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Unit
1 -- A CHALLENGE - Copyright January 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Good morning friend:
Thank yourself for choosing to learn about God's holy days as
revealed in the bible.
A word of caution: this series of studies can change your thinking
forever, beginning with this lesson. It asks a question you'll be
compelled to answer.
A Christian writer, Pam Clark wrote, "Any time you are seeking
God for a new thing, the old order in your life will stand up for its
authority. Tradition will shout loudly, 'This is the way we have always
done it. This is the way that is right!'"
Tradition will shout at you during this series of bible studies,
but as you search you'll discover tradition and the bible generally take
two different pathways. And the bible's way is always the right one.
Sharing the truth of God with the world.
Bro. Leslie A Turvey - A servant of Jesus Christ
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WHY DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE?
Let's begin with where you are today. Chances are you observe a
mid-winter festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It's a
delightful time, with festivities and food and friends and gifts. But
despite all the hubbub of Christmas, you know Christ was not born anywhere
near December 25. Preachers mention it. Newspapers and magazines write
about it.
So, if he was not born in the winter, when was he born? Is there a
way to know? And what does his birth have to do with God's holy days?
There is a way to know the approximate date of Jesus' birth, and it
comes from the bible. It also relates to the time of his eventual return
as King of kings and Lord of lords. But just as we cannot tell the precise
time of his return (Matthew
24:36), we cannot tell the precise time of his
birth. However, we can come much closer than December 25.
Why not exactly? Deuteronomy
29:29 says, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but
those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for
ever, that we may do all the words of this law."
God hid Moses' burial place (Deuteronomy
34:5-6), likely to keep it from becoming a shrine to the Israelites.
Man has never found Noah's ark, and no doubt never will. God wouldn't want
it turned into a tourist trap. And the ark of the covenant will remain
hidden from human eyes until the time is right for God to reveal it. If
man could find it, it would become a museum piece to be put on display.
The pope would claim it for the Catholics; the Jews would fight for their
right to it. And the significance of it as God's dwelling-place among
mankind would be lost.
The exact time of Jesus' birth will likely remain a mystery for the
same reason: God wouldn't want it to become a time of celebration and
festivities. It's amazing how the real meaning of major events can become
lost amid the hoopla that surrounds them.
Christmas is an excellent example. What's most important to most
families? Santa Claus and gifts and parties. The most-asked question on
the days following Christmas is not "How did you celebrate Jesus'
birth?" but "What did Santa Claus bring you?" Jesus is
often no more than
a plastic doll in a creche atop the television.
But even if your December 25 has more of Jesus in it, and less of
Santa Claus, you still must consider, If you know Jesus wasn't born on
that day, why should you celebrate it then? This question becomes even
more important when you will learn from the holy scriptures, that Jesus
was born during the warm days of autumn, likely on the Feast of Trumpets.
GOD'S HOLY DAYS
All the gospel writers included at least some of God's holy days in
their accounts. John wove the holy days into all but two chapters in his
account. Twelve of those detail events occurring on, or near, the passover
and days of unleavened bread. Other chapters show or allude to pentecost,
the feast of tabernacles, and the last great day.
John shows, through his writing, that the life of Jesus Christ must
be centered around the annual holy days, rather than around the traditions
which man has accepted through the centuries. Otherwise the true meaning
of his life, and the purpose of his first coming cannot be understood as
God intended.
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Think on these things until your next study. We'll begin with a
seldom-considered verse from the first chapter of Luke.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
NOTE: Unless otherwise
indicated, the King James Version of the bible is used throughout this
series of lessons. However, the traditional language has been modernized
by the author.
Unit 2 - LITTLE THINGS MEAN A
LOT - Copyright January 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Diamonds are generally rather small, but on Nellie Nubile's finger
it means she's going to be a bride.
A single speck of sand is insignificant, until an oyster turns it
into a beautiful and precious pearl.
A grain of mustard seed "is the least of
all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and
becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the
branches of it (Matthew 13:31-32)."
Five little words out of nearly 875,000 in the bible hardly seem
worth considering, and yet they're vital to understanding when Jesus
Christ was born. Those five words are in Luke 1:5
where we're told Zacharias was "of the course
of Abia."
These words are read throughout Christendom every December, but few
people ever question what they mean. No minister or priest, even if he
understood them, would volunteer the information as it would make a
drastic change in his congregation's life.
So what do they mean? Did God just throw them in for something to
say?
To discover the meaning we turn to 1
Chronicles 24: 7-18, where we find the names of twenty-four
priests of Israel, selected by lot (vs 5). In verse
19 we read, "These were the orderings of
them in their service to come into the house of the Lord, according to
their manner, under Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had
commanded him." The lots determined the courses of service of
the priests. The courses continued through the years under the names of
the twenty-four original priests.
Notice that the eighth lot fell to a priest named in Hebrew, Abijan,
but in Greek, Abia.
According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, "...one
course should minister to God eight days, from sabbath to sabbath."
The Jewish Talmud states all the priests served on weeks which included
the holy days, and their service began and ended at mid-day.
God's year begins in the spring (Exodus
12:2; 13:4),
as the name of the month Abib shows. Abib means "to be tender,"
like young ears of barley in the spring. The Talmud also teaches the
courses of the priests began in the spring. The course of Jehoiarib served
from Abib 1 to Abib 8 (the first to the eighth of Abib, the first month of
the year), followed by the course of Jedaiah from Abib 8 to Abib 15.
All the priests served from the Abib 15 to Abib 22, the week of
passover and the days of unleavened bread.
The courses continued until Abijah (Abia) served from Iyar 27 to
Sivan 5, the week in which Zacharias (Luke
1:5) did his usual service. All the priests, including Zacharias,
served the following week, from Sivan 5 to Sivan 12, the week in which
pentecost was observed.
Pentecost, that year, was on Sivan 6, which corresponds to June 11
on our calendar. Zacharias' service ended at noon on June 17. (The
computer era has allowed us to correlate our Gregorian and the Hebrew
calendars to determine the dates.)
Now read the account beginning in Luke
1:5: "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a
certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of
the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both
righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of
the Lord blameless. And they had no child,
because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in
years.
"And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's
office before God in the order of his course (according to the custom of
the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the
temple of the Lord), and the whole multitude of the people were praying
without [outside] at the time of incense. And there appeared to him an
angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
"And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell
upon him. But the angel said to him, 'Fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer
is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call
his name John. And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice
at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall
drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the holy
ghost [spirit], even from his mother's womb.'
"And Zacharias said to the angel, 'Whereby shall I know this?
for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.' And the angel
answering said to him, 'I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God;
and am sent to speak to you, and to show you these glad tidings.
"And, behold, you shall be dumb, and not able to speak, until
the day that these things shall be performed, because you believed not my
words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.'
"And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he
tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to
them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he
beckoned to them, and remained speechless."
Here we see Zacharias struck speechless during his temple service
of June 10-17. He would remain mute until his son was born and named.
Zacharias wasted no time getting home, as shown in vs.
23: "And it came to pass that, as soon as the days of his
ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house,"
and he doubtless wasted no time getting Elizabeth pregnant. He wouldn't
want to remain mute longer than necessary. Given this, may we assume her
conception took place sometime during the two weeks of June 18 to July 1?
Continue reading from verse 24: "And
after those days [of Zacharias' service] his wife Elisabeth conceived, and
hid herself five months, saying, 'Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the
days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.'
"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to
a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came in to her, and said, 'Hail, you who are highly favoured,
the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.'
"And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and
cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel
said to her, 'Fear not, Mary: for you have found favour with God. And,
behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall
call his
name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his father David: And he
shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end.'
"Then said Mary to the angel, 'How shall this be, seeing I
know not a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, 'The holy ghost
[spirit] shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you
shall be
called the Son of God.
"And, behold, your cousin Elisabeth, she has also conceived a
son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called
barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.' And Mary said, 'Behold
the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.' And the
angel departed from her."
During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, sometime between
December 17 and 30, the angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she would
become pregnant through the power of the holy spirit. No doubt Mary didn't
have to wait long.
So we can determine the approximate date of Mary's conception as
being the last two weeks of December. Counting the months we can determine
John would be born sometime during the weeks of March 18 to 31, and Jesus
would be born during the weeks of September 16 to 29.
The feast of trumpets occurs right in the middle of the two weeks
in which Mary would likely give birth. If we're to center Jesus' life
around the annual holy days, it would seem probable he would be born on
the first day of Tishri [September 22], the feast of trumpets.
So it's evident those five words in Luke
1:5 which tell us Zacharias was "of the
course of Abia," are more significant than most ministers or
priests acknowledge. In the understanding of when Jesus was born, they
become a pearl of great price (Matthew
13:46).
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Further evidence of when Jesus was born in your next study unit.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit 3 - A FEAST OF
THE JEWS - Copyright January 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
(Luke 2:8-12) "And there were in the same
country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the
Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said
to them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city
of David, a saviour which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to
you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger.'"
Israel is generally a sub-tropical country, but the winter months
are cold and rainy. Does it make sense that the shepherds would be
watching their sheep in the fields during cold rains of December?
Historically the flocks are inside by the end of October, so once
again the bible looks to a different birth date for Jesus than is
traditionally celebrated today.
Of all God's holy days, only the feast of trumpets can be
determined by scripture as the most likely time of Jesus' birth.
GOD'S PLAN FOR ALL MANKIND
Birthday celebrations look backward to another year gone by.
Because we are not promised another year, another day, another minute,
birthday celebrations do not look forward.
Christmas is no different. It looks only backward to the day when
Jesus Christ was supposed to have been born. The most forward-looking
aspect of Christmas comes with the reading of Isaiah
9:6-7 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
Yet, even this reading is considered mainly for its poetry, some
beautiful verses to be read once a year in December.
God's holy days, however, look backward, look forward, and look to
the present. Each one has great significance in his plan of salvation for
all mankind.
As we have already seen, the feast of trumpets looks back to the
most logical time of Jesus Christ's birth. But it looks back even farther
than that.
The full complement of God's holy days is catalogued in Leviticus
23. The chapter begins "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak
to the children of Israel, and say to them, Concerning the feasts of the
Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my
feasts.'" Notice, these are not Moses' feasts, nor feasts of the
Israelites, nor feasts of the Jews. They are God's feasts.
Now I expect you to point to John
5:1, "After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up
to Jerusalem," and John
6:4, "And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh." But
that doesn't make them Jewish feasts. God said they are his. How, then,
did they become known as feasts of the Jews?
Most Christians have some knowledge of ancient Israel's captivity
in Egypt. But, because most denominations look only to the new testament,
not all realize there were other captivities. And few understand who the
Jews are.
The Jews are descendants of the Israelite tribe of Judah. But the
tribe of Judah split from the rest of Israel, and in 2
Kings 16:6 they are, for the first time, called Jews. They are also at
war with their brothers.
BLESSINGS AND CURSINGS
God had made wonderful promises to Israel: blessings in the city
and the field; enjoyment of their children, and great increase of crops
and cattle; safety and protection as they came and went; plenty to eat,
and plenty to store; rain in proper amounts in the proper seasons; and a
promise they would be God's showcase nation to the world. But these
promises came with a condition, that Israel observe God's laws and his
sabbaths (Deuteronomy
28:1-14).
They didn't obey, however, and suffered the curses of the rest of
the chapter. Eventually came the rift when Judah left the rest of Israel,
and beginning in 721 B.C. Israel was taken captive, and transported to the
Caspian Sea region. "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel,
and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of
Judah only (2
Kings 17:18)...So was Israel carried away out of their own land to
Assyria to this day (vs 23)."
History shows they never returned to their homeland, but were
scattered mainly north and west throughout Europe, as far as the British
Isles. They even lost their identity as Israelites.
The tribe of Judah didn't fare much better. Despite disobeying
God's laws in general, they did retain God's sabbaths and holy days. For
their general disobedience, 130 years after Israel's captivity they were
taken captive to Babylon, where they remained for seventy years. But, as
Jews, they eventually returned to their homeland. What made the
difference?
Exodus 31:12 states, "And the Lord spoke
to Moses, saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, Verily my
sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout
your generations; that you may know that I am the Lord that does sanctify
you.'"
With their disobedience of God, Israel gave up keeping God's
sabbaths, his sign; the Jews did not. For this, God allowed them to keep
their identity, and to eventually return home.
God's sabbaths included not only the weekly sabbaths, but his holy
days, and when John wrote his gospel only the Jews were observing them.
Hence they became known, especially among the gentiles, as "a feast
of the Jews."
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Your next study will look at the feast of trumpets in the old and new
testaments.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit
4 - The Feast of Trumpets in the Old and New Testaments - Copyright
April 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Asaph wrote in Psalm 81:1-4, "Sing aloud
to God our strength: make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob. Take a
psalm, and bring the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Blow up
the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast
day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of
Jacob."
Verse 3 speaks of blowing the trumpet in the new moon, and makes it
evident this is a solemn feast day. The Hebrew months each begin at the
time of the new moon, and the Feast of Trumpets is the only holy day that
falls at the beginning of the month.
Leviticus 23:23 verifies this. "And the
Lord spake to Moses, saying, 24 'Speak 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, an holy
convocation.'"
It is significant that none of God's holy days take place in the
cold winter months. God's holy days revolve around the spring and fall
harvest seasons in Palestine. According to Baruch Levine, Professor of
Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, the trumpet announcing
the sighting of the new moon of the seventh month, ushered in the time of
autumn ingathering -- grain harvesting. As will be seen in a future study
unit, there will be another ingathering, but not of grain.
Professor Levine wrote, "Fixing the precise time of the moon's
birth was necessary for scheduling the festivals whose dates are
formulated as numbered days of the month." His use of the expression,
the "birth" of the moon, is curious in that it ties right in
with concept of Jesus' birth at the birth of the moon of the seventh
month.)
There's a special instruction in Leviticus
23:22 "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not make
clean riddance of the corners of thy field when you reap, neither shall
you gather any gleaning of your harvest: you shall leave them to the poor,
and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God."
When the crops were harvested the grain in the
corners of the fields were to be left standing. As well, when a field was
harvested, the farmer was not to send his workers back to the fields to
gather the stalks of grain that had fallen on the ground during the
harvest. This was to provide food for the poor and to travellers.
Immediately after this instruction, in verses 23-25 we read,
"And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of
Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, you
shall have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy
convocation. You shall do no servile work therein: but you shall offer an
offering made by fire to the Lord.'"
No grain would be harvested prior to the Feast of
Trumpets, nor on the day of the feast, as it is a sabbath. The fall
harvest would begin the next regular work day.
There is an allusion in the new testament to the instruction
regards the corners of the fields. Matthew 12:1,
"At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his
disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to
eat." Luke
6:1-2 adds the disciples were "rubbing them in their hands."
Those who have eaten grain in the field know you rub it in your hands,
then blow away the chaff, leaving only the grain to eat.
But when the pharisees saw it, they said to him,
'Behold, your disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath
day.'"
Jesus would not steal. Neither would he allow his disciples to
steal. But since they were travelling they could lawfully pluck and eat a
few handfuls of grain left from the harvest. The self-righteous pharisees,
however, considered the plucking and rubbing away the chaff as harvesting
and winnowing, something that was not lawful on the sabbath day.
What did Jesus say about all this? Mark
2:27, "And he said to them, 'The sabbath was made for man, and
not man for the sabbath.'" And in verse 28 he identifies himself as
Lord of the sabbath, meaning he, not the pharisees, has authority over
what is lawful or unlawful on the sabbath day.
You might wonder about the expression in Luke's
account of the event, "...on the second sabbath after the first (Luke
6:1)."
Holy days were sabbaths of the first rank. The
second sabbath after the sabbath of the first rank would be a weekly
sabbath. The holy days were completed, and since many of the fields would
have been harvested there would be many corners ripe for the picking by
those who needed it.
PAUL AND THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS
There has been much contention about Paul's statement in Colossians
2:16, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in
respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days."
Evangelical Christians are especially fond of quoting this verse,
saying these things have been done away with. They somehow tie it in with
verse 14, saying Jesus nailed these things to the cross.
But who was Paul writing to? His letter was to gentile converts
living in Colossae. Prior to their conversion to Christianity, unlike the
Jews they would have been eating all sorts of things which may not have
been good for them (See God's dietary laws in Leviticus
11 and Deuteronomy
14.). As Christians they would eat only clean meats. Prior to their
conversion they may have drunk the blood of their sacrifices, animal or
human. As Christians they would not drink blood of any sort.
Of course, as first century Christians they would observe the holy
days, and the sabbath. And they would observe the feast of trumpets, the
only holy day which always begins with the new moon.
My fellow sabbath-keeping Christians and I know, from experience,
these things draw judgmental stares and remarks from unconverted
acquaintances and families. Paul said, in effect, "Don't let them
worry you."
Paul wouldn't written such a letter if he and the gentile converts
had not been observing God's laws and holy days. However, as your studies
continue, you'll discover they observed the weekly sabbaths and each of
God's holy days.
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Next study: Two trumpets of silver
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit
5 -- Two Trumpets Of Silver - Copyright April 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org Before we begin today's study, it's important to realize
this series is basic. When one begins observing the sabbath and the holy
days, he soon learns there are much deeper meanings to be found in them. ~
Les ~
Jesus Christ was a Jew. He was raised in a Jewish home by a
God-fearing father (Matthew
1:19), and a mother who was blessed among women (Luke
1:28). He was knowledgeable in the law (John
7:15).
The pharisees tried to find fault with him, and accused Jesus of
breaking the sabbath by healing people (Mark
3:2), of allowing his disciples to eat without first washing their
hands (Mark
7:2), and of heresy (Matthew
26:61). But search the bible as you will, and you'll not find any
evidence of Jesus being accused of not observing God's holy days, nor of
teaching they were no longer relevant.
Likewise, throughout the book of Acts, and the letters of Paul and
the other apostles, you'll find many references showing they observed the
holy days as well. By keeping them they proved the holy days were not
nailed to the cross (Colossians
2:14) as most evangelicals teach.
Let's look at what the feast of trumpets meant to the disciples,
and what it means to Christians in Century 21. To do so we must listen to
Jesus on the temple mount.
From Matthew
24:1-51 Jesus describes many thing that must yet come to pass, perhaps
in our own lifetime. It's not a pretty picture.
Many of these events are especially known to us today through the
marvel of live television. Wars and rumours of wars are part of our daily
life in the comfort of our living rooms. We see thousands of families
bereaved by terrible earthquakes, and wonder when one will hit where we
are. And Jesus says these are just the beginning of unbelievable problems
(vs 8).
He speaks of religious deception (vs 5), of false prophets coming
out the woodwork (vs 11), and of Christians being tortured and killed for
their belief (vs 9). These things are taking place in many parts of the
world today, and may soon be in our own future.
He goes on to say, "And because iniquity shall abound, the
love of many shall wax cold (Matthew 24:12)."
Whose love? The love of unconverted parents for their sabbath-keeping
children? Yes! The love of one Christian for another? Yes! The love of
Christians for the gospel? Yes! As people become fearful of the
lawlessness of others, they will become lovers of themselves (2
Timothy 3:2) more than lovers of God (vs 4).
But the feast of trumpets gives us hope. It pictures the time when
Jesus Christ will return to this earth with complete power over man's
kings and man's lords. It pictures the time of the resurrection of Godly
men of all ages, to eternal life. It pictures the time when genuine peace
-- not just a recess between wars -- will reign worldwide. We'll look at
this in more detail in the next study unit.
Where do Christians believe they go when they die? Heaven, right?
Old sinners sizzle forever in the flames of hell. That's what traditional
ministry wants you to believe.
But what about Aunt Gertrude? She never darkened a church door
until they carried her through in a coffin. Aunt Gertrude never signed a
little pledge card that said she had given her heart to the Lord, and her
money to the preacher.
But Aunt Gertrude was a saint if ever there was one. She'd help
anyone who needed it, and give some soup and a sandwich to the
down-and-out at the back door. If it was summer she'd sit at the picnic
table and chat with him; in the winter she'd invite him into the warmth of
the kitchen.
Now where is Aunt Gertrude? And if Christian means followers of
Christ providing they're not Roman Catholic, where does that leave Mother
Teresa?
For those Christians who choose to believe God when he says the
feast of trumpets is his holy day (Leviticus
23:2, 24),
this feast gives great hope for Aunt Gertrude, the derelict at her back
door, Mother Teresa, and the old sinner who Christians believe is getting
what he deserves.
Two Trumpets Of Silver
Throughout the old testament trumpets played a major role in the
life of the Israelites. The first reference is in Exodus
19:13, when God told Moses he would come down onto mount Sinai in the
sight of all the people. (vss 11).
Exodus 19:16 "And it came to pass on the third day in the
morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon
the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the
people that were in the camp trembled." That must have been one
powerful trumpet.
In Numbers
10:2-3 God commanded Moses to make two trumpets of silver for calling
the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps, and to call the
congregation to worship. They were also for use in war time (vs 9), and in
days of gladness, on solemn days, to announce the beginning of the months,
and for offerings and sacrifices (vs 10).
Trumpets were blown at the destruction of the walls of Jericho (Joshua
6) when Gideon attacked the Midianite camp (Judges
7), and when the ark of the covenant was returned to Jerusalem (2
Samuel 6:15).
It was a day of gladness when the Jews returned to their homeland
after seventy years in exile. The trumpets were blown in jubilation when
the foundation of the temple was laid (Ezra
3:10-11), but as they built the walls a watchman was to blow the
trumpet at the approach of their enemies (Nehemiah
4:17-20).
The old testament, however, isn't the only place we hear of
trumpets. We return to Matthew 24 and hear Jesus telling his disciples of
the horrendous end time events to take place world wide. Then in verse 31
he says, "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other." One has to wonder if this will
be the same trumpet of Exodus
19:16. Jesus did say, "...the great sound of a
trumpet...."
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We'll leave you to consider this until your next study unit. Maybe it will
give more information about this trumpet.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit
6 - GOD'S FEAST OF TRUMPETS IN CENTURY 21 - Copyright April 2000 /
Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
In Exodus 19:13-16 we learned of a trumpet with two
characteristics: it was "exceeding loud, so that all the people that
was in the camp trembled," and it announced that God was coming down
onto Mount Sinai.
Then in
Matthew 24:31 Jesus told his disciples God would
"send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet...."
JOB'S CRYPTIC STATEMENT
Job was covered with sores so painful he wanted to die. He said to
God, Job 14:13, "Oh, that you would hide me in the grave, that you
would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set
time and remember me!" Job wanted to hide in the grave. Notice, he
said nothing about wanting to go to heaven.
In verse 14 Job asks, "If a man dies, shall he live
again?" He then continues with a cryptic statement, "All the
days of my hard service I will wait till my change comes."
Change? What change? From what to what?
In I Corinthians 15:51 Paul wrote, "Behold, I tell you a
mystery: We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed."
There's that word 'change' again.
Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again to see the
kingdom of God. He continued in
John 3:6, "That which is born of the
flesh is [composed of] flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
[composed of] spirit."
We've already read Paul's words, "We shall not all die, but we
shall all be changed." In the next verse,
I Corinthians 15:52 he
says, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump,
for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed."
In
verses 35-41 Paul describes various kinds of bodies,
including human. He uses a seed to describe the process. He says, in
verses 36-37, "When you put a seed into the ground it doesn't grow
into a plant unless it dies first. And when the green shoot comes up out
of the seed, it is very different from the seed you first planted (The
Living Bible)."
Paul goes on to say, "So also is the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption (1
Corinthians 15:42)."
The human body is like a seed: it has to die before it can
become what it is yet to be. Both are planted in corruption --
corruptible, just so much garbage, able to rot.
The grain of seed will be "resurrected" as a stalk
of grain with many seeds which can be turned into food.
The human body will also be resurrected, but in the case of
deceased Christians it will be raised in a different body: incorruptible,
never able to die again. As Paul wrote in
verse 53, "For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality."
So Job is like the seed. His corruptible body has long ago
rotted away to become fertilizer for the ground. But as a God-fearing man,
his change will come and he'll be resurrected immortal, incorruptible.
Amazing! Job knew something five thousand years ago, that Christians today
refuse to believe.
He knew what Jesus told Nicodemus, that he would eventually
be born again -- resurrected -- in a new body composed of spirit (John
3:6).
He knew he did not have immortality inherent, and "You
will not surely die (Genesis 3:4)" is Satan's teaching, not God's.
WHEN?
But when will all this take place? When will Job (and Moses and
David and Paul) be resurrected? Paul tells us, "In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and
the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (I
Corinthians 15:52)."
So, at a time yet future, when the last trumpet sounds
deceased Christians, and God-fearing people who died before Christ was
born, will be resurrected incorruptible, immortal. And those Christians
who are still alive when the trumpet sounds, will not die but will be
instantaneously changed to their new body (I Corinthians 15:51).
The bible tells us what that body will be like. In
Philippians 3:21
we're told Jesus Christ will "change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body...."
Turn to
Revelation 1:13-16, where John attempts to describe
what God is like, and what we, therefore, will be like. "In the midst
of the seven lampstands one like the Son of man, clothed with a garment
down to the feet, and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head
and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes like a
flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace,
and his voice as the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven
stars; out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword [the words of the
bible (Hebrews 4:12), and his countenance was like the sun shining in its
strength."
Can you imagine being like that? Paul quoted
Isaiah 64:4, when he
wrote "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the
heart [mind] of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love
him (1 Corinthians 2:9). We really can't imagine what we'll be like, what
life will be like, when that last trumpet is sounded.
TERRIBLE TIMES COMING
In the book of Revelation, John said seven angels were each given a
trumpet. Before the first angel blows his trumpet the world will have
already experienced terrible events culminating in great tribulation
(Matthew 24:21). But that will be nothing compared to what will occur when
the angels' trumpets begin to sound.
When the seventh, the last trumpet, is sounded, even worse
things will occur. But two wonderful events will take place: the saints
will be resurrected, and they, along with the saints still living, will be
changed.
It's the same trumpet that will herald Jesus Christ's return
to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. It's a trumpet which will be
heard around the world when, "as the lightning comes out of the east,
and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be. (Matthew 24:27)."
Christ's return will begin the time of ever-increasing world
peace described by Isaiah, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even for ever (Isaiah 9:6-7)."
Is it the same trumpet that shook the Israelites at Mount Sinai
(Exodus 19:16)? We're not told, but it well might be.
GOD'S FEAST OF TRUMPETS IN CENTURY 21
Thousands of Christians world wide, observe God's feast of trumpets
today. Whether they're part of large organizations or independent
congregations with fifteen or so members, they meet for a worship service
and generally a meal.
The worship service is similar to most worship services
you've attended. Trumpets are not normally blown unless a skilled
trumpeter plays a song for special music. Individual worship services may
be introduced by sounding the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn,
nut this is up to those preparing the program of worship, and the
availability of talent and instruments.
The worship is based around the theme of the feast of
trumpets with the sermon emphasizing its meaning as the time of Christ's
birth, and the great trumpet that will herald his return.
When you take part in the feast of trumpets you will discover it's
not some unusual ceremony, but a time of great importance and meaning --
more meaningful than anything you've ever been taught about the birth of
Jesus Christ.
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Should you choose to observe the feast of trumpets, it will be held from
sunset September 17 to sunset September 18, 2001 A.D.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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