The Feast of Trumpets, Pt. 1 (09/09/2001)

Now that we have your attention, thank you brother Raymond for sharing that that's the kind of story you don't always share. But he felt like he could trust us enough to share it with us, and I appreciate that.

This message that we're gonna have this morning. It'll probably be good for you to have had that information. As we think about tribulation In our lives and how the Lord never lets us go through it alone.

And let's let's turn to. We're gonna be in the book of Revelation. About chapter 8 I'm gonna read from Leviticus 23 24 first if you want to turn to that you certainly may Leviticus 23 24. Glad that angel didn't let you get on that ladder.

Well, I'm being I'm being selfish. We're coming up into the fall season and in the fall season we have Some of the feasts of Israel and If you remember last year, I sort of made a commitment to my own family to During these feasts to at least talk to my children about what they picture what they symbolize what they teach us.

And we have such wonderful vision of these with hindsight. Even better understanding than the Jews had as they went through and faithfully kept these Feasts most of their history sometimes when they were not right with the Lord.

They didn't and then there were other times when they were in captivity and they couldn't. But I'd like to speak with you this morning about the feast of trumpets and what it pictures. I Sort of let you know last year that I felt that the Lord was moving in my heart that If we're going to have holidays in our lives, we have so many holidays that have been given to us by out-and-out pagans such as Easter.

At least some of the things that we do during that season and really it's should be surrounding the Passover. Which is the true biblical holiday that should be celebrated at that time and the resurrection of Jesus Christ should be celebrated at that time.

In the fall we have Halloween, isn't that a wonderful thing to have? Given to us by the Roman Catholic Church and That is obviously I think if you've been around for even six months time in this church.

You know that I think it's inappropriate to have anything to do with that. As far as trick-or-treating or any of the things that go on and totally inappropriate for a born-again child of God but there are some fall feasts and festivals that God gave his children in the Word of God and Why would it harm us to spend time with our children during these times of the year and teach them?

What God is? Picturing in these beautiful Festivals and feasts the Feast of Trumpets actually occurs on Monday evening and Tuesday of September the 17th and 18th. So we're studying them a little bit ahead of time so that when it gets to be that time if you want to spend some time with your children in your home and teaching some of the beautiful pictures in these feasts.

We'd have a little for view of it. So that's what we'll talk about. It comes from Leviticus chapter 23 in verse 24 speaking to the children of Israel saying in the seventh month in the first day of the month shall you have a Sabbath a memorial of blowing of trumpets and holy convocation.

Blowing of trumpets. What is this picture? Well, the ancient rabbis believed that the Lord created the world in the first week of the month of Tishri. Which is the month we're in well. They have their own calendar based on a lunar calendar, but it's roughly equivalent to our late September early October.

They believe that's when God literally created the world. Therefore the first day of the seventh month is considered the beginning of the creation in the beginning of the year it's interesting that the Jews have two new years and That's great.

They get to celebrate twice I suppose but they have two new years and they can pretty much consider this one to be their new year. Even though that's not the one that God told them to have in Exodus chapter 12 verses 1 and 3 God told them that the month of Nisan would be the beginning of the new year for the Jew having to do with the Passover in that time and Yet most of them consider this time of the year to be the starting of the new year.

It's interesting though if you Calculate the month of Nisan to be the start of the new year. Then the month of Tishri is actually the seventh month which makes it a sabbatical month. It is the same to a year that the Sabbath is to a week.

Hence the first first day is celebrated as a Sabbath a day of rest and a memorial of Blowing of trumpets and a holy convocation. The holy convocation means a call to meet together. When the children of Israel came back from Babylon They began to observe this feast again in a few moments.

We're gonna go in and take a look at that particular time period. One of the things that we see in this feast that is so important is the ram's horn and They use this they blow they call it the feast of trumpets.

It's actually a ram's horn. I have one in there in my in my study and Russ played it for us one time. You remember awful sounding thing. That's why I left it in the study. I was afraid he'd be here today.

So he's not well today, by the way, he's. He's under the weather but Another thing that's interesting is during this season the Jews always talk much about Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac at the Lord's command and This is considered to have been accomplished due to Abraham's faith even though there was a substitute given to die in his place and they talk about this much during this festival and this feast and Speak of it and pray it in their prayers and so forth.

The Jews refer to the sacrifice of Isaac again and again in their prayers reminding God of the faith of Abraham. It is a solemn time of repentance this time of the year is for the Jew or was all through those times still is today for those who still celebrate it and It's in preparation for the Day of Atonement.

Which follows ten days later? Now the Day of Atonement and understanding it a little bit helps to understand this feast and what it's all about. But the Jews believe there are three books that God keeps first there's a book of righteousness and Only the truly righteous are in this book.

The second book is a book of people's names who are neither holy righteous nor holy wicked and The third book is a book of the holy wicked Who are bound for hell. Now this is according to the Jewish belief.

I'm not saying this is scriptural teaching at all I'm just saying this is what the Jews have believed through the years. Now the interesting thing is that those who are in the first book according to the Jews They are the righteous and they are judged on New Year's Day.

Which to them is is this day the starting of this feast the Feast of Trumpets? So those who are in the first book are actually judged and they receive rewards such as life and welfare in this life prosperity security from all evil of heart manner of evil and harm and they receive peace from God and It's interesting that in the Jewish prayer book in the synagogues all across the world.

This is read at this feast. And I'll quote from it in the book of life Which refers to this first book that they believe in Blessing peace and good sustenance. May we be remembered and inscribed before thee in other words May we be inscribed within this book?

We and all thy people the house of Israel for a happy life and peace. Blessed art thou O Lord who make us peace. Now those who are found in the second book. Remember they are neither holy righteous nor holy wicked.

Those who are found in this second book now have ten days between now and the Day of Atonement for repentance and They call these ten ten days the Yomim Noreen and that means the fearsome days are the ten awesome days.

And at the end of those days, they will be judged on the Day of Atonement is what they believe. Those in the third book can only expect condemnation death and hell. Since the Jews believe that the majority of mankind are found in this second book.

However, these ten days become extremely important to them. Now that gives you a little idea Of what's going on in Jewish mind during this time period. It's interesting during these ten days in between these two feasts the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur or The Day of Atonement during these ten days old enemies strive to make up their differences.

Charity is given to the poor. Long confessions of sins are repeated in the synagogue by way of prayers during these ten awesome days and so we kind of see what goes on in the Jewish world and Much of that as you know is tradition and Much like our Roman Catholic Church in the Christian realm has added to the Word of God and created their own Vain traditions of their fathers and esteem them more highly than the word the Jew does the same thing.

And so they have their their type of Judaism, which is non biblical. It's extra biblical and it very much parallels the Roman Catholic Theology of our Quote Christian world, but I would like for us to look at the biblical meaning of this feast.

Turn with me if you would to Nehemiah chapter 7 and let's look at a place in the Bible where this feast was actually celebrated in the true biblical way far long before the traditions of modern Jews. Came to twist and pervert and add to these feasts to give you an idea of how they've done this.

If you go to the Passover table of the modern Jew, they'll actually have an Easter egg sitting on that table and You won't find where that came from the Bible. That's the sign of fertility and it came straight from Babylon and They brought it back from Babylon and inserted it into their feast, which is not biblical and not right with God and we do the same thing when we put little Easter eggs around let the children hunt them and all these things the Pagan world.

Satan has his way of inserting things worldliness into worship Of God's people and we're exhorted all through the Bible to be watchful. Now let's look at a true celebration of this feast of trumpets though.

And let's talk a little bit this morning about what this feast pictures. You know the Bible teaches us that everything that happened in the Old Testament is for in samples for those of us who live in these last days and So there are types in the Old Testament and we find the antitype in the New Testament there are symbols in the Old Testament and we find what they symbolize in the New Testament and Yet I have found that the New Testament as it speaks of doctrines.

It's so wonderful how you can go back into the Old Testament and sometimes see the details found in the types so sometimes the Doctrine is revealed in the New Testament because it was a mystery in the Old Testament and we understand the meaning of it but yet the details and the fine colors are found back in the Old Testament in the actual types that God gave and in these feasts and so forth and that's why it's important to study them with our children and To talk about them from time to time as they come across our calendar in the year.

Let's look at this place when the children of Israel came back from Babylon. They began to observe This feast again in Nehemiah chapter 7 and verse 73 it says so the priests and the Levites and the porters and the singers and Some of the people and the Nethemians and all Israel dwelt in their cities and When the seventh month came now, that's the month We're referring to roughly equivalent to sometime in late September early October of our of our month.

When the seventh month came now, remember this is seventh starting with the month of Nisan. Which God told them would be their new year. So they call this the seventh month in the Bible. The children of Israel were in their cities so they were back from captivity.

Now what is captivity picture? Let's get on a little rabbit trail just for a second. What is captivity picture? When the Nation of Israel goes into captivity and they're made I'll stop there. I don't give the answer.

What is that picture for us? It's God's people judgment. What else what do you think of when you think of being captive? What do you think? Slavery to whom the enemy the enemy. The enemy primarily is Satan man, he's manifested in the world system world philosophy philosophical system and even in our flesh and so to become captive is what's pictured here to be slaves to the devil and.

Yet when we were born again who became our Lord? Jesus Christ now, that's not Lordship salvation. It's just simply that it's impossible to be saved except by any other than the Lord Jesus Christ. That's simply who he is any other Jesus is a figment of our imagination and you can't be saved by the other Jesus's the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who will take control of your life and mess with your life and Change your life and that's the way he is by nature and when he comes into your life, that's what happens and so.

Yet we've invented a modern Jesus who doesn't do anything you can pray and ask him to come into your life. Theoretically, but you don't have to quote make him your Lord you do that later. Later on is what's taught many churches today.

I don't know. I don't find that in the Word of God anywhere. It's not what happened Paul Saul when he was on that road and he saw that light heard that voice. The first thing he said was Lord. What would you have me to do?

It's first thing you said do if you're saved this morning if you've never had that experience, then you need to certainly look into your own life and search into your own salvation. But the seventh month These children were back in their city, so they were back from captivity.

Isn't it nice that when we Yield our bodies as Captives of the wrong Lord, you know that when Jesus became your Lord, he freed you from every other Lord. And you never have to be under bonded to anyone else in the whole world other than the love.

Bondage relationship you have with the Lord Jesus Christ the bondservant relationship the doulos relationship you don't have to serve any other and Yet, sometimes we do do we not? But this picture is a time when they're back in the city.

That means they're back from slavery they have become freed by God and They are wanting and yearning for that relationship That they had before the slavery took place and this is the scenery as we begin here in this passage Chapter 8 verse 1 and all the people gathered themselves together as one man.

You know, sometimes God will take people families or churches through tribulation and Even into some bit of slavery so that when we come out the other side we have unity. We're not thinking about nitpicking on the little things anymore we're not so interested on on the kind of shoes that the other person wears or are the exact little Interpretations of every verse that the other person has as long as the main things they are the main things, you know.

As long as we understand the main doctrines of the Bible and an agreement on those. What happens is we become as one man. They were gathered together as one man into the street that was before the water gate.

Now that's not the one Nixon was involved with it was much earlier and they spaken to Ezra the scribe and They told him Bring the book. Isn't that a neat phrase? Bring the book. Bring the book. How many churches today ask their pastors to bring the book when they get up and preach.

This one does I believe I believe that with all my heart what makes it a joy to To have the opportunity to do that in this place bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel in Ezra the priest brought the law before the Congregation both men and women and all that could understand with understanding.

Now, who's that group? What group are those who could understand with understanding. That's the children. That's the children the ones who were old enough to hear something and understand it. They were in the group and He read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday.

Before the men and the women and those that could understand the children and the ears of all the people were attentive Unto the book of the law. Why were their ears attentive. Because they had just come back from slavery and they knew what the enemy could provide.

And they were no longer interested in that. They wanted to hear what God had to provide and so they had ears that would hear at this point. Now this water gate is an interesting place. It's not a part of the existing modern wall.

If you've been to Israel if you or if you go there someday You'll see the wall that is existing. It's not really part of that wall. Although that wall does have some gates in it. It was built by Suleiman and in the 16th century and It's not part of that.

What it's actually part of is the ancient Eastern Wall of the ancient Jerusalem and it's located immediately south of and in very close proximity to the Temple Mount and In the gates of the wall is where the people would meet.

They would meet when they wanted to have a congregation and hear a word. Either from the king or from the priest or from the prophet they would meet at these gates and this is what was going on. Verse 4 says.

And as Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood. Which they had made for that purpose and beside him stood 13 men. Some of whom or if not, all of whom were Levites. Now, it's interesting about these men because in this group of men He had some on his right hand and some on his left hand.

Some of these men had somewhat famous lineages. For example, one of them was the grandfather and the other the father of Azariah who was one of the men listed as repairing a portion of the wall of Jerusalem long about this same time period.

Another was Uriah who? Who was the son of Shemiah? Who was a prophet in the days of Jehoiakim who was martyred for simply telling the truth he was killed because he prophesied the truth to this King and So his son was here standing By Ezra the prophet and there was another man there with an interesting name.

His name was mishael, which is called by the Babylonians. Meshach have you heard that name before? Well, this is not actually Meshach because this is about a hundred and forty some odd years later. Than the three young men in the fiery furnace, but he has the exact same name.

So he was either named that he's obviously was named after him, but he might have been kin to him. He might have been in this lineage. Now what's kind of interesting to do is to take the names of these men that are surrounding Ezra Ezra and see what their names mean and Here we see Ezra whose name means help.

And who the scripture says is the man who led the second expedition back from Babylonian exile. And he is known as quote a ready scribe in the laws of Moses and quote a scribe of the law of the God of heaven that's a pretty nice title, isn't it a scribe of The law of the God of heaven is the title is given to Ezra and on his right hand there were men who had this name one of them's name was gift of Jehovah and Standing beside him was a net man named report or witness and standing behind Beside him was a man named protected by Jehovah brother Raymond.

That's a pretty good name, isn't it? And standing behind beside him was a man named Jehovah is light and Standing beside him was a net man named portion of Jehovah and beside him was work of Jehovah and on Ezra's left hand was a man named who is like God and Standing next to him as a man named Jehovah is King and next to him was Jehovah Remembers they had just come from captivity captivity where I'm sure they were wondering does God remember us and there was another man standing next to Ezra whose name was rewarded and verse 5 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people or he was above all the people because he was in this wooden pulpit and When he opened it Look at the response of the people.

No, no, you didn't have a man stand over to the side and say all stand please for the reading of God's Word it was just a response as He opened this book the people just shoo. They just all stood up immediately and you can hear this huge crowd as you heard the clothing ruffle as they all stood in silence and Ezra blessed The Lord the great God and all the people answered now.

Imagine thousands of people the echo that comes back. Amen as he blessed the Lord. Amen. With lifting up of their hands. Now. This was spontaneous as well and They bowed their heads and they worshiped the Lord in their faces to the ground.

I'm presuming in silence. The silence was probably deafening. Notice you have two aspects here you have praising which is Seen in the lifting up of their hands and the shouting of amen. But you have worship which is not the same thing today in the modern church.

It's it's confused. They have what they call worship groups and they get together and they play the music and and they get the hands lifted up in The air and they get happy About God and they think they're having worship and that's why they call it a worship group or worship leaders.

That's not worship. That's praise and that is very important by the way in the life of the church and the congregation is the praise and we don't Have probably enough of that sometimes our services Start off more gloomy than happy.

I would say the Jews the Jews don't do that. They don't do that. They are happy about their relationship with the Lord, especially when they've just come back from captivity. Some of us in this room have been in captivity.

Haven't we some may be just coming out and we don't know about it. We can be happy about that. And that's what praise is and it is a sacrifice from the lips To the Lord, but that's not worship. Worship Happens on your face now.

I don't mean literally because the Bible lists several postures for worship one standing. One on the face in many different postures and obviously on the knees with the head to the ground. So I'm not talking about the physical posture.

But I'm saying worship happens in silence with the face to the ground and it is a response to the presence of God. It is not something that causes him to be present. Now I have a friend. I won't give you his name, but his initials are Russ how.

Who has the theory that the praise part? Causes God to show up as he says now I know he doesn't literally mean that because he's aware of the omnipresent God as we are but what he means is That God does like music and you see that in Psalm 100 my mom read that the first day of school and I was sitting there thinking about the Jews and Their music when you read that and she exhorted the young children to enjoy singing in school when they sing the first songs in the Early morning, and I thought that was great by the way.

And and so God does enjoy this as you visualize God in time with us. He enjoys Singing from the heart from spiritual holy people not from carnal people trying to be Hollywood. However, but we I don't think we have much of a problem with that.

Would you say in our church? We don't have Hollywood singers here but when we sing sincerely from our hearts and make a joyful noise don't think for a moment that the Sensibility part of God remember we studied that in our doctrinal study his heart his feelings.

He loves it. But you know what? If you want to visualize it as a man speaks. If you want to visualize it as Paul said so often as a man speaks God shows up during the praise. When he does you don't keep praising.

What you do is you fall on your face and You get quiet and that's what happened here. So the book was open now. This is a modern phenomenon to you. You leave the book out nowadays. You just want the praise and the singing in the and the loud music and the excitement and the joy and sometimes a play.

Done up here on the platform, but you leave the book out. You don't want to leave the book out. The book was open first. The book was opened he praised the Lord and they began to praise the Lord and then They sensed the presence of God and they fell on their faces and worshiped the Lord.

With their faces to the ground now. You're seeing a beautiful earthly scene. So often what we learn from the Old Testament is a physical Earthly thing that teaches the true spiritual things that are happening in the heavenlies so I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 5 and while we are still picturing this earthly scene that literally happened in the history of Israel and we have our people on their faces in silence and let's just hit the pause button and Picture them in this state and let's look in the heavenlies at a different picture a different scene.

Described from the book of Revelation that I believe is a picture of the real thing going on and I'm not saying that's not real. But I'm talking about in the spiritual realm in the heavenlies Revelation chapter 5 in verse 3 and no man in Heaven nor in earth neither under the earth was able to open the book neither to look thereon and I wept much.

And you'll see a little later in our passage back here in Nehemiah that the people wept. When that book was open and here you see John Weeping because no one man was able to open this book. Neither to look thereon and one of the elders and in the the scene is in heaven.

Remember we're now in heaven. One of the elders said unto me weep not behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David. Hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. Now remember we're talking about what in the world is the feast of trumpets picture and I see this scene that parallels this earthly scene in verse 6 and I beheld and lo in the midst of the throne and Of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders now.

This is a fascinating thing to study in the early portions of the book of Revelation. You can see a throne where the father is seated upon that throne and you don't get a full view of him appearing as we might see a person appearing but you do see that John is seeing a Person on that throne.

He describes him as looking like jewels and shining resplendent light. And jewels and then in a moment we see this in the same midst of that same throne. Was a lamb and we see this lamb stood as it had been slain.

Who do you suppose this is? Who is the slain lamb? Jesus Christ. And look at this lamb this lamb has seven eyes and the seven spirits of God is. What these eyes represent? These eyes are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth the sevenfold Holy Spirit of God when you looked into the eyes of the Lamb guess what you saw.

You saw the Spirit of God now. It's interesting because these seven spirits these same sevenfold spirit of God were previously found in the book of Revelation as Lamps in front are connected to are part of the very throne that they're in the midst of.

So we see that the father has these same this same sevenfold spirit. The son has the same sevenfold spirit and Verse 7 says and he came and he took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

So This personage who was on this throne who is in fact the father had a hand now some would say that's just Anthropomorphized it just means that's how we would view it. But John is just telling us how he saw it.

So you take it how you want to either John was delusionary. You if you want to say that you might as well say brother Raymond was and that that whole story never happened. But I don't believe that. And I don't believe John Was making up things either.

I think when he says that he saw a hand come from that throne and hand this book to the Lamb, I believe that's what he saw now. He's describing it in the best vocabulary that he had which obviously was not enough of a vocabulary.

But it was what God wanted us to have was it not? So this is what we see now this little passage will change your view of the Trinity or the China like to say Trinity, but to try the the. What's the word that I prefer.

I read it in a little Jewish book. The tri not the triune, but the tri what is it? Jesse, you know it remember that little book try unity. The try unity of God is a better expression of it now. Here he is and he sat upon the throne.

And he this hand comes out from the throne hands the book. To the Lamb and when he had taken the book the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb. Having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors.

Which are the prayers of the saint now? We see these Saints pictured on the earth as we punch the pause button a moment ago. Remember and they were on their faces. They had been praising God, and I'm sure they're praying as well.

But here in the heavenly scene we see that there are vials of odors sometimes pictured as smoke that comes up and it is the prayers of the Saints coming into the true heavenly place and They sung a new song Saying thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and Has made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth.

Someday out in the future from this vantage point and I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels. There there are angels brother Raymond Round about the throne and the beasts and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten Thousand and thousands of thousands.

Can you visualize that? John is trying to express it to us the best he can with a human vocabulary. Saying with a loud voice all of these thousands of ten thousands of thousands of thousands are all crying with the same loud voice in unity worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and Blessing and this is what the folks that were down there on the earth with their Hands in the air we're doing they were praising God a Very very heavenly thing to do.

It's going on in heaven here in this place and every creature Which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I? saying Blessing and honor and glory and power being to him that sitteth upon the throne.

Who is that? Who's sitting on the throne the father and unto the Lamb who is that? That is the eternal Son of God forever and ever and the four beasts said amen and The four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever the same posture that we find our friends back in before we hit the pause button and I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals and I heard as it were the noise of thunder one of the four beasts saying come and See and it's very interesting what John was allowed to see from that point on go over to Revelation chapter 8 as We see the people of God since the presence of God and fall on their faces in silence awesome Silence, it reminded me of this passage in Revelation 8 verse 1.

Because in the heavenlies the same things happen and it certainly happens at this particular juncture. It says and When he had opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven about the space of an hour.

And that an awesome verse silence in heaven heaven about the space of an hour and I saw the seven angels which stood before God and to them were given seven trumpets. Now we're talking about the Feast of Trumpets and here we see them and another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and There was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar Which was before the throne.

So here we have the prayers of God's people coming up ascending Before the throne of God and the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints Ascended up before God out of the angels hand angel means messenger and this one brought the messages or the prayers from the Saints to the throne of God and the angel took the censer and filled it with fire of the altar and Cast it into the earth and there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake and the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound now.

The Biblical Meaning of the Feast of Trumpets

Let's go back Into our Old Testament passage and let's go back to verse 7 there in Nehemiah where we were. I hope you left your hand there. And let's go back to the earthly scene again. Because they are celebrating this event and they don't know it because they're Jewish and they're they don't have the hindsight that we have.

And it's a mystery to them, but they just know that God commanded them to celebrate this feast and to blow the trumpets. That's all they know as far as I know. That's all they knew. They may have had their theories about what it meant.

And they did have their theories. We'll we discussed some of those as we study this but it was a mystery. Now we with hindsight, it's like perfect view perfect vision but not as perfect as some other things that we know about because some of this is yet future and So we find ourselves this morning gazing into the future.

Although maybe not so distant a future. In a similar fashion that they did because we don't see all this yet either. But whatever they were typifying by these trumpets is yet in our future so many of the feast picture things that have already occurred that we can see with perfect vision now and Yet this is a yet future event for them and for us in verse 7 says.

Also, I'm gonna save you some time and not pronounce these men and it won't embarrass me either. But they were Levites Who caused the people to understand the law and the people stood in their place now?