The Importance of the Feast of Trumpets

I didn't know it at the time, but when I was around 10 years old, I lived in Miami, Florida. We were Catholics. We moved there about three years before. And I remember something about the message at that time. They call it Mass. That's the Catholic services. And I heard something about Christ coming. And as a young boy, I really hadn't paid much attention to that at all. And I was there with my mother, and she's a devoted Catholic even today, and she's a very learned woman. And so I thought she's a good authority on this subject. And so I asked innocently to my mother, Mom, when is Christ coming back? And very nonchalantly, she said, Oh, in about a million years. And I thought, Well, I don't have to worry about that. Life is going to go on. Like without any interruption. Let me eat and drink and be merry, because I'm going to die one day, but don't have to worry about Christ coming. And so seven years later, I was shocked to read, according to Bible prophecy, and the worsening world conditions that Christ coming could well happen during my lifetime. That was shocking to me as a 17-year-old teenager. And I wanted to be prepared for that coming of Christ. I wanted to prepare, you know, whether it came in my lifetime or not. And if it came in my lifetime, I wanted to be up and prepared and ready for it. Now, if I die before that, to me, it was still very profitable again, because as soon as I die, I would, what the Bible says, fall asleep in Christ. You drop into unconsciousness. Your spirit goes up to God, where it is stored and taken and protected there, until God revives us and we gain consciousness again, but now with a wonderful eternal spirit body. And so, whether I get to see the coming of Christ physically, I will be able to see that return of Christ by being resurrected and the next moment of consciousness after you've been in the grave and asleep in Christ. It doesn't matter how long. There have been people that have been asleep for thousands of years.

As it mentions, and we're going to read that in Hebrews 11, where it says that these all died not having received the promises. They're talking about being part of a coming kingdom, of receiving eternal life. They're still waiting. They're still in their graves until they will be awakened by the coming of Jesus Christ. One of the best scriptures that we can find in the Bible about it is in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

It explains here what is the state of the dead, and when Christ returns, they will be awakened and resurrected, but not a moment before. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, in verse 13. And by the way, this is a truth that is not taught by 98% of the churches in this world.

It says here in verse 13 of 1 Thessalonians 4, it says, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep.

Of course, when a person falls asleep, he's not awake. He's not conscious.

And so these people fall into this inconscious state. They are not awake. They're not in a soul, immortal soul at all. You can't be asleep and be awake at the same time.

It says, Lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him, talking about Jesus when he comes, those who sleep in Jesus. So this is the state of a person who has God's spirit and dies. They fall asleep in Jesus.

It's not just going into unconsciousness, but it's also in Jesus, which means, yes, they are marked and they are registered to be part of that first resurrection. Those in Jesus that died with God's spirit. They were faithful to the end. It says, verse 15, For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, this is in something that Paul was coming up with on his own, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

So it says that even if you're actually living physically, when Christ comes back, it says you're going to be transformed. But that transformation has to wait just a couple of instances because those that are dead in Christ, they will be resurrected first and then those who are alive will be resurrected. Now, in a sense, if we are faithful and if Christ returns, we won't really know death as people that are just there in the last gasps of breath of whatever.

I mean, if you're there, you're just instantly. It says, in the blinking of an eye, which is about the fastest thing in those days, it's a fraction of a second and you're just transformed. So you won't fall into unconsciousness at all at that time. It says here, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And believe me, that is going to be one loud trumpet.

And the dead in Christ will rise again. They're not alive. They're not conscious. They're not immortal souls. The dead in Christ will rise first. So they're the first ones. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them. So you're going to know Moses, you're going to know David, you're going to know Abraham.

They're going to be part of your family. You're going to know them by first names. They're all going to be resurrected in that first resurrection. Can you imagine? We're not worthy of that, but we're going to be there with all of these great men and women of faith. You're going to know the Apostle Paul. You're going to know all of these other apostles and all of these faithful people. Yes, just like we had lunch together, one day we're going to be face to face with them. And we'll tell them what it was like to live in the 21st century. They're going to go, no way!

These things were not going on. No way. Well, I'll tell you, I was reading the Orange County Register this morning, and I was just going along because I need to gather the information of what's going on in the world and basically then be able to put it into God's point of view of things and transmit it.

So I was going along and I got to like page nine, and there was just this article that just sickened me. It talked about transgender children, 13-year-olds, that they're already having these top surgeries on them. 13 years old! And they're talking about, oh, this is a fine thing. This is what they want. And all of this stuff is just what Isaiah tells us. Let's go to Isaiah. I don't want to get on on this. This is the Feast of Trumpets, but it helps us to understand what is going on in this world.

In Isaiah, let's see, in chapter three, it says, verse one, for behold the Lord, the Lord of hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and Judah the stock and the store, the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water. Yeah, we're going to have big problems with food. The mighty man and the man of war, people that are honorable and valiant, the judge and the prophet and the diviner and the elder, the captain of 50 and the honorable man, the counselor and the skillful artisan. And then it goes on to say here in verse 12, as for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them. Oh, my people, those who lead you cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths.

So it's just terrible what is going on in the world. It talks about those who say that white is black, good is evil, evil is good. This is what's happening in our present world. And so we can't look the other way.

When Paul is talking here about the coming, that is the rescue plan that God has for us and eventually for the rest of mankind. Notice in Hebrews chapter 11, Hebrews chapter 11, because when I came into this church at that tender age, I discovered the importance of this day. I'm celebrating my 52nd anniversary of keeping the Feast of Trumpets.

And as I mentioned, this was the first services I ever attended of the church. And I learned the meaning of this day. And I never lost the vision of what I saw in that day. I caught that vision.

How important the coming of Christ is. That's what we yearn for. That's what we hope for. In Hebrews 11 verse 13, just like Abraham and others, they had that same hope.

Hebrews 11 and verse 13, it says, these all died in faith, not having received the promises the kingdom of God had not been established. They were not resurrected yet. But having seen them afar off, they saw that coming kingdom, even in their days, they prepared. They wanted to be part of it. They were willing to sacrifice what it was necessary to be part of that kingdom. He says, and they saw them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Yes, I realized at that time I became a pilgrim. I'm a stranger. This isn't my society. I live in it. I have to work within it, but it isn't my civilization. God's civilization is the one that is establishing with different people that kingdom. They are becoming part of that kingdom, and looking forward when that kingdom will be established. It says verse 14, for those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. Yes, a kingdom. That's what it's talking about. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunities to return. Probably Abraham was a wealthy man. He could have gone back to Ur. There he was a successful businessman. There was a very technologically advanced area, and here he was a nomad, sleeping in tents and sacrificing all of that. But you know what he said? This is what it takes to be part of that coming kingdom.

He says verse 16, but now they desire a better that is a heavenly. And notice the word country is actually added to it. It should say the heavenly kingdom that is going to be established on this earth. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. And that's that Jerusalem that Christ is going to establish. Sometimes people don't continue reading like in chapter 12, where it talks about that kingdom very clearly. Chapter 12 verse 25. Let's continue because it's the same theme. It says here in verse 25, See that you do not refuse him who speaks, for if they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth, talk about the Israelites, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven, talking about Christ and our teacher and God the Father, whose voice then shook the earth. But now he is promising yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. So he shook Mount there and Mount Sinai, but he says he's going to shake the earth far more in the future. Now this yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken as of things that are made, which is talking about man's society. All of these things are going to be shaken, and they're not going to be anything existing of what mankind has had so far, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. That's God's kingdom here on this earth. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for God is a consuming fire. He means what he's saying here. It's like I said, we're not playing church here at all. This is for keeps. This is a permanent commitment that we make to being part of that kingdom. Notice what Christ said is the primary goal that should be in our lives. Matthew 6. Matthew 6, verse 32 and 33. It says, For after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, talking about the physical things daily needs. He says, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you, the physical needs God will provide. But that's sort of our priority, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, which is his way of life. And so you can imagine at the tender age of 17, when I came into the church, I heard the first sermon on the Feast of Trumpets, and I was hooked. I caught the vision. Yes, I've got to shape my life now to put God's kingdom first. And so here I am within a household of pure Catholics. My father was a medical doctor, so he was kind of a wishy-washy Catholic, because he believed in evolution and the evolution of the cell and everything like that. But my mother was very dedicated, even today. If you go over there to where she lives in Murphy, North Carolina, the church has a place for a home that they use for visitors, and it's got my mother's name dedicated to her. So of course, I didn't make much headway by house when I learned these things. But I realized it doesn't matter. It's that kingdom.

That's where the gold is. That's where the treasure, true treasure of life is. And so here I was. I was finishing high school. I had made up my mind that I was going to follow my dad's footsteps as being a medical doctor. And I was accepted to Chapel Hill over there in North Carolina to study, eventually pre-med and become a doctor like my dad. Well, here I was. Now, what am I going to put first? The kingdom of God? Or just follow along with this career? And I said, nope. I'm going to go to this little Bible college in Pasadena, which is teaching how to prepare for God's kingdom. And that was Ambassador College. And I left with all of my family on top of me. My dad disowned me. I had to leave with $700, which I had been able to accumulate through work. And with those $700, along with another classmate of mine and his brother, drove us all the way to Big Sandy, Texas. And that's all the money I had. That's all the friendships I had. I had nobody. But you know what? That's where God's kingdom was going to be taught. And so I went four years, one year in Texas and three years in Pasadena. And I learned about preparing for God's kingdom. And serving as it was possible, I didn't think about becoming a minister. That's something God takes care of. And they told us that, too. They said, look, if you're trying to be a minister, you probably won't get called. Because God doesn't want somebody to self-promote themselves.

Let God do the choosing. But you know what? Become the best church member possible. You don't need any of these stripes to serve God or the brethren. You can be the best member. So that's what I decided to do. And that's the way it started. And you know what? You put God first. Boy, does he open doors. And you just are shocked at the opportunities that he granted. And so eventually, as I graduated, right before, they were interviewing certain students. And they interviewed me, and they said, you know what? We think God is calling you to the ministry. So would you be willing to go that way? And I said, this is my life. That's what God wants. I was going to go to Pepperdine University and study business administration. I had all those plans, but God is first. I said, no, I'll serve God. And that's where I started working in the Spanish department as a ministerial trainee. And then I went to serve, first of all, the Pasadena Spanish Church. And then with the correspondence that I had with Cottie, I went to Chile back in 76. And I'd been ordained a minister by then. And so we married in 77, and they took us to San Diego over here to deal with the Mexican brethren in Tijuana. Finally, set up two groups that became churches, one in Tijuana and the other one in Mexicali. And that's how we started serving people. Eventually, got shipped off for almost two years to Colombia, Bogota, and then 21 years in Chile. Now, Cottie and I are 21 years here. So that has been my story. And I know everybody has their own stories, but you know what? That vision is there. And you know what? Doesn't matter what happens, we can all walk personally toward that kingdom of God. It's not about anybody else. We have family, we have a lot of responsibilities, but we have a personal responsibility to put God's kingdom first. And so that's how I started learning about this. Notice in Daniel 11, Daniel 11, it talks about the resurrection of the saints. It's not just in the New Testament. Notice the same thing we read about in 1 Thessalonians in Daniel 11. And unfortunately, there's a chapter break that really separates the same narrative. But it starts in Daniel 1140. It says, at the time of the end, so we're coming to this time, the king of the south shall attack him, and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. So these are basically dealing with the beast, the false prophet, and then some of these other nations, like Russia and China. So this is that part of the world that these things are going to happen.

And then it goes on to say, verse 44, but news from the east and the north, which is talking about that area of Russia, shall trouble him. Therefore, he shall go out talking about the king of the north, which has to do with this European power, with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountains. So he's going to have his headquarters in that area of Jerusalem. Yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. So we're talking about, again, what ends up being the anti-Christ and the false prophet, and that's going to be his end. But notice, okay, that's all talking about that end time scenario. It continues in Daniel 12.1. We haven't finished the rest of this story. So, okay, the beast is there, the false prophet, then Christ comes and ends their rule, and it says, at that time, after the beast and the false prophet are taken care of, Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered. Everyone who is found written in the book. Talk about the book of life, those that have God's Spirit. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. So there's a resurrection that takes place. Some to everlasting life, which are part of the first resurrection, and also extends even further with the second resurrection, those who receive everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. So remember, it says just some are going to be resurrected at the first resurrection, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

So again, just like for the first Thessalonians, talking about what's going to happen, there's going to be a resurrection at that time with the coming of Jesus Christ. So how is it that Christ's return can come soon? How can this happen? Are we just speculating? Is this just an idea? Or do we have some hard facts to back it up? Let me give you six signs of why we are very close to that time when God intervenes in world affairs. Now, there are a lot more than these six signs, but for a sermon of this short amount of time, I can only cover six signs. The first one put down the year 1948. That was the year that the Jews gained their country back. And since the time of 70 AD, when the Jewish state was destroyed by the Romans, and through all those centuries, first of all, the Romans rule. The Jews never really gained control. They had a couple of rebellions, 134, the Barkapta rebellion, that was squelched. And then they were really thrown out of that country. And during thousands of years, the Jews never were able to become a homeland until 1948. So it was close to almost 2,000 years before they could fulfill biblical prophecies describing the Jews in Israel at that time.

So the Jews had not controlled their own lands in 70 AD, and the prophecies could not be fulfilled about it, such as them being in charge of Jerusalem. Notice Zechariah chapter 12.

Zechariah chapter 12 tells us about when Christ comes back, the Jews will be in their land. This was not possible before 1948, because they were not in charge. Zechariah chapter 12, starting in verse 7. It says here, The Lord will save the tents of Judah. Talk about the Jewish people. That's the house of Judah. First, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. In that day, the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. So you have to have the Jewish population there for God to then intervene at the end to protect them. If they didn't exist, that couldn't be the case. Another, of course, prophecy about it in Matthew 24 verse 15.

Matthew 24 verse 15. It says, talking about the end time as well, describing the events, he says, Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

And so he's talking about the certain populace that is going to have to flee from Jerusalem at that time. And, of course, how are you going to have sacrifices in Jerusalem, which are prophesied to begin if there aren't any Jewish people in charge of it? The second sign is that the complete annihilation of mankind is now possible. And so when it talks here in Matthew 24 verse 21 and 22, talking about that period, it says, For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be, and unless those days were shortened, unless God intervenes, no flesh would be saved. Many of the translations today have it, no one will be alive. But for the elect's sake, those days will be short. And so here we have a period of time when man can actually destroy himself over the surface of the earth, that they can just be completely annihilated. That couldn't have happened until the last 40 years or so, when they had accumulated enough hydrogen bombs to be able to bomb the entire earth out of existence. And so that's another proof that it is a fulfilled prophecy. Then the third sign has to do with the time element.

If the prophecies of 6,000 years for man's rule on earth are accurate, and then we have to admit this 6,000 year plan that God has is obscure. And it is on purpose, because if God would have just spelt it out, then people would have counted, well, when was Adam approximately born? And they would have figured out in Christ's day, and centuries afterwards, that, oh, there's still over 1,500 years left. We don't have to be urgent. We don't have to do a great work. And so it was purposely obscured, because God doesn't want to just give the key element about when he is going to send Christ back.

But from what we understand, from Adam, the time he was born to the revealing of the Messiah, according to the prophecy, 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9, it is close to 4,000 years that have passed. And it's close to 2,000 years since the revealing of the Messiah. We have maybe a year 27 around that time. It's basically almost 2,000 years for the 6,000 years to be fulfilled. And we know from the Scriptures that the Millennium, the 1,000 year rule of Jesus Christ, comprises of the Sabbath of that week, the Creation Week, that six days man shall do his activities. And then the seventh, that seventh thousand years. And we know that the Millennium is going to last 7,000 years. It symbolizes the rest from war and from violence and everything else.

Hebrews chapter 4 gives us that indication. You can study it later where it talks about that there remains a rest for the people of God. And just like the seventh day of the week is a Sabbath arrest, that there the author, whom we believe was Paul, where God revealed so many things to him, that it's talking about that thousand year rule. Also 2 Peter 3, where it talks about that for God a day, it's like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. But again, it's obscure enough that you can't just be totally sure. But it is important that we are very close to what is that 6,000 years, whether it takes another decade or whatever. We're not talking about decades worth from all the chronology from the time of Adam to today. The fourth sign is that world conditions were going to be like the times of Noah and Lot. There would be rampant violence on the earth and sexual immorality like there had never been before.

In Luke 17, 25 through 30, just like a reference, you can read it later, it talks about that, just like in the days of Noah, that the crisis is going to come back. Well, that wasn't a very good society. It was judged and a flood destroyed them all. And just like then it says about the days of Lot. What happened to Sodom and all these other cities around? They had to face God's judgment at that time and were completely destroyed. The fifth sign has to do with the European Union. From what we know about history, and whether it's Europe, other parts, there has never been this type of union where you have separate nations and they're all united and their representatives are the ones that are in charge. So you don't have this one person that controls an empire. No, now we have this alliance of different rulers and they're all together in cahoots. And it's not only the European Union that has this alliance governing Europe, but also in Rome you have the great church headquarters. And so you not only have the political capital with all these rulers, but you also have the religious capital there in Europe. And it tells us there in Revelation that there's a woman riding a beast and that woman is a fallen church. And that beast has to do with the former empires, the last one being the Romans, where it was Rome guided, the Roman Empire from Rome and from that part. So that is not a coincidence that we're seeing that today. And the sixth sign is that people will live at a time when they will have the means to, quote, see the dead bodies of the two witnesses. Again, sometimes God shows a little bit of his hand and that he showed he did say that the people in the world are going to be able to look at Jerusalem and see the fallen bodies of these two witnesses. Notice in Revelation chapter 11, Revelation chapter 11 and verse 9.

Again, this has to do with the three and a half year period, a great tribulation period. The two witnesses are the ones that are God's servants telling the truth about things and they will eventually be killed. And in verse 9, it says, then those from the people's tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days and not allow their dead bodies to be put into the graves.

And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth, tormented them with God's truths. And so, of course, we're not going to be popular in this world just like they were not. I'd like to read to you from the Bible knowledge commentary on this verse, Revelation 11.9. It says, for three and one half days the whole world gloated over their dead bodies. This implies some worldwide display now made possible by television, and we can add by internet. Their deaths were considered a great victory for the world ruler and Satan, and were celebrated by people sending each other gifts. So that's the sixth sign.

Now, with the rest of what is left of time, let's briefly go through Revelation to see the connection between the trumpets and Christ's coming. In Revelation 5, verse 1, actually, these prophecies begin in chapter 5 of Revelation. It gives us here the background. Revelation chapter 5, verse 1, it says, and I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne. He's looking at, he has a vision of heaven. God is revealing these future events as they're going to happen in heaven. A scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and to lose its seals?

The scroll where God the Father is involved. Who is worthy to open these seals? Verse 3, and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, remember under the earth means people living in caves and things like that, because in those days it was far more popular. Nobody had cement buildings and everything else as a norm, was able to open the scroll or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll and to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, these are the 24 elders, they're angelic beings with those responsibilities, do not weep, behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. The root of David, talking about Christ, came from the tribe of Judah, came from the descendant of David.

He has prevailed to open the scroll and to lose its seven seals. And so he says, And I looked, and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent into all the earth. Talking about angelic beings that are giving reports to Christ all the time, what's happening? Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne, God the Father. So this is the beginning of this unrolling unsealing of these seven seals. In chapter 6, it tells us, verse 1, Now I saw when the Lamb, remember this is the main symbol of Jesus Christ, opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. And this is also the same sequence that we have in Matthew 24, where Christ said at the beginning, Don't be fooled by these Christ pretenders. And so here we have false religion. We know this is going to culminate with the false prophet who will deceive the world. And so that is allowed to happen at that time.

And then he goes on with the second seal, and he says, verse 4, This was the red horse, and who sat on it to take peace from the earth, that the people would kill one another, and that was given to him a great sword. So okay, now we're going to have a world war that is going to be allowed at that time. And then the third seal, the black horse, which means a lot of deaths are going to happen at that time. And finally, the fourth seal, a pale horse, which has to do with disease.

And then verse 5, the fifth seal has to do with a great tribulation and the martyrdom that will happen at that time. And then verse 12, I looked when you opened the sixth seal, and behold, that there was going to be a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, so there are heavenly signs as Christ's return nears. And then going on to chapter 8, verse 1, it says, when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence on in heaven for about half an hour, and I saw seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. So actually, the seventh seal has seven events that are going to happen, and each one is going to be announced with a trumpet. And verse 13, it says, 13, it says, and I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.

So those are the most powerful, the last three trumpet blasts. And then in chapter 9, in verse 13, it says, then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying, and this in the sixth angel, or to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet released the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. So the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen, this is talking about the kings of the east that are going to come across and the Euphrates River, which is the separation between Asia and the Middle East, that will be dried up.

And I saw the horses in division.

And verse 18, by these three plagues a third of mankind was killed by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of the mouth. And so this is another one of the things that God permits. It's interesting that it talks about those 200 million that go across from the east, across the Euphrates River. Here's an excerpt from a Time Magazine article this was of May 21st 1965, page 35 from Time Magazine. It's amazing if you put down that information and you google it, it'll take you to that Time Magazine of 1965. And it is called China's Firecracker. China's Firecracker. And this is what this Times reporter says. To back up, Lo, who is the army chief of staff that's in China at that time, to his bluster, he says, read China passed the word to these other world leaders that its 200 million man and woman militia had gone into serious training. So even in 1965, the Chinese had enough people they could muster an army of 200 million people. Now that was not possible a century before, but it certainly is today. Revelation 10 verses 5 through 7. It says, the angel whom you saw standing up his hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer. God is not going to delay Christ's coming any longer. But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, that seventh trumpet, when he is about to sound, the mystery, which is talking about the revelation of God, would be finished as he declared to his servants of prophets. So that marks when Christ is going to return. Notice in chapter 11 and verse 15.

Chapter 11 and verse 15, it says, then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. So that's when that occurs. We know the timeline.

We know the schedule. We know the sequence of events. If we go now to Revelation 19, 11, it talks about the coming of Jesus Christ. It describes it. Revelation chapter 19, 11 through 15, it says, now I saw heaven opened and a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of let's see many flames of fire and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe in blood and his name is the word of God. That's another name for Jesus Christ. And the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword. With it he strikes the nations and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written king of kings and lord of lords. And so here it's talking about, yes, Christ comes down with his angels. He's not going to come just by himself. He's going to come with angels and then the first resurrection takes place and they will join and they will have and by then there will be spirit beings. They will be mounted on white horses as well and they will accompany Jesus Christ as he establishes his kingdom on this earth. That is why Christ's return is called the blessed hope in the Bible. That is what I learned on that first day when I kept the Feast of Trumpets. And so let us never tire or lose that vision. Our salvation depends on it. So I'd like to finalize with scripture, Titus chapter 2, 11 through 14. Titus, this applies now to us. Titus chapter 2, verse 11 through 14. It says, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority, that no one despises you. And so that's the message of the Feast of Trumpets for this afternoon.