When I was a young teen, the topic of the second coming/the rapture/the tribulation/end of days was a hot and common topic in the church. It does still come up, but much less than years ago and mostly I think viewed with suspicion and there-goes-a-fruit-loop-ism these days. Suspicion is good if it makes you look for Bible truth, and so is there-goes-a-fruit-loop-ism for the same reason, but mostly I think it’s I’m-havening-a-nice-life-don’t-interrupt-me-ism or maybe a case of no-one-ever-told-me-Jesus-is-coming-back-ism. Or maybe fear.
Many people my age had an experience (as I did) of being terrified (after watching Thief in the Night) that everyone we knew had been raptured and we’d been left behind. My own story was at about 13… came home to NO one. House unlocked. No note. Highly unusual. I remember getting about with the small cast iron frying pan in hand for protection. Not quite sure what from, but it was the only weaponish thing in the house, and somehow I felt I needed a weapon.
Every time I look at the Feasts of Israel… EVERY time… they speak to me in some new or deeper way. Today was the Feast of Trumpets. It’s the first of the second ‘batch’ of 7 Moed (appointments) outlined in Leviticus 23. The first batch begin at the time we call Easter (Passover).
Every year for the last five that I’ve been learning about them, I begin the feast cycle with a fresh burst of interest and determination to follow it ALL the way through with the saem level of interest and focus.
Every year I’ve started well in March/April.
And every year I’m flagging by now. (September)
Every year Feast of Trumpets comes and I’ve not given it the thought and learning that I wanted to.
This spoke to me when I saw the pattern of it this year.
How many of us begin out walk with God with great gusto, excitement, interest and focus, but then find ourselves flagging. This year, the main way this feast has spoken, is the way in which I get so busy and distracted by so many other things, that I neglect to continue in something actually very important to me. It spoke to me of the picture of Christian lives, people getting weary, busy distracted, disinterested by not staying vitally connected to the Source. It’s a dovetailing picture of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.
I have to constantly remind myself of how easy it is to be the third batch of seed, and that I need to return to Him in focus and first love.
Here is something I wrote a few years ago on Feast of Trumpets for anyone still reading and interested!
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Imagine a yearly celebration that looked forward to Jesus return!
The way that most Christians celebrate Christmas is to remember that Jesus was born 2000 years ago in Bethlehem – and what most Christians remember at ‘Easter’ time, is that Jesus was crucified and rose again. All these annual events mark significant things from the past. Imagine a yearly celebration that looked forward to Jesus return! – Well. there is one! It’s on a day that mostly passes by with few knowing as the Biblical months have Hebrew names and different timing so we don’t naturally recognise them as we read along in the Bible. It is the 5th in the annual cycle of seven Feasts that God gave to Israel at the same time that He gave the Ten Commandments.
Leviticus 23 explains the Hebrews Feast days. They are to celebrate that were mostly commemorations of events as well as being pointers to help identify events in the future as being planned by God and therefore the real deal. This 5th feast was known millennia ago as the most mysterious feast and was called “The Day that no one knows”!
This actual name of this feast is “The Feast of Trumpets”. Why?
LEVITICUS 23:23-25 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. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.’ “
JOEL 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill….
MATTHEW 24:30-31 …They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
1CORINTHIANS 15:50-54 … Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in 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. … When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
1THESSALONIANS 4:13-17 … We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
At the first sighting of every new moon, trumpets would sound to signify the official first day of the month. With seasons, rotations, clouds and rain there could be different sightings at slightly different times across a 48 hour period so it had to be officially announced… Three times a year the menfolk HAD to be in Jerusalem on the right day or risk being cut off from their people. Knowing the specific day was very important!
This was all well and good for the beginning of most months and keeping track of the weekly Sabbath was easy enough. Resting every seventh day didn’t need a grand announcement in order to get the timing right. But, resting on the FIRST DAY of a month meant they needed to be prepared as closely as possible for this one feast of the year which fell on the first day of a month which they could not be precise about till the first sliver of moon had been seen and reported to the temple.
They knew around-about when they had to be ready but not the exact time. Anything sound familiar there!
MATTHEW 25:1-13 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: `Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ” `No,’ they replied, `there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut” Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir!’ they said. `Open the door for us! “But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. This year the Feast of Trumpets begins at Sundown on the 5th of September. (The 1st of Tishri). If you’re in the vicinity of Darlington that evening sometime shortly after sundown (6.18pm), be outside and you might just hear a reminder that the Bridegroom is coming again one day. If you should hear a mystery trumpeter – you can know that other believers around the world also at sundown in their locations on this day are also looking forward to the soon and coming King.