumpets, they blew a multitude of shofars which were trumpets made from ram’s horns used in a time of war (Josh. 6:1-16; Judges 7:8, 16-18).  They were only to go to war when God commanded them to gather their armies.  He then would lead them into battle as the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant.  He would fight and protect them from their enemies on the condition that they obeyed God and kept His covenant.

Additionally, guards who watched over the cities and villages were to blow the shofar if enemy armies came to attack the cities of Israel or Judah (Ezk. 33:1-6; Joel 2:1, 15). 

In the New Testament there is no direct reference to the Feast of Trumpets by name.  However, based on the structure of John’s Gospel, we can conclude from his chronology the feast that he mentioned in John 5:1 was probably the Feast of Trumpets.  John’s framework for his Gospel is: Passover, John 2; Pentecost, John 4; a feast of the Jews, John 5; Passover, John 6; Tabernacles and Last Great Day, John 7 and 8; Passover, John 12-19. Based on the seasons, John had the following sequence: spring, fall, spring, fall, and spring.  Since the feast in John 5:1 was after Jesus’ reference to Pentecost in John 4, it must have been a fall feast.  If it were the feast of Tabernacles, John would have mentioned it, as he did in Chapter 7, but he did not. If it were the day of Atonement, because as a fast day absolutely no work whatsoever was to be done on that day, the Jews would have been even more vehement against Jesus for healing the man and telling him to pick up his bedroll and walk. Therefore, we can conclude that the feast mentioned in John 5:1 was undoubtedly the Feast of Trumpets. 

The Birth of Jesus Christ and the Feast of Trumpets: As the Word of God demonstrates, God has always used His feasts and holy days to fulfill His will and prophesies.  We have seen the appointed time for Jesus to die—that God had set before the foundation of the world—was the Passover day in 30 AD.  But what about Jesus’ birth?  Was it likewise predetermined before the foundation of the world that Jesus would born on a particular day?  Was that day a holy day?  If so which holy day was it?  What do the Scriptures and history reveal about His birth?

Paul gives direct evidence that Jesus was born at a set time: “But when the time for the fulfillment came, God sent forth His own Son, born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4).  This reveals that the time of His birth was pre-determined in accordance to God’s plan.  While the Gospels do not announce the specific day of Jesus’ birth, He was definitely born at a particular set time preordained by God to fulfill His will and prophecies.  From all the evidence contained in the New Testament, historical records of Josephus, other historical sources, specific astronomical events and the calculated Hebrew calendar, we are able to determine when Jesus was born—perhaps even the exact day. However, all the information showing when Jesus was born is far too extensive to be reviewed in this book.  All the details are fully documented in two books: A Harmony of the Gospels in Modern English—the Life of Jesus Christ, and The New Testament In Its Original Order—a Faithful Version with Commentary by Fred R. Coulter. It is sufficient to say, the complex scriptural and historical evidence compiled in these books systematically detail all the facts which support the Feast of Trumpets in 5 BC as the most probable date of Jesus’ birth.  These books may be obtained from York Publishing, address in the front of this book, or from Amazon.com. (Follow links above to purchase these books at Amazon.com.)

Prophetic Meaning of the Feast of Trumpets: The book of Revelation shows the prophetic meaning of the feast of Trumpets. In prophecy it is called the day of the Lord.  Moreover, a day in prophecy is one year in fulfillment (Num. 14:34).  Therefore, the end time literal day of the Lord is the last year before Jesus returns to earth, reckoned from Trumpets to Trumpets. There are hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament that give us many details of the day of the Lord.  Nearly all of them show God’s direct intervention and judgment when Jesus Christ returns as the King of Glory to take control of the world.  

The day of the Lord will be a time of disasters, famine, pestilence and wars with death, carnage and destruction of unparalleled magnitude in all human history.  God gave this prophecy to Jeremiah showing that in the end time all the nations of the world will be involved in these prophetic events: “For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.  And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.  Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me … [to] all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach [the coming final beast of Revelation 13] shall drink after them.  Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you” (Jer. 25:15-17, 26-27).

God will intervene from heaven against all the nations of the world—none shall escape: “Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes [Rev. 14:18-20], against all the inhabitants of the earth.  A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.  And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground” (verses 30-33).

God divinely gave Daniel a vision of this time: “…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time” (Dan. 12:1).  When Jesus told His disciples of the time of tribulation at the end of this age, He described a time that would be so horrendous that if He did not intervene to limit those days no flesh would be saved alive: “For then shall there be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be again.  And if those days were not limited, there would no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be limited” (Matt. 24:21-22).

When Jesus Christ emerges mightily to intervene in this world, He is going to shake the earth so violently that it will nearly thrust it out of orbit, as Isaiah prophesied: “Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty.  Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.  And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.  I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.  Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger” (Isa. 13:6-13, also see Hag. 2:6-7).

Throughout the history of the world, mankind has suffered greatly from wars, famine, pestilence and natural disasters.  But nothing will compare to the day of the Lord: “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.  And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.  Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land” (Zep. 1:14-18).

Another prophecy of Isaiah reveals the awesome power of God when He makes Himself known to the world.  Thee will be no doubt that this is the hand of God: “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness 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 one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low” (Isa. 2:10-12).

“And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.  And the idols he shall utterly abolish.  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 ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 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 ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (verses 18-21).

The book of Revelation shows the fulfillment of these prophecies when Jesus Christ directly intervenes and personally reveals Himself when the heavens roll back as a scroll.  This sets the stage for the day of the Lord to begin: “And when He [Jesus Christ] 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; 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.  Then the heaven departed like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.  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 manhid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; 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, and who has the power to stand?’ ” (Rev. 6:12-17).

The day of the Lord begins when the seven angels sound their trumpets signaling various phases of God’s angelic war from heaven against the united armies of men and demons on the earth.  John describes what he saw in vision of the seven trumpet plagues sent from God by the hands of angels: “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.  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.

“Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound their trumpets.  And the first angel sounded his trumpet; and there was hail and fire mingled with blood, and it was cast upon the earth; and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.  Then the second angel sounded his trumpet; and there was cast into the sea as it were a great mountain burning with fire, and a third of the sea became blood; and a third of the living creatures that were in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded his trumpet; and there fell out of heaven a great star, burning like a lamp; and it fell on a third of the rivers, and on the fountains of waters.  Now the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from drinking the waters because they were made bitter. Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet; and a third of the sun was smitten, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars; so that a third of them were darkened; and a third part of the day did not shine, and likewise a third part of the night.  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’ ” (Rev. 8:1-13).

When the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, vast hordes of demons will be released to join human armies using fantastic weapons: “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. And he opened the bottomless abyss [to release the imprisoned demons]; and there went up smoke from the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. Then locusts [the demons] 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, or any green thing, or any tree, but only the men who did not have the seal of God in their foreheads.  And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.  And in those days men will seek death but will not find it; and they will desire to die, but death will flee from them.

“And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for war; and on their heads were crowns like those of gold; and their faces were like the faces of men; and they had hair like women’s hair; and their teeth were like those of lions.  And they had breastplates like iron breastplates; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots drawn by many horses running to war; and they had tails like scorpions, and stingers; and they were given power to injure men with their tails for five months. 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].  The first woe is past.  Behold, after these things two more woes are still to come” (Rev. 9:11-12).  John is graphically describing futuristic weapons used by the armies and demons.

After five months, the kings of the east will retaliate with the largest collection of armies ever assembled in the history of the world. This massive army of two hundred million will be composed of men armed with powerful sophisticated weapons, and the hordes of demons will deliver to them supernatural strength: “And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet; and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God; and it said to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, ‘Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates.’  Then the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were loosed, so that they might kill a third of men; and the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred thousand thousand; and I heard the number of them.

“And so I saw the horses in the vision, and those sitting on them, who had fiery breastplates, even like jacinth and brimstone.  And the heads of the horses were like heads of lions, and fire and smoke and brimstone shoot out of their mouths.  By these three, a third of men were killed: by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone that shoot out of their mouths.  For their power is in their mouths; for their tails are like serpents, and have heads, and with them they inflict wounds. 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” (Rev. 9:13-21). 

The prophet Joel describes this pitch battle that takes place between the armies of the fifth and sixth trumpet plagues: “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; 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.

“A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.  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 run like mighty men; 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: neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.  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: 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?” (Joel 2:1-11.)

These wars of vast destruction will encompass all of the Middle East and the armies of the kings of the east of the sixth seal will extend all the way to the Far East.  When they have fought to a stand still, the seventh trumpet will be sounded. As we have seen, when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet the first resurrection takes place on Pentecost (Rev. 11:15-19).

The time from Pentecost to Trumpets is approximately four months.  During that time the seven last plagues will be poured out by seven other angels.  The final plague will end with the battle of Armageddon: “And after these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.  And the seven angels who had the seven last plagues came out of the temple; they were clothed in linen, pure and bright, and girded about the chest with golden breastplates.  And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, Who lives into the ages of eternity.  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no one was able to enter inside the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled” (Rev. 15:5-8).

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out the vials of the wrath of God onto the earth.’ And the first angel went and poured out his vial onto the earth; and an evil and grievous sore fell upon the men who had the mark of the beast and upon those who were worshiping his image.  And the second angel wentand 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.  And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers, and into the fountains of waters; and they became blood. 

“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.’  And I heard another voice from the altar say, ‘Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.’ 

“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.  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.  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 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.

“Behold, I come as a thief.  Blessed is the one who is watching and is keeping his garments, so that he may not walk naked and they may not see his shame.  And he gathered them together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.  Then the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘IT IS FINISHED.’

“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; and great hail, each stone the weight of a talent, fell down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague was exceedingly great” (Rev. 16:1-21).

After the seven last plagues have been poured out, Jesus and the saints will return to the earth from the sea of glass to fight against the beast and false prophet and their armies.  Undoubtedly, as they are descending to the earth on this feast of Trumpets, the seven angels will be blowing the trumpets of God mightily which all the earth will hear:  “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to make war with Him Who sits on the horse, and with His army.  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked miracles in his presence, by which he had deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.  Those two were cast alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone; and the rest were killed by the sword of Him Who sits on the horse, even the sword that goes out of His mouth; and all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Rev. 19:19-21).

The prophetic fulfillment of this climatic battle as pictured by the feast of Trumpets is described in Zechariah: “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south … and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee … And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one … And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zech. 14:3-5, 9, 12).  Thus ends the battle of Armageddon.

This survey of these scriptures portrays the meaning of the feast of Trumpets and its final fulfillment when Jesus Christ and all the saints return to the earth.  There are many more prophecies in the Bible also showing the meaning of this momentous day of the Lord.  The reader is encouraged to thoroughly study the Word of God, Old and New Testaments for a more complete insight and understanding of these events.  The time is at hand.  The prophesied events of the last days and the return of Jesus Christ are near.