Prophecy: The Seven Holy Days (PT2)
The next grand event on Heaven’s prophetic calendar is Christ’s return to gather his church, and the next feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets. The prophecies given by the Son of God, the apostle Paul, and Moses reveal the divine harmony within and between the Old and New Testaments, for they speak with a unified voice regarding the Feast of Trumpets.
The apostle Paul unmistakably connected the return of Christ to gather his church to the Feast of Trumpets, for in Paul’s prophecy he referred to “the last trumpetâ€Â: “n a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed [transformed immortal]. For the perishable [the dead] must clothe itself with the imperishable [everlasting life], and the mortal with immortality†(1 Cor. 15:52, 53).
According to Paul, this prophecy will unfold at “the last trumpet,†which is a specific reference to “the last trumpet†blown on the Feast of Trumpets. During this feast, the religious authorities mark the celebration with a series of short trumpet blasts. The ritual is concluded with a single unbroken blast, held for as long as possible. It is called the Tekiah Gedolah. It is “the last trumpet.â€Â
On the Hebrew calendar, the Feast of Trumpets falls during a unique season: Teshuvah. In Hebrew, it means “to return or repent,†and the message is straightforward: God desires that his creation live righteously, and this time of the year was set aside for people to ponder their approach to lifeâ€â€with a view to setting the heart and mind straight before the Feast of Trumpets, for on that day God offers judgment. This feast is also referred to as Yom HaDin, or the Day of Judgment. On a future day in time, on the Feast of Trumpets, those who have been made righteous by the blood of Christ (judged righteous) will receive the blessing of that judgment and will ascend to Heaven.
Exactly how does the Feast of Trumpets foreshadow what shall come to pass on this future day?
When the trumpet blasts sounded on the Feast of Trumpets, they were more than just ceremonial expressions; they literally summoned the Jewish people. When the Jewish workers in their fields heard the trumpet call, they would immediately cease harvesting and journey to the temple for worship. As it was then (and is now), a Jewish worker could be harvesting alongside a non-Jewish worker, and when the trumpets were heard, the Jewish worker would leave the fields, but the non-Jewish worker would remain. Jesus Christ himself made reference to this phenomenon (and to this feast) when he spoke of his return to gather the believers in his church:
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the [second] coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the [second] coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken [to be with Christ] and the other left [behind]. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (Matt. 24:37–41)
When “the last trumpet†sounds, “one [who belongs to Christ] will be taken [to be with Christ] and the other [who does not belong to Christ will be] left [behind].†God already marked this glorious, future event by way of the Law.
The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.’†(Lev. 23:23, 24)
The Feast of Trumpets fell on the first day of the seventh religious month: Tishrei (equivalent to either September or October). Although Tishrei is the seventh month on the Jewish religious calendar, it is the first month on the Jewish civil calendar. The first day of Tishrei is known as “Rosh HaShanah†or, the “head of the year.†It is the start of the Jewish New Year.
In the Torah (the books of Moses), Rosh HaShanah is referred to as Yom Teruah: the “Day of the Sounding of the Shofar (trumpet),†or the “Day of the Awakening Blast.†Teruah means “an awakening blast†and is also translated as “shout.†The Talmud (Jewish commentaries on Scripture) associates Rosh HaShanah with the resurrection of the dead. The corresponding prophecy is unmistakable: when the “awakening blast†sounds on Rosh HaShanah, truly the church of Christ shall “awake†to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16, 17 kjv)
The trumpet blast and the shout will summon all in the church of Christ. When shall this come to pass? Thousands of years ago, God had already marked the very day of the year on the Hebrew calendar when his Son would return for the church: New Year’s Day (Rosh HaShanah).
How does the Hebrew calendar mark New Year’s Day?
Unlike our modern-day calendar, the Hebrew calendar relied upon the moon to mark the first day of each month. The first day of each month on the Hebrew calendar was marked by the appearance of the new moon. When the first sliver of the new moon appeared in the sky, the Jewish authorities marked the first day of the month. Hence, the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) was determined by the appearance of the seventh new moon. Herein, the heavens marked the start of the Feast of Trumpets: when the first sliver of the seventh new moon appeared in the sky, the first day of Tishrei was markedâ€â€and so was the start of the feast. The Feast of Trumpets is also referred to as the “Feast of the New Moon,†for it is the only annual feast of God that commences with this lunar sign from the heavens.
In ancient times, Jewish religious authorities could not predict the day or hour the Feast of Trumpets would begin; they had to wait until the new moon was actually seen by reliable witnesses. As stated in the Jewish Encyclopedia, “On the 30th of each month, the members of the [Jewish] High Court (Bet Din) assembled in a courtyard in Jerusalem, named Beit Ya'azek, where they waited to receive the testimony of two reliable witnesses; they then sanctified the New Moon. If the moon’s crescent was not seen on the 30th day, the New Moon was automatically celebrated on the 31st day.†In essence, the Jewish religious authorities did not know when the Feast of Trumpets would actually commence; they did not know the day or hour.
Jesus Christ made specific reference to this fact when he spoke of his return to gather his church; he said, “No one knows about that day or hour†(Matt. 24:36). This phrase about “not knowing the day or hour†is a specific Hebrew saying, peculiar to the Feast of Trumpets.
To expound upon this thought, Christ’s prophecy about not knowing the “day or hour†refers to two unique segments of time: “day†means “the time from one sunrise or sunset to another,†and the word “hour†means “a definite and limited time. . . . [T]he time of the day . . . the hour.†In essence, “day†literally means a “day†and “hour†literally means an “hourâ€Ââ€â€two segments of time associated with the Feast of the New Moon (Rosh HaShanah). Hence, Christ’s prophecy about “not knowing the day or hour†of his return is actually a direct reference to a common phrase used to describe the Feast of Trumpets.
This conclusionâ€â€that Christ is specifically referring to this feastâ€â€can be viewed from Hebrew history. Rosh HaShanah is also referred to as Yom HaKeseh, which means the “Day of Hiding,†or the “Hidden Day.†This is because the Feast of Trumpets was the only day on the Hebrew calendar “hidden†from view: no man knew the day or hour that this feast would commence.
Herein, Christ and Paul both made direct references to the Feast of Trumpets when referring to the return to gather the church to Heaven. In other words, the day of the return corresponds to the day of the Feast of Trumpetsâ€â€just like the day of the Crucifixion corresponded to the day of the Feast of Passover. This divine harmony cannot be broken. “I [Christ] tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished†(Matt. 5:18).
God’s accomplishments through Christ had to correspond to the Law: Christ couldn’t die “any day,†nor could he be in the burial tomb “any day,†nor could he be resurrected “any day,†nor could he send his Spirit to the apostles “any day,†and Christ can’t come back “any day.†To believe that Christ can return “any day†for the church is to disbelieve that Christ has to fulfill the Law of Moses.
The belief that Christ can return “any day†is rooted in religious historyâ€â€not in the Scriptures. Our religious ancestors neglected the voice of Moses and consequently were deceivedâ€â€and the deception continues to this day.
When we stand before the throne of Heaven, what will be our individual testimonies to our Lord and Savior?
Will it be the supreme authority of religious tradition?
Will it be the supreme authority of famous names of renown?
Or will it be the supreme authority of Scripture?
For those of us in the body of Christ who hold to the supreme authority of Scripture, there is no intent to create traditions or stories, but to be worthy of the divinely inspired story already written. Let us not silence the prophecy God marked in the Law of Moses. The Old Testament Law stands: the day of Christ’s return for his church corresponds to the holy day marked by God.
What we do not know about that day is the hour of the dayâ€â€on the Feast of Trumpetsâ€â€that Christ will return for his church. In Christ’s prophecy about this subject, he said:
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. . . . You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Luke 12:35–38, 40)
When Christ prophesied of the “hour,†he referred to the thought he just introduced: “the second or third watch of the night.†“Watch†refers to a unit of time into which the night was divided when people were charged to “watch,†or be on guard.
In another prophecy about his return, Christ said, “keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come backâ€â€whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn†(Mark 13:35). The Messiah referenced four specific “watches,†or times of the night that could mark his return. (The Romans divided the twelve-hour night into four watches: “evening,†“midnight,†“when the rooster crows,†and “at dawn.â€Â)
Whereas God identified the exact hour on the Feast of Passover that Christ would be crucified, God has kept the exact hour of Christ’s return on the Feast of Trumpets a mysteryâ€â€exhorting the church to “keep watch†throughout this holy day and be ready.
Once Christ and his church are both in Heaven, God will fulfill his end-time promises to the followers of the Old Covenant on Earth. Those promises include the next major, divine event: the second stage of the second coming of Christâ€â€his return for Israel. Known as the Apocalypse, this divine event corresponds to the next feast to be fulfilled: the Day of Atonement.
The sixth feast given to Moses was the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. It falls on the tenth day of the Hebrew month called Tishrei, and it is the most solemn day on the Hebrew calendar. The ten days that lead up to and include this day are referred to as the “Ten Days of Repentance.†They are the final ten days of the unique season of Teshuvah, and they are High Holy Days. God gave this final ten-day span of time for his people to examine their lives, pray for forgiveness, and return to what is rightâ€â€before the Day of Atonement.
Seven years will separate Christ’s return for his church and Christ’s return for Israel. (The prophet Daniel prophesied of this seven-year time span.) During these seven years, the followers of the Old Covenant will again have the opportunity to examine their lives in light of the Scriptures. As in Old Testament times during the season of Teshuvah, they will have the time to choose “life†before the Day of Atonement.
As revealed throughout the Old and New Testaments, God’s track record is to create awareness and warnâ€â€before evil consumes the heart. He did so on an annual basis with the Israelites by way of the season of Teshuvah and the corresponding feasts. God revealed what is in his heart, regarding this matter of people living righteously: “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live†(Eze. 33:11).
This heart of God can be seen throughout biblical records. In Old Testament times, an entire city received word from God that their evil stretched into the “heavens,†and God did not plan on allowing it to continue. Therefore, he sent a prophet, Jonah, to declare judgment. Jonah proclaimed the following:
“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.†The Ninevites believed
God. . . . When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: . . . “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.†When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:4–10)
Our Creator desires that we seek “life†through righteousness. Those in Nineveh chose “life†that day when they heard divine revelation. In contrast, when the Son of God came to Jerusalem, the Israelites did not embrace “life.â€Â
As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peaceâ€â€but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.†Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. “It is written,†he said to them, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’†(Luke 19:41–46)
In the first century, God’s own people didn’t recognize the first coming of the Messiah. The religious leadership had a different agenda; they made God’s house of prayer “a den of robbersâ€Â; they had no intention of allowing Jesus to change that reality. The religious authorities that rejected Christ were blind to his presence and blind to the timing of God’s prophecy.
Christ prophesied about Nineveh and Jerusalem in the same breath when he referred to the ultimate judgment, Judgment Day: “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation [in Jerusalem] and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one [Jesus] greater than Jonah is here†(Matt. 12:41). The inhabitants of Nineveh did not reject the truth when the prophet Jonah spoke it, and they shall testify to it in Heavenâ€â€condemning those of the generation in Jerusalem that chose to scoff at the truth.
When God gave Moses the Law regarding the Day of Atonement, he gave his people a way to choose to be free from their sins, to be clean.
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any workâ€â€whether native-born or an alien living among youâ€â€because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. . . . He [the priest] is to put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place . . . and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community†(Lev. 16:29, 30, 32, 33).
The high priest acted on behalf of the people to bring about this cleansing of sin. On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered into the holiest of all: the Holy of Holies in the temple. There he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice (the sin offering) on the mercy seat, and it yielded the cleansing of sin.
Of the many prophecies that refer to Christ’s return for followers of the Old Covenant, one given by the prophet Isaiah makes specific reference to the priestly responsibility that takes place on the Day of Atonement: the sprinkling of the blood. Isaiah prophesied, “so will he [Christ] sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him†(Isa. 52:15).
In Heaven, Christ now reigns as the great high priest, and he shall return as Kingâ€â€and sprinkle the nations, and cleanse the Earth. The Day of Atonement is the most solemn day of the year because Heaven’s judgment is sealed. On this future day in timeâ€â€on Yom Kippurâ€â€justice will be delivered to the Earth.
The King shall return with his angels, which include his church. Those who were transformed immortal and the dead who were raised to eternal life shall return with their Lord: “The armies of heaven were following him [Christ], riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean†(Rev. 19:14). (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints) (Rev. 19:8). “[T]he Lamb [Christ] will overcome . . . because he is Lord of lords and King of kingsâ€â€and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers†(Rev. 17:14). This is the prophecy of the Apocalypse; it is the battle of Armageddon; it is the salvation of Israel; it is the Day of Atonement.
[T]he Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. (2 Thess. 1:7–9 kjv)
[T]he Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord. (Isa. 66:15, 16)
[T]he Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. . . . Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. (Zech. 14:3–5)
“On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. . . . I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.†Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, “The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.†. . . “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.†(Zech. 12:3–5; 13:1)
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. . . . Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. (Eze. 36:25, 26; 37:28)
With evil defeated, and the cleansing complete, God shall establish the millennial kingdom: the 1000-year reign of Heaven on Earth. The seventh and final feastâ€â€the Feast of Tabernaclesâ€â€foreshadows this magnificent time to come for our world.
The Feast of Tabernacles calls to remembrance the time the children of Israel lived in the desert (the wilderness), following the exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew word for “tabernacle†means “booth, cottage . . . pavilion . . . [or] tent.†The Old Testament makes reference to the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites lived in the wilderness while on the path to the Promised Land. As recorded by Moses, the Feast of Tabernaclesâ€â€which begins on the fifteenth day of Tishreiâ€â€lasts for seven days.
Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 23:41–43)
This seven-day feast foreshadowed the millennial kingdom. This holy time calls to remembrance the wilderness experience and the supernatural presence of God.
By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (Exod. 13:21, 22)
In the desert, the Israelites saw the hand of God, understood his presence, and knew he had delivered themâ€â€and built a sanctuary for him. It is written: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I [God] will dwell among them†(Exod. 25:8).
As God dwelt with the Israelites and protected them in the wilderness, so shall the Son of God dwell and reign in this world. At this future time, immortal souls shall reign over the Earth and live with the mortal souls (those among the nations who lived through the final seven years of prophecy). For 1000 years, peace shall reign on this planet. What follows are prophecies about this divine, future time:
“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,†declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.†(Zech. 2:10–12)
In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.†The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isa. 2:2–4)
The Feast of Tabernacles is also referred to as the “Festival of Ingathering†and the “Feast of the Nations.†As prophesied in the Old Testament, during the time of Heaven’s 1000-year kingdom, nations on Earth will celebrate this feast: “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles†(Zech. 14:16).
The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the “Season of Our Joy.†It is the joy found in God’s deliverance and presence. This can be seen from the following prophecy that speaks of the coming millennial kingdom:
e glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I [God] will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. (Isa. 65:18–24)
This is the time of the glorious restoration of the nation of Israel by God Almightyâ€â€when all those who dwell in the Holy Land and throughout the world shall know the Creator.
God’s hand of blessing shall extend not only to the living, but also to the dead; many who currently sleep in the grave shall rise to live in this coming kingdom. Just as there shall be a resurrection of the dead when Christ returns for his church on the Feast of Trumpets, there shall also be a resurrection of the dead when Christ returns for Israel on the Day of Atonement. The believers from Old Testament times shall rise from their graves to live in the millennial kingdom.
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.â€Â
The hand of the Lord was upon me [the prophet Ezekiel], and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bn the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?†I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.â€Â
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’â€Â
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’†So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feetâ€â€a vast army.
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’†(Ezek. 36:37, 38; 37:1–14)
revel
The next grand event on Heaven’s prophetic calendar is Christ’s return to gather his church, and the next feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets. The prophecies given by the Son of God, the apostle Paul, and Moses reveal the divine harmony within and between the Old and New Testaments, for they speak with a unified voice regarding the Feast of Trumpets.
The apostle Paul unmistakably connected the return of Christ to gather his church to the Feast of Trumpets, for in Paul’s prophecy he referred to “the last trumpetâ€Â: “n a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed [transformed immortal]. For the perishable [the dead] must clothe itself with the imperishable [everlasting life], and the mortal with immortality†(1 Cor. 15:52, 53).
According to Paul, this prophecy will unfold at “the last trumpet,†which is a specific reference to “the last trumpet†blown on the Feast of Trumpets. During this feast, the religious authorities mark the celebration with a series of short trumpet blasts. The ritual is concluded with a single unbroken blast, held for as long as possible. It is called the Tekiah Gedolah. It is “the last trumpet.â€Â
On the Hebrew calendar, the Feast of Trumpets falls during a unique season: Teshuvah. In Hebrew, it means “to return or repent,†and the message is straightforward: God desires that his creation live righteously, and this time of the year was set aside for people to ponder their approach to lifeâ€â€with a view to setting the heart and mind straight before the Feast of Trumpets, for on that day God offers judgment. This feast is also referred to as Yom HaDin, or the Day of Judgment. On a future day in time, on the Feast of Trumpets, those who have been made righteous by the blood of Christ (judged righteous) will receive the blessing of that judgment and will ascend to Heaven.
Exactly how does the Feast of Trumpets foreshadow what shall come to pass on this future day?
When the trumpet blasts sounded on the Feast of Trumpets, they were more than just ceremonial expressions; they literally summoned the Jewish people. When the Jewish workers in their fields heard the trumpet call, they would immediately cease harvesting and journey to the temple for worship. As it was then (and is now), a Jewish worker could be harvesting alongside a non-Jewish worker, and when the trumpets were heard, the Jewish worker would leave the fields, but the non-Jewish worker would remain. Jesus Christ himself made reference to this phenomenon (and to this feast) when he spoke of his return to gather the believers in his church:
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the [second] coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the [second] coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken [to be with Christ] and the other left [behind]. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (Matt. 24:37–41)
When “the last trumpet†sounds, “one [who belongs to Christ] will be taken [to be with Christ] and the other [who does not belong to Christ will be] left [behind].†God already marked this glorious, future event by way of the Law.
The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.’†(Lev. 23:23, 24)
The Feast of Trumpets fell on the first day of the seventh religious month: Tishrei (equivalent to either September or October). Although Tishrei is the seventh month on the Jewish religious calendar, it is the first month on the Jewish civil calendar. The first day of Tishrei is known as “Rosh HaShanah†or, the “head of the year.†It is the start of the Jewish New Year.
In the Torah (the books of Moses), Rosh HaShanah is referred to as Yom Teruah: the “Day of the Sounding of the Shofar (trumpet),†or the “Day of the Awakening Blast.†Teruah means “an awakening blast†and is also translated as “shout.†The Talmud (Jewish commentaries on Scripture) associates Rosh HaShanah with the resurrection of the dead. The corresponding prophecy is unmistakable: when the “awakening blast†sounds on Rosh HaShanah, truly the church of Christ shall “awake†to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16, 17 kjv)
The trumpet blast and the shout will summon all in the church of Christ. When shall this come to pass? Thousands of years ago, God had already marked the very day of the year on the Hebrew calendar when his Son would return for the church: New Year’s Day (Rosh HaShanah).
How does the Hebrew calendar mark New Year’s Day?
Unlike our modern-day calendar, the Hebrew calendar relied upon the moon to mark the first day of each month. The first day of each month on the Hebrew calendar was marked by the appearance of the new moon. When the first sliver of the new moon appeared in the sky, the Jewish authorities marked the first day of the month. Hence, the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) was determined by the appearance of the seventh new moon. Herein, the heavens marked the start of the Feast of Trumpets: when the first sliver of the seventh new moon appeared in the sky, the first day of Tishrei was markedâ€â€and so was the start of the feast. The Feast of Trumpets is also referred to as the “Feast of the New Moon,†for it is the only annual feast of God that commences with this lunar sign from the heavens.
In ancient times, Jewish religious authorities could not predict the day or hour the Feast of Trumpets would begin; they had to wait until the new moon was actually seen by reliable witnesses. As stated in the Jewish Encyclopedia, “On the 30th of each month, the members of the [Jewish] High Court (Bet Din) assembled in a courtyard in Jerusalem, named Beit Ya'azek, where they waited to receive the testimony of two reliable witnesses; they then sanctified the New Moon. If the moon’s crescent was not seen on the 30th day, the New Moon was automatically celebrated on the 31st day.†In essence, the Jewish religious authorities did not know when the Feast of Trumpets would actually commence; they did not know the day or hour.
Jesus Christ made specific reference to this fact when he spoke of his return to gather his church; he said, “No one knows about that day or hour†(Matt. 24:36). This phrase about “not knowing the day or hour†is a specific Hebrew saying, peculiar to the Feast of Trumpets.
To expound upon this thought, Christ’s prophecy about not knowing the “day or hour†refers to two unique segments of time: “day†means “the time from one sunrise or sunset to another,†and the word “hour†means “a definite and limited time. . . . [T]he time of the day . . . the hour.†In essence, “day†literally means a “day†and “hour†literally means an “hourâ€Ââ€â€two segments of time associated with the Feast of the New Moon (Rosh HaShanah). Hence, Christ’s prophecy about “not knowing the day or hour†of his return is actually a direct reference to a common phrase used to describe the Feast of Trumpets.
This conclusionâ€â€that Christ is specifically referring to this feastâ€â€can be viewed from Hebrew history. Rosh HaShanah is also referred to as Yom HaKeseh, which means the “Day of Hiding,†or the “Hidden Day.†This is because the Feast of Trumpets was the only day on the Hebrew calendar “hidden†from view: no man knew the day or hour that this feast would commence.
Herein, Christ and Paul both made direct references to the Feast of Trumpets when referring to the return to gather the church to Heaven. In other words, the day of the return corresponds to the day of the Feast of Trumpetsâ€â€just like the day of the Crucifixion corresponded to the day of the Feast of Passover. This divine harmony cannot be broken. “I [Christ] tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished†(Matt. 5:18).
God’s accomplishments through Christ had to correspond to the Law: Christ couldn’t die “any day,†nor could he be in the burial tomb “any day,†nor could he be resurrected “any day,†nor could he send his Spirit to the apostles “any day,†and Christ can’t come back “any day.†To believe that Christ can return “any day†for the church is to disbelieve that Christ has to fulfill the Law of Moses.
The belief that Christ can return “any day†is rooted in religious historyâ€â€not in the Scriptures. Our religious ancestors neglected the voice of Moses and consequently were deceivedâ€â€and the deception continues to this day.
When we stand before the throne of Heaven, what will be our individual testimonies to our Lord and Savior?
Will it be the supreme authority of religious tradition?
Will it be the supreme authority of famous names of renown?
Or will it be the supreme authority of Scripture?
For those of us in the body of Christ who hold to the supreme authority of Scripture, there is no intent to create traditions or stories, but to be worthy of the divinely inspired story already written. Let us not silence the prophecy God marked in the Law of Moses. The Old Testament Law stands: the day of Christ’s return for his church corresponds to the holy day marked by God.
What we do not know about that day is the hour of the dayâ€â€on the Feast of Trumpetsâ€â€that Christ will return for his church. In Christ’s prophecy about this subject, he said:
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. . . . You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Luke 12:35–38, 40)
When Christ prophesied of the “hour,†he referred to the thought he just introduced: “the second or third watch of the night.†“Watch†refers to a unit of time into which the night was divided when people were charged to “watch,†or be on guard.
In another prophecy about his return, Christ said, “keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come backâ€â€whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn†(Mark 13:35). The Messiah referenced four specific “watches,†or times of the night that could mark his return. (The Romans divided the twelve-hour night into four watches: “evening,†“midnight,†“when the rooster crows,†and “at dawn.â€Â)
Whereas God identified the exact hour on the Feast of Passover that Christ would be crucified, God has kept the exact hour of Christ’s return on the Feast of Trumpets a mysteryâ€â€exhorting the church to “keep watch†throughout this holy day and be ready.
Once Christ and his church are both in Heaven, God will fulfill his end-time promises to the followers of the Old Covenant on Earth. Those promises include the next major, divine event: the second stage of the second coming of Christâ€â€his return for Israel. Known as the Apocalypse, this divine event corresponds to the next feast to be fulfilled: the Day of Atonement.
The sixth feast given to Moses was the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. It falls on the tenth day of the Hebrew month called Tishrei, and it is the most solemn day on the Hebrew calendar. The ten days that lead up to and include this day are referred to as the “Ten Days of Repentance.†They are the final ten days of the unique season of Teshuvah, and they are High Holy Days. God gave this final ten-day span of time for his people to examine their lives, pray for forgiveness, and return to what is rightâ€â€before the Day of Atonement.
Seven years will separate Christ’s return for his church and Christ’s return for Israel. (The prophet Daniel prophesied of this seven-year time span.) During these seven years, the followers of the Old Covenant will again have the opportunity to examine their lives in light of the Scriptures. As in Old Testament times during the season of Teshuvah, they will have the time to choose “life†before the Day of Atonement.
As revealed throughout the Old and New Testaments, God’s track record is to create awareness and warnâ€â€before evil consumes the heart. He did so on an annual basis with the Israelites by way of the season of Teshuvah and the corresponding feasts. God revealed what is in his heart, regarding this matter of people living righteously: “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live†(Eze. 33:11).
This heart of God can be seen throughout biblical records. In Old Testament times, an entire city received word from God that their evil stretched into the “heavens,†and God did not plan on allowing it to continue. Therefore, he sent a prophet, Jonah, to declare judgment. Jonah proclaimed the following:
“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.†The Ninevites believed
God. . . . When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: . . . “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.†When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:4–10)
Our Creator desires that we seek “life†through righteousness. Those in Nineveh chose “life†that day when they heard divine revelation. In contrast, when the Son of God came to Jerusalem, the Israelites did not embrace “life.â€Â
As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peaceâ€â€but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.†Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. “It is written,†he said to them, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’†(Luke 19:41–46)
In the first century, God’s own people didn’t recognize the first coming of the Messiah. The religious leadership had a different agenda; they made God’s house of prayer “a den of robbersâ€Â; they had no intention of allowing Jesus to change that reality. The religious authorities that rejected Christ were blind to his presence and blind to the timing of God’s prophecy.
Christ prophesied about Nineveh and Jerusalem in the same breath when he referred to the ultimate judgment, Judgment Day: “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation [in Jerusalem] and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one [Jesus] greater than Jonah is here†(Matt. 12:41). The inhabitants of Nineveh did not reject the truth when the prophet Jonah spoke it, and they shall testify to it in Heavenâ€â€condemning those of the generation in Jerusalem that chose to scoff at the truth.
When God gave Moses the Law regarding the Day of Atonement, he gave his people a way to choose to be free from their sins, to be clean.
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any workâ€â€whether native-born or an alien living among youâ€â€because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. . . . He [the priest] is to put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy Place . . . and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community†(Lev. 16:29, 30, 32, 33).
The high priest acted on behalf of the people to bring about this cleansing of sin. On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered into the holiest of all: the Holy of Holies in the temple. There he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice (the sin offering) on the mercy seat, and it yielded the cleansing of sin.
Of the many prophecies that refer to Christ’s return for followers of the Old Covenant, one given by the prophet Isaiah makes specific reference to the priestly responsibility that takes place on the Day of Atonement: the sprinkling of the blood. Isaiah prophesied, “so will he [Christ] sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him†(Isa. 52:15).
In Heaven, Christ now reigns as the great high priest, and he shall return as Kingâ€â€and sprinkle the nations, and cleanse the Earth. The Day of Atonement is the most solemn day of the year because Heaven’s judgment is sealed. On this future day in timeâ€â€on Yom Kippurâ€â€justice will be delivered to the Earth.
The King shall return with his angels, which include his church. Those who were transformed immortal and the dead who were raised to eternal life shall return with their Lord: “The armies of heaven were following him [Christ], riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean†(Rev. 19:14). (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints) (Rev. 19:8). “[T]he Lamb [Christ] will overcome . . . because he is Lord of lords and King of kingsâ€â€and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers†(Rev. 17:14). This is the prophecy of the Apocalypse; it is the battle of Armageddon; it is the salvation of Israel; it is the Day of Atonement.
[T]he Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. (2 Thess. 1:7–9 kjv)
[T]he Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord. (Isa. 66:15, 16)
[T]he Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. . . . Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. (Zech. 14:3–5)
“On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. . . . I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.†Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, “The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.†. . . “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.†(Zech. 12:3–5; 13:1)
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. . . . Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. (Eze. 36:25, 26; 37:28)
With evil defeated, and the cleansing complete, God shall establish the millennial kingdom: the 1000-year reign of Heaven on Earth. The seventh and final feastâ€â€the Feast of Tabernaclesâ€â€foreshadows this magnificent time to come for our world.
The Feast of Tabernacles calls to remembrance the time the children of Israel lived in the desert (the wilderness), following the exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew word for “tabernacle†means “booth, cottage . . . pavilion . . . [or] tent.†The Old Testament makes reference to the temporary dwellings in which the Israelites lived in the wilderness while on the path to the Promised Land. As recorded by Moses, the Feast of Tabernaclesâ€â€which begins on the fifteenth day of Tishreiâ€â€lasts for seven days.
Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 23:41–43)
This seven-day feast foreshadowed the millennial kingdom. This holy time calls to remembrance the wilderness experience and the supernatural presence of God.
By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (Exod. 13:21, 22)
In the desert, the Israelites saw the hand of God, understood his presence, and knew he had delivered themâ€â€and built a sanctuary for him. It is written: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I [God] will dwell among them†(Exod. 25:8).
As God dwelt with the Israelites and protected them in the wilderness, so shall the Son of God dwell and reign in this world. At this future time, immortal souls shall reign over the Earth and live with the mortal souls (those among the nations who lived through the final seven years of prophecy). For 1000 years, peace shall reign on this planet. What follows are prophecies about this divine, future time:
“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,†declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.†(Zech. 2:10–12)
In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.†The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isa. 2:2–4)
The Feast of Tabernacles is also referred to as the “Festival of Ingathering†and the “Feast of the Nations.†As prophesied in the Old Testament, during the time of Heaven’s 1000-year kingdom, nations on Earth will celebrate this feast: “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles†(Zech. 14:16).
The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the “Season of Our Joy.†It is the joy found in God’s deliverance and presence. This can be seen from the following prophecy that speaks of the coming millennial kingdom:
e glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I [God] will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. (Isa. 65:18–24)
This is the time of the glorious restoration of the nation of Israel by God Almightyâ€â€when all those who dwell in the Holy Land and throughout the world shall know the Creator.
God’s hand of blessing shall extend not only to the living, but also to the dead; many who currently sleep in the grave shall rise to live in this coming kingdom. Just as there shall be a resurrection of the dead when Christ returns for his church on the Feast of Trumpets, there shall also be a resurrection of the dead when Christ returns for Israel on the Day of Atonement. The believers from Old Testament times shall rise from their graves to live in the millennial kingdom.
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.â€Â
The hand of the Lord was upon me [the prophet Ezekiel], and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bn the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?†I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.â€Â
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’â€Â
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’†So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feetâ€â€a vast army.
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’†(Ezek. 36:37, 38; 37:1–14)
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