The Sound of Trumpets

The title of my sermon is The Sound of Trumpets. We've already heard some trumpets playing today. You know it when you hear it. We typically hear some music and all kinds of instruments because we're so blessed in this country. But in some countries, all they have is a ram's horn. And that's all they can afford. And I understand that in some of the countries. But I want to look at this today in a little different light because when you use a ram's horn, it's talked about in the scriptures. And they call it a shofar, as David made his funny today with that.

And the shofar has a different sound. It's a very bass-strong sound. And it was used, and I must say in some countries in Africa, it's still used today. And in South America, countries where this is their trumpet, this is how they draw attention to themselves. And they have different ways to use it, different means. It means different things. And God does this in His scripture, and He did it with the nation of Israel, and He will do it upon His own return. The shofar, they would blow when they were going to war, and it would be a very strong sound.

And they would also blow it a little longer when it was time to retreat. I'd like to go there, if you will, with me. 2 Samuel 18 and verse 16. 2 Samuel 18 verse 16. This is where Absalom had usurped His authority and took over His king. And David sent his men, especially his nephew Joab, to go get his cousin.

And he said, bring him back alive, and Joab didn't listen very well. Let's just say he misheard, and he didn't bring him back. But when he had Joab surrounded in verse 16, he said, Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people, because they were just going to slaughter their own people. Because that's the way that they looked at it, because they were trying to overthrow their king. So to control these men who were, I can say the word, hell-bent, on slaughter, they only knew the sound of a trumpet.

And it meant stop. It also meant could attack. But God used this, and the Scripture used it, and not everyone used it for war. I'd like you to go with me, because they used it for assembly. To call people together, I want to go back to where that started. Back in Numbers, if you will.

Numbers chapter 10. Here there was a different trumpet. It was a silver or metal trumpet, instead of a shofar, which was used basically for war, and those certain sounds, or if people had one. But by this time, David sure had a lot of silver trumpets. He was a musician, and he loved to hear the sound. But let's see what God said in Numbers, as they were in the wilderness. Chapter 10 and verse 2, well, verse 1 says, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Make two silver trumpets for yourself.

You shall make them of hammered work. You shall use them for calling the assembly and for directing the movement of the camps. A different sound, different trumpets. But people were to listen for that sound. Verse 3, When they blew both of them, all the assembly shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle meeting.

That means everybody's to come together. They would even do this on the Sabbath. When it was time for Moses to speak, when it was time for Aaron to speak, and they did it whenever they needed to make an announcement to these people. How many people? Anybody? Yes! Two and a half to three million people! Imagine that sound. It had to be to reach two to three million people.

It had to be blown pretty loud. And just two trumpets. Let's go on down. Verse 4, But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions, shall gather to you.

So if they only hear one trumpet blowing, it means that the leaders are to show up. It's kind of what it was. What we had maybe in the 80s when somebody would call you, they'd have beeper. Anybody ever have a beeper here? Before there were cell phones, we thought that was the greatest thing. And people wanted to contact you. Mine actually had you could type a couple of words in it, or phrases, or whatever.

But then you would look at it, boy, I don't know how we ever got along without beepers.

Now, other than the drug dealers down in Miami, I don't know many people that have them. Oh, I guess they had them over in the Middle East, but I don't think they'll be carrying beepers anymore. Hezbollah. They found a way to do that. But it reminds me of Applebee's. Remember Applebee's, where you go there and you're waiting. Listen, they give you this thing you can put in your pocket or you can carry, and it goes, and then also lets this light off. Well, you know exactly what it's for if you're hungry. Well, here's what the old version was, and it was that one beeper. Let's go to verse five. When you sound the advance, the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin to journey. When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin the journey. They shall sound the call for them to begin their journeys. And when the congregation is to be gathered together, you shall blow but not sound the advance. What are they talking about? It's a longer... There's a short thing like a shofar. It had a sound for war, but also had a sound that wasn't as strong, but it went longer. That was to mean to retreat. Here, they had this thing that you had long and you had short. They learned these because you're moving two to three million people. Maybe that's what's wrong with schools today. Maybe they just need shofars. And if you've ever blown a shofar, you realize it's not easy to get a sound out of it. Maybe that's what to do. Every morning, get all of them out and blow shofars and take some energy out of them. But let's go on down. Then verse 8, it said, The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets, and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations. This is going to be good enough for all the tribes forever as long as they were in their lands. And they were to go by this. He didn't say, well, if you want, pick you up a ram's horn. No, they were to have one. And when they had the sanctuary cities where there were actually priests there, they had to have these to call together. Verse 9, When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you... Isn't that interesting? This is in Numbers. They haven't entered the Promised Land yet. But this is prophetic. Because when you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, that means you're going to settle that land, and they're going to be yours.

It's going to be your land. But there's going to be people coming against you. What are you going to do about it? Then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God. No one kind of tells me. Maybe we all need a trumpet. Because God said, He's going to hear it. If you go back many times in Scripture, whether it's in the Kings, or whether it's in Chronicles, or even Samuel, or even in Joshua, you can see when they went out to war against someone and they didn't blow the trumpet.

You see the defeat. You see nothing about a trumpet. So God's saying, you don't need me? Go! Do it yourself. Go ahead! Then they come crawling back with their tail between their legs. This was made for God's people. Maybe we do need some trumpets in our houses. Because it said, you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.

You got many enemies? If you don't, you will. Also, in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feast, you're going to be blowing some trumpets. Why? Why don't you do it on... Wait a minute. We're not going to war. Well, you're going to be called together to assemble on a holy day, on a feast day. But it's also, hey, it's here! It's an announcement. Because a feast day meant it's time to party, folks. There was going to be food, there was going to be music, there was going to be preaching, there was going to be praising God.

There's going to be all these things. You know, this is time to celebrate. And he said, at the beginning of your months, it lets you know when the beginning of the month was. You shall blow the trumpet over your burnt offerings, over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, and they shall be a memorial for you before God. I am the Lord your God. It's like what you give. It tells God, I gave this. And he recognizes it. And he appreciates it. So this isn't just something, oh, I'll just give this.

But these trumpets meant something. This sound meant something to God. Why? Because it was about Him. He was going to give this to His nation. They were going to have this connection. And it started with a simple trumpet blowing of the trumpets.

Well, what do you think? Do we need to go to war? Well, I think we'd better blow the trumpet if we want God to be with us. Wait a minute. There are some enemies nearby. I've got some problems. Maybe we need to blow the trumpet. It's actually saying to God, help me.

Help me. And they were going to need a lot of help. But you know what happened to the whole nation? They said they didn't need God. They quit blowing trumpets. So it is a sign between God and His people. So not only are trumpets where they used for war and assembly, but it was for victory. They blew the trumpet when they had victory. Remember Jericho? And the walls came tumbling down at the sound of what? Trumpets and they shouted at the same time, and these walls came down.

Because God said, I'm going to give you victory. You're not even going to need to fight. I'll take it down. God's communicating to us today. But before we go into today, I want to look at these times that are given to us in the Bible to show us.

Show us the way. Have you ever used your voice like a trumpet? Oh, I'm sure if any of you have had children, you do. I knew when the sound of my mother's voice and my father's voice when I was growing up, I knew whether it was just a trumpet or whether it was a shofar. I also knew that if that shofar sound came out of their mouth, it was going to be war, and I was not going to win.

But when they called us in for dinner, I knew that voice. This is how God was working with millions of people. You ever go back and look in Ezekiel and Isaiah, minor prophets, you're going to find in the kingdom of God. This is used.

Trumpets are going to be used in the kingdom of God. Who's going to know that? The kings and the priests. The royal priesthood is going to know, and they're going to instruct people how to do it. I don't think I'm going to have a cell phone in the kingdom of God. Definitely not going to have a beeper.

But here, there will be a calling together of when people are to assemble, so that they can learn all about God. Because most of the people will not know about God. It'll be our job to instruct. Let's go to 1 Kings. Let's look at some of these examples, if you will. 1 Kings. 1 Kings 1. I love this because this tells us about Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet.

And here David had died, or not, he hadn't quite died yet, but he proclaimed Solomon as king. And Adonijah, the older son, goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, what's he doing? I need to be king. But David didn't make him king. But he tried to make himself king. And David told him exactly what to do.

And so, in chapter 1 of 1 Kings 1, verse 32, 1 Kings 1, verse 34, it says, Therefore let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him king over Israel, and blow the horn, and say, Long live King Solomon. That's what he told him to do. Verse 39. Then Zadok, the priest, took a horn of oil from the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and they blew the horn.

It let everybody know who the king was, that a king had been born. This is something big that was going to be done. And all the people said, Long live King Solomon. It's so funny you can see a movie about this, and you see Adonijah. And he's got his men there, and they're ready to set him and make him king. And he's all excited, and then all of a sudden he hears the blowing of the trumpet.

And he knows what's happened. And he puts his head down, because he knew Solomon was king. And all the people, you could hear them. Imagine a million people yelling, He's king. Is it any wonder there will be trumpets blown before the king of kings returns?

Any wonder God uses seven trumpets before judgments are pronounced upon the earth, and then the seventh. The seventh trumpet is sounded, and the dead in Christ will rise. And then those who are alive, who are called the saints, will be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, as Jonathan read earlier from 1 Corinthians 15. Yeah, it's a big deal to God when trumpets are blown. And what they stand for and what they symbolize. Let's go to 2 Kings, if you will, over here.

2 Kings 9. You know the story is about Jehu. And Elijah is told, well, actually Elijah was told to go make Jehu, they call it Jehu, it's actually in their language, Jehu. Told them, go make Jehu a king over Israel. Elijah didn't do it. In reality, I think he was scared of him because he did the other two. But he didn't do this. And then it was handed off to Elisha to go make this wild man because he was a man of war.

He was one vicious son of a gun, if I can say that. He's one you didn't want to mess with. He was ahead of the military under King Ahab. And he would kill you. And I think anything about it, his men were even evil. They would just do whatever. But God said, I'm going to wipe some of this stuff out, I'm going to use this wild man. So Elijah go over there and anoint him king.

You know what Elijah did? He said, Assistant, come here. It's time for you to go and anoint. Yehu, as king, I'm giving you the honor. And so he did. And what did he do? He ran in real fast. So let's go and see that story. 1 Kings 9. Let's go to verse 11. He said, Yehu came out to the servant of his master, and one said to him, Is it well? Why did this mad man come to you? Because he came in really quickly into his tents, and he said, I need to see Yehu. And then he anointed him, and then he ran out. And he said, You're king. And Yehu said, and verse 11, verse 11, You know the man and his babbling.

And they said to him, A lie, tell us now. So he said, Thus and thus, and he spoke to me, saying, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel. So here these wild guys are out there, and they recognize. Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps. And they did what? Blue trumpets. Blue trumpets, saying, Yehu is king. The way God wanted it done. He wanted everybody to know. And even these wild guys knew what it was about.

Let's go to 2 Kings 11. One of my favorite stories in all of the Bible. Just because I can see it, and of all the crummy movies they make today, they could make this a movie, and people would love it. It's got all kinds of...it's got the perfect bad mother in it. So, you know, you could take your kids to it and say, See, I'm a pretty good mother compared to this one.

And her name was Athaliah. Her mother was Jezebel. But she married into the family of Judah. But when her son was killed or died, she didn't want any of his children to be king. So she went in and slaughtered all of her grandsons so she could be queen. Except they hid one. He had so many. I don't know how many of you had a lot of kids, but I don't think I would forget one. But she obviously did, being a grandmother. And so she went there and they hid this one. The priest did, Yehoda.

And he hid him. So she couldn't get him. And raised him. Because he was a baby. Raised him until he was six or seven years old. And then said, We're going to throw her off the throne. Because she was just evil. This is a wicked woman. So what they did, they waited until a day when she was to come in and he pulled all of his men, being a priest, he pulled all the guards and everything else and said, We're going to bring him out and announce him to everybody.

Well, how would that work? They knew the only way it would work is what we read here in verse 12. Verse 12. Where am I? 11. And verse 12. And he brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony, the law. They made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, Long live the king.

Now when Ophelia, the grandmother, heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord. When she looked, there was a king standing by a pillar according to the custom. And the leaders and the trumpeteers were by the king. What were they about to do? They were going to blow this trumpet, and he was going to be recognized before all these hundreds of thousands of people as king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. And Ophelia tore her clothes, cried out, Treason, Treason. Then Yehoda sent his men over, and they got her, and she was no longer a grandma.

She was no longer a ma. She was dead. They killed her. So evil. But this was the only way all the people would recognize, because for all they knew, for five or six years, she was queen, and there was nobody else. They were going to wait until she died. But this was the way God made sure they could pronounce the leaders of this.

And if you remember when Solomon dedicated the temple to God, we could read that. It's in 2 Chronicles 5. You can read it later. But he wanted to show that God's presence was going to come down. He built this temple, one of the most beautiful things you could ever see. He describes exactly how they built it. And built it so fine that not a hammer was ever heard tapping inside that building. Not even a hammer. Isn't that impressive for carpenters?

I don't think we could do that today, even with our technology. But this is going to be so important because God's presence was going to be there. It was going to be in this temple. And all the people could come there. And all of a sudden the clouds came. They ran all the priests out because you couldn't see. There was just a cloud of smoke inside there and then fire came down. And all this was done at the dedication of the temple because God was coming to live among his people. And what did he use? A hundred and twenty trumpeters. He had a hundred and twenty people trained to blow this trumpet at that time. So how far would you have heard that? You think anybody would have known, oh, this is not a regular day. Well, it really was. It was just so impressive at that time. Go with me. I'm looking at my watch. Go with me to Isaiah. Isaiah 27. There are so many things in this book about that, trumpets. But in Isaiah 27, this is a day and a future. It hasn't happened yet. And yet, let's look at what will happen because it talks about the restoration of Israel. And it says in verse 13, That's futuristic. It hasn't happened yet. Yet in the future, there's going to be a trumpet. It's going to be used. Everybody go with me to Psalms. Psalms. Psalm 98. Psalm 98. This is talking about all the people and the future when they have gone through such issues and problems. And it says that salvation is with Christ. Salvation has come when Jesus Christ returns. Psalm 98, verse 4.

Psalm with trumpets and the sound of a horn shout joyfully before the Lord the King. It's going to happen at this time because salvation will come. Jonathan brought forth 1 Corinthians 15, verse 52. He said the dead in Christ will rise loud enough to wake the dead. I wish my mother was here because she used to say that my yelling and screaming was loud enough to wake the dead. Well, it isn't. It wasn't. But that sound is going to sound. And it is going to wake the dead. Because as we covered this morning, an archangel is going to blow it. It's going to happen. In fact, let's go there. 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 16. Read that this morning. Get enough of that good news because it is good news. 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel. Who is the archangel? If you were listening this morning, you understand. Who? Who was he? Michael. The only archangel? Gabriel. Gabriel is the archangel. You are sure? But your salvation on it. Boy, you are going to have to show it to me because I can only find Jude 1, verse 9, where Michael is called the archangel. Lucifer, we understand, was. But Michael, Michael is the only one. I checked and thought for sure. I said Gabriel was in there because, you know, hey, he was hanging around Mary. He announced, hey, Messiah is coming. No. Nowhere in Scripture does it say except Michael at one time.

That really shocked me because I had to learn that myself. Did you know that, John? No, I didn't either. I'm like, well, I got two Johns so I could just go, Sean, John. But here, because I believe it's Michael because he's the only archangel, and it says in Daniel 12, verse 1, that he's the one that looks over the church, watches over Jude. Why wouldn't he? So isn't that something that Michael would blow this horn, would blow this thing with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God? So it makes it look like it appears that Michael's going to be the one blowing this. Who's it blowing it for? To wake the dead and announce that Christ is coming.

So it has dual purpose.

It's in heaven or on earth. Matter of fact, Saturday, I'm going to cover some stuff in Revelation of FAQs. Does anybody know what FAQs are? Questions. Very good. Frequently asked questions about Revelation. So I will be going through those and one of those concerns this time and where we're going to be at times. So Revelation 8 and verse 2 tells us that trumpets are about to be blown before Christ comes back. As a matter of fact, there will be six trumpets blown before He. As a matter of fact, if any of you want one of these, I brought extra because you may need them for Saturday. So if you'd like to have one of these, I gave a sermon. Ampe helped me put this together many years ago. Shows our age, Ampe. But this will help you understand as we go through exactly what's going to happen. The seven seals, seven trumpets, seven trumpet plagues, and when everything takes place. So I have copies if you'd like to have that up here afterwards. I'll leave it right up here and you can come up and get you one. I'll have to hand those out. But there's things that happen when that seven trumpet is blown. We get we're changed. This is a big deal because then we're not only changed from human flesh and blood to immortals who do not bleed, who cannot die. That is how big this deal is. And God starts it with the blowing of a trumpet. I'll be interested to know at the wedding supper if those who are dead, it just shows my mind, those who were dead and are changed if they heard the trumpet. Do you think they did?

Were they alive in the grave? Did they come alive in the grave? Or did the trumpet blast them out and they come up? Because they meet Christ in the air.

It just makes it so interesting when that seventh trumpet sounds. Because we know that the two witnesses are dead. And then for three and a half days they lay out on the street. And all the people in the world, they're having a party, especially in Jerusalem. They're exchanging gifts. These two deadbeats are dead.

And then they come back to life. And what happens then? There's an earthquake. There's an earthquake in Jerusalem. The tenth of the city falls. Six thousand people die. It makes me wonder if those people aren't the ones who are partying. Going, hey! Two people, we got them! They're dead! And then this is a serious earthquake. What happens when an earthquake's ground breaks open? You think about all those graves. You think of all those people, first century Christians, those who were there in Acts 2.

The 3,000 that was added that day, the 4,000 or 5,000 that were added later. How many saints will be coming up out of those graves? What a sight to see! And it says everybody will see the two witnesses. So CNN's got on, you know, I'll be having those cameras, and they're going to show this, and then they're going to show them, whoa! Did they just move? They're alive!

And then there's an earthquake! Let's keep our cameras going, and all of a sudden, what's coming out of the ground? Where are they going? And everyone will see Christ. It's amazing! Now, how does it come? With a trumpet. It starts with a trumpet. Because the King of Kings is coming. All will see him, all will hear him. All will hear that seventh trumpet. It's letting them know. Because the seventh trumpet sound is for us. It is about us. That is what's so important. And why do I say that? My last scripture. I'd like you guys to go with me to Romans 8. Romans 8. Because this is what's so big. We're changed. The dead in Christ will rise, and we're changed to immortality. We're going to be flying like jets. We're going to be able to just go anywhere you want to go. We're not limited by speed or time. We're in a different dimension. We're in a spiritual dimension. Why is this possible? Why is this necessary? Why should we get excited about this seventh trumpet sounding that today pictures for us? Go with Romans 8 and verse 19. He said, For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. When everyone will know. It's a revealing. Everyone will know when you're not human anymore. The revealing of the sons of God. We're immortals. That's what the whole creation's been waiting for. He said, The creation eagerly waits for the revealing. For the creation was subjected to fertility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Why? Christ had hope that this would happen. Because of creation, or as a Moffat translation says, universe. And I like that. Because the universe itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The whole creation, the whole universe. It's decaying. It's waiting for us. It's waiting. It starts new life once we, our spirit, meet. Verse 22. For we know the whole creation groans and labors with birth pains together until now. And not only they, but we also who have the first fruits of the spirit. We, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves eagerly, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. It's been waiting. As you guys said earlier, I'd like it to come today. Well, it ain't coming today. It ain't coming next year. And it ain't coming in the year after. I can guarantee you because it doesn't line up with Scripture. Okay? It just can't happen. Until, until those seals are open, until those trumpets are blown, and that's what you want to know exactly is going to happen, then you're not. Brother and I do not want you to be ignorant, concerned. He knows you're falling asleep. This is it.

This is a beautiful, a beautiful day because it pictures the future. It's a future we can all look forward to. And it's the time that tells us even now we've got time. We've got time to work on ourselves. We've got time to, to get our act together. We've got time to enjoy life, this physical life a little bit more, because it's going to be so much better when we're spirit, but hey, why don't we enjoy what he's given us now? Make every moment. Make this Feast of Tabernacles the best you've ever had. Make it so that you're going, how can the kingdom be better than this? And then when you're in the kingdom, go, boy, was I ever wrong. So it is a sign, it is a signal. We have made it because eternal life is ours once that seventh trumpet is sounded. God's proclamation to the world, sound the trumpet!