The Feast of Trumpets and The Rapture Louis G. Hulsey September 5, 2010 Casa Grande, Arizona

Opening Texts Lev 23:24, “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, an holy convocation. Lev 23:25, “Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Lev 23:26, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Lev 23:27, “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.”

Opening Texts Lev 23:28, “And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. Num 10:10, “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 29:1 “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.”

Opening Texts Nehemiah 8:1, “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. Nehemiah 8:2, “And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. Nehemiah 8:3, “And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.”

The Feasts of Israel Slide One Holy YearCivil Year FeastJesus’ LifeYour Life 1 Abib (Nisan) 7 Unleavened Bread Passover (Pesach), 14 th Day Unleavened Bread, 15 th Day (Lasted 7 Days) Firstfruits, Barley (1 st Sunday After Passover) Died & Buried on Passover Purged Our Sins In the Grave 3 Days Arose From Death Accept Jesus as Lamb of God Repent/Born Again Be Baptized Be Sanctified. Walk in new life. 2 Zif8Jesus Ascended 3 Sivan9Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) (Shavuot) Jesus Sent Baptism of the Holy Spirit Receive Baptism of the Holy Spirit Witness with Power, Live Holy Spirit-led Life, Priestly Intercessor 4Tammuz10 5 Ab11 6 Elul12

7 Tishri1 Feast of Tabernacles Feast of Trumpets, 1 st Day (Rosh Hashanah) Day of Atonement, 10 th Day (Yom Kippur) Feast of Tabernacles 15 th Day (Succoth) Consummation of the Kingdom Rapture Day of Judgment New Jerusalem Experience Rapture Marriage Supper of the Lamb Receive Rewards God Tabernacles With You Forever. 8 Bul2 9 Chisleu3 10 Tebeth4 11 Sebat5 12 Adar6 The Feasts of Israel Slide Two

Spring Feasts All the spring feasts of Israel were fulfilled to the day at Christ’s first coming. Passover Unleavened Bread First Fruits

The Fall Feasts All the fall feasts of Israel are types of the second coming of Christ. Feast of Trumpets = the Rapture. Day of Atonement = the Judgment. Feast of Tabernacles = the Eternal Kingdom

The Last Trumpet The Feast of Trumpets refers to the “last trump” of I Corinthians 15. 1Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 1Cor 15:52 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.

The Last Trumpet 1 Thessalonians 4:16 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: 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The Wedding Announcement The Feast of Trumpets is known as the announcement of the wedding of the Messiah. The Church is His Bride. The rapture is when His Bride is caught up to the Marriage Supper. "Of that day or hour no man knows, but my Father only" is an expression used by a groom when asked when his wedding will be. He says this because it is his Father who will tell him when his preparations of the bridal chamber are completed and it is time for the wedding, (From:

The Wedding Mat 25:10, “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Mat 25:11, “Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. Mat 25:12, “But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Mat 25:13, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

The New Moon The Feast of Trumpets begins at the first sighting of the new moon. No man knows the day nor the hour of the new moon because it appears beside the setting sun for only a few minutes 29.5 days after the previous new moon. So it may be seen on the 29th or 30th day of the month of Elul. This day actually lasted for two days and was counted as one day, the Yom Teruah (Day of the trumpet blast). Two credible witnesses had to attest to the high priest that they had seen the new moon, then the trumpets would sound and the new year would begin.

The New Moon The new moon and the feasts of the Lord are a shadow of things to come. Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Colossians 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. We should pay attention to this since the Feast of Trumpets is the only Feast of the Lord that falls on a new moon.

The Eastern Gate The Feast of Trumpets marks the opening of the Eastern Gate in Jerusalem. Ezekiel 46:1, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. Ezekiel 46:2, “And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.

The Eastern Gate Ezekiel 46:3, “Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the Sabbaths and in the new moons.” Revelation 3:8, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” Revelation 4:1, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. Revelation 4:2, “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”

Ezekiel 44:1-3 "Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince"

The Days of Awe The Feast of Trumpets marks the beginning of the Days of Awe before the Day of Atonement. (From Jason Hommel says, “A special season known as 'Teshuvah' which in Hebrew means "to return or repent", begins on the first day of the month of Elul and continues 40 days, ending with Yom Kippur. Thirty days into Teshuvah, on Tishrei 1, comes Rosh HaShanah. This begins a final ten-day period beginning on Rosh HaShanah and ending on Yom Kippur. These are known as the High Holy Days and as the Awesome Days… Teshuvah begins on Elul 1 and concludes on Tishrei 10, Yom Kippur. Each morning during the 30 days of the month of Elul, the trumpet (shofar) or ram's horn is blown to warn the people to repent and return to God.”

A Warning The Feast of Trumpets is the warning of the coming Day of Judgment, the coming of the Day of Atonement. “God has always had a heart to warn people before He proclaims judgment. God warned the people before the flood, and He warned Nineveh before it was ruined. He does not want anyone to receive the wrath of His judgment (Ezekiel 18:21- 23,30-32, Zephaniah 2:1-3).”

The Warning "At the instant that the Jewish workers heard the trumpet sound, all would immediately stop harvesting, even if they were not finished (think about that!) and go to the Temple for worship! In those days, as it is sometimes today, a Jew & an Arab might be working side by side in the fields - but when the trumpet sounded on this particular day, the Jew would stop and go to worship, while the Arab kept on harvesting. Jesus used this same analogy in Matthew. 24:36-44 of the Second Coming."

Yom Teruah and Resurrection The Feast of Trumpets foreshadows the awakening of the dead. Rosh HaShanah is also referred to as 'Yom Teruah', the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, or the Day of the Awakening Blast. On Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, it is imperative for every person to hear the shofar.

The Awakening Blast Teruah means "an awakening blast". A theme associated with Rosh HaShanah is the theme "to awake". Teruah is also translated as "shout". The book of Isaiah, chapter 12, puts the shouting in the context of the thousand- year reign of Jesus. The Messianic era and shout is mentioned in Isaiah 44:23 and Zephaniah 3:14. The first coming of Christ is associated with a shout in Zechariah 9:9. The ultimate shout is the rapture in First Thessalonians 4:16-17.

Sleeper Awake Whether it is by the blast of a shofar or the force of a supernatural shout, God's goal is to awaken us. "...Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." - Ephesians 5:14. Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” …Being sealed unto the day of redemption refers to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. God gave this festival to teach us that we will be judged on Rosh HaShanah and will be sealed unto the closing of the gates on Yom Kippur.

Gates of Heaven The gates of Heaven are opened on Rosh HaShanah so the righteous nation may enter (Isaiah 26:2, Psalm 118:19-20). Because the gates of Heaven are understood to be open on Rosh HaShanah, this is further evidence that the rapture of the believers in Christ could take place on Rosh HaShanah.

Let Us Repent Now is the time to repent of our sins and prepare our hearts for the sounding of the trumpet at the rapture of the Church.