Sound the Trumpet in Zion

Sound the Trumpet and Zion is our title. Do you really understand the importance of the annual Holy Days? We emphasize the fact that the Holy Days reveal the plan of salvation, but there is much, much more that we need to understand and what it means to us in our everyday lives. One of the things we need to understand about the Holy Days is that there are three factors, you could call it, elements, events associated with each feast and perhaps even more. And I've given you a handout. There is the literal physical event that typifies the spiritual fulfillment.

And then there is the doctrinal parallel, what you have to do doctrinally in order for it to be fulfilled spiritually in your life. In addition, there is the prophetic progression with the Holy Days and their literal fulfillment. And you'll see some of that on one side of the handout that I gave you.

So now let's examine in more detail what I have just stated. In ancient Israel, the Holy Days began to be observed, in this case the first festival. Of course, the first festival is Passover. It's not a Holy Day, but it is a convocation.

It came to be a convocation in the New Covenant Church. In the early days, in the first Passover, the heads of households killed lambs and sprinkled the blood on the doorposts to their homes, which you can read about in Exodus 12.

The spiritual reality today, in a literal event that took place, Jesus Christ was bruised, beaten, broken. He was whipped with a cat of nine tails. His skin was, flesh was shredded. And he began to bleed after the first lash of that whip ripped into his flesh.

And he continued to bleed and to suffer. And he gave his life, his life's blood, and he is our Passover. Turn to 1 Corinthians 5, verse 7. We refer to the literal event in Exodus 12, where it began, and through the years. There was a transition after the tabernacle was built in the temple, that it was at the temple that you were to bring your offering, your sacrifice.

In 1 Corinthians 5 and in verse 7, we'll read here, 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 7, Purge out therefore the old leaven that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened. They were unleavened apparently in the physical sense. It seems that people are more diligent to put out the physical leaven than they are the spiritual leaven, that you are unleavened. And that would be in the physical sense, for even Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. So he had a literal event, and then the spiritual fulfillment, there was a literal event connected with that. Christ gave his life's blood, and the spiritual fulfillment, we repent, exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ for the remission of sins that are passed. And God is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Then on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, you could read in Numbers 33, that Israel left Egypt on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

We must repent and exercise faith in Christ in order to leave spiritual Egypt symbolic of sin and death. So a literal event took place. They left Egypt on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

And a literal event has taken place, hopefully, in our lives, that we have repented, exercised faith in the sacrifice of Christ. We have left spiritual Egypt. And of course, the doctrinal parallel there is repentance and faith in the sacrifice of Christ.

Maybe we should go there right now, because this cuts through all of... Turn to Hebrews 6. At one time in the Worldwide Church of God, we had a paper titled, The Six Great Doctrines of Hebrews 6, but actually there are seven. In fact, that's what the seventh one is what Paul is admonishing us to do. And the seventh one cuts through all six. It's like if you listed the six basic doctrines, then like a diagonal line through all six would be the one of going on to perfection. Going on to perfection begins with keeping the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day. In Hebrews 6.1, Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection. And then those first principles are listed, not laying in the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands, and of resurrection, and of judgment, and of eternal judgment. And this will do what? Go on to perfection, God permitting.

So, on the Second Holy Day of Unleavened Bread, on the Seventh Day of Unleavened Bread, Israel crossed the Red Sea. You can follow most all of this with a handout, which was their baptism. Now look at 1 Corinthians chapter 10. It says very clearly that that crossing of the Red Sea on that Holy Day. Now, the Bible doesn't say specifically that they crossed on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but according to Jewish tradition, that is the case. 1 Corinthians 10.1, 1 Morel, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, have that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. And did all eat the same spiritual meat? Did all drink the same spiritual drink? For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.

So it marked their final deliverance from Egypt. They were thrust out into the wilderness to live by faith. The admonition is always and forever to live by faith. The just shall live by faith. They were to leave the sins of Egypt behind after they were baptized, and likewise we must crucify the old man, leave the old man buried in the watery grave of baptism. According to Jewish tradition, in the third month after leaving Egypt, Israel received the law on the day of Pentecost and entered into the terms of the Old Covenant.

One place in the Pentateuch, Moses writes that there was such a heart in them, of course Moses was inspired by the Spirit of God, that the Spirit of God was not made available in the sense of them being begotten for the majority of the people under the terms of the Old Covenant. The doctrinal parallel to the day of Pentecost is the laying on of hands and being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Once again, a literal event took place in Acts 2. There was a sound of the rushing of a mighty wind and cloven tongues of fire upon the heads of the apostles and disciples, and they began to speak, and the listeners began to hear them in their own language.

So there was the miracle of hearing and of speaking. So a literal event accompanied the giving of the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit came. Now we look at 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 12. We'll see in the spiritual fulfillment. See, the doctrinal parallel, of course, is the laying on of hands. For as the body is one and hath many members, and all members of that one body being many, so are we today, or so are we one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body. Who does that baptizing? God does that baptizing. God sends us the Holy Spirit. Somehow Christ plays a role in it.

That we are begotten to newness of life, and we're baptized by the Holy Spirit. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. And then it goes on with the analogy of the body that I referred to in the ordination part here that we had today. That when one member is honored, we're all honored. When one member suffers, we all suffer. And that we are members one of another. It is God who baptizes us into the Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit.

On Pentecost 31 A.D., when God sent the Holy Spirit, listen to what I say, He began to call out the first fruits. They are to repent, exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ, be baptized, and receive the laying on of hands, and begin to live the resurrected life. There is no symbolic scriptural evidence to support the idea that some in the church hold that the resurrection to spiritual life takes place on the day of Pentecost.

You can't show me one Scripture. The spiritual fulfillment happened in 31 A.D. when the Holy Spirit was sent. We now are begotten. We are begotten sons and daughters in Christ and in God the Father. We shall see in this sermon, time after time in the Scripture, that the resurrection in the day of the Lord is basically associated with the Feast of Trumpets. We shall also see that resurrection is equated with spiritual birth. We might do that right now in Revelation 1 and verse 5.

Of course, I could give a whole sermon on this. In Revelation 1 and verse 5, Jesus Christ was the first born of the dead by the resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ was not resurrected from the dead on Pentecost or Trumpets. He was resurrected, as we shall see in a moment, on the weekly Sabbath within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Wave-sheath offering. The first born of the dead, the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

Hopefully you can see that the resurrection and being born into the kingdom of God, that resurrection and spiritual birth are equated. As I mentioned, there's one exception to resurrection in Trumpets, and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the first of the firstfruits. He was resurrected on the Sabbath within the days of Unleavened Bread. First of all, if you'll turn forward now to 1 Corinthians 15. One of the things I've given sermons and Bible studies on 1 Corinthians with regard to the great rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians is, is Christ divided?

That's 1 Corinthians 1.13. And from the calling to the resurrection, Paul shows that no, Christ is not divided. One of the things in Corinth, they were divided on about everything you can imagine. From who was an apostle, to collecting of tithes, to going to court against the brother, to the Passover, how to keep the Passover, to the resurrection.

Some in Corinth even claimed there was no resurrection from the dead. And yet they were apparently going to church. How say some of you that there's no resurrection in an earlier verse? Verse 16, for if Christ's rise not, then is not Christ's raise. And if Christ's rise not, our faith is in vain, yet in your sins. Then they also, which are falling asleep in Christ's, are perished. That's it. Join the church of Bill Maher, someplace like that, that there is no hope beyond this life.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we're of all men most miserable. But now as Christ risen from the dead, they become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

And the Bible tells us clearly when that shall be in the future.

In fulfilling the true wave-sheaf offering, Jesus of Christ appeared before the Father as a sacrifice for sin, for all peoples, for all time.

In John 20, verse 17, John 20 gives us an account of the women coming to the tomb to anoint the body of Christ with the spices that they had prepared and found the tomb empty.

And most of them had left, but one was there. And Jesus said unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and tell them I ascend unto my Father and your Father to my God and your God.

So after the resurrection as a glorious radiant spirit being but able to appear in the flesh, Jesus Christ gave these instructions to her. Later you can read in Matthew that He appeared to them, and they held His feet. And He was touched.

But notice now in Hebrews 9, we'll begin probably in 22, Hebrews 9, See I ascend to my Father, to my God and your God. For what purpose? In Hebrews 9, 22, So Christ ascended, His sacrifice was accepted. He died for all humans, for all time, in all ages, past, present, and future. Nor yet that He should Himself suffer often, as a high priest went into the holy place each year with blood of others. He would have had to suffer many, many times, but once for all times, Jesus Christ appeared. So within the holy days, you find all of these things and much, much more. In the prophetic sense of the progression of literal events taking place, literal events, Jesus Christ was crucified. Israel kept the Passover. They left Egypt. They passed through the Red Sea. The law was given. The Holy Spirit was sent. Now, in the figurative sense, we're supposed to observe trumpets, and in the spiritual sense. Spiritual is much better word than figurative. It's not just figurative. We are to observe the full meaning of trumpets, atonement, feast of tabernacles, and eighth day now. In the prophetic sense, as I said, part of your handout also has that part on it. We are in that period of time, in the prophetic sense, between the literal fulfillment of Pentecost and the literal fulfillment of trumpets. They kept the Passover. They left Egypt. They went through the Red Sea. They received the law. The Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost. And we are awaiting the literal fulfillment of trumpets. By that I mean the time when God directly intervenes in the affairs of men during the days of the Lord. As we have already seen, the Feast of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost have been fulfilled in the prophetic sequence of events. The spiritual fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets in our lives is a reality for those who have exercised faith in the sacrifice of Christ, our Passover.

They have repented. They have left spiritual Egypt. They have been baptized. They have received the Holy Spirit. We are being tested and tried now. During the day of the Lord, the whole world will be brought into judgment.

After repentance, faith in the sacrifice of Christ, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, we are raised from the baptismal waters to live the resurrected life now. Gain the victory over Satan. And after trumpets comes the Day of Atonement, picturing the binding of Satan.

We are to bind Satan now through the Word and Spirit of God. In 1 John 4, 4, it says, you are of God, little children. The Bible says you are of God. How are you of God? Because you have God's Spirit in you. And it says, greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

Can we overcome Satan? Can we overcome the trials, the troubles, the temptations of this present evil age? Yes, we can.

How? Through him who is greater than he who is in the world.

Then the Feast of Tabernacles, it pictures the great fall harvest and the great end-gathering of people from all over the world, all peoples, nations, kindreds, tongues. And God is calling out now, as part of the first fruits, from all nations, kindreds, races, tongues, from all over the world, to be a part of the first fruits.

The great Feast of Tabernacles, the great fall harvest, the great end-gathering. Now is the time for us to live under the government of God in the flesh. See, there will be those living in the flesh in the wonderful world tomorrow, in the millennium. We will be made kings and priests. We will be teachers and priests. We will be helping them to overcome the flesh and live under the government of God at that time. We are to live under the government of God in the flesh now.

And I'm not just talking about some rule or whatever the Church may have. I'm talking about what God says, the commandments and governance of God in our own lives. We have to make the decision whether or not we'll be ruled by man or by the government of God. Yes, God does work through men in administering his government. So now is the time to show that we can live under the government of God in the flesh. That is one of the reasons why some people never make the commitment to do what they need to do, because they want to maintain some streak of, I guess you would call it, independence or whatever it is. Then after Tabernacles, the eighth day, the eighth day is a separate feast, and we have officially notified this to be called the eighth day, which provides the opportunity for everyone of all ages to go on to perfection. So we're to go on to perfection now. Once again, what are the basic doctrines? Repentance from dead works, faith in God, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, judgment, going on to perfection, which begins from the time you're convicted and you're called. And when the great resurrection takes place of those who have never had the opportunity, then the whole world, every person who's ever lived past, present, future, will have that opportunity. So once again, in the prophetic timeline, we're in that period of time between literal fulfillment of Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets. In the sense of application, we're exhorted, yea, even commanded, to be living the spiritual meaning of each holy day, every day in our lives. We've been called to go on to perfection, and the holy days fulfill the steps in God's great plan of salvation for all humankind. Spiritually, we're living the holy days now, at least we should be. We've been called to.

Everything the holy days represent are applicable to us now, and I've given you a sketch of much of what is contained in it. Judgment is now on the house of God. So today, observing the Feast of Trumpets, it is the fourth of the seven holy days. It is a great pivotal time. It is a great turning point in all of human history. After this event begins to unfold, the world forever shall be changed. You talk about a new world order, it will begin to introduce a new world order, as we shall see.

So after today, there are three more annual festivals, atonement, tabernacles, and the eighth day. And as I've said, this marks a great turning point in human history. On the one side of this day is gleam and doom, a day of darkness, throws and woes, tribulation, the great tribulation, a time of trouble such as never was since the world began, nor ever shall be thereafter. Five of the seven seals of Revelation will be fulfilled during the wrath of Satan. The sixth seal, and I want you to turn now to Revelation 6, the sixth seal introduces the Day of the Lord. The sixth seal introduces the Day of the Lord. Revelation 6, verse 12.

He's shaken of a mighty wind, and the heavens departed as a scroll when it rolled together, and every mountain and island moved out of its place. You talk about tsunamis. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks, the mountains.

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath has come, who shall be able to stand? So this introduces, that is, the opening of the sixth seal, the Day of the Lord, and the great wrath of God.

Prior to that, the wrath of Satan. Now look at Joel 2. In view of that, what are we supposed to do in preparation for that? In Joel 2. We'll probably turn there and read it a little later, but shall I remind you that in Hebrews 12, verses 21-22, it says, You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the general assembly of the firstborn, and to Mount Zion. So Mount Zion, symbolizing the church in Joel 2.1, blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the Day of the Lord has come, for it is nigh at hand.

A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the morning spread upon the mountains of great people and a strong, there has never been ever the like. Neither shall there be any more after it, even the years of many generations. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm. We have come to Mount Zion. Let's turn and read that Hebrews 12-20. Remember, Hebrews compares contrast elements of the Old Covenant with the elements of the New Covenant, and showing how much greater our calling is than that calling in Hebrews 12 and verse 20.

For if they could not endure that which was commanded, talking about Israel at Mount Sinai, and if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the scythe, and Moses said, I exceedingly fear and tremble.

But you are come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to him innumerable company of angels to the General Assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. The voice is as of a trumpet. Look at Revelation. Forward there a few pages to Revelation 1.10. Remember, the time setting of the book of Revelation is the day of the Lord. This gives you the time setting. Revelation 1, verse 10. We want to focus on this part about the voice.

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm in my holy mountain. You have come to the General Assembly of the church of the firstborn. In Revelation 1.10, I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and in all other places, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, this is translated as the day of the Lord, and it's not talking about any Sunday or any first day of the week. It is talking about the day of the Lord, and the events that unfold here basically during the day of the Lord. I was in the spirit in the day of the Lord and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet.

God has chosen to speak to us through the human voice. Now, let's read in Revelation, not Revelation, but Leviticus 23, where the Holy Days are given. In Leviticus 23, the Holy Days are listed. We'll see something a bit interesting here about trumpets. Leviticus 23, verse 23, The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speaking of the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, the first day of the month, which is today on the sacred calendar, you shall have a Sabbath, a memorial of trumpets, and holy convocation.

And so we are here today on the Feast of Trumpets. You shall do no servile work therein, but you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Eternal. Trumpets played an important role in the history of Israel. They were blown on several occasions. You can look at Numbers, chapter 10. There were two different types of trumpets that were blown. There were silver trumpets, and there was the shofar, the ram's horn.

In Numbers, chapter 10, it speaks mainly of that of the silver trumpets. They were blown on several different occasions in Israel. The silver trumpets were sounded as the daily burn offering at the beginning of each new month. But the shofar was specially blown on the beginning of the seventh month tishri, which is today. In Numbers 10, one of the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Make you two trumpets silver of a whole peace, shall you make them, that you may use them for the calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps. Then through verse 10, it talks about the various occasions, which I've listed some, in which they were blown. But an distinguishing feature of the Feast of Trumpets is that on the Feast of Trumpets, it was not just the usual series of short blasts signaling either victory or bad news or something like that. Rather, it is a long blast signaling victory. This, apparently, the last blast is referred to as the last trump. In Jewish circles, it is called the Day of the Awakening Blast because it awakens the dead. Of course, that's not literally how it takes place. The Jews have historically associated the Feast of Trumpets with the resurrection of the dead. It would be more about that. The Church collectively and individually will play a great role in the fulfillment of this day. Hopefully, we are fulfilling it right now that we are sounding the alarm in His holy mountain. Let's go back to Joel 2 again, verse 15. Isaiah Joel and Joel 2, verse 15. The Church plays a big role in these last days. Once again, the admonition is repeated. Joel 2, verse 15. Blow the trumpet and Zion. Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Of course, Zion is a literal geographical place in Israel and the barns thereof. But the geographical place cannot fast. It is the Church, the people thereof. Gather the people. Sanctify the congregation. Assemble the elders. Gather the children and them that suck the breast. Let the bridegroom go forth of His chamber and the bride out of her closet. In other words, it is preparation time for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar. And let them say, Spare your people, O eternal, and give not your heritage your approach, that the nations should rule over them. And of course, that's what the nations shall seek to do. As you read about in Psalm 2, why do the nations rage against God and His anointed one? Because they want to rule over the earth. As we've already noted, the sixth seal introduces the day of the Lord, and then the seventh seal is divided into seven trumpets. In Revelation 8, the first four trumpet plagues are poured out on the environment. I would imagine you've read that a number of times.

Revelation 8, the trumpet plagues are poured out on the environment. In Revelation 9, you have the fifth and sixth, well, you have here the first woe and the second woe described in Revelation 9. Then you have chapter 10, which is an inset chapter. Special instructions are given to John in Revelation 10. Now, we note what takes place when the second woe and the six trumpet plagues are finished. We know what takes place when the second woe, basically described in Revelation 9, and partly in Revelation 11, the two witnesses are killed, of course, in chapter 11. The killing of the two witnesses is part of that second woe. Now, we want to pick it up again in Revelation 11 and verse 14. Revelation 11, verse 14. The second woe is passed. The second woe, chapter 9, the plague there in which men are stung, seeking death for five months, and then the great army that comes from the east, the killing of the two witnesses, that's all in the second woe. The second woe is passed, and six trumpet plagues have been poured out. In behold, the third woe comes quickly, and the seventh angel sounded. And so, the seventh seal is divided into the... I'm sorry, the seventh angel sounds, and the seventh trumpet is also divided into seven vials of wrath, but not going there now. The seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven. And the young ladies who handed out to you your candy with a scripture wrapped over it, that scripture is this verse. And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. When? When the seventh angel begins to sound. I'm reading the scripture. I didn't make that up. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders which sat before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which are, were, and is to come, because you have taken to yourself great power and have reigned. And the nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged. When? The sounding of the seventh trumpet. And that you should give reward unto your service of prophets and to the saints, and then that fear your name, small and great, and should destroy them which destroy the earth. Of course, there's a great furor about climate change and destroying the earth and all of that. Some of it nonsensical to say the least. But at the same time, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and said, Dress it and keep it, and we're to dress and keep it. This says that some are destroying the earth. Of course, the warfare that's going to take place in the future, and the great droughts and famines and all the things associated with it, will pale into comparison things that are beyond our even imagination. And the temple of God was open in heaven, and there was seen in the temple the Ark of the Covenant. There were lightnings and voices and thunderings and earthquake and great hail. So the Bible clearly shows that the blowing of the trumpets was the sign that this great rulership would take place and that the judgment of the dead, the resurrection of the dead. In Revelation 1.10, which we've already read, we see that the voice of the trumpet sounds during the day of the Lord. Now look at Zephaniah 1.14. This sound of the trumpet is going to sound, in one sense, for a thousand years. It's going to continue into the millennium because the door and the way to salvation will be open to all of the peoples of the earth. Zephaniah, you probably haven't turned there today. It's right after Habakkuk, which you haven't seen today, but it's just before Haggai.

Zephaniah 1.14. The great day of the Lord is near.

It is near, haste greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord. Even the voice of the day of the Lord. The mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of waste-ness, desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fence cities, against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men that they shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the eternal, and their blood shall be poured out as dust and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath.

But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy, where he shall make even a speedy riddance of them that dwell in the land. The world will not recognize the voice of the trumpet as it begins to sound in the day of the Lord, but that should not happen to us. Look at 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. I said that 1 Thessalonians, the expression, the day of the Lord, is translated correctly where it is not. In Revelation 1.10, saying, the Lord's day, it is the day of the Lord. In Revelation, I mean 1 Thessalonians 5. But at the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that are right unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord, same Greek as in Revelation 1.10, but translated correctly here, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them and surveils upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are the children of light and the children of the day. You are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep in the night, and they that be drunken or drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for helmet the hope of salvation, the big picture of the kingdom burning brightly in your minds, as you heard in the sermon at Offertory. So the world will not recognize it. The day of the Lord will come upon them, unaware, just as it did. Look at Matthew 24 now, verse 36. Just as it did during the days of Noah, are you going to let that happen to you? Am I going to let that happen to me?

In Matthew 24 and verse 36.

Remember what Matthew 24 and 25 is about?

The disciples says, Lord, what is the sign of your coming and the sign of the end?

Matthew 24, 36.

But of that day and hour knows no man, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the son of man be.

As were the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the son of man be.

For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, giving and marriage, until the day that he entered into the ark.

They'll be doing the same thing at the end of this age.

And they knew not until the flood came and took them away.

So shall also the coming of the son of man be.

So you got 1 Thessalonians 5, you are the children of light.

Then 2, be in the field. 1, take in 1 left. 2, women grinding. 1, take in 1 left.

42, watch therefore, you know not what hour your Lord does come.

In Matthew 25, it tells you that with the virgins, even these people apparently were attending church.

The bridegroom knocked on the door.

Remember we read from Joel 2, 15, 16, 17.

Let the bridegroom come forth and let the bride come out of her closet.

The bridegroom knocks on the door. 5 were wise, 5 were foolish.

So we ask today, will we heed the voice of the trumpet?

Israel would not heed the voice of the trumpet.

The people in the days of Noah would not heed the voice of the trumpet.

But God is speaking to us today through the human voice.

The Bible is a written and living Word of God.

If we know the truth and the sure Word of prophecy, the Apostle Peter says in 2 Timothy and 2 Peter, I don't know what I said, but I mean to say, the Apostle Peter says in 2 Peter 1, 19, that we have a more sure Word of prophecy.

Whereon, too, we take, it is wise to take heed.

We have a more sure Word of prophecy.

If we know the truth and the sure Word of prophecy, what can we do but sound the alarm?

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm in my holy mountain.

See, that is what Isaiah is talking about in Isaiah 51.

God is saying us right now, cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions and the house of Israel their sins.

God blows the trumpet through His Word.

That is why the ministers are commanded to preach the Word.

This is God's Word. This is God's trumpet, sounding to us today.

Even in the secular world and in the world of nominal Christianity, they even are blowing the trumpet, in some cases even louder than we are.

It is high time to wake up and understand who we are and what we are. You are a child of God.

The greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

See, when the seventh angel begins to sound, according to Revelation 10.7, according to Revelation 10.7, when the seventh angel begins to sound, then the mystery of God should be finished. What is the mystery of God? It says in Colossians that Christ in you, the hope of glory, that at that time, at that juncture, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and those that are alive and remain also shall rise and meet Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

See, O grave, where is your sting?

You see, death is a sting. Death is an enemy.

And that great enemy has been conquered, that is death, through the sacrifice and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we now have the living essence, that is, the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us.

So, look at Revelation, I mean, Isaiah 52.

Revelation, I don't know why I said that.

Isaiah 52, please. Isaiah 52.

This is what we shall be left with today. And it ties in with the Shermanet, with regard to keeping the big picture burning brightly in our minds.

Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion! This is to us.

Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, special music, the Holy City, for henceforth shall there no more come unto you the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Shake yourself from the desk, arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem. Loose yourself from the bands of the neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

In verse 7, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings and publishes peace, that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation, that says and designs your God reigns.