United Church of God
Sermon Transcript — September 13, 2007
This particular holy day has such great meaning and has such a wonderful, wonderful heritage, not only in the history of God's people, but certainly in recent years in the history of the Church of God. It is a profoundly unique and a profoundly powerful day. It pictures things that are so exciting that it literally - literally should make the hair stand up on the back of your neck when you think about what this day is all about. And we have but one very short, twenty-four hours to understand this day one more time.
In 1979 my family and I had the wonderful privilege of moving to Massachusetts, a part of the Country that we had no real knowledge of before. Having grown up in the South, it was a wonderful opportunity to experience things that we had never seen before. Fall in New England is incredible. Sometimes the winters in New England can be quite incredible, as well, for a variety of reasons. I was made the pastor of the Boston and Providence congregations after a very difficult period of time in the history of the Church in 1979. For the next eight years we could not have asked for a better place to live in the center of some of the most historic parts or our Country. And yet, as in all of our assignments in the ministry, it wasn't and isn't the area that we remember the most, but it's the people that we met. The people you meet along the way in this journey of life are incredible and they make incredible impressions upon you. The scenery is scenery. It's beautiful. The color of the leaves in the fall is incredible, but it's the people that leave the greatest impression when you leave an area.
We left New England over twenty years ago and there are so many memories that stand out in our minds. The people that we would visit during those years were quite incredible. There were a lot of them. In those years, it wasn't unusual to have anywhere from fifteen to twenty new families every single week to visit. Every day of every week it was filled with visiting new people – people who had just heard the truth and were so excited. It was incredible! They could not contain themselves. The city of Boston is a unique city. So are some of the other villages and towns throughout New England. It is very ethnic in many areas. The south side of Boston is the Irish. In the north end of Boston are the Italians. And somewhere in between are the Lithuanians, the Armenians, and all of the other ethnic groups that are there. Visiting in among these people was just an incredible event.
One of the individuals that I visited during those years was quite unusual. In fact, one of the most unusual people I've ever met. He was a man that I met down in Fall River, Massachusetts. Now if you're not familiar with Fall River, Fall River is a Portuguese city. In fact, most of the people in that city not only speak Portuguese – in many cases that was all they spoke. In the middle of this particular village we had quite a few members who came into the Church back in the early 1980's, late 1970's. I had a visit request from a gentleman who wanted me to come to his home, which I went to visit in Fall River. And I still remember and can see very vividly going up to his apartment. As often happened among the people in that part of the Country and certainly in the Portuguese area, they lived in triple-deckers. You know, there would be a family on the first floor, another family on the second floor and another family on the third floor. This particular man lived on the second floor with his mother. I knew it was going to be an interesting visit when I walked in and he asked me if I had ever heard of Zadok. I said, "Well, there's a character in the Bible named Zadok." He said, "Well, I am Zadok. I have been reincarnated. I am Zadok." And he said, "Can't you see it?" I said, "See what?" He said, "I'm surrounded by fire, but only a Levite can see it." I knew right away I was not a Levite. I saw no fire. And then he began to tell me his story, how he had been reincarnated. He looked and acted like a British gentleman from the 19 th century dressed with his waistcoat, had on his tie, had the muttonchops on – muttonchops as far as the sideburns. He looked exactly like one, and he talked in Old English. I thought, well the Zadok I remember from scripture was not Old English, and yet he assured me that he was Zadok.
Well, I kind of wrote that one off as one of those unusual visits and a few months later, as many of you will recall, a few months later Mr. Armstrong died in January of 1986. About a week after Mr. Armstrong died, I got a call from Zadok again. He said, "You'll never guess who is sitting across from me." And I said, "No, I couldn't remotely guess who is sitting across from you." He said, "Herbert Armstrong is sitting in the chair next to me." Now, I had a little trouble putting that one together. Mr. Armstrong had died the week before and yet he was sitting across from this gentleman. I said, "You are aware that he is dead." He said, "I know that, but he came to see me because I have a special message to deliver to you. The special message is very simple. God has appointed me to be in charge of his church and you are to go to Pasadena and tell them that." I said, "Well, you know, I'm pretty busy this afternoon and I don't think I can make that trip." But I said, "Put Mr. Armstrong on the phone. Let him tell me." He said, "Well, I can't do that." I said, "Well, why?" He said, "Because you're not a Levite." I'm not a Levite; so therefore, I can't talk to Mr. Armstrong. Needless to say, Zadok never came to the church. I have no idea what happened to him. I have no idea where he ended up, but he was an interesting character that crossed my path in New England along with others.
There was one particular man that I truly want to tell you his story. He was unusual for a different reason. This particular individual, though, struck a great cord because he typified a bit more than Zadok did as to the type of people that you meet along the way - the people of God throughout the years who truly want to serve and want to do what God wants them to do. This particular man's name was Dominic. Dominic was a short, stocky Italian who lived in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts, were old mill towns many years ago that recently have had a bit of a revival. I met Dominic at his apartment as well. He was single. This would have been 1986 when I met Dominic.
Dominic lived in a basement apartment. His sister and her family lived in the house upstairs. I was invited into Dominic's little, two-room house. On the wall of his little home he had a bookcase that was about four feet high and about eight feet long and it was filled with literature from the Radio Church of God and the Worldwide Church of God. Dominic had begun receiving literature in 1946. Remember, this was 1986. In 1986, Dominic had retired from his job. He had finally made the decision - after forty years of doing his best to obey God by himself - he made the decision to contact the church. You see, Dominic kept the Sabbath, Dominic kept the holy days, Dominic did everything he could do by himself to please God, but Dominic had never been to church. In that part of Massachusetts, which is still true today, it is very Catholic. For one member of a family to depart the Catholic Church and to go somewhere else was a huge, huge decision and while Dominic believed everything he read and followed it as best he could by himself, he never went to church. But in 1986, Dominic made up his mind. He retired from his job, he made up his mind that he would stand up to his family and that he would go to church. With tears in his eyes he asked me if he could come, if he could attend. And I said, "Well, of course you can." I gave him the directions and told him where church was.
The next Sabbath, there was Dominic front and center at services, beside himself with joy. After 40 years of seeking God, obeying God, believing that he was in contact with the church, he attended his very first church service and he was beaming throughout the services. Dominic was a shy man. He did not take the opportunity to talk to a lot of people after church, but as was the normal custom or the normal way things happened – I was the last one to leave the hall that day and there was Dominic sitting at the door waiting for me. He had one question. He said, "When can I be baptized?" Well, I set up a meeting that week. I said, "We can go ahead and plan to baptize you, Dominic."
I was already familiar with his home. I had been there before, so I drove to his home, I walked around the side of the house, walked up to the door. Before I could knock on the door, he opened the door. He was waiting for me. He could hardly stand it. He wanted to be baptized desperately. Dominic told me during the meeting that he had been experiencing some severe abdominal pains and he needed to go and have them checked out this next week, but nothing could dampen the thrill that he felt knowing that he would be baptized shortly and be able to be a part of church that he had followed for forty years. I don't think there has ever been a time in my ministry that I have found someone who for that length of time all by himself had made the commitment and followed it as best he could for so long – for so long.
We laid plans at that visit to set up the counseling and subsequent baptism. The next Sabbath Dominic wasn't in church. That shocked me. Had he lost interest? That hardly seemed possible with the enthusiasm that he had shown. I made a note in my book to give him a call the next week and see what had happened. The next day his sister called me. She said Dominic had asked her to call me because he was in the Lawrence General Hospital. The diagnosis wasn't good. Pancreatic cancer in advanced stage. Dominic never came home from the hospital. I visited him the next day, anointed him, prayed for him and visited him over the next several weeks as he lay in the hospital. Finally the call came one day from his sister. She said, "Dominic wants you to come to the hospital. The doctor doesn't believe he will live through the night. He wants to see you."
That evening I arrived at Lawrence General Hospital, went up to Dominic's room and saw a man who, obviously, was in the last moments of his life, struggling for breath, in a lot of pain, dying of pancreatic cancer. Dominic pulled me over to him and he had but one question to ask me. And he asked me between his groans of pain – he did not want them to give him any pain medication until he had had an opportunity to talk. He said, "Well, what happens to me now? What happens to me after I die?" I assured him that God would be merciful and that God would take care of him. He said, "Will I be in the first resurrection?" I expressed to him that God wants him in His kingdom and whether he is in the first or second resurrection, I believed he would be in God's kingdom. I sat up with Dominic that night and every few minutes he would call for me and he would ask me the same question. "What happens when I die?" He said, "For forty years I did my best to obey God. I followed His way of life from a distance. Will God have me in His kingdom?" And I assured him that He would. I assured him that He would. That evening, Dominic died.
Three days later I conducted his funeral along with a Catholic priest for the benefit of his family. Dominic was buried. The Catholic priest spoke about going to heaven. I spoke about the resurrection of the dead. That particular experience was one that really imbedded into my mind and my heart what this life is all about – not that I didn't know that – but it really imbedded in my mind that our lives are truly built around where the future lies for each and every one of us - that no matter what anyone may do or what happens in the course of a person's life, when they come to the moment when their life is over the questions arise of what happens now, what happens to me, where will I be. Personally I don't worry much about Dominic and his future. Whether he is in the first resurrection or the second resurrection, I'm confident he will be in the kingdom of God. But that final question that he kept asking me over and over during the night is one that haunts every person who is facing the end of his life. What happens when I die? Over the years, as I'm sure many of you have as well, I have had loved ones and friends and family who have died. And, in spite of the fact that they were faithful, dedicated members of the church, those last few moments the question still comes, what happens now? Where do I fit? What happens to me?
When one speaks of an afterlife, it raises great questions. Some claim not to believe in an afterlife. Others consider the traditional explanation as satisfactory. You know, 'you go to heaven. That's it.' 'Well, how do you explain that?' 'Well, I don't have to. I just know that that's what happens.' Children often have the greatest difficulty accepting and understanding what happens when someone dies, but sometimes they understand, it seems, even better than adults. Their approach is often quite simple.
There was one story I read not long ago about a five-year-old by the name of Brandon. Brandon was asked the question, "Do you think God is a man?" "No," he replied. "Well, do you think God is a woman?" "No," he replied. After a few more suggestions Brandon said, "God is a little boy just like me." He was asked to explain his answer. Brandon displayed a great deal of maturity and wisdom when he said, "This world is full of adults who act in evil ways, so how could God be like that? He must be a little boy." He must be a little boy.
There is a country western song that came out in the 1990's entitled 'Let the Mystery Be'. It's about what happens after death. And plainly, in this particular song, the answer is that it is a mystery. It is a mystery. The lyrics of the song are quite haunting and yet they tell quite an interesting story. It is entitled 'Let the Mystery Be' by Iris Dement and came out in the 1990's. The lyrics go like this:
Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
Some say once you're gone you're gone forever, and some say you're gonna come back.
Some say you rest in the arms of the Saviour if in sinful ways you lack.
Some say that they're comin' back in a garden, bunch of carrots and little sweet peas.
I think I'll just let the mystery be ...
Some say they're goin' to a place called Glory and I ain't saying it ain't a fact.
But I've heard that I'm on the road to purgatory and I don't like the sound of that.
Well, I believe in love and I live my life accordingly.
But I choose to let the mystery be ...
The answer to this question is provided in the meaning of this very day and the days that will follow over the next couple of weeks. Incredibly, brethren, in the next three weeks we will have lived symbolically through the understanding that we have the future for all humanity. For those that will be in the first resurrection when Jesus Christ returns to those that will be in the Great White Throne Judgment three weeks from now – in fact, three weeks from today. Incredible as it may seem, God's plan leaves no one out – even those who for forty years by themselves practiced this way of life and only at the very end of their lives truly, truly find something that provided so much joy for one single Sabbath in his life.
Today is referred to as a Jewish holiday. There are only a few thousand Christians in all the world that observe this day. It is a day that has little meaning for the world. It is a day that says nothing to them, yet it speaks to the heart and core of who we are and why we are here today instead of somewhere else. God Almighty gave us understanding that the world has not had.
The Jews refer to today as Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish term, not a Biblical term. It means 'head of the year'. It's the beginning of the year. Jews openly admit the Bible doesn't tell them what today means. They have developed their own meaning about today based upon historical events to some degree that have occurred in the history of the Jews – the tragedies and sadness and how this day will turn to joy. Today marks a day of change and repentance in the Jewish schedule. It marks the beginning of the Ten Days of Awe that mark a time when every Jew is supposed to change his life and is supposed to resolve any relationship problems he has with someone else because relationships are very, very important.
The Biblical name for today is Yom HaShoah. It means 'a day of remembrance'. A day of remembrance. It is a day of blowing trumpets. I found it quite moving to see the tributes that were done for the 911 Remembrance a couple of days ago and they had the reading of all the names and before each name was read they rang a bell. This was to remember these individuals. I found it quite interesting that God tells us on today you blow a trumpet so you will also remember and not forget. Something about a signal, an alarm, an announcement that emphasizes the need to remember and not forget. In our understanding today and based upon the scriptures we refer to today as the Feast of Trumpets. That name is certainly okay. It's all right. It is the Feast of Trumpets, but it loses the aspect of remembering that is imbedded in this particular day.
Turn to Leviticus chapter 23. It is rather odd that in the entirety of the Bible very little – in fact, virtually nothing - is said about the meaning of this day. We are simply told that it exists and we're told to keep it. We have to piece the scriptures together to fully understand the meaning of today. Don't misunderstand. I have no doubt about what today means. I have absolutely no doubt and I hope you have no doubt either. It is a day of trumpets and a day of remembering. It is a memorial. What does it tell us? What is it all about?
Lev. 23:23 - the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Verse 24 - "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath, a memorial ...Yom Ha-Zikkaron - Yom Ha-Zikkaron (Day of Remembrance) ...a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
You are to do no work in this day and you are to bring an offering before God. That's it. Of all of the days listed here, this one seems to be the least connected. Passover clearly referred the Israelites back to when they left Egypt. The Days of Unleavened Bread – leaving Egypt - coming out of that area. Of course, Pentecost was dear to the heart that made sense as well. Atonement, well maybe – what is that all about? Well in many ways, Atonement was the conclusion to Trumpets. There is such a great tie between Trumpets and Atonement that Atonement was really the conclusion of Trumpets – the Ten Days of Awe. Many Orthodox Jews will actually go to the extent of taking something from their home and throwing it away around the Feast of Trumpets and now they have ten days to reconcile. They throw away the evil in their lives, the sins in their lives, and between Trumpets and Atonement they must make amends: reconcile relationships, restore their lives to get ready for the Feast of Tabernacles. Most of that has developed historically, not Biblically, but I do believe there is Biblical evidence for relationships being restored and for repenting of sins. That's all Biblical. But where does it fit here? We have three verses about Trumpets – three verses about Trumpets. What does it mean? What does it have to do? What are we supposed to remember? Why are we here today? What is it all about? What is it all about?
The story of Dominic that I told you in the beginning reminds me so much of what it's all about. The desire, the willingness not only to face life and its ups and downs, but also to want to know what comes next. What is next? What happens when you walk through the veil of death? Where do you go? Where do you go? The Feast of Trumpets doesn't say anything about that here, and yet there is so much that we need to know. There is so much we need to understand. The Feast of Trumpets and the fall festivals that follow answer the questions about the future and the fate of mankind. 'What happens when you die', 'will Christ return' and 'will you go to heaven' are all answered in the next few days. It is an incredible religious experience for the people of God. I would assume it is probably true that everyone in this audience can remember the first time you observed any of these festivals.
Having experienced to some degree, not to the degree that Dominic did for forty years, but to experience for ten years of observing the Sabbath and the holy days by yourself changes your perspective of what it means to have other people around you who believe and feel the same way. That was my family's experience. And even though I was very young, to walk into a congregation of people who immediately love you, who immediately care for you, and who immediately have the same understanding you do is such an incredible experience. That was the experience we had when we kept our first holy day with the church and to understand the meaning. It was electrifying. It was incredible. There was no movie – there was nothing in life that could compare that moment in time to the feeling we had as a young couple and two children coming to see that this day answers the questions. This day provides the key to the future. We also began to understand that this is not a Jewish day. We are not pretending to be Jews; we're not pretending to follow the customs of the Jews. And, in fact, their own understanding of the Feast of Trumpets, calling it Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the year, New Year's, completely hides what this day is all about. And they built over all of the years an historical aspect to the Feast of Trumpets – and they are wonderful things that they have developed about repentance, about restoring relationships. All of the things are right and they are good – at least most of them are - but it hides what Trumpets is all about. There is no connection made with the return of Christ, with the kingdom of God and the resurrection of the saints. It simply isn't there. You see our services are different. Jews will be doing nothing like what we are doing today. Our services are different. To a large degree, our difference is because Jesus Christ came and Jesus Christ inserted Himself into the very meaning of this day.
Look at John chapter 14. See what Christ said. Christ said there are two things that He will do. This provides the understanding of the Feast of Trumpets to us so it is not simply a Jewish service or a Jewish practice. Nor is it an historical Jewish practice. It has to do with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is central to all the holy days. Jesus Christ is central to the fulfillment of the final four holy days for sure - Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles and the Last Great Day – central to those. By understanding Jesus Christ, we know what lies ahead. Without Jesus Christ, we would probably be doing something different if we were doing anything at all. In John 14:3, Christ told the disciples,
John 14:3 - If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and ... it didn't just say I am coming again...and receive you to myself ...
The two promises: Christ will return and He will receive the saints. The return of Christ and the resurrection are the elements that we look at, we remember and we talk about on the Feast of Trumpets. The 'return of Jesus Christ' and 'I will receive you to Myself'. The disciples didn't quite get that. They didn't think Christ would even go away at one time. They thought, well, He is going to do it all now. Christ said, "I am going away, but I'll come back and I'll receive you when I come back." Jesus Christ says the same thing to us today. "I will come back and I will receive you." Those are the two things that are so intricately tied to this particular holy day.
In the book of John there are over fifty references to 'I am'. This little phrase, 'I am', is found over fifty times in the book of John alone – statements by Jesus Christ. Now most of them are 'I am going here', 'I am doing this', things of that nature. But seven of them are quite interesting. They are called the famous or the powerful – there are other words used to describe these seven statements by Jesus Christ found in the book of John. They are called the seven "I Am's". Interestingly, there are seven of them. They are these:
• "I am the light of the world."
• "I am the bread of life."
• "I am the good shepherd."
• "I am the door."
• "I am the true vine."
• "I am the way, the truth and the life."
• And the final one, the one that has so much meaning for us today, "I am the resurrection and the life." I am the resurrection and the life.
In the process of understanding English grammar, you know that when you have 'I am' and then you have a noun or pronoun following, it's a predicate nominative. Here is the definition of a predicate nominative: a predicate nominative is a noun or a pronoun, which follows the verb and describes or renames the subject. It is another way of renaming the subject. It follows a linking verb. Jesus Christ is describing Himself: "I am the light." 'I am the bread." "I am the good shepherd." "I am the door." "I am the true vine." "I am the way, the truth and the light." And He describes Himself, "I am the resurrection and the life."
Now the understanding of this day gets all muddled and gets all confused. It becomes an historical, a positive festival and celebration, a New Year's celebration, but it loses sight of what Christ said, "I am the resurrection and the life." It is also interesting that in the Greek it is ' the resurrection'. "I am the resurrection" and "I am the life." In the Greek it is "I am ho anastasis" "I am ho zoe" "I am the resurrection", "I am the life." Make no mistake about it. Christ wasn't talking about any resurrection. He wasn't talking about any life. He was talking about the resurrection and the life. Tie those together. It is the resurrection to life.
Christ made that statement in the middle of an experience in John chapter 11. Look at John 11. One of the most unusual experiences in the ministry of Christ - from a physical perspective one could say the greatest miracle performed by Christ. Again, I'm categorizing miracle. I don't know that you can, but if you look at it from a human perspective, to bring someone back to life who had been dead for four days is a remarkable thing. And again, is it the greatest miracle Christ performed? Well from a physical perspective I would say it would have to rate pretty high – pretty high as far as getting someone's attention and that is the case of Lazarus. Look at what happens in John 11. It's a powerful story and Christ, in the middle of this story, makes this pronouncement, "I am the resurrection. I am the life". The story begins in John 11:1.
John 11:1 - Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
In a parenthetical, verse 2 - that Mary who anointed the Lord with ...ointment. John adds this because of a later event that occurs....and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
Verse 3 - Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
Even Christ had people that he was closer to, obviously, than others. Not that He didn't love others; this was someone that was a close companion. This was someone that Christ enjoyed spending time with – Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
Christ heard he was sick. In verse 4 - He said, "This sickness is not unto death ...he won't die ...but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby."
He is sick so that you can see My glory. Christ knew what was about to happen. Christ knew what was going to occur.
Verse 5 - Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
Verse 6 - When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days ...He delayed coming ... still in the same place where he was.
Now Lazarus is alive. He is deathly sick and Christ delays going and yet it is someone that He loves deeply.
Verse 7 – He gives this cryptic message to the disciples. After that said he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. Let's take a side trip
Verse 8 - His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; why would you go there?
So they carried on discussing their work. Lazarus is dying in Bethany . And Jesus says in verse 9 - Are there not twelve hours in the day... He gives this cryptic statement that they didn't even understand. ... Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbles not, because he sees the light of this world.
Verse 10 - But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him.
Christ was telling them that He had work to do and He was about that work. There are only twelve hours – there is only a limited amount of time you are going to be able to do what you need to do.
Then later on He says Lazarus sleeps ...verse 11. The Disciples still didn't understand it. Why would you go and wake him up if he is asleep?
Verse 14 – Finally Christ told them plainly that ... Lazarus is dead.
Verse 15 - And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
Now what is that all about? I'm glad I wasn't there. Christ has healed hundreds of people. Could He have healed Lazarus? Absolutely. What was Lazarus dying of? We have no idea. But He wasn't there. But He said, "And because of you I'm glad I wasn't there." There is about to be a lesson taught. There is also a statement that He will make that has so much bearing on this day – so much bearing on this day because remember, Christ is gone now. Christ isn't here in the flesh today. The experience we talked about this morning. There are a lot of them out there claiming to be. But Christ isn't here in the flesh. Every one of those who proclaim that Christ is coming, Christ is coming and have given dates have had to make some sort of creative statement about how that happened. Even the Adventists and the beginning of the Advent movement back in the 1800's, 1845 when it didn't happen, 1844 when it didn't happen. And when a young lady from the State of Maine – a young teenager by the name of Ellen Gould had a dream and said, "Well He really did come. Although He didn't come to the earth, He went into the sanctuary. He is cleansing the sanctuary in heaven and He'll come to this earth when He finishes cleaning it." He's been doing it for over 100 years now. Must have been one dirty sanctuary is all I can say. "He's cleansing the sanctuary." Some sort of creative explanation as to why He didn't come. Why He did not come. Christ isn't on this earth today. Christ isn't walking this earth in human form today. He is not here. This lesson becomes even more critical because Christ said, "I'm glad I wasn't there."
Verse 17 - Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days.
Verse 18 - Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
Verse 19 - And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
Verse 20 - Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Verse 21 - Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if You had been here, my brother had not died.
Notice the statement, "If You had been here, my brother would have not died." Their faith was in what they could see. Christ healed people by the score. "If you had been here, You could have healed him." For some reason in their minds, the death of Lazarus was the end. It's over. He's dead.
Verse 22 – She said, But I know, that even now, whatever you ask of God, God will give it to you.
Verse 23 – And Jesus said unto her, your brother shall rise again.
Verse 24 - Martha said unto him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Verse 25 - Jesus said to her ...here it is ...I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Read the rest of the story and you will find that Mary comes to Christ and says exactly the same thing. "If you had only been here, he would not have died. Why weren't you here? Why did you not come when we sent for you?"
Christ said, "There is a lesson here. There's something to be learned here. I am the resurrection. Even though you die physically, I will bring you back to life. Do you believe that, Martha? Do you believe that, Mary?"
And while they could say, "Yes, we do," the very tone of their voice showed that there were doubts. What happens now?
Verse 26 - And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believe you this?
"Yes, we believe it, Lord, but if you'd only been here, then he would not have died."
The story goes on and Christ calls out to Lazarus and even though he had been dead for four days, he walks out of the grave. The most remarkable, powerful witness that Jesus Christ has the power and the authority to bring His servants back to life. The Feast of Trumpets is the day when the word goes out and the graves are opened and the saints of God - all the way back to the dawn of history until that very day - who have died will rise from the dead and meet Jesus Christ. It's a remarkable thing. It is the thing that we look forward to. It is the thing that we understand as the only hope in the future in a very dark, dark world.
It is interesting that many people – sometimes we generalize and say 'most' – but many people often, when they think about the Feast of Trumpets, want to hear something about prophesy. There's nothing wrong with wanting to hear something about prophesy, but sometimes we desire to know all the in's and out's of prophesy, the dates when things are going to happen, the events that will happen in the proper order before Christ returns – that we lose sight of the fact that it is the return of Christ and the resurrection that must be uppermost in our minds on this particular holy day.
A few days ago I heard the advertisement for a book. You may have heard of this book. It is a book that is quite shocking in its claims because it claims that the tribulation begins next year. The title of the book is '2008 - God's Final Witness'. If I gave you the name of the author, some of you a recognize him. But here is what it says in the introduction to this book. "From now until the latter part of 2008, many prophesies are going to begin to be fulfilled especially the seven thunders of the book of Revelation which the apostle John saw, but was restricted from reporting. Those thunders are revealed in this book as well as detailed accounts of the final three and one half years of man's self-rule on earth which are recorded in the account of the seventh seal of Revelation. As these events unfold the world will increasingly become aware of the authenticity of the words of this book and realize that (and he has his name) has been sent by God as His end time prophet." In the course of the book, he proclaims not only is he the end time prophet, but he is also one of the two witnesses that we read about in scripture. A big part of his book deals with the seven thunders of Revelation.
Do you know how much of the Bible the seven thunders occupy? Two verses. Revelation 10:3-4. It says that the seven thunders are uttered, John is about to write it down and the angel says don't write it down. He is told not to write it down because, he said, it will be revealed in time. And then the next picture in Rev. 10 is of this giant angel that has one foot on the land and one foot on the sea, sort of like a huge colossus of roads, and pronounces to the whole world "Time is over". I think by then the seven thunders will be a pretty moot point. You know, if I see a giant angel standing straddling the ocean and the earth, I could care less what the seven thunders were all about because it's over. That's it. You know, Christ is coming. The end is here. Since John did not write down what the seven thunders were, there is absolutely no way you can find out what they were unless some dramatic revelation comes to you from God which is what this individual was proclaiming. If it wasn't significant enough for John to write it down, then why would I listen to someone who tells me that he has this special revelation and, oh yes, he is the end time prophet and, oh yes, he is one of the two witnesses and take my focus off what is most significant today. The Bible, especially the New Testament, doesn't focus upon the seven thunders.
There are three hundred verses in the New Testament about the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. Every thirty verses there is a verse about the resurrection or the return of Christ in the New Testament. We have no date, we have a general outline of events that are going to proceed it that we should watch for, we do not have to worry about the seven thunders of Revelation. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will return and He will resurrect the saints. That was the focus of the New Testament church's teaching. John wrote Revelation after most of the apostles were dead – maybe all of them were dead except John. The book of Acts tells us that the apostles preached about Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God and the resurrection. The apostle Paul was about to be stoned because he taught the resurrection (Acts 24). The understanding of the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead is the focus of this day. Prophecy is interesting. Prophecy is good, but the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead are essential and are tied in with the meaning of this day.
You study the resurrection throughout the scriptures you will find an interesting thing. The first five books of the Bible do not mention the resurrection directly. Now you can say they do because Abraham was promised eternal life, so how does he get there without a resurrection? The Sadducees reject the resurrection because they only accept the first five books of the Bible as being authentic. To find direct statements about the resurrection you have to go to Daniel and Job and those books were rejected by the Sadducees. Therefore the Sadducees could attack the apostle Paul by saying, we don't believe there is a resurrection. Others in the church brought heresy by saying the resurrection is past. The church, though, thought the resurrection – the return of Jesus Christ – the future life that we will have in the kingdom of God – was the message of the church. Two thousand years later it should still be the message of the Church. And the message we hear today is of the return of Christ and the resurrection from the dead. Christ referred to the saints in Luke 20:35 – let's turn there. Christ referred to the saints in a peculiar way. He said,
Lk. 20:35 - But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world ...it's a different world. We use the term, The World Tomorrow. The Bible clearly says there will be another world coming. Since it's not the world of today, it is the world of tomorrow.... and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: - those who are resurrected in that world.
Verse 36 - Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Christ refers to the saints as 'children of the resurrection'. The apostles taught the resurrection. The apostles taught about Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God . As I said, in Acts 24 the apostle Paul was brought before Felix, the Roman governor, because he believed in the resurrection. It's not a minor point. It's not a minor issue. It is significant. The apostle Paul spends an entire chapter in 1 Corinthians 15 stating that there is a resurrection because there were heretics. It was also common among the Greeks to believe in an immortal soul. The Greeks, common to their philosophy, believed that there was no bodily resurrection, that everyone who died had a soul that went somewhere else. And Paul addresses that straightforwardly in 1 Corinthians 15 – an entire chapter. He spends more verses addressing this issue in 1 Cor. 15 than any other issue the apostle Paul addressed in scripture – the resurrection.
In fact, Paul said that if there is no resurrection of the dead, we have four problems. Four problems.
• First of all, that means Christ was not resurrected.
• Secondarily, Paul said that means my teaching is misleading and of no value.
• Thirdly, Paul says that the faith of the Corinthians is in vain if there is no resurrection.
• And fourthly, those who died in Christ have now perished.
You know what Paul says to the Corinthians? If there is no resurrection, we might as well pack it in, forget it, give up, throw in the towel, quit. In essence, brethren, you could say the same thing today. If there is no fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets, pack it in, throw it away, give it up, quit because there's nothing we do throughout the year that is of any value if there is no return of Christ and if there is no resurrection. It is of no value. The apostle Paul gave his life not for something that was of no value, but for something he believed – something he believed – the return of Christ and the resurrection.
Paul also wrote 1 Thessalonians 4. So two chapters primarily dedicated to the resurrection and return of Christ. And it's in 1 Thes. 4 that Paul talks about Christ's return at the sound of the trumpet. We make the connection of the trumpets sounding and Jesus Christ returning, with the memorial of blowing of trumpets that we found in Leviticus 23. As I said earlier, the Jews don't make that connection. Of course, they do not accept Jesus Christ. Do you know what Jews connect this day to? It is a day of joy. It is a day of celebration. But it's more because of the historical problems of the Jews than virtually anything that you find in scripture. The most devastating moment in Jewish history is considered the 9th day of the month of Av. Do you know what happened on the 9 th day of the month of Av? If you were a Jew and you lived through all of these events, you would begin to say this day is cursed. A pretty rough day. The month of Av roughly coincides with our month of August. It would be the last few days leading up to the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is a new beginning. Rosh Hashanah is a restoration – relationships, person to person - and religion of the Jews in all its glory. You would have to take the time between Trumpets and Atonement to get yourself in order for this new world order – this new world order that will have a new temple, a Messiah and a new kingdom. Consider all the things that have happened on the 9th of Av in the Jewish religion.
• According to Jewish tradition, the 9th of Av is the date that the Israelites accepted the slanderous report of the spies and refused to enter the Promised Land. According to their tradition, that took place on the 9th of Av. You know the destruction as a result of that.
• The first Temple was destroyed on this date in 586 B.C., the 9th of Av.
• Ironically the second Temple was also destroyed on this date in 70 A.D., the 9th of Av.
• The Bar Kochba revolt, which virtually destroyed what was left of the Jewish nation, crushed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 A.D. happened on the 9th of Av.
• The Temple area and the city of Jerusalem was plowed under and rebuilt as a pagan city, Capitolina, on the 9th of Av. They plowed it under.
• The Spanish Inquisition, which resulted in the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, occurred on the 9th of Av in 1492.
• World War I broke out on the eve of this date in 1914 when Germany declared war on Russia setting the state for the later Holocaust to occur.
• And in 1942 the mass deportation of the Jews from the Warsaw ghetto en route to Treblinka happened on the 9th of Av.
Therefore Jewish belief is that all of this must be restored and that restoration will begin on Rosh Hashanah, a day of repentance, a day to remember all of the bad things that happened, but know that it will all be rectified in Rosh Hashanah.
Now, while there is an overlooking of the resurrection, there is an overlooking of the return of Christ since they don't accept Christ as the Messiah – they are still looking for the Messiah – put that aside. Consider that the Feast of Trumpets to them is a remembering of the past and a looking forward to the restoration that they so desperately want. The Western Wall in Jerusalem is called the Wailing Wall. The Jews go there to cry for the Temple and all that it stood for. Their idea of the Messiah is the one who will restore all of this. Jewish tradition says that if they cry enough the Messiah will come sooner. The Talmud has this to say. It says that the first question a Jew will be asked on judgment day is this: Did you yearn for the arrival of the Messiah? Jews are encouraged to patiently wait for the Messiah, the temple and the restoration of Israel.
Although not recognized by the Jews, the Feast of Trumpets is the day the Messiah will come back to this earth and true restoration will begin. They look upon it as a day of restoration, but not in the way we do. The tears and the sadness of the 9th of Av lead to the celebrations of the fall festivals of the Jewish religion, but there is a sobering note as well. Trumpets and Atonement picture a time of preparation, a memorial of blowing of trumpets and a time of reconciliation. Maimonides, o ne of the greatest Jewish writers ranked by the Jews, certainly, up in the category of Moses. Maimonides, who wrote in the 12 th century, said there are three things we must do on the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah.
• He said we must speak well of other people sharing our joy, having glimpsed his or her inner beauty. The act of speaking positively makes us aware of one another and that we are on one team.
• We must care for each other's material needs. By being aware of how frail and needy our bodies are, we become more forgiving and more tolerant.
• We must seek out situations to bring honor to others. By so doing, we give them the precious gift of self-esteem.
While rejecting the idea that Christ was the Messiah, there are some interesting concepts that Maimonides and others in Jewish history have tagged onto the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets – things worthy for us to consider and certainly things worthy for us to do. The focus is on others for Trumpets leading up to Atonement. The idea from Jewish literature is that we must give ourselves to others, we must reconcile with those with whom we have a problem.
Christ said, I am the resurrection and I am the life, which is the ultimate reconciliation process - bringing the saints back to life and beginning the kingdom of God. Without Christ there is no life, there is no resurrection. He is the resurrection. He is the life. It is because of Him that we have a future. And it is only through the resurrection that we can have life. This Christian journey is not easy. It is very, very difficult. Working with human beings can be so difficult that we often want to give up.
There is a little story that I found that I think tells how frustrating it can be in life. You picture this as a Christian working with others, working with each other. Working with others is probably the most difficult thing in life. This is a story of a kindergarten teacher named Miss Jones. It says, "Miss Jones was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on. Jake had asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boot still didn't want to go on. When the second boot was on, she had worked up quite a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, 'But, Teacher, they're on the wrong feet.' Oh, Miss Jones looked and sure enough they were. Well, it wasn't any easier pulling off the boots and trying to put them on again. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on – this time on the right feet. Then little Jake announced, "Well, Teacher, these aren't my boots." She bit her tongue and thought, "Well, why didn't you say so earlier?" Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off. He then said, "Oh, yes, Teacher, these are my brother's boots. My mother put them on this morning." Miss Jones didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again. Finally that task was accomplished and then she asked the question, "Now, where are your mittens?" Jake said, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots." Communication, frustration, reconciliation are all a part of the Feast of Trumpets.
This past June I had the opportunity to travel to India, quite a remarkable place, a country of one billion people. In the city of Calcutta – and in India it is now called Kolkata. Indians claim that the British mispronounce all of the names of their cities and many of them have now been renamed. It is no longer Bombay, it's Mumbai and Calcutta is Kolkata. In a school in the center of Kolkata there is a home for children - a home for children - and this goes back to the days of Mother Theresa. There are so many children wandering the streets of Kolkata that they have developed these schools and they are doing a wonderful thing. On the wall of one of these schools is a plaque and it says something that quite profound. It is called 'Anyway' and it addresses the issue of Christianity and what we must be about. The plaque reads this way:
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway...
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway...
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best that you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best that you have anyway."
Christianity does not offer an option. You must love them anyway, you must do good anyway, you must succeed anyway, you must do good anyway, you must think big anyway, you must build anyway, you must help people anyway and you must give the world the best you have anyway. Christianity is what you and I were called to. We are the people of God.
Two days ago was the anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. A song came out in 2001 after this tragedy occurred. The song is a haunting song with words that strike to the core of your heart. The title of the song is 'I Can't Cry Hard Enough For You To Hear Me Now'. The point of the song is that those who died in the World Trade Center can't hear us anymore, no matter how hard we try. 9/11 was a profoundly sad day in the history of our nation. In the Jewish community tears of sadness precede the blowing of the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets as they remember the Temple on the 9th of Av. One Jewish story tells about a Rabbi who so wanted the Messiah to come and the Temple to be rebuilt that he locked himself up in a room and sat crying all day so he could fill a glass with his tears and then drink the tears to fulfill Psalm 80.
For the people of God, sadness ends on this day. Revelation 11:15 is the announcement about the return of Jesus Christ. The trumpet blows and Christ is announced. Rev. 20:6 announces the resurrection of the dead – the first resurrection, the resurrection to eternal life. This will be the beginning of the fulfillment of Acts 3, the restitution of all things – not just a Temple, not just a method of worship, but the whole world will experience restitution and the sadness will go away. When Christ comes He will bring joy with the sound of the trumpets. We will remember what happened before. He will resurrect the people of God – all those who have lived and have been faithful from the time of Adam and Eve to that day itself. The Jews believe that if they feel strongly enough and they ache hard enough, the Messiah will come sooner. I don't believe we can make Christ come sooner by aching, but I do believe that we, as the people of God, must feel to the very depth of our beings the meaning of these days and the contrast to the world we live in. We must not be deceived. When Christ said, My kingdom is not of this world He meant exactly that.
Today is a day of remembrance, a memorial of the blowing of trumpets. I will always remember Dominic, an individual who spent 40 years alone and was so beside himself when he learned that there were other people and a church that he could go to, to die shortly thereafter in one sense is ironic and tragic. He, sadly, died before he was ever baptized. I have no doubt at all that God will take care of him just as His plan takes care of all of His children. But you and I are alive today. We are here today. We must remember that Jesus Christ is the resurrection, that Jesus Christ is the life. Today pictures the time when He will be the King and we will be the priests. Sadness will turn to joy. Death will turn to life. The Feast of Trumpets pictures the day when Christ will be known by the entire world by His own words, "I am the resurrection and I am the life." God speed that day!