REDEMPTION OF THE BELIEVER
FEAST OF TRUMPETS
TRUMPETS
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month,
in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a
memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation" (Lev.
23:24).
"And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that
oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets;
and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall
be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, and
in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye
shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over
the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you
for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God" (Num.
10:9,10).
"So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the
Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet" (2 Sam.
6:15).
"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show
my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins"
(Isa.58:1).
"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 cometh, for it is nigh at hand" (Joel 2:1).
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Cor. 15:52).
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first" (I Thess. 4:16).
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
It is our understanding that Joel 2:1 (quoted above)
describes the burden of the Lord in the heart of the Christian
who has experienced Pentecost and is ready to move on with God.
"Sound an alarm in my holy mountain"!
The blowing of the trumpet is associated with warfare, in
many instances. As we move on with God we enter into an
understanding of Him as the Lard of hosts (armies). The Old
Testament in numerous references refers to God as being a leader
of armies. Indeed, the warrior is one of the most important roles
of God, according to the Bible. Yet we Christians do not seem to
have much of an acquaintance with the fighting aspect of God's
nature. God is the Lord of armies! The day of the Lord, which we
anticipate with such joy, is in fact a military engagement, a
battle which is going to involve many personalities and which
will be fought with terrific fury until the Lord Jesus has
destroyed His enemies.
It appears that we Christians have little or no under-
standing of what spiritual conflict is all about. At Passover we
are spiritual babies .... At Pentecost we may have gone a bit
further with God. But when we come to the convocation of
Trumpets, God begins to share with us His concern for spiritual
warfare. The Spirit of the Lord of armies cries war! war! war!
war! in our soul.
"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 cometh, for it is nigh at hand"
(Joel 2:1).
"My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart
maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast
heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war"
(Jer. 4:19).
REBELS FROM HEAVEN
The Lord Jesus Christ always is a fighter against evil
forces. One of the prominent characteristics of His ministry is
the casting out of devils. The unclean spirits, who were so upset
by the presence of the Lord Jesus, are God's enemies against whom
God wages war.
The Bible is not too specific concerning the rebellion of
spirits in heaven. But there is enough said in the Scriptures for
us to infer that there was some kind of revolt against the
authority and will of God. How and when is not made clear to us.
But as soon as Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden a
personality appeared immediately, counselling them to have no
faith in God's Word. It is not true that sin commenced in the
Garden of Eden. From the account, we know that sin existed in the
life of a person or persons who already were in rebellion against
God. The deceptive counsel given in Eden assuredly was a very
cunning temptation!
There is a hierarchy of wicked personalities. Paul teaches
us that we "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
(heavenly) places" (Eph. 6:12). These wicked lords of darkness
are God's enemies. At the present time they are very active among
people on the earth, counselling and urging them to defy God, to
lust, to murder, to lie; to take part in occult activities: to
idolize things and people; ... and rebellion against the Most
High. It is these same evil lords against whom the church is to
wrestle in the Spirit.
Why hasn't God destroyed the rebels long ago? We cannot say.
But we do know from the Scriptures that God has decided to
destroy them through Christ (Head and Body) during a period
called the day of the Lord. God has not forgotten one single
rebellious thought, imagination, motive, word, or deed which has
been formed against Him. But in His wisdom He has settled upon a
specific manner in which He is going to execute His judgment. God
is not slack. He is infinitely wise, infinitely patient,
infinitely good. Sometimes people mistake God's patience for
indulgence or forgetfulness. This error can be fatal.
The trumpet of the Lord is sounding an alarm in the church
these days. God is calling His people to war. The warfare is not
against human beings. The warfare is against wicked spirits in
the heavenlies. The warfare is not against our enemies of the
flesh, it is against God's enemies. The unclean spirits are God's
enemies. They despise the Lord Jesus Christ. They despise the
Word and will of God. They despise the image of God in mankind
and they pervert the image in every conceivable manner. The
Christian churches should be alert to the fact that the Spirit of
God is preparing for the day of vengeance.
The Lord Jesus appeared for the purpose of destroying the
works of the devil (I John 3:S). He cast out many wicked spirits
as He walked back and forth throughout the land of Palestine. The
casting out of devils is the first sign that is to follow
Christian believers (Mark 16:17).
We Christians must prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare.
Our attention must be shifted away from purely human activities
and centered upon the things of the Spirit. There is nothing
"wrong" with socials, musical events, contests between churches,
etc. Good works of all kinds are essential to healthy church
life. But the purpose, call, and driving motive of the body of
Christ is not in human activities. The "call" of the body of
Christ is to God's war of judgment against the hosts of darkness.
The destruction of the works of the devil was the purpose for the
manifestation of the Son of God (I John 3:8). The destruction of
the works of the devil is the purpose for the manifestation of
the sons of God (Rom. 8:19).
The burden of God's war against the kingdom of Satan is
nearly absent from the Christian churches. Pleasant, entertaining
music is sounding in the churches, not the trumpet of God. The
trumpet sounding in the spiritual realm - The trumpet of God is
sounding in the heart of the Lord Jesus; He is God's
Commander-in-chief. The trumpet is sounding in the heart of the
members of the body of Christ who are outgrowing spiritual
immaturity.
The alarm is sounding! Violent trumpet blasts
reverberate throughout the world of spirits as the Lord of armies
prepares His mighty men for the fierce conflict of the day of the
Lord.
And the churches slumber on. A little slumber. A little
folding of the hands. Business as usual. Don't rock the boat or
the membership will fall off. Will the membership fall off when
the day of the Lord dawns in fire? If so, perhaps it should fall
off now in preparation for that great day of spiritual battle
which is coming.
"The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name (Exod. 15:3).
"Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord
mighty in battle" (Ps. 24:8).
"The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great
people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered
together. the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the
Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole
land" (Isa. 13:4,5).
Sometimes such passages as the one preceding (Isa. 13:4,5)
refer to a historical invasion of Israel by a foreign country.
But often there is a double reference, one natural and one
spiritual. The immediate application of Isaiah may have been to
the overthrow of Babylon by the Medes and the Persians. But
the language of the context suggests that the Holy Spirit of
God, as is true in many other Old Testament passages, is speaking
here not only of an immediate physical conflict but also of the
ultimate spiritual conflict which yet is ahead of us.
"The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up
jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall
prevail against his enemies" (Isa.42:13),
"And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp
is very great, for he is strong that executeth his word, for the
day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide
it?" (Joel 2:11).
"The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light
of thine arrows they went, and all the shining of thy glittering
spear" (Hab.3:11).
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that
sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness
lie doth judge and make war" (Rev.19.11).
It is impossible to understand the purposes and workings of
the Christian salvation, to comprehend what God is doing and
intends to do through the body of Christ, without understanding
the warrior dimension of God's personality. God's attention is
focused upon the day of the Lord; and the day of the Lord is
characterized by battle, in many places where that day is
mentioned in the Scriptures.
The sum of what we are saying is that the churches must
become much more aware of one of the most important purposes of
the body of Christ. The purpose is the a waging of war against
the enemies of God, not against our enemies, but against the
enemies of God. They are wicked personalities who dwell in the
heavens at the present time. They are the rulers of the
darkness of this world. God has had a controversy with them for a
greater period of time than we know. It is they against whom
God's anger smokes. It is they for whom the lake of fire has been
prepared. And God, the Man of war acting through the body of
Christ, is going to break the chains of bondage which these
rebellious spirits have wrapped around the inhabitants of the
earth.
JUDGMENT
It is interesting to note that Trumpets and the Day of
Atonement (Yom T'ruoh and Yom Kippur) are celebrated by the
Hebrews in a mood of introspection and contrition. The other
convocations have a more joyful tone . Because these two solemn
convocations are a time of heart searching they are known as
Yomim Noroim, the "Days of Awe." ...
"Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain." But we don't know how to blow the trumpet. We are not
people of war. We would rather think of peaceful things and
assure our hearts that all is well. "Blow it! Blow it! Sound the
alarm!" commands the Spirit of God. "Sound the alarm of war!"
"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the
trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and
take any person from among them, he is taken away in
his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's
hand" (Ezek. 33:6).
The Holy Spirit of God is sounding the alarm of judgment to
come: judgment against the world, against the proliferating sins
hatched from the spirit of the age. But also against any
wickedness that can be found in the churches. If murder, lust,
and covetousness are found in the churches, they will be judged
as sin by the Lord. Any Christian who is practicing murderous
rage, hate, backbiting, jealousy, evil speakings, in his
imaginations, motives, words, or deeds, can expect to be hearing
from the Holy Spirit. Judgment is being exercised in the
household of God. All actions are being screened carefully, one
at a time. The bride of Christ must put away every single action
and motive that proceeds from or is associated with the enemy.
Every manifestation of the spirit of sectarianism, for example,
must be abolished utterly.
If Jesus of Nazareth were to appear on earth today, how
would we Christians receive Him? Would we cry, "Away with Him!"?
.... Will we Christians repudiate and resist the Spirit of Christ
whenever and wherever He appears?
As far as covetousness is concerned, can it be said truly of
Christians in America that we are not over-involved with the
spirit and things of the world? Are we indeed "strangers
and pilgrims on the earth"? God in His kindness has given us all
good things to enjoy. But the love of the world is not of the
Father. Are we bound by the spirit of the age in which we live or
are we following in the steps of the Man of Galilee, of Paul, of
James, of John, of Peter? No man can be a Christian without
putting his hand to the plow and walking straight on in the path
set before him by the Holy Spirit. No man can be a Christian
without taking up his cross and following Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the same, "yesterday, and today, and for ever."
Sometimes we say, "We must have beautiful surroundings
to show the beauty of the gospel. We must beautify the house of
God." Is the place where Christians assemble actually the house
of God? The record shows that Messiah Jesus was born in a stable.
Had God wanted His Son, Jesus, to be worshipped in surroundings
befitting His kingly Person, Christ would have been born in a
royal palace, not in the worst room in the inn. But God is more
concerned with the condition of the hearts of the Christians than
He is with buildings in which they assemble. We are not
advocating that Christian people meet in a dirty building. We
must be diligent in everything we put our hand to, and taking
adequate care of an assembly hall is no exception.
It appears however that we continue to refer to the
buildings in which we assemble as the house of God, and we teach
our children in Sunday School that the buildings are the house of
God. We attempt to glorify God by decorating and enlarging the
assembly halls. Yet the hearts of the believers in many instances
remain boarded-up, cobwebbed shacks. It is time now for us
Christians to straighten out this inconsistency.
At times there may be an inverse relationship between the
condition of the assembly building and the condition of the
hearts of those who assemble in it. Consider ... look at the Lord
of armies being born among the patient beasts, an environment
which might cause our dainty church attenders to shriek with
dismay rather than to worship God in Spirit and in truth. But
they who are in the flesh covet the things of the flesh, and they
who are in the Spirit covet the things of the Spirit.
"Yet ye say, the way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of
Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways" (Ezek. 33.20).
The trumpet of the Lord is sounding the alarm in Zion. God
has come to judge His people wherever there is sin and idolatry
and coldness of heart.
"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show
my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins"
(Isa.58:1).
The Spirit of the Lord is sounding the alarm of danger and
spiritual warfare. Let us of the churches beware of desiring to
hear smooth things, comfortable things. Let us not require of the
prophets that they prophesy deceits and tell us how pleased God
is with our lukewarmness and our love of the things of the world.
If we are cold and backslidden we want to know about it, and not
be deceived with lies and hypocrisies. Too much is at stake,
individually and collectively.
We may be waiting for God to pour out His Spirit at some
vaguely defined future time, not realizing that it is the sin and
indifference in the churches that has cut off the flow of the
Holy Spirit of God. Now is the time for revival. Occasionally we
have "mercy drops," so to speak. Thank God for the mercy drops,
and thank God for the ministries and gifts of power which are
being raised up in these days. But it is the will of the Father
that the authority, power, and blessing of the Spirit come upon
us every time we gather together. It is now that we should be
beseeching the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for "rain in
the time of the latter rain" (Zech.10:1).
It is God's will that we should respond to the present-day
alarm of the trumpet by getting ready to fight. The battle is
against wicked spirits, the hosts of darkness, who are the
enemies of God. Their power is exercised not only in the world
but also at times in the hearts and lives of Christian people.
.................
TO BE CONTINUED
|
