The Day of the Lord... Is the Feast of Trumpets
Many important prophetic events will occur in the last
3.5 years before the dramatic return of Christ. These are generally known as
the Great Tribulation. The Church of God persecuted, on the run, hidden
in a remote place out of reach. The Beast… the persecutor rises to domination.
The 2 witnesses carry out the final preaching of truth and
repentance in a amazing and powerful
way.
You might have thought… wow, that's a lot packed into a
mere 3.5 year period. But did you know that we left out a very important series
of events that also take place during those years? Sometime during that 3.5
year period the 6th seal is opened announcing that the time of God’s wrath also known as The Day of The
Lord is about to begin. Signs in the sun, moon and stars.
There are at least 30 different prophecies in OT/NT
regarding the DOL…
·
Joel
2:30-31 [indicates some will survive the time of Jacob’s trouble –
different subject]
·
Isaiah
13:6-13 verse 11 … involves the whole world, not just Israel.
·
Isaiah
24:1-6 a time of punishment because they refuse to live according to the
way of life God lays out for us to live.
·
Zephaniah
1:14-18 announced by trumpets… all mankind… because they have sinned.
The creator and father of all has given his children freedom
and time to do things their own way. But not forever… He has tried patient
persuasion, examples, instruction. Now
it is time for God as the Father of all humanity to exercise some serious
discipline over them. The power and authority to exercise this discipline is
given to the Firstborn son… Jesus Christ.
How Long Is The Day of The Lord?
Isaiah 34:8, 61:2,
63:4 – a prophetic day represents a year Numbers 14:34. That is why we teach that the DOL is not only a 24
hour period when Christ appears but also a year long period of righteous
correction, punishment, and well deserved discipline for the inhabitants of the
earth. It is also the answer to all the exasperated prayers and appeals “how long ‘O’ Lord”.
The day of the Lord begins during the 3.5 years of great tribulation. It is the final portion
of the distress of that time. We teach this because:
1.
The Day of The Lord ends with the return of
Christ in power and glory
2.
The 3.5 year period of great tribulation also
ends with the return of Christ in power and glory
3.
Therefore, the 2 must overlap with the final 360
days of the tribulation also being the DOL
DOL is a Day of Trumpets [not just a single trumpet]
·
V 7 1/3
of all vegetation destroyed
·
V 8-9
1/3 of oceans destroyed
·
V 10 1/3
of drinking water destroyed
·
V 11
Light from the sun, moon, and stars diminished
by 1/3
These punishments form a group… God the creator is taking
away the benefits of creation… plants, water, light. As is God’s way, the
punishment fits the crime. You deny that
I am your creator and sustainer? See what happens when I take away just a
portion of the physical universe that sustains you!
Rev 8:13 The next
3 trumpets form a second group [3 woes]… they are 3 phases of all out world war
causing great destruction of human life and to the surface of the earth. Again
the punishment fits the crime… God allows violent, murderous humanity to kill
and punish one another.
·
Rev 9:1-3
the war machines of the Beast are unleashed upon the earth… described as
all-consuming locusts and painful scorpions.
o
Vs 4 people
who turned to God sealed by his spirit, they will be protected
o
Vs 11
Satan is the real power behind the beast
·
Rev
9:13-16 unleashes the war machines of the east [Pakistan, India, China, etc]
– those who will dare to make war with the beast
o
Vs 18
This war kills 3rd of all human life
·
Rev 11:15
trumpet – humanity is saved from their own destruction by the supernatural
intervention of God through Jesus Christ.
What it The Bottomless Pit?
Here is another principle of how God works… bad people, bad
spirits etc are restrained from doing anything and everything that comes into
their mind. They are restrained until the time of God’s choosing.
At the very beginning of scripture [Genesis 11] humanity is restrained
from accomplishing all the things they might set their minds to… different
languages are assigned to groups causing dispersion and confusion that
continues up until the time of the end… Satan is limited in what he can do to
humans [Job, Peter]. We learn that the disobedient angels [demons] are
restrained in an abyss Jude 6.
The full power, influence, anger, and fury of the demonic
sprits have been restrained throughout human history until the 5th
trumpet when they are fully let loose. In the end days these restraints upon
humans and the dark spiritual forces of our world are lifted.
Revelation 9:20-21
– remember that all the while the 2 witnesses will be preaching about the
meaning of what is going on… and presumably what they need to do. But they will
not listen.
The 7th Trumpet
Revelation 11:15-18
The final trumpet signals the return of Jesus Christ, it is also the time of
the resurrection and rewarding of the saints. War is raging… humanity is about
to destroy itself… Christ comes to stop it before everyone is killed. But how
the nations react… they are angry. Verse
18
Revelation 14:10
done in the presence of Christ {He has
returned]
The seventh trumpet is the 3rd woe the final
phase of world-wide warfare. Nations and
peoples crazed with power seeking will not meekly accept the rule of Christ.
Humans have never accepted God’s rule even if it is their only way to peace,
contentment, and joyful existence… they won’t/don’t start now.
Revelation 15:1 - The
7th trumpet announces the completion of God’s wrath… His final
retribution upon an world built on the belief that there must be another
way… it cannot be what God has told us… it simply has to be something else. For
this God will have no further patience.
Revelation 16: the 7 last punishments
1.
Festering sores – upon beast and its loyal
subjects
2.
Seas & oceans completely destroyed [turned
to blood]
3.
Fresh water completely destroyed [turned to
blood]
4.
Atmosphere diminished? Scorched by the sun
[Isaiah 30:26]
5.
Darkness/no light upon the beast
6.
Removes the restrain that had been keeping the
armies of the east out of the territory that is now the nation Israel… they
come to the valley in mid-north valley of
Meggido [where we get the phrase har-megiddo]
7.
Earthquake like never before that flattens the
cities of the earth, 100 pound hailstones
All these are poured out in a single day Revelation 18:8, 10, 16 [Babylon the
city of the beast]
Throughout all this…
humanity shakes their fist at Christ… presumably denies and refutes the
justness of these events. We have done
nothing wrong. We have only done what
seemed tight in our own eyes!
Whatever their reasoning… humanity will not yield to
Christ’s authority. They are convinced that they are right, that their
alternative is a better way. Yet when God removes all restraints their ways
plunge them into catastrophic war to the point of killing every human being on
earth.
Christ must powerfully and forcefully subdue humanity and
all their war making inventions, hostile intentions.
Finally, the great battle in the valley of Meggido comes to pass
Revelation 19:11-21
Isaiah 24:6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its
inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are
scorched, and few men are left.
It is with these few survivors as His “subjects” Christ will
begin His rule on earth. That time of reconstruction, righteous rule, ongoing
discipline, living and learning the ways that result in peace, contentment,
joy…. that is the message of the Feast of Tabernacles.
But there is one more step that must be taken… we’ll cover
that at the Day of Atonement.
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